Thursday, November 29, 2007

Shopping During Big Sales

How often do you go shopping? Be it window shopping or actual buying of stuff you like. Do you go during Big Sales period or you rather shop with peace knowing not many people will patronise those shopping centres during non-peak period.

In Malaysia, during those Mega Sales during mid-year or end of the year holidays, you could sense how big is the crowd just by entering the basement car parks. Normally, I'll drop by Mid Valley for my stuff. But this megamall's car park is definitely not enough for the crowd that it could draw. My worst experience was 30 minutes going round and round.

During those Mega Sales time, you could every shops reducing their prices/giving discounts to clear their stocks in anticipation of the arrival of new stocks. You could see people thronging those lowly priced items but you would still be able to have a look or touch/feel that item to see if it suits you.

Well, in China, Carrefour in Chongqing city had a tremendous shock of their life. As known, Carrefour is famous for buying their goods in bulk which enabled them to sell it to their customers at a lower price. Carrefour displayed a notice staying that vegetable oil would be sold at 39.9 yuan instead of 51.4 yuan for a limited time, a savings of 11.5 yuan (only about US$1.50).

When the news leaked out, huge crowd started to gather for the opening of that particular Carrefour. Not knowing what to expect when the door was opened, the crowd pushed their way in and a stampede occurred. People were pushing their way through and started hunting down the vegetable oil.

End result:-
* 3 customers died
* 31 customers injured
* China government has banned sales promotion with time limitation

Bear in mind, even in a city like Chongqing their population could number a few millions. So, such tragedy if it happens could result in terrible stampede. Stay faraway from those Big Sales if China if you are there. You have no experience in handling such crowd......hehe

Reading: How to avoid another Carrehour stampede - Danwei
Tags: Carrefour, Chongqing, China, Mega Sales, Big Sale

Wednesday, November 28, 2007

Rioting in France

BERSIH and HINDRAF's demonstration are so far peaceful and with proper objectives.

Really just hope that whatever rally or demonstration being called won't erupted to a free for all situation like what is happening in France now. Riots that begun at Paris has overflowed to Toulouse, a city at Southern France.

It has caused injuries to 80 police officer due to bullet wounds and the streams of flying objects such as stones, fireworks and petrol bombs. Wow, this is really crazy. Malaysia doesn't need this type of riots in order to deliver a message across to the gahmen.

Hopefully the gahmen listens well after the BERSIH and HINDRAF incidents. Act if need to but not to brush off their claims/requests. By quoting "Act", I was not referring to ISA detention or impose legal actions on participants but ask what was the root of it. Will the gahmen see this point?
Tags: BERSIH, HINDRAF, Riot, ISA

Tuesday, November 27, 2007

Conman Preying on Church

This is a notice from National Evangelical Christian Fellowship Malaysia in view of All Saints' Church ("ASC") case where ASC has been duped into parting with 200 tickets meant for a luncheon supposedly to be held at Janbo Restaurant (Pudu) on 25 Dec 2007.

If you have been approached to purchase the above ticket, by a Chong Kim Kooi (mobile no. 012-6957499), in the name of God, please report to the police (a police report has been lodged on 16 Nov 2007 - police report no. PUDU/006715/07).

Tags: All Saints' Church, Naitonal Evangelical Christian Fellowship Malaysia, NECF, Janbo Restaurant, Pudu, Conman, Chong Kim Kooi

Maintaining Fitness

Though I was tired from the weekend bliss owing to the dramas' preparations, I made an effort to pay a visit to my gym. Haven't been there for the last 2 weeks due to my left's arm situation.

When the gym owner asked why I was missing for so long, I told him about my left arm. When he took a look at it, he asked when did it happen. "Three Sundays ago" I replied.

He said "You better go and check your elbow with the doctor again. If it was still swollen after 3 weeks, I suspect that it is dislocated now."

Ouch! Yeah, if you were to press on one particular spot, I would still feel the pain and I can't rest that part of my elbow on my office desk.

One question, how do you recover from a dislocated elbow?
Tags: Gym, Dislocated Elbow

Monday, November 26, 2007

Contrasting Report at Batu Caves

Normally, I will buy a copy of the STAR newspaper at a small convenience shop on the ground floor of my building and will quickly flip through the newspaper once I reach my workstation just before I start my work assignments.

