The Green Mechanics

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

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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

More Than 235,000 Individuals Declared Bankrupt

2011-12-29T17:10:00.000-08:00

Ouch! Really?

Yes. The number of bankrupt individuals in Malaysia is almost a quarter of a million. 235,908 individuals to be exact, according to the Department of Insolvency.

Is this figure alarming? According to the Director-General of Insolvency Department, it is, and it should be to us, too.

The department 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.

Daily Express, Malaysia.

- malaysia.gov.my

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,
- wondering where the C.Card defaulters came under.

Between 2005 and October 2011, about 14,000 cases were discharged of bankruptcy, meaning for each discharged case there are 6 others being declared bankrupt, (Ratio 1:6.4). This is not good at all from social point of view, more so with our aspiration to progress and to prosper at higher pace towards 2020.

The government is reviewing the Malaysian Bankruptcy Act 1967 to assist those who were declared bankrupt to continue with life without the debt burden. But if people don't take bankruptcy seriously and think that they can get away from debtors and start fresh with their lives by filing for bankruptcy, think again. If being bankrupt makes life no better than before, don't opt for it.

Think about the THREE main causes for bankruptcy and borrow only what you can afford. Live within your/our means.

Talking about living within your means, how about making one a resolution for the new year? Could be a good idea.

Reference: Malaysia Department of Insolvency

Renewal Energy Sector to Create 50,000 jobs

2011-12-27T20:31:00.000-08:00

This is the expected amount of jobs created by RE sector come 2020.

In 2010, The Star cited experts estimation of creation of at least 52,000 jobs from the construction, operation and maintenance of renewable energy plants in the country by 2020.

Earlier this month, New Straits Times carried an article stating a more conservative figure by economist, estimating 50,000 jobs created by RE plants. If we are to spread this over the course of 9 years, that would be about 5,000 to 6,000 jobs created every year; a very interesting prospect for an emerging economy.

This is very much possible.

The RE sector is fast gaining ground as a new growth area for many countries with the potential it presents environmentally and economically. It plays a major role in meeting energy needs, making it possible for businesses to reap energy cost savings while combating global warming. Currently, Malaysia is world 3rd largest producer of solar cells after China and Germany. Malaysia already already have companies across the entire value chain, from silicon production to solar cell manufacturing and module assembly.

Source: Ministry of Information Communications and Culture, Malaysia.

With the committed amount of fund for the rolling out of the first FiT incentive for 2012 - 2014, Malaysia is on the right direction to achieve a targeted revenue of at least RM70 billion from the private sector by 2020.

What does this means to us?

That means more new talents and skills, especially in RE sector, would be needed so much sooner than later. We do not want to go into an industry we have less talent of and end up hiring people from other countries to do things for us. The targeted quantity must be matched with the right quality of our human capital.

It is an opportunity for us to learn new technology, to perfect an existing method to be efficient and be the largest producer of solar related products.

Why not.

Season Greetings From CIMB Clicks

2011-12-27T08:33:00.000-08:00

If you happen to have received an email with the above heading recently, take note that this is a Scam. All it is trying to do is to fish you into revealing your sensitive information at CIMB Bank. So, if you are a current user of CIMB Clicks you might be particularly interested.

I received this on Christmas day on my mobile and it goes into my mailbox probably because I have no spam mail filter installed on my mobile device. It looks authentic at the first glance due to the bank logo on the heading.

The thief greets you nicely this Christmas

The URL, (https://www.cimbclicks.com.my/ibk/) shown in the email is real and if you type this address on your browser url tab, you will be directed to the following CIMB clicks page:

Actual page of CIMB Clicks

When I right-clicked the link, or rather press-and-hold in my case, it revealed the phishing website - http://minhtrfurniture.com/auto.php

and the mailing address of this scammer is [anne2.lindh@pp.inet.fi] but I doubt it'll stay that way for long. It is perhaps a dynamically generated email that targets one would-be victim per phishing email.

I know this is quite common and it happens all the time but it is always better to to stay safe online and be wary (and worry) of emails purportedly from your bank asking for 'confirmation' of passwords and/or user name.

Better safe than sorry. Happy banking.

Merry Christmas

2011-12-25T09:26:00.000-08:00

I would like to wish everyone a Very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. May your days be merry and blessed with joy, you and your loved ones.

"Nativity Hut" - a nativity scene at Gaya Street Christmas Celebration 2011, where figurines of Joseph and Mary are in life-size.

This is one of my favourites:
The Christmas Song

Chestnuts roasting on an open fire,
Jack Frost nipping on your nose,
Yuletide carols being sung by a choir,
And folks dressed up like Eskimos.

