August 2008
Monthly Archive
Fri 29 Aug 2008
I am so impressed with our state’s princess, Raja Zarith. She can speak 5 languages!
News from The Star:
http://thestar.com.my/metro/story.asp?file=/2008/8/29/southneast/1897799&sec=southneast
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Raja Zarith: Education more important than popularity
By BEH YUEN HUI
BATU PAHAT: Malaysian youngsters seem to be more interested in becoming a celebrities than aiming for academic excellence.
Raja Zarith Sofiah Sultan Idris Shah, the consort of Tunku Mahkota Johor, said this trend could be due to encouragement by the mass media.
Outstanding: Tunku Ibrahim and Raja Zarith visiting the Universiti tun Hussein Onn Malaysia gallery during its 7th Convocation in Batu Pahat recently.
“What is most important is education. Without education, it will be difficult for one to seek employment and become successful,’’ she said.
Raja Zarith said the media’s highlighting of celebrity programmes caused youths to dream about becoming popular.
She said that knowledge was something a person possessed for life, while popularity did not last.
Raja Zarith told this at a press conference after attending the 7th Convocation of Universiti Tun Hussein Onn Malaysia at the university’s campus here recently.
During the function, she was conferred an honorary doctorate in education by the university for her involvement.
She received the award from her husband Tunku Ibrahim Ismail Sultan Iskandar, who is the university’s Chancellor.
Raja Zarith said it was her responsibility as a Malaysian to contribute to the country and do whatever she could for the community.
She urged young people to use of opportunities and resources in education to gain as much knowledge as they could.
Raja Zarith, 49, is a Perak princess who obtained a Bachelor of Arts and Master’s Degree from Oxford University.
She has strong abilities in foreign languages and is able to communicate in Mandarin, Italian, French and English.
She is involved in charitable bodies including the Johor Women’s Council, Johor Girl Guides Association and Malaysian Red Crescent National Committee for Community Services.
Raja Zarith is also an artist and author who has written children books including Puteri Gunung Ledang.
She is the columnist for The Star’s Mind Matters.
Mon 18 Aug 2008
From TheStar Online:
http://thestar.com.my/metro/story.asp?file=/2008/8/18/north/1822960&sec=north
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Nothing to stop her from fulfilling her dream
By PRISCILLA DIELENBERG
AFTER 15 years as a private art tutor for primary schoolchildren, wheelchair-bound Wong Boon Lian now hopes for a chance to experience working life outside of home.
The 35-year-old from Batu Pahat, Johor, is optimistic that her newly attained degree from Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) in Penang would help her secure a job elsewhere.
Wong graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Geography from the School of Humanities at the third session of USM’s 38th convocation ceremony on Friday.
“I enrolled for the distance learning course four years ago because I felt it was time for an upgrade and I wanted to improve my situation,” said Wong, whose spastic condition left both her legs and her right hand weak from birth.
Our girl:Wong showing her proud parents her certificate.
She said her mother accompanied her when she had to be at the campus for three weeks each year, and they put up at the university hostel.
“I had some very helpful course mates. My family and friends were all supportive and the USM environment was friendly for students with disabilities,” she said.
Wong’s parents, lorry driver Wong Pak Yang, 63, and housewife Wan Siew Kee, 55, came with her by bus.
“We are not well educated and are very happy to see our eldest child graduate through her own efforts and determination.
“She had always been the most studious and ambitious of our three children,” said Wan, who has a younger son and daughter, both in their 30s.
Other than the convocation ceremony, the annual expo attracted a large crowd.
Among the young entrepreneurs were Biological Science students Norhayati Abu, 20, and Nurhayati Basharuddin, 19, who operated a stall selling mini muffins, chocolate cupcakes, chocolate fudge cakes and banana cakes.
Norhayati, from Pendang in Kedah, said the cakes were made by her sister Sarimah, 40.
The two girls had set up their stall in the main food area on the first day of the convocation but found that people were less likely to buy their cakes after a full meal.
“We shifted away to the snacks area and business picked up,” said Norhayati.
Sat 16 Aug 2008
Posted by philip under
Food[8] Comments
Imagine. It’s 3 pm in the afternoon. You are feeling a bit hungry. Biscuits, a slice of bread with a cup of coffee or tea is just too boring. If only you could taste something more tasty. How about rojak? You wish that there’s a Rojak Uncle who will stop in front of your home and sell you rojak.
