Penang - Pearl of the Orient

8 January 2011

We took a trip to Penang over the weekend. Next to my hometown Malacca, the Pearl of the Orient never fail to impress me. We stayed at a beach hotel over looking the sea. Whenever I am on the beach, any beach for that matter, I cannot resist picking up sea shells. If I were to take count of the number of shells I pick up at all the beaches I have visited.....But the biggest shells I have collected at those from Hong Kong when we were served deliciuos seafood for dinner and I could not help putting the shells aside to take home after eating the insides.

Sea shells, from time immemorial, have been used as a currency for trading, just like coins, beads and other collectibles. Sea shells are unique in themselves because no two shells are really alike, in terms of shape, size, colour and pattern. To me, sea shells form a piece of the natural heritage from the sea.
We also went about town, walking the old streets along  Jalan Kapitan Keling, the ancient Kapitan Keling Mosque, Lebuh  Chulia and the surrounding area.  It was nostalgic to walk along these historic streets where so much trade was transacted during the early days when Penang, being the first British Straits Settlement in the late 18th century, was a bustling trading post. More than two centuries of unique history and heritage makes George Town a worthy recipient as a UNESCO World Culural Heritage Site in 2008, similar to Malacca.

Wedding Anniversary

1 January 2011

We were invited to the 5Oth Golden Wedding Anniversay of Tan Sri Arshad Ayob and Pn Sri Zaleha Arshad at the Sime Darby Convention Centre. They are an amazing couple!

Pn Sri Zaleha, as always, looked so resplendent and "bridal" in her white lace kurung ensemble, and her blue turquoise and diamond necklace and earring set highlighted her attire even more that anniversay nite.  Looking at them both inspired us, the younger couples,  to live a wonderful life together, just like them, surrounded by their 7 children and grandchildren totalling 26!

NB: Tan Sri Arshad is a a great leader who never forget his humble roots. His greatest contribution is having successfully nurtured and developed the critical mass of Bumiputera professionals and entrepreneurs trained at UiTM (formerly known as MARA College in the 1960's) and now have formed the backbone required to  contribute towards nation building and prosperity of our beloved country Malaysia.
Psst....I am humbled to be given the 2nd Chance to go for further studies to do my Masters based on the Associateship of the Library Association(ALA) that I obtained at ITM in 1969-1971.

Birthday Celebrations

31 December 2010
Today is the end of the year 2010. For me, the coming of any new year is an ocassion to celebrate because my birthdate is 30th December. Therefore, any new year celebration is also a celebration for me, I put it that way. I attended a company dinner which was held on 30 December 2010, attended by the staff and their family members. The dinner was well attended, well represented, a true 1Malaysia gathering! We had a wonderful time. They gathered all the staff born in the month of December and all of us cut the birthday cake together. I turned sweet 16!
Psst....On the way to dinner, I got a surprise call from London.  My son Ammar wished me  Happy Birthday Mama. That actually is the climax of my birthday celebrations and made my year 2010 complete.

Happy New Year to all. May 2011 be a better year for all of us wherever you are. To all Muslims, this is still the month of Hijrah, so berhijrah lah untuk menjadi Ummah yang senantiasa mengingati Allah.

Palm Information Centre, MPOB

30 December 2010
Today 30 December 2010 marks my 5th year of retirement from the Malaysian Palm Oil Board(MPOB). Five years ago on 30th December2005, the staff of the Palm Information Centre organised a farewell and retirement gathering for me at Anjung Sawit of the Palm Information Centre. It was a very memorable experience for me because after 33 years in the government service, I realised that I was retiring. However for me, retirement is just a change in career (I found out later). That day, I tried hard to retain my feelings inside me because deep in me, I actually was very very sad, having to leave my beloved staff, especially the senior ones who had been with me through thick and thin, planning and executing the duties and responsibilities of the former PORIM Library (now known as Palm Information Centre or popularly known as PMS for short), whom I had grown to trust and love throughout the years working with them - people like Pn Sakinah, Pn Robiah, Pn Norizan, Noraziah, Nor Lijah,  NorAzman, Fuad, Ghazali, Saadiah, Amin, Ariff, Fatimah Hanim, Shahrul Aida, Rafidah....without their dedication and support, I would not have developed the Centre. Kindly go to http://palmoilis.mpob.gov.my/Vtour/index.htm for a glimpse of our small contribution to MPOB and our beloved country Malaysia.
NB. I had the opportunity of meeting up the former Director-General of MPOB recently.  He asked me whether I visit the Centre and I wholeheartedly informed him that ..."saya sayu hati nak pergi balik ke MPOB sebab saya terima beberapa maklumbalas menyatakan yang PMS kini tak sama macam PMS dulu. Galeri  tidak di kemaskini dengan baik; Produk Palmshoppe pun tak banyak seperti dulu; keseluruhan PMS sudah hilang keceriannya....". Even the virtual tour of 5 years ago which I developed before was never updated.
On another ocassion, I was also approached by the former Chairman of MPOB to come and discuss with him regarding the information requirements of the palm oil industry. But I never did because my principle in life is that  once I leave an organization, I leave clean without any strings tied.
In December this year, I was on the audit panel of an auditing company. I was pleasantly surprised when the librarian commented that the Palm Information Centre is the benchmark for the library development in Malaysia. I felt humbled and at the same time proud of our achievement in setting an example for the library and information industry in Malaysia. Hearing this comment made me feel very sad since the Centre has lost its glory of yesteryears.
As a founder and former Head of Unit of PMS, I feel saddened  by the unsatisfactory comments and "hati tersangatlah sayu untuk menjejaki kaki ke PMS, satu-satunya peninggalan saya di MPOB..."   

