Hundreds pray for the victims

Hundreds of people, including foreign tourists, gathered to pray for the souls of those 52 victims who perished in last year’s tsunami.

At Pasir Panjang beach in Balik Pulau, a group of priests from the Pu Zian Temple led more than 100 devotees in prayer. One of the devotees, Mak Kam Weng, 39, who lost a five-month-old baby, said: “I cannot forget the tragedy. Yuan De was our eldest child.”

A tourist from Sweden, known only as Denny, said: “I just want to pray and hope it will not happen again.”

Even the Yang di-Pertua Negeri Tun Abdul Rahman Abbas is expected to attend the tahlil and plant a casuarina tree at Pasir Panjang beach in memory of the dead

Bak Kut Teh splasher shot dead

Three men had turned up at Soo’s stall around noon, two of them were armed with pistols. One fired a warning shot in the air before ordering about 30 customers to hand over their wallets and valuables. While one of the robbers went around collecting the items from the customers using a plastic bag, the two armed men stood guard.

Soo Lee Choo(46) had walked out from the kitchen, splashed hot soup onto one of the robbers. On seeing this, some customers dashed towards the robbers and tried to fight them off.

During the commotion, Soo was shot several times. The robbers then fled in a getaway vehicle driven by an accomplice. What is this country coming to. Will we need to get arms to protect ourselfs?

A Hero or a Villian

When u see a man running amok, slapping and punching everyone within range.
What do you do?
Cleaner Soh K X had no doubts. After all, he had been hit as well.
So he hit back. Again and again and again. Until the man was subdued.

This drama unfolded yesterday at about 9.30am when many were tucking into their breakfast at the Ghim Moh market and food centre at Block 20 on Ghim Moh Road.

Now Mr Soh, 49, is a figure of controversy. Some passers-by felt he had used excessive force because he was seen hitting the man repeatedly whenever the latter tried to break free. If it was me, i will thank Soh and then wack the guy somemore.

Small But Smart

He has not even started Year One but six-year-old Adi Putra Abdul Ghani from Bagan Serai is already solving Additional Mathematics problems meant for Form Five students.

He is so popular that he now conducts two hours of mathematics tuition daily at his mother's tuition centre in Taman Seri Permai in Bagan Serai. He is being paid RM5 an hour per student taught at the tuition centre.

State Education, Human Resources and Multimedia Committee chairman Datuk Dr Zambry Abdul Kadir, who visited Adi and his family at their home yesterday, said: “I am convinced Adi is a whiz kid.”

If he is really a whiz kid at least now we can have our own Albert Einstein, Haha

Singapore Sexpo

At Sexpo Singapore 2005 the visitors will see Angel Tan, with a devil’s head tattoo on her bare shoulders, pole dancing. Hahaha in jeans and not bikini mind u. Even TV Smallville Lois Lane show more flesh than Angel Tan.

The 23-year-old exotic dancer was the main attraction at the booth of ViCon, a company that markets vibrator massager rings and condoms. (Probably from Geylang)

In the end the Singapore Sexpo is not as “entertaining” as those organised in Australia which have autograph sessions with porn stars, strip shows and love making demonstrations making it a rather lame attempt to try boost the population.

Future Yoga?

Manasa Yoga is an intergration of posture and breathing and meditative techniques
to help the practitioner achieve the meditative state. It is supposed to be a careully thought sequence to impart the essence of yoga in its truest form.

Using the tools of body, breath and awareness, Manasa Yoga supposed to guide its practitioners to realise and celebrate their infinite inner potential.

However though it looks more like spiderman/frog man training to me.haha

Kisah 3 Government&Church vs Jessie & Joshua

Acording to the lastest saga of the Jessie Chung and Joshua Beh, In the eyes of the law and religion, they are not yet wife and husband. Malaysian laws do not allow its citizens to change their gender in their identity cards despite having gone through a sex operation (according to Home Affairs Minister Datuk Seri Azmi Khalid.)

His deputy Datuk Tan Chai Ho added that the marriage was “invalid” as the Marriage and Divorce Reform Act 1976 does not allow marriages between two people of the same sex, even if one of them has undergone a sex change operation.

National Evangelical Christian Fellowship secretary-general Rev Dr Wong Kim Kong said it does not approve marriages of the same sex even after one partner has changed his or her sex.(hmm seems complicated)

If the legal battle fails, it looks like the couple will need to migrate/flee the country.

