Sunday, June 29, 2008

People Now Working At Two Jobs

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Steven Tan is a course co-ordinator at Sunway College
but he is a skating instructor on weekends.

For some in the Klang Valley, the income from one job is no longer sufficient to keep up with the rising cost of living and maintain their fast-paced lifestyle.

Many have capitalised on their own talents and resources to explore second jobs.

Sunway College’s Canadian International Matriculation Prog-ramme (CIMP) co-ordinator Steven Tan has opted to give skating lessons on weekends to earn some extra income.

Steve Santana is a administrator at a skating outfit by day and runs a laundry service at night.

Mukhshirin Mohd Jauhari is a full-time personal assistant who is a part-time voice talent with a production company.

Betty Yasmine is a sales retail executive during the day and a receptionist at bar and restaurant, at night.

Stanley Selvakumar has 3 jobs: an income tax consultant, a clown and an insurance agent.

Mohd Hazri Shihabuddin is an account executive and is also the director of Soulful Symphony which manages local artist Dina.

Read the full story in the Star.

Are you be willing to get a second job to earn more money ?

Please post your comments.

Spain Wins Euro 2008

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Pic by Reuters

Spain's Fernando Torres holds up the trophy after defeating Germany in their Euro 2008 final match at Ernst Happel stadium in Vienna, June 29, 2008.

Glastonbury Festival 2008

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Participants huddle around a candle at dawn at the Glastonbury Festival 2008 in Somerset in southwest England on June 29, 2008.

The Glastonbury Festival of Contemporary Performing Arts, commonly abbreviated to Glastonbury or Glasto, is the largest music and performing arts festival in the world.

The festival is best known for its contemporary music, but also features dance, comedy, theatre, circus, cabaret and many other arts.

Glastonbury was heavily influenced by hippie ethics and the free festival movement in the 1970s.

Read more here.

Saturday, June 28, 2008

Dealing With Dead People

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“I am pleased when the families comment that their deceased loved ones look like they are in peaceful slumber” Jojo Haw tell the Star.

Jojo, 29, is a make-up artist for the dead at the Nirvana Memorial Centre in Nilai.

Prior to joining Nirvana in 2005, she was a hairstylist in Bukit Bintang.

Joj says she is not afraid of dead body because as a little girl she used to follow she father to funerals as her father used to help out at funerals.

Read more about Jojo's job and others whose jobs deal with the dead - meet coffin maker, Abdul Rashid Ishak, Halim, an embalmer, Azman Ismail, a morgue caretaker and Zulkifli Zaini, an undertaker.

Would you take a job dealing with the dead ?

Please post your comments.

Wednesday, June 25, 2008

Extreme Yoga

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Pic by Reuters

A Sadhu or holy man performs yoga on the banks of river Ganges in Allahabad on June 25, 2008.

Can you do this ? Is this a good yoga pose for men or women ?

Please post your comments.


Prostitute Fashion

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Photo

Pic by Reuters

A prostitute displays a creation from the Daspu Spring/Summer 2008-2009 collection during the Off Fashion Rio Show in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil on 12 June 2008.

What do you think ?

Sunday, June 22, 2008

Do You Wanna Be My FB ?

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------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------



Get Your Lover Back

Now You Can Stop Your Break Up, Divorce or Lovers Rejection

...Even If Your Situation Seems Hopeless!

This method teaches you exactly what to do and what to say

to get your ex lover back

Read this



------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

For the initiated, FB means "Fuck Buddy". This term was coined and introduced to the world in the 14th episode (2nd season) of the HBO television series Sex and the City.



"A fuck buddy is a guy you probably dated once or twice and it didn't really go anywhere, but the sex is so great you sort of... keep him on call."



In Kuala Lumpur, a Fcuk Buddy is just called an FB or Fabu.



Apparently in KL, it is now usual for people become fabus starting from a one night stands. Men or women pick up the opposite sex in clubs and, if they are in the mood, they have sex with each other. They later keep in touch by a phone call or SMS and have sex whenever they have the mood without any relationship commitments.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------



He Will Beg You To Take Him Back

Make Him Regret Leaving You

This method teaches you exactly what to do and what to say

to get your ex lover back

Read this



------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

This is practiced not by screwed-up kids from broken homes or by those who had suffered abuse. These are well-educated young adults from good, stable middle-class families who lack nothing. This hedonistic and presumably amoral pursuit which used to exist only in Western and Japanese societies is now at our own doorsteps.



What do you think of having a FB ?



Please post your comments.





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Saturday, June 21, 2008

Green Demons Watching Euro 2008

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Pic by Reuters

These could be anybody right ?

Apparently these are Malaysian football fans watching the Euro 2008.

Thursday, June 19, 2008

Interested In Doing Business Online ?

