Quite a number of people have asked me why I haven't blogged about the recently concluded general elections in Malaysia. This may not be entirely true as I did blog about Jeff Ooi getting elected. Even though I blog about issues I am not happy with from time to time, I prefer to keep politics out of my blog.
That is also the reason I am among the few Malaysian bloggers who you will not see jumping around with joy with the recent results. As I mentioned before, I am really interested to see how it will all work out.
Will the DAP and PAS, two parties with almost totally opposite agendas, get along within the opposition coalition?
How will UMNO and other BN component parties respond to this?
What role is Anwar Ibrahim going to play in this whole drama?
I would definitely like to see the opposition parties fulfilling the promises they made - namely that of eliminating corruption, nepotism and cronysm in the states they control. They have to. Everyone is looking up to them now.
However, I am not sure they can actually do anything about the inflation and rising prices of goods, one of the reasons why a number of people voted for the opposition. This is a Worldwide phenomenon and people here in the UK are complaining about it as well. The already high fuel prices are set to increase even further.
So, I am adopting the "wait and see" policy.
Showing posts with label malaysia. Show all posts
Showing posts with label malaysia. Show all posts
12 March 2008
09 March 2008
Blogger enters Malaysian parliament
Image source: http://www.flickr.com/photos/joi/9914840/
Jeff Ooi, Malayasia's most famous political blogger was voted into parliament in the recently concluded Malaysian general elections.
Standing under the opposition Democratic Action Party (DAP), Jeff Ooi won the Jelutong parliamentary seat with a 16,246 majority beating two other candidates.
One of the indications of the growing political clout of bloggers. I may be mistaken but I think he's the first blogger to get elected to a parliament in any country.
28 January 2008
Down memory lane in Bangsar
I was going through my old website on Geocities (my first), which has not been updated in a very long time. Reading the stuff I wrote several years ago brought back a lot of pleasant memories. One of the pages was on Bangsar, a suburb on the outskirts of Kuala Lumpur, which was then our favourite place to hang out. Here is what I wrote with some minor editing (last updated in 2002):
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Think of Bangsar and images of food, coffee and beautiful people immediately comes into my head. if you are in Malaysia and looking for a bite, a drink, a book, carpets, furniture or just want to hang out and watch the World go by... just go to Bangsar. This is where people come to see and be seen.
Clockwise from top left: 1. Jalan Telawi Tiga, Bangsar at night; 2. In the morning; 3. a slimmer me (MBA days), 4. at Bangsar Bowl with my wife-to-be and Rama.
Caffiene addicts are in luck here - There are several cafes you can choose from - Starbucks, the Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf.... You will find these cafes packed even on week days and you know the Asian Crisis is over now (or is it?) - People are flocking back to Bangsar. Well since I first started this page, I have lost track of the places that have closed down and new ones coming up to take their places.
If you are thirsty for a different kind of drink - the alcoholic kind, don't worry, Bangsar has probably the highest concentration of pubs and bistros in the whole of Malaysia. I suggest you try 'Grappa' for a good selection of wines and 'the Roof' for a place with a view. It has got a new "Blue" look now. According to Bangsar regulars, the "IN" or "COOL" places to hang out are 'Bar Flam' and 'Finnegan's'. The most amazing thing is that they are all on one street - Jalan Telawi 3
If you are hungry, you have a wide variety to choose from - ranging from Italian and French to Thai and Indian cuisine and of course modern "fast food."
For those who love sea food, just head for the 'Sea Food Village'. One good point about this place is that it has its own parking for its patrons.
'Jolly Green' is the big food court with a green roof and a car park below. If you happen to be short of cash and can't afford to go to on of the expensive restaurants, go to the mamak stalls inside Jolly Green or ones outside which open up in the afternoon, next to the Sea food Village.
You cannot beat Devi's Corner in terms of price. Try the Butter Nan> with Tandoori Chicken there. They have several types of Tosai too. You can also try their Nasi Lemak there and wash it down with Teh Tarik - which literally means 'pulled tea' or with a glass of Teh O Ais Limau - Ice lemon tea. They recently renovated the whole place and it looks and feels much better now.
Just along the road is the newly opened 'Lotus'. Clean and bright but slightly more expensive than the former. This place is as busy as Devi's.
Another Indian Vegetarian restaurant is 'Madras Woodlands' - the same row as McDonalds. You may miss it as it is not on the ground floor. There is a wide choice of North and South Indian dishes. The food is reasonably priced. I love the VIP meal and the chapati set.
I just don't know why Bangsar has a lot of places with the names of colors - 'Jolly Green', 'the Grey', 'the White Room' and the 'Red Chamber' and so on. I visited the Red Chamber some time back and guess what...I really liked the place, they have created a really cozy ambiance. With sofas, curtains, real cool music - ethnic, arabian, sufi and so on - and as the name suggests, a red colour theme. The best thing I liked was that none of the dishes were above RM20 and the food was really good. Try the Asam Laksa and you will agree with me. I really love the "Little Red Rubies" which is a drink made from coconut water plus milk and few other ingredients. Bad news for Vegetarians, not much for you there.
Just upstairs is 'the Harem' run by the same management. With an Arabian theme you take off your shoes, just lie down and get comfy. However, do not try eating and drinking lying down - you may drip Asam Laksa all over your shirt. The "Shisha" (a type of scented, non-tobacco hookah) is a big hit there. Yes, people actually pay to inhale scented smoke. I noticed something new, there were more girls (dressed to kill) as compared to guys. Anybody got any answers? I wonder if there is some truth to the rumour that there are more girls than guys in the Klang Valley.
