Merry Christmas 2009

No matter where I was, I had to rush back to turn up for school staff meeting around this festive season before my retirement. As usual, after the staff meeting, I would busy preparing teaching material for next year school term.

Now, I am retired, I don't have to worry about my school duty. I am free to go anywhere at any time.

After grumbling, I am really in good mood. I would like to wish all my visitors and friends a Merry Christmas.

2009 Christmas Countdown

Santa Claus is coming to town. Shopping malls all around Malaysia are in festive mood, Malaysian are waiting for this year-end celebration.

In conjunction with this upcoming celebration, I published this post with a Christmas countdown flash widget to share with my visitors.

If you wish to do so, just go to this website to copy the code and paste it to your blog post. It's as simple as ABC.

2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa

As the draw ceremony had been held in Cape Town of South Africa, the grouping of the 32 finalists of 2010 FIFA World Cup was completed.

2010 FIFA World Cup will begin on 11 June next year in South Africa. Mexico from Central America will challenge the host of the tournament that is South Africa in the opening match at Johannesburg's Soccer City.

France was so lucky to have a fabulous draw. It's in Group A with South Africa which is the lowest seeded team. Argentina, England and Germany are among the lucky teams which were drawn in Group B, Group C and Group D respectively. They clear their path to semi-final because they avoid meeting strong opponents such as Brazil, Portugal, Spain, Italy and Netherlands.

Since I had retired, I can enjoy watching live broadcasting of the 2010 FIFA World Cup until the next morning. My favorite teams are Spain, England, Brazil, Italy and Argentina. Hopefully one of these teams will be the Champion of this tournament.

South Korea Envelope Opener

Time really fly, Christmas is just around the corner. Last year December, my son returned from South Korea. He brought back a full luggage of snacks and souvenirs. This envelope opener is one of the souvenirs that my son bought for me.

The knife-shaped envelope opener was made of bronze and carved with Korean words on its surface. It was adorned with a small bell and a pair of affectionate mandarin ducks at its shank. Besides using it as an envelope opener, it can be used as a bookmark and a knife for cutting papers.

I greatly treasure this multifunction lovely and beautiful small bronze knife which was made in South Korea.

Related links
Korean Folk Craft
Korean Wine Cups
Korean Amethyst Bracelet

Musings of Jamaluddin Ibrahim

Jamaluddin Ibrahim's long-awaited book had been published. Without any hesitation, I bought the book and enjoy reading it's explosive content. Although Jamaluddin Ibrahim is a Malay but he speaks fluent Mandarin. He is also good at writing Chinese articles. That's why he is a well-known political analyst in Malaysian Chinese society and a popular radio DJ of Radio 988.

"Musings of Jamaluddin Ibrahim" was published in Chinese. It's divided into two parts. The first part consists of interview articles between him and Malaysian politicians. The second part is his political commentaries that revealed corruption scandals and money politics in Malaysia.

Jamaluddin Ibrahim's interview guests including leaders of the Barisan National (Malaysia's ruling party), opposition party leaders except leaders from UMNO which is the main BN component party. Otherwise, "Musings of Jamaluddin Ibrahim" would be a perfect political analyst book on Malaysia.

Among the interview guests of Jamaluddin Ibrahim were MCA President (BN Component Party) Datuk Seri Ong Tee Keat, MCA Deputy President Datuk Seri Chua Soi Lek, MCA Central Committee Member Donald Lim (Former MCA Vice President), Selangor State Assembly Exco Member Teresa Kok (Democratic Action Party National Organising Secretary), Petaling Jaya Utara Member of Parliament Tony Pua (Democratic Action Party), Segambut Member of Parliament Lim Lip Eng (Democratic Action Party), Batu Member of Parliament Tian Chua (Parti Keadilan Rakyat), Kuala Selangor Member of Parliament Dr. Dzulkefly Ahmad (Pan-Malaysian Islamic Party).

There are more than 20 political commentaries in "Musings of Jamaluddin Ibrahim". The fascinating commentaries of Jamaluddin Ibrahim as if a magic mirror exposing the ugly faces of Malaysian politicians. These political commentaries had been published in Malaysia print media including China Press, Sin Chew Daily and Oriental Daily before publishing into book.