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Are you interested in doing business online ? This article on the NST tells about Malaysians already doing it.

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From antiques and art, to books and consumer electronics, and everything in between, there are plenty to sell on eBay. With over 82 million users worldwide and a global presence in close to 40 markets, the online marketplace is a goldmine for those with an entrepreneurial spirit.

Selling on eBay is easy and rewarding. Fung says it only takes a laptop, an Internet connection and some photo-taking skills to run her business.
Selling on eBay is easy and rewarding. Fung says it only takes a laptop, an Internet connection and some photo-taking skills to run her business.

Ong (left) works full-time on the online store of Daiming Jewellery while Yap gives his full backing in terms of other resources.
Ong (left) works full-time on the online store of Daiming Jewellery while Yap gives his full backing in terms of other resources.

Yazmin encourages all women to give eBay a try.
Yazmin encourages all women to give eBay a try.

Making eBay your business ally

JUST mention eBay and Carol Fung’s eyes will light up as she launches into an animated discussion.

The administrative assistant by day and eBay PowerSeller by night started her love affair with the online marketplace three years ago in the United Kingdom when she was on the hunt for sewing and handicraft supplies on the Internet. After some research, she realised that there was an acute shortage of such suppliers online, despite the growing demand.

That’s when she started selling small quantities of handicraft supplies such as ribbons, laces and threads on eBay. These items were sourced locally and then sold on the online marketplace.

Today, Fung yields a four-figure income monthly with her business expanded to international markets such as France and the UK.

“Selling on eBay is easy and extremely rewarding. It only takes a laptop, an Internet connection and some photo-taking skills to run my business. After I made a decision to sell handicraft and sewing supplies, it took me only six months to become a Bronze PowerSeller, making more than US$1,000 (RM3,300) per month,” she says.

Fung, who is also one of six eBay education specialists in Malaysia, shares that creating a business on eBay is something anyone can do, but would-be sellers first must overcome their apprehension about selling on the Internet.

To become a seller on eBay, first you need to be above 18 years old. A PC with Internet connection, a digital camera, a scanner and minimal PC knowledge also are requirements.

Next, register for eBay and PayPal accounts – for free.

To create an eBay Seller account, you have to place a credit or debit card.

The PayPal account is for withdrawal of payment by buyers. Local PayPal users can withdraw their PayPal funds through a credit or debit card that bears the Visa logo.

Note that not all Visa cards in Malaysia can be used for Internet transactions. Fung prefers the Public Bank Visa Electron Card and Tune Money Visa Card for this purpose.

Now you are ready list your items for sale on eBay.

Fung advises novice sellers to start by selling unwanted products at home, for example, unwanted gifts, collectibles or LP records. They can attach their sales terms and conditions accordingly.

And they have to check their e-mail regularly for purchase orders and determine how they want to ship their goods using suitable courier, postal or shipping services.

Fung points out that sellers can sell their wares through three modes: auction, fixed price listing or storefront.

They also can list their products either on eBay Malaysia or other eBay portals based in other countries. Listing in Malaysia is free, but a fee is charged for other countries, although this is negligible when compared to the price you can put on an item.

[Note that Lelong.com.my is a Malaysian website that functions very much like eBay but the sellers and buyers are very much Malaysian based.]

Also, listing in countries such as the United States and UK allows sellers to access a bigger market, Fung says.

So, how can one strike gold on eBay? Fung offers three pointers.

“Buy straight from manufacturers, sell unique and niche products, and do lots of research. This you can get free from eBay. It helps to see what people are buying,” she says.

Some interesting items that have been sold on eBay by locals are the chewy Mentos candies, “Hell Money” used in Buddhist rites, Minyak Cap Kapak, Muslim women’s head scarves and Batik Kaftan.

[Buying straight from the manufacturers is easier said than done. It requires some capital outlay as most manufacturers require a minimum purchase requirement. Further, you need to know about freight, customs charges, prohibited items etc - the research can be tedious. For an online retailer, the more you buy, the more you save, and savings from bulk purchasing from your supplier is the key in this business as the profit margins can be really slim online due to keen competition. I believe that for "hot" and salable items, the manufacturers will not bother selling to small retailers with small orders. Further, freight charges from Malaysia to say, the US will make purchasing an item from a Malaysian on eBay uneconomical and discouraging for a US buyer, unless you're selling something extraordinary.]

If feeling overwhelmed, sellers can always get help from eBay education specialists like Fung. In fact, eBay also provides free phone-based tutorial.

“There’s no reason to not get started. All one has to do is explore the opportunities,” Fung says.

PowerSeller benchmark

PowerSellers are exemplary members who are held to the highest standards of professionalism, according to eBay.

When buyers see the PowerSeller icon next to a seller’s user ID, they know that they are working with an experienced, well-liked eBay seller.

