Upgrading completed on alexleow-kimmy blog (Updated)

Hi All,

Please be brought to attention that the upgrading service has finally completed. The official address to this website is http://www.alexleow-kimmy.com/ However, if you type http://alexleow-kimmy.com/ or http://alexleow-kimmy.blogspot.com/ , you are still able to go in but will be directed to http://www.alexleow-kimmy.com/

(Updated): For your information, if you are searching for alexleow-kimmy quick links, it had been removed until further notice. This is because the LABELS inside the main page has done the job of seperating the topics. There's still main page links available in case you click on any of the LABELS link and UNABLE TO FIND the main page link. Thanks!

Regards,
Alex Leow
Blog Owner

Leisure & Lifestyle: What is SmartTag, How It Works & Useful To You?

What Is SmartTag, How It Works & Useful to you?

Okay. Let me get started with this topic. First of all, do you know what is SmartTag? SmartTag is a device (refer picture above) who needs to be attached with a Touch N Go card and it enhances the convenience and efficiency of paying for low-value but high frequency transactions.It is able to reduce the transaction time effectively at the point-of-usage and eliminate the hassle of preparing small change for the fare. Are you clear with the point?

Next we are going to take a look at how it works. When you have purchase the SmartTag, you can now insert your Touch N Go Card into the device and start using it. You can purchase the SmartTag device at selected toll plazas. Info http://www.touchngo.com.my When you are going to pass by the toll gates, remember to look for the signboard SMART TAG and only uses that LANE. When you pass by, remember to take out or display your SmartTag Device as the device will communicate with the toll device using the infrared technology. REMEMBER A REMINDER TO ALL, once you drive along the SmartTag lanes, please drive at the speed of 40km/ph or less to enable the device to communicate with the infrared. Once it had been detected each other, the toll barrier will open automatically and you are ready to GO!

Last but not least, is it useful to you? My advice is for those who offen uses the toll plazas should purchase the SmartTag. The reason is you may skip the queues and save your time. The price of the SmartTag is RM100 if you reload RM100 (purchase at selected toll plazas). Info http://www.touchngo.com.my. You also may reload the Touch N Go card at selected petrol stations, selected toll plazas & selected banks also offering the services with an additional charges of RM0.50 (except toll plazas with no extra charges). I have been using it for 4 years now and I found it very convinient. Why not you try it? Give me some feedback on it and share with others who also want to purchase the SmartTag. RATING: 5/5

Politics: Penanti By-Election Results: What the outcome of Penanti by-election means

What the outcome of Penanti by-election means

KUALA LUMPUR, June 1 — The result was expected but not the voter turnout. As expected Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) candidate Dr Mansor Othman won the Penanti by-election after getting 6,052 votes, defeating three independent candidates – Aminah Abdullah, Nai Khan Ari and Kamarul Ramizu Idris with a majority of 5,558 votes. What was unexpected was the turnout at the end of the polling period which stood at only 46.15 per cent. Only 7,100 of the 15,384 voters came out to vote in the by-election – a sharp fall from the 82.1 per cent voter turnout recorded during the last general election. Many political analysts and party machinery were taken aback as they had expected a turnout of between 60 to 70 per cent, but instead it turned out to be “the lowest voter turnout in election history”. Political analyst Dr Sivamurugan Pandian of the Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) said the outcome showed that PKR hardcore supporters came out in full force to vote, confirming recent studies which suggested that both PKR and UMNO had between 30 to 35 percent hardcore support in the constituency. “Although it is not good for the election process (lower turnout) and PKR did not achieve the target voter turnout of between 65 to 70 per cent, the higher majority they got did indicate that their supporters came out in full force to vote as compared to the last general election,” he said.

