Pangkor Laut Resort (II)

The main reception was under renovation together with 2 other restaurants. My villa is on top of the hill.

Beautiful landscaping throughout the whole resort.

The convention area turned into a reception area. Mostly were foreigners who came in the same ferry. We were served drinks while waiting for a staff to be assigned to each customer.
This tall looking structure was actually a lift from the ground level up to the walkways to hill villas. We were given the option to climb a walkway with about 50 staircase steps or take this lift but need to walk a short steep hill. I chose the latter.

My assigned staff was a Japanese guy, named Eric, who brought us to our Hill Villa through walkways specially made to access the Hill Villas. The Pavarotti Suite was just next to my villa. This suite was where the great soprano singer, Luciano Pavarotti, stayed when he was holding a concert at Pangkor Laut Resort.
The wash basin was designed exclusively.
Sunken bath area which has an opened space (no roof).

Large villa where has a king size bed with separate wardrobe area, separate shower and w/c areas.
My villa's balcony view.
The night view of the walkways to my villa. (*to be continued)

Tags: Pangkor Laut Resort, Malaysia, Travel, Leisure, Holiday, Lifestyle

Pangkor Laut Resort (I)

Saw this thick smoke billowing somewhere in between Sungai Buloh and Rawang interchange. A fire engine overtook me going into Rawang interchange. You have to excuse the timing of the photo. Please add additional 5 hours onto it as I forgot to adjust it since I was back from Sudan (which was 5 hours behind Malaysian time).

Had been looking forward to this relaxation trip at Pangkor Laut Resort ("PLR"). Used the North-South Highway to Bidor and thereafter, the trunk roads all the way to Lumut town. Upon arrival at Lumut, went straight to register at PLR's Lumut office and was given a cooling face towel and a soothing cold drink. Your luggage is history now till you reach your villa on the other side of the island. Impeccable service.
Guided to the jetty where our air-conditioned private ferry was waiting to transport us to PLR. Fit for 40 persons but less than 20 persons were there that day.
A fishing boat having its routine trip out to the deep sea ocean.
Took us 45 minutes to reach the private island that housed PLR, just opposite of the main Pangkor Island. From afar, could see some of PLR's sea villas.

The ferry crew was piloting the ferry towards PLR's jetty. (*to be continued)

Tags: Pangkor Laut Resort, Pangkor Island, Malaysia, Travel, Leisure, Holiday, Lifestyle

Louis Vutton's Handbag

Received the pictures via email and posted them earlier but the pictures didn't worked out too well. It seems that Louis Vutton ("LV") has produced its latest handbag design. Intending to grab one?

The funny part was the subsequent picture that came with it. During the mass exodus for the Chinese New Year festival in China, you could see people using a similar handbag design as LV's. Maybe this ladies were LV's factory workers, getting a handbag each as bonus. Alternatively, you can get one of this handbag design at Petaling Street, Kuala Lumpur's Chinatown area....hehehe

Tags: Louis Vutton, LV, Handbag, Fashion

By All Means .... Marry

I recently read that love is entirely a matter of chemistry. That must be why my wife treats me like toxic waste. David Bissonette

When a man steals your wife, there is no better revenge than to let him keep her. Sacha Guitry

After marriage, husband and wife become two sides of a coin; they just can't face each other, but still they stay together. Hemant Joshi

By all means marry. If you get a good wife, you'll be happy. If you get a bad one, you'll become a philosopher. Socrates

Woman inspires us to great things, and prevents us from achieving them. Dumas

The great question... which I have not been able to answer... is, "What does a woman want?Sigmund Freud

I had some words with my wife, and she had some paragraphs with me. Anonymous

"Some people ask the secret of our long marriage. We take time to go to a restaurant two times a week. A little candlelight, dinner, soft music and dancing. She goes Tuesdays, I go Fridays." Henny Youngman

"I don't worry about terrorism. I was married for two years." Sam Kinison

"There's a way of transferring funds that is even faster than electronic banking. It's called marriage." James Holt McGavran

"I've had bad luck with both my wives. The first one left me, and the second one didn't." Patrick Murray

Two secrets to keep your marriage brimming (1) Whenever you're wrong, admit it, (2) Whenever you're right, shut up. Nash

The most effective way to remember your wife's birthday is to forget it once...Anonymous

You know what I did before I married? Anything I wanted to. Henny Youngman

My wife and I were happy for twenty years. Then we met. Rodney Dangerfield

A good wife always forgives her husband when she's wrong. Milton Berle

Marriage is the only war where one sleeps with the enemy. Anonymous

A man inserted an 'ad' in the classifieds: "Wife wanted". Next day he received a hundred letters. They all said the same thing: "You can have mine." Anonymous

First Guy (proudly): "My wife's an angel!"; Second Guy: "You're lucky, mine's still alive."

