Thursday May 16, 2013

The angels who taught me

IT WAS my first day in Form Four at SMK Assunta in Petaling Jaya, Selangor ... way back in 1980.

When my form teacher, Miss Enid Lopez, walked into the classroom, it was as if an angel had made an entrance. Her face was radiant and she wore a wide smile on her face. I thought she looked so beautiful. I was glad to have her as my form mistress. I was twice blessed: She was again my form mistress in Form Five.

Miss Lopez taught us English Literature. William Shakespeare’s The Taming Of The Shrew and Harper Lee’s To Kill A Mockingbird were on our reading list.

Miss Lopez’s love and passion for literature was translated into her interesting teaching methods that brought the stories to life. We read passages aloud in class, acted out various roles, and had lively discussions. Literature came alive! The two years I spent learning literature under Miss Lopez’s guidance were so enriching.

She was also a wonderful role model: A godly, patient, gentle yet firm teacher who gave her utmost to her students. Thanks to her influence, I would later pursue English Literature in university in Australia.

I also salute Mrs Sekaran Nair, my History teacher. She was clearly a History buff, and she made the subject fun and interesting for us. One day, when I brought along my Look And Learn magazine to show her an article that coincided with what we were studying at that point, she encouraged me to read it aloud for the benefit of the whole class. I instantly felt affirmed.

In primary school, I failed miserably in Maths. I had all but given up hope when, in Form One, I had the most amazing Maths teacher, Mrs Teoh. She welcomed questions from her girls, and would patiently answer them until we understood the topic. Finally, it was as if someone had turned on the light for me! In Form Two, Mrs Frances Tan greatly helped me understand the subject, too. Both these teachers laid a solid Maths foundation for my secondary school years, and I passed Maths with flying colours in the SPM exam and later, in college, too.

Teachers like all those mentioned above are a godsend, so rare and precious. Thank you all for the memories! – Evelyn Len

Chua: Why didn’t A-G raise concerns earlier?

Wednesday December 19, 2012

 Chua: Why didn’t A-G raise concerns earlier?

 

PETALING JAYA: Datuk Seri Dr Chua Soi Lek is surprised by the Attorney-General's Chambers' move to freeze all court proceedings related to summonses issued under the Automated Enforcement System (AES).
“I am sure the Government has obtained views from the A-G's Chambers before they rolled out the AES,” the MCA president said. “So, why didn't the A-G raise any concern at that time? Why now?
“I am sure the A-G then gave his OK and now, have backpedalled.”
Dr Chua said due to this, the Government would now need to come up with a mechanism to reimburse those who had paid their summonses.
He reiterated the party's stand that there should be a six-month trial and education period for motorists so as to sort out all legalities.

http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2012/12/19/nation/12480039&sec=nation

CAP: Only the rich can afford Penang homes

Wednesday June 6, 2012 CAP: Only the rich can afford Penang homes

GEORGE TOWN: Many housing projects in Penang are beyond the reach of locals, said the Consumers Association of Penang (CAP). claimed that the upper class and foreigners were being set as a priority for development projects. “As foreigners and expatriates are able to afford homes at higher prices, this disrupts the market and raises land prices beyond what is affordable for locals,” Mohideen said yesterday. Citing the example of the Singapore Housing Development Board, he said Penang’s first priority should be creating good homes for Penangites. Raising his concer n: CAP education field officer N. V. Subbarao protesting against hillslope development projects in Penang. CAP research officer S. Mageswari said the safety of housing projects on hillslopes was not only questionable, but forest clearing was also rampant. “This not only causes erosion but also flash floods and pollution as sediment flows down to the rivers and seas,” she said, claiming that the threat to marine life was also causing an adverse effect on the traditional fishing villages in Permatang Damar Laut, Bayan Lepas, Gertak Sanggul and other places in the south of the island. However, the Real Estate and Housing Developers’ Association (Rehda) cautioned that property prices in the island would escalate if there was a ban on housing projects on hillslopes. Such a ban would result in a shortage of supply, said Rehda Penang chairman Datuk Jerry Chan. He was commenting on a call by two non-governmmental organisations to halt hillslope projects. On Monday, a group of CAP and Sahabat Alam Malaysia (SAM) members staged a peaceful protest outside the construction site of a hillslope housing project in Bukit Gambier ahead of World Environment Day yesterday. Chan said it was not true that only foreign investors bought hillslope property as they comprised less than 3% of the buyers in Penang last year. “It is also not true that all hillslope property development projects are high-end schemes. “There are quite a number of affordable projects in Paya Terubong, Relau, Batu Maung and Tanjung Bunga,” he said. Penang Master Builders’ and Building Materials Dealers Association immediate past president Datuk Finn Choong said there were now a variety of new environmentally friendly technologies available to enable development on hillslopes to be carried out safely. http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2012/6/6/nation/11426214&sec=nation

42 ‘stranded’ Viets get help

Sunday March 18, 2012
42 ‘stranded’ Viets get help

GEORGE TOWN: The 42 Vietnamese women “stranded” in a house here will be sent to a women's protection centre in Kuala Lumpur.

