As compared to other people, I always prided myself as one who was not being brand loyal. I do buy branded stuff but I buy any as long as they are good – based on reviews, recommendations and past experiences. I try not to fall into the Fad trap - buying something because it is “IN” right now.
However, I may be wrong. Last week I wanted to go to Jaya Jusco store at One Utama, Damansara to redeem my RM50 voucher. My wife was a bit pissed off with me and accused me of worrying about that "stupid voucher" over other more important things - like paying off credit card bills. I knew she was right and so off we went, settling our debts and in the end didn’t have enough time to visit the stores.
I suddenly realized that we have been shopping at Jaya Jusco stores a lot, either at Mega Mall or at One Utama. One reason was the J card. Using this loyalty card, they have successfully built up a pool of loyal customers. Last year it was estimated that they have around 375K principal members and more than 200K supplementary card holders. It is estimated that out of these, around 75% are active members (Annual report). That’s a lot of customers and any company would be envious of that.
I always thought that my father was not brand conscious. He’s a very down to earth and practical guy. It may be true about clothes (as long as they are comfortable), electronic goods (no extra frill needed), etc. For example, he has been using the same Siemens handphone for about 4 years now, while I have changed several in between. No need for colour screens, MMS, games or polyphonic tones or whatever for him. According to him, it is working fine and he only needs it to make and receive calls. I also noticed that he only buys Citizen watches. Not very fashionable but my mom has one and so do I. My younger sister who came back from Australia recently, also received one as her birthday present. According to my father, they are dependable and reasonably priced. Furthermore you don’t ever need to change batteries for the rest of your lifetime. I can’t argue with that but in a way, isn’t that being brand loyal.
FYI, Citizen Eco-Drive watches uses an amazing power generating and storage system whereby solar photovoltic panels on the dial use light from any source to generate electrical power. This energy is then stored in a special energy storage cell, which powers the watch.
11 May 2005
09 May 2005
Prices Up
Despite the Govt.'s call to businesses not to increase prices and absorb the increase in costs due to the recent increase in fuel prices, it is clear that almost everyone has ignored the call.
I was shocked to find out that bus tickets to Alor Star from KL by almost RM5. Fortunately, I had bought the tickets earlier before they increased the prices. My friend was not so lucky and he was grumbling: “a 20 sen increase in fuel and tickets go up by RM5”. That means extra expenditure for people like us who have families in KL and work elsewhere.
I feel that some of these companies are taking advantage of the situation to exorbitantly increase the price of their products. Forget about absorbing the costs they are looking at it as a way to increase profits.
I was shocked to find out that bus tickets to Alor Star from KL by almost RM5. Fortunately, I had bought the tickets earlier before they increased the prices. My friend was not so lucky and he was grumbling: “a 20 sen increase in fuel and tickets go up by RM5”. That means extra expenditure for people like us who have families in KL and work elsewhere.
I feel that some of these companies are taking advantage of the situation to exorbitantly increase the price of their products. Forget about absorbing the costs they are looking at it as a way to increase profits.
04 May 2005
Dr. M in the News
Tun Dr. Mahathir raised a very interesting question at the launching ceremony of the UK based, Islamic Relief Worldwide.
He asked, "Why is it all right to receive contributions from non-Muslims but wrong to contribute to non-Muslims?"
I remember one story, which my mother-in-law related to me sometime back. This lady (a family friend) came to her and enquired whether she knew of some organizations to which they could donate money (charity). So my mother-in-law told them about one school in Sunway who taught special children. The next question the lady friend asked was whether the school was run by Muslims because she wanted to donate money only to organizations run by Muslims.
It was sad when educated people start talking like that. It’s ironic because the school takes in children of all races and religion.
I have come across several people who want to help but only people of their own ethnic group or religion. Fortunately, there are many others who are not.
...
FYI, another new version of Firefox has come out. Remember to remove the previous version before you add the newer one.
He asked, "Why is it all right to receive contributions from non-Muslims but wrong to contribute to non-Muslims?"
I remember one story, which my mother-in-law related to me sometime back. This lady (a family friend) came to her and enquired whether she knew of some organizations to which they could donate money (charity). So my mother-in-law told them about one school in Sunway who taught special children. The next question the lady friend asked was whether the school was run by Muslims because she wanted to donate money only to organizations run by Muslims.
It was sad when educated people start talking like that. It’s ironic because the school takes in children of all races and religion.
I have come across several people who want to help but only people of their own ethnic group or religion. Fortunately, there are many others who are not.
