One Sen Story

For Malaysian, beginning April 1, 2008 will see a major change in its use of currency where the one sen coin would be slowly phased out. It is not an April fool gimmick. In fact, only 5 sen and 10 sen coins will be made available. The 1 sen coins will still be accepted at local banks while the coin is still in the circulation.

For any banking transaction including any transaction for shopping, transaction less than 2 cents will be set to zero cent. Transaction between 3 and 4 sens will be rounded up to 5 sens. Transaction between 8 and 9 sens will be rounded up to 10 sens.

The reason for phasing out the 1 sen coin is that the 1 sen coins become of lesser value to people now and most people tend to discard them.

Previously the RM500 notes, RM1000 notes and RM1 coins were withrawn from the market. The RM1 coins which were first issued in 1989 were withdrawn on Dec 7, 2005.

The removal of RM50 and RM1000 notes was on July 1, 1999. Thus, the highest legal note is the RM100.

Gurney Drive

Gurney Drive, Penang has seen rapid development.


New residential and commercial area being developed on a Landfill area.

New Gadget

They have come up with some kind of Lady Bag. Wish that man out there will have those indicators to alert them that their pen, watch, house keys are left at home just before they went off to work.

Another Crane Disaster

Another crane accident occured just 10 days after a similar incident in New York in which seven people died. The crane collapsed at a high-rise construction site in Miami, Florida killing two people and injuring at least four others. The crane fell on top of an unoccupied home used as an office at the site of the 50-storey tower on Biscayne Bay. The crane gave away while workers tried to extend the crane.

Skyrocketing Fuel Price

Thank goodness that we are living in Malaysia where the government subsidized some portion of the fuel price. In Malaysia, the petrol price is fixed at Rm1.91 per liter. In Malaysia we don't feel the pinch of rising fuel cost. Whereas in the US, the fuel price is more than USD3.50 per gallon. Just for conversion, 1 US gallon = 3.78541178 liters. Using this conversion, for 1 US gallons, in Malaysia, the pump fuel price is aroung RM7.00 as compared to about RM12.00 in the U.S. The lower cost for Malaysian is because the government spend billions of ringgit annually to subsidized the price difference.

In the U.S., the fuel price varies depending on the fluctuation of the market price of fuel. Users have to pay the fuel price without any subsidy and they have to bear the skyrocketing price due to the rising in fuel cost.

With the increase in fuel cost, users will cut down on the trips or they have to use other alternatives such as public transport which is much cheaper.

Mishap

An Eagle Ray that suddenly jumped out of the water and killed a Michigan women. The women was riding in a boat in the Florida Keys, Florida.

Gusset Plates

The Minneapolis freeway bridge that collapsed Aug. 1, 2008 shows a section of the steel-truss framework known as the U10 node from the bridge's west side in. The caused of the bridge failure is due to the inadequate thickness of the steel plates at this section, known as gussets. The Gussets fail to carry the extra loading on the bridge.

The failed Gusset plates which sent commuters into the Mississippi river.

Nature

There are several new species discovered in the deep ocean recently. The expedition in the antartic ocean found new extraordinary species that were never found before.

Saving Fuels

In a move to save fuels due to rising fuel costs, truckers are voluntarily or forced to slow down their big-riggers. By reducing their speed, they will help their company saves on record high diesel prices. As of now, the current diesel price in the U.S. is USD4.00 per gallon.

The move to reduce speed will also reduce the accident rate nationwide.

RFID

Wondering about how RFID technology is affecting your lifestyle and your privacy. Check out the Benefits and Disadvantages of RFID technology.

Squat Toilet

China is going in the direction of a modern country but there is a little bit of problems arising due to the prevalent use of Squat-Toilet which is widely used throughout Asia. The problem occurs at the Olympic venues where Western athletes and Western visitors are not used to the squatting toilet find it the most difficult things to deal with.

The Chinese Authorities will spend million of dollars in order to ensure enough supply of sitting-down toilet to be provided throughout the Olympic avenues. This is the opportunities for the Chinese to speed up the transition tradition from using the squatting toilet to using the sitting-down toilet.

Thosai

Thosai is sometime called by the name of dosa, dose, etc. It is an alternative to cholesterol-laden roti canai. it is a typical South Indian breakfast meal. It is also a popular menu at Mamak Nasi Kandar. Instead of only for breakfast, it is popular for anytime of the day meal especially in the evening.

