I,Malaysian!

On the front page of The Star today, there bears a news sensitive enough to embark the angst and confusion in any other human being. The case is so sensitive many people have voiced out their opinions regarding the Religious Law stated in the books of Malaysia.

For those of you who are not familiar with the Lina Joy case, she is a 42-year-old lady who was born a Muslim. But due to certain exposure and interests, she became a Christian and began attending churches and praying for Jesus Christ.

As her days went by of acknowledging herself as a Christian, she one day met a fellow Christian and fell in love. The odd couple wanted to go serious and decided to get married.

But as they were registering to get the contract of marriage from the National Registration Department (NRD), the authoritative personnel refused to give them permission of marriage because Lina's identity card still states "Islam" as her religion. And in accordance to the Islamic Law, Muslims are forbidded to marry a Christian.

Lina tried all the best she could to get the goverment to change her religion from Islam to Christian, but to no avail. So she had no choice but to bring this case to the Federal Court in Malaysia, the highest and most powerful court in the country.

However, because the law has already stated, and in a Majority decision, the Federal Court located at Putra Jaya rejected her appeal to compel the National Registration Department (NRD) to remove the word Islam from her identity card.

The 42-year-old will now have to either subject herself to the jurisdiction of the Syariah Court on whether she is an apostate or seek a review of the Federal Court decision, according to The Star Online.

Chief Justice Ahmad Fairuz Sheikh Abdul Halim ruled that the NRD had reasonably imposed a condition requiring Lina to obtain a certificate of apostasy from the Syariah Court before it proceeds to make the deletion.

The second most senior judge on the Bench, Chief Judge of Sabah and Sarawak Justice Richard Malanjum, however, handed down a dissenting judgment criticising the NRD’s act as “unconstitutional and discriminatory”.

The third judge on the panel, Federal Court judge Justice Alauddin Mohd Sheriff, concurred with the Chief Justice in dismissing Lina’s appeal.

Approached after the judgment, Lina’s lawyer Benjamin Dawson said he was considering filing for a review of the judgment.

As unfair as it seems, there is no use for argumentations as the Law already stated so. Let's hope and pray that there are still other alternatives for Lina and her partner. Brought to you by I,Malaysian! We share, we care.

Last week, Home Affairs Minister Datuk Seri Radzi Sheikh Ahmad said Malaysia was considering getting domestic maids from China and India to alleviate a shortage in supply from Indonesia and the Philippines.

But idea is heavily opposed by the citizens of Malaysia, especially Chinese families. Undoubtedly, China girls are very well-known for stealing husbands and cheating them for money, which in many cases breaking families apart. Some of them even contracted HIV/AIDS and are able to cause havoc to any other families in Malaysia. There is deep distrust of Chinese nationals among the local Chinese communities because of this problem.

Wanita MCA chief Datuk Dr Ng Yen Yen has already voiced the movement's objection to the proposal, saying that Chinese nationals would cause social problems.

Last week, Home Affairs Minister Datuk Seri Radzi Sheikh Ahmad said Malaysia was considering getting domestic maids from China and India to alleviate a shortage in supply from Indonesia and the Philippines.

Agensi Pekerjaan Teletemps Asia Pacific Sdn Bhd manager Jeffrey Lai said he did not think that the Malaysian community would accept China maids due to existing social problems.

“I would rather see maids brought in from Vietnam or Myanmar as they are less problematic,” he said. According to The Star today.

Penang-based Women Centre for Change executive director Loh Cheng Kooi said the nationality of the foreign maid should not matter while Bukit Mertajam MP Chong Eng said there should not be any “prejudice and discrimination” against Chinese nationals.

Personally, I don't feel that bringing China maids into Malaysia is a good idea either seeing that our society today is "infested" with many shameless China girls who would do just anything to have fun and money.

What do you think?

Brought to you by I,Malaysian! We share, we care.

Berikut adalah artikel yang perlu diambil perhatian sekiranya anda belum membacanya... Sila baca artikel berikut mengenai orang yang HIV positif seronok menyebarkan virus HIV. Ianya pernah ke udara di dalam Televisyen Thai di mana pesakit HIV ditangkap didakwa, tapi apa gunanya, beliau telah merosakkan ramai orang awam yang tak berdosa. Jadi sila berhati-hati... Beberapa tempat berbahaya dan kebarangkalian menemui jarum penyuntik yang telah digunakan penagih

1. Di kawasan pantai. Apabila anda berjalan di pantai sila pakai selipar atau kasut, ada penagih dadah yang melakukan aktiviti di tepi pantai danmenimbus jarum penyuntik di dalam pasir. Penyuntik ini kemudiannya terdedah akibat ombak.