To qualify as a PowerSeller, you must: n Uphold the eBay community values, including honesty, timeliness and mutual respect;

  • Achieve a minimum average of US$1,000 (RM3,300) in sales per month for three consecutive months;

  • Achieve an overall feedback rating of 100, of which 98 per cent or more is positive (from July 2008, members also need to achieve a score of 4.5 or more across all detailed seller ratings);


  • Have been an active member for 90 days;


  • Have an account in good financial standing;


  • Not violate any severe policies in a 60-day period;


  • Not violate three or more of any eBay policies in a 60-day period; and


  • Maintain a minimum of four average monthly listings for the past three months.


Sparkling from wider reach

THOSE in the Klang Valley may think that they are the only ones who know of Daiming Jewellery since all four of its stores are located there. But the business with the unassuming offline storefronts has an online presence that is drawing international business.

It all started when eBay casual seller Kent Ong befriended veteran jeweller William Yap in church about a year ago. At that time, the then part-time Web designer Ong had already clocked in a year on eBay selling a range of things, from unwanted items from his home such as his first violin, old books and unused stationery, to local hotel vouchers to buyers in Singapore, Australia and the United Kingdom. Yap, meanwhile, has over 30 years of experience in the jewellery trade.

Both decided to collaborate and formed Daiming Jewellery on eBay in July last year.

Ong now works full-time on the online store while Yap gives his full backing in terms of other resources.

“We sell the whole range of jewellery, from silver and precious stones to gold and diamonds, to not only buyers located in Malaysia, but all the way in Greece, the UK and the US. We recently achieved PowerSeller status and are encouraged to grow further,” Yap says.

He adds, “Buyers need not worry about not getting their purchases, as we use FedEx for delivery. Anything over US$500 (RM1,650), we will insure.”

[This I think will be a good collaboration - someone who is familiar with the products and someone knowledgeable with selling online. Collaborations like this are however hard find and maintain as the issue of trust and greed will eventually end the partnership.]

Striking work and family balance

Yazmin Aliasak is living every working mother’s dream.

The 26-year-old works from home and spends a good dose of quality time with her kids, all made possible by becoming a full-time eBay entrepreneur.

“It all started some two years ago when I had a conversation with a friend. She was telling me how she was making money on eBay by selling prepaid mobile phone credit. I thought to myself, if one can sell that, then anything is possible,” she recalls.

So, Yazmin started her eBay endeavour by selling her husband’s unwanted clothing.

Encouraged by the positive results, she left her corporate job and focused on using eBay as her primary source of income.

She discovered that the online marketplace was a good platform for selling to a large international customer base.

Apart from better profit margins, she realised that the bigger market was more receptive towards the wares she peddled.

“I ventured into books, but I found the margins to be pretty low. I have since added collectibles to my listings and these have proven to be popular, especially with international buyers,” she says.

Yazmin spends an average of one to two hours a day on eBay when her kids are asleep, and three days per week to respond to customers’ queries and pack her products for shipment.

“I am putting 100 per cent of my efforts into my eBay business as it gives me flexibility in work hours and a sizeable income. I urge all women to give eBay a try and see for themselves how eBay can make a difference in their lives,” she suggests.

--------------------

Please post your comments.

Petrol Prices Up Good For Drinkers ?

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This maybe true for those in the US and the UK but definitely not Malaysians. At least not yet.

Please post your comments.

Tuesday, June 17, 2008

Nasi Padang In Gombak

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Plates of lauk stacked pyramid style in Selero Bundo.
Plates of lauk stacked pyramid style in Selero Bundo.

Fond of Indonesian food? EWE PAIK LEONG recommends three restaurants in Gombak which serve nasi padang with many delectable dishes.

A perfect lunch from Tok Li: sirap bandung, fried tilapia, kari tempe and pucuk ubi kayu.
A perfect lunch from Tok Li: sirap bandung, fried tilapia, kari tempe and pucuk ubi kayu.
Tok Li's keropok udang makes for a perfect snack, before and after meals.
Tok Li's keropok udang makes for a perfect snack, before and after meals.
Citra Minang's offerings are richly flavoured with lime, lemongrass, fresh chillies and galangal.
Citra Minang's offerings are richly flavoured with lime, lemongrass, fresh chillies and galangal.

THE district of Gombak in Selangor was once synonymous with Mimaland and Rumah Pak Ali. Both are now in the pages of history. But, another thing it was famous for still lives — nasi padang!

At least six nasi padang eateries thrive in this district.

To kick-start our culinary adventure, let us take a trip down memory lane into the history of Gombak.

The Minangkabaus were the first foreigners to settle in Gombak. In 1641, when Melaka fell to the Dutch with the help of Johor, the new colonial masters brought along Bugis mercenaries from Sulawesi to Selangor.