This morning, the main headlines were the HINDRAF demonstration that happened on Sunday around Jalan Tun Razak / Jalan Ampang area. Far off from this place, a smaller incident happened in Batu Caves too, the place where the main Thaipusam festival is held annually.

By reading the STAR newspaper, it was understood that demonstrators was quite violent right in front of the Batu Caves' entrance and it was stated that the main gate was destroyed. There were some discrepancy that I have noticed in this report.

* The crowd was asked to disperse but they ran into the Batu Caves compound.
* It was mentioned that passing cars were hit by stones and bricks thrown at them.
* No tear gas or water cannons were used at the demonstrators during the incident.

After you have read the above, please go to Screenshots website to view the photographs that were taken at the place of said incident at Batu Caves. Judge for yourself.

Was the STAR newspaper used to distort the whole scenario????????
Tags: HINDRAF, STAR Newspaper, Batu Caves, Demonstration

Follow Mom's Advise

If you’re striking out in the game of love, it may be time to call in the ultimate dating coach: Mom. The dynamic combo of a) her keeping your best interests in mind and b) her relying on a lifetime of experience make Mom the ultimate authority on what you need to look for in a man. Need a preview of what you can expect her to tell you? Below, find some of the best bits of mom-wisdom:-

Mama says: Look for a guy who's generous
While many guys need to carefully monitor their spending habits, one who never splurges on his sweetheart may not be who Mom would consider Mr. Right-For-You. “My mother always told me that cheap’ is a first cousin of selfish’, so I should steer clear of guys who are always wanting to split the tab or unnecessarily counting every penny, says Rayna, 27, a flight attendant in Dallas, TX. “She said that guys who were cheap were just another version of selfish: mostly thinking of themselves more than thinking of others.

Emily, 24, a retail salesperson in New York, NY, said her mom had similar views and warned her against a particularly frugal man she once dated. “I once lived with a guy for a year who was a well-paid stockbroker. Even though he made nearly 10 times my salary, he always insisted on splitting all of our living costs—even including food and the expenses whenever we took a vacation together. My mom hated that he was so cheap because she thought it showed a lack of selflessness, and she warned me that marrying him would be a terrible mistake because he’d always think of himself before me or even our future kids. I ignored her, but when he got us tickets to go see a Broadway show on my birthday — one he wanted to see — and asked me to pay for my ticket, I got an inkling that Mom was right. Later his true selfishness became very apparent. I never would have wanted a lifetime of that, so I broke up with him. Should have listened to Mom from the get-go!"

Lesson learned: A guy who’s willing to make a sacrifice to treat you like a queen thinks (rightfully so!) that you deserve to feel like one.

Mama says: Look for a guy who is well-mannered
After raising perfectly polished kids of her own, Mom knows that training a grown man who is rough around the edges is a challenge that you don’t want to be saddled with. "My mother always tells me to pay close attention to a guy's manners — how he eats, if he interacts appropriately with the waitstaff, if he follows the basic principles of etiquette — when I am out on a first date with him," says Molly, 30, a radio producer in Boston, MA. “She says that if he’s off’ in any of those areas, I might want to reconsider having a future with him because she claims it’s tough enough teaching manners to children; imagine trying to teach them to an adult!’

Fran, 27, a day-care assistant in Atlanta, GA, says that her mother never approved of her ill-mannered ex, and now she understands why: "When my mom first met my ex we were out to dinner and he talked with his mouth full the entire evening, didn’t know which silverware to use, and when dinner was over, he never thanked them for it. She assured me his behavior was indicative of future situations that would embarrass me in other social situations. I thought she was totally overreacting and being way too judgmental, but I later discovered that she was right. Any time we were out with friends his manners would always mortify me. Eventually I found myself making excuses for why we couldn’t meet friends out. I finally stopped canceling plans with friends and ended things with him. Mom was right—a poorly-mannered guy who isn’t making an effort to improve in that area makes for a bad boyfriend!”

Lesson learned: A guy who knows the appropriate ways to act in social situations (or is eager to train up) will never embarrass you.