If you are into books, there are a few places where you can grab something to read. There's 'MPH' for those with a lot of money, just opposite Madras Woodlands. It has the widest choice, plus mags, stationeries as well as music CDs and cassettes. Then there is 'Silverfish books', next to Devi's. You have to climb up the narrow stairs. It has got a small but good collection of books including used ones.
However, the best bargain can be had at 'City Book Rentals' on the other side of Bangsar. More precisely at 40 Persiaran Ara Kiri, Lucky Garden. That's behind 'TMC super market'. Their rules are simple, you pay an amount for renting books (used). You can then give it back after reading it and then you get back most of the money back. Some really good books there. I got 'Forward the Foundation' by Issac Asimov today for RM20.
Don't be surprised if you suddenly happen to see a lot of people on Sunday. It is because the Pasar Malam or night market is open. Numerous stalls sell every imaginable thing from fake watches to vegetables and clothes. However, its getting tougher to get pirated CDs and VCDs now after the authorities clamed down on the illegal trade.
Just down the road is the 'Bangsar Shopping Complex' or BSC (now Bangsar Shopping Centre). Just a few months back, it was a dead place with several closed shop lots. Anyway most of the goods sold there were overpriced. Will definitely miss the GSC cineplex and the Bangsar Bowl - a bowling alley. Not very crowded and reasonably priced. However, after the renovation it is starting to pull in the crowd. The customers are mostly expats who live nearby. I personally feel that the place is highly pretentious and materialistic but I guess that's how the World is now-a-days.
In Bangsar, you have people spending hundreds of dollars on a single dinner and driving around in Ferraris and at the same time come across beggars as well. You can see the "CD people" packing their wares before the enforcement agencies raid the place. You can sometimes see young kids dead drunk, puffing and partying away like there's no tomorrow. You can see "Mat sallehs" - Westerners with SPGs (Sarong Party Girls) wrapped around their arms.
Yeah! You are right. Who am I to judge?
Bangsar has something for everyone and I am a part of the crowd as well.
----------
Correction! I was part of the crowd. Wonder how many of those places I named here are still in business?
----------
Think of Bangsar and images of food, coffee and beautiful people immediately comes into my head. if you are in Malaysia and looking for a bite, a drink, a book, carpets, furniture or just want to hang out and watch the World go by... just go to Bangsar. This is where people come to see and be seen.
Clockwise from top left: 1. Jalan Telawi Tiga, Bangsar at night; 2. In the morning; 3. a slimmer me (MBA days), 4. at Bangsar Bowl with my wife-to-be and Rama.
Caffiene addicts are in luck here - There are several cafes you can choose from - Starbucks, the Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf.... You will find these cafes packed even on week days and you know the Asian Crisis is over now (or is it?) - People are flocking back to Bangsar. Well since I first started this page, I have lost track of the places that have closed down and new ones coming up to take their places.
If you are thirsty for a different kind of drink - the alcoholic kind, don't worry, Bangsar has probably the highest concentration of pubs and bistros in the whole of Malaysia. I suggest you try 'Grappa' for a good selection of wines and 'the Roof' for a place with a view. It has got a new "Blue" look now. According to Bangsar regulars, the "IN" or "COOL" places to hang out are 'Bar Flam' and 'Finnegan's'. The most amazing thing is that they are all on one street - Jalan Telawi 3
If you are hungry, you have a wide variety to choose from - ranging from Italian and French to Thai and Indian cuisine and of course modern "fast food."
For those who love sea food, just head for the 'Sea Food Village'. One good point about this place is that it has its own parking for its patrons.
'Jolly Green' is the big food court with a green roof and a car park below. If you happen to be short of cash and can't afford to go to on of the expensive restaurants, go to the mamak stalls inside Jolly Green or ones outside which open up in the afternoon, next to the Sea food Village.
You cannot beat Devi's Corner in terms of price. Try the Butter Nan> with Tandoori Chicken there. They have several types of Tosai too. You can also try their Nasi Lemak there and wash it down with Teh Tarik - which literally means 'pulled tea' or with a glass of Teh O Ais Limau - Ice lemon tea. They recently renovated the whole place and it looks and feels much better now.
Just along the road is the newly opened 'Lotus'. Clean and bright but slightly more expensive than the former. This place is as busy as Devi's.
Another Indian Vegetarian restaurant is 'Madras Woodlands' - the same row as McDonalds. You may miss it as it is not on the ground floor. There is a wide choice of North and South Indian dishes. The food is reasonably priced. I love the VIP meal and the chapati set.
I just don't know why Bangsar has a lot of places with the names of colors - 'Jolly Green', 'the Grey', 'the White Room' and the 'Red Chamber' and so on. I visited the Red Chamber some time back and guess what...I really liked the place, they have created a really cozy ambiance. With sofas, curtains, real cool music - ethnic, arabian, sufi and so on - and as the name suggests, a red colour theme. The best thing I liked was that none of the dishes were above RM20 and the food was really good. Try the Asam Laksa and you will agree with me. I really love the "Little Red Rubies" which is a drink made from coconut water plus milk and few other ingredients. Bad news for Vegetarians, not much for you there.
Just upstairs is 'the Harem' run by the same management. With an Arabian theme you take off your shoes, just lie down and get comfy. However, do not try eating and drinking lying down - you may drip Asam Laksa all over your shirt. The "Shisha" (a type of scented, non-tobacco hookah) is a big hit there. Yes, people actually pay to inhale scented smoke. I noticed something new, there were more girls (dressed to kill) as compared to guys. Anybody got any answers? I wonder if there is some truth to the rumour that there are more girls than guys in the Klang Valley.
