Awareness by 110 CancerCare

I think many of us know about CANCER. As the world continues to develop, so does cancer! There are getting more and more cases of cancers as approximate 7.6 millions deaths (13% of all deaths)  in 2008 were caused by cancer [1]. I understand the devastation and effects of cancers to both the patients and his/her family. 

I was contacted to write about 110 CancerCare project joint-ventured by National Cancer Society Malaysia and AXA Affin Life Insurance [2]. As an effort to spread earlier awareness on cancer, the webportal provides some of the available paths to safeguard future of yourself and your love ones [3]. 

Personally, I think is a very good initiative to promote health awareness and future protection on cancer. Therefore, maybe you can just spend 10 mins or less to have quick check on the links, it will benefit you in a small way, yet, who knows this small gesture can save your life!

*Note: The post is solely for information-dissemination, author is not a member of the organisations as mentioned above.  

Lady Luck 2012-2013

"Discipline is the bridge between goals and accomplishment", by Jim Rohn, Author, Motivational Speaker 

Ups and Downs are part of life. You can't escape from this circle of life. Therefore, like what Jim Rohn said, we must maintain discipline in life even joining contests (^^). Therefore, despite deprived of luck, 2012 - 2013 still were not that bad. 

Of course, from the pic, you might thought I just won a bag, not just any bag - it is a glowing-in-the-dark beg!!!!!! Hahaha, inside the bag, it was a Sony-Audio player!!!! You can see that there are some signatures; well, it was used in a contest by a winner team. I like this player as it can play cassette, CD, radio, etc. Most of all, it had become my lucky charm (^^)  

When you thought that life was not going to get better, I won a voucher to SPA treatment which I had to pass to my housemate! Lucky housemate as I was leaving back to home (><). It was from True Fitness somemore leh!!!!!

This was quite unexpected! A Norton-Anti-Virus 2012 had been won through a online contest. Despite the hustle in collecting the gifts, it was quite useful (^^)~~~ Too bad renewal will cost a leg....At least, I had one safer year online ~~~~

Hopefully, 2014 even though will be expensive and difficult, I still wish that 2014 will be a lucky year !!!! Huat arrrrrrr (^^) !!! Overall, 2012-2013, lady luck is still by my sides (^^)

6大《涨》- 6 big Increase， Word of Year 2013

"If you want your children to keep their feet on the ground, put some responsibility on their shoulders", by Abigail Van Burent/  Pauline Philips, Author and Radio Host.

Since 2013, we had been stormed with exciting news from pilihanraya to price hikes. Price hikes currently is the hottest of all in 2013 until 2014. For non-Chinese readers/ Mandarin illiterate, the word 《涨》 can be described as increase/ increment. Basically, Malaysia government decided to adapt this word as their political move. Therefore, regardless of races, languages, etc, this will affect us all, Malaysian directly....... 

The increment of price is to aim reducing the subsidies provided in various sector as a step to improve country income. These numerous increments in prices have somehow burdened the lives of normal citizens. Therefore, let list down the prices increment announced this year:

• 20 cents increase in diesel and Ron 95 (Aftermath- a foreseeable domino effect in the increase of daily items prices.    
• 34 cents increase in sugar/kg basis (Aftermath - a direct increase in food and beverages, ie: some hawkers stall took chances to increase 50 cents to RM 1.00)
• Pork prices have been increased again (Aftermath - eat expensive pork-products especially during Chinese New Year)
• 15% increase in electricity tariff (Aftermath - a burn in the wallet despite as-claimed by governmental sector that only a small portion of users will be affected, i.e.: electricity usage less than RM77 will typically unaffected)
• 50 cents to RM2.00 increase in road toll (Aftermath - cost-hike in transportation for motorists, need more money to use the road)
• Up to 300% increase in state servants salary (Aftermath - more people want to join politics, me toooooo!!!!)

In personal point of view, reducing subsidies perhaps is the way to achieving developed status. However, to such a drastic extent, it will either break or make a country. A sharp increase in daily and business life definitely will take a toll in development instead. A stage-introduction of reduction should be a better way!

Based on the summary, it can be seen that a lot of people will  be disgruntled (learn a nice world recently from uni), unhappy, burdened, etcc................. a tiring post indeed....................Needless to say more (IKAT PERUT) -  

2014 will be a difficult and expensive Year

PappaRich, Averagely Rich @ Kajang

"We must accept finite disappointment but we must never lose infinite hope", by Martin Luther King, Nobel Peace Prize Winner 1964.

