Open House zero nine

Salam and hi to all..

Come this year, we are lucky again to be able to contribute to this year raya do. We came up with 2 dishes...

...the Resepi Rahsia Chese cake..

...and Kek Lapis Cheese specially made with love from Sarawak.

Too bad that not all of our batch mate were able to be present. However, she was able to, and I know someone who missed her so much!

an avid akok lover. Too bad that there were no akok served during the meet. Haiya, forgot to wish her Happy Deepavali! So un-1Malaysia!

Last year we had Abe Ja's truffles (correct spelling ke). This time around, more people realized the economic importance of truffles. Moreover, strawberries were added to make it visually inviting.

As usual, the rule of thumb in Malaysia is to come half an hour later than the time an event is supposed to begin. In the mean time, members of the department mingled with each other while waiting for invited guests to come.

Some were sitting around at the rattan chair with the lecturers, seemingly very attentive to what is being said. Like a wakil rakyat listening to the people's problems. The poise was very 1Malaysia indeed.

Some were pointing fingers..

Some, not relevant to the occasion, were engrossed in doing discussion on important academic matters.

Then, the all important man came. The HOD, in full Malay attire. He was outstanding from the rest of the crowd. To me, he dressed relevantly to the occasion.

I think he might look some what like Tunku Abdul Rahman in his younger days.

After a brief introduction by Dr Zahir, who was selected impromptu to emcee the open house, the HOD began his informal jovial speech. All stood to attention, clad in their beautiful baju kurungs. You are supposed to look good to your bosses. First impression counts.

Some were hoping that the speech could end faster as the food in front of them were too tempting.

In order to distract their minds from the hunger pangs that begins to rumble in their stomach, some started whipping up their cameras and start shooting to commemorate the occasion.

That includes me.

More hari raya poses..

Congratulations to Emy on being a first time mother. Congratulations too to Sya on her engagement in May and planned solemnization on Eid Adha in the end of November.

Food was in abundance. There were so much left overs. Even Abe Ja who came later ate too.

The Nasi Beriani was awesome. Some of the chicken dishes were incredibly delectable. Sorry no pictures available. Too engrossed with eating.

This post is also available in http://mcmusm07.blogspot.com/ with a little adjustment.

Prostar Program

Salam...

Various programs have always been planned for the benefit of our teenagers. Prostar program is one of them. Previously it was kown as Program Remaja sihat tanpa dadah or healthy teenagers without drugs. However, we want our teenagers to be healthy, not only by staying away from drugs, but also all other elements that can make them fall sick. Thus, the program extended name has been changed to Program Sihat untuk Remaja or healthy program for teenagers.

The Machang Prostar group is touted to be one of the most active in the country.

The program was held in one of the many resorts in Besut, Damai Beach Resort. Hey, to Kuchingites, that really sounds familiar.

The office..


The road leading to the beach

It was quite isolated and peaceful, perfect for a not so expensive weekend escapade. Thus, the place was conducive for youths to learn and gain something from the program. The beach was reasonably clean.

The rooms were clean, well maintained and basic. There were air-cond and TV as extra luxury items.

The facilitators were from the Youth and Sports ministry and health staffs from the Machang District Health Office. They are a dedicated bunch of people. I would say, very approachable, friendly, lively, caring.. all the right attitude needed when befriending youths.

Not only they need to facilitate participants in giving knowledge to them such as this..

They took the lead role to lead the participants in the early morning physical programs such as aerobics, sports at the beach in the evenings and take pictures too when needed.

Participants were cooperative and attentive.

in the afternoons, post prandial sugar kicks in into a slump. Some nearly made it to seize the afternoon siesta.

Hopefully, they can adsorb and be motivated with all that has been spoon fed to them.

It was hard to ascertain if they were able to understand what has been thrown to them. Sometimes, one wonders if the knowledge gained will be used and practiced in their daily go abouts. But the reaction at the end of the program showed that they may have.

Some facilitators broke into tears after getting to know the youngsters in such short span of time and in such closed up location, when its time to leave.

They learned the meaning of cooperation...


Trained and exemplified by these facilitators who wore reds like the Penang boria.


For all the auld lang syne, thank you, may we meet again all..

Why?