Also, though the Barisan Nasional (BN) did not contest the by-election, it had to study and learn from it, such as how PKR could effectively mobilise their supporters to come out to vote and continue with their offensive campaigning, even when their main contender was not contesting.
The BN decided not to contest the by-election because it felt that the vacancy was due to flippant reasons. “BN has to evaluate the strategy used by PKR, who managed to bring out their hardcore supporters in bigger numbers compared to before. During the last election, PKR had won the state seat partly due to the swing from the BN supporters to it, which gave Fairus (Mohammad Fairus Khairuddin), its candidate then, almost a 2,000 majority. In this election, however, it is clear that the votes were from their own hardcore supporters,” he said. Another political analyst, Dr Oh Ei Sun, said the outcome of the by-election was less meaningful as basically it was a walkover as the major opposing force did not take part. “To some degree there was a contest, but basically it’s a walkover. Both the Pakatan and BN can interpret it any way they want but basically it is meaningless,” he said. Dr Oh said PKR would interpret the winning in more ways while the BN could say the low turnout showed that the people were not in favour of such by-elections.

The only interesting point in this by-election, he said was that despite the three independent candidates losing their deposit, they still managed to garner a combined total of five per cent of the votes. “We thought that they were insignificant all this while, but they did manage to get some votes. This has raised some questions and showed that PKR needs to have better coordination between their national, state and local leaders and look at internal party sentiments,” he said. On the other hand, several political leaders, especially from BN argued that the high majority obtained by the PKR candidate could not be used as a yardstick as he had won it against independents. “In today’s politics, independents actually have no place, unless they are very much liked by the people. Independents by-large are politics of yesterday and if you win against them, it actually doesn’t mean anything,” said Penang Gerakan chairman Datuk Dr Teng Hock Nan. – Article taken from Bernama 01/06/09 & pictures by TheNutGraph.

Best Of TVB Drama: The King Of Snooker 桌球天王

Title: The King of Snookers 桌球天王

Cast: Adam Cheng, Niki Chow, Patrick Tang, Joyce Tang, Derek Kwok, Benz Hui, Halina Tam

Episodes: 20

Release date: 30 March 2009

Filmed: August 2008

Producer: Tong Kei Ming

Scriptwriter: Suen Ho Ho & Lo Mei Wan

Genre: Modern

Synopsis

The all-conquering snooker player YAU YAT KIU (Adam Cheng) takes everyone by surprise when he suddenly retires from the snooker world. This comes as a huge disappointed to his daughter YAU KA KAN (Niki Chow), who has always wanted to follow in his footsteps. She feels bewildered too, for although KIU pretends he does not care about the snooker any more, he has set up an extremely difficult game in his restaurant. His purpose cannot be more obvious: he is waiting for someone to solve the game. KIU comes to know KAN TSZ HIM (Patrick Tang) by chance. Noticing his flair for the snooker, KIU decides to make an exception for HIM and teaches him all he knows about the game. Later, KAN manages to persuade her father into taking her in as well. HIM fancies KAN, but she is fond of LUI KIN CHUNG, KIU’s bitter foe (Derek Kwok). CHUNG is a crafty person. In order to win the game, he fools around with HIM’s aunt CHIN TO TO (Joyce Tang), who is also HIM’s manager. HIM falls out with KIU because of CHUNG. Both master and disciple come to settle their scores on a snooker-table in the end. RATING: 4/5

桌球界战无不胜的游一桥(郑少秋)突然无故隐退，令一心想继承父亲衣钵的女儿游加勤(周 丽淇)失望之餘也大感不惑，因为她眼看父亲表面上扮作不在乎桌球这回事，在自己经营的餐厅内却设下一席桌球「难局」，等待有心人前来解破。直至一天，一桥 遇上对桌球有独特天份的靳子谦(邓健泓)后，即破例收他为徒，并打算将毕生的球技传授给他，加勤央求父亲一视同仁，因此也成了子谦的师姐。子谦对加勤襄王有梦，但加勤的芳心却似乎另有所繫，那人正是视其父亲为天敌的雷建衝(郭政鸿)，他为人奸险，求夺标，不但以感情引诱子谦的姨妈兼经理人钱滔滔(滕丽名)令子谦与一桥反目成仇，最后更把两师徒逼上战枱以一桿定天下.. RATING: 4/5

FOOD HUNT: Sushi King Ikano Power Center, Mutiara Damansara

Hey folks. I am back and it's the weekend again. This time, me & kimmy went to watch movie at Cineleisure Damansara and after the movie, we decided to go for japanese food. Basically, we plan to go to Sakae Sushi but it was very packed and so we decided to change the venue to Sushi King at Ikano Power Center, Mutiara Damansara.