Everybody knows a turkey and some mistletoe,
Help to make the season bright.
Tiny tots with their eyes all aglow,
Will find it hard to sleep tonight.

They know that Santa's on his way;
He's loaded lots of toys and goodies on his sleigh.
And every mother's child is going to spy,
To see if reindeer really know how to fly.

And so I'm offering this simple phrase,
To kids from one to ninety-two,
Although its been said many times, many ways,
A very Merry Christmas to you.

And my childhood favourite:

The Greatest Gift of All

**with lyrics**

Merry Christmas everyone!

Borang Bantuan Rakyat 1Malaysia

2011-12-20T19:21:00.000-08:00

Salam sejahtera.

Saya pernah membuat entri mengenai Taklimat Bantuan Rakyat 1Malaysia yang saya hadiri di Daerah Tuaran. Taklimat ini telah di selaraskan dan tidak berbeza dengan taklimat-taklimat seumpamanya di seluruh negara.

Apa yang membimbangkan dan mengecewakan adalah terdapat segelintir pihak yang cuba meneguk di air keruh. Kebelakangan ini kita banyak membaca mengenai kes-kes penipuan berkenaan dengan borang Bantuan Rakyat 1Malaysia (BR1M). Ada yang menyebut tentang pihak tertentu yang menjual borang permohonan pada harga RM3.00 hingga RM5.00 sekeping.

Perlu ditegaskan bahawa borang ini diberi secara PERCUMA dan boleh diisi (bantuan boleh dipohon) oleh sesiapa sahaja termasuk pemohon yang grey atau status kelayakannya kurang jelas.

Sehubungan ini saya sertakan salinan borang softcopy yang telah saya muat-naik bagi tujuan kegunaan semua. Borang ini, BK-01 [1/2011], boleh didapati di semua pejabat daerah dan pejabat-pejabat Lembaga Hasil Dalam Negeri di seluruh negara. Sumber borang: Pegawai LHDN yang membuat taklimat tersebut.

Muat turun BORANG BR1M.

Atau klik konsol di bawah untuk melihat pilihan-pilihan menu yang akan membawa anda ke laman Scribd.com, yang menjadi host kepada borang tersebut.

Interface BORANG BR1M

What's Better for you: Well-Done or Rare steak?

2011-12-17T21:57:00.000-08:00

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First of - if you don't fancy steak this is obviously not for you (still, it may be a good read).

Photo credit: ireallylikefood

I used to consume steak on a considerably regular basis and XO Steak House in Kota Kinabalu was my favourite dine in food outlet. It's a 'was' as the restaurant is no longer in operation. Knowing that I'm a steak lover, my wife treated me to some fabulous dinner there. The following is an excerpt from my daily reading of the Daily Express and you'll find it interesting if you love steak like I do.

So, which is better for you?

That depends on who you are. If you are hungry, cooking is invaluable because you need all the fat and calories you can get. Cooking reduces the chewing time and begins the digestive process almost immediately. Some scientists even argue that the invention of cooking drove the evolution of the human brain. Do a little googling and you will understand what I mean.

On the other hand, if you are an over-fed modern person you don't need more calories or more fat. You need the iron, vitamins and possibly the protein in the meat, in which case less cooking maybe better. Above all, if you already eat lots of meat then more is generally going to be bad for you. If you eat little meat then a steak can be good source of nutrition whether well-done or rare.

For me - I like it well-done but I'll take it sparingly now as eating less meat is greener and it is better for my overall health, and yours.

I take more fish now, soup or grilled.

How about you?

Water Before Bedtime

2011-12-16T00:35:00.000-08:00

"About 90% of heart attacks occur early in the morning and it can be minimised if one takes a glass or two of water NOT grog or beer before retiring in the evening."

I received this from a colleague and decided to share it, not through email but here, hoping that it reaches more people than the chain mail.

I did a little googling to find out if this is a fact proven scientifically but I couldn't get an assuring figure. But as for heart attacks happening in the morning, it seem to be a common knowledge among health practitioners.

Anyway, everyone knows the importance of water so, it is just a matter of trying to find the truth about the claim regarding the special time/s to drink it.

Here it goes (the relayed info):-

Drinking water at the correct time maximises its effectiveness on the Human body:
2 glasses of water after waking up - helps activate internal organs
1 glass of water 30 minutes before a meal - helps digestion
1 glass of water before taking a bath - helps lower blood pressure
1 glass of water before going to bed - avoids stroke or heart attack

If you read Top 11 Benefits of Drinking Water and How, you will be amazed by the facts about the functions of water in your body.