2. Di kawasan permainan kanak-kanak. Satu lagi kawasan pilihan penagih.Terdapat kes di Australia di mana kanak-kanak yg tak berdosa telah tercucuk jarum penyuntik apabila beliau turun daripada papan lunsur kemudiannya didapati HIV positif.

3. Di panggung wayang. Sila pastikan kerusi yg anda duduki. Kes yang terjadi apabila seorang perempuan duduk di kerusi beliau dan terasa sesuatu benda mencucuk. Beliau berdiri dan mendapati ada penyuntik dan nota berbunyi "Welcome to the real world, you are now HIV positive'. Doktor telah memeriksa jarum tersebut mengesahkan ianya terdapat virus HIV. Ianya berlaku di Hawai jadi berhati-hati...

4. Di Georgia. Florida , ada kes menunjukkan pesakit HIV meletakkan penyuntik di dalam tempat mengembalikan syiling, mesin air minuman... jadi pastikan bila anda membeli air atau kandi, perhatikan betul-betul tempat mengembalikan wang syiling... .mungkin terdapat jarum penyuntik di dalamnya

5. Di restoran Burger King, pesakit HIV yang juga pekerjanya meletakkan sedikit darah di dalam burger mencampurkan dengan mayonis dan salad. Ianya seperti sos. Jadi cuba jangan pesan burger dengan mayonis sos Order di tempat lain. Ini adalah nyawa anda. Sila 'foward' maklumat ini sebanyak mungkin kepada orang lain, especially orang yang anda cintai, anak anda dan sesiapa saja

Dr Yasmin Anum Mohd Yusof
Associate Professor Head Dept. of Chemical Pathology
School of Medical Sciences
USM, Kubang Kerian, Kelantan , MALAYSIA .

Brought to you by I,Malaysian! We share, we care.

Some Malaysian jokes to cheer you up.

Ah Cheng Buey Ro Ti
Once upon a time, a group of Ah Bengs stepped into a lounge and wanted theDJ to play the song "Ah Cheng Buey Ro Ti" (In Hokkien meaning Ah Cheng buysbread) The DJ told them that they only have English songs and told them tore-select another song. The Ah Bengs were indignant and kicked up a bigfuss, claiming that the DJ was insulting them. The manager had to intervenein order to calm them down. Finally, after many hours of talking, themanager managed to find out that the Ah Bengs were actually asking for thesong "Unchained Melody" by the Righteous Brothers.

---

G for Gero
One day, two Ah Lians got into a lift from the 20th storey of a building andwanted to get down to the ground floor. As they looked at the dial , theycould see the number 20 down to number 2. It was then followed by a G. Asthey were not English-educated, they were puzzled and really had no ideawhat does the letter G mean. Suddenly one of them exclaimed excitedly andhit G. When they finally reached the ground floor, the other Ah Lian was soimpressed and asked the first Ah Lian, "Wow, how you know one?" The first Ah Lian reply smugly, "Easy lah.. G for Gero mah..."

---

Singapore and Malaysia have a different philosophies of life. This becomes apparent when we compare the two countries' Rules of Simple Living.

Singapore:
1 - One Wife
2 - Two Children
3 - Three Bedroom Condo
4 - Four Wheels
5 - Five Figure Salary

And indeed, that is why 'Singapore is solid'!

Malaysia? Well, Malaysia's Rules of Simple Living are the
following:
5 - Five Children
4 - Four Wives
3 - Three Figure Salary
2 - Two Wheels
1 - One-Storey Link House...

---

Little Led Liding Hoot
Once upon a time hor, got one girl little led liding hoot. She want
to go to Ah Mah's house. Morning alleady she go out one, she got take come
one basket to put flower. She "do want" to walk long-long so go take shot
cut. Wah!!! she dono got one animal follow her one hor! She happy-happy
walk until she come to Ah Mah house.

"Ah Mah! Ah Mah! I come, open the door leh?" she talk

Then Ah Mah also talk back, "Come in lah I never close one" Little
Led Liding Hoot open the house and go inside door..... oh, solly solly....
open the door and go inside the house, she got see her Ah Mah on top of the
bed. She go ask Ah Mah.

"AH Mah, how come your eye vely big one hor?"

"So I can see you maahhhhh!!!" Ah Mah say back.

"Ah Mah, how come your yearvely long one?"

"So vely easy to hear you one laah!!!!"

"Ah Mah, how come......."

"Aiyaa!!!! SO many question one ah you.... never die before heh?"

"Solylah Ah Mah, I dono mah that's why I ask".

"What soly-soly! Now I want to eat you, I not Ah Mah, I animal one you know................."