South Korea Seoul Capital Hotel

My wife and I went to South Korea in 2005. We were traveling with a tour group. During our stay in South Korea, we also visited our son in Seoul.

We stayed in Capital Hotel for two nights while touring in South Korea. That was the first night when we arrived in South Korea and the night before flying back to KLIA.

Capital Hotel is located at Itaewon of Seoul. It's only 50 minutes drive from Incheon International Airport to Itaewon. Getting to Myeongdong from Itaewon is just a 30 minutes drive.

Capital Hotel is a 4-star deluxe hotel. It has more than 200 guest rooms with modern facilities. Capital Hotel provides 24 hours caring room service that really appreciated by tourists.

Dynasty Grand Ballroom of Capital Hotel has a seating capacity for 1000 guests. It can be used for holding various party and meeting. In addition to that, Da Do Hae Japanese Restaurant, Sky Buffet Restaurant, Together Cafe, gymnasium, swimming pool and sauna are available in Capital Hotel.

The above photo is an information pamphlet about Seoul. With a copy of this pamphlet in hand, you would be able to travel in Seoul with full satisfaction and bring back your sweet memories when return home.

Related Posts
Korean Green Tea
Everland Theme Park 02
South Korea Cold Winter
South Korea Mt. Sorak 02
Zuiyanhong Google Profile
The Author Of This Article

Childhood Colourful Cookies

I bought these colourful cookies at a cookie shop in Muar.
Before the Mid-Autumn festival, my wife and I went to Muar to buy moon cake. When I stepped into the cookie shop, I was surprised to see these colourful cookies displaying on the shelf.

These colourful cookies reminded me of my childhood. The cookie is divided into two parts. The lower layer is crispy biscuit and the upper layer is a nibble of sugar. When I was a small boy long ago, I used to eat the lower parts of the cookies first and then enjoyed the sweet nibbles of sugar later.

Same as reading Crayon Shin-Chan, after eating the colourful cookies as if the time had been rewound to childhood. It's so coincidence.

Malacca Little India--Jalan Bendahara

As Deepavali just around the corner, Malacca Little India at Jalan Bendahara will as bustling as Malacca Jonker Walk. If you are coming to Malacca on Deepavali eve, have a evening walk at Malacca Little India to explore the Indian festive in Malacca.

Malacca Little India is located at the city centre and just lest then 5 minutes walking distance from Renaissance Hotel or City Bayview Hotel. You can get any Deepavali festive supplies from here including festive ornaments, utensils, clothing and cookies. Just like one-stop shopping.

Long ago, there were only a few shops managed by Indian at Jalan Bendahara. Lately, many Indian shopping outlets had emerged here and gradually formed an Indian Street. That's why it was named Malacca Little India. Comparing with Singapore Little India, Kuala Lumpur Little India and Penang Little India, Malacca Little India is truly a Little India.

I believe that one day, Malacca Little India will become a popular tourist attraction in Malacca.

Japanese Comics Crayon Shin-Chan

Japanese famous cartoonist Yoshito Usui was found dead in Gunma, Japan. According to news reports, he was falling from cliff. Yoshito Usui was born in Shizuoka, Japan in 1958. He became a well known cartoonist after creating Japanese popular cartoon Crayon Shin-Chan.

Although Crayon Shin-Chan is about the family of Nohara but many plots are similar with our daily life. That's why the readers are deeply resonate. The main characters of Crayon Shin-Chan are Shinnosuke Nohara (Shin-Chan), Hiroshi Nohara (Shin-Chan's father), Misae Nohara (Shin-Chan's mother), Himawari Nohara (Shin-Chan's sister) and Shiro (Shin-Chan's pet dog).

Glanced through Crayon Shin-Chan, as if the time had been rewound and returned to childhood. It's absolutely unexpected.

Related Link
Japanese Cartoonist Yoshito Usui Died (1)

Japanese Cartoonist Yoshito Usui Died (1)

Japanese cartoonist Yoshito Usui passed away recently. He is the author of Japanese comics "Crayon Shin-chan". Crayon Shin-chan's fans will no longer have the opportunity to enjoy the new issue of "Crayon Shin-chan".