My buddies from Uni. It was such a long time since we gathered for dinner. This was already more than a year ago, I guess. The longer people stay together, they do develop similar behaviour. LOL, even the same camera-shy pose!

PappaRich is not a unfamiliar name and located at Kajang KTM area! As a "last" dinner as Uni-friends, we went to this restaurant for closure (sound overly-serious). On the way to Kajang KTM, you will see definitely see this place. I like it for the ambient and spacious parking area.

We ordered some nasi lemak, nasi ayam, etc. To our slight disappointment, they looked almost the same except for the side dishes (fast food?!). The taste was ok only, yet, the price was above average. Anyway, it was more like we are enjoying the company/ environment rather than the food. 

The drink was quite nice with jelly (^^) And, the bak guo dessert was slightly sweet. Overall, everything was just average, but, definitely a good place to gather!

Libra Star Cruise Adventure Part 2

"A little nonsense now and then is cherished by the wisest men", 

by Roald Dahl, British novelist, author of Charlie and The Chocolate Factory

As inspired by the quote, the adventure continues on the Libra Cruise so as the exploration. We further wondered around the outdoor. The pool and the Jacuzzi looked so inviting. There was even a short-distance jogging track here. Go for night joggers (^^) 

Apart from exploring the cruise's compound, there were even shows available from Hokkien singers, English singers, etc. For the children, I bet the most attractive show in the cruise would be the MAGIC show! It was combination of humour and tricks (^^) Perhaps not much youngsters there, the disco was totally empty!!! For the adults, you will find a lot CASINOs in the cruise!!!!!

As you can see the outdoor facilities, there were many sport facilities! Yup, totally suitable for sport junkie!!!!! Basket ball court, sprint track, etc were quite favourable! A final walk around the decks of the cruise statisfied our curiosity before heading to bed.

Without realising that the cruise had docked, it was another beautiful morning! The breakfast was another complimentary buffet! Yup, again, it was a variety of food! What another amazing meal (^^) 

We climbed to the highest deck again to have an overview, it was truly beautiful(^^)!!!! And, surprisingly, there was photoshot going on near the pool area with sexy bikini girls (@@).. Another exploration indeed....

After leaving the cruise, we set on a short trip around Penang. What a pleasant town with nice food! My mom was totally craving for the cendol ice there. So happen, I knew the location of the stalls. A nice bowl of cendol ice ended our journey in Penang prior heading home to Ipoh (^^) 

Overall a chill trip with no hassle was simply enjoyable and relaxing (^^) 

Libra Star Cruise Adventure Part 1

Nope, this wasn't the Libra Star Cruise! It was the Logo Hope - Floating Book Fair/ Store that aims to educate people and to help needy people around the globe!

Anyway, the story in this post is solely about Libra Star Cruise. To cut the long story short, I won a pair of tickets, more precisely, a room! Therefore, I ajak my mom to join me on this cruise adventure for a night stay on the ship!!!!!

We drove to Penang to board the cruise which was located at the famous jetty - Swenttenham Pier. Yup, what a shallow me! I didn't even there was a pier named after Swenttenham - a very famous name appeared in Sejarah! Anyway, Penang was awesome (^^)

As you can see, the cruise ship was quite nice in  the exterior! Numerous entertainment facilities were available - swimming pool, CASINO, gym, restaurant, etc.... Of course, just to remind you all, despite the room was free, we still need to pay for the sea tax or something. It was not cheap though. 

After all the hustle and bustle checking in, we finally arrived our lovely room! It was kinda small though. But, it was comfy enough for both me and my mom! And, the shower was amazing (^^) To our surprise, most of the crews were from China !!!! 

There are several restaurants in the cruise ship! We tried the 4 Happiness restaurant 1st for our dinner. The food was quite okay (^^). Crazy variety of Chinese food, Malay food, Western....We were totally satisfied! After 1 hour + of dinner, my mom and I roamed freely checking different decks (^^)!!!!!

Then, we arrived at the pool outside. We just sat there and chilled while listening to the live band singing English oldies! Of course, occasionally we were "harassed" by the waiter to order drinks. But, it was still enjoyable!!!!!

The Story to be Continued.......

Lost World, Another Adventure!

 After the Kellie Castle trip, we headed straight to Lost World Tambun. As local Perakian, it was the first time for all of us to visit this hidden location. The entrance wasn't that cheap and you also require to prepare extra cash for the renting the "pelampung". We were so not prepared financially at all, have to "korek" from our pockets.

