The Green Mechanics

Switching to a More Careful Spending

2012-02-16T00:21:00.000-08:00

Image: ehow.com

Is it true that we are becoming more thrifty? Are we cutting back on telephone expenses, opting for cheaper grocery, spending less on new clothes, and cutting down on out-of-home entertainment? [read the appended news articles].

According to Nielsen survey, yes, in terms of number of people, more Malaysians are doing just that. But in terms of amount, we are not sure. Many of us who are not-so-well-to-do may be cutting back on spending but the affluent folks would continue spending at pleasure.

Perhaps, we have come to term with the large number of bankruptcy cases in the country - almost 1% of the total population as of end-2011. Or, perhaps we really do not have the cash to spend.

But isn't our country prospering based on some indicators like the ability of the government to distribute many goodies lately? Straight thinking says it is. It should not be a window dressing activity if you take into account that Malaysia is doing really well.

According to International Trade and Industry Minister Datuk Seri Mustapa Mohamed, in terms of international trade, Malaysia is in top five countries after Singapore and Hong Kong, surpassing the United States of America, Switzerland, Australia, Canada and the United Kingdom.

I'm a bit skeptical, has our total international trade gone so high or trade volume of other countries shrunk significantly? I have no access to the such report quoted by the Minister but if it really is what's been published, we should give a little pat on our backs. Well done! Of course there are other perspectives that one needs to look at as yard sticks to prosperity. But that would be for other discussions.

Total trade is growing and the economy shall flourish. When the economy is booming the people should do well in business, and the salaried employees should get better perks, right? There should then be greater spending propensity, unless people are all tied up with mis-calculated past commitments.

Back to the topic, spending is good for the economy as a whole (especially if these spenders are foreigners) but is bad for your pocket when done ravenously. Spend within your means.

So there, go spend to your heart content.

APPENDED ARTICLES:

Malaysians More Careful With Their Spending

Business Times - Feb 9, 2012

Malaysians have started to cut down on telephone expenses as a means to manage their budget as concerns over the economy, job security and increasing food prices linger. At the same time, consumers are switching to cheaper grocery brands, the latest Nielsen Global Survey of Consumer Confidence and Spending Intentions reveals.

While spending less on new clothes and out-of-home entertainment remained the top two strategies to manage discretionary spending, switching to cheaper grocery brands and curbing telephone spending ranked third and fourth.

In the fourth quarter of 2011, the percentage of those surveyed who said that they are opting for cheaper brands increased to 53 per cent from 48 per cent in the third quarter of 2011. Those who cut telephone expenses increased to 48 per cent from 44 per cent in the previous quarter.

Meanwhile, online consumer confidence revealed that Malaysia remained the tenth most confident country among 56 countries surveyed. Malaysia was ahead of Thailand and just behind United Arab Emirates.

235,908 Individuals Declared Bankrupt as of October 2011

The Department of Insolvency Malaysia statistics show that there are 41 individuals declared bankrupt every day! At this rate, by the end of this year there would be more than 238,000 bankrupts and if there's no immediate bold action this could well reach half a million by 2020 when we anticipate the country to have attained developed nation status.

The main causes for declaring the 235,908 individuals bankrupt are:

1. Hire purchase, 26%

2. Personal loan, 21%

3. Housing loan, 14%

4. Others - business loan, corporate guarantee, etc.

But...Malaysia Records Highest Total Trade in 2011. Yes?

New Straits Times - Feb 9, 2012

Malaysia recorded its highest total trade of RM1.3 trillion last year, up 8.7 per cent from 2010, said International Trade and Industry Minister Datuk Seri Mustapa Mohamed. He projected a growth of between five and six per cent for Malaysia's total trade this year.

The World Competitiveness Yearbook 2011 Report by the Institute for Management Development ranked Malaysia among the top five countries in terms of international trade after Singapore and Hong Kong, surpassing the United States of America, Switzerland, Australia, Canada and the United Kingdom.

Mustapa said exports expanded 8.7 per cent to RM694.55 billion last year while imports grew 8.6 per cent to RM574.23 billion. Trade surplus rose 9.4 per cent to RM120 billion.

"This was the 14th consecutive year of trade surplus recorded by the country since 1998," Mustapa said.

He said rising demand for production inputs and consumer goods from Asian markets boosted this sector's contribution by 71.3 per cent to Malaysia's total exports. Exports to Asia increased 11.2 per cent to RM495.19 billion in 2011.

Solar Powered SK Pulau Sepanggar

2012-02-13T07:59:00.000-08:00

Welcome to Pulau Sepanggar.

In June last year myself and a group of other enthusiasts visited one of the nearby primary school under government rural electrification project, SK Pulau Sepanggar. The visit was scheduled during school holidays as we would not want to interfere with the school activities.

According to its web site, the school is a Grade A rural school with more than 400 students, 25 teachers and 4 non-academic staff. Quite a big number for an organisation located outside the urban boundary.

The reason we visited this school is that this is a site of a government funded 25kWp solar photovoltaic installation nearest to Kota Kinabalu. It takes about 25 to 30 minutes to reach there by speed boat.

Prior to the visit I had been in touch with Schneider Electric for quite sometime and one of the key areas I am keen to explore is Renewable Energy. With the kind of working environment we are currently in, the two RE initiatives that are likely to be of immediate interest to us are Solar PV and Mini Hydro power. After much examination of the Government incentives on FIT via SEDA, we decided that Solar PV is most appealing and profitable. To start of with, under the Malaysian FIT scheme, the base rate for Solar PV is RM1.40/kWh.

30 minutes of bumpy ride and we have now landed on an island called Pulau Sepanggar. Most houses are built on the seashore.

The power supply system here is a hybrid of solar and a diesel generator (genset). The system combines two energy sources and it interchanges the source automatically according to the weather of the day.

