Football Memories_28.05.10

The World Cup football fever is back again as Maxis has put up some giant billboards potraying our past Malaysian footballers to the theme of ”Committed to the Game”. As I drive pass the billboards of R. Arumugam a.k.a Spiderman in Subang Jaya & Santokh Singh a.k.a Ironman in Damansara, there is a sense of pride and I feel fortunate of growing up when our national football players were living legends and household names in our country!

Our 1 Malaysia football team which I remember consists of legends like captain Soh Chin Aun a.k.a Towkay, defender Santokh Singh, goalkeeper Arumugam, the great forward Mokhtar Dahari, Zainal Abidin Hassan, Dollah Salleh and the twin strikers from Sabah, Hasan Sani and James Wong!

There was a story I heard in the eighties regarding our national goalkeeper, Arumugam. He was known as the Spiderman for his long hands and his agility in goal. There was once a house on fire in his neighborhood in Klang. A crowd gathered as the firemen were trying to put out the fire. A mother was holding her baby in the first floor and was shouting for help from the crowd to catch her baby. Who else than Arumugam, the safest pair of hands in goal, stepped forward and asked the mother to drop the baby. As expected and to the relief of the crowd, Arumugam caught the baby and rolled in the ground. However, his instincts took over and when he got up, he tossed the baby in the air and kicked it! This joke was told over and over again with a few variations over the years!!!

Thank you to Maxis for bringing back our memories and to relive the times when our team qualified for the 1980 Moscow Olympics by beating Korea 2-1. I remembered the second goal when Hassan Sani managed to beat two Korean players before passing the ball to James Wong in the penalty box. We were all on our feet in front of the TV and screaming at him to shoot but he took an eternity to dribble and finally score the winning goal. Every Malaysian rooted for the team and even though we boycotted the Moscow Olympics, it was one of finest moment for our football history.

For more videos and photographs, visit the Maxis site: http://www.maxis.com.my/FIFAworldcup/legendsvid.asp. You can watch the interviews of Dato' Soh Chin Aun and Hasan Sani to relive our past glories. Thank you again, Maxis!

To our past legends, I thank you for the fond memories and to our future players…Don’t Stop Believing . Hold on to that feeling…

Trip down Memory Lane_22.02.10

An interesting email I received today - A nice trip down memory lane...just click on it, type the year you were born and let the 'running commentary' tell you what happened in the year when you entered this world... interesting!

Refer website: http://whathappenedinmybirthyear.com/

In Case Of Emergency "ICE" Campaign_26.08.09

We all carry our mobile phones with names & numbers stored in its memory but nobody, other than ourselves, knows which of these numbers belong to our closest family or friends.

If we were to be involved in an accident or were taken ill, the people attending us would have our mobile phone but wouldn't know who to call. Yes, there are hundreds of numbers stored but which one is the contact person in case of an emergency? Hence this "ICE" (In Case of Emergency) Campaign

The concept of "ICE" is catching on quickly. It is a method of contact during emergency situations. As cell phones are carried by the majority of the population, all you need to do is store the number of a contact person or persons who should be contacted during emergency under the name "ICE" ( In Case Of Emergency).

The idea was thought up by a paramedic who found that when he went to the scenes of accidents, there were always mobile phones with patients, but they didn't know which number to call. He therefore thought that it would be a good idea if there was a nationally recognized name for this purpose. In an emergency situation, Emergency Service personnel and hospital Staff would be able to quickly contact the right person by simply dialing the number you have stored as "ICE."

For more than one contact name simply enter ICE1, ICE2 and ICE3 etc. A great idea that will make a difference!

Let's spread the concept of ICE by storing an ICE number in our Mobile phones today!

It really could save your life, or put a loved one's mind at rest.