Many of them settled in Gombak. As a result, this district has a sizeable community whose descendants hail from Indonesia. Their cultural legacy included the Padang-style cuisine, simply called nasi padang.

Three eateries dominate the nasi padang scene in Gombak. They are Citra Minang, Tok Li Nasi Padang & Such and Selera Bundo. Their dishes range from spicy curries to mild, aromatic stews and deep-fried delicacies.

Citra Minang

The grand dame is Citra Minang, set up 15 years ago by an Indonesian couple.

The design of the eatery itself tells passers-by that nasi padang is on offer.

Its ambiance is truly Indonesian. A wall-mounted television continually screens Indonesian movies from VCDs, and the patrons are mostly Indonesians. The smell of kretek wafts heavily in the air.

Displayed in a glasscase are bowls of daging rendang (dry beef curry), kari urat (beef tendon curry), perut masak lemak (beef stomach cooked in coconut curry), kari ayam (chicken curry), ikan bakar dengan sambal (grilled fish with sambal), kepala ikan masak lemak cili padi (fish head in coconut milk and cili padi), daging cincang (beef curry), sambal terung (eggplant with sambal) and kerabu udang (prawn salad).

Self-service is the keyword here. My plate was loaded with kari jering (tasted like potato in texture), tempe (soya bean patties), ikan bakar dengan sambal and ikan goreng (fried fish).

The perfect complementary drink was, of course, sirap bandung.

After my meal — that almost sent me to heaven — I overhead a patron hollering “air padang”. Out of curiosity, I also tried a glass. It tasted like Chinese tea, but has a grassy aroma.

Citra Minang is located at Lot 10L-124, Batu 6 3/4, Simpang Tiga, Jalan Gombak, Kuala Lumpur.

To get there from the city centre, travel along Jalan Setapak and turn left to Jalan Gombak. Proceed past Pasar Besar Gombak on your left, Gombak Post Office on your right and Kompleks Idaman on the left. Continue straight through three traffic lights. About 500 metres after the third traffic light, you can see a huge blue signboard that says “Pengedar NIPPON PAINT”. The Minangkabau-roofed Citra Minang is located next to it.

Tok Li Restoran Nasi Padang & Such

It is fast making a name for itself in Taman Sri Gombak. Its signature dish is rendang daging minang (beef rendang). As displayed on a board, other regular items include gulai cincang, ayam gulai, ayam goreng, ayam pop and various fish and vegetable dishes.

I found it odd that the word “gulai” was used instead of “kari”. Anyway, my culinary adventure was rice with ikan tilapia, pucuk ubi kayu (boiled tapioca leaves) and curry tempe, and a glass of sirap bandung. All for only RM5.70!

The pucuk ubi kayu was absolutely exotic, while the fried tilapia fish was fresh and crunchy. Keropok udang (prawn crackers) are also available as a side order. It tasted great when dipped in its special sauce.

The sirap bandung here was stronger as compared to that of Citra Minang.

Tok Li’s catering menu is interesting, offering kung po beef, ginger beef, black pepper beef, ikan patin tempoyak, ayam goreng bumbu and crunchy roti canai served with gulai padang, among others.

Hanita Mohamed, the owner of the restaurant, was not around but her name card revealed that she has an accounting qualification, and a van parked outside is evidence of the restaurant’s catering success.

Tok Li Nasi Padang & Such is located at 95, Jalan SG 3/1, Pusat Bandar Sri Gombak. Tel: 03-61878803.

To get there, first go to Taman Sri Gombak from Jalan Kuching, Jalan Gombak or Jalan Sentul. Proceed along Jalan Utama Sri Gombak, and turn at the first right. The road will lead you to the SG3 phase. Housed in a corner lot of a shophouse, the restaurant faces the Karak Highway.

Selero Bundo

My top choice of nasi padang eateries in Gombak is Selero Bundo, owned by an Indonesian named Bapak Haji Yun.

Almost 40 dishes are served here — name it and you have it! The plates of lauk are stacked pyramid-style inside a glass container. Aluminium pots contain curries of various kinds. You can also choose keropok emping and roti Arab as snacks — the latter looks like roti canai and is eaten with gravy.

Selero Bundo is also strong on vegetable dishes, with bitter gourd, hairy gourd, angle gourd, and acar (to mention but a few) on offer.

My meal consisted of rice with fried eel, ox intestine, chicken rendang and a skewer of fried prawns. The ox intestine had a strong limau purut (lime leaf) flavour, and those not used to eating beef won’t know what they are eating except that it is delicious!

To my surprise, the rendang ayam was mild; the freshly fried eel crumpled like fried anchovy between my teeth. The meal cost me RM13.