If you are into books, there are a few places where you can grab something to read. There's 'MPH' for those with a lot of money, just opposite Madras Woodlands. It has the widest choice, plus mags, stationeries as well as music CDs and cassettes. Then there is 'Silverfish books', next to Devi's. You have to climb up the narrow stairs. It has got a small but good collection of books including used ones.
However, the best bargain can be had at 'City Book Rentals' on the other side of Bangsar. More precisely at 40 Persiaran Ara Kiri, Lucky Garden. That's behind 'TMC super market'. Their rules are simple, you pay an amount for renting books (used). You can then give it back after reading it and then you get back most of the money back. Some really good books there. I got 'Forward the Foundation' by Issac Asimov today for RM20.
Don't be surprised if you suddenly happen to see a lot of people on Sunday. It is because the Pasar Malam or night market is open. Numerous stalls sell every imaginable thing from fake watches to vegetables and clothes. However, its getting tougher to get pirated CDs and VCDs now after the authorities clamed down on the illegal trade.
Just down the road is the 'Bangsar Shopping Complex' or BSC (now Bangsar Shopping Centre). Just a few months back, it was a dead place with several closed shop lots. Anyway most of the goods sold there were overpriced. Will definitely miss the GSC cineplex and the Bangsar Bowl - a bowling alley. Not very crowded and reasonably priced. However, after the renovation it is starting to pull in the crowd. The customers are mostly expats who live nearby. I personally feel that the place is highly pretentious and materialistic but I guess that's how the World is now-a-days.
In Bangsar, you have people spending hundreds of dollars on a single dinner and driving around in Ferraris and at the same time come across beggars as well. You can see the "CD people" packing their wares before the enforcement agencies raid the place. You can sometimes see young kids dead drunk, puffing and partying away like there's no tomorrow. You can see "Mat sallehs" - Westerners with SPGs (Sarong Party Girls) wrapped around their arms.
Yeah! You are right. Who am I to judge?
Bangsar has something for everyone and I am a part of the crowd as well.
----------
Correction! I was part of the crowd. Wonder how many of those places I named here are still in business?
14 November 2007
Malaysian universities out of the World top 200 list
The Times Higher Education Supplement (THES) - Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) World University Rankings are really taken seriously by a lot of people. Thus the dropping of Malaysian Universities from the top 200 Universities list for the first time since it was first published in 2004, is indeed a big issue, especially among the Malaysian academic community.
The results are based on scores on 6 variables, namely, peer review (40%), employer review (10%), staff- student ratio (5%), citations per staff (20%), international staff (5%) and international students (5%).
Though I am not sure about the other variables, I am totally sure of two where Malaysian Universities will always have low scores: international staff and international student ratios. I guess it is related to the education policy there. Unlike universities in the US, UK or even Australia, majority of the Malaysian Universities are not profit orientated. They do not target foreign students for the undergraduate programmes. Most of the foreign students there are not in the Universities but rather in the various private colleges (many of them now with a unique Malaysian terminology - College Universities) scattered across the Klang Valley of Malaysia.
As for foreign academics, Malaysia is not exactly an attractive destination due to uncompetitive salaries and tough immigration laws. I know of some highly qualified academicians who had worked for more than 10 years in the country but were not given the permanent resident status, don't even talk about citizenship. Totally opposite of policies in the developed countries including Singapore.
Of course the most important factors are peer review followed by citations per staff. The universities definitely need to look at what's keeping the Malaysian academicians from publishing in top rated journals. However, I have no idea how they calculated the peer review thing, so I can't comment.
The report does mention a possible reason behind the fall:
"National shame" cries the opposition. It has become a political issue and I am sure that some heads will roll.
Read The Star's report: Whither rankings?
The results are based on scores on 6 variables, namely, peer review (40%), employer review (10%), staff- student ratio (5%), citations per staff (20%), international staff (5%) and international students (5%).
Though I am not sure about the other variables, I am totally sure of two where Malaysian Universities will always have low scores: international staff and international student ratios. I guess it is related to the education policy there. Unlike universities in the US, UK or even Australia, majority of the Malaysian Universities are not profit orientated. They do not target foreign students for the undergraduate programmes. Most of the foreign students there are not in the Universities but rather in the various private colleges (many of them now with a unique Malaysian terminology - College Universities) scattered across the Klang Valley of Malaysia.
As for foreign academics, Malaysia is not exactly an attractive destination due to uncompetitive salaries and tough immigration laws. I know of some highly qualified academicians who had worked for more than 10 years in the country but were not given the permanent resident status, don't even talk about citizenship. Totally opposite of policies in the developed countries including Singapore.
Of course the most important factors are peer review followed by citations per staff. The universities definitely need to look at what's keeping the Malaysian academicians from publishing in top rated journals. However, I have no idea how they calculated the peer review thing, so I can't comment.
The report does mention a possible reason behind the fall:
But we suspect that some Malaysian and Singaporean institutions have lost out because of our increased rigour over voting for one’s own university, and there are no Malaysian universities in this top 200.According to Ben Sowter, QS head of research, “nowhere has keener interest been taken than in Malaysia”.
"National shame" cries the opposition. It has become a political issue and I am sure that some heads will roll.
Read The Star's report: Whither rankings?
17 October 2007
Congratulations to Sheikh Muszaphar Shukor
I almost forgot to post this up even though I had written this down earlier.
My congratulations to Dr. Sheikh Muszaphar Shukor on becoming the first Malaysian to go into space. Right now he is on the International Space Station.
Read more about Sheikh Muszaphar on Wikipedia.
17 August 2007
My old phone line has been taken back
This is to inform all my friends who have been unsuccessfully trying to contact me using my old Celcom number, that it has been cancelled.
I was using their Xpax prepaid line and I had activated the global roaming service before I left Malaysia. The reason I retained it was because our Maybank TAC pin numbers were sent to it.