News from India_15.08.09

Two weeks ago, I was in Trichi and Kolar (near Bangalore), India, visiting my highway project sites. It was hot, about 38 degrees, and tiring journey travelling along the highway, where the widening to 4 to 6 lanes of highway of about 70 km each, were in progress. My job was to inspect the existing bridges, check on the construction of new bridges and resolve any site issues arising.
Concreting of kerb at median

Bridge pilecap concreting works
Fresh coconut for a cooling drink
'Ramraj' adverts commonly seen for textile garment

Noted down some articles of interest from the newspaper "The Hindu" on the 4th August 2009 as follows:

1. The Parliament has adopted 'The Right of children to Free and Compulsory Education Bill, 2009', which envisages free and compulsory education to children in 6-14 age group. It was reported by Mr. Kapil Sibal, Human Resource Development Minister, that presently out of every 100 attending elementary school only 12 reached the graduation level;
2. The Bengal state government has issued an notification ordering that 15 year old or older buses, trucks, vans etc should not be allowed to operate effective 1st August to check on pollution. The Motor Vehicles Department would not be renewing their permits after the expiry of the stipulated time.
3. 1st death due to H1N1 in Pune on 3rd August 2009. 14 years old girl was admitted in private hospital on July 26th with high fever and breathlessness. Only on the 31st July, her throat swaps were taken for testing. Her conditioned worsened and died on 3rd August. The Authorities and public were up in arms on the lack of urgency by the private hospital.

Email Collection-Tips to a Happier Life_05.05.09

I have a habit of keeping copy of memorable emails received from friends and family members through the years. The source of these mails are unknown but they contain useful and meaningful messages that we can heed. The following from my email collection:

Tips to a Happier Life
Stress affects all of us and can show its manifestations in various forms. We cannot avoid it altogether, but what we can do is follow some of these hints to reduce stress from our lives. Here is a list of ten quotations and how we can interpret these to experience a happier and stress free tomorrow.
1) Cry a river; build a bridge; get over it.
Let go of past failures, sadness and people whom we remember but who no longer care for us. This sounds so easy but it’s easier said than done. We all have gone through our share of heartaches and sadness. But when we constantly remember the pain and suffering we had endured, we are allowing that sadness to gain an upper hand over us. What we must realize is that what has happened has happened. It’s over and done with. People change and times change. Moving on in life is very difficult but It’s the first constructive step to a better you.
2) Everything happens in its own time.
There are things that we do and expect to be rewarded for which does not happen. In offices, there might be a promotion that we might have wanted, a high score on a test, or a job offer that we were sure that was to be given to us that never worked out. At such times we lose perspective and blame our luck and become despondent. We need to realize that there is a time for everything that happens in our lives. And when the appropriate time comes, things will start working the way they were supposed to work.
3) You are the only person who can make yourself happy.
Think of "your" happiness, too, and be kind to yourself. In life, all of us have goals and ambitions. But in the pursuit of those goals, we lose sight of the bigger picture that we are doing these things to make ourselves happy. This is seen especially in the case of mothers who are doing so many things for their kids and family that they don't remember when the last time was that they did something for their own happiness.
It happens to all of us. Be gentler with yourself. Make yourself happy, and that can be done in so many ways. Treat yourself to some ice cream, buy a book that you were dying to read, spend a day lolling in the bed doing nothing. We deserve it and so do our bodies.
4) Laughter is the best tranquilizer with no side effects.
Laugh each and every day of your life. Humorous situations happen to us every single day. Whether you choose to enjoy the moment or not is your decision. There are so many excuses in our day-to-day life to have a good laugh. All we need to do is just look at the lighter side of life and enjoy the moment. When you laugh, don't think whether people are watching you or how much you laugh. It's their problem that they cannot find the humor in the situation that you have found.
5) Happiness is a journey, not a destination.
As we make our journey through life, we have so many things to savor and experience. There is no such thing as instant happiness or happiness that can be found somewhere. Live your life each day, the same way you would climb a mountain. An occasional glance towards the summit keeps the goal in mind, but many beautiful scenes are to be observed from each new vantage point.
6) Do today what others won't so you can live tomorrow like others can't?
So many times we are faced with duties and work that we are not happy doing or performing. In those times, instead of hating or shirking from that work, we can try and make use of the thought that somehow, whatever we are doing will prove beneficial to us one day or another. Maybe the results won't be seen tomorrow, but surely we will benefit because we did something that no one was willing to do. An example would be the people who started companies which are million dollar establishments today. They dared to venture and put their money in something that their colleagues would not have been willing to do, and today their work is paying off rich dividends.
7) It is never too late to be what you might have become.
There are several factors that cause us to end up doing the work we do. Many of us, at some point of time, would have definitely wanted to make a career change and thought that it's too late to do it. But the truth is it's never too late. You can start doing whatever we want to do because it's your life and your decisions. Think of the people who attend college in their late 60's and 70's because they always wanted to do it. Such people are the ones who truly believe in this adage.
8) Treasure the love you receive; it will survive long after your gold and good health have vanished.
We always seem to cherish our material possessions more than we should. But life can take a lot more from us. Today we might have good health, family love and a good home to go back to. What we forget is that there are so many calamities that can take away all our comforts, but love is something that can never be taken away. We need to be more demonstrative of our love towards others and treat our loved ones with more kindness and affection.
9) The journey of a thousand miles starts with a single step.
Any huge task that needs to be done seems very daunting at first. But if we analyze the task carefully, and do it step-by-step, we will find that things get resolved very quickly and easily. But we need to be bold enough to take the first small step. Once that is done, we just need to proceed with additional small steps towards our goal.
10) Always have something to do, something to love, and something to hope for.
These three things are what will keep the flame burning within all of us. Something to do will keep us busy, something to love will keep us motivated and something to hope for will take us faster towards our goal.