The hard-to-get keropok emping was a delight. In the evening, sate padang is also sold. A variety of meat such as beef, chicken, mutton and lidah (ox tongue) is available. I was told that the gravy served with sate padang is absolutely different from our local satay.

Check out Selero Bundo at Lot 2345-10, Jalan Greenwood, Gombak. Getting there involves heading to Taman Greenwood from either Jalan Gombak, Jalan Sentul or Jalan Kuching. Located on the main road, the restaurant faces the Proton Edar Service Centre, near an overhead pedestrian bridge.

Selero Bundo opens 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, except for Hari Raya Aidilfitri.

Source: NST

Monday, June 16, 2008

Roti Canai In The UK

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By Choi Tuck Wo


The best of Malaysian food is now being served at the heart of London’s West End – JomMakan!

AMID shouts of satay, roti canai and mee goreng ringing loud and clear in the kitchen, you can be forgiven for thinking that you’re right smack in a restaurant in Malaysia.

Clad in uniforms based on traditional baju melayu designs, the line cooks received orders from customers and quickly set to work to whip up Malaysia’s mouth-watering, street hawker dishes.

Passionate team: Mohd Zuhri (centre, in t-shirt) together with his mostly multi-national staff outside JomMakan Restaurant in London’s West End. — By CHOI TUCK WO

With its open kitchen concept, customers can get to see their food being prepared before it is served piping hot on their table.

Don’t hold your breath, though. The staff busily grilling your satay, tossing the roti canai or pulling the teh tarik can be a Nigerian, Hungarian, Romanian, or even from Sierra Leone.

It’s amazing that a bunch of young and passionate non-Malaysians, who have never heard of or tasted Malaysian dishes in their lives, are actually preparing them with gusto.

And all this is happening right here in London. You can thus savour your favourite nasi goreng kampung, mee bandung, laksa, satay, roti canai or even nasi ayam kukus (which is Hainanese Chicken Rice) that is as good as, if not better than, those prepared by Malaysians.

Welcome to JomMakan Restaurant, the 140-seat prototype flagship restaurant in the heart of the capital city’s West End, which is cooking up a storm in Britain.

The outlet is the first quick service restaurant (QSR) under the Malaysia Kitchen franchise programme aimed at promoting JomMakan restaurants worldwide.

Through this concept, Malaysia hopes to set up 200 Malaysia Kitchen outlets globally by 2010, including in major cities like Frankfurt, Berlin, Belgium, Sweden, San Francisco, New York and Sydney.

Gastronomic innovation

“This is a new beginning for Malaysian cuisine,” declared Mohd Zuhri Abdullah, managing director of JomMalaysia (UK) Limited.

He said Malaysian food could be prepared quickly and easily by anyone based on the Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) using ready-made pastes, rempah and sauce flown in from Malaysia.

As such, he said, they could be very versatile and flexible in whipping up Malaysia’s favourite dishes without being dependent on Malaysian chefs.

“The great thing about our satay is that we grind and make the peanut sauce fresh at our premises,” he said, adding that they offered 100% Malaysian cuisine.

At the moment, the restaurant has introduced 48 popular Malaysian dishes including side orders like otak-otak, popiah, gado-gado and cucur udang. Others like ais kacang will be added later.

And JomMakan is more than a restaurant; a gallery displaying Malaysian ingredients and paste is taking shape where customers can place their orders after consuming the food.

Zuhri said they were looking for joint ventures with local or Malaysian partners to open outlets in Manchester, Birmingham, Glasgow or even Edinburgh.

Plans were also afoot to set up three small 70- to 80-seat restaurants in other parts of London by the end of next year, he added.

He said they arrived at the QSR concept for London because it was a vibrant city where gastronomic innovation and creativity were the order of the day.

“We’ve taken the opportunity to be in a place where we can be successful in developing and innovating Malaysian cuisine through pushing and branding this concept,” he said.

Let’s eat

Response to JomMakan has been hot with more than 300 people having signed up as members through its website (www.jom makan.co.uk) during the first three days of its soft launch on June 2.

“It’s amazing that we’ve got a great mix of people from all over the world, including countries as diverse as Iceland, Norway and Russia,” said its operations manager Victoria Searl.

She said these potential customers were obviously interested in Malaysian cuisine and were planning to eat at the restaurant on their next visit to London.

Searl admitted that Chinese and Thai food had long been Britain’s favourite cuisine “but now it is Malaysia’s turn”.

“Our food seems to be flying out of the kitchen,” she enthused, saying the popular dishes included mee goreng, mee goreng sayur and satay.

Located strategically near London’s major landmarks like Trafalgar Square, Leicester Square, Piccadilly Circus and Chinatown, the restaurant is set to attract both office workers and tourists.

JomMakan is operated by Malaysia International Franchise Sdn Bhd (MyFranchise), a wholly-owned subsidiary of Perbadanan Nasional Berhad.