Indonesian group postpones ‘invasion’ of Malaysia by a day

PETALING JAYA: Volunteer vigilante group from Indonesia Benteng Demokrasi Rakyat (Bendera) has postponed its “plans” to wage war with Malaysia by a day.

Speaking to reporters in Jakarta, its coordinator Mustar Nona Ventura said that around 1,300 volunteers, including 50 medical personnel, would be departing for Malaysia between today and Oct 22.

The group, which had conducted a “sweeping” for Malaysians recently in Menteng, Jakarta, originally planned to attack yesterday.

“They will enter through pathways that will be unexpected for Malaysian security,” he said, adding that they would not be deterred.

Mustar, however, did not give any reason why the “invasion” was postponed by a day.

The Thursday attack was to wreak vengeance on Malaysia for “stealing” their culture and abusing their maids. The group planned to attack with “primitive” weapons like bamboo spears, sticks and parangs.

In Putrajaya, Deputy Home Minister Datuk Wira Abu Seman Yusop said security forces, namely those guarding the coast, had been put on alert following threats of attacks by the Indonesians, adding that the Government took the threat seriously.

“We are on alert. Security personnel are ready and prepared to meet whatever threats that come our way,’’ he told reporters yesterday.

However, he said there were no reports of Indonesians entering the country with sharpened bamboo poles.

Police have also stepped up security at all entry points from West Kalimantan to Sarawak as a precaution.

Sarawak Police Commissioner Datuk Mohmad Salleh said patrols by the General Opera­tions Force had been doubled, especially at the Tebedu and Serikin border posts, and several illegal trails at the Sarawak-Kalimantan border.

“So far, we have not received any report of moves by the group to enter Sarawak,” he told reporters after the Sarawak police contingent’s monthly assembly and Aidilfitri open house at its headquarters here.

Malaysian Consul in Pontianak M. Zairi M. Basri said the situation in Pontianak was calm and there were no signs of anti-Malaysia activities.

He said that based on surveillance yesterday at the Pontianak main bus terminal, which provides transportation services from Pontia­nak to Kuching, nothing unusual happened.

The Star Online.

Those 1300 strong volunteers would be better off helping their own unfortunate countrymen in Padang. To our volunteers serving in Padang, may Allah be with you always. Keep up no matter what the odds are. Only the truth will prevail latter.

Truly, such behaviour is regressing towards the time of the jahiliyah. Waging war on other countries for reasons that does not make sense at all. When all has been explained on how the misunderstanding has transpired, still, some could not accept it. Why so emo? A psychiatric evaluation should be conducted on these group of people. Probably a bad childhood? It must be something somewhere.

Dunia, dunia..

Mee Paloh Rawa

Eat, eat and eat...

That is one of Malaysian's favorite past time. They love the experience of tasting the variety of food available. It is to some extend, a mystery waiting to unfold.

Mee Kampung Pek has got chains in Kelantan. It is a household name. Yet, many locals now find it not as tasty as it was in the good old days. There are queries if the some of the Mee Kampung Pek (MKP) chains are really the blood line descendants of the first man who made it. Some claimed that the shops are run by the workers who used to work in the original MKP.

Internal bickering asides. There are more now who can make really tasty noodles. One of them is Mee Paloh Rawa. It is also located in Machang, as is MPK. It is also known as Mee Pak Hasan, named after the man himself.

I can't recall the direction to the place. But, when in Machang, be sure to ask the helpful locals for directions. The shop is an unsuspecting wooden makeshift structure that houses a few decent wooden tables and chairs. Colourful rubber sheets were cut exactly to cover the table tops. A few packets of nasi dagang were seen.

Do ask for Mee Kuah (noodles with gravy). Paloh Rawa is the name of the place. Thus, the Mee that comes from Paloh Rawa is called Mee Paloh Rawa.

There..nice?

Anti smoking and HIV talk for school children

Again, it was an honour for me to be able to participate in such activities. We may have been through such same event over and over again, but each provide an opportunity to learn new things. In addition, practice makes perfect. That is how doctors, pilots, engineers, basket weavers, photographers and even paddy planters do it.

The school that we went to this time was SK Pak Roman. There is nothing romantic about it, nor there are any Romans residing in the kampung. Who is Pak Roman by the way?