How Solar-DG Hybrid Works

During daytime and when the weather is fine, power is supplied solely by the solar modules, including recharging of the storage battery. For the installation at SK Pulau Sepanggar, the battery is designed to sustain supply of power for a continuous 3 days without having to start the stand-by Genset on. In the worst case scenario that it continues to rain or overcast for longer period, the Genset will kick in and take over the job of the solar modules, including recharging of battery.

Power System Summary

Location: SK Pulau Sepanggar, Kota Kinabalu

Owner: Ministry of Education Malaysia

How to get there: By boat, about 30-minutes ride

Design capacity: 25kWp, consists of one array of 10kWp modules and one array of 15kWp modules

Generator set: 3-Phase, 40kVA fully automated operations

PV Solar panel: SolarWorld, USA

PV Solar panel capacity: 165W +/- 3%

Arrangement: 9 panels in each array; total of 17 arrays

Inverter: Xtender, XTH-6000 series

Battery maker: FIAMM, deep cycle. Made in Czech Republic.

Battery capacity at 10 Hrs rate: 1850Ah to 1.8VPC

Communication: SCADA link to JKR IPsolar

The 25kWp solar hybrid installation; constructed within the school compound.

Top view of the solar panel arrays

Battery Bank A - special deep cycle wet batteries

40kVA Diesel generator acts as standby power supply, kicking in only when solar modules are unable to supply enough, and storage battery runs out of juice.

Nothing to do with the Solar PV system here but it probably adds greenery to an already eco-friendly initiative on the island. In any case, this should make great sunrise shots.

Personal Observations

The installation on the island was funded by the Government and we understand it was costly. For a private entity to embark on such initiative would not make business sense just yet as currently solar panels and storage battery are still very expensive. But with the FIT framework just put in place last year, it is very interesting to find out if investing in a larger system can generate ROI sooner than expected. For our initiative back home, it is possible to install a solar PV with a capacity of between 700kWp to 800kWp at each site.

Abbreviation:
DG - diesel generator
FIT - feed-in tariff
kWp - kilowatt peak
PV - photovoltaic
RE - renewable energy

Dare to Design your own House?

2012-02-11T01:57:00.000-08:00

In the local scene, one of the hot topics among people of different trades lately is the Upside-down House in Borneo. This will be the third entry for me and I am not sure yet if this is the last. Not because I like the catchy, unique idea nor because I'm originated from the small town where this structure is built. It's something else - I am a go-green person.

Structural and architectural design were scrutinised and environmental-friendliness of the building was questioned. I like the work of the architect and the use of wooden fittings (or at least wood like) that blends well with the environment.

For those thinking that they can do better than the folks up there, try comparing how cladding systems in a building that you think would look better. To the non-technical readers but just want their future homes to look great, you may want to read further. Cladding systems can be formulated to enhance the visual appearance of the building significantly. Does it look great, the Upside-down house? I think it looks decent. Not great, just decent enough.

Speaking of being environmentally friendly, and taking into account the fact that this building is meant to attract tourists, the developer could have incorporated some educational elements in the structure such as fixtures that promote energy efficiency, hence lesser carbon footprint. This could then be one of the subject the tour guide can talk about during the guided tour.

Upside Down: What's the Fuss About?

2012-02-08T22:27:00.000-08:00

People like to make assumption rather than fact finding when exercising their right of freedom of speech nowadays. Nothing's wrong with that.

The issue is that when we offer opinion without really knowing, (or in the case of Rumah Terbalik in Tamparuli), and having no personal experience about the subject we are commenting. And because of that, people develop negative perception towards the subject matter.

My wife and I had an early breakfast this morning and while reading the Daily Express I saw another article about the Upside-down House of Borneo in Tamparuli. This time the owner and the architect came out addressing the concerns of the public - or rather few individuals - pertaining to health and safety of patrons.

For the record, few days ago PAM Sabah past chairman questioned the qualification of the architect involved in designing the house. Reporters on the other side question the so-called dizziness one would feel after being in the house for 10 minutes.

Read today's copy of the local papers yourself.

While having no vested interest whatsoever in the property and getting no monetary gain writing this, I would say those allegations are a complete NONSENSE! Go there and feel it yourself and tick me if you feel dizzy. If anything, the lack of air-conditioning is the reason you'll feel stuffy after 5 minutes. Temperature inside the house heats up during sunny days and that stresses the body a bit. I felt nothing unusual and the hanging upside-down stuffs don't confuse my vestibular system into coaxing me to lose my balance.

You are allowed to walk only on the dedicated carpet walkway to avoid bodily injury caused by impact from objects that might fall off. If that is your concern then your safety risk is higher back home where fluorescent lamps, ceiling fan, air-conditioners, or your lantern decors are hanging. Paul Yap is the engineer who made sure of the integrity of the structure and he is a well-known local consultant.

What's the fuss about? This house is as good as, if not better than the houses built within the area, except that it is artificially made to look upside down. Remove the roof-like fittings below the floor level and it looks no different from any house.

To the owner, Mr. Yee as the paper quoted him as, this is a great place to 'pit-stop' before continuing with a long journey to, say, Mt.Kinabalu, Kundasang, Ranau or Sandakan/Tawau in the East Coast. Since this is just part of the Tuaran Craft Centre as mentioned, it would be a good idea if you fill the 'tamu' with more handicraft sourced from the folks.

The bakery offers great foods but they come only in small quantity. The trays ran out stock of my favorite tuna and chicken curry puff. It was a weekend, so it could be due to that.

The Upside-down House of Borneo

Environmentally friendly building versus dizziness? Not in my dictionary. I am a strong advocate for the preservation of the nature but feeling dizzy when entering certain house cannot be in the same equation with environmental friendliness.