Wah! Little led liding Hoot vely scared one, she scleam velyloud but
late alleady, the animal alleady eat her. She now inside stomach one.
Suddenly got one people, cut wood one, go inside the house. He want to save
Little Led Liding Hoot, he go and cut the animal stomach and take out
everything, but he too late, Little Led
Liding Hoot become shit alleady............

---

Concerned Mother
A mother was very concerned that her middle-aged son haven't shown theslighted indication of getting married. So one day she called her son to her house. The son came home from work, grudgingly.Upon arriving, he found out that his mother had gathered a few beautiful ladies at the house for him to choose whose to be his future bride.

The first one was a well-endowned telephonist-via-receptionist. he immidiately rejected " Aiyaa... mother, when they answer telephone one, they always say.... HOLD ON, HOLD ON........."

The second nominee was a leggy secretary. This was rejected also"Aiyaa... mother, this one aaa..., when taking down short hand notes from her boss, always say..SLOW DOWN, SLOW DOWN...."

By this time, the mother is nearing frustation. She called a sweet, but plain-looking teacher. The son suddenly agreed!! The mother was surprised... "Why this one? The previous two were a lot more better looking!" He replies " Teachers aaa.... while teaching, always say to their pupils...REPEAT, REPEAT AGAIN...SOME MORE, SOME MORE....!"

Her youngest son, who is 10 years old, was listening quietly all this while at the other end of the room. Suddenly, he shouted "Brader aaa.....female bus conductor more better laa....they always say..NAIK CEPAT, NAIK CEPAT... MASUK LAGI DALAM, BELAKANG KOSONG!"

---

Karim and the Monkeys
Once upon a time there was a nice young man called Karim. He used
tos ell caps for a living, and roam around several villages. One day he
would be in Mughalsarai, the other day people would find him in Faizabad.

It was an afternoon in summer and he was traversing the vast plains
when he felt tired and wanted to have a nap. He found a nice mango
tree with lots of branches and cool shade, placed his bag of caps
beside him and went to sleep.

Tired as he was, he was quickly fast asleep. When he woke up after
a refreshing little nap, he found that there weren't any caps in his
bag! "Oh, Allah!", he said to himself, "Did the thieves have to find me of all
people?" But then he noticed that the mango tree was full of cute
monkeys wearing colourful caps!

He yelled at the monkeys and they screamed back. He made faces at
them and found the monkeys to be experts at that. He threw a stone at
them and they showered him with raw mangoes.

"Ya Allah, how do I get my caps back," he said. Frustrated, he took
off his own cap and slammed it on the ground. And lo, the stupid
monkeys threw their caps too! Smart Karim didn't waste a second,
collected the caps and was on his way.


50 Years later ....

Young Abdul, grandson of famous topiwala Karim who was also
working hard at making $$$ doing his family business, was going through the
same jungle. After a long walk he was very tired and found a nice
mango tree with lots of branches and cool shade. Abdul decided to
rest a while and very soon was fast asleep. A few hours later, when
Abdul woke up, he realised that all the caps from his bag were gone!
Abdul started searching for the same and to his surprise found some
monkeys sitting on mango tree wearing his caps. Abdul was
frustrated and didn't know what to do. And then he remembered a story his
grandfathers proudly used to let him.

"Yes!!!! I can fool these monkeys!!!", said Abdul. "I'll make them
imitate me and very soon I'll get all my caps back!"

Abdul waved at the monkeys -- the Monkeys waved at Abdul
Abdul blew his nose -- the Monkeys blew their noses
Abdul started dancing -- the Monkeys were also dancing
Abdul pulled his ears -- the Monkeys pulled their ears
Abdul raised his hands -- the Monkeys raised their hands
Abdul threw his cap on the ground ............
........ one of the monkeys jumped down from the tree, picked the
cap, walked upto Abdul; slapped him and said "Idiot!!! Do you think
ONLY YOU HAVE A GRANDFATHER?????"

---

The Labbit and the Lulian
There was a beauty paegant and Miss USA, Miss UK and Miss Malaysia were finalists.The host asked them the first question, name an animal which starts with L...Miss USA said lion, Miss UK said llama, and Miss Malaysia said..."labbit.."And then the host asked "Okay, now name a fruit which sarts with L"Miss USA said lemon, Miss UK said lime and Miss Malaysia went "A-ha!! I know this one... Lulian!!"

---

Sun Exploration
Four delegates from China, Russia, the United States and Malaysia attended the United Nations' Meeting. All the nations were discussing about space exploration by the year 2000. Here are some of the conversations:

China Delegate: 'By the year 2000, China will start their moon exploration project. '

Russian Delegate: ' We too, we are going to explore the moon. This time we will see to it that our cosmonauts will step on the moon.'