And since its opening by Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak on Tuesday, the restaurant has attracted both locals and VIPs alike.

As the name JomMakan (Let’s Eat) suggests, the restaurant is fast becoming the coolest place to savour quality Malaysian food in central London.

Source: The Star

Saturday, June 14, 2008

Hawker Food Same Price But Smaller Portions

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I've noticed that the potions and ingredients of the usual hawker food have decreased although the prices remain the same as before.

I was told that chap fun (economy rice) sellers are dishing out a smaller portion of rice at first serving and tend to take the opportunity to charge more for what used to be a standard meal - what used to cost RM4.50 now cost RM5 - RM5.50.

The cost of living in KL has definitely increased but the income of the average white collar worker remains the same.

Readers has sent SMS' to the Star listing the best chap fun places in the Klang Valley as follows:

  • The best economy rice in the country is located at Restaurant Peng Kee, Jalan Kenari, Puchong (at the back of Restaurant Sam You). From: Yin Peng

  • The best rice meal package only at your friendly Restaurant J.S Maju, Precint 9 Putrajaya. Open 24 Hours, catering available too.

  • The best economy rice is in mama’s kitchen, damansara heights, pusat bandar damansara

  • Must try fried chicken, restaurant 211, kuchai enterpreneurs’ park.

  • Best chap fan is in Taman Rashna, Klang. Beside Magnum outlet, tasty restaurant servings with economy price.

  • Nam Chuan, Lucky Garden Bangsar. Good selection of food. Food finishes fast. Nothing much left after 1pm.

  • Best economy rice is ah hooi @ red house, USM campus Penang. Also shop next to soya bean drink stall @ island glades, Penang too.

  • If you have any other good places for hawker food or chap fun, please post your recommendations here.

    You may also want to read also the article affordable and fulfilling.

    What do you think of the cost of living now ? please post your comments.

    Wednesday, June 11, 2008

    The Mysteries Of The Underworld

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    Read this story about female spirits, pontianaks, pennungus, ginnies, ghosts etc by Dina Zaman which was featured in the Star, as was told to her by her nanny.

    -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    This story is about the Cave Djinn who lived in Bukit Puteri in Johor. There are so many stories about her.

    Dulu-dulu (in the old days) … she would lend her crockery, which came from Heaven, to all those who came needing them, but everyone kept keeping them instead of returning them to her, so she would throw tantrums – and then, woe be to those who didn’t return her plates!

    But this is another story about her I want to tell you, Na.

    Let me begin my story. In those times, the Unseen and the Worldly lived side by side – unlike these days, when nobody believes in the supernatural, preferring to go to stupid bomohs to become rich. In those days, a bomoh was the intermediary between two worlds. He pacified the spirits and ghosts and he calmed man.

    There’s a big huge hill behind the house. You don’t know it’s sacred, do you? It is, but that’s forgotten now. When Tuanku was alive, the hill was alive with shadows and ghouls, and that was where the orang bunian (fairies) lived.

    Nobody, especially young children, was allowed to be near it in the evenings, when the spirits were at play. This is why we never allow children to be out of the house after Maghrib!

    The devil would jump on you and piggyback on you, and when you came home, you’d fall down sick with fever and nightmares.

    Bukit Puteri was covered by a dense jungle. From afar, all you could see were dark green leaves covering the hill, and when you came near it, it was pitch black. You could only see shadows of tree trunks in the day, but when night came, you couldn’t see your own hands.

    It was a silent hill, and that scared the villagers even more because jungles were supposed to be noisy – monkey laughter, the roar of a tiger, the chirping of crickets – but that jungle, it didn’t even sigh.

    Yet if you walked in it, despite the blackness and humidity, you swore on your mother/father/sister’s grave you were being watched. Sometimes you’d snap your head back, because you saw red eyes looking at you and sometimes you’d rub your eyes as if you’re blinded by the sun, because in that dense, black forest, you knew you saw black shapes running and darting around. How could that happen when you couldn’t even see your own hands?

    Walking in that velvet blanket was tiring.

    Not only would you have to sense your direction, you would fall, crawl, trip, scratch yourself.

    The bushes and plants of the hill seemed to want to bite you all the time.

    Sometimes you would catch yourself trying to suck up all the breath you had in you, so you could breathe in the dark. And you couldn’t.

    You’d find one of the airs in your chest, throat, above your stomach, and you’d breathe in, hard, pleading to God to let you breathe, and when you swallowed, you’d have breathed a little bit only.

    Now, high, high up in the Bukit, there is still a cave. The cave is now empty but, once upon a time, when your parents weren’t even born yet, there lived a Djinn in the cave.