Uthama Patcha (Grand Prayers)

Over 50,000 devotees gathered at the Sri Subramaniar Swamy Temple in Batu Caves to witness the first time that the ceremony( aimed at renewing the power of the temple and deities) was held in Malaysia. (reminds me of recharging battery)


It had been known to be performed only twice before in other parts of the world. The highlight of the ceremony was the Maha Kumbabhisegam prayers conducted by six high priests from India. The priests took the holy water and poured it over the kalasam (domes) at the temple's six main shrines. The holy water was collected from seven rivers in India – the Ganges, Yamuna, Godavari, Narmada, Sindhu (also known as Indus), Kaveri and Vaigai – deemed as holy. The priests then sprinkled the holy water and threw flower petals on the devotees. The prayers could only be held once in 12 years and usually after renovation works.

Kisah 2 Blood proposal wins her heart

LEGALLY, they can't get married. They can never have children. Their love can never be recognised in a Malaysian court of law. Terrified of ruining his life, she rejected his proposals - even though it broke her heart.And yet, he persisted.

He proposed again and again.(is he mad, is all girls in malaysia dead!)
It took six proposals - and six rejections - before Miss Zhong Jie Xi (hanyu pinyin) agreed to marriage. And even then, it took a letter written in blood in front of more than 100 friends that finally broke her strong will. (i should try this method on SY, it will shock her, hehehe)

Kisah Zhong Jie Xi (Jessie Chung)

Jessie Chung, whose original name was Jeffrey Zhong Xuan Tai, underwent three major operations to become a woman three years ago. She(then he)decided to *change* after dating Joshua Beh an accountant from Ipoh.

The marriage was blessed by peninsula-based Charismatic Church.Three pastors from Bountiful Harvest, Shepherd’s Centre and Assembly of Love presided over the solemn ceremony attended by some 800 relatives and friends.(so sister, church do allow trans marriage,hehehe)

The couples’ parents gave their consent for Chung and Beh to tie the knot and left their signatures on the marriage documents.

The couple were believed to have spent over RM1mil for the wedding, which included the purchase of a RM700,000 bungalow and a Ssangyong Chairman limousine worth RM300,000 as their bridal car. The wedding reception is said to have cost about RM200,000 while the photography cost about RM40,000.

//This shows that if got money in Malaysia, semua boleh//

The Winds of Penang

The Winds of Penang, the gigantic jati deadwood that was left to crumble near Penang Hospital before a Japanese sculptor turned it into a work of art, was placed onto three cylindrical bases near the Magazine Road-Penang Road junction.

This will be the permanent “home” of the masterpiece created by Katsumi Mukai, a wood artist for 25 years whose works are displayed in numerous galleries and outdoor locations worldwide.

In my oppinion this is the wises move ever made by MPPP. At least i am going there to get my photo shot there. heheh

Wuxia

The word wuxia fiction is translated as martial-chivalric fiction. The simplest way to describe this genre is to define it as Chinese swords and sorcery. Most people become familiar with wuxia, through films such as A Chinese Ghost Story, Swordsman and Zu.

Recently out of curiosity, I research some story background and found them to be sourced from work of Jin Yong. After some searches found English translation of these novels. After some reading, I found them amazingly refreshing with their endless plots and martial prowess. Enjoy!

Deeparaya

Deepavali and Hari Raya is just around the corner, Everywhere can be seen with decorations to usher in the two festivals. Some of them blended Malay and Indian cultures in the decorations to have a cross-cultural effect for the double celebration.

Street light decorations have also been strung up across Jalan Mesjid Kapitan Keling where the Kapitan Keling mosque is located. The Little India enclave nearby has also been brightly lit up with various decorations.

This is Malaysia where we have multi-race celebration unlike Indonesia killing 3 christian schoolgirl. If i am there i will blow the killer away with my shotgun then chainsaw them into bits. Judge and executioner all in one.

Send Off Nine Emperor Gods

After nine-day festival of abstinence and purification by eating vegetarian(it was hard to do) the devotees dressed in white for a farewell procession of the Nine Emperor Gods (Kew Ong Yeah) from the Butterworth Tow Boo Keong Temple on Jalan Raja Uda last night.

From the temple, the main float bearing the sacred urn wove its way through Jalan Kampung Paya, Jalan Kampung Gajah and Bagan Jermal before reaching the Pantai Bersih waterfront in Bagan Ajam.

Super Aedes

It seems while US have superman, now we, malaysia now have super aedes mosquito. It has evolved into a super resistant menace with the research done by Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) entomologist Prof Abu Hassan Ahmad.