Bill Clinton: ' We the United States will also explore the moon for second time.'

Malaysian Delegate: 'By the year 2000, Malaysia will explore the sun.'

There was a long silence, Bill Clinton stood up and asked the Malaysia Delegate: ' Isn't it too hot to explore the sun?'

Malaysian Delegate (smiling): 'I had this thought out already. We will do it in the evening.'

hahaha.. Brought to you by I,Malaysian! We share, we care.

I read this joke on a forum about Malaysian drivers

1. One hand on wheel, one hand on horn: IPOH driver

2. One hand on wheel, one hand out the window with cigarette: KEPONG driver.

3. One hand on wheel, one finger out window, cutting across all lanes of traffic: DOWNTOWN KUALA LUMPUR driver.

4. One hand on wheel, one hand on parang, foot solidly on accelerator: JOHOR driver.

5. One hand on wheel, one hand on non-fat double decaf cappuccino, cradling cell phone, brick on accelerator, hands-free on the lap: BANGSAR driver.

6. Both hands on wheel, eyes shut, both feet on brake,quivering in terror: FOREIGNER, driving in MALAYSIA.

7. One hand on 12 oz. double shot latte, one knee on wheel,talking on cell phone, foot on brake, mind on radio game, banging head on steering wheel while stuck in traffic: SUBANG JAYA DRIVER.....on the Federal Highway!!!

8. One hand on wheel, one hand on passengers head rest,alternating between both feet being on the accelerator and both feet on brake, throwing rambutans or durian shells out the window: KARAK HIGHWAY ; KUANTAN driver.

9. Four-wheel drive pick-up truck, READY-TO-KILL attitude,rear window stickers read "Make my day", beer cans on floor, wedding ribbon still attached to antenna: CONSTRUCTION SITE....PUCHONG driver!

10.One hand on the handphone, another hand picking nose, Oneleg on the dash board, another leg crossed on the seat with a beer can in the middle ~ turning anywhere he likes, parking anywhere he likes, in fact, driving anywhere he likes. aaahhh..... this is a heaven for drivers......welcome to PENANG!

11. Two hands gripping tightly to the wheel, eyes glued onthe windscreen, alternately stepping on the accelerator and brakes every 5 seconds. WOMAN DRIVER!

Brought to you by I,Malaysian! We share, we care.

Malaysia is announcing to have a new electronic system of clearing cheques in August. Instead of needing a few days to clear cheques, every cheque from local or outstation can be cleared within half a day, according to The Star.

All banks are directed by Bank Negara to comply with the paperles Cheque Truncation and Conversion System(CTCS), according to Harres Tan, group executive officer of Rototype International, the company that makes the cheque-clearing kiosks that supports the system.

No more long waiting for cheques to be cleared!

CTCS is expected to be in full operation by early next year. With it, the cheques are scanned and images are transfered into a bank's system. Bank personnel will then verify the cheques on computer terminals. The images of the verified cheques will then be transmitted to Bank Negara, and are to be cleared within 12 hours, said Tan, who spoke at the Bank Tech 2007 conference here.

For security purposes, the images of the cheques will also be stored in a central image archive operated by Bank Negara -- in case one is to view records of cheque transactions.

This method of clearing cheques had been applied in the USA, Tan said. CTCS transactions can be done in two ways - either at a bank counter or via Rototype's self-service kiosks on the premises. The process will be the same either way, no extra fees charged.

However, the application of CTCS at ATM machines need to wait, as banks are planning to better secure the machines by installing biometric security features in the machines to prevent unauthorized use.

Technology advancement in Malaysia is a sight everyone would like to see. We are proud that our country is developing so rapidly in aiding Malaysian's conveniences - even the speed of clearing cheques.

Be proud of Malaysia, love Malaysia, support I,Malaysian! We share, we care.

More of Kee's World comics to lighten up your mood.




















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Cendul has been a favourite dessert for all Malaysians with, or without a sweet tooth. Strips of green pandan noodles made from rice flour mixed together with red beans, coconut milk, and shaved ice, all topped with gula melaka (black sugar syrup) -- a heavenly sight for all those who crave for something sweet and chilling, after a hot day under the sun.

Cendul stalls can be found literally anywhere! From food courts to roadsides to even Pasar Malam, all you have to do is walk to your nearest Medan Selera and there you have it, freshly prepared cendul. But the best Cendul in Malaysia got to be Penang Road's famous Teochew cendul.