One day I noticed that my phone was showing a "SIM not found" warning. I realized that I had forgotten to top up the airtime and asked my dad to help put some airtime in. My father put in RM30 but the SIM was still deactivated.
Check the validity periods as given below:
This means that even if you don't use a single sen, you still have to top up when the validity period ends.
Wrote an email to the Celcom careline but didn't receive any reply. I only found out that they had canceled my number after my dad went to their local office in Kota Bahru and inquired. I know it's my fault but am annoyed and sad as well because I have had that number for nearly 6 years now and the fact that there was still more than RM100 credit.
I learnt that they recycle old numbers, which means that the number is back in the market and someone is probably using it now. So don't be surprised if you get a "Hello! Is this Adam?" on your phone. It means that you got my old number.
I was using their Xpax prepaid line and I had activated the global roaming service before I left Malaysia. The reason I retained it was because our Maybank TAC pin numbers were sent to it.
One day I noticed that my phone was showing a "SIM not found" warning. I realized that I had forgotten to top up the airtime and asked my dad to help put some airtime in. My father put in RM30 but the SIM was still deactivated.
Check the validity periods as given below:
This means that even if you don't use a single sen, you still have to top up when the validity period ends.
Wrote an email to the Celcom careline but didn't receive any reply. I only found out that they had canceled my number after my dad went to their local office in Kota Bahru and inquired. I know it's my fault but am annoyed and sad as well because I have had that number for nearly 6 years now and the fact that there was still more than RM100 credit.
I learnt that they recycle old numbers, which means that the number is back in the market and someone is probably using it now. So don't be surprised if you get a "Hello! Is this Adam?" on your phone. It means that you got my old number.
21 July 2007
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows price war
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (Book 7)
is $17.99 on Amazon.com. On the other hand, it is £8.99 on the Amazon UK site.Compare that with what UK supermarket chain Morrisons is offering. The last Harry Potter book is only £4.99 here. No! I won't be queuing up anywhere when the clock strikes midnight. However, I will be rushing there tomorrow morning and hope that there are still some copies left. If not, my next choice will be Asda where it is going for £5.
It is still £8.87 at Tesco and Sainsbury's.
Waterstone's and Woolworths are sellingit at £8.99 per copy while it is £10.99 at WH Smith.
The price war is on in Malaysia too. According to a news report, bookstores here are protesting against hypermarkets Carrefour and Tesco, slashing the price of the book from the recommended retail price of RM109.90 to RM69.90. The four major bookstores there, namely MPH, Popular, Harris and Times announced at a press conference, that they would not sell the last Harry Potter book. Cry babies!
Updated: 22 July 2007
Tags: harry potter harry potter and the deathly hallows morrisons
09 July 2007
Hitz FM's Morning crew parodies the Pussycat Dolls
JJ and Rudy parodies the Pussycat Dolls' song 'Don Cha'.
Is your boyfriend hot like me?
FYI, they make up the Morning Crew on Hitz FM, a Malaysian radio station.
Got this clip via 'At's Perspective'.
Is your boyfriend hot like me?
FYI, they make up the Morning Crew on Hitz FM, a Malaysian radio station.
Got this clip via 'At's Perspective'.
07 July 2007
Asia Petroleum Hub commencement of works ceremony
As promised in my previous post, here are some exclusive pictures from the commencement of works ceremony.
What you won't read in the newspapers. Apparently there was a bit of drama on the day of the ceremony (5th July). In the morning at about 9.30 am a strong storm started and blew off some of smaller tents that had been put up on the island. The generator went off and everything was in big mess. However the storm suddenly let up around 11 am and everything went off as planned.
Haji Abdul Rashid Mohd Isa Al-Qadiry, the Executive Chairman of APH
Prime Minister of Malaysia YAB Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmah Badawi
The official press release:
Asia Petroleum Hub Set to Place Malaysia in the Global Petroleum Trading Market
Pulau Petroliam Johor, Thursday, 5th July 2007 - The highly anticipated Asia Petroleum Hub (APH) project was officially named today with the honorable Prime Minister of Malaysia YAB Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmah Badawi performing the commencement of works ceremony witnessed by Johor Menteri Besar YAB Dato’ Haji Abdul Ghani Othman , Minister of Transport YB Dato Seri Chan Kong Choy and other luminaries.
This RM1.4 billion project sited on a 100-acre (approx. 40 ha) reclaimed island near Tanjung Pelepas is being developed by homegrown KIC Oil & Gas (KIC), which holds a 90% stake and the remaining 10% is held by Trek Perintis Sdn. Bhd., a government-approved strategic financial investor. KIC is the largest independent terminal operator as well as a major bunker player in Malaysia.
APH, targeted for completion in 2009, will be an integrated facility with multiple jetties capable of handling all sizes of vessels from 1,000 dead weight tonnes (DWT) coastal tankers to 350,000 DWT Ultra Large Crude Carriers as well as accommodate over 3,000 vessels calling at the terminal annually. The terminal is designed to handle over 30 million tons of petroleum products and is expected to achieve a turnover exceeding RM200 million annually.
In the first 5 years, in is anticipated that the value created from APH will be RM1.1 billion from storage revenues alone. In addition, the value of oil stored will be in excess of RM100 billion and the value of physical and paper trading generated from the Hub will be over RM1 trillion.
The Hub is essential in meeting the demands for petroleum storage and blending requirements which presently relies on foreign facilities. It provides the much needed option for additional strategic storage of petroleum products on Malaysian soil.
The IDR will receive a massive boost from the project. The Hub will be a natural pillar of the Logistics sector and the IDR will reap various benefits from the spin-off effects of the Hub. This will help ensure the IDR not only takes off on a firm footing but grows from strength to strength.