The interior was well-design despite it was still considered to be quite small compared to other theme parks. From street food to greenery mountain to mini-zoo, the concept was quite astonishing to fully utilise the nature in this area. Another interesting part of the theme park was hotspring integration. But, let me reassure that not every day is suitable for hot spring bath in Perak. The weather was blazing hot to an extend that we were boiled in the hotspring - double jeopardy@@ Recommendation: Check weather to ensure it is not too hot.

You can even spot some swans there ! Both black and white!!!!!!

How do you don't love the nature in Perak. However, recently on my way back to Ipoh, I can see a lot of hills being exploded and exploited for the granite/ lime stone. My guess was due to the virtual high demand of housing properties in Malaysia, more concrete materials are required.....Hopefully, government can properly control and ensure over-exploitation is preventable. 

Oh Kellie, A Castle For You

"The Key to finding a happy balance in modern lives is simplicity" by Sogyal Rinpoche.

This is definitely another overdue post. Kellie Castle, a magnificent heritage in Batu Gajah, long existed in 1915. However, the completion was hindered after the death of Kellie. Until today, it still stands on the ground of Perak.

From the architecture viewpoint, the design of the mansion/ castle is more to European/ Western style since Kellie was a Scottish. There are numerous of spacious rooms being constructed in the castle. The structure and arc built is definitely not an easy task, with cumbersome design and implementation.

  The yellow building is said to be the dinner/ feast hall if it was ever completed. The structure found in the Castle is often designed as round arc and onion-like shape; perhaps, an integration of local style into castle was applied.

Here are some of the little details in Kellie Castle. Door and Key. Entrance Arc. Square building. Onion-like windows. Clover-leaf-like air ways.....

The entrance fee was about RM4 per person. When my gang was there, the castle was undergoing some renovation. Still, it was worth our time! And, we spotted wedding photoshoot here too!!!! It is interesting to see and read some of the descriptions given in the mansion. It is assumed what was supposed to be though. Give yourself some imaginations when you are there (^^)

Turning Point of Life

As in my previous post, life is getting uncertain ever since joining the Ph.D. life. Perhaps, I need to be inspired at this moment. Can I have a pool of ideas which are like unpolished diamond, kinda greedy?! But, my brain is so dried up now. Hopefully, I can see beyond the windows. 

Program Vaksinasi HPV 2013, You Decide Your Health

General Information

Nothing is more important than health regardless you are studying or working. Therefore, it is time to start taking of yourself, girls! In this very post, I have some useful information on the HPV Vaccination Program (PVHPV). 

This program is initiated by Population and Family Development Board Malaysia (LPPKN) under the prevision of Ministry of Women, Family and Community Development (KPWKM) with the aim to to reduce the occurrences of disease due to Cervical Cancer in women in the next 20 years.

The goal for this vaccination drive is to:

• To administer HPV vaccination to all girls born in the year 1993 and 1994 that belongs to the "catch up group"
• To protect Malaysian women from the risk of HPV infection
• To lessen the risk of cervical cancer among women in Malaysia. 

With the goals above, it is targeted to combat cervical cancer in which there are abnormal cervic cell growth in the body. Human papillomavirus (HPV) is the main culprit (about 99.7%) causing cervical cancer [1]. Vaccination against this HPV might reduce death by 2/3 [2]. Currently, Malaysia's 3rd most common cancer is cervical cancer which is staggering to know!

Eligibility and Schedule 

All women from the age of 18 and above and is not pregnant is eligible for the free HPV vaccine. Under the government initiative, from 2nd of October to 16th November, LPPKN will be going to Universities in Klang Valley, Sabah and Sarawak to give out free vaccine to all the selected Universities students. The vaccination programme starts at 9am to 4pm. The schedule is as below and 1st session map is attached below :

·       Taylor's University College @Syopz - 2nd October 2013

·         Tunku Abdul Rahman University College - 9th October 2013

·         Universiti Islam Antarabangsa - 23 October 2013

·         Universiti Putra Malaysia – 2^nd November 2013

·         1Borneo Mall - 12 November 2013

·         UniMas Sarawak - 14 November 2013

Bonus

For those who complete all three doses, they will be given a free pass to a concert with locally-renowned artistes that is scheduled in the second quarter of 2014. (2^nd March 2014)

In the immediate, participants from each university or college who register to vaccinate in a group of five or more will be eligible for a lucky draw, with the prize being a fully-sponsored Girls Day Out session. (The destination of full expense paid Girls Day Out will be a secret but we promise it will be something really fun )

Apart from the roadshow, eligible participants can also receive the HPV vaccination at any one of the 58 LPPKN Nur Sejahtera clinics or health centres at public universities nationwide.

For further information on the LPPKN HPV Vaccination Programme for Women as well as information on the roadshow locations, log on to http://facebook.com/PVHPV

Mark Your Calendar Now!!!! 