The fame of Teochew cendul wasn't built in a day. The founder of the dessert was the late Tan Teik Fuang, who created the unique cendul flavor 5 decades ago, that is 1945. The stalls are run by his three sons, Tan Chong Khoay, Tan Chong Seng, and Tan Chong Kim.

If you are luckily enough to be able to tryout Penang's famous cendul stall, don't be alarmed by the crowd queuing up to get a bowl of the dessert, it's a natural phenomenon for a stall this popular. You can never get the unique taste from other stalls.



However, if you live somewhere far away and a trip to Penang sounds impossible, there are other 6 branches all over Malaysia due to the popularity, all with the exact same greatness of the original stall.

Here's all of the addresses of the stalls:

Head Stall
21, Keng Kwee Street
(off Penang Road)
10000 Penang
West Malaysia
Tel: 604-2618002
012-4808135

Also, if you have the chance to go to Penang, the asam laksa there is another bomb you should try out.
Brought to you by I,Malaysian! We share, we care.

photos from: Malaysia Food Critics, Pasankia

Remains of century-old buildings, Huge, majestic Portugal ships, ancient museums, displays of canons and guns and statues of forgotten soldiers, is there anything else that are visible enough to remind Malaysian folks of the famous historical city, Melaka?

Well, there is.

I haven't mentioned to you about a local Hainanese delicacy there, where people from as far as Kedah, Sarawak, or even Sabah, will flock to Melaka, not only to appreciate historical value, but also to sink their teeth mercilessly into their one-and-only Chicken Rice Balls!

Yes, the smell these scrumptious little things are just tempting enough to put anyone over the edge. The rice balls are about the size of golf-balls and are best taken with pounded chili sauce.

Luckily, people won't just go there to eat a couple of fragrant rice balls, or it will just sound silly, won't it? That is why these little devils are served with other dishes such as the main dish, Chicken (duh.. it's chicken rice.. of course need to go with chicken), soup, vegetables, tofu, asam fish and many more -- all of your choice~

There are many stalls there selling the same thing because of heavy competition. But I guess the most famous stall of all is the Famosa Chicken Rice Ball Restaurant. Famosa chicken rice-ball restaurant specialises in serving these tantalising and mouth-watering rice-balls. Using traditional Hainanese chicken rice recipe, these delicious rich-balls are served with the tender and juicy chicken meat from Bukit Mertajam, which is well-known for its free-range chicken. The chicken meat is as tender as the "kampung chicken" normally found free-roaming in villages.

I stumbled upon some very exciting news at narrowband.org today. Malaysia's first animated 3D Film! Well, you've probably seen animated 3D hits like Shrek, Monsters inc., Ice Age etc, but have you heard of Geng: The Adventure Begins?

Here's a short description of the story,
Strange footprints and eerie voices are only some of the things that frighten the villagers of Kampong Durian Runtuh. Stories tell of a beast lurking in the forest at night. Nobody dares to find out what it is, until Badrol and Lim who are on a vacation trip to the same village, stumble into the very heart of the mystery itself. Now it's up to the two boys together with their new found friends Rajoo the animal whispering boy, Ros the village beauty, and the mischievous twins to embark on a journey of action, adventure and mystery.

The film starts off in a rural village where its characters are mainly of a younger age group. Viewers are able to portray a muhibba sort of diversity among the group. The film is well-positioned to be the first ever 3D animated film in Malaysia. This film is created by a bunch of graduates from Faculty of Creative Media (FCM) in MMU. Click here to link to their website.

Below will be the trailer of the film, Geng : The Adventure Begins.

enjoy :D



Brought to you by I,Malaysian! We share, we care.

DO YOU REALLY CALL YOURSELF A BLOGGER?

Well, if you do, AllMalaysia.info - The Star Online's information portal, is planning to undergo a project to bring all and sundry in the Malaysian blogging community together, minus all the recent "sticky stuff" to ease readers in finding various blogs.

The AllMalaysian Bloggers Project (AMBP) is an undertaking of the people behind AllMalaysian.info, all of whom believe strongly in the freedom of speech. The main objective of this project is to gather ALL Malaysian blogs under one umbrella site.

It is also a contest with great gifts and prizes sponsored by Genting - City of Entertainment.

Am I qualified?
You must be a Malaysian blogger to enter. Your blog can be about anything - as long as it is unlawful, pornographic, or in, er, bad taste - but only those with a Malaysian slant will be considered for contest prizes.


How to submit?
First and foremost, you have to be a MyStar member. If you're not, please register, it's free. Log in with your Mystar ID and simply fill in the details in the Blog Submission Page.