Tuan Haji Abdul Rashid Mohd Isa Al-Qadiry, the Executive Chairman of APH said, “The Hub will not only put Malaysia at the heart of the global petroleum market and contribute significantly to the country’s GDP but will help to spur the economic growth of the State of Johor as it provides a spectrum of socio-economic benefits through the increase of business activities that will bring about job creation and improved infrastructure”.
He added, “One of APH’s mission is to reduce the cost of landed petroleum products in Malaysia by eliminating double-handling charges as shipments will be made directly from source to the Hub.
The entire cost of this project is undertaken by APH and funded via equity and project financing provided by a local bank.
As part of its CSR initiatives, APH is firm in its support of the Environmental Protection Zone which houses the mangrove conservation area.
APH will be managed by KIC Oil Terminals Sdn Bhd. which also manages KIC’s oil terminals in Port Tanjung Pelepas and West Port. Once completed APH is poised to complement Singapore, currently the world’s largest trans-shipment for petroleum products.
The project team comprises of ZAQ Construction Sdn Bhd who is the managing contractor entrusted with the completion of the project, Mott MacDonald Ltd, Nam Fatt Corporation Bhd., Kencana Petroleum Bhd., Muhibbah Engineering Bhd., and Qi-PMC Sdn Bhd.
About The KIC Group
KIC Group of Companies is currently the largest independent terminal operator in Malaysia with a total storage and production capacity of 522,000 cbm. Through their Floating Oil Processing Terminal, Kadriah I, which is anchored just outside Port Tanjung Pelepas and another land based terminal based in West Port, Port Klang, KIC currently caters to the bunker needs of the country’s two busiest ports. In the last three years KIC has handled 19 million metric tones (MT) of cargo and has successfully turned around the utilization of storage facilities at Westport from 300,000 MT to 3 million MT, transforming it from a domestic petroleum depot to an international petroleum terminal.
The company was founded by Tuan Haji Abdul Rashid Mohd Isa Al-Qadiry and Faidzan Hassan Al-Qadiry, who are also the major shareholders.
Tags: kic petroleum asia petroleum hub abdul rashid mohd isa al-qadiry faidzan hassan al-qadiry kadriah I
What you won't read in the newspapers. Apparently there was a bit of drama on the day of the ceremony (5th July). In the morning at about 9.30 am a strong storm started and blew off some of smaller tents that had been put up on the island. The generator went off and everything was in big mess. However the storm suddenly let up around 11 am and everything went off as planned.
Haji Abdul Rashid Mohd Isa Al-Qadiry, the Executive Chairman of APH
Prime Minister of Malaysia YAB Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmah Badawi
The official press release:
Asia Petroleum Hub Set to Place Malaysia in the Global Petroleum Trading Market
Pulau Petroliam Johor, Thursday, 5th July 2007 - The highly anticipated Asia Petroleum Hub (APH) project was officially named today with the honorable Prime Minister of Malaysia YAB Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmah Badawi performing the commencement of works ceremony witnessed by Johor Menteri Besar YAB Dato’ Haji Abdul Ghani Othman , Minister of Transport YB Dato Seri Chan Kong Choy and other luminaries.
This RM1.4 billion project sited on a 100-acre (approx. 40 ha) reclaimed island near Tanjung Pelepas is being developed by homegrown KIC Oil & Gas (KIC), which holds a 90% stake and the remaining 10% is held by Trek Perintis Sdn. Bhd., a government-approved strategic financial investor. KIC is the largest independent terminal operator as well as a major bunker player in Malaysia.
APH, targeted for completion in 2009, will be an integrated facility with multiple jetties capable of handling all sizes of vessels from 1,000 dead weight tonnes (DWT) coastal tankers to 350,000 DWT Ultra Large Crude Carriers as well as accommodate over 3,000 vessels calling at the terminal annually. The terminal is designed to handle over 30 million tons of petroleum products and is expected to achieve a turnover exceeding RM200 million annually.
In the first 5 years, in is anticipated that the value created from APH will be RM1.1 billion from storage revenues alone. In addition, the value of oil stored will be in excess of RM100 billion and the value of physical and paper trading generated from the Hub will be over RM1 trillion.
The Hub is essential in meeting the demands for petroleum storage and blending requirements which presently relies on foreign facilities. It provides the much needed option for additional strategic storage of petroleum products on Malaysian soil.
The IDR will receive a massive boost from the project. The Hub will be a natural pillar of the Logistics sector and the IDR will reap various benefits from the spin-off effects of the Hub. This will help ensure the IDR not only takes off on a firm footing but grows from strength to strength.
Tuan Haji Abdul Rashid Mohd Isa Al-Qadiry, the Executive Chairman of APH said, “The Hub will not only put Malaysia at the heart of the global petroleum market and contribute significantly to the country’s GDP but will help to spur the economic growth of the State of Johor as it provides a spectrum of socio-economic benefits through the increase of business activities that will bring about job creation and improved infrastructure”.
He added, “One of APH’s mission is to reduce the cost of landed petroleum products in Malaysia by eliminating double-handling charges as shipments will be made directly from source to the Hub.
The entire cost of this project is undertaken by APH and funded via equity and project financing provided by a local bank.
As part of its CSR initiatives, APH is firm in its support of the Environmental Protection Zone which houses the mangrove conservation area.
APH will be managed by KIC Oil Terminals Sdn Bhd. which also manages KIC’s oil terminals in Port Tanjung Pelepas and West Port. Once completed APH is poised to complement Singapore, currently the world’s largest trans-shipment for petroleum products.