Jovial lot

What amazes me is the location of the school. We passed through some villages, then rubber plantations, then a herd of cows and the many speed traps that the cows created on the narrow tarmac road. Motorist zig zagged on the way up the mountain, but we zig zagged to avoid the fresh early morning fecal remains of the ruminants. It was all claustrophobic with minimal sky lights sipping through the cracks of the tree tops when suddenly we were met with a clear opening. The sky was bright and blue and the concrete school gates and building blocks greeted us.

Why are there no girls?

.. Because tino (girls) are not allowed in!

What a difference. SK Pek and SK Pangkal Meleret had signifcantly more cars parked on the school compound. The compound of SK Pak Roman was quieter with few cars. It was not the school holiday season too.

The number of primary six pupils who were planned to attend the talk were about 20 students only. Thus, the primary five pupils were called in to fill up the nearly empty hall. The target audience - primary six pupils who had just sat for their UPSR exam.

The boys are always the busy lot. On the other hand, the girls are quietly reading.

Things to note before presenting.

1. Know your subject. Technical jargon are useless for children with low concentration span. In other words, make sure that the slides are appropriate for age and education level.

2. Know your topic well. Preferably, memorize the slides before presentation.

3. Ensure appropriate and adequate research on the topic were made before presenting. Sub par knowledge and understanding level of the presenter can lead to the presenter or the presenter's organization be vilified.

4. Interact with the audience. This is to capture their attention. Make small jokes if possible. Avoid dirty jokes. Not many people are easy with dirty jokes, what more with children.

5. Condition your young audience. Chit chatters at the back of the hall is a sign that your talk is beginning to desaturate the oxygen level in the air. Condition them by giving an instruction easy to follow. For example, train them before the actual talk to say a certain word together immediately after you, the presenter gives out a cue word.

6. Provide fun filled mini quizzes at the end of the talk with some gifts for winners. Hopefully, the immediate objective of getting their attention is achieved.

7. Be less wordy and put more meaningful pictures on the slides. A rule of thumb taught was to avoid more than 6 words (width) by 6 lines (height) in a slide.

8. Provide page numbers on each slides. This allows audience to refer back to clarify certain points.

9. Acknowledge by adding bibliography at the end of your slides. This shows how serious you are in stemming the crime of plagiarism.

There may be more which could be added later.

Despite all these, practice makes perfect. One still need to learn and observe from pro speakers, preferably, speakers for various age groups.

H1N1 Talk in SK Kampung Pek

Salam..

It was a great pleasure and a great experience to give a talk on H1N1 to primary six pupils of SK Kampung Pek in Machang. This was one of the activities to fill in the free sessions after the UPSR exam.

Considering the target group were primary school pupils, thus the talk should be simple and chewable for the hungry young minds. I hope mine was. I focussed more in the practical ways in personal hygiene and how to spot symptoms of influenza. It did not take longer than 25 minutes, yet at that moment, I could clearly spot some wondering minds.

It was hope that they could practice and share the knowledge with others, especially their parents and siblings at home. It is sad to see people still coughing unscrupulously, sneeze like a typhoon without ever closing their gaps.

I told them about their responsibilty towards the country in curbing the pandemic.

I told them how they could show love to their parents and siblings.

I told them to share and repel kiasu-ness.

To make things interesting, I gave them 3 questions to answer from the slides. All three winners were girls and each received RM1 as the winning prize money. (I wonder if it was enough?)

Talk with the headmistress was an interesting one. There were a few things that we talked about. The mention of Kampung Pek was one.

After staying for a fews days in Kota Bharu, one would notice a chain of eateries called the "Mee Kampung Pek". Although I have not tasted it, it seems popular here. I have seen a few branches each in Kota Bharu, Bachok and Machang. Not too sure if there were any branches in Pasir Mas, Pasir Puteh or Kuala Krai since they are all quite linked up.

Both my driver and the headmistress had a different version on how the chain had evolved. There might be elements of some people who uses the name today to garner popularity from its olden days. Whatever it is, both agreed that the taste had dwindled. Both even suggested to try the up and coming "Mee Paloh Rawa". Well, may be some day.

