Tesco convert

A look around the house reveals that (without realising it) we have converted to Tesco.

I am talking about the some1,400 own brands of products and not other brands carried in their stores. These items are divided into three main categories, namely:
1. Tesco Value range
2. Tesco Choice range
3. Tesco UK Imported range

How did we get converted?

Its not difficult to explain. We love shoping at their Damansara outlet because it is near and also because of the wide choice of "low priced" products. The Bonuslink points are extra.

At first we were a bit worried about the quality of their own-brand products because we have always subscribed to the "pay peanuts, get monkeys" philosphy. However, we were taken aback after we tried a few items and discovered that the quality didn't differ much if not better as compared to more expensive brands. And as they say, the rest is history.

Now, some of the Tesco products we use everyday in the house: toothpaste, mouthwash, toilet cleaner, face tissue, hand washing liquid, dish washing liquid and anti-bacterial washing liquid for baby clothes.


In my Office: Disgestive biscuit, wet tissue wipes and mineral water.

I also carry a crate of mineral water and a pack of face tissue in my car. All from Tesco.

For your information, Tesco PLC is the largest British retailer, both by global sales and by domestic market share, and the fourth largest retailer in the world behind Wal-Mart of the United States, Carrefour of France, and The Home Depot of the United States (from Wikipedia).

Tesco Stores (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd was incepted on 29 Nov 2001, as a strategic alliance with Sime Darby Berhad (which holds 30% of total shares). It's first store was officially opened in May 2002 in Puchong.
Now they have 13 stores all over Malaysia.

Related posts:
- The Hypermarket Price Wars

Tags: hypermarket tesco

Naming consultant blog

One of my all time favourite blogs is not a personal or tech blog but the blog of a naming company.

"What the hell does naming company mean?", you might be wondering. Well read on...

Strategic Name Development Inc. is a company based in Minneapolis, US. It is involved in developing product and service names and their clients list includes several well known companies.Their blog which is updated almost daily carries naming/ branding case studies and related links.

BTW, one of their posts had a link to my Autolah post on the Proton Chancellor.

Their url should be a recommended bookmark for marketers and business students.

TAGS: Blogs Branding naming Proton

Jail those buggers

The recent disaster in Kampung Pasir, Hulu Klang buried four people and destroyed three blocks of longhouses (occupied by 232 people, mostly Indonesians).

No! I am not going to start blaming people or pass judgment nor am I going to try to analyse what went wrong.

As noted by Property Malaysia, 5 of the most biggest landslides in Malaysia occurred around the same area.

All 5 locations where within about 2km along the same stretch of Middle Ring Road II:
Dec 11, 1993 – Highland Towers
May 15, 1999 – Athanaeum Tower
Oct 5, 2000 – Bukit Antarabangsa
Nov 20, 2002 – Taman Hillview
May 31, 2006 – Kampung Pasir

Here are some of my suggestions:

1. STOP, I repeat stop any development (as in housing) in the area.

2. Make the river catchments protected natural reserves (which cannot be de-gazetted easily in the future) with minimal human interference.

3. Survey existing housing areas for weak points and rectify them.
For example, I read somewhere that the houses above the kampung where the landslide occurred don’t have a proper drainage system.

4. Start a massive afforestation programme in the area. Trees and plants are the best ways to prevent soil erosion.

5. Remove all illegal kampungs/ squatter settlements. Throw the owners/ developers in jail.
If the residents are illegal immigrants, deport them. If they are permanent residents (PR) or Malaysian citizens, give them low cost housing. If they refuse to leave – throw them in jail too.

Remembered a joke one of my friends told me - about Selangor becoming an Indonesian colony by the year 2020.

In a related news the Natural Resources and Environment Minister Datuk Seri Azmi Khalid announced today that developers and consultants may go to prison if their projects damage the environment or trigger landslides and other disasters.

Related links:
- Excuses! Excuses! Excuses!
- Next time there’s a landslide...: Builders may go to prison

Tags: disaster environment Hulu Klang Landslide

Jaguar mosaic and I

Yesterday was World Environment Day. It has been, every year, on the June 5th since its inception by the United Nations in 1972.

And again it passed, this time without even false promises.

According to a report by the Word Wide Fund for Nature, international funding for conservation is gradually decreasing.

At a time when the devastating effects of environmental damage are being felt further and wider than ever, governments, including the US, are considering cutting their financial support to the GEF by as much as 50 per cent.

In April 2006, WWF asked supporters to add their faces to create a photo mosaic making the picture of a jaguar. A huge version of the photo mosaic the size of a volley ball pitch was unveiled on 16 May in Berne, Switzerland. It comprised around 12,000 photos of WWF supporters from around the world. One of them was mine. Read The mosaic unveiled.



You can also view the online version here.

Tags: environment jaguar mosaic wwf

More Imaan

Went over to the Registration office in Shah Alam yesterday to register Imaan's birth and get the official birth certificate. Learnt that we can get his MyKid card only 6 months later. However, we are planning to go to UK in about 3 month' time. Don't know whether we can get a passport for Imaan without the MyKid card.

WARNING: SOME CUTE BABY PICS AHEAD!



After bath



Sleeping

Tags: Imaan Personal

Introducing Imaan

Finally got the chance to update my blog.

In case you have been wondering what I have been up to all this time ....

I would like to take this opportunity to introduce the latest addition to my family....
My son Imaan was born on the 23rd of this month by caesarean section.



Imaan means faith in B. Malaysia and Arabic and honour in Hindi.
Tags: Imaan Personal

Book better than the movie

Watched the so called movie of the year - The Da Vinci Code at GSC in 1 Utama yesterday with my wife. We had bought the tickets one day earlier, so we didn't have to stand in queue with the rest of the crowd on the big day (actually not as many as I had anticipated).

While buying our tickets, the lady at the counter was giving us seats at the second last row. I noticed that there was a row of seats (arranged in pairs) at the back, with heart symbols on them. Yes! I am observant. So I asked what those seats are for. "Oh! Those are for couples", replied the lady.

Oh! I see. Are we not a couple? We are married for Heaven's sake. And I am willing to pay the few ringgits more (RM13 per ticket).

So, we got a pair, right in the middle.

Despite what several critics wrote about the movie being dull and blah blah, I found it exciting. In fact, I enjoyed it. Made me want to fly to Paris and Scotland straightaway.

However, I hated it when they replaced the English subtitles with B. Malaysia / Chinese whenever the characters spoke in French or something else, maybe Latin or Spanish. Annoying.

Of course, the book was much better. I think I would have enjoyed it more, had I not read the book.

And the seats were terrific. Next time, it's these seats or no watching a movie at GSC anymore. Why didn't they have these places when I was still single.

Tags: Da Vinci Code Dan Brown movies