Go ahead, have a good read and share it with people you care about.

Image from mangosteen-natural-remedies.com

Atkinson Clock Tower to Stay

2011-12-14T21:16:00.000-08:00

Yes, the clock tower is here to stay,.... at least for now.

I like this!

According to Sabah Town and Country Planning Department Director, Mr. Mursidi Hj. Sapie, the Central Board has rejected the proposed multi-storey mixed-commercial project near Atkinson Clock Tower. Read about Life around Atkinson Clock Tower.

Former LPPB HQ building is right on the perimeter of the red circle.

This should be a good news to the many who opposed strongly to the proposed project. Their joy may still be short lived as the developers can appeal upon fulfilling the requirements of the environment impact assessment (EIA) report as well as museum and tourism authorities' conditions.

The project was approved by the former local authority and the old Sabah Housing and Town Development Authority (LPPB) headquarters building had already been demolished. That is the extent of determination by some quarters to bulldoze their plan for a multi-million ringgit worth of commercial project. If it was not for the determination of several NGOs, activists, as well as environmentalists in opposing to the LPPB plan, the clock tower would just be a history today.

Of course the developers would want to recover their cost for doing preliminary works, so they will not just sit and do nothing about this decision to reject the project. In the end it is the tax payers and the people as a whole are the ones on the losing end. And this is because of lack of good planning by those responsible for laying out plan for our city (then town, that is how LPPB got its tag, 'town planning').

So, Atkinson tower is here to stay!

If they decide to build the commercial centre later, the promised buffer zones around the site must be respected and not turned into ugly back alley suitable only for rubbish dumping.

Parabolic Dishes Banned in Malaysia

2011-12-12T00:29:00.000-08:00

The public is prohibited from using parabolic satellite dishes to receive transmission from foreign television stations because their content may have a negative impact on Malaysian viewers. This was what the Deputy Minister of the concerned ministry told the Dewan Rakyat recently.

The government has since, through the Customs Department confiscated 193 parabolic satellite dishes valued at RM200,000 in a major crackdown in Sabah. For the record, Sabah and Sarawak enjoyed unofficial freedom of use of such dishes for many years.

Needless to say, people were not happy with the Customs Department's sudden tough act, but for all the furors that followed the big scaled operation by the authority, let us understand that the ban has been there for very long time already. The ban was enforced in 1988 following the enactment of the Broadcasting Act 1988. All types of satellite dishes were prohibited then until amendment to the act was made in 1995 to allow satellite TV, ASTRO in particular, to come into service. Even then, parabolic dishes were legalised only after issuance of licence for very specific applications and upon fulfillment of certain standard equipment or device. Don't ask me what is standard and non-standard in this context.

Big satellite dish used by operator of Poring Hot Spring, Ranau, Sabah.

Section 239 of the Communications and Multimedia Act 1998 (ACT 558) states that an offence of "unlawful use, possession or supply of non-standard equipment or device" is punishable by not more than RM100,000 or imprisonment for a term not more than 2 years, or both.

I'm so unimpressed by the lack of enforcement. If there was no amendment to allow for the usage of such devices then take action and be consistent. Don't give leeway at pleasure and put the law in a mess by allowing the use of the devices depending on the situation. I haven't seen any clear guidelines and I believe this has encourage numerous unlawful installation of the banned device especially in Sabah.

I mentioned 'freedom of use' earlier. When you do not enforce the law and allow infringement to happen for so many years, and I say 20 years is very long, you are giving an impression that the law there just for show and probably to save your butts when things get out of control. Also, you are implying that that act of law is redundant. In the case of the issue at hand (satellite dishes), one set of instruction is there for Peninsula Malaysia and another for Sabah/Sarawak.

We seem to be not serious in doing our job putting the law at work.

ASTRO dish is only 60cm in diameter and as the technology advances so is the size of communication equipment and devices; they become smaller. It is near impossible now for the enforcement officers to detect the small 'illegal' dishes. The ministry will then need to employ 'bugs' in every house to spy and catch these culprits which would effectively make Malaysia a police country. All in the name of trying to block contents that may have a negative impact on Malaysian viewers. If that is the case, then we might as well block or heavily filter the internet access as well.

For your reading pleasure:
Communications and Multimedia Act 1998, ACT 558
The changing broadcast media environment: perspectives from Malaysia, 1994
ASTRO: Legality & content. A bit biased write-up but surely a good read.
Is your Parabolic Dish (TVRO), handphone, walkie talkie legal? This is MCMC asking you a question.