OCPD Asst Comm Gan Kong Meng said they had obtained an interim protection order from a magistrate's court here to send the women, aged between 31 and 50, to the centre.

He said the case was being investigated under Section 14 of the Anti-Trafficking in Persons Act 2007.

ACP Gan said an initial investigation showed that the women had not been paid for two months, adding that police had gone to the house and taken a statement from Tran Thi Hai, 31, who used to work as a cleaner in a hospital.

Sad plight: Some of the Vietnamese women sobbing uncontrollably while eating rice and vegetables donated by Malaysians who went to their aid upon learning about their plight in the newspapers. — MUHAMAD SHAHRIL ROSLI / The Star

“We were told they have been on their own for about one month. They have to buy food and daily necessities using their own money.

“We have informed the Immigration Department, the Vietnamese Embassy and Interpol. We will complete investigations soon.”

Meanwhile, several caring Malaysians sent food items such as cooking oil, vegetables, beverages and rice to the house in Jalan Tull off Jalan Residency while some have shown interest in hiring the women as domestic maids.

Pulau Tikus assemblyman Koay Teng Hai said he had contacted the embassy, which was aware of the problem faced by the women.

“The embassy has contacted the Immigration Department and a meeting will be held tomorrow,” he said.

It was reported that the women survived on white rice for the past few months while their agent would send 20kg of rice every three months.

Meanwhile, 34 Nepalese and Vietnamese men, aged between 20 and 40, who are in the same situation as 42 Vietnamese women, would also be sent to a protection centre in Kuala Lumpur, said Koay.

He said they used to work as cleaners at Penang Hospital and claimed they had the same agent as the Vietnamese women.

State Immigration assistant director Mustaffa Kamal Hanaffi said investigations would be carried out to trace the agent responsible for the 76 Vietnamese and Nepalese men and women.

http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2012/3/18/nation/10941888&sec=nation

Chong Wei: Thomas Cup squad may struggle to qualify

Read all about it: Lee Chong Wei posing with his book ‘Dare to be Champion’ at the Kuala Lumpur Sports Arena.


http://thestar.com.my/sports/story.asp?file=/2012/1/19/sports/10290318&sec=sportsChong Wei: Thomas Cup squad may struggle to qualify
By KNG ZHENG GUAN

KUALA LUMPUR: World No. 1 Lee Chong Wei has delivered the cold hard truth regarding Malaysia’s Thomas Cup squad: “We are simply not good enough.”

Besides four-time Thomas Cupper Chong Wei, the other men’s singles in the squad are Liew Daren, Mohd Arif Abdul Latif and the surprise recall of KLRC’s Mohd Hafiz Hashim in second singles.

The men’s doubles will have Koo Kien Keat-Tan Boon Heong, Goh V Shem-Lim Khim Wah, Hoon Thien How and Teo Kok Siang.

Thien How and Kok Siang are only just recovering from injuries.
Read all about it: Lee Chong Wei posing with his book ‘Dare to be Champion’ at the Kuala Lumpur Sports Arena.

Kien Keat-Boon Heong have traditionally delivered the goods but they have been troubled by poor form lately, with the latest embarrassment being a second round exit in the Malaysia Open at the hands of fourth ranked Korean pair Kim Ki-jung-Kim Sa-rang.

The second doubles of V Shem-Khim Wah too have been finding consistency hard to come by, in particular the latter and the pair could be split up in order to pair V Shem with Kok Siang.

It is, however, in men’s singles that Malaysia’s lack of depth has been severely exposed and the recall of Hafiz sums it all up.

And Chong Wei, fresh from winning his eighth Malaysia Open title, admitted that the current squad is definitely weak, but he is ready to shoulder the burden.

“This year is certainly a big one with the Olympics in July being my main priority,” said the 29-year-old Penangite.

“The Thomas Cup squad is definitely weak and we may struggle to qualify but as the senior player in the squad, I am ready to shoulder the responsibility of leading the team.”

Chong Wei, who also won the Korean Open earlier this month, added that winning a third straight All England title would represent his best possible start in the year but it will not be easy.

“Winning in Korea and the Malaysia Open last week has certainly raised my spirits and confidence and it would be nice to win the All England for the third time.

“But it won’t be easy because the Chinese players have been studying my game and will certainly bounce back stronger,” Chong Wei said after the launch of his autobiography titled “Dare to be a Champion” at the Kuala Lumpur Sports Arena.

“The title of the book is supposed to tell a message that even though I’ve tasted numerous defeats in my career, I never give up.

“It also documents my journey from the junior level to where I am today. Hopefully, it will inspire the younger players to strive and perform better.”

Among the guests of honour at the book launch were National Sports Council (NSC) director general Datuk Zolkples Embong, National Sports Institute (NSI) chief executive officer Datuk Dr Ramlan Aziz and former Penang Chief Minister Tan Sri Dr Koh Tsu Koon.

The Thomas Cup qualifiers will be held in Macau next month.