Its new superpowers include special protection for its eggs to survive for up to six months without a drop of water . It also can change its immune system, enabling the insect to adapt to the chemical and shield itself from poisonous effects from fogging. It complements the existing arsenal of the dengue carrying insect. It is has cause an epidemic in Malaysia via its suicide/kamikaze attacks killing man, woman and children of all walks and life distingushing neither race or age. Its dengue attack with have no cure except blood transfusion and weeks of hell on bed.

To counter its ability, government resort to mosquito genocide by using larvicidal biological weapon Bti (bacillus thuringiensis israeliensis) equivalent to Japanese Sarin gas to humans.

Earthquake

Earthquake measuring 7.6Richter Scale hit Pakistan, Afghanistan and India. Worst hit Islamabad (Pakistan capital) and Lahore. Pakistan said the death toll ranged between 20,000 and 30,000. India reported more than 600 dead, and Afghanistan said four were killed. No Malaysian casualties reported. (left Picture of a collapased house)

The Myth- San Wa

Jackie Chan's latest blockbuster The Myth has less action and even comedy compared to previous hits. The story revolves around a modern day acheologist Jack which is helping his buddy scientist William to research anti-gravity rocks which coincidentally has something to do with his (Jackie) past life as a Qin General Moong-yie.

The flash-back bits were done too neatly and seemless which makes older audience like mom and granny blur blur to the story line. If they stuck to making some sound or some screen effect whenever they switch forth and back in time it will definately help.

There is some memorable parts when they were fighting off the guards in the rat glue factory and in the crypt. Others it is pretty lame. Not nice when Jackie didn't finish the bad man off, instead running away + somemore fail to get the his main love interest (Kim Hee-Seon) who supposedly waitted over 1000 years for him after taking the loveity pill. Sigh lousy story line. The coolest gadget has to be the yacth where he can play basketball, golf and etc.

Annual Kew Ong Yeah Vegetarian Festival

Well, it is time for the annual nine-day vegetarian diet again . I know this because every year during the Kew Ong Yeah ( Nine Emperor Gods ) festival starts there is always alot of heavy rain in the Penang state. The festival is dedicated to the nine sons of Dou Mu, the Goddess of the North Star who is said to control the books of life and death. Legend has it that her sons, deified as ren huang (human sovereigns), could cure sickness and bestow luck, wealth and longevity upon devotees.

In Penang this means $$$ since many people will be looking to buy vegetarian food. U can see many temporary food stalls sprouting up to takeup this opportunity to cash in quickly. I managed to scrounged a website about the vege foods.

The festival will conclude on Oct 11 with thousands of devotees taking part in a grand procession from the temple to the Weld Quay waterfront for the deities' majestic send-off. The sacred urn of the nine brother deities will be placed on a small boat filled with joss-papers, food and flowers which will then be released to the sea signifying the return of the deities to heaven

Naruto Anime

Eversince i started seeing naruto anime in TV i got hooked by the little blonde kid jumping round in an orange sweatsuit. Now after watching nearly more than 150 episodes. I can say i am definately a hardcore Naruto fan. For those anime dweebs that don't know wat naruto is, check out this the link to Naruto anime.

Apparent i was not the only one got influenced, since there is so many subs and dubs of this famous anime. Why is this anime so popular, that it has even reach 150 episodes with no signs of slowing down? I guess that its character development, art work, storyline/plots are very well research and fitted together. With manga episodes reach 260, it is a good bet that it will be years before the naruto fever dies out.

Naruto merchandises such as key-chain, pillow, headbands and even look-alike weapons are a huge hit especially in Malaysia. I got my Konoha headband in Prangin mall which looks just like Uzumaki Naruto. (Similar to picture below)

Since my sister is probably reading my blog, the reason i own this was not that i could ever look/act like that bouncy mischivious kid but just as something to relate to his way of being a ninja. Well u have to watch the episodes to know wat it means. It has everything joy, funny, pain, tears, hardwork, romance, kungfu, ninjutsu and even explains the theory behind the ninjutsu making it simple for even 4 year olds to understand. Hope this anime never ends...

Spicy Repellant

Seems there is another way to keep the mosquito away by using spices such as clove, star anise and cinnamon bark for bathing.

The spices are mixed in small amount, then needed to be boiled for about two hours before the mixture was added to a pail of water. Then use it for bathing twice a day.