If you fancy getting dizzy, try driving further towards Tamparuli town and taste the famous Jambatan Gantung Tamparuli. It is a suspension bridge built with sturdier material compared to the old one but chances are many would feel uncomfortable walking on it simply due to the height and the structural sway.

Jambatan Tamparuli. Down below is the pipe & concrete bridge built during British colonial times

Good luck, and happy travelling.

FIRST solar thermal Power Plant in Southeast Asia

2012-02-08T00:00:00.000-08:00

As posted in my December 2011 entry: Parabolic mirrors that produce electricity, harnessing of energy is done indirectly by converting concentrated sunlight into heat. This heat will be used by a steam turbine or a heat driving generator to generate electricity.

Hence, the name solar thermal.

TSE1 plant in Thailand. Credit: CSP Today

It is a known fact that Thailand is ahead of all other Southeast Asia nations in terms of renewable energy initiatives. Recently, Solarlite - a German concentrated solar power technology provider - commissioned Southeast Asia's first direct steam generation parabolic trough plant called TSE1, to supply 5 MW of electrical power to Thailand's public power network.

TSE1 is the first of 15 CSP stations planned by Thai Solar Energy and when completed, total generating capacity will be 135 MW. There is a feed-in tariff, FIT, scheme in Thailand for small energy generation system of up to a capacity of 10 MW.

Similar to Malaysia's initiative through SEDA, Thailand's aim is to give opportunity to people in the remote areas to participate in electricity generation, especially from renewable sources.

What makes Solarlite installation in Thailand special is that this is world's first in Direct Steam Generation. Instead of heating a thermal oil, the solar energy heats up the water that flows through the parabolic trough collectors receiver tubes. Therefore, no heat transfer oil is needed and heat exchanger - one of the expensive components in the CSP plants - becomes redundant. This means that the CSP plant is more ecological and safe as it uses only water.

Second plant, TSE2 is currently under construction and all of Thailand’s current Solar Program is targeted to be completed by 2015. New program was recently announced, under which 2GW of solar capacity from both solar thermal and Photovoltaic must be installed by 2020 as part of Thailand’s commitment to sourcing 25% of it total energy requirement from renewable energy sources.

Solarlite's solar thermal parabolic trough plant in Thailand. Image credit: solarthermalmagazine.com

The TSE1 plant does not have energy storage capacity as it is not economical to install storage system for small plants. Meaning, every time clouds shade the plant there would be power outage. Furthermore, Thailand's FIT which has a framework of 10 years and maximum 10MW of plant generating capacity deprive Solarlite the benefit of economic of scale. The current feed-in tariff for energy generated from CSP is 11.5Baht/kwh (about RM1.12/kwh).

Compared with Thailand, FIT scheme in Malaysia is structured to run longer i.e. up to 21-year with more competitive rate, especially Solar PV. This scheme is however limited to only 4 sources of renewable energy, not including CSP. To recall, the four energy sources that enjoy the Malaysian FIT scheme are Solar PV, Biomass, Mini Hydro and Biogas.

Solarlite in an interview with CSP Today stated that if they can make it and be successful in Thailand, they can make it anywhere, and that include Malaysia. They have the advantage of producing components in Southeast Asia (Thailand) and with the right approach with our government, there's no reason why can't CSP be implemented in our country. We can start with the remote areas to power up the rural population.

Why not!

Abbreviations
CSP - concentrated solar power
FIT - feed-in tariff
PV - photovoltaic
SEDA - Sustainable Energy Development Authority (Malaysia)

Car Insurance

2012-02-07T08:39:00.000-08:00

Earlier this month I posted an article about the 150 cars stolen everyday in our country. Unfortunately this trend is going to continue for sometime until some bold measures are taken holistically by both drivers and the authority. Well, insurers included.

I had an experience whereby my existing car insurer refused to renew my car insurance policy on grounds that my four-wheel vehicle was one of the hot items in car thieves list. It did not make sense to me as consumer, as I felt I was denied my right to have my property protected. But of course it made business sense to the insurance companies. After all they are here to make money, not to do charity work.

I read one of the online insurance services provider, Multi car insurance and not only did I realised that I could insure multiple cars in a single policy and save on premium but I came to understand the fact that under normal circumstances you have the right to be insured. Being the thieves' favourite does not make your car un-insurable.

However, if one insurer does not intend to provide the service to you, it's just too bad you have to move on and find another that would shoulder the risk. Ask around or rather shop around on the net. That was what I did and on the second insurance company that I approached, my application was approved. Without loading!

The Upside Down House of Borneo

2012-02-05T21:01:00.000-08:00

Location: Kg. Telibong, Tamparuli. Not far away from SMK Tamparuli
Officially opened: 1st February 2012
Visiting hours: 8.00am - 8.00pm daily

Entrance fees:

Adults - RM10 (MyKad holders), RM18 (non-MyKad holders)

Children - RM5

Babies - FOC (2 yrs old/ below)

Fancy living in an upside down house, anyone?

In Brief

It is a small house - 140sq. metre - equipped with kitchen, dining room, living room, bathroom, bedrooms with its interior decorated with many unique features of Sabah. Except for a bubu (a traditional fishing trap) everything is placed upside down.

A guided tour to the interior of the house takes not more that 15 minutes during our visit, probably due to other groups of other visitors waiting in line. It is understandable as it was only the 4th day since its official opening. After sometime, perhaps, you could spend more time there and hopefully they would allow photography inside the house.

But considering the RM10 fee per person, it could be a one-of visit to many unless the owner add up more attractions within and outside the centre in the future. The house is designed for a small family of three and hence its small size.

Even the garage is upside down.

Further story with more pictures here.