Parabolic Mirrors That Produce Electricity

2011-12-11T02:18:00.000-08:00

Although not the main source of today's electrical energy, people would probably be more familiar with the term solar power (Solar PV) now compared to 20 years ago. In solar photovoltaic, light is converted to electricity directly using photovoltaic panels. This is one way, and the most conventional means of harnessing energy from the sun.

The other method - not yet as popular but gaining momentum - is through Concentrated Solar Power (CSP). As it name suggests, similar to Solar PV, the the sun is the source of energy but harnessed indirectly. Parabolic mirrors are used to concentrate sunlight onto receivers and convert it to heat. This heat will be used by a steam turbine or a heat driving generator to generate electricity.

Image from Desertek-UK

In a more technical terms:

In CSP plants, long, parabolic silvered glass mirrors are arranged in troughs that track the sun as it moves through the day. The solar radiation hitting the mirrors focuses on metal heat-absorbing pipes, encased in glass, at the focal point of the mirrors, where it warms synthetic oil to temperatures of 350 - 400 degree Celcius. The super-heated oil is then pumped down the pipe to a central power block where heat exchangers absorb the energy to create steam that drives a steam turbine and generate electricity.

In 2010, Solar PV has a total global capacity of 40,000MW with another 24,000MW expected in 2011. In comparison CSP total installed capacity in 2010 stands at 1,095MW while at least 6,200MW more has been initiated in 2011. This shows that Solar PV is way ahead of CSP in terms of global acceptance.

Is it better than using the normal solar cells to convert the light to electricity directly? Unlikely. CSP is probably more of complementing Solar PV than a direct competitor. Due to the thermal storage capacity of the CSP system, electricity can still be generated during cloudy days unlike photovoltaic.

It is good to diversify, especially if it is sustainable and one that does not harm mother nature.

Taklimat Bantuan Rakyat 1Malaysia

2011-12-09T00:20:00.000-08:00

Salam sejahtera.

Taklimat Bantuan Rakyat 1Malaysia (BR1M) peringkat Daerah Tuaran telah diadakan hari ini (9 Disember 2011) di Dewan Tun Hamdan, Tamparuli. Taklimat ini merupakan inisiatif Kementerian Kewangan Malaysia melalui Lembaga Hasil Dalam Negeri (LHDN), Kota Kinabalu.

Entri ini bertujuan memberi penerangan kepada anda yang belum menghadiri mana-mana taklimat seumpama ini.

Bantuan Tunai RM500 kepada ketua keluarga isi rumah yang berpendapatan bulanan RM3,000 ke bawah akan memberi implikasi kewangan dianggarkan sebanyak RM2.6 bilion yang akan memberi memanfaat kepada 5.2 juta isi rumah.

Borang pendaftaran akan diedarkan mulai 10 Disember 2011 (Sabtu) dengan tempoh permohonan sehingga 10 Januari 2012.

Pembayaran BR1M akan dilaksanakan dalam beberapa majlis penyampaian selama tempoh dua bulan, mulai 15 Januari 2012. Sekiranya penerima tidak dapat menghadiri majlis penyampaian tersebut, baucar boleh dituntut di Pejabat Daerah. Baucar-baucar tersebut boleh ditunaikan di cawangan-cawangan Bank Simpanan Nasional, BSN.

Berikut adalah ringkasan kepada taklimat BR1M peringkat Daerah Tuaran dan difahamkan bahawa format taklimat-taklimat di daerah lain seluruh negara telah diselaraskan bagi tujuan keseragaman:-

***************************************************************************************
Tarikh: 9 Disember 2011
Masa: 9.00am - 12.00 tengahari
Tempat: Dewan Tun Hamdan, Tamparuli, Sabah
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BILIK OPERASI KHAS
Talian Hotline 1-800-222-500 akan mula beroperasi pada 7 Disember 2011
Pegawai MOF akan bertugas dari 9 pagi – 5 petang, (Isnin-Jumaat)
Pejabat SUK dan Pejabat Daerah mewujudkan Bilik Operasi Khas

Dirasakan taklimat sedemikian amat penting memandangkan rakyat Malaysia yang layak mahupun yang tidak layak masih tertanya-tanya tentang cara memohon dan di manakah mereka boleh berbuat demikian.

Akhir kata, jumlah bantuan RM500 tidaklah banyak jika dibandingkan dengan kos sara hidup sekarang tetapi seperti kata orang, kalau dah diberi tu ambik saja lah!