The sad situation...

written on Sunday, April 24, 2011 at 10:35pm

Quoting from Dr Jeniri Amir in Pengalaman menganalisis perlakuan pengundi by Sarawak Update

"Menyusuri sungai dan meredah denai

Pada satu peringkat saya menggunakan khidmat lebih 50 pembanci untuk menemui pengundi yang terpaksa menjelajah penduduk kampung di pesisiran dan penghuni rumah panjang di pedalaman. Mereka menyusuri sungai dan meredah denai untuk menemui pengundi.

Mata saya semakin terbuka apabila melihat sendiri keadaan hidup mereka, kedaifan dan kemiskinan yang masih membelenggu di sesetengah kawasan. Selepas hampir 50 tahun merdeka dan dengan kekayaan yang bukan sedikit, saya kadangkala terkedu.

Apakah yang sudah berlaku kepada negeriku ini? Ke manakah mengalir sebahagian kekayaan dan sumber asli negeri? Mengapakah masih ada masyarakatku terpinggir? "

If elected politicians have still a long way to improve this situation, what can social activists do to "purge or ambulate" this matter? Or even the people themselves?

MY NZ Lemon Cake

written on Sunday, April 17, 2011 at 3:16am

Cake

250-300grm butter, beat with 1/2cup sugar till soft.Add, one by one, 5-6 eggs, depending on size.Then add rind and juice of 2 lemons. I like to use potato peeler to peel the lemon skin, then chop them finely.Fold in 1 1/2 cups self raising flour, which has been mixed with 1/2 cup powdered milk. Bake 150C for about 40-50 mins or till it is cooked.

once baked, leave it to cool before transferring on plate. Then drizzle with warm lemon glaze.

Glaze

put in a pot 2-3 tablespns of brown sugar, with juice of abt 2-3 lemons, and thin slices of another 2 lemons. Simmer till sugar dissolves. Arrange slices on cake then drizzle the syrup over the cake. Serve. Enjoy!!!

Our Beloved YBs, we request for a Swimming pool in Petra Jaya area

written on Wednesday, April 6, 2011 at 6:43pm

Every morning I send my son off to the train station at 6.30am. This morning, after dropping him off, my daughter and I proceeded to the community swimming pool, and we reached there just before 7am. The pool's swimming lanes were already full, and at the diving pool, which is 3.4m deep, I saw three elderly ladies already in there, doing their aqua jog.I have a really bad phobia of the water but I like to exercise in it, as the bouyancy of the water helps with my hurting feet. I refuse to go in at first as it is really deep, and I was looking for shallow waters, which left me with the kids pool. There was this kind lady, who encouraged me to go in the diving pool, BUT i need to put on a float belt first. I did just that, and joined her in the water but I was not ready to let my hands off the edge. She then told me that she has a phobia too, as her sister and brother always pulled her down into the water when they were younger. After much confidence boosting from her, I managed to get on with my aqua jog for about 45 minutes! I wouldn't exert myself yet as that is the first time in 2 solid years I took out my swimming suit. What I noticed at this pool in Johnsonville, is that it is part of the Local authority initiatives. You do have to pay, but there are discounts for school going children, students like me and the golden age groups of people.Complete with shower facilities and locker rooms, it also has a sauna and spa facilities. Equipment like floats, dumbbell floats, and all that are needed for swimmers and non-swimmers are available. They also have lifeguards on duty too, young college age kids looking after the facility.

It is high time Kuching, especially Petra jaya area to have a public swimming pool of its own, where the ladies,for example, after their subuh prayers, can go and exercise in the water befoer they go to work.Children from nearby school can come for swimming lessons, as part of their curricula. Elderly men can go for exercise in there as well, and others can swim for their exercise too. As it is, swimming, to an extend, is accessible to the affluent and advantaged groups, ie, those who have subscribed membership to the golf clubs, or those who attend the international school.My children were introduced to swimming when they attended Tadika Sri Keria, which offers swimming as part of their lessons. Sarawak is a powerhouse for swimming or water sports events, surely we can have one for our community there. For a population that is reaching almost 600,000, we need more public pools, and there is only one PUBLIC pool in a city like Kuching! Former YB Puan Dona Babel did request for one in the 1990s when she served as an ADUN member, but it never saw the light of day. I hope this is a reality soon, not having to wait the next Malaysia Plan.