The following are required:

1. A thumbnail of your blog (resolution: 100x75)
2. Your blogging name (online nickname or pseudonym)
3. A short description of your blog in not more than 25 words.
4. URL

Apart from free publicity, if you're not into the contest, then do it for the readers and submit it anyway. AllMalaysia.info believe that the blogging culture is one that should be encouraged; that bloggers should be allowed to express themselves. This project is to bring all you like-minded souls, all you online scribes, together in one place. It makes it easy for your target audience to find you, and it helps us to organize events - both online and ground events – just for you bloggers. So think about it. It’s time to really reach out.

So, if you are a serious Malaysian blogger, click here to begin.
Brought to you by I,Malaysian! We share, we care.

I came across this cute news from The Star. Our prime minister, Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi visited the Permata National Childcare Centre in Kepala Batas yesterday. He made this confession to drive home the point that naughty children will grow up to be useful citizens if they are loved and cared for in their childhood. He even confessed that he was a naughty child when he was a kid.

Let us correct them with love and care and not by yelling at them,” he advised parents when opening the Permata National Childcare Centre at Taman Seri Menerong here yesterday. He also said that parents should set a good example at home. Young children are usually a little adventurous and mischevious -- but it's a crucial part for them, especially when they are still undergoing the growth process. It is during that period where they start to develop their character and learn and absorb things fast, that's why parents shouldn't quarrel and yell at their children for no serious reasons as it will only pose as a stumbling block in their formative years.

“I am confident the Permata project will add value to the existing pre-school teaching efforts,” he said of the project, which is under the Prime Minister’s Department. Adapted from a curriculum used by the Pen Green Centre in Corby, Britain, it emphasises play activities, speech, exploration and creativity as the route to childcare.

Permata (which means “gem” in Malay) was introduced in March and offers an alternative approach in childcare and early childhood education for children below five years old. Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor, the working committee chairman of the Every Child is a Gem of the Nation project, said it has been allocated RM20mil under the Ninth Malaysia Plan. Adapted from a curriculum used by the Pen Green Centre in Corby, Britain, it emphasises play activities, speech, exploration and creativity as the route to childcare.

Let's hope for the day the younger generation now rules this country with successfully dignity and pride.

Brought to you by I,Malaysian! We share, we care.

It's amazing what these people can do to earn money. They play around with mega markets and then earn mega bucks! These 10 richest figureheads are worth a few billion ringgit (yes, RM1,000,000,000+). They are included in the list of Malaysia's Billionaires Club 2007 and here are them:

1. Robert Kuok Hock Nien:
Kuok started off his sweet story in 1949 when setting up Kuok Brothers Sdn Bhd to manage rice and sugar trading together with his brothers. His business soon escalated and has since been the creation of one of Asia's largest business empires. His staggering wealth extends from fast-growing plantation and timber companies (PPB Oil Palms), real estate properties (Kerry Properties), flourishing shipping and air transport services (Transmile and Malaysian Bulk Carriers), hotel business (Shangri-La Asia), together with his other sugar, trading, and media companies. He has been residing in Hong Kong since the 70s till today.
(Current Wealth: 31.504 billion)

2. Ananda Krishnan:
If you can't live without your daily dose of MTVs and live football matches, this is the person you should thank for. Because as low key as he is successful, Ananda Krishnan is the name behind Astro All-Asia Networks plc, Measat Global Bhd (satellite systems) and also Maxis Communications Bhd. The Petronas Twin Towers we see today were also one of his projects when he teamed with Petroliam Nasional Bhd to develop our pride and glory of Malaysia.
(Current Wealth: 19.044 billion)

3. Tan Sri Lim Kok Thay:
Son of Tan Sri Lim Goh Tong, need I introduce more? Since rising to be the successor of his father in 2004, Tan Sri Lim Kok Thay brought new visions to Genting Group as he seeks to diversify the business into interesting new areas. Just last year, he has successfully snagged the winning bid of a S$5.2bil casino/integrated resort in Singapore's Sentosa Island. Besides the gaming sector, Genting Group is also involved in oil & gas and power business.
(Current Wealth: 13.905 billion)

4. Tan Sri Datuk Lee Shin Chen:
Lee, known for being a tough businessman and a boss, is the executive chairman of IOI Corp Bhd. Having invariable interest in oil palm, he is recognised as the palm oil tycoon, and is setting far sights to make IOI Corp the world's largest oleochemical producer via Pan Century Group. Lee also has thriving Puchong township to offer, under the name of IOI Properties, which is easily one of Malaysia's top developers.
(Current Wealth: 9.199 billion)