The project team comprises of ZAQ Construction Sdn Bhd who is the managing contractor entrusted with the completion of the project, Mott MacDonald Ltd, Nam Fatt Corporation Bhd., Kencana Petroleum Bhd., Muhibbah Engineering Bhd., and Qi-PMC Sdn Bhd.
About The KIC Group
KIC Group of Companies is currently the largest independent terminal operator in Malaysia with a total storage and production capacity of 522,000 cbm. Through their Floating Oil Processing Terminal, Kadriah I, which is anchored just outside Port Tanjung Pelepas and another land based terminal based in West Port, Port Klang, KIC currently caters to the bunker needs of the country’s two busiest ports. In the last three years KIC has handled 19 million metric tones (MT) of cargo and has successfully turned around the utilization of storage facilities at Westport from 300,000 MT to 3 million MT, transforming it from a domestic petroleum depot to an international petroleum terminal.
The company was founded by Tuan Haji Abdul Rashid Mohd Isa Al-Qadiry and Faidzan Hassan Al-Qadiry, who are also the major shareholders.
Tags: kic petroleum asia petroleum hub abdul rashid mohd isa al-qadiry faidzan hassan al-qadiry kadriah I
06 July 2007
World’s largest petroleum terminal
Some of you may recall that I had blogged about "Malaysia as South East Asian oil hub" a few months back.
Malaysian Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi today launched the groundbreaking ceremony of the Asia Petroleum Hub (APH). This 1.0 million cubic-meter storage terminal would be located on a 40 ha man-made island, in Tanjung Bin, Pontian, Johor.
The Government of Malaysia has invested RM100mil in the RM1.4bil terminal.
Scheduled to be completed in 2009, APH is being developed by a consortium led by the KIC Group of companies. It would be able to handle 30 million tonnes of petroleum products and accommodate 3,000 vessels annually when completed.
Come back for some exclusive pictures.
Malaysian Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi today launched the groundbreaking ceremony of the Asia Petroleum Hub (APH). This 1.0 million cubic-meter storage terminal would be located on a 40 ha man-made island, in Tanjung Bin, Pontian, Johor.
The Government of Malaysia has invested RM100mil in the RM1.4bil terminal.
Scheduled to be completed in 2009, APH is being developed by a consortium led by the KIC Group of companies. It would be able to handle 30 million tonnes of petroleum products and accommodate 3,000 vessels annually when completed.
Come back for some exclusive pictures.
22 June 2007
Imposter using my name and email
Early in the morning today, blogger Chan Lilian also better known as 5xMom, left a comment on my previous post telling me that a spammer had left a political sensitive comment on her blog, using my name and email address. Lilian has already deleted it but according to her, it was a very long comment on why the guy supports the opposition, about various political parties, and why Malaysia has no future and blah blah blah.
I was really pissed off. This may be one reason that my e-mail address has been flagged as spam e-mail on more than once occasion. This includes a few times when I tried to leave comments on other people's blogs including LiewCF.
Who would do such a thing?
I suspect that this is the work of one guy who had left similar comments on my blog a few times and on occasion leaving as many as 7 comments on one post (with a totally unrelated topic). He/ she used different names but I saw that they were all from one IP address and had the same writing style. The last time he did that, I deleted all the posts and told him off. Maybe this pissed this guy off and he's doing this as revenge.
The spammer's IP address is 60.50.121.0 as recorded on Lilian's web site. My initial investigation shows that the person is from Petaling Jaya, Selangor, Malaysia.
Can anyone help me expose this sneaky, little racist ba$#@^d?
I say racist because even though he claims he is being discriminated against, he goes around making disparaging remarks against another race.
If I ever catch him, I am going kick his fat butt.
I was really pissed off. This may be one reason that my e-mail address has been flagged as spam e-mail on more than once occasion. This includes a few times when I tried to leave comments on other people's blogs including LiewCF.
Who would do such a thing?
I suspect that this is the work of one guy who had left similar comments on my blog a few times and on occasion leaving as many as 7 comments on one post (with a totally unrelated topic). He/ she used different names but I saw that they were all from one IP address and had the same writing style. The last time he did that, I deleted all the posts and told him off. Maybe this pissed this guy off and he's doing this as revenge.
The spammer's IP address is 60.50.121.0 as recorded on Lilian's web site. My initial investigation shows that the person is from Petaling Jaya, Selangor, Malaysia.
Can anyone help me expose this sneaky, little racist ba$#@^d?
I say racist because even though he claims he is being discriminated against, he goes around making disparaging remarks against another race.
If I ever catch him, I am going kick his fat butt.
10 June 2007
Congratulations Prime Minister
Malaysian Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi married Datin Seri Jeanne Abdullah at a simple and private ceremony at his official residence, Seri Perdana, in Putrajaya today. The akad nikah (solemnisation of marriage vows) was solemnised by Putra Mosque acting Imam, Abd Manaf Mat.
Jeanne (pronounced zhahn in the French accent) became the Prime Minister’s wife at around 2.50pm.
Selamat Pengantin Baru
Read the Star report here.
Updated (11 June, 2007): The photographs are finally out. Check them out here.
05 June 2007
Alleycats' Loga passes away
While going through the Star Online, learnt that Loganathan Arumugam passed away the Mount Miriam Hospital, Penang at 10.50am today at the age 54. He had been suffering from cancer. Read it here.
He is survived by his wife, a son (23) and a daughter (20).
Loga was a member of the Alleycats, one of the longest lasting bands in Malaysia (maybe in the world). The band was formed in 1969 and have been entertaining us since then. They have have 29 albums in their name. besides their love songs, he and his elder brother David, were also famous for their Afro hairstyles, which they retained.