If you are staying in say Simpang Rantai, Kampung Merdeka, Limpoon or the town centre, you do not need to imagine. There’s this 60 something uncle (he says he is reaching 70 soon) who peddlers a mobile stall around BP.
Mum and I managed to caught up with him at the housing estate behind the Jalan Kluang shell.
We asked if we could like ‘interview him’ and take some photos. He gives a smile and a nod.
We asked him, how can we address you? He’s too shy to say, but he said some people call him Rojak Uncle or some of his friends / customers call him “Boh Geh” (no teeth). He has teeth but just a few missing ones. 
Mum asked, how long have you been peddling around BP? He has been doing this since he was “chap kui her” (translated as younger teenage years).
We ordered 2 packets from him. One spicy and one non spicy.
Mum said when she was young, it was like 20 cents a pack. But that was long long ago. He is selling it at $2 now. Now let me tempt you a bit. Nicely stacked pieces of tauhu. Boiled kangkong and bean sprouts.
Sweet turnip (Seng kuang), cucumbers and pineapples. This guy is neat isn’t he?
Now let’s see how he prepares it. The ‘hae ko’ / shrimp paste mix, with tamarind water, peanuts etc that he mixes.
Next he slices the cucumber and turnip into it.
He then adds in the sliced pineapple, tofu, bean sprouts and kangkong into it.
Give it a good and thorough stir. That’s it.
We noticed that he uses lidi sticks instead of tooth picks.
This is what I ate after I reached home. This uncle’s version of rojak is light and caters to those who do not like very strong and thick ‘hae ko’. The taste is quite all right.
The rojak I prefer the rojak with more “hae ko”, peanuts and a some of bunga kantang.
There you go, another post about someone unique in Batu Pahat. Look out for him. He only goes around places that is not hilly. So if you stay say in Taman Soga or Taman Bukit Perdana, you will most probably not see him. He says it is tiring for an old man to cycle uphill.
Fri 15 Aug 2008
If you have taken the express buses that ply in Malaysia, you will realise that they always stop. I take the Larkin to BP buses sometimes. The express bus stops being an express bus when it reaches Air Hitam! It behaves like a coach bus from Air Hitam all the way to Batu Pahat.
I did not know that they are not allowed to stop. If they do not stop, then those passengers would have a take another bus back to say Parit Raja, after reaching Batu Pahat. It would be rather inconvenient for them.
Association: Express buses cannot drop passengers midway
http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2008/8/9/nation/22031642&sec=nation
JOHOR BARU: Express bus drivers are not allowed to drop passengers off at any point other than the point of destination.
The Pan Malaysian Bus Association (PMBOA) president Datuk Mohd Ashfar Ali said there were cases where bus drivers were booked by the Road Transport Department (JPJ) for doing so.
“Drivers who accede to their passengers’ request to drop them en route to their destination point are taking a risk,” he said.
He had been asked about an incident where an express bus driver attacked a passenger during an argument that arose at a rest area in Yong Peng on Monday.
The passenger P. Mayakrishnan, 33, had asked the driver to drop him off after the Sungai Besi toll, but was slashed by the driver with a chopper that was hanging at the side of the bus door.
When asked about having a chopper on the bus, Mohd Ashfar said he could not comment on the incident, as he was not at the scene.
Batu Pahat OCPD Asst Comm Ibrahim Mohd Aris said the driver had been arrested.
Thu 14 Aug 2008
Do you know how to pump your own petrol? Petrol kiosk operators think it’s time BP folks DIY.
News from The Star Online:
http://thestar.com.my/metro/story.asp?file=/2008/8/11/southneast/1766916&sec=southneast
BATU PAHAT: Petrol kiosk operators here want the Government to educate vehicle owners on the self-service system.
They said they were willing to implement the self-service ruling but it was not easy when customers demanded attendants to help fill petrol tanks.
Owner Ahmad Sampur said some customers insisted on attendants pumping the petrol.
“A few days ago, a customer ordered my cleaner to do the job,” he said during a dialogue between the Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Ministry district office and about 40 petrol kiosk owners recently.
Ahmad, who has been in the business for 24 years, said that most customers found the self-service system troublesome as they did not know how to operate a pump.
“The Government has to educate the public so that they will accept the system,” he said.
When contacted, a ministry spokesman said they understood the hardships of the businessmen.
She said that many customers did not know the self-service system had started and only Petronas displayed notices at the pumps.
“Other kiosks display the notices only at payment counters and customers are not aware of the system,” she said.
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