5. Tan Sri Quek Leng Chan:
Being the second generation of Kweks, he is currently the head of Hong Leong Group. This ambitious entrepreneur has stretched his business into sectors from banking to construction/property and now even hotels and gaming. One of Quek's strengths lies in is his ability to purchase low, subsequently shaping the particular company before selling it off for a grand profit. Quek is also gradually positioning himself as the world's biggest high rollers and a top player in British gaming scenes.
(Current Wealth: 7.419 billion)

6. Tan Sri Datuk Teh Hong Piow:
His journey of success begun only as a bank officer at Singapore's Overseas-Chinese Banking Corp Ltd in 1950. Come the mid-1960s, he established Public Bank and that's when everything fell into place. As one of the leading financial institutions in Malaysia, Public Bank appeals to consumers as a safe bet for investment with confident returns.
(Current Wealth: 7.150 billion)

7. Tan Sri Francis Yeoh:
When one hears about YTL Corp Bhd, they are likely to mentally associate it with Bukit Bintang. About 6 years ago, YTL Group took over JW Marriot Hotel, Starhill & Lot 10, subsequently introduced Bintang Walk. Little does one know that YTL empire grew from construction business way back in 1955. Francis Yeoh, eldest son of Tan Sri Yeoh Tiong Lay stepped into his father's shoes at a tender age of 24 in 1978 to manage YTL Corp, and is now a prominent person behind this group. The newest proposed plan on site is to build a US$3billion bullet train project linking KL to Singapore.
(Current Wealth: 6.141 billion)

8. Tan Sri Syed Mokhtar Albukhary:
This man here prefers to stay in the background, shying away from public eyes. With the title of "reclusive tycoon", he has only partially surfaced but has equity in at least 13 publicly traded company. His flagship company being MMC Corp Bhd, is an investment holding company dealing with transport & logistics, energy & utilities and engineering & construction.
(Current Wealth: 4.180 billion)

9. Tan Sri Datuk Azman Hashim:
Credits go to him for his effort in making finance industry's first local bank (AmBank) to tie up with a foreign partner ANZ Banking Group. As the Executive Chairman of AmCorp Group Bhd, Tan Sri Datuk Azman Hashim intends to bring AmBank Group (subsidiary of AmCorp) to greater heights following the sale to ANZ.
(Current Wealth: 2.440 billion)

10. Tan Sri Tiong Hiew King:
Tiong is the classic example of rags to riches story where hard work and preseverance remained as drivers to wealth. Besides owning publicly traded timber and plantation companies, he is also the media mogul with Sin Chew Media, Nanyang Press and Ming Pao Enterprise under his belt. And if that wasn't enough, he has newspapers circulating in other regions including Phnom Penh, Cambodia, Papua New Guinea, and newspapers/magazines in Hong Kong, Canada and New York through Ming Pao. That's a long way to go for one who spent most of his teenage years tapping rubber.
(Current Wealth: 2.285 billion)

So there you go, the 10 richest people in Malaysia. Study hard, work smart, and you may be the next in the list. Who knows?

Brought to you by I,Malaysian! We share, we care.

I'm a little out of inspiration today. After playing an online game called o2jam, heck I decided to blog about it anyway! since it is one of the most popular online games every played by Malaysians, next to dotA and RAN.

I used to play dotA really often, until my friend introduced this game called o2jam. I've heard of it for some time, but was quite stubborn to try it out, thought it was a childish and stupid game, don't know why. Anyway so that time I was getting tired of dotA, so decided to give o2jam a try anyway!

When I started playing that game, it was quite difficult. My finger coordinations were all out, I couldn't read the notes accurately etc. I guess it was my stubborn "don't-want-to give-up" nature that made me continue playing the game, because it posed such a challenge to me.

I picked up quite quickly, within a month I was about level 30 something. By then I can already complete many songs without making a single mistake! Even difficult ones! My hands think for themselves, hardly my brain at all. hahahah.

I am still playing that game, now my latest challenge is to play songs above level 15. I lagged behind quite a lot due to the lack of time (and internet) in the condo I rented at Sungai Long. Now I am level 39 going 40, still a long way to go for me to conquer all the songs available.

Anyway for those of you who are interested in this online game, do check out their website at http://www.o2jam.com.my/ their avatars are quite cute, too. But you need to play in order to get points to buy clothes and stuff for your avatar. Oh, before you start playing, I suggest you download some songs first (or all songs). If not, you won't be able to play them. Do e-mail me if you need help.

Happy Playing!

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Imagine this:



It was dark at night.


You are floating on a river.


You are floating on a sampan.


The moon and a few stars are above you.


You could only hear sounds of insects,


and water ripples,


and a bliss of wind.


Submerged in the dark, you search for light...


and right before your eyes,


you see dancing lights.


Suddenly you thought it was 25th December.