...
FYI, another new version of Firefox has come out. Remember to remove the previous version before you add the newer one.
03 May 2005
Proposal and Penang
Being rejected is hard and I not talking about love relationships here. One guy thinks that my proposal is not that interesting or that important. However, I feel otherwise and I am still trying to go ahead with it. So I tried to get through to a lady who may have a better opinion about my project but haven’t received any reply as yet. Here’s praying that I get the funding or our plans could go down the drain.
Anyway, I have to drive down to Penang sometime later this month. Have to meet up with some people and see how they are doing. I have only been there once and have no idea where to go first. Have to get Penangite Rajoo’s help to draw up a schedule. Don’t know whether I will have a chance to meet up with some of the bloggers out there.
I just realized one thing. Malaysia is among the few countries (maybe the one and only) where places can have more than one officially recognized name. Take for example, Pulau Pinang (in Malay) and Penang (the common English version). Melaka and Melacca. Alor Setar and Alor Star, Kota Bahru and Kota Baru. Can you name others?
Anyway, I have to drive down to Penang sometime later this month. Have to meet up with some people and see how they are doing. I have only been there once and have no idea where to go first. Have to get Penangite Rajoo’s help to draw up a schedule. Don’t know whether I will have a chance to meet up with some of the bloggers out there.
I just realized one thing. Malaysia is among the few countries (maybe the one and only) where places can have more than one officially recognized name. Take for example, Pulau Pinang (in Malay) and Penang (the common English version). Melaka and Melacca. Alor Setar and Alor Star, Kota Bahru and Kota Baru. Can you name others?
02 May 2005
Taxes n Bollywood
I hope all of you paid your taxes on time. Well I was among those who waited until the last minute (well almost). My tidak apa attitude is getting worse.
On Friday morning, I photostated all the necessary documents and drove down to the LHDN (The Inland Revenue Malaysia)office at Kelana Jaya. My mother-in-law told me that it was somewhere near the MAS academy. I had no idea where it was but when I saw a traffic jam near the academy, I knew I was going in the right direction. I found the place to be in utter chaos. There were hundreds of people moving around and queuing up for god knows what. I asked around a bit and learnt that as I had already filled up my forms, all I had to do was just drop them off with the ladies sitting at a table outside.
When my turn came up, the lady went through the completed forms. She was a bit annoyed with the fact that I had used pencil to fill up the forms and asked me to redo it using a pen. I apologized and redid it using my pen. I then found that I had to have copies of the forms. Fortunately I had already made the copies but they were in my car. So off I went – took the lift again to the 3rd floor, walk to the stairs, go down to the parking lot on the first floor, get the copies and then back again. I finally got my documents chopped and it took me altogether 45 minutes.
In the evening, I picked up my sisters Di and Jules and Jules’ boyfriend, Fred. I am not much of a theatre person but my sister Di had bought us tickets for the musical ‘My Bollywood Summer’ and we agreed to accompany her. Starring singer Nurul in the lead, the musical was staged at Panggung Bandaraya, Sultan Abdul Samad Building, Jalan Raja, Kuala Lumpur.
Written and directed by stage personality Sabera Shaik, the storyline is fairly simple. Aishah (singer Nurul) a young Malay girl dreams of making it big in Bollywood and actually goes all the way to Mumbai to make her dreams a reality.
We were a bit late (waiting for my sisters to get ready) and the play had already started by the time we got there. It was quite embarrassing and I made a note to myself – never be fashionably late at such events.
Nurul’s a good singer and she performed the songs quite well. However, I can’t say the same for her dancing. She went about her dance routines quite mechanically. Maybe it was due to the fact that there were many other professional dancers in the cast who out classed her.
A few characters in the drama stole the limelight away from the lead actors. Chedd Yusoff who played Nadesh, the goonda and Pavan as Deepak the gay director. I have known Pavan since his Help Institute days and he was really hilarious in his role. Sham Sunder also did a great job as Sunil, the ‘dirty’ director with a casting couch.
Overall, it was an enjoyable show. It was quite fun but got a bit draggy near the end. Maybe because it was too late and we were too tired (the show ended around 11 pm). I had fun annoying my wife with a thick Indian accented english until the novelty wore off.