    Sometimes, brave men and women came to the cave and offered gifts to the Djinn so it wouldn’t frighten or upset them in the real world, and sometimes, they asked for riches. Gifts of bananas, rice, and salt were placed in front of the cave.

    Nobody knew where the Djinn had come from or when it had arrived, but everyone acknowledged its presence.

    Two ghosts lived near the cave. They were the cave’s caretakers. One was the Penunggu Pokok Pisang, and the other, the Pontianak, the ghost who lived off men. They were brother and sister. The Penunggu lived in a tree most of the time, deigning to come out only when summoned to haunt, while the Pontianak roamed the countryside, seducing stupid, hapless men into her lair.

    What? No, that’s a Langsuir, a Polong that you have. You have your ghosts mixed up. A Pontianak is a female ghost who lures men to their doom – unless the men are clever enough to strike a nail in its neck, then it becomes a beautiful and obedient wife. A Langsuir is also a female ghost but it lives in the langsuir plants and haunts pregnant women! A Polong is made of human entrails and is owned by a witch. One day….

    The story continues next month. This is a romance saga unlike any other!

    Thursday, June 5, 2008

    Famous Coffeeshops At Lebuh Pudu KL

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    By Sam Cheong

    Lebuh Pudu was once a street literally paved in gold. Huh, you say? Well, three decades ago, this central business district boasted the highest concentration of goldsmiths in the city centre. However, with the golden ag

    e of this street fading into history, only two family-owned goldsmiths are still found here. This was also the place where couples would do their shopping for their wedding.

    Pioneer: Weng Heng coffeeshop is one of the pioneer eateries in Lebuh Pudu.

    Bright and sparkling things aside, what is Lebuh Pudu known for in terms of good street food? For starters, many of the goldsmith shops have been taken over by Myanmar traders offering services like travel, telecommunications, foreign money remittance and food.

    Yes, you can find some decent Myanmar eateries here. But, today, I am going to focus on two old-school coffeeshops.

    First on the list is Weng Heng. This eatery has been around for ages and is still going strong.

    There are four stalls catering to the office workers in the district and one of the most interesting stalls is the one run by the chee yuk fun and yee thau mai (pork noodles and fish head noodles) seller on the second row.

    I made my way to this coffeeshop before lunch hour and met an old-timer, David Ho.

    Hajime mashite, watashi–wa name–no Ho–des! Dozo yoroshiku,“ he greeted me in Japanese (“How do you do, my name is Ho. I am pleased to meet you”).

    For a brief moment, I was stunned because there were no Japanese people around. Ho then asked: “Do you speak English?”

    The retiree was rather surprised when I told him that I am a local from Subang Jaya and that I was at the coffeeshop to try out a bowl of the fish head noodles.

    Lip-smacking: Raymond’s Char Koay Teow is said to be one of the best in Lebuh Pudu.

    After a brief introduction, we exchanged notes about noodles and places to eat.

    I learnt that the old-timer has been frequenting Lebuh Pudu since he sold his family business.

    The 73-year-old used to run a goldsmith shop in the area. Happily retired, Ho said he spent at least three days a week at the coffeeshops here.

    Pleasant meal: The Yee Thau Mai came in a generous portion and had little MSG in its gravy.

    “Ah, I thought you were a Japanese tourist; you seemed to love taking pictures of your food!” he said.

    I ordered a bowl of fish head noodles and when it arrived, wasted no time in chomping down my meal.

    At RM4.50 a bowl, the serving was generous and, best of all, there was little monosodium glutamate in its gravy, which made it very pleasant to consume. I had no complaints at all.

    By the time I was done with the noodles, my face was covered with sweat.

    My newfound friend found it amusing that a complete stranger to the area would come all the way just for a bowl of noodles.

    Still going strong: Choon Tian coffeeshop is one of the few locally-owned outlets in Lebuh Pudu that has withstood the test of time.

    “Hey, I have one more tip for you – if you love char koay teow, go to Choon Tian coffeeshop across the street,” he suggested.

    As for the makan experience in Weng Heng coffeeshop, I must say that I was amazed by the well-maintained interior of this pre–war premises.

    The eatery has a section with a high ceiling and a sunroof.

    There is ample lighting in here and the place is quite airy, too. Apart from the fish head noodles, the charsiew–kai fan (roasted pork and chicken rice) and chap fan (economy rice) at this coffeeshop are commendable.

    After my noodle meal, I made my way across the street to Choon Tian and found a seat at the rear section of the eatery.

    Here, I observed the char koay teow seller who was busy dishing out the fried noodles for his customers.

    His stall is called Raymond char koay teow but sadly, I was too stuffed to make any room in my stomach for fried noodles.

    Moreover, my doctor had ordered me to go easy on my food intake, especially fried and oily dishes.