SK Kampung Pek is a primary school sitted next to its bigger sibling, SM Seri Intan Kampung Pek. The latter is a secondary school. Previously, SM Seri Intan was known as SM Kampung Pek. In Malay, "kampung" means village. Putting the word "kampung" in a name of a school gives an impression that the school might be located in a humble village with small number of students, not so impressive facilities or dilapidated building.

When the notion to change the name of SK Kpg Pek was made, a few locals were against the idea as they wanted to keep the name of their village in the name of the school, so much so that they wanted to "claim" that the school belongs to their village. And so, the name retains. Only the bigger brother managed to get its name changed by its previous principal. "Intan" means diamond while "seri" means beautiful. For a record, this "village school" has got its own website accesible at http://www.skkp.edu.my/index.html.

Date with a Woman…

It is not too late to wish all friends and families selamat hari raya Aidil Fitri 1430H. May this raya is a blessed one with less trouble, our sins forgiven by those whom we have sinned and may all of us be renewed after a month of intensive training in the holy month of Ramadan.

Below is an chain email which I have received and wish to share it with all. Some chain emails are beneficial and those are the type that I would like to share. Sometimes, we are too busy and saturated with our own dailiy dealings that we forget to pause, think and reflect on our doings. We may hurt people with what we do and say and brag, which we did not realised it at all. To those whom I have done so, not on purpose, please forgive me. May Allah forgive me too.

Beforehand, I wish to thank the anonymous writer for writing and then begin a chain email. Credit must be given to you over this motivating piece.

Without further delay...

After 21 years of marriage, my wife wanted me to take another woman out to dinner and a movie.. She said I love you but I know this other woman loves you and would love to spend some time with you.

The other woman that my wife wanted me to visit was my MOTHER, who has been a widow for 19 years, but the demands of my work and my three children had made it possible to visit her only occasionally.

That night I called to invite her to go out for dinner and a movie.

'What's wrong, are you well,' she asked? My mother is the type of woman who suspects that a late night call or a surprise invitation is a sign of bad news.

'I thought that it would be pleasant to be with you,' I responded. 'Just the two of us.'

She thought about it for a moment, and then said, 'I would like that very much...'

That Friday after work, as I drove over to pick her up I was a bit nervous.

When I arrived at her house, I noticed that she, too, seemed to be nervous about our date. She waited in the door with her coat on.. She had curled her hair and was wearing the dress that she had worn to celebrate her last wedding anniversary.

She smiled from a face that was as radiant as an angel's.

'I told my friends that I was going to go out with my son, and they were impressed, 'she said, as she got into the car. 'They can't wait to hear about our meeting'. We went to a restaurant that, although not elegant, was very nice and cozy. My mother took my arm as if she were the First Lady.

After we sat down, I had to read the menu.. Large print. Half way through the entries, I lifted my eyes and saw Mom sitting there staring at me. A nostalgic smile was on her lips.

'It was I who used to have to read the menu when you were small,' she said. 'Then it's time that you relax and let me return the favor,' I responded.

During the dinner, we had an agreeable conversation - nothing extraordinary, but catching up on recent events of each other's life..

We talked so much that we missed the movie..

As we arrived at her house later, she said, 'I'll go out with you again, but only if you let me invite you.' I agreed.

'How was your dinner date?' asked my wife when I got home. 'Very nice.

Much more so than I could have imagined,' I answered.

A few days later, my mother died of a massive heart attack. It happened so suddenly that I didn't have time to do anything for her.
Some time later, I received an envelope with a copy of a restaurant receipt from the same place mother and I had dined.

An attached note said: 'I paid this bill in advance. I wasn't sure that I could be there; but nevertheless, I paid for two plates - one for you and the other for your wife. You will never know what that night meant for me.

I love you, son.'

At that moment, I understood the importance of saying in time: 'I LOVE YOU!' and to give our loved ones the time that they deserve. Nothing in life is more important than God and your family. Give them the time they deserve, because these things cannot be put off till 'some other time.'

After reading this account, I remembered a person whom I have worked with mentioning in Malay, "Those youngsters with parents are so lucky to have the opportunity to kiss their parent's hands for forgiveness for we will miss and long for it when they are no more in this temporary world". She was in her 40s at that time.

So there, touched?