Influenza A-H1N1 (Swine Flu) FAQ_02.05.09

It was reported on 25th April 2009 that a strain of flu never seen before has killed as many as 61 people in Mexico and has also been seen in the United States, where eight people have been infected but recovered.

The World Health Organization said tests showed the virus from 12 of the Mexican Patients was the same genetically as a new strain of swine flu, designated H1N1, seen in eight people in California and Texas.

The Govern­ment is now on “high alert” after the World Health Organi­sation (WHO) raised the swine flu alert to Phase Five, meaning that a worldwide pandemic is imminent. According to the World Health Organization, "An influenza pandemic occurs when a new influenza virus appears against which the human population has no immunity, resulting in epidemics worldwide with enormous numbers of deaths and illness."

The following is a compilation of FAQ regarding the flu extracted from emails and websites:

a) What is swine influenza?
It is a respiratory disease of pigs caused by type A strains of the influenza virus. It regularly causes high flu outbreaks in pigs but with low death rates. There are four main sub-types of the virus, but the most recent isolated influenza viruses from pigs have been H1N1 viruses.

b) How does swine flu spread?
Influenza viruses can be directly transmitted from pigs to people and from people to pigs. Human infection with swine flu viruses are most likely to occur when people are in close proximity to infected pigs, such as in pig barns and livestock exhibits at fairs.Swine influenza A (H1N1) virus spreads in the same way as seasonal flu. Flu spreads mainly through coughs and sneezes of people with influenza. Sometimes people may become infected by touching a contaminated surface and then touching their mouth or nose.

c) What are the symptoms?
The symptoms of swine flu are similar to the symptoms of regular flu and include fever, cough, sore throat, body aches, headache, chills confusion, vomiting and fatigue. Some people have also reported diarrhea and vomiting. Severe illness -- pneumonia and respiratory failure -- have been reported with swine flu infection in people. In children, the symptoms include trouble in breathing, bluish skin colour, being irritable, fever and rashes.

d) How can someone with the flu infect others?
Infected people can pass the infection to others a day before symptoms develop and up to 7 or more days after becoming sick

e) How long is someone with swine flu considered contagious?
People with swine influenza virus infection should be considered potentially contagious as long as they are symptomatic; possibly for up to seven days following the onset of the illness. Children, especially younger children, might potentially be contagious for longer periods.