On Friday morning, I photostated all the necessary documents and drove down to the LHDN (The Inland Revenue Malaysia)office at Kelana Jaya. My mother-in-law told me that it was somewhere near the MAS academy. I had no idea where it was but when I saw a traffic jam near the academy, I knew I was going in the right direction. I found the place to be in utter chaos. There were hundreds of people moving around and queuing up for god knows what. I asked around a bit and learnt that as I had already filled up my forms, all I had to do was just drop them off with the ladies sitting at a table outside.
When my turn came up, the lady went through the completed forms. She was a bit annoyed with the fact that I had used pencil to fill up the forms and asked me to redo it using a pen. I apologized and redid it using my pen. I then found that I had to have copies of the forms. Fortunately I had already made the copies but they were in my car. So off I went – took the lift again to the 3rd floor, walk to the stairs, go down to the parking lot on the first floor, get the copies and then back again. I finally got my documents chopped and it took me altogether 45 minutes.
In the evening, I picked up my sisters Di and Jules and Jules’ boyfriend, Fred. I am not much of a theatre person but my sister Di had bought us tickets for the musical ‘My Bollywood Summer’ and we agreed to accompany her. Starring singer Nurul in the lead, the musical was staged at Panggung Bandaraya, Sultan Abdul Samad Building, Jalan Raja, Kuala Lumpur.
Written and directed by stage personality Sabera Shaik, the storyline is fairly simple. Aishah (singer Nurul) a young Malay girl dreams of making it big in Bollywood and actually goes all the way to Mumbai to make her dreams a reality.
We were a bit late (waiting for my sisters to get ready) and the play had already started by the time we got there. It was quite embarrassing and I made a note to myself – never be fashionably late at such events.
Nurul’s a good singer and she performed the songs quite well. However, I can’t say the same for her dancing. She went about her dance routines quite mechanically. Maybe it was due to the fact that there were many other professional dancers in the cast who out classed her.
A few characters in the drama stole the limelight away from the lead actors. Chedd Yusoff who played Nadesh, the goonda and Pavan as Deepak the gay director. I have known Pavan since his Help Institute days and he was really hilarious in his role. Sham Sunder also did a great job as Sunil, the ‘dirty’ director with a casting couch.
Overall, it was an enjoyable show. It was quite fun but got a bit draggy near the end. Maybe because it was too late and we were too tired (the show ended around 11 pm). I had fun annoying my wife with a thick Indian accented english until the novelty wore off.
26 April 2005
Qutab Minar
I was going through my old post when I realized that I missed out some of the wonderful sights we had seen in Delhi during our India trip.
After our conference, we had 2 extra days and decided to do some sight seeing and shopping of course.
It would have been very difficult had it not for our friend, En. Sani. We met him by chance in Mumbai airport as we were waiting for our plane. He works in Delhi and stays in a flat alone. He invited us to stay over in his place and arranged for us to do the shopping and sightseeing. He picked us up from our hotel and we moved into his apartment just at the outskirts of New Delhi.
So we hired a taxi to take us around for the whole day. Our first stop was a UNESCO World Heritage Site, the Qutab Minar. This ancient architectural wonder is the tallest stone tower in India (height of 72.5m = 239ft). It has 5 distinct storeys, each marked by a balcony. The first three storeys are made of red sandstone, while the top 4th and 5th of marble and sandstone.
Qutb-u’d-Din Aibak, the first Muslim ruler of Delhi, laid the foundation of the Qutab Minar in AD 1199 to celebrate the defeat of the Rajput kings. It was later completed by his successors.
We learnt that until a few years ago, visitors were allowed to go up and a lot of people committed suicide by jumping for the upper floors. When we were there, some repairs were going on.
To the northeast of the Minar, is the Quwwat-ul-Islam (Might of Islam) Masjid (Mosque). It was built by Qutbu'd-Din Aibak in AD 1198 and is the oldest Mosque in India. Only the ruins and the façade and some old tombs remain now.
An interesting observation is that none of the columns were the same. I found out later that this is because they used materials from the ruins of Hindu and Jain temples and is evident by the use of stone blocks intricately carved with Hindu motifs including that of horses, cows and human figures, placed on top of one another to make columns. The use of animal and human images is not something you would expect in any mosque. They say that it was once covered with plaster, but the plaster was eroded with the years exposing the original carvings.
Another amazing sight was the black iron pillar in the center of the complex. This pillar is 7.2 meters tall and is called the “pillar of law”. It bears a Sanskrit inscription in the Brahmi script of 4th century AD and mentions that it was in honour to the Hindu god Vishnu and to commemorate the King Chandragupta Vikramaditya II, who ruled from 375 to 413 AD. Another king brought it here later somewhere in the 11th century. The Muslim rulers left it untouched.