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Same as other children, I like to read comics during my childhood. The comics that I read were from Hong Kong because Japanese comics not yet landed in Malaysia at that time.

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Actually, "Crayon Shin-chan" were my children's reading material when they were young. Now, they have grown up. I wanted to send these comic books for recycling but my children requested to keep them. Otherwise, I couldn't take photos for publishing this post.

--> To be continued.....

1 Malaysia's Hari Raya Aidilfitri

I would like to wish my Muslim friends and visitors "Happy Hari Raya Aidilfitri", hopefully everyone healthy and happy.

Malaysia is a democratic country with multiracial population. Malaysian visit each other during the festive season, including Hari Raya Aidilfitri.

In this joyous festival, I hope that the world would remain peaceful forever. Apart from this, Malaysia's democratic system and harmonious relation among different ethnic groups would be permanent preserved. Otherwise, "1 Malaysia" that strongly advocated by the Prime Minister of Malaysia Datuk Seri Najib would be just an empty promise.

Related Links
Malaysia Moving Ahead
1Malaysia Blogger Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak

Merlimau Ramadan Food Bazaar

Merlimau Ramadan food bazaar is my favorite place to visit during Muslim fasting month. Various Malay delicacies are sold at the food bazaar. You can enjoy until you lick your fingers.

During Ramadan, many Malay cooked food hawkers gather at food bazaar to offer a variety of delicious food. This year, the location of Merlimau Ramadan food bazaar is in front of the Merlimau bus terminal. Previously, the other location of Merlimau Ramadan food bazaar is opposite the Merlimau Polytechnic.

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Merlimau Ramadan food bazaar is fully crowded with visitors and seriously congested with vehicles. A wide range of Malay food are available. You can have your favorite food at the food bazaar or bring back to enjoy.

Malaysia Moving Ahead

I wrote two articles continuously on Malaysia political books, "Dr. Mahathir's Selected Letters To World Leaders" and "MCA Crisis". In this article, I am going to write about a book regarding Malaysia present Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib.

"Moving Ahead" included 20 speeches made by Datuk Seri Najib during the period he served as Deputy Prime Minister and as Prime Minister in 2009. These speeches covering the determination of Datuk Seri Najib to achieve his ideology of 1 Malaysia, the consolidation of relationship between Malaysia-People Republic Of China as well as the issues that affect the stability and development of East Asia.

"Moving Ahead" is a twin languages (English and Chinese) publication. This book was published by MPH Group Publishing Sdn Bhd, edited by Datuk Abdul Majid and translated by Mr Chen Song, the Assistant Secretary General of the Malaysia-People Republic Of China Friendship Association.

MCA Crisis

MCA internal dispute is just like trifling matter and ridiculous to me. I like reading and immune to politics. I am not interested with MCA internal dispute, therefore this article has nothing to do with politics.

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My previous article was about a book "Dr. Mahathir's Selected Letters To World Leaders". Now, I am introducing another book "MCA Crisis". This book was published in Malay and consisted of political reviews on the dispute between MCA Acting President Datuk Dr Neo Yee Pan's clique and Tan Koon Swan JP's group in the eighties.

The political comments were published in the print media in Malaysia including Utusan Malaysia, Berita Harian, Dewan Masyarakat and Widya. "MCA Crisis" was published by Penerbit Abadi and edited by former MCA Secretary General Tan Sri Dr. Ting Chew Peh and primary school headmaster Goh Teck.

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Re-reading "MCA Crisis" while MCA President Datuk Seri Ong Tee Keat and Datuk Seri Dr. Chua Soi Lek are busy sparring is really fun.

Dr. Mahathir's Selected Letters To World Leaders

As Prime Minister of Malaysia for 22 years, Tun Dr. Mahathir Mohamad was an extraordinary leader. He had been playing an important role in international political arena for decades. Now, he had become a popular blogger after retiring as the fourth Prime Minister of Malaysia.

Is Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad good in writing article? Well, after reading this newly published book "Dr. Mahathir's Selected Letters To World Leaders" then you will know the answer.