At the time we arrived there at Sushi King, there are a lot of people enjoying their food already but luckily there's still place available for both of us to sit. After settling down, I look at the menu and it brought to my attention that there's a Spicy Jigoku Ramen (See picture) and since it looks so attractive, I have ordered it. The portion is kinda big and can share with 2 persons as well. The taste is very delicious. RATING: 5/5.

Then me and Kimmy also ordered a temaki for ourselves. The temaki we ordered are Unagi Temaki and California Temaki (See picture). The taste was nice and the rice are very fresh indeed. You should try it. RATING: 5/5.

Finally for sushi, we took several varieties to try off including Ebikko, Hanasaki (NEW), Philadelphia Maki (NEW), Sake (Raw Salmon) & Takoyaki (Deep Fried Octopus Ball). Overall the sushi is nice and I would recommend you to take Ebikko, Philadelphia Maki and Sake. I would rate them RATING 5/5. But for Takoyaki (Deep Fried Octopus Ball), it's pretty dissapointing because it's not nice to eat. The Octopus is less and the ball is not very juicy. RATING: 2/5.

Cinema Movie: Monsters Vs Aliens

Today as promised, I have watch the movie Monster Vs Aliens at Cinelesisure Damansara and frankly the cinema is not full and there are still places available. Ok. First of all, I would like to comment about this movie. For me, the most interesting facts about this movie is about the graphics. It looks almost real and I would like to give 100% score for the crew's terrific effort of making this movie a must watch graphical movie. If you watch this movie in 3D effects, I can say you would experience very rich graphical experience delivered to your eyes. Amazing! The storyline of this movie is pretty easy to guest as you know the monsters are responsible to protect the earth from the aliens. There's a human named Susan who suddenly turned into a monster after there's a meteor hit her. Then she joined the monster (as shown on picture) to protect the earth. This also attract my attention as well. Overall, the movie is nice and I won't tell you that much until you have watch this movie for yourself. Here's my RATING: 4/5 GRAPHICS: 5/5

Jaya Supermarket Tragedy: I Heard The Loudest Thundering Sound Of My Life, Said A Resident

I Heard The Loudest Thundering Sound Of My Life, Said A Resident

PETALING JAYA -- "It was the loudest thundering sound of my life and my entire house was shaking," said a resident who witnessed the former Jaya Supermarket building in Section 14, collapse at about 5pm Thursday.The incident saw seven victims buried under the rubble while the bodies of four were extricated yesterday and Friday by a search and rescue team.A retiree Azlan Ahmad, whose house is situated next to the collapsed building which once housed the popular Jaya Supermarket said: "It was like an earth quake measuring 5 magnitude on the Richter scale when the incident happened at 5pm yesterday.

"When it happened, I was watching television in my house. When I heard the loud noise I immediately ran out to see what had happened but I could hardly see anything from where I was standing, even my cars (parked in compound) were not visible due to the billowing white dust."When I looked outside the whole area was covered with the white dust," Azlan who stays in a double storey terrace house at Jalan 14/24 here told Bernama today.Azlan said he was even considering filing a claim for compensation from the contractor because he believed the incident was caused by human error since the building was already in danger of collapsing last week.