The last time I saw them live was at Uncle Chilli's Fun Pub and Restaurant, PJ Hilton, Petaling Jaya. The group will not be the same without him.
Here are the lyrics:
JIKA KAU BERCINTA LAGI
Jika Kau bercinta lagi
cintalah sepenuhnya
jika kau bercinta lagi
jagalah kau hatinya
engkau yang memilihnya
tanpa memikirkan tentang diriku
kini ku hanya dapat berdoa
agar berbahagia kau disampingnya
Jika Kau bercinta lagi
cintalah sepenuhnya
jika kau bercinta lagi
jagalah kau hatinya
aku tak dapat menghalang
engkau punya kemahuan sendiri
biarku hidup hanya mengenang
peristiwa yang tak dapat ku lupa
kini aku hanya dapat berdoa
agar berbahagia kau disampingnya
selamat tinggal
aku mengundurkan diri
Rest in peace Loga.
Tags: Alleycats Melayu Loganathan Arumugam Music
He is survived by his wife, a son (23) and a daughter (20).
Loga was a member of the Alleycats, one of the longest lasting bands in Malaysia (maybe in the world). The band was formed in 1969 and have been entertaining us since then. They have have 29 albums in their name. besides their love songs, he and his elder brother David, were also famous for their Afro hairstyles, which they retained.
The last time I saw them live was at Uncle Chilli's Fun Pub and Restaurant, PJ Hilton, Petaling Jaya. The group will not be the same without him.
Here are the lyrics:
JIKA KAU BERCINTA LAGI
Jika Kau bercinta lagi
cintalah sepenuhnya
jika kau bercinta lagi
jagalah kau hatinya
engkau yang memilihnya
tanpa memikirkan tentang diriku
kini ku hanya dapat berdoa
agar berbahagia kau disampingnya
Jika Kau bercinta lagi
cintalah sepenuhnya
jika kau bercinta lagi
jagalah kau hatinya
aku tak dapat menghalang
engkau punya kemahuan sendiri
biarku hidup hanya mengenang
peristiwa yang tak dapat ku lupa
kini aku hanya dapat berdoa
agar berbahagia kau disampingnya
selamat tinggal
aku mengundurkan diri
Rest in peace Loga.
Tags: Alleycats Melayu Loganathan Arumugam Music
22 May 2007
Fresh milk in Malaysia
The one with the blue cap is Whole milk whereas the other one with the green cap is semi-skimmed milk. Our small family of four consumes one of each - that's 3 litres of milk, every week.
One of our friends just returned to Coventry from Malaysia for his doctoral viva. It seems that his kids are having a tough time readjusting to life in Malaysia. It can be a culture shock sometimes considering that the some of the kids were born and raised up here in the UK. However, I am sure it will be a matter of time before they settle in.
One of the complaints was that it was so hard to obtain fresh milk back home. Not impossible but hard. I guess it's true. Most of the milk in Malaysia comes from Australia and New Zealand and it's either in the canned condensed/ sweetened or powder form.
I may be wrong but there is not a single diary company of note in Malaysia today. I posed this question to one of my friends who is involved in goat rearing and import of cattle. According to him, most people who rear cattle in Malaysia do so for their meat. Many are actually mere importers, who bring in cattle from Thailand and then resell them in Malaysia.
He added that even though Malaysians consume a lot of milk products, especially in their favorite drink (maybe the National drink) - teh tarik, it is mostly in the form of sweetened condensed milk. Not many Malaysians drink fresh milk now-a-days anyway. The Chinese also traditionally prefer soya rather than cow milk.
However, talking to the older generation including my in-laws, I learned that they used to drink fresh milk in their childhood.
So what happened? Does that mean that the food habits changed in a single generation.
My friend was reluctant to try the diary business despite my suggestion that once eaten, a cow is gone forever but can give milk for a long time if kept alive. According to him, it was a high risk venture. However, I am sure there is a market for fresh milk.
So any takers for diary farming in Malaysia?
26 April 2007
The expat meme
I was tagged by Lilian in Thailand sometime back. Finally got down to doing this 5,4,3,2,1 meme.
Name five things you love in your new country:
1. The excellent public transport facilities
2. The beautiful parks
3. Car boot sales
4. Courteous drivers
5. Fast internet access (at least as compared to Malaysia)
Name four things that you miss from your native country. (I’ll take Malaysia)
1. My family and friends(similar to Lilian)
2. Cheap food
3. Malls that open way late (sometimes past midnight)
4. Being able to go out at midnight to have a cup of teh tarik (pulled tea) and eat a late supper at a 24 hours open mamak stall.
Name three things that annoy you a bit (or much) in your new country:
1. The NHS doctors who are not very friendly (except for one lady doctor)
2. High tax on almost everything (including TV)
3. Racist yobs.
Name two things that surprise you (or surprised you in the beginning) in your new country:
1. The fact that most of the houses up for rental were owned by British of Pakistani origin (at least in Coventry and Birmingham).
2. Finding out that a lot of things are way better in Malaysia. This includes the level of service provided by some companies which leaves a lot to be desired.
Name one thing that you would miss terribly in your new country, if you had to leave it:
1. Nothing much actually. I guess I am still new here to miss anything.
—————————————————————————————-
I pass this meme on to anyone who would like to do it.
Name five things you love in your new country:
1. The excellent public transport facilities
2. The beautiful parks
3. Car boot sales
4. Courteous drivers
5. Fast internet access (at least as compared to Malaysia)
Name four things that you miss from your native country. (I’ll take Malaysia)
1. My family and friends(similar to Lilian)
2. Cheap food
3. Malls that open way late (sometimes past midnight)
4. Being able to go out at midnight to have a cup of teh tarik (pulled tea) and eat a late supper at a 24 hours open mamak stall.