Museum of Wellington City and Sea

written on Tuesday, November 2, 2010 at 11:44pm

This three-storeyed building is situated at Wellington's Waterfront, and the displays and contents tell the stories of and about Wellington, the making of the city from the end of the 19th Century till the present. Display techniques range from the conventional to contemporary, with a multi-mix of media used. My favourite of all is the show on Maori legends "A Millennium Ago", which uses the 19th Century theatrical technique called a "Pepper's Ghost, named after 'Professor' Henry Pepper. At first I thought it uses the hologram technique, but it is not.Namali, my office mate and I asked the Museum staff, and they explained the techniques used. It is created with mirrors and a projected image.This Museum is a MUST see for visitors to Wellington.I rate it the best Museum I have ever been to. The clever use and mix of content display is refreshing, both educating as well as entertaining, stimulating your thinking senses.

www.museumofwellington.co.nz

Exam Time II

written on Tuesday, November 2, 2010 at 12:36am

Exam time is a stressful time for all, not just students, but also the whole University community. The Students' Association kindly provides free breakfast at the Library courtyard, simply, by putting hot water, Milo, hot chocolate,tea, coffee, sugar, milk, bread, butter, jams, cereals, paper cups, plastic bowls, spoons and knives on the table, and the students help themselves to the food! The peak exam week would have this breakfast, open to all students. It is FUN! And the students clean as they go, as trash bags and bins are provided nearby.

Customer feedback

written on Monday, November 1, 2010 at 1:21am

Victoria University Library in Rankine Brown Building is undergoing some refurbishment. They have added the Kiwiana corner, with a beautiful view of Wellington Harbor, complete with a masterpiece Kiwi-designed carpet center piece, which students, tutors/lecturers often use for group study on the floor (at one time I saw the whole group lying down on the floor - yes, group study session!)near the check out desk, quiet areas and "noise" areas have been provided for, to meet different 'lifestyles' of the students in Vic Uni.

While the physical refurbishment is still an ongoing process, the services are also being reviewed. Posters and emails were sent to students, inviting them, on a volunteer basis, to participate in what they termed as "Library Services Review Panel". There were several undergraduate groups, as well as postgraduate groups. The groups will have their say regarding the library services and the physical environment, what they want to be improved, what we can do away with etc etc. It is an open session, with the Librarians facilitating/asking the Panel members.The session took 40 minutes. The motivation to encourage participation from students,was a lucky draw for an iPod worth abt $350. During the session, on the table was bowls of mini chocolates, and each panel member received a paperbag full of goodies, chocolates, energy bars, a small bag of chips, a bottle of water, post it notes.

"Openess" & Accessibility

written on Monday, November 1, 2010 at 1:01am

This morning, as I was sending some documents to the School of Law, housed in the Government Building, I noticed a group of tourists, busy taking pictures of the beauty of the building's interiors. Government Building is a heritage building, apparently the largest wooden building in the Southern Hemisphere. The School of Law is there, so are some government departments, though some of the judges and the members NZ's judiciary have moved to the new High Court next door ( grand opening of the High Court was by HRH Prince William earlier this year :)) ).

The Beehive, NZ's parliament is just opposite Government Building. But, I don't see any sentry post, or guards at all. The building is under electronic surveillance, of course, as members of the public are allowed into government buildings. Victoria University's buildings and facilities are open to the public. Members of the public are allowed to go in and use the University Libraries, except for borrowing materials. Most of the public universities I went to back home, have sentry posts, where you have to leave certain kind of IDs before you can set a foot into the University grounds. When can an ordinary member of the public be able to use the facilities developed from tax payers' money, such as a public university, without feeling as if you are under heavy observation?