f) How does swine flu kill?
Swine flu — just like any other flu — is a respiratory infection. It exploits a weakened immune system to attack major organs — especially your lungs. When it gets into your lungs, it can lead to pneumonia, which can kill you. The flu can also cause secondary infections in your body — any of which can lead to failure of vital organs and death.

g) Has this strain of flu been seen before?
No. Flu mutates constantly, so it is common for new strains to emerge. Pigs can also be infected with both human and avian influenza, and the current circulating swine flu strain appears to contain genetic elements from all three.

h) Can swine flu be treated with antiviral drugs and flu vaccine?
The swine flu is resistant to two common drugs – Amantadine and Rimantadine. The H1N1 swine flu viruses are very different from human H1N1 viruses. Therefore, vaccines for human seasonal flu would not provide protection. However, a “seed vaccine” has been specifically tailored to this swine flu and will be manufactured if officials deem it necessary.CDC recommends the use of oseltamivir or zanamivir for treatment and/or prevention of infection. Antiviral drugs are prescription medicines (pills, liquid or an inhaler) that fight against the flu by keeping flu viruses from reproducing in your body.

i) Can people catch swine flu by eating pork?
No. Swine influenza viruses are not transmitted by food. Eating properly handled and cooked pork and pork products is safe. Cooking pork to an internal temperature of 70ºC and above kills the swine flu virus.

j) What can I do to protect myself from getting sick?
There is no vaccine available right now to protect against this new H1N1 virus. There are everyday actions that can help prevent the spread of germs that cause respiratory illnesses like influenza.

Take these everyday steps to protect your health:
- Cover your nose and mouth with a tissue when you cough or sneeze. Throw the tissue in the trash after you use it.
- Wash your hands often with soap and water, especially after you cough or sneeze. Alcohol-based hand cleaners are also effective.
- Avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth. Germs spread this way.
- Try to avoid close contact with sick people.
- Stay home if you are sick for 7 days after your symptoms begin or until you have been symptom-free for 24 hours, whichever is longer. This is to keep from infecting others and spreading the virus further.
Other important actions that you can take are:
- Follow public health advice regarding school closures, avoiding crowds and other social distancing measures.
- Be prepared in case you get sick and need to stay home for a week or so; a supply of over-the-counter medicines, alcohol-based hand rubs, tissues and other related items might could be useful and help avoid the need to make trips out in public while you are sick and contagious.

k) What precautions are in place in Malaysia?
The Health Ministry’s operations room in Putrajaya has started a 24-hour monitoring of the situation. The public can call 03-8881 0200/300 for enquiries.
- Those returning from Latin American countries and found to have flu-like symptoms will be quarantined.
- Health Ministry officials are conducting health screenings on passengers arriving from the United States.
- Thermal scanners will be placed at international airports to speed up the screening process for swine flu.
- Public and private medical practitioners have been instructed to report to the district health office any patient with influenza-like illnesses or severe pneumonia symptoms and who had travelled to the affected countries after April 17.
- Owners of the 797 pig farms nationwide have been ordered to immediately contact the nearest Veterinary Services Department office or the Animal Disease Control Centre if their workers or animals show symptoms linked to the swine flu.

For more information, please refer to the followings:
-http://www.cbc.ca/health/story/2009/04/24/f-swineflu-faq.html,

-http://www.moh.gov.my/MohPortal/newsFull.jsp?action=load&id=182,

- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)

http://www.cdc.gov/h1n1flu/swineflu_you.htm,

- http://thestar.com.my/.

Maran Temple Trip_ 29.03.09

On 29th March 2009, we went for a trip to visit the 120 year old Maran temple which is situated 24km Maran-Jerantut Road, Maran, Pahang. A total of 37 of us went by chartered bus after assembling at Port Klang to board the bus at 6.30 o’clock in the morning. The trip to Maran temple took about three hours travelling along the East Coast Highway. We reached the temple just in time for the the morning prayers (Abishegam) at 10.30 a.m. After the prayers we were served vegetarian food at the temple mess. We started back to Klang at two p.m.