Have a safe journey and make this place a pit-stop the next time you travel to Ranau, Sandakan, and Tawau. It's just next to the Shell gas station.

SESB: Kemukakan Segera Permohonan

2012-02-03T00:34:00.000-08:00

Salam sejahtera.

Selari dengan hasrat kerajaan untuk mensasarkan liputan bekalan eletrik kepada 95% di Sabah tahun ini, SESB telah menggesa mana-mana kampung dan peserta Projek Bantuan Rumah yang belum mendapat bekalan elektrik agar membuat permohonan rasmi di pejabat daerah atau pejabat SESB terdekat.

Berikut disertakan keratan akhbar mengenai kenyataan tersebut.

Harian Express: 2 Februari 2012

Sekiranya anda merasakan Unit Pemimpin Kemajuan Rakyat, UPKR, atau pihak bertanggungjawab lain di tempat anda tidak memberikan khidmat sebagaimana yang anda harapkan, apakata anda sebagai badan JKKK membuat permohonan rasmi terus kepada Pejabat Daerah dan SESB?

Gunakan keratan akhbar ini sebagai testimoni dalam surat permohonan anda, yang juga menunjukkan pendekatan pro-aktif pihak TNB/SESB untuk memastikan semua kampung, jauh atau terpencil, mendapat peluang yang sama rata.

Sekiranya anda tercari-cari masa dan peluang keemasan untuk melobi pembangunan luar bandar di tempat anda, inilah masanya! Buat surat permohonan rasmi, sertakan salinan kertaskerja terdahulu, minta pengesahan atau perakuan YB ADUN dan hantar sendiri permohonan atau surat susulan tersebut kepada SESB.

Come on, 95% for 2012 and let's do our part to make it 100% by 2013. Nothing is impossible as, where there is a will there is a way!

150 Cars Stolen Daily: is yours next?

2012-02-02T00:39:00.000-08:00

Are you driving one of these? If yes then your car is one of those that are hot on the thief's list.

Image: The Star

The Star reported that since 2010 thieves whisked away 112,503 cars comprising mostly Proton and Perodua models.

2010 - 57,462 cases

2011 - 55,041 cases (as of September)

This gives an average of 150 daily cases of stolen vehicles. According to Federal CID director Comm. Datuk Seri Mohd Bakri Zinin, demand for stolen vehicles is high and in particular they are:

1) used for repairs and parts replacement

2) popular at construction sites in the remote areas

3) used in robberies and other criminal activities

The above list is not according to rank but it is strongly believed that four-wheel drive vehicles, especially Toyota Hilux are high on demand in the middle East. 4x4 vehicles are the popular means of transportation among rebel forces.

Some insurance companies tend to turn away applications for vehicle insurance coverage for cars high on thief list. I have an experience whereby instead of getting Renewal Notice for my four-while vehicle, I received a refusal notice stating that AIG Malaysia (now Chartis) would not renew my policy. At that time a 'sibling' of the 4x4 model I was driving was known to be thieves' favourite.

So there. Take extra precaution so that yours is not the next car in the statistics.

And drive safely, too!

What does ALL-IN FARE Really Mean

2012-01-30T21:19:00.000-08:00

It depends on who you ask. If you ask an accountant a dollar added to another is equal to $2. But if you ask a marketer a $9.90 merchandise is actually $10.00.

Take the following case and you will understand why the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission, ACCC, filed a lawsuit against Malaysian budget carrier AirAsia. ACCC accused AirAsia of failing to disclose the full price of fares on its website.

So, I did the following:

Landed on AirAsia's website
Clicked the first promo that appear on the homepage
Entered flight details according to the promo T&Cs
Presented with total fare

Very attractive, all-in fare starts from RM199.00 although not many seats are priced this low.

Simple, and the offer is looking good! Almost all year around.

To be fair to customers, All-in fare should read as "FROM RM257.50". For obvious reason the airline did not disclose the higher fare when flying back from Tokyo. Interestingly for Gold Coast-KUL-Gold Coast routes, both fares are displayed prominently.

At least that is my first impression of a return tickets to from KUL-Tokyo-KUL: RM199 x 2

Clearly, RM199.00 is not the all-in fare. Finding out what's the airport fees and taxes in Haneda, Tokyo should not be the customer's, it's the airline duty to disclose them. In this case, only the flight from Kuala Lumpur to Tokyo is correct as per advertised.

I have nothing against AirAsia, in fact eversince this budget carrier started its operations my family has been using its services for leisure travelings, except for routes it has not covered yet. Malaysia Airlines for me is mainly for formal company trips.

The above may not be an exact copy of what happened in the carrier's adverts for it's Australia website but the idea is still the same. The airline's advertisements always get me sceptical as most of the time the final total fare would be much higher than what is written as big prints in their commercials.

We may not have a law specifying "Businesses that choose to advertise a part of the price of a particular product or service must also prominently specify a single total price", but as a responsible business entity this is the right thing to do. Consumers should not be faced with surprises after making online bookings and are ready to make payment.

Lahad Datu Tower of Heaven

2012-01-29T03:50:00.000-08:00

Image from Daily Express

Literally translated (but contextually correct), tower of heaven means Menara Kayangan in Malay. If you read Malay literatures, stories and folklores you will find numerous mention of the word 'kayangan' in reference to something supernatural that is coming from above.

No magic about this tower though.

But putting definition into perspective, starting March this year, people will be able to fulfill their dream of going up to kayangan when Menara Kayangan Lahad Datu is opened to the general public. You will not be able to go to heaven climbing it but you will get to enjoy magnificent bird eye view of Lahad Datu and Darvel Bay in particular, at 33m above the ground.

That's about 11-storey building high and considering it's built on top of Mount. Silam, it is not hard to imagine the beautiful panoramic view one can expect to see from the top floor.