What is so amazing about this iron pillar is that it has not at all rusted even after nearly 2000 years and modern day scientists still don’t know why. Have to talk to Fred, my sister’s fiancé who is specialized in corrosion engineering.
While walking out we noticed another incomplete tower called Ala'i Minar, which stands to the north of the Kutub-Minar.
We were silent as we left the complex. It was an amazing experience.
P.S. Just by coincidence, Y.B. Datuk Mustapa bin Mohamed, Minister in the Prime Minister Department was there too. We were introduced to him by one guy in his group who heard us speaking in Malay. It's a small World.
After our conference, we had 2 extra days and decided to do some sight seeing and shopping of course.
It would have been very difficult had it not for our friend, En. Sani. We met him by chance in Mumbai airport as we were waiting for our plane. He works in Delhi and stays in a flat alone. He invited us to stay over in his place and arranged for us to do the shopping and sightseeing. He picked us up from our hotel and we moved into his apartment just at the outskirts of New Delhi.
So we hired a taxi to take us around for the whole day. Our first stop was a UNESCO World Heritage Site, the Qutab Minar. This ancient architectural wonder is the tallest stone tower in India (height of 72.5m = 239ft). It has 5 distinct storeys, each marked by a balcony. The first three storeys are made of red sandstone, while the top 4th and 5th of marble and sandstone.
Qutb-u’d-Din Aibak, the first Muslim ruler of Delhi, laid the foundation of the Qutab Minar in AD 1199 to celebrate the defeat of the Rajput kings. It was later completed by his successors.
We learnt that until a few years ago, visitors were allowed to go up and a lot of people committed suicide by jumping for the upper floors. When we were there, some repairs were going on.
To the northeast of the Minar, is the Quwwat-ul-Islam (Might of Islam) Masjid (Mosque). It was built by Qutbu'd-Din Aibak in AD 1198 and is the oldest Mosque in India. Only the ruins and the façade and some old tombs remain now.
An interesting observation is that none of the columns were the same. I found out later that this is because they used materials from the ruins of Hindu and Jain temples and is evident by the use of stone blocks intricately carved with Hindu motifs including that of horses, cows and human figures, placed on top of one another to make columns. The use of animal and human images is not something you would expect in any mosque. They say that it was once covered with plaster, but the plaster was eroded with the years exposing the original carvings.
Another amazing sight was the black iron pillar in the center of the complex. This pillar is 7.2 meters tall and is called the “pillar of law”. It bears a Sanskrit inscription in the Brahmi script of 4th century AD and mentions that it was in honour to the Hindu god Vishnu and to commemorate the King Chandragupta Vikramaditya II, who ruled from 375 to 413 AD. Another king brought it here later somewhere in the 11th century. The Muslim rulers left it untouched.
What is so amazing about this iron pillar is that it has not at all rusted even after nearly 2000 years and modern day scientists still don’t know why. Have to talk to Fred, my sister’s fiancé who is specialized in corrosion engineering.
While walking out we noticed another incomplete tower called Ala'i Minar, which stands to the north of the Kutub-Minar.
We were silent as we left the complex. It was an amazing experience.
P.S. Just by coincidence, Y.B. Datuk Mustapa bin Mohamed, Minister in the Prime Minister Department was there too. We were introduced to him by one guy in his group who heard us speaking in Malay. It's a small World.
25 April 2005
Lets Go Dangdut
Early this month, the PAS Youth raised up some objections about a particular scheduled concert. However, the event in question Konsert Fenomena Dangdut Inul Daratista has been given the green light by the relevant authorities and will go on as scheduled on May 1 at Stadium Merdeka, Kuala Lumpur.
This will be Indonesian dangdut queen Inul Daratista’s first ever appreance in Malaysia. Known for her (in)famous goyang gerudi dance routine, this lady has generated a lot of controversy even in her home country.
Dangdut is a genre of popular music originating from Indonesia. It is a mixture of Arabian, Indian and Malay folk music and originated in the 1970s. Indian tablas and flutes are featured prominently in dangdut. However, in Malaysia, this music has short of lost its popularity. Mention Dangdut and I found that many of my friends would make a face and go "UUUUUUUGH!" or an even bigger "EEEEEUUUUWW!"