All the tress were lightened up.


You went in closer,


and are bedazzled by millions and millions of fireflies.


How would that feel?

Kampung Kuantan of Kuala Selangor is a village that is famous all around fireflies, or kelip-kelip. A nature park called the Kuala Selangor is established there to allow swamps of people to witness the magnificent beauty of the flickering fireflies in the night. Usually the trip will take place at the Selangor river, where most fireflies gather to mate within the trees. It is a sighMalaysia for theirt one would remember for life.

To protect the twinkling creatures, tourists are prohibited to make too much noises in order not to disturb the serene nature of the place. Also, tourists are not allowed to catch the fireflies.

To reach Kuala Selangor take Route 54 from Kuala Lumpur, or Route 5 from Klang. Allow one hour travel time. The Kuala Selangor Nature Park is walking distance from the town centre. Kampung Kuantan and Kampung Bukit Belimbing firefly colonies can be reached by a 15-minute taxi ride from Kuala Selangor town. There are some chalets and resorts there to accommodate tourists. Also there are some tour guide services if you need someone to show you around. You can get the relevant information here: http://www.fireflypark.com/

The price varies from one place to another. Don't bear too much expectations on the fees though, as it has increased over the years. However, it will be an opportunity not to be wasted for.

Head down Kuala Selangor for the sparkling performance. Or maybe visit the calm rivers during Christmas. It will be an experience of a lifetime. Brought to you by I,Malaysian! We share, we care.

As most Malaysians already knew, Kuala Lumpur's "Stormwater Management and Road Tunnel" or SMART Tunnel is opened since 14th May to the public. The tunnel is 3km in length and starts near the Kg. Pandan roundabout to somewhere near the ends of the KL-Seremban Highway. The motorway will then be connected to existing road networks by ingress and egress connection links to Jalan Tun Razak, Jalan Sultan Ismail and Kuala Lumpur – Seremban Highway.

The main objective of constructing the SMART Tunnel is to reduce the amount of floodwaters entering KL. The tunnel is split into two sections -- - upper section for vehicles and below section for a giant storm water pipe that connects to the river or sea.

There are three modes of functions, taken from Wikipedia,

First Mode (no storms),
The first mode, under normal condition where there is no storm or low rainfall, no flood water will be diverted into the system.Under the second mode, SMART system will be activated and this happens when there is moderate storm.

Second mode (most storms),
When the second mode is activated, flood water is diverted into the bypass tunnel in the lower channel of the motorway tunnel and it is important to note, that, up to this stage, the motorway section is still open to traffic.

Third Mode (major storms),
At the third mode of operation the motorway will be closed to traffic. With extensive and effective monitoring stations, when the third mode of operation is needed, the motorway will be closed to traffic. Sufficient time will be allocated to allow the last vehicle to exit the motorway before the automated water-tight gates are opened to allow flood water to pass through. The motorway will be reopened to traffic within 48 hours after the closure.

From now to June 2007 the SMART Tunnel is opened for free to all. The toll rate has not being decided yet but it will cost around RM3.50 per one way trip. Here's a video clip for you to understand the tunnel better:
taken from KL THIS MONTH:



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Many years ago, there was a fisherman in Malaysia whose name Mahmud. He was a kind man, but he dreamed of nothing else except of how to get rich. He was not really interested in catching fish. He had heard tales from his father and grandfather of treasure ships being sunk off the coast of Malaysia. So he visited all these places in the hope of being able to fish up some treasure from the bottom of the sea.

One day, while he was dozing in his fishing boat in the hot sun, he felt something tugging at his fishing line. He pulled it in to see what he had caught. It was such hard work that he wondered what it was. As his fishing line came out of the water, he was surprised to see that he had caught a heavy gold chain.

He leaned over the side of the boat to pull in the chain. "It must be worth thousands of ringgit," he thought. "I should be able to buy a big house with padi fields around it."

The chain seemed to be endless. The more he pulled, the more there was. "I can buy some jewellery for my wife," he thought. "There will be no need for me to work any more. I can hire men to work for me." The chain filled his boat. He did not notice that it was so heavy that his boat was beginning to sink. "I can buy a rubber estate and a coconut plantation -- a herd of buffaloes. My wife can have a chicken farm too. I can open a bank account. I... I... Ugh!"

The water closed over his head. He tried to swim up through the water, but his legs were trapped in the golden chain.

That was the last that was ever seen of him.

His wife, children and friends were very sad when he did not return home that evening. His wife said, "He was a good man, but it was a pity that he was so greedy. The old saying is quite right -- 'Greed leads a man to his destruction just as a camel is led by its driver.'"

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