You may have been planning to visit Tabin and Danum Valley all this while but with the new development, you now have more reasons to make that trip to Lahad Datu. I have not been to these places before but if the timing is right, Danum Valley is high in my list for upcoming venture - primarily because I love taking pictures but also because I love nature so much.

You will not get the view from as high as at 86th floor, Petronas Twin Towers but this will definitely give you a totally different experience. You are surrounded by forest on one side and a picturesque sea on another.

What's in store in and around this RM1.8 million tower is the 2-kilometre nature trail leading to the summit of Mount. Silam, complete with interpretation centre. What this means is that you walk along the trail, take pictures (a lot of them) and get all the information and references about what you have captured at the tower later. For plants and animals you you don't get to see along the way, you still get to see them and educate yourself through the reading materials made available by Forestry Department.

Scheduled to open in two months time, let's hope fellow bloggers from Lahad Datu will make early coverage of this new tourist attraction.

Note: I have included in this post the article by Daily Express as they tend to archive their articles after sometime, meaning not-reachable to the public for free.

Lahad Datu: The Lahad Datu Tower of Heaven (Menara Kayangan Lahad Datu), standing 33 metres on Mount Silam, 10km from the township, will be opened to the public next month or March.

The observation tower overlooking the picturesque Darvel Bay is set to be a new attraction for the district, which is already serving as the gateway to key natural attractions like Tabin and Danum Valley.

At 880m above sea level, Mt Silam is the highest point in Lahad Datu and forms part of the Sepagaya Forest Reserve. The observation tower was built by the State Forestry Department.

Its Director, Datuk Sam Mannan, also announced the recent publication of a pamphlet that will serve as a quick guide to the natural wonders of Mt Silam.

"The guide provides an overview of the different forest types found in Silam and the rich and unique plants and animals that they support.

In the pipeline is an interpretation centre as well as a two-kilometre nature trail to the summit of Mt Silam this facility will further enhance the role and the capacity of the Forestry Department in catering to nature education," he said.

The tower construction was funded by the Federal Government at a cost of RM1.8 million, under the RM1 billion economic stimulation allocation to Sabah.

Mannan also showed a pocket booklet recently published by the department entitled Birds of the Heritage Amenity Forest Reserve.

It is a photo compilation of 48 bird species commonly observed within the 7-hectare man-made forest surrounding the Forestry Department headquarters in Sandakan.

"When greening work began in 2002 to convert this former rubber plantation to a forest patch of mixed species, birds were far from mind.

As this planted forest grew in stature, the increasingly active bird life caught my attention," he said.

Today, the seven-hectare Heritage Forest comprises 137 largely native tree species.

"As more and more natural habitats disappear, such small patches of forest are becoming increasingly important oases for birds to nest, breed, take shelter, and feed," he said.

Source: Daily Express

You have your own Domain. Now What?

2012-01-26T00:18:00.000-08:00

When I started blogging a couple of years ago, I remember that I wanted to design my own website and decided to buy few books on website design. It was quite simple really considering the many web design softwares available in the market. So, I reverse-learn from the many templates available in the Internet. After a couple of weeks I decided I would better start writing/blogging using the free hosted Bloggers or Wordpress, and thought that I could transfer my contents to the 'permanent' website later on.

My blog content have grown to what it is today and I decided to take the next step - buy a domain. My contents are now hosted on a paid web-hosting company for $10 (about RM33.00) a year.

What should I do next? I was browsing Arlington web design the other day and suddenly the urge is back to design my own site. I could download a shareware software for a start, but it'll take quite a lot of my time writing the codes. I have a day job and I could end up less productive as a result. So, I may consider getting help from professional if the price is right.

I'm wondering if other bloggers have experience with other web designers - costs, support services and ease of use. If yes, kindly share so that we could all benefit from them.

Grins that Say it All

2012-01-25T19:42:00.000-08:00

Don't think, just look at the pictures and make your own story later.

Credit: I got this from momto8blog which I follow and read. You can read further from the blogger's website.

Happy Chinese New Year!

2012-01-24T19:40:00.000-08:00

Chinese months are reckoned by the lunar calendar, with each month beginning on the darkest day. New Year festivities traditionally start on the first day of the month and continue until the fifteenth, when the moon is brightest. Chinese New Year is the longest and most important celebration in the Chinese calendar.

The Chinese year 4710 begins on Jan. 23, 2012. [quote: infoplease.com]

Let's start this short week by wishing everyone around the globe a happy happy happy new year. May you have good fortune and good health this year.

Enter the Dragon..! - Chinese New Year decorations at Centre Atrium, 1Borneo.

A performance by SJK(C) Yick Nam at 1Borneo Hypermall on the first day of Lunar New Year

Huge dragon replica at the entrance of KDCA, Penampang captured 2 years ago

How about sharing a link here to those great shots you took during this year's CNY celebration? That would be awesome!

Have a good week, everyone!

Hong Kong to Create 25 Man-made Islands?

2012-01-19T22:43:00.000-08:00

Early this month, AFP reported that Hong Kong government had proposed to create 25 man-made islands off the city's coast.

Image source: Google Map

It said that in a desperate attempt to ease land shortage, officials proposed the creation of a 1500-hectare man-made giant island and 24 other smaller islands on Wednesday.

If constructed, the artificial island would have an area larger than the island reclaimed for Hong Kong's international airport and would require claiming land from sea up to 14.5 metres deep, the government said.

Of course, environmentalists in Hong Kong and particularly WWF was right in voicing its concern as this would inevitably affect the city's natural shorelines.

We are blessed with bigger and less densely populated country compared to Hong Kong. Malaysians own bigger land area to build houses and plant crops. People in the more developed city of Hong Kong don't have this kind of luxury. Property prices in Hong Kong soared last year due to shortage of land and leader Donald Tsang vowed to boost the city's land supply in ways he sees fit.