Mama says: Look for a guy who’s industrious
Have you ever met a mom who wishes that her daughter would date a lazy guy? Didn’t think so. When it comes to recommending you seek out a hardworking guy, Mom knows what you might not always understand: A guy with a good work ethic will always take care of her little girl. "My mom told me that I should only date guys who are hardworking at their jobs, because that would be a good indicator of whether he would as a husband be a good provider for me and our kids, says Paula, 25, a nursing student in Washington, D.C. While Linda, 33, a catering services representative in Villanova, PA, said her mother also recommended looking for a man with a strong work ethic, her mother’s advice involved looking beyond the workplace: "My mother told me to look for a guy who not only worked hard on the job, but also at home. She always told me to make sure he was willing to do his share of taking out the trash and helping out with the cooking and cleaning, too. She probably advised this because she raised five kids and kept up the house without the help of a husband who was willing to do those things, and it wore her down! Pretty solid advice, I think.

For many mothers, industriousness and maturity go hand in hand (and you know Mom always warns you against those Peter Pan types): “My mother hated this one guy I dated who was habitually — and happily — unemployed, says Becky, 28, a computer programmer in Vienna, VA. “He’d veg out on the couch all day, playing video games and order pizza while I worked to support us both. Mom would always ask me, Do you really think this will change once you get married? Why have kids? You’ve already got one!’ and she’d urge me to find a guy with some semblance of a work ethic. Eventually I took her words to heart and started making sure that any guy I dated was not only gainfully employed, but had career goals for his future. Mom was right—an industrious guy is a mature guy."

Lesson learned: A guy with a good work ethic, who always does his best to make your life together comfortable, is a solid partner.

Mama says: Look for a guy who's flexible
Mom knows that life is full of ups and downs, which is why she always wants you to meet a guy who can help you make lemonade should life hand you lemons. “My mom’s number one piece of advice for me when I was dating was to find a guy who was adaptable, because she said life requires that we all be able to roll with the unexpected, says Megan, 34, a web administrator in Moreno Valley, CA. Stacey, 28, a public-relations coordinator in Ft. Myers, FL, says that she realized how valuable her mom’s similar advice was when she was faced with a career opportunity: “I once dated a guy who was very set in his ways and pretty unwilling to deviate from his ideas of the way things should be. My mom would always say, How are you going to live the rest of your life with someone who can’t handle all of the things that life throws at you?’ When I got my dream job that involved moving to another town, he refused to budge. I took her advice and went without him, and it was the best decision I ever made. I can’t even begin to imagine what my life would be like if I had stayed like he wanted to. Mom was right—sometimes in life you need to be willing to reconsider your rules.

Lesson learned: Life’s full of both rain and shine—having a partner who can weather both with you is a keeper.

Mama says: Look for a guy who loves children
If you dream of a future filled with kids, Mama will always be the first one to tell you that you’d best look for a man who wants the same thing. Dana, 32, a teacher in New York, NY, says she always knew she wanted four children, and her mother always advised that she look for a guy who was on the same page: “My mom always told me to not only never considering dating a guy who didn’t want to have kids, but to also make sure that the one I picked really loved being around children. She always said that I should never want to be with the kind of guy who I’d have to convince or beg to have kids because he’d probably make a not-so-hot father anyway. Even if you’re not sure you’re ready for a brood of babies, chances are Mom will still tell you that picking a guy who enjoys being around children is a good idea. “My mom says that men who are good with kids are always good-hearted men because they are giving people,’ says Ashleigh, 23, a store manager in Akron, OH. “She always tells me that men who like kids are the sweetest kind, and in my dating experience, I’ve found that she’s totally right.

Lesson learned: Whether you want kids or not, in general, men who like kids are kind-natured souls.
(Love: Follow Mom's Advise by Chelsea Kaplan)
Tags: Mom's Advise, Frugal, Selfish, Well-Mannered, Industrious, Flexible, Children

Sunday, November 25, 2007

Preparations for the Dramas

This is the place where I'll be stationed for all the 5 dramas, up at the balcony. That's my laptop besides the desktop monitor. Have to sync with the PA system to show those video clips that we act compiled. That's one of our sound engineers concentrating on the drama this afternoon.




This is part of the PA system, the mixer, that I'm still trying to comprehend. Never mind, just leave it to those technical guys to handle it.
Tags: Christmas Drama, Christmas, PA System, Sound Engineer

Pattaya International Fireworks Festival

Pattaya is definitely firing up its presence internationally. Covid19 has hit many nations really hard and Pattaya wasn't exempted from ...