Another easier way is to buy natural mosquito repellents, mainly essential oils such as citronella, eucalyptus, castor, peppermint, tea tree, lavender, cedar, rosemary, verbena, pennyroyal, pine, cajeput, basil and thyme. My sister loves using lavender bath and other oils so i am quite sure mosquitoes will stay away 10 feet from her :D

The official dengue count which was released by Star is Selangor (9,500 cases since January), Kuala Lumpur (4,200), Perak (2,200) and Penang (1,750).

Dengue Outbreak

Dengue is back in Malaysia and has claimed more than lives than tsunami did in malaysia last year. So far 70 people went to their maker out of over 700 recorded cases. Many areas are considered danger zones especially areas – Johor Baru; the southwestern part of Penang island; various parts in Selangor and the Federal Territory, including Shah Alam, Kajang, Kuala Lumpur, Cheras, Setapak, Ampang Jaya and Gombak; and Negri Sembilan. Even the new Malaysian Idol's winner, Daniel Lee's siblings got hit by dengue.

Dengue has no cure up to now. Normally doctor just poke a pack of drip and hope that you are strong to fight the virus yourself. If u are not strong will, chances are it is a one way trip to hopsital. Survivors have complained of excruciating pain in my head, backbone and joints and lots of vomiting. If not treated soon, chances it will develop into hemohorage fever.

There is some tradisional chinese medicine that may work. Others claim using local fruits & herbs like green papaya boiled with chicken to cool body down.

While health ministry is busy doing fogging, prevention is still better than cure. Especially when dengue has no cure, (heheh). So stock-up on mosquito repellant and clean those blocked drains and get rid of those mosquite larva by using abates into mosquito breeding grounds. Potential breeding areas like empty cans, empty pots, etc. Put abates in places where you have to store water, e.g. flower or plant vases. Also ask your neighbours to do the same as mosquitoes know no boundaries.

Birthday Dinner

Yesterday was my Birthday... i spend it together with my girlfriend and my mom eating in a little known restaurant near Desa Green. Went there around 7pm and nearly run-down a stationary bike when tried to do a reverse parking. Got glared at by the bike owner. Hehehe

We ordered pork stew, fried kai-lan, special tauhu and sambal asparagus. We had to skip the nestum chicken and yam rings as they were supposed to be under poisonus food(chinese belief) since my girlfriend still recovering from "Snake Infection"(direct translation for a type of skin ailement).

The food dishes took nearly 45 minues to arrive as they were timed to arrive at the same time. So we chat while drinking 2 teapots of Tit Kuanyin (Chinese Tea leaf). First time i saw my mom drinking so much tea. hahaha. I bet she was hungry to the bone.

The food was quite good or perhaps we were too hungry to care much about it anyway. Price was resonable as it was only RM 31 for 4 dishes. Will definately come to tat restaurant again. Maybe with my sister when she comes back again.

Tsunami Aftermath

After the Tsunami ravage the south east asia and killing so many people. It does have done some good things like for example in Aceh, the continuous fighting between Indonesia and GAM ceased and finally there is peace even if nearly 170 thousand people got killed.

In Malaysia suddenly there is an increase in tourist especially to Sabah, Sarawak and Malaysia East Coast like Pulau Redang. Mostly are tourist avoiding Bali and Phuket and Ko Sa Mui. So there is still some positive result to such a horrible natural disaster.

First Step...

Well, well finally i am finally getting to rant all i want.Heheheh. (rubing hands with glee)

First i will start off by a short introduction of myself. I am a Penangie who for obvious reasons feel the rising pressure of daily working life and the space constraint in this island. I mean what the heck people is thinking about getting so many darn cars causing jams. Everyday there will be freaking long ques and impatient imps jumping que all over the place. So frust. A normal 10 minutes ride becames 1 hour++. Rootcause -> Why is our damn public transport so lousy forcing ordinary folks to drive and own a car. Sigh....

Back to original topic. I stay in Ayer Itam which is located at the center of the island. By looking at the map, we should be able to go anywhere on the island in 30 minute. However try that during weekday at 7am, u will be in hell because there is more than 10 schools surrounding my house, SM teknik, SRKC chung hwa, MBS, Convent Gree Lane, SRK Batu Lanchang, SM Penang Free, SM Abdullah Munshi, SM Chung Ling, Chung Ling High School and etc..

Wat the heck the govenment is thinking locating all schools to this area? The city planners all need to restudy again lar. Somemore the roads are all so small with so many cars congesting at one place. Sigh.

Go back home is another headache. After 5.30pm, the bull rush again start again now, with parents picking up kids and workers going home.. another jam to 8pm. Sigh.
Guess i will need get myself to getting the spiffy new Honda Wave 125, hahahaha (insane laugher)