    I ordered a cup of kopi–o and paid RM1.10, which is a standard price in the city centre.

    From a distance, I watched the char koay teow man, who was wearing an apron and a pair of safety glasses, skilfully stirring and frying the noodles.

    While other stall owners were waiting to make a sale, this koay teow man was steadily dishing out noodles for a stream of customers making their way into the shop for lunch.

    I was told that the roasted meat rice stall here is worth a try, but that will have to wait.

    The Myanmar restaurants in Lebuh Pudu are also worth a try and a follow–up trip is in my schedule.

    To get to this area, you can take an LRT ride to Pasar Seni station or Masjid Jamek, which is about a 10-minute walk away.

    There are plenty of buses that ply this route and the nearest stop is at Medan Pasar.

    I wouldn't recommend driving into this area because it is perpetually congested and parking charges in private car parks around here are simply outrageous.

    Source: The Star

    New Petrol Prices - Malaysians Are Suckers

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    Pic by the Sun. Motorists queue up for fuel at a petrol station in Kuala Lumpur before the price increase at midnight on June 4.

    The recent hike of petrol prices
    by 78 sen to RM2.70 a litre made Malaysians scream.

    Malaysians complain that the price of petrol is ridiculously expensive at
    RM2.70 per litre, but they are willing to pay for a mug of coffee (approximately 300ml) at Starbucks at RM8 - that means a litre a coffee is approximately RM26.64.

    Comparatively, 300ml of petrol is only 0.81 sen (you do the math).

    Coffee beans are relatively cheap as it is produced in 3rd world countries.

    What special expertise does it take to "produce" a mug of coffee ? Nothing much.
    A RM4.50 per hour waiter (opps...Barista) ? Absolutely not.

    No high technology or expertise required, at all, to make a cup of coffee compared to producing petrol - there are high costs for exploration, extraction, research, scientists, chemists, engineers etc etc just to produce the final product.

    Why then are Malaysians still willing to pay so much for a mug of coffee when its is so cheap to produce compared to petrol ?

    The worst part is that most Malaysians don't even know what they are drinking.

    Please post your comments.



    Tuesday, June 3, 2008

    Make Money Playing Games Online

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    By Wong Li Za

    M.J. LIM used to make 400 euros (RM1,900) a month in the comfort of his home as a professional online gamer. He was still studying back in 2004, and the side income was welcome.

    Lim, 23, played pro for about a year, practising for an hour a day. He would log on at 3am to coincide with European times for clan matches, which lasted anything between five minutes and over an hour.

    Other priorities: M.J. Lim went pro for a year but has since given up the game due to lack of time.
    A football fan, Lim started playing computer games in 1995, starting with Fifa 1995.

    His professional gaming days began after he qualified for the quarter-finals of the Asian Gaming Championship in Taiwan in 2004. His replays were circulated over the Internet and caught the attention of a team manager in Sweden, who invited him to join his group to play pro.

    In 2005, Lim took part in the World Cyber Games (WCG) Malaysia Championship but did not do well.

    "I was overconfident and deserved to lose. I was also getting older and couldn't keep up with new players.

    "There were also more tournaments, which meant more late nights and I couldn't commit the time and energy," said Lim.

    By then, Lim had started working part-time and sleep deprivation was a problem.

    However, the release of World of Warcraft changed all that.

    "World of Warcraft is also known as Wow Crack. It's very interesting because of various interactive elements – social (communication with other players), economics (selling wares for in-game currency) and politics (guild management)," he said.

    The longest time Lim has spent on WoW was 37 hours at a stretch. During his semester break, he would play up to 14 hours a day.

    "I stopped going to the gym and did not make the effort to meet up with friends. It came to the point where the first thing I wanted to do when I woke up was play WoW. That's when I decided to stop," he said.

    After Lim felt he could control his playing, he went back to the game but indulged in it only a few hours a day.

    Now, he does not play at all simply due to lack of time.

    "I need time for church, gym, friends and hobbies. I cannot give all that up," he said.

    However, Lim has witnessed relationships being forged between players in such games.

    "Some of them even got married but I believe for every marriage or relationship, there are four to five break-ups and divorces.

    "I've seen how destructive the game can be, in terms of players having affairs or cyber-sex."

    Lim added that, unfortunately, people also played during working hours. He knew of an American woman who went on unemployment benefits just to play the game full-time.

    "My friend in Australia lost his part-time job and his girlfriend, and his grades suffered because of his addiction.

    "He played nine to 10 hours a day, missed work and studies, and did not spend time with his girlfriend."

    Overall, Lim believes more people suffer from over-indulgence addiction to the game than benefiting from it.

    "We must try to balance it all and set our priorities right. It's about self-control and responsibilities. There is a price to pay for over-indulging in MMORPGs," he added.

    Source: The Star
     

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