The articles which indexed in this book were the correspondence between him with a couple of super celebrities in the world. These letters covering terrorism, globalization, war and conflict, economic and diplomatic relations. The super celebrities who corresponded with Tun Dr. Mahathir Mohamad including President Bill Clinton, President George Bush, President Jacques Chirac, Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, Prime Minister Tony Blair, Prince Charles and Prime Minister John Major.

"Dr. Mahathir's Selected Letters To World Leaders" was originally written in English. It was published by Marshall Cavendish (M) Publishing Pte. Ltd. and edited by well-known editor Tan Sri Abdullah Ahmad. The above photo is the Chinese version of this book. The publisher for Chinese version was Seashore Publishing (M) Sdn. Bhd.

-->If you like to read, why not add this book to your bookshelf. I am sure you will be satisfied with the content of this book.

MyBlogLog Visitor Widget

After registering as MyBlogLog member, remember to copy and paste the visitor widget code to your blog. This widget can be placed at the sidebar, header or footer of your blog to display your visitors' avatar.

Log in your account and follow this procedure to install the visitor widget.

Your Account--- Your Blog Community --- Widget

You will see this picture (Below) after clicking "Widget"

Click "here" to enter another screen.

Click "Preview and Get Code". Copy and paste the code to your blog.

Change the letter "y" (The picture above) to "n" (The picture below) and everything is done.

As for the width, row, background color and font color, you can change them as you like.

MyBlogLog Generate Traffic To Your Site

MyBlogLog is a very popular blogger social networking site where bloggers like to hang out.

An effective method of generating traffic to your site is through social networking sites. MyBlogLog is one of these social networking sites which will benefit you. In addition to the generation of traffic, MyBlogLog members can share information and extend their interpersonal networks.

No charge for registration, so don't hesitate to become a member of MyBlogLog and expose your site to the world.

Trojan-Downloader.JS.Iframe.boi

While I was online early this morning, I was surprised to find out that two of my blogs had been attacked by Trojan-Downloader.JS.Iframe.boi. Luckily, my antivirus software (Kaspersky Internet Security) had detected and denied the access of this devil Trojan. I used print screen to capture the report of Kaspersky Internet Security (Please click the report to enlarge) and uploaded to share with my readers.

After reading Kaspersky Internet Security report, I did a thorough search and traced the reason of the Trojan-Downloader.JS.Iframe.boi attack. The cause of Trojan-Downloader.JS.Iframe.boi was related with a small widget button that showed "Visitors Online". I logged in my blog account and deleted the script then the problem solved.

As Trojan-Downloader.JS.Iframe.boi was designed to steal the victim's computer passwords, so it could be a serious disaster. Believe it or not, the script of the "Visitors Online" button is just one of the attacks, internet users shouldn't take it easy.

Related Links :

Kasspersky Forum

Kaspersky Virus Watch

Tun Teja Tomb

After posting two articles regarding Merlimau Community College and Merlimau Village Headman House, I am going to write on Merlimau Tun Teja Tomb. Located not far away from Merlimau Village Headman House, Tun Teja Tomb is just 5 minutes drive from Merlimau town.

Who is Tun Teja ? As far as I know there are two versions of records about Tun Teja. These two records are "Hikayat Hang Tuah" and "Sejarah Melayu". Tun Teja was the daughter of the Bendahara, Sri Amar Diraja of Pahang in 15th century. She was originally engaged to the Sultan of Pahang but finally ended up as the consort of the last Sultan of Malacca, Sultan Mahmud Syah.

While retreating with Sultan Mahmud Syah from Portuguese attack in 1511, Tun Teja died in Merlimau on the way to Bentayan of Muar, Johor. She was buried in the padi field in Merlimau Pantai.

Merlimau Village Headman House

This distinctive Merlimau Village Headman House added unlimited fascination to the small town of Merlimau in Malacca. Merlimau is located in Jasin District of Malacca State. It's just 24 km away from Malacca city. If you are driving at the speed of 90 km/h from Malacca city through AMJ main road to Merlimau, it takes you 20 minutes to reach your destination.