Tags: Jokes, Funny, Humor, Marriage, Wife, Husband

Interesting Letter to EPF

Red tapes and unnecessary bureaucracy do at times get on your nerves. A particular student has received a final notice from her univeristy due to overdue university fees where delays by EPF has caused her EPF withdrawal to be held on. She has written a letter directed to the EPF's Chairman. Neverending stories from EPF lately.

Haslinda’s fax to the EPF Chairman follows:
BY FAX: 03-2691 5598
Haslinda Binti Abd Karim
Puchong, Selangor
STRICTLY WITHOUT PREJUDICE

5 March 2007

Chairman
Kumpulan Wang Simpanan Pekerja
Bangunan KWSP
Jalan Raja Laut
50350 Kuala Lumpur

Attn: Tan Sri Shamsudin Osman

WITHDRAWAL SCHEME FOR EDUCATION – SELF
HASLINDA BINTI ABD KARIM

I refer to the above matter.

I wish to reiterate my case to you. I have submitted the application for EPF Withdrawal Scheme for Education – Self on Wednesday, 17th January 2007 at your Shah Alam Office (REF NO. 001100000044825). I have also forwarded all the necessary documents required by you.

Until now, I have yet to receive the said cheque and also there is no communication on your end as to when I will be getting my payment. To my horror, today, I received a “SURAT GUGUR STATUS SEBAGAI PELAJAR” letter from my University. It is really shocking as I am now in my final year and in the midst of being dropped from the STUDENT STATUS. The letter also stated that I am given until 23 March 2007 to submit the EPF cheque.

Questions:
1. WHAT HAPPENED TO MY APPLICATION? I HAVE CHECKED WITH MY FRIENDS AND THEY ARE ALSO FACING THE SAME PROBLEM!! I WAS BEING TOLD BY YOUR EMPLOYEES THAT THIS IS DUE TO THE NEW MACHINERY/EQUIPMENT BEING INSTALLED, AND THERE ARE BACKLOGS THAT DATED WAY BACK TO LAST YEAR!! THAT IS NOT MY PROBLEM OR CONCERN!! WHERE IS MY MONEY??

2. WHAT HAPPENED TO MY MONEY/CONTRIBUTIONS?? DOES THIS MEAN THAT THERE IS NO MORE MONEY IN EPF AND THAT IS THE MAIN REASON BEHIND THIS DELAY??

3. SHOULD I FAIL TO SUBMIT THE EPF CHEQUE BY 23RD MARCH 2007 TO MY UNIVERSITY, I WILL BE DROPPED FROM THE STUDENT STATUS!! IS THIS ONE OF THE WAYS THAT YOU IMPOSE IN ORDER TO CURB THE MALAYS FROM FURTHERING THEIR STUDY?? IF THIS REALLY TAKE PLACE, I WILL NOT HESITATE TO SUE YOU AS THE NEGLIGENCE ARE DONE ON YOUR SIDE AND YET I AM BEING PENALISED FOR IT. FOR YOUR INFO, WE ARE BEING CHARGED RM80.00 BY OUR UNIVERSITY FOR LATE PAYMENT PENALTIES EVEN THOUGH IT IS NOT OUR FAULT, YOU MUST BEAR THE COST!! I AM SERIOUSLY ASKING YOU TO PAY FOR IT AS THE DELAY AND HICCUPS ARE ALL YOUR DOING!! THERE IS NO USE OF GETTING NEW MACHINERY/EQUIPMENT OR EXTENDING YOUR CHAIRMANSHIP FOR ANOTHER TWO YEARS WHEN THERE IS NO NOTICABLE IMPROVEMENT IN THE EPF SYSTEM!! MAYBE WE SHOULD PRIVATISE THE EPF!!

4. I have earlier complained on 16 January 2007 on the slow and inefficient service at your Shah Alam Office which has forced me to take ½ day leave. Again, I am attaching the same letter sent to you on the above date. ONCE AGAIN, UNTIL NOW, I HAVE NOT RECEIVED ANY FEEDBACK/RESPONSE FROM YOU!!