Name three things that annoy you a bit (or much) in your new country:
1. The NHS doctors who are not very friendly (except for one lady doctor)
2. High tax on almost everything (including TV)
3. Racist yobs.
Name two things that surprise you (or surprised you in the beginning) in your new country:
1. The fact that most of the houses up for rental were owned by British of Pakistani origin (at least in Coventry and Birmingham).
2. Finding out that a lot of things are way better in Malaysia. This includes the level of service provided by some companies which leaves a lot to be desired.
Name one thing that you would miss terribly in your new country, if you had to leave it:
1. Nothing much actually. I guess I am still new here to miss anything.
—————————————————————————————-
I pass this meme on to anyone who would like to do it.
11 April 2007
Satellite view
I am sure you have heard of bird's eye view and now that this is the Internet age, we have Google satellite view.
Found this great site called Sightseeing with Google Satellite Maps. When I last checked it had links to 10833 destinations.
One thing I noticed was that many of the satellite images of Malaysia were really poor and there were only 15 entries. Anyway, enjoy the site.
Found this great site called Sightseeing with Google Satellite Maps. When I last checked it had links to 10833 destinations.
One thing I noticed was that many of the satellite images of Malaysia were really poor and there were only 15 entries. Anyway, enjoy the site.
07 April 2007
Malaysian bloggers boleh
I looked at some blog directories and compared the number of Malaysian bloggers with that of 5 other neighbouring countries, namely, Brunei, Indonesia, Philippines, Singapore and Thailand.
The results are quite impressive.
Here are the figures for each directory:
A. RICE BOWL JOURNALS
B. DIARIST
C. MISOHONI: BEST BLOGS IN ASIA
4. BLOGFLUX
5. BLOG EXPLOSION
That's an overall average ranking of 2.2. The Philippines comes out on top with an average rank of 1.4. Singapore has an overall average ranking of 2.4.
NOTE:
- The number of blogs are correct as of 6th April, 2007.
- This is not a measure of the quality of blogs.
Malaysian Bloggers Boleh.
The results are quite impressive.
Here are the figures for each directory:
A. RICE BOWL JOURNALS
- Brunei - 30
- Indonesia - 251
- Malaysia - 855
- Philippines - 1560
- Singapore - 858
- Thailand - 53
B. DIARIST
- Brunei - 0
- Indonesia - 11
- Malaysia - 109
- Philippines - 140
- Singapore - 98
- Thailand - 27
C. MISOHONI: BEST BLOGS IN ASIA
- Brunei - 7
- Indonesia - 0
- Malaysia - 206
- Philippines - 128
- Singapore - 248
- Thailand - 15
4. BLOGFLUX
- Brunei - 11
- Indonesia - 297
- Malaysia - 578
- Philippines - 588
- Singapore - 319
- Thailand - 117
5. BLOG EXPLOSION
- Brunei - 5
- Indonesia - 76
- Malaysia - 556
- Philippines - 598
- Singapore - 370
- Thailand - 26
That's an overall average ranking of 2.2. The Philippines comes out on top with an average rank of 1.4. Singapore has an overall average ranking of 2.4.
NOTE:
- The number of blogs are correct as of 6th April, 2007.
- This is not a measure of the quality of blogs.
Malaysian Bloggers Boleh.
23 March 2007
Kelantanese Crazy Frog
It was bound to happen sooner or later. There is now a Kelantanese version of the annoying Crazy Frog.
It is sung in the Kelantanese dialect in the Dikir Barat style.
For non-Malaysians, Kelantan is a state on the east coast of Malaysia. It happens to be the only Malaysian state ruled by the opposition Islamic party PAS. It is also famous in history for being the only state ever ruled by a Queen in the peninsula - Siti Wan Kembang.
Now for the clip:
I will try to get someone to translate the words to English. Anyone wants to volunteer?
It is sung in the Kelantanese dialect in the Dikir Barat style.
For non-Malaysians, Kelantan is a state on the east coast of Malaysia. It happens to be the only Malaysian state ruled by the opposition Islamic party PAS. It is also famous in history for being the only state ever ruled by a Queen in the peninsula - Siti Wan Kembang.
Now for the clip:
I will try to get someone to translate the words to English. Anyone wants to volunteer?
16 February 2007
Malaysian food promo at Tesco
Just helping to create some buzz about a week long Taste of Malaysia promotion, which will be held in 15 Tesco stores from 19 to 25 March 2007 in London.
My friend Hardy's friend, Annette is showcasing some of her company's products at the promotion. This includes the World's first breaded tropical Range - these are natural fruit bites coated with breadcrumbs and blast frozen. Can be enjoyed as a snack or dessert.
Annette Isaac is the Director of Liasara Fine Food.
Below are the participating TESCO's:
1. Kensington
2. Osterley
3. Gallions Reach
4. Hayes Bulls Bridge
5. New Malden
6. Purley
7. Twickenham
8. Slough
9. New Oscott
10. Weston Favell
11. M K Kingston
12. Cheshunt
13. Romford
14. Brooklands
15. Lea Valley
08 February 2007
Top 50 Malaysian bloggers
Malaysian blogger Sabahan has come out with a list of the top 50 most influential bloggers in Malaysia. No! I am not in the list.
He has used Technorati to rank blogs and I am quite satisfied with his reasons.
It's not surprising that a lot of those on the list are on my own blogroll.
Anyway, learnt about this from Shaolin Tiger
He has used Technorati to rank blogs and I am quite satisfied with his reasons.
It's not surprising that a lot of those on the list are on my own blogroll.
Anyway, learnt about this from Shaolin Tiger
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