83000 batu pahat, johor

http://www.nst.com.my/Current_News/NST/Monday/NewsBreak/20090615192909/Article/index_html

Au Ba Chi dies while seeking medical treatment in China

By : Rizalman Hammim

BATU PAHAT, Mon:

Datuk Seri Au Ba Chi, a prominent businessman and one of the pioneering property developers in this district, died last Thursday in China. He was 80.

Au’s third daughter Au Gek Keng said her father had gone to China to seek traditional medical treatment for breathing difficulties.

Au, who owned Batu Pahat’s only four-star hotel, the Katerina Hotel, leaves seven daughters, four sons-in-law and six grandchildren.

“Before he went to China, he was successfully treated for bladder cancer in Singapore. But he complained of difficulty breathing,” said Gek Keng.

Au was born on Pulau Sialu, a small island off the Minyak Beku coast. Except for a brief period working in Singapore, he spent his whole life

in Batu Pahat.

Au’s family is the only Chinese family on the island, which helps explain his close relationship with the Malay and Orang Asli communities here.

“When the island’s residents left Pulau Sialu to move to the mainland, my family followed and settled in Minyak Beku. My father then went to Singapore to work before returning a few years later to start his business,” said Gek Keng.

She said when her father first started in the property business, large parts of Batu Pahat were still covered in jungle.

“He always had a good instinct about property and land. His first project was a housing development in Jalan Pegawai in 1962, followed by another project in Jalan Mesjid soon after,” said Gek Keng. Au went on to developed Taman Perdana and Taman Seri Jaya, among others.

Gek Keng said her father was kind-hearted and contributed a lot to the community, supporting a lot of community activities.

“He was also a person who did not like to keeps things in his heart. If he had anything to say to you, he would say it,” said Gek Keng. “He treated his staff like he would his children, and always encouraged them to learn and improve themselves,” she said.

Au’s body is expected to arrive at Kuala Lumpur International Airport tonight. His funeral in Batu Pahat is scheduled for Friday.

News report about a Minyak Beku school that celebrated its 100th Anniversary.

Originally report by New Straits Times at:
http://johor.nst.com.my/Current_News/JohorBuzz/Monday/Stories/2576113/Article/index_html

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Rural school joins the elite centenary club

RIZALMAN HAMMIM
2009/06/08
It was a proud day for SK Minyak Beku in Batu Pahat, which turned 100 on June 1, writes RIZALMAN HAMMIM

Students perform the ‘zapin’ dance for guests during the school’s thanksgiving ceremony. — Pictures by Mustapha Ismail

The school may be small, but it is beautifully landscaped and maintained.

Deputy Education Minister Dr Mohd Puad Zarkashi signs the monument to commemorate the school’s 100th anniversary.

THERE are not many schools in Malaysia that can claim to be 100 years old. Premier schools like Sultan Abdul Hamid College in Kedah, Victoria Institution in Kuala Lumpur, King Edward VII School in Taiping and Malay College Kuala Kangsar are the elite few.

But now, SK Minyak Beku, a small rural school in Batu Pahat, has joined the ranks of these illustrious institutions. It celebrated its centennial anniversary on June 1.

SK Minyak Beku was built on a 0.4ha piece of land that was donated by Israkal Ismail, a local community leader with the title of “Penghulu Orang Kaya Setia Raja.”

The original structure was at the Kampung Teluk Buloh Malay Football Club before a new wooden building was built with the help of villagers in 1913. The wooden building was used until 1918.

The school started with only 60 boys and one teacher, Awang Abd Ghani, who also doubled as the headmaster.

In 1918, the state government built a new building that was equipped with a toilet and a well. Another similar building and a teachers’ quarters were contructed in 1932.

The school’s current three-storey building was built in 1984, and has six classrooms, an administration office, a teachers’ room, a library and a canteen.

SK Minyak Beku headmistress, Sa’adiah Idris, said the school holds a lot of memories and nostalgia for the administrators, teachers and students who once served or studied there.

“I hope this milestone will spur the process of building human capital at the school and empower the students to realise the targets outlined in the Education Development Masterplan,” said Sa’adiah.

To celebrate the 100th anniversary, a thanksgiving ceremony was recently organised by the school’s Parent-Teacher Association.

Joining in the celebration were Deputy Education Minister Dr Mohd Puad Zarkashi, who is also the Batu Pahat member of parliament, and Johor education director Sufa’at Tumin.

Guests at the ceremony were entertained by kuda kepang and zapin performances by students. Exhibitions by the Fire and Rescue Department and the National Anti-Drug Agency were also held.

Puad unveiled a small monument to commemorate the centennial of SK Minyak Beku and launched the school’s information kiosk.

He said he was proud that a school in his constituency has reached the centenary milestone.

The SK Minyak Beku Alumni Association was also established during the event as an avenue for former students to keep in touch.

One of the school’s famous former students is noted religious scholar and former Bangi assemblyman, Datuk Dr Amran Kasimin. The school has also produced a number of doctors, engineers and teachers.

NON HALAL POST.

We realised that the famous Ah See’s chain of wantan mee is expanding! The other day, we ate at this outlet opposite the Chinese High School. This must be their third outlet in Batu Pahat now.

(I wonder if they will expend elsewhere. Pontian Noodles seems to have expanded all the way to Singapore now.)

(more…)

From The Star online:
http://thestar.com.my/education/story.asp?file=/2009/6/7/education/4025810&sec=education

Anyone of you read this on 7 June’s (yesterday’s) The Star? I am trying to guess which school this is.
Times have indeed change. I remember we finish school at 12:30 or so last time?

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School’s no fun

I STUDY in a secondary school in Batu Pahat. To me, a school should be an institution for learning and fun as it is like a second home to most students.

My school has 120 teachers and I like most of them. Some are helpful while there are some who nag and make our lives miserable.

As students we respect our teachers and expect the same from them too. However, this is not always the case as there are pupils who can be troublesome and teachers who like ridiculing us.

This is not all, our school has a habit of changing school rules every year and this depends on the whims of the principal.

Exams and tests are set every month and we have little time for a break. While some might think this is a good way to gauge what we’ve learnt, I think differently. I think we need to focus on gaining knowledge instead of worrying about monthly test results.

Our school system in general is too exam-oriented and takes the fun out of learning. There is hardly time for co-curricular activities as we have to focus on the next test and the test after that.

Our school rules have changed and we are only allowed to leave school at 2.30pm compared to other schools who leave about an hour earlier. Why is this so?

The classrooms have poor ventilation and despite earlier pleas to school authorities to make the classes more conducive for learning, nothing has been done. My classmates and I often perspire and are exhausted by noon.

Can something be done?

FRUSTRATED,
Batu Pahat, Johor

Another of Batu Pahat’s famous Bariani. Restoran Bariani Power at Taman Soga. 

Located at 18 Jalan Tukas 2, Taman Soga, it’s very popular with many. Came here after a long time of not eating their Nasi Bariani. 

The Bariani Gam Ayam.

Exposing the ‘ayam’ hidden below the rice. 
It ’s always enjoyable eating it.  

This is the Bariani Gam Daging.

Mum seems to have enjoyed it.

Between Bariani Mohd Shah and Bariani Power, I think I prefer power’s version. It’s less oily.
Well, here’s the menu for you to try other things. 

Well, they have catering as well. Think they have a branch in Shah Alam. Anyone knows that it’s still there?