Sunday morning at Family Day event

A Family Day event held on June 22, 2008 in Sea Park, Petaling Jaya.

The annual event is a family gathering to enable the residents to interact with each other for better relationship and help foster understanding, goodwill and harmony.

There were many activities including children coloring contest, games, free health screenings, blood donations, first aid and CPR demo and lucky draws.

And there were plenty of free food and drinks to go around. The attractive prizes helped to attract the residents from all ages to participate in the games event.

DAP wakil rakyat and MCA officials greeted each other and mingled with the residents. That was a good thing. It was not a political event and so there were no politics on that day. Everybody was out to have fun and excitement.

Good response to event. 

No more room inside.


Children taking part in the coloring contest.


Taking aim with little help from mum.


Children taking part in the ball throwing event.


Checking the anti-oxidant level in your body.


Mr Tee Kee Tian, Chairman of Section 14A RT gives the thumbs up sign.


Dr Cheah Wing Yin, ADUN Damansara Utama, gets his blood pressure check.


There was also a booth for eye-check.


Chinese physician Dr Zhu Xin Hua from China checks the pulse beat of a Malay lady.


Dr Zhu inserting needles into "acupuncture points" on the neck of a woman.

A woman getting trying out the acupressure massager.


Datin Paduka Chew Mei Fun getting tips on CPR from St John Ambulance staff.

It is never too young to learn about CPR.

Smiling faces of blood donors knowing they are doing a good cause.


A booth providing info on banking products.


Nestle provide free Nescafe coffee.


Queuing up for free food and drinks.


Volunteers distributing packed food and bottled drinks.


Friendly chat. Petaling Jaya Utara MP Tony Pua (holding cup) with (L-R) former MBPJ councillor Dr. Wong Chee Yong (left), Ronnie Chiew of Yoke Wong Thai Tai Temple and former state assemblyman Dato' Lim Choon Kin.


ADUN Kampung Tunku Lau Weng San jotting down complaint from a resident.


Former state assemblyman Dato' Dr. Wong Sai Hou having a good time.

Flying "kongming-tan" sky lanterns

My brother had bought some “Kongming-tan” or Chinese sky lanterns from Thailand. So when we balik kampung to celebrate Chinese New Year in February 2008, we were naturally excited about the sky lanterns as we had not seen it before.

I thought flying these lanterns were a perfect way to welcome the Chinese New Year; to bid goodbye to the past year and send good wishes and hope for the new year.

It is considered good luck to release a sky lantern as they are symbolic of problems and worries floating away. These lanterns and can be seen for miles away and really leave a lasting impression on everyone.
Sky Lanterns are a similar concept to hot air balloons. They are made from non-flammable bio-degradable oiled rice paper with a bamboo frame and have a specially designed wick for burning.

Once lit, it heats the air, creating smoke, and causes the lantern to rise into the air. It can fly to more than 1,000 meters in altitude and airborn for approximately 15 minutes, or until the wick burns out. The lantern then floats back to the ground.

Kongming-tan lantern is banned in Malaysia for fear that it can cause plane crash. Safety guides require that sky lanterns must be released a minimum of 5 miles away from airports.
Historical Note:Chinese sky lanterns were originally used hundreds of years ago by the Chinese army and local villagers as a signal of distress or communication. They were invented 1,800 years ago by Zhuge Liang (181- 234AD China) a Chancellor who was also known as Kongming from the Three Kingdoms period of Chinese history.

One person holds the top of the lantern while the other lights the wick at the bottom.

Hold the lantern for approx 30 seconds whilst the wick burns.


Once the lantern fills with hot air it will start to pull, you can then allow it to gently rise into the sky.

Do you think your job stinks?

The 21-storey Menara MIDF located next door to my office is undergoing massive facade renovation.

From my desk at the 13th floor,when I look out through the glass window I could see these construction workers going about their work on the high-rise building without any concern for their safety. There were so cool walking on the edges of the building like a pro. There was no scaffold. Is this not a requirement under the law? No droplines for body belt, no tiebacks; in fact, safety is overlooked. One wrong step will bring these workers crashing down to the ground with severe injuries or death.