While WWF Hong Kong is closely monitoring such proposal and development, we Malaysians are taking the more laid-back approach when it comes to public response to people's poor treatment to the soil.

We have beautiful hills for ~~paragliding~~ whatever activities and it is our responsibility to preserve the floral beauty of our land...

Newly found paragliding spot in Tamparuli, Sabah

Instead, we cut them indiscriminately first and foremost for personal gain...

Hill cutting is rampant, particularly in Penampang Sabah

And we cut trees at pleasure...

Why would they chop off non-obstructing trees in Tg. Aru?

Perhaps we will start thinking and listening when every city in our country is submerged by flash floods. By then, we may be able to realise that we have only ourselves to blame for such disaster.

Hong Kong citizens are always on alert and I believe the government will pull through the situation where they need to strike a balance between nature conservation and development.

What about us? The least we can do is to report activities that we feel are damaging the environment. I don't travel a lot and I can only see what's happening in and around my place. You can do your bit for your respective areas; take a shots or two and highlight your concerns through media of your choice.

Life, 100 Years From Now

2012-01-17T20:53:00.000-08:00

BBC News Magazine asked its readers for their predictions of life in 100 years time.

Will there be elevators built to go up there? - Sunrise shot from Kasih Sayang Resort, K.Kinabalu.

With some inspiration from the ten 100-year predictions made by American civil engineer John Elfreth Watkins in 1900, here are the readers' top 20 picks:

Oceans will be extensively farmed and not just for fish
We will have the ability to communicate through thought transmission
Thanks to DNA and robotic engineering, we will have created incredibly intelligent humans who are immortal
We will be able to control the weather
Antarctica will be "open for business"
One single worldwide currency
We will all be wired to computers to make our brains work faster
Nanorobots will flow around our body fixing cells, and will be able to record our memories
We will have sussed nuclear fusion
There will only be three languages in the world - English, Spanish and Mandarin
Eighty per cent of the world will have gay marriage
California will lead the break-up of the US
Space elevators will make space travel cheap and easy
Women will be routinely impregnated by artificial insemination rather than by a man
There will be museums for almost every aspect of nature, as so much of the world's natural habitat will have been destroyed
Deserts will become tropical forests
Marriage will be replaced by an annual contract
Sovereign nation states will cease to exist and there will be one world government
War by the West will be fought totally by remote control
Britain will have had a revolution

Read BBC News magazine to find out what futurologists think about them. As crazy and impossible as some of these may sound, many of the previous prediction by Watkins actually came true. Check out his 10 predictions one hundred years ago.

Depending on your belief, these could well be signs that the end of time is not too far away.

Phased Out

2012-01-17T20:12:00.000-08:00

Many months/years later I'll have something to look back on in terms of how my old blog page looked like. Obviously this post has no tangible benefit to anyone other than for my own future reference.

I've grown tired of reading not-so-bright fonts on a dark background and I decided to change the appearance of the webpage to a simpler template. Dark font on white/bright background suits my mobile devices screen better. And on bigger screens, reading is much more at ease.

Old page, prior to 2012.

Header photo shot during sunset at Magellan Sutera man-made beach.

New page, Jan 2012.

Header photo (Mt. Kinabalu) shot from a suspension bridge in Telibong, Tuaran.

More pictures are available at my dedicated photo page.

Elderly Fruit Seller Loses RM200

2012-01-15T18:48:00.000-08:00

If you happen to see the suspects, kindly help to notify the nearest police station. Alternatively, you could help by spreading the news via e-mail, your social networks, etc.

An elderly fruit seller lost about RM200 and documents when her bag was stolen while she was busy attending to customers. This happened last week in Sabah's small Southern township of Sipitang and it was reported in the Daily Express.

The stall where the incident happened.

According to the report, three customers (a man in his 40s, a woman, and a teenager) came to her stall located near the teachers' headquarters, in a Proton Saga.

"The woman stood at the left side of the stall and kept me busy by asking about the prices of fruit sold" she explained in her police report.

She only realised that her bag kept at the right end of the stall was missing when she wanted to keep money she had earned.

This could happen to anyone and some unscrupulous individuals might have actively been playing such tricks along the busy roads for sometime now, especially during this time when it is Durian season.

Kindly be warned and be on alert of such persons. They may or may not be the actual thieves - no one shall be considered guilty until proven - but it is always good to be cautious.

I feel for my fellow farmers back home who don't earn much from selling fruits and veggies and it hurts me to think that they go home empty-handed after a full day's work.

Definitions

2012-01-15T16:54:00.000-08:00

Good day everyone.

To kick start a brand new week and to ice-break your day, let's share some quotable definitions that may do it for you. Not that they will make or break everyone's day, but I'll just share them just as colleagues of mine share them to me:-

1Malaysia Amanah Rakyat Scheme, SARA

2012-01-12T21:43:00.000-08:00

What a news!

Photo from www.sara1malaysia.com.my

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak launched the 1Malaysia Amanah Rakyat Scheme (SARA) on Thursday, Jan 12th 2012, aimed at helping those with a monthly household income of RM3,000 and below. Najib said the scheme had attractive features which had not been introduced before.

He said the scheme was a hybrid of a unit trust investment and loan product, capable of generating a consistent cash flow or monthly incentive.

“The limit is RM5,000 and it can be bought through savings or investment loans from selected financial institutions,” he said.

“We guarantee that investors would get RM134 monthly and for those who borrow, they only need to pay RM84 a month and still get RM50 in profit,” he added during the launch. - Bernama

This has became the headlines of major tabloids yesterday and today. So, let's digest the short announcement and see for yourself if you'd like to invest.