Cameron Highlands Again

24th November 2010

I had the opportunity of visiting Cameron Highlands again because my better half was invited to speak on his company's latest products, the 1-Rod Anchor System and the 4DEC Net at the JKR Seminar on Effective Slope Stabilization held at the Sultan Ahmad Shah Golf Resort at Tanah Rata, Cameron Highlands.

I learned that water is the main culprit behind landslides and other earth movement, as manifested by the Bukit Antarabangsa tragedy in 1994 when 48 victims died. I also learned that the 1-Rod Anchor System(Patent pending) is the best system for effective slope management. Once installed, the site is maintenance-free. Their other product, 4DEC Net is also an environmentally product because after installing the anchor system, the site is covered with the Net that allows grass to grow, hence greening the environment.    

Having an eye for anything beautiful, I love to see the picturesque view of tea plantations, reminding me of my first visit to Cameron Highlands on a school trip way back in 1966. The view of the tea plantations remain unchanged. However, the surrounding areas had changed due to the development of the economy up the hill resort. There are many shophouses, restaurants, hotels and resorts, the weather is much warmer now than before. We were staying at the Strawberry Park Resort Hotel overlooking the greenery around us.

NB. The 4DEC Net has to compete with an earlier product that I know ie the EcoMat made of oil palm fibre. This Malaysian product has been widely exported to China, the biggest traditional market for our palm oil and used effectively at the Gobi Desert to prevent soil erosion due to heavy winds.

Birthday Celebrations

19 November 2010

NOVEMBER 19 is a historic date for the Aziz family because we celebrate this date every year without fail, big or small. This time, all of us chose to go to the FELDA plantation resort at Sg Klah (again!). Our children and grandchildren (now 3 in number) loved it very much. We had fun time, dipping ourselves in the the natural hotspring, and later celebrating their Dad (and Tok Dad's) birthday in the room that we bunked in together. I felt the family closeness together, but deep inside my heart I do wish my son Ammar would have been with us at that time. Nevertheless, we had quality time together, amidst the wonderful ambience provided by the oil palm trees providing the backdrop to our weekend getaway.

NB...The sulphur content in the natural hotsprings can heal skin irritations; the green moss from the hotspring can smoothen your outer skin. The staff told me that the hotsprings, if regularly visited can cure weakness in the knees and paralysis. They noticed over time that an elderly man kept on immersing himself in his wheelchair on his regular visits there. In 6 month's time, he was moving around without his wheelchair. This is a very good testimony of  the healing and therapeutic characteristics of natural water from the hotspring.
Psst....I tried the traditional massage at the Spa Village, very relaxing indeed but the service can be improved. I have tried various massages in the course of my overseas visits to Thailand, China, Indonesia, Cambodia, Vietnam. Nothing can beat the Thai massage at the Wat Temple. The masseau would bend your body over and your bones would give out cracking sounds! Your tired legs would be able to walk again, without feeling any pain at all. Very true to their claims! Practitioners in traditional massage in Malaysia must strive to develop a certain characteristic that is unique about them. Otherwise, traditional massages at the spas would not be able to market their services in the competitive wellness industry.   

Hotspring water has therapeutic values 

Sunday 14 November 2010

Today I took the opportunity to visit an exclusive eco-resort, Tanah Aina,  in Bentong, Pahang. And what a wonderful time I had experiencing  the back-to-nature feeling. The visit was made more meaningful because we were given a conducted tour of the 5 resort facilities by the gracious host herself, Pn Sri Sabrina.






The River



The Beautiful Backdrop

All the 5 resorts were beautifully designed to fit the terrain of the orchard land - the hills, the waterfall  and the river - and decorated with such exclusive taste by the owner herself. The most attractive common feature of all the resorts is the serene and picturesque backdrop of surrounding environment.
For further information, please go to http://www.tanah-aina.com/

Along the way, we stopped by an Orang Asli settlement, comprising 13 families, and we donated some food and clothing items. Tok Batin, the headman of the settlement, was there to receive the goodies.

NB. The environment especially the hilly areas around the Bentong has been ravaged by development. We could clearly see hilly slopes being cleared for oil palm cultivation, which to my mind is a good development because the forest clearing is being replanted with new vegetation, this time our golden crop, the oil palm. Despite many foreign-based environmental groups condemning our Malaysian government on the cultivation of oil palm, I stand by the belief, backed up by authoritative R and D facts and figures that Oil Palm Feeds the World, Greens the Earth!