"Demolition works were not carried out according to proper procedures. They were using excavators to knock down the walls and that was a cause for the instability of the building. I had even told my wife that the building may collapse anytime," he said."This is because they used two big excavators on top of the building and slamming the floors and walls of the building in order to break them."This unbearable noise starts from 8.30am to 7pm everyday. Even now after the building has collapsed, one can see that the two big excavators are on top of all the debris. This could be the biggest possibility causing the building to collapse," he said.Though residents were uneasy with the loud noise, nobody protested because the project was approved by the Petaling Jaya City Council, he said.Meanwhile, Tan Kim Sah, 58, who stays about 30m from the collapsed building said he too heard the loud noise and rushed to see what had happened but could only see white smoke."I have stayed here since 1960 and was able to see the building rise and collapse," said Tan who runs a food stall nearby.

Article taken from Bernama 30/05/09 1.24am

________________________________________________

My comment: It was kinda sad to learn that the building just collapse because of human error. It also causes fatalities among human where so far 4 had been killed and it would be more. In future, the contractors must be given some strict guidelines before they allow their workers to work into the building especially high rise and high risk building. Always, Malaysians never learnt about their mistakes and it just happened. Life must go on.........................

BREAKING NEWS: Seventh Body Retrieved From Debris ; Nearby residents to be evacuated

Seventh Body Retrieved From Debris; Nearby residents to be evacuated

PETALING JAYA, May 30 (Bernama) -- The body of the seventh and last victim of the collapsed Jaya Supermarket here has been retrieved from the debris.The body, which was recovered at 4pm, was found five metres from the remains of two other casualties found earlier today, said Petaling Jaya police chief ACP Arjunaidi Mohamed.He said with the recovery of the last Indonesian worker, the search and rescue operation was called off at 5pm. A deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) test will be conducted on the remains of the victims found today to identify them with the assistance of the Indonesian Embassy here, he told reporters here Saturday.

Arjunaidi said the Public Works Institute of Malaysia (Ikram) would investigate the cause of the collapse and hand over the report to the state government while the Petaling Jaya Municipal Council would clean up the area. He said occupants of 12 houses close to the building had been asked to move out for the time being as a safety measure. Petaling Jaya mayor Datuk Mohamad Roslan Sakiman said 69 occupants of 12 terrace houses close to the building had been asked to vacate their houses with immediate effect.He said the police had been notified by experts that the remaining structure of the building was unsafe and could collapse at any time."We told the occupants in Jalan 14/15 and they had agreed to move out of their houses.

"They will be staying at a nearby hotel until the demolition operations are completed. The contractor and the developer will foot the bill."We had offered them to be sheltered at the Seri Setia Hall here but they refused," Mohamad Roslan told reporters here.He said policemen and MBPJ personnel would man the houses to prevent trespassing and break-in.A house owner, Chin Yok Yin, 70, said besides paying for the hotel accommodation, the contractor would give each family RM150 daily for their expanses."This is not the question of money but our inconvenience. How could a big family huddled together in a hotel room?" he asked.Another house owner, Ong Pek Kim, said the demolition works should have been carried out in March last year."The demolition operations were carried out from 8am till 7pm everyday and were very noisy," he said.

End of Update Story as all the victims had been successfully found. We pray for them and for those who have killed in the incident. Life must go on everyday......... For more news info, please visit local newspaper website. 10q

Festivals: Happy Dumplings Festival

Zongzi (or zong) is a traditional Chinese food, made of glutinous rice stuffed with different fillings and wrapped in bamboo or reed leaves. They are cooked by steaming or boiling. They are known in Japanese as chimaki. Laotians, Thais, Cambodians, and Vietnamese (bánh tro) also have similar traditional dishes influenced by zongzi. They have also been known as "Chinese tamales" to the Western world.