HOW DOES THIS SCHEME WORKS?

Eligibility

Everyone is eligible! So long as he/she satisfies the following requirements:

Malaysians aged between 18 and 58 years,
Household or single parents monthly income of RM3,000 or less,
Not declared bankrupt throughout the loan funding period,
Not a beneficiary of other Government special schemes managed by Amanah Saham Nasional Berhad (ASNB),
No other investments in ASNB unit trusts, OR, if there is, a combined aggregate investment must be RM10,000 or less in all ASNB products

From sara1malaysia website, distribution of funds is by way of

50% to Bumiputera,
30% to Chinese
15% to Indian
5% to Others
On how they formulated it that way, you make your own deduction.

How to apply?

Obtain Forms from participating banks starting from 30 January 2012. Currently there are 4 listed banks, namely: Maybank, CIMB Bank, RHB Bank and Bank Simpanan Nasional (BSN.

What documents are required?

The original and certified true copies of the followings:

Identity card of applicant – 2 copies
Identity card of spouse/s, if applicable – 1 copy
Income verification document:

There are two options available to prospective investors:

1) Invest RM5,000 from your own pocket. You are guaranteed monthly dividend of RM134. If you opt not to withdraw your monthly dividend, you can expect return of RM13,000 after 5 years.

2) Invest RM5,000 through loan from bank. You are guaranteed monthly dividend of RM50, after deducting RM84 as minimum repayment to the bank. If you opt not to withdraw your monthly dividend, you can expect return of RM5,000 after 5 years.

BETTER THAN ASB?

You may be asking if this scheme is better than Amanah Saham Bumiputera (ASB). As a matter of fact, yes. Albeit certain limitation in terms of maximum amount of unit you can buy and the limited investment tenure. To compare, ASB's average return is about 8% to 10% annually and the scheme is open only to Bumis.

Let me explain.

Option one is investment from your own cash, with RM134 x 12 = RM1,608 return annually. This is equivalent to 32.16%. After 5 years, you would have accumulated RM8,040 of dividend which is 160.8%. Assuming that you left your investment untouched, you will get back about RM13,040 at the end of the tenure. Now, where in the world can you find such an investment scheme?

Option two is investment using borrowed cash (from bank), with RM50 x 12 = RM600 return annually. In mathematics sense, this is even better as percentage of return is high (infinity),
i.e. RM600/(zero investment) x 100%. In real sense, you get less simply because you did not put any money in your investment coffer.

In order for this too-good-to-be-true scheme to guarantee such return, the Government (to my understanding, and it is easy to see) will channel fund to the participating banks to enable it to source loans at 'competitive' rates, and hence the high rate of return to investors. In other words, a better way for the Government to dish out money compared to the one-time RM500 payout.

According to Bernama, dividend in SARA is guaranteed by a special purpose vehicle, Malaysian Development Holdings Sdn Bhd, a wholly owned subsidiary of Finance Ministry Incorporated.

WILL I GO FOR IT?

Hell, yes! Without hesitation. While I'm not eligible for this scheme, for the qualified you stand to gain handsomely either way. The return breaks all other previous records held by every unit trust in the country, at least for a 5-year period. The best is Option One but if you don't have the money, Option Two is still a steal!

This is limited to the first 100,000 applicants so, make up your mind and act fast. You've got nothing to lose.

Water Loss in Sabah THIRD Highest

2012-01-08T19:38:00.000-08:00

The Association of Water and Energy Research Malaysia (AWER) carried out a non-revenue water (NRW) study in Malaysia and said that more than 1/3 of water treated at our plants is WASTED. National water loss averages were 36.6% in 2009 and 36.4% in 2010.

Water jetting out of a transmission main during pipe flushing/cleaning

In 2010, of the total revenue from water sector of close to RM4.1 billion (US$1.3bil), RM1.7 billion or nearly HALF of it is lost to NRW. The three top contributors to this loss are Selangor, Johor and Sabah:

In terms of VOLUME, the top five 'losers' are:

In Sabah, the last 3 years of record shows that we continue to leak out money to the drain at alarming rate:

(Source: AWER, Malaysia)

Sabah's current largest and most economical Water Treatment Plant: Moyog WTP

Sabah's largest waterworks (WTP) located in Penampang is designed for production of 165 million liter (MLD) of water per day and at overload mode it can go up to 180 - 190 MLD.

If the estimates by AWER is taken at face value, i.e. 195 million m³ water loss in 2010, we are talking about 3 WTPs of this size. Solve 30% of our NRW volume and we DO NOT need to construct any dam in Kaiduan for the foreseeable future. By reducing NRW, we are tackling several tricky issues namely - avoid destruction of greenery in Kaiduan Penampang, avoid relocating people from their ancestral lands, and patch a hole in the treasurer's pocket.

It is pointless to keep building new Water Treatment Plants to increase production but at the same time loss half of the treated water along the transmission and distribution pipes.

The action plan I've learnt through my working life is as simple as this:

Set the NRW reduction target. A detailed one if needed be.
Specify reasonable time frame. Speaking of which, 5 years is not reasonable at all!
Identify areas of concern (the people, the facilities, the environment, etc)
Prepare technical guidelines. Let the engineers work it out.
Work out capital and operational expenditures. Who says engineers and accountants can't agree on figures!
Check and analyse the plans. The accountants say 'audit', we say 'assess'.
People's participation. Let the public know about it and provide avenue for feedback.

There is a popular Malay saying "CAKAP TIDAK SERUPA BIKIN" or easier said than done. Of course, addressing the NRW issue will never be an easy task. But if we don't start somewhere, when will we ever get to the finish line?