I have a confession to make. Now I know a lot of people are going to disapprove, just like my wife when I first told her. She told me that the lyrics are full of sentences having naughty double meanings and she also goes "UUUUUUUGH!"! I like dangdut music and even bought a CD of Amelina, Malaysia’s own dangdut queen. I don’t where she’s disappeared to now.
Anyway, some years back during our MBA days in University Malaya and when we were still friends. On learning that I liked dangdut, one of our common friends, Bear asked me whether I would like to go to visit a dangdut club. He was curious too as he had never been to one. We went to one called Klab Malam Mawar Biru at Jalan Ipoh. BTW, the name means 'Blue Rose Night Club' in Malay. I later learnt that this place was quite famous because I noticed that it was featured in a few Malay TV dramas.
There was no cover charge for the guys but the girls were pretty mad with the fact that they had to pay a cover charge (for a change). After we got ourselves settled down nicely and had ordered the drinks, a lady came up to us and enquired whether we would like a Guest Relation Officer (GROs) to accompany us. We politely declined. They had a live band and I had fun with my friends. They were dancing away like mad. However, being not much of a dancer I got all my moves wrong. I don't have any professional training.
There were a several naughty old man dancing the night away, their drivers patiently waiting for them outside. In fact we were the only ones with a Perodua among the BMWs, Mercs, Jags among others.
I was surprised when afterwards, my friends swore never to go back again. I think its due to the bad rep that dangdut has in Malaysia. It is associated with the Indonesians and is now looked down by most of the people here. However, I think they had a great time. ;-)
There was this one time we went to a Karaoke and one of the girls put on some dangdut songs and what do you know all of them were singing along.????
I learnt that this form of music is slowly gaining in popularity among the younger crowd in Indonesia. MTV Asia even has a program dedicated to dangdut.
You can also read Lonely Planet’s guide.
Dangdut anyone?
EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEUUUUUUUUUUUUWWWWWWWWW!
-----------
Now Playing: (Not dangdut)
Don't Cry :: Guns N' Roses.
This will be Indonesian dangdut queen Inul Daratista’s first ever appreance in Malaysia. Known for her (in)famous goyang gerudi dance routine, this lady has generated a lot of controversy even in her home country.
Dangdut is a genre of popular music originating from Indonesia. It is a mixture of Arabian, Indian and Malay folk music and originated in the 1970s. Indian tablas and flutes are featured prominently in dangdut. However, in Malaysia, this music has short of lost its popularity. Mention Dangdut and I found that many of my friends would make a face and go "UUUUUUUGH!" or an even bigger "EEEEEUUUUWW!"
I have a confession to make. Now I know a lot of people are going to disapprove, just like my wife when I first told her. She told me that the lyrics are full of sentences having naughty double meanings and she also goes "UUUUUUUGH!"! I like dangdut music and even bought a CD of Amelina, Malaysia’s own dangdut queen. I don’t where she’s disappeared to now.
Anyway, some years back during our MBA days in University Malaya and when we were still friends. On learning that I liked dangdut, one of our common friends, Bear asked me whether I would like to go to visit a dangdut club. He was curious too as he had never been to one. We went to one called Klab Malam Mawar Biru at Jalan Ipoh. BTW, the name means 'Blue Rose Night Club' in Malay. I later learnt that this place was quite famous because I noticed that it was featured in a few Malay TV dramas.
There was no cover charge for the guys but the girls were pretty mad with the fact that they had to pay a cover charge (for a change). After we got ourselves settled down nicely and had ordered the drinks, a lady came up to us and enquired whether we would like a Guest Relation Officer (GROs) to accompany us. We politely declined. They had a live band and I had fun with my friends. They were dancing away like mad. However, being not much of a dancer I got all my moves wrong. I don't have any professional training.
There were a several naughty old man dancing the night away, their drivers patiently waiting for them outside. In fact we were the only ones with a Perodua among the BMWs, Mercs, Jags among others.
I was surprised when afterwards, my friends swore never to go back again. I think its due to the bad rep that dangdut has in Malaysia. It is associated with the Indonesians and is now looked down by most of the people here. However, I think they had a great time. ;-)
There was this one time we went to a Karaoke and one of the girls put on some dangdut songs and what do you know all of them were singing along.????
I learnt that this form of music is slowly gaining in popularity among the younger crowd in Indonesia. MTV Asia even has a program dedicated to dangdut.
You can also read Lonely Planet’s guide.
Dangdut anyone?
EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEUUUUUUUUUUUUWWWWWWWWW!
-----------
Now Playing: (Not dangdut)
Don't Cry :: Guns N' Roses.
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