Zongzi (also known as rice dumpling) is traditionally eaten during the Dragon Boat Festival (Mandarin: Duanwu; Cantonese: Tuen Ng) which falls on the fifth day of the fifth month of the Chinese calendar (approximately early to mid-June), commemorating the death of Qu Yuan, a famous Chinese poet from the kingdom of Chu who lived during the Warring States period. Known for his patriotism, Qu Yuan tried unsuccessfully to warn his king and countrymen against the expansionism of their Qin neighbors. When the Qin Dynasty general Bai Qi took Yingdu, the Chu capital, in 278 BC, Qu Yuan's grief was so intense that he drowned himself in the Miluo river after penning the Lament for Ying. According to legend, packets of rice were thrown into the river to prevent fish from eating the poet's body. Another version states that zongzi were given to placate a dragon that lived in the river.

The shape of zongzi range from relatively tetrahedral to cylindrical. Wrapping a zongzi neatly is a skill which is passed down through families, as are the recipes. Like tamale-making in Mexico and Pamonha-making in Brazil, making zongzi was traditionally a family event with everyone helping out, but that is less common now.
While traditional Chinese zongzi are wrapped in bamboo leaves, the leaves of lotus, maize, banana, canna, shell ginger or pandan leaves are sometimes used as substitutes in other cultures. Each kind of leaf imparts its own unique smell and flavor to the rice.
The fillings used for zongzi vary from region to region, but the rice used is always glutinous rice (also called sticky or sweet rice). Depending on the region, the rice may be lightly precooked by stir-frying or soaked before using.

Fillings
Skinless mung beans
Red bean paste
Jujubes
Char siu (Chinese barbecue pork)
Chinese sausage
Chinese black mushrooms
Salted duck eggs
Chestnuts
Cooked peanuts
Green beans
Dried shrimp
Scallops
Red-cooked pork
Curry
Chicken

Red bean paste zongzi take a particularly long time to prepare. The red beans used for the filling must be simmered until soft, drained, skinned, and mashed into a paste that is stir-fried with sugar.
Zongzi need to be steamed or boiled for several hours depending on how the rice is made prior to adding the fillings. Once cooked, the zongzi can easily be frozen for later consumption. Frozen zongzi are available for sale in many Chinese markets.

Jia zong (假粽): Instead of glutinous rice, mochi-like balls of glutinous rice flour (so no individual grains of rice are discernible) are used to "contain" the filling of the zong. These zong are typically smaller than most zongzi and much stickier.

Jianshui zong (碱水粽): Meaning "alkaline water zong", these are typically eaten as a dessert rather than as a main meal. The glutinous rice is treated with lye water (aqueous calcium hydroxide), giving them their distinctive yellow color. Jianshui zong typically contain either no filling or are filled with a sweet mixture (e.g. sweet bean paste). They are often eaten with sugar or light syrup.

Nonya zong (娘惹粽): A specialty of Peranakan cuisine. These zong are made in similar style with similar fillings as Southern zong. However the wrapping used is pandan leaves.

________________________________________________________

Message: I would like to wish all of you Happy Dumpling's Day. Enjoy your Chinese Glutinous Rice Dumplings. :)

Sports (Soccer): UEFA Champions League FINAL: Barcelona 2 - 0 Manchester United

Messi seals emphatic win

Manchester United discovered what it is like to lose a European Cup final as brilliant Barcelona ruled Rome on Wednesday, securing a comfortable 2-0 win. If there is any consolation in failure to become the first side to retain the trophy in the Champions League era, it is that they lost to a side as fluent and brilliant to watch as they are.

Samuel Eto'o and Lionel Messi scored the goals either side of half-time but to single those two out for special praise would be unfair on their team-mates, and particularly Xavi, who was simply awesome. For once Cristiano Ronaldo could provide no magic of his own, instead getting increasingly frustrated as defeat loomed. It was a shame really. Although having done so much damage to others down the years, he does now know how it feels. Twenty four hours earlier, Sir Alex Ferguson had spoken of reaching into the far corners of his brain for an inspiring word or two prior to kick-off. As half-time approached, that same grey matter might have preferred a word or two about Barcelona's performance. Sublime would have been one. Bewitching, mesmerising would do equally as well. For a football man