$1.76 Million Wooden Cottage

2012-01-07T07:29:00.000-08:00

Wooden cottage for US$1,760,000? Sure this is in New York, but can I not buy 20-30 small, old houses like that (looks more like hut to me) for such price? Surely it must be a camouflage of something.

Image by: Select Sotheby's International Realty

The property looks just like a typical weekend chalet in the forested Adirondack Mountains, according to AFP report. But that is what you see from above the ground. Go underground (literally) and you will see why it's just the tip of an iceberg you saw up there.

It further explained:

AFP

You can view the photographic details of the silo from Sotheby's website.

If you want to live in a silo like that, I'm putting my money that you are interested with none other than to protect yourself from intense bombing of up to 200psi blast, and for a nice cool hideout when things get messy.

My question is that, if this place is intended to be a safe heaven, why must the plans/drawings and pictures be revealed to the public in great detail?

Perhaps it's a better idea to radically convert this to a museum of sort and make it a tourist attraction.

100% Power Supply coverage in Sabah by 2012

2012-01-04T19:45:00.000-08:00

.
This was what some local media reported in October 2011. As misleading as the headlines seem, that is what exactly the people deserve after seeing SESB (formerly known as SEB and NBE) in operations for more than 50 years.

A better fit for purpose title would have been 'Towards 100% power supply coverage in 2012' so as to ward of unrealistic expectations. The then Managing Director of SESB, Ir. Baharin Din said it was targeted that Sabah would reach 95% electricity coverage by the end of this year. Something the utility company must strive to achieve to walk their talk on "WORKING HARDER FOR BETTER POWER". This is also the least that the people can expect from the RM962.5 million of allocation for electricity supply in rural areas in Sabah under The 2012 Budget.

SESB grid and generating capacity, 2010. Source: SESB

As it now stands, electricity coverage in Sabah is about 80%, and by looking at the development plans and data released by SESB from time to time, I'm confident that the additional 15% more of coverage is realistic and achievable probably by 2013.

Also, an interesting fact worth mentioning is that, by percentage, SESB is currently the biggest taker in the country on Renewable Energy initiatives. The contract for take-off in 2010 accounted for more than 30MW capacity or about 3% of Sabah Energy Generation share. In comparison, the national average is less than 0.5%.

The new SESB MD, Ir. Abd Razak Salim is expected to continue to steer the utility company to play major role in encouraging such RE initiatives, in line with the national objective to minimise the impact of power generation on environment.

The allocation of almost RM1 billion is huge and whoever is entrusted to carry out the task is duty-bound to deliver the goods. Infrastructure network, especially in the rural areas has been the stumbling block for rural electrification due to the geographical condition of the state. It is a huge challenge we know but it is a good opportunity too.

I say, if the mountainous terrains of Sabah is to blame it is about time that we turn to Greener Source of energy. It is no doubt more expensive but that is what the big allocation is for.

Last year, Malaysia through SEDA, has embarked on feed-in-tariff initiatives for 4 sources of renewable energy and it will be all the more meaningful for the state take que from and be aggressive in its effort towards environment-friendly power generators.

COME ON! Let's go for 100 percent. That will do for the rural rakyat!

Petronas Twin Towers

2012-01-03T08:24:00.000-08:00

There are few things I really wanted to do before 2011 closes its door, two of them being watching the Formula 1 race in Malaysia or Singapore, and to 'scale' the famous Twin Towers of Petronas. Not to literally scale it the spider way; visiting the observation deck would be more definitive.

Cut the story short, I managed to catch Michael Schumacher - my all time favourite race king - in action at Malaysian GP Sepang in April 2011. The race was won by another German tho in Sebastian Vettel, a fast improving no-nonsense young driver.

Petronas Twin Towers was more of an elusive target as I failed to gain entry in my first two attempts - once in December 2010 and another in April 2011. On both occasions, tickets were sold out and I could not make advance booking as I did not stay long enough to exhaust the long waiting period (1 week).

So, few days ago on 31st December 2011, while wifey and kids were enjoying their nap in the early morning, I woke up and took a walk from the hotel to the towers to join the long queue of tourists taking their chances nicking that elusive tickets. Joined the zig-zag lines at 6.30 in the morning and finally get to purchase a ticket at almost 9.00am (first group of 22 visitors made their way up at 9.00am); I opted for afternoon visit at 1.00pm.

One of the landmarks to die for is KL Tower (seen on the background)

A sample of the concrete jungle around the Towers

KLCC Park viewed from above

As a twin structures, Petronas Twin Towers is still regarded as the tallest in the world. Standing at 451.9m, the 88-storey Twin Towers is inspired by Islamic geometric shape with each tower plan being based on an eight-pointed star. It's tall and the scenery from up there is breath taking.

Wifey doesn't like height and my small daughter doesn't fancy going either. Still it's a mission accomplished for me personally.

Happy New Year, 2012

2011-12-31T07:29:00.000-08:00

This is wishing everyone a prosperous and more importantly a peaceful New Year. For some, 2012 is really their doomsday as marks the end of some important favours and privileges they have been enjoying. For some, it is just another number with no specific meaning other than to carry on with life. For some, it is an opportunity to express gratitude to God for being able to breath and live another day, realising that they do things in faith and knowing that there will always be hope and answer when everything seem to be falling apart.

For some, and I mean for people of who live in Malaysia, it is yet another opportunity to be thankful for making a living in a peaceful country. And that, I believe, happen that way it is because of love.

You love your Country,
You love your Neighbours,
You love your Creator.

If 2011 has been a bitter year, remember there's always something sweet worth looking back to. If it was an abundance of blessings, remember you owe it to yourself to think about the less fortunate. It's about how you deal with obstacles and the favours at hand.

HAPPY NEW YEAR AND GOD BLESS YOU MALAYSIA!

Kuala Lumpur
01.01.2012
00:22am