Fall from height is a major problem in construction projects. Thus it is the responsibility of construction companies to take all practical measures possible to prevent employees from being injured by falls from scaffolds and ladders. Those injured may bring about charges in civil courts when there is a breach of statutory duty under certain provisions of the Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSHA) Act.
The OSHA was enacted on 25th February 1994 to ensure safety, health and welfare of all persons at all places of work. It provides that the responsibility for safety and health in the workplace lies with those who create the risks (employers) and those who work with the risks (employees). So both are equally responsible.

Where's the scaffolding structure for workers to stand on when they want to reach high parts of a building?

Workers may die or be injured if they fall.

One slip, and disaster awaits.


Clinging on for dear life.

Holidaying in Taiping, Perak

Ok, its school holidays again. So off we went with our children to their granny's hometown at Taiping. Four days in Taiping (May 31 - June 3, 2008) and this is where we spent the time.


1. Taiping Lake Garden
The beauty and serenity of Taiping Lake Garden. It was established in 1880 and covers 62 hectares with huge lakes which were formerly tin mines. Taiping Lake Garden is 128 years old now.






A beautiful sight. Huge century-old rain trees that grow by the lake. You will notice the tree branches that stretch across the road and dipping into the waters of the lake.
Monkeys roaming free at the lake garden.


The concrete children slides were presented to the children of Taiping by the 2nd Batallion of New Zealand Regiment in 1961.



2. Taping War Cemetery

Many soldiers, including Royal Malay Regiment, Gurkha, British and Australian troops, were killed during the Japanese Invasion of Malaya. This graveyard was erected by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission. There are now over 850, 1939-1945 war casualties commemorated in this site, more than 500 of whom are unidentified. This is the most well-kept and neatest grave I have ever seen. I salute to the people who keep the Commonwealth War Cemetery in such a beautiful condition.


"Their name liveth for evermore"

The plots of Muslim and Gurkha graves on your left side of the road if you are coming in from the main road and ....


... the Christian graves on the opposite side across the road.
A grave inscribed with the words "A Soldier of the Indian Army is honoured here"

3. Bukit Larut hill resort

Founded in 1884, it is the oldest hill resort in Malaysia. Formerly known as Maxwell Hill, it is approx. 1,250 m above sea level and was named after William Edward Maxwell, who was the British Assistant Resident in Perak.
The welcome signboard at the foothill of Bukit Larut.


Colorful Land Rovers take visitors on a 30-minute ride to the hill top.


Info :-

You can only go up the hill via the Land Rover jeeps managed by the Perak government. The jeep can take between 8 - 11 persons and service runs every one hour. Current fare is RM6.00 to the hill station. Children 5 -10 years old RM3.00 Need to pay an extra ringgit if you stay at the chaletss & bungalows further uphill. There are only 5 units of chalets & bungalows for rent.

Going Uphill - First service starts at 8.00 am, last service at 4.00 pm

Going Downhill - First service starts at 9.00 am, last service at 5.00 pm

4. Hawer food

Taiping is famous for it's cheap delicious hawker food. The best cendol in town is at Kedai Makanan & Minuman Jameema in Jalan Barrack. Business first started in 1940 under a tree near the present site which is now runned by the fourth generation children of the founding father.


The famous "Kai See Hor Fun" or Shredded Chicken Kway Teow Soup located on the first floor of Plaza Perbandaran along Jalan Chung Thye Phin. Look for Stall No.5


5. Perak Museum


View of the 125 years old Perak Museum. Built in 1883, the Perak Museum is the oldest museum in the country.

Statue of Col. Robert Sandilands Frowd Walker, on the grounds of the Perak Museum. Col Walker was the British Resident of Selangor and Perak.

The Tebuan ground-attack aircraft. The Royal Malaysian Air Force ordered 20 Tebuan (which means "Wasp") aircraft from Canada in 1966 as "Counterinsurgency" (COIN) aircraft . The Tebuan entered service in 1967, serving for over 20 years, before they were phased out in 1986.
The museum grounds has this locomotive. Taiping had the first train service in Malaysia. These trains were used to carry people and tin from Taiping to Port Weld (now Kuala Sepetang).
In British colonial days, horse carriages were the mode of transport.

Ancient perahus or canoes on display.

An old anchor on display.


Well preserved skeletons of many kinds of animals.

An elephant skull on display.

6. Taiping Prison

View of Taiping Prison as seen from across the road opposite Perak Museum. Built in 1885, it is the first prison built in Malaysia to jail troublemakers who were involved in Chinese gang fights at the tin mines.