Thosai sometimes is extremely bland, i.e. without enough salt. Sometimes it comes sour (with usad beans or black lentils).

The batter is made overnight to allow it to ferment. The accompaniment is usually coconut chutneys which is made of coconut.

There are several varieties of Thosai.

• Pancake or bread - include eggs in mix
• Masata Thosai - includes vegetables
• Maida Thosai - the rice is replaced with wheat flour
• Rava Thosai - The rice is replaced with selima
• Cheese Thosai - Stuffed with cheese
• Paper Thosai - the most popular - very thin and shaped into a sharp Merlin hat.

How to make Thosai.

Mixed in any amount and make sure the proportion between the rice and black peas should be either 3 cups rice to one cup peas or two cups rice to one cup peas. Add salt and a handful of overnight cooked rice into the batter and grind them before putting it in a warm area for several hours to ferment. Put in refrigerator before you sleep at night and look forward to spreading it on your hot skillet the next morning.

Safety at Work Site

In NEW YORK, a crane mounted to the side of a skyscraper under construction toppled, smashing into a block of apartment buildings, killing at least four people and setting off a scramble for survivors in the rubble.
The crane split into pieces as it fell, pulverizing one small, brick apartment building and demolishing parts of several other buildings on Manhattan's East Side.
About 19 of the planned 44-story condominium had been erected, and the crane was scheduled to be extended Saturday so workers could start work on a fresh story.
A piece of steel fell and sheared off one of the ties holding it to the building, causing it to detach and topple, said an owner of the Reliance Construction Group.
In order to avoid such an accident, the crane should have additional holding ties in case any one of the ties give way and the crane is still standing.

Watch Your Pants Folks

In Florida, the Florida Senate wants public school students to pull up their pants. Lawmakers passed a bill Thursday that could mean suspensions for students with droopy britches.

Florida could join several southern U.S. towns and cities that have passed "saggy pants" laws aimed at outlawing what some teenagers consider a fashion statement -- wearing pants half way down their buttocks, exposing flesh or underwear.

The reason for passing such a law is due to the fashion statement back-story -- it was made popular by rap artists after first appearing among prison inmates as a signal they were looking for sex. The law is meant to inform the students that the current fad does not have a very good origination.

The school should set a good example to students and the school would help students get jobs and a degree.

The Florida city of Riviera Beach passed its own saggy pants law Tuesday, with a maximum penalty of 60 days in jail for repeat offenders.

Erasmus

Erasmus (1466 to 1536)

"In the country of the blind the one-eyed man is king"

"If you keep thinking of what you want to do and what may happen, you don't do it, and it won't happen"

"No-one respects a talent that is concealed"

Okay or Not Okay

"Everything will be Okay in the end, and if it is still not okay than it is not the end."

Rowing Lesson

"If you could get all the people in an organisation rowing in the same direction, you could dominate any industry, in any market, against any competition, at any time."

-Patrick Lencioni

15 Basic Lessons

Bennis Warren's 15 Basic Lessons that helped Great Group achieve success:

1. Greatness starts with superb people
2. Every Great Group has a superb leader
3. Great Groups and great leaders create each other
4. The leaders of Great Groups love talent and know where to find it
5. Great Groups are full of talented people who can work together
6. Great Groups think they are on a mission from God
7. Every Great Group is an island - but has a bridge to the mainland
8. Great Groups see themselves as winning underdogs
9. Great Groups always have an enemy
10. People in Great Groups have no distractions
11. Great Groups are optimistic, not realistic
12. In Great Groups, the right person has the right job
13. The leaders of Great Groups give them what they need and free them from the rest
14. Great Groups always deliver a product
15. Great work is its own reward

Anonymous

"Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the number of movements that take our breath away" (Anonymous)

Visionary!

Visionary Leadership

What is Visionary?

-far sighted
-imaginative
-creative
-inventive

What is Leadership?

-Management
-Guidance
-Direction
-Headship
-Control what is going on

So What is Visionary Leadership?


"Notable Visions"

• President Kennedy and his desire to put a 'Man on the Moon'
• Harold Wilson, Prime Minister of UK in 1960s, and his desire to establish the Open University
• James Dyson and his belief in cyclones for efficient vacuum cleaners