It was a memorable trip for me, as my last trip to the temple must be about thirty years ago. At that time, the temple was situated under a tree. The renovation of the temple was carried out on 2007. The temple is renowned for the “Panghuni Uthiram” festival and during Thaipusam when devotes carry kavadis for the parayers for “Lord Murugan”.
Maran Temple

Inside of Maran Temple

Devotees trying yellow cloth to the tree for their wishes

At morning prayers (Abishegam)

Maran Trip Group Photo

Brief History of Maran Temple
(Extracted from website http://www.kaumaram.com.html)
This temple, dedicated to the Lord Murugan is very important to Hindus in Malaysia and Singapore... It celebrates its festival every March/April and it is estimated that more than 300,000 devotees from all over the country will attend the celebrations each year...The legend about the temple is that about 120 years ago, construction of the road from Kuala Lumpur to Kuantan was in progress here... When a large tree was being chopped, it started to bleed... One of the Tamil workers went into a trance at the same time... He said that the tree should be spared and the road laid a short distance away... The British supervisor refused... To everybody's astonishment a figure of a child appeared on the trunk of the tree... The supervisor was surprised and changed his mind... The road was laid away from the tree... The place became sacred, and it took the name of Sri MarathANdava BAla DhandAyuthapANi (Lord Murugan)...

Several true devotees have experienced miracles here... They are bestowed with good fortunes in their lives... The lame had walked, the dumb has spoken and the chronic sick - healed... These miracles are still occurring... (extracts from its website)...

For further, please visit Website:

http://www.kaumaram.com/aalayam/maran/index.php

India Trip_01.02.09

After more than three years, I went back to India on business. My colleague, Anuar and I left KLIA in a MAS flight to New Delhi on 1st February 2009. I was looking out for the things that had changed in the past three years. The first thing I noticed is that there are hand phones everywhere. The passengers could not wait until the plane touched down at Delhi International Airport at 9.30 p.m. before they switched on their phones. The young and the old had their phones stuck to their ears through immigration, collection of baggage and through the customs.

Alas the familiar pollution smell of Delhi and the honking of the cars as we travel towards our hotel to put up before catching the morning flight to Nagpur. I pointed out to my colleague some new car stickers which campaign for less noise by discouraging drivers horning. Years of habit of using the horns is hard to change for these drivers.

The next morning, I had to catch an internal flight of Indigo Airline to Nagpur. It was chaos at the domestic airport with hundreds of passengers trying to go through the security checkpoint to catch their flight. Flights of different airlines i.e. Kingfisher, Jet, Indigo, Indian Airline etc were scheduled to different parts of the country at nearly the same time. Passengers were unable to clear the two security gates due to the long queue and staff from each airlines were trying to announce and identify their passengers for immediate boarding. After standing in the queue for more than an hour, I finally managed to board the plane. Unfortunate the take off was delayed as we had to wait for some passengers who boarded late. It seems that the mad rush is a norm here especially for the morning flights. Things have definite changed to the worse since three years ago when there was only choice between Jet and Indian Airlines. Hopefully things would improve with the completion of the extension to the Airport which is currently being done. I finally arrived at Nagpur half an hour late.

Nagpur Airport
This was my first visit to Nagpur which is a bustling city with lots of motorbikes on the road and parked everywhere but not a single helmet user can be seen. From my conversation with a local there, there is a law requiring every rider and pillion riders to wear helmets but due to some local politics, this rule has not been implemented here. Hand phones are also abundant here as in everywhere in India due to competition and affordability.

One thing that has not changed is the delicious food of thalli, naan, mutton briyani, alou gobi (cauliflower), dhal and many more dishes. I had to revert to vegetarian dishes after being warned that there have been cases of severe food poisoning due to the meat spoiling as a result of the frequent power failure and power rationing. I did enjoy a delicious mutton briyani the day before in the Hotel but did not want to take any chances after being warned!