The Non-Eternity of Cyberworld - Good Bye Wretch.cc (无名小站， 永别）

Wretch.cc was one of the most promising blogger platforms 5 years ago. I was introduced to this site through my senior. I still remembered the naive and persistence of mine to continue blogging in this platform until recent years, it was truly completely abandoned. 

It gave me great memory to know a lot of talented people. I definitely had my ups (selected No.1 Random Blogger) as  and downs (the unshare-able dilemma)  there. Looking back my younger days, I definitely have a lot laughters (^^).

Like any other websites, it seems like nothing is long-lasting. Do you still remember ICQ? MSN? Windows Live Space? Friendster? Just wondering, when will Facebook or Blogger or Twitter being abandoned/ forgotten? 

Anyway, Happy Malaysia Day!!!! Hahahahahaah^^

Nokia 5730 Memory: Ants, Tree, Sky and The Decision

If they try to rush me, I tell them I've only got one other speed, and that's slower, Taurean Glenn Ford

Here is a new tradition of my post every now and then to include a quote. One fine day, I dug up an old exercise book from my secondary school/ high school days. It was truly inspiring as I opened the book and found meaningful phrase/ quote that I either copied from the newspaper or from the internet. My state of mind was instantly rejuvenated, seeing that myself was once a determined individual. I copied about 300++ in my book!  I would like to share out my might to keep living on (^^)

Anyway, let me talk on the phone 1st. Nokia 5730 of 3.2 megapixel phone was a phone I won 4 years ago! Yup, my slogan actually won a grand prize in a online contest. It was valued at about RM 1300++ as it was just released not long ago. The specs of the phone that time was more than impressive; not only it has a qwerty keyboard (hidden), it is also an internet phone. This meant a lot to me as it was my 1st smartphone!!!!!!! I also just want to say that Nokia's Carl Zeiss's lense is truly awesome. 

Right now, I rarely uses Nokia 5730 to take photos eversince I change my phone to Nexus 4 which is a touchscreen smartphone. Therefore, as a memory of Nokia 5730 serves me, I shall share the photos as a walk down on memory lane. (Long-winded post indeed)

The Ants, Tree and Sky was taken at my university - University of Nottingham Malaysia. Those ants were the ferocious red ants; once bitten, it would definitely hurt. I was so surprised that my Nokia 5730 had the capability to take this kind of images even though it is slightly blurry and low resolution. 

Oh, by the way, if you follow my last last last post, I was so anxious of The Decision. Yup, after venturing into an amazing Oil and Gas Consultation company for roughly a year, I decided to further my studies as a Ph.D student in Chemical Engineering Field back to my university!!!! Yes, you hear me right! It was a mixed feeling - happy, anxiety, worry, determined, doubt, ........ huge mix-pot. But, I had grounded my thought and in this future 3 years, I will walk into the Ivory Tower once again for one last time (maybe)!   

The consultation job was tough and challenging with steep learning curve. However, I was getting a hang of it and it soon became a huge part of my life. I was so glad that I had this amazing year of experience with capable people and reputable company. It moulded me into a more confident person and taught me never hide away from challenges. 

Some people argued that my job was quite excellent since it was mainly in Oil & Gas field and consultation. It would be loss if I just gave up like that. Plus, Oil & Gas is all about experience. True enough, perhaps my 3 years of studies would not be able to make up the 3 years of experience in any field. I just want to say that life is more than taking a risk; it is more like grabbing an opportunities. When it knocks, I just have to grab it. My lovely supervisor offers me a full sponsorship as a investment to my interest. This is an opportunity that I would'not want to let go. 

Another reason is that after a couple years of working, I believe that it would be difficult to go back to study life. So, I just want to sekaligus use this amazing chance and develop into a more technically-competent person that ever. So, that's all I want to say! Wish me luck pleaseeeeeee (^^)

Let the 3 year journey begins!

Nestle Photo Contest Consolation Win (^^)

It had been a while since I won anything. I was so pre-occupied with other stuffs (life, work, etc.). Anyway, I just tried my luck with an online competition with Nestle (Not promo or adver post; how I wish to do ad post (><) ).  Surprisingly, my post on the sunrise theme hit the minor jackpot as the winner of the consolation prize (^^). Yuppie! I can sense my luck is coming back to papa.!!! Hahaha!!~ Anyhow, I uploaded the photo of sunrise scenery with the caption "At the Mount KK with a Cup of Nestum".  