WHAT DO YOU PEOPLE WANT ME TO DO NOW?? WHAT IS YOUR RESPONSE ON THIS MATTER?? WHERE DO WE GO FROM HERE?? AFTER READING A LOT OF COMPLAINTS IN THE NEWSPAPERS LATELY REGARDING YOUR SERVICES, I AM SERIOUSLY THINKING OF HIGHLIGHTING THIS ISSUE TO THE PRIME MINISTER PERSONALLY AS HE IS ALSO THE 1ST FINANCE MINISTER.
TREAT THIS MATTER SERIOUSLY AS IT INVOLVES MY FUTURE AND MY TRUST IN THE CURRENT, EXISTING SYSTEM!!

Yours faithfully
Haslinda Binti Abd Karim (source: Lim Kit Siang)
Tags: EPF, Malaysia

World's Priciest Homes

World's priciest homes:-
For a mere US$138 million, you can own a cozy 103-room English country home, with a panic room, marble driveways and helipads. Updown Court (left pic) in Windlesham, Surrey, has 23.5 hectares of gardens and woodlands, five pools, 22 marble bathrooms and more than 50,000 square feet of living space that comes with a bowling alley too.
2nd place: The Hala Ranch ('welcome' in Arabic), a 38.4-hectare property in Aspen, Colorado, owned by Prince Bandar bin Sultan bin Abdul Aziz, the former Saudi Arabian ambassador to the United States - a job that must pay well as the asking price is US$135 million. The 56,000-square-foot mansion has 15 bedrooms and 16 baths.

3rd place: Donald Trump's Maison de L'Amitie is up for sale at an asking price of US$125 million. He bought the estate, previously owned by health care executive Abe Gosman, in 2004 for US$41.25 million at a bankruptcy auction. The Palm Beach, Florida abode is adorned with 144.8 metres of ocean front.

Joint 4th place: At US$100 million each are Tranquility, in Lake Tahoe, Nevada, an 85-hectare estate owned by Tommy Hilfiger cofounder Joel Horowitz; and Waterfront Estate (left pic) in Istanbul, Turkey, which has a nearly 61-metre-long quay. (source: Forbes)

Tags: Lifestyle, Home, Priciest, Uptown Court, Hala Ranch, Maison de L'Amitie, Tranquility, Waterfront Estate

Blood Diamond - movie review

Blood Diamond - starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Djimon Hounsou, Jennifer Connelly, Arnold Vosloo & Michael Sheen. When I read how this movie has stirred some controversies and protest from African nations it got me to get this movie. The movie doesn't tell you about the diamond industry in the African continent but a similar tale that could happen in any of those African nations. Why the name Blood Diamond - it's where human blood are sacrificed in order to get your hands on those diamonds which have been extracted illegally with brutal slavery as well.

Leonardo acted as a scrupulous diamond dealer from South Africa that went into Sierra Leone. He happened to hear about rare diamonds found at a certain riverbed and got hold of a local guy who was forced by illegal miners to mine at that area. A lady reported bumped into their illegal venture and love blossomed too between her and Leonardo.

In the midst of a civil war commotion, they risked their lives to mine and cover the story respectively. The local guy did it to save his family by getting them out from the country. Leonardo did it due to his hunger for a bigger stone. The reported was there due to her passion for her work. A remarkable story and though each movie may exaggerate certain part of the story, it's still a prevalent situation in Democratic Republic of Congo where illegal mining of diamonds fund conflicts in DR Congo. It's where 1,000 people die everyday fueled by diamond smuggling.

In the early days of 1990s, different factions in countries like Angola, Liberia, Ivory Coast, the Democratic Republic of Congo and the Republic of Congo (also known as Congo Brazzaville) were funded by diamonds being sold to the world even though the mining process of brutal slavery. In a way, the world was funding the civil wars in those countries listed as above.

You can play a part too to help the situation in Africa as in before buying diamonds consumers should ask retailers for their policies on conflict diamonds and for certification that their diamonds were mined and sold legitimately.

Reading: The lure of Sierra Leone diamonds - BBC News (you'll learn more about how it affects the livelihood of the people in Sierra Leone)

Reading: Conflict Diamonds and the DR Congo - World Vision

Tags: Movies, Cinema, Review, Blood Diamond, Leonardo DiCaprio, Djimon Hounsou, Jennifer Connelly