The Merlimau Village Headman House is situated within walking distance from Merlimau town. It was built by Merlimau Village Headman Abdul Ghani in 1894. Abdul Ghani was interested in architecture. He integrated the 19th century architectural style of Malay Peninsula, China and Europe to construct his unique residence. It ended up that now people have the opportunity to appreciate this precious cultural heritage.

The general appearance of the Merlimau Village Headman House is same as any Malay traditional house but it's totally different if you take a closer look, especially the beautiful ceramic tile ladder. This extraordinary cement ladder with ceramic tiles is truely different from other states in Malaysia.

In addition to the special ceramic tile ladder, Merlimau Village Headman House also has carving decoration on its pillars, eaves, windows and doors. Nobody answered the door when I paid a visit to Merlimau Village Headman House, otherwise I would take photos of the interior design of the house and share with you.

Since Malacca obtained its World Heritage status in 2008, the Malaysian National Heritage Board instantly allocated funds to repair this once dilapidated village headman house. Undeniable, Merlimau Village Headman House is the best building for researching the traditional Malay buildings. Hopefully the authorities and Abdul Ghani's descendants are able to value and protect it devotedly.

Young Michael Jackson Fan

This is a picture of an article regarding my son who is a fan of superstar Michael Jackson. This article was written by me in 1985.

Although my son, Hao Hao was a small boy in 1985 but he was trendiest. I wasn't boasting because it was a reality. One day, Hao Hao told me, " Dad, Michael Jackson, Beat It! Beat It!" I couldn't not to be stunned because Hao Hao was just 19 months old.

In fact, the reason that Hao Hao knew about "Michael Jackson and Beat It! Beat It!" was due to he had listened the song at the baby sitter's house repeatedly. That's why he was so familiar with the melody.

Malacca English Story Telling Contest 2009(03)

This is the final article on the Malacca State Level English Primary School Story Telling Contest which was held on 28/04/2009. The first and second articles were posted on June 9 and June 11 respectively.

The venue for this contest was at the auditorium of Merlimau Community College, Malacca. The organiser was Sekolah Kebangsaan Datuk Haji Baginda, Umbai, Merlimau, Malacca.

The following is the information of the last 5 contestants :

	Name	:	Lim Sim Yee
	School	:	SK CIJ 2
	Story	:	One Eye! Two Eyes! Three Eyes!

	Name	:	Charlotte Lee Ruo Qi
	School	:	SJKC Yok Bin
	Story	:	Punchinaro You Are Special

	Name	:	Suganthi
	School	:	SK Kem Terendak 2
	Story	:	Rosie Tried Her Best

	Name	:	Noormaisara
	School	:	SK Masjid Tanah
	Story	:	The King Grisley Beard

	Name	:	K. Satiabanu
	School	:	SJKT Jasin
	Story	:	The Golden Rose

Related links :
Video of English Story Telling Contest (1)
Video of English Story Telling Contest (2)
Video of English Story Telling Contest (3)

Malacca English Story Telling Contest 2009(02)

This is the second post on the Malacca State Level Primary School English Story Telling Contest which was held on 28/04/2009. The venue for this contest was at the auditorium of Merlimau Community College, Malacca. The organiser was Sekolah Kebangsaan Datuk Haji Baginda, Umbai, Merlimau, Malacca.
There were all together fourteen primary schools participated in this English Story Telling Contest. Here are some of the contestants' information.

	Name	:	Syazana
	School	:	SJKC Chung Hwa
	Story	:	The Woodcutter And The Fairy

	Name	:	Luke Ang Xi Yuen
	School	:	SJKC Yu Ying
	Story	:	The Monkey And The Frog

	Name	:	Syafiqah
	School	:	SK(P)Methodist 1
	Story	:	Mak Munah

	Name	:	Rajaletchumi
	School	:	SJKT Rumbia
	Story	:	The Wicked Stepmother

	Name	:	Woon Jia Yi
	School	:	SJKC Bukit Beruang
	Story	:	The Emperor's New Clothes

Related links :

English Story Telling Contest 1 (Video)

English Story Telling Contest 2 (Video)