Those were items won for my entry! Two (2) packs of weird flavoured-Nestum-3-in-1 drinks - Ginseng and Dong Gui!!! (@@) Yup, you tell me about it! I was reluctant to try at 1st. But, it was quite okay! Especially for those who really need the energy-boost! I felt the aroma and the taste was well-blend with the oats and definitely healthy to drink it (^^)

Nestle representative even couriered me the little photo frames! How sensitive they were! Hahahaa! It was a boost to my self-esteem that my Lumix FS6, despite being a weak compact camera, can still shot some nice photos. Anyhow, it was so saddening that just yesterday my FS6 died upon me (><) after the adventurous Gua Tempurung trip. Don't feel like spending a fortune to fix it ~~ Haizzzzzzzzzzzzzz

Restaurant Ipoh 新怡保饭店 @ Ipoh

 Even though Ipoh is publicly known as the "Retirement Town", it still develops like hot cake as there are more and more tourists coming here to visit. Anyway, the most common phenomena in Ipoh is that the youngsters will either go to KL or overseas to study or to work, leaving their senior parents at home. You might think that they will be bored to death without their children by their sides; but, you are so wrong! In fact, most of them are more adventurous in further exploring Ipoh for good food. And, they are getting pickier by the day. 

The NEW IPOH Restaurant was discovered by my parents during their past time. It is quite a popular restaurant in town especially for family customer. It is a typically Chinese restaurant for ordering dishes!

Eversince I am older, I prefer to eat simpler food - less fried, more fiber. Perhaps, in this age, I should also start to take care of my health so that in the future, medical bills won't that enormous. For the dish above, it is the steam tofu with fried shrimps on top (^^) Simple yet yummy!

As for those with bad tummy/ digestive problem, eating more vegetables most probably will help. Yup, we should start to eat more vegetables since young age! Another simple dish here - clear fried vegetable (pardon my direct translation)..hahahahaah

Lastly, since my parents still adore some meat here, we ordered the yum sandwiched pork (Waaa, my translation getting better or worse??!!!@@). Anyway, the portion wasn't too large so that we won't overfed ourselves. Hahahaha!

Overalll, New Restaurant offered a simple dinner to the locals. You can always try it out as it is just located opposite the Ipoh Pet Center. Oh no, tomorrow I am going to KL already. Sign, there goes my one month holiday (><)!!!!!!!

Denso Youth for Earth Action 2011 Memory Edition 2

As a continual of previous post, the adventure on Day 3 started with huge excitement because I finally got to plant mangrove plants actually! It took hours of bus ride; but it was totally worth it (^^) when we reached the Sepang Goldcoast - Malaysia Nature Society!

Before going for the journey of the life, we listened to a talk on how the cultural and traditional of people hunt in the olden days. As you can see from the image above, those were some of the equipment used. After that, we were provided water quality testing kits - totally suitable for your children to have fun (^^) It would be more than knowledge-gaining as green experience is truly worth more than anything! You can see the white container is used for water clarity check ~

If you think that Malaysia's rivers are always dirty or like tea-tarik, then, you are so wrong ! At this barely-touched land, we can see the greenery of Malaysia. Hopefully, this will be preserved for many years to come (><). How magnificent was the scenery of the mangrove forest (^^)!!!!!  

More activities were installed for us! Yup, next stop was totally worth it (^^). We arrived at the port to get on board! Yes, how excited! We were arranged into manageable teams to re-plant the mangrove forest !!!!

In the boat, we brought along babies mangrove plant (^^) Ultra cute-nya! The pic below also shows the long-stick shape object! Guest what?! It is the seed of the mangrove tree!!!! What an unique mechanism to reproduce its offspring (@@) Another thing we don't learn from textbook!!!

Then, the true joy began! We basically stopped by the shore and walked on the mangrove land. Yup, quite daunting at 1st as I thought it would be as deep as the sea (@@). However, I was wrong again! In fact, the mangrove forest was situated on land with muddy soil. Along the way, we heard all type of noise from monkey to bird chirping. Then, we found the little fellow below (^^) The little mud crabs, super duper cute, hanging around us !!!! Another biology class for me !

After the mangrove planting event, we continued our environmental effort in the beach cleaning at the Sepang Gold Coast beach. It was truly dirty..hahahahahaha. They totally need to have beach cleaning more often as this would definitely reduce the potential tourists to this area!

How saddening that good times past by swiftly! In day 4, it was the last day for our presentations to fight for the winner. I think everybody gave their best, may the best man win!!!! Hahaha, should be best woman! My friend, Yin Yee, truly deserved to win this title (^^) Then, we had the farewell dinner at the Kajang Golf and Country City Club (^^)