Petrol Station
After two days of working and meetings in our partner’s office in Nagpur, I was back in Delhi on 4th Feb morning to catch the flight back to KL at night. Delhi has not changed much except for the new Metro MRT system. I had lunch at a Chinese restaurant at Janak Place Shopping Mall which was located at walking distance from my rest house. Lunch was vegetarian “chop seow” noodles with Chinese tea.

Janak Place Shopping Mall
I took some photos of the nearby Metro line viaduct structures. I can only comment that unlike the LRT in K. L., there is not much consideration given to aesthetics for these structures.

Metro line structure
Pier structure

As I walked back to my rest house, I took some photos of bungalows which have been converted to business premise e.g. clinics etc as below:
Three storey bungalow
All in the family clinic next door to my rest house
At the Indira Ghandhi International Airport, there have been tremendous changes since I was there three years ago. There is a total makeover in the departure area with plenty of seats, availability of free wi fi provided by Air Tel and for reading pleasure “Lounge” magazine is provided free. There are also more options for light food and beverages for the passengers.

Spacious departure area
I was back in KLIA on Thursday morning. A short trip overseas reminded me that there is no place like home.

MAICCI Dinner_28.08.08

The Malaysian Associated Indian Chambers of Commerce & Industry (MAICCI) organized a dinner at Dewan Wawasan, Menara PGRM to commemorate the Chamber’s 53 years of Nation-building.

Dewan Wawasan

I attended the dinner with my colleagues from my company, HSSI. About 1,500 people attended the dinner. The Guest for honour was YAB Dato’s Sri Mohd. Najib Bin Tun Abdul Razak, Deputy Prime Minister of Malaysia. Other VIP who attended were Dato’ Seri S. Samy Vellu,Presiden MIC, Datuk S. Subramaniam, Minister of Human Resources Malaysia and other dignitaries.

Dinesh, Raj, Mr. Mathew & Chris

Mr. Vimal & Mr. Nitchi

Arrival of Deputy Prime Minister

Brief History about the Chamber

On 30th October 1950, the Associated Indian Chambers of Commerce was registered with the founder President being Mr. S.O.K. Ubaidulla. On 16th September 1989, the Chamber’s name was officially changed to ‘Malaysian Associated Indian Chambers of Commerce & Industry’. Today MAICCI is represented domestically in most government ministries and agencies and has developed an extensive network of connections with the global marketplace and international Indian diaspora. Currently the President of the Chamber is YB Datuk K.K.Eswaran. Our Director (HSSI) YB Datuk Ir.S. Santhakumar is the Deputy President.

Dignitaries at the party

Petrol Price Increase_05.06.08

Hot news in the newspapers today is the increase in the petrol price.

Petrol price is up by 78 sen from RM 1.92 per litre to RM 2.70 per litre and will be reviewed every month.

Rebates of RM 625 per year would be given for private vehicle with engine capacity of 2,000 cc and below, including private pick-up trucks and jeeps with engine capacity of 2,500 cc and below.

Wonder how much of your petrol consumption (past) would be adequately covered by the rebate of RM 625?

I did some calculations as below:

Monthly rebate = RM 625 / 12 = RM 52.08.
Ratio of petrol price increase = 2.70 / 1.92 = 1.40625

Assume monthly petrol consumption (past) = X

For increased petrol consumption (new) to be equal to petrol consumption (past) plus rebate, then : 1.40625 X = ( 52.08 + X )

Therefore X equals to RM 128.19.

That means if your past petrol consumption is RM 128 and below, the rebate of RM 625 would be enough to cover the price increase ( for cars with engine capacity of 2,000 cc and below).

I have also included my excel spreadsheet to calculate your additional expenditure due to the petrol increase, for your petrol consumption below:

http://base.googlehosted.com/base_media?q=hand6116676204019134322&size=8

For example, if your past petrol consumption is RM 400 per month, you have to fork out an additional RM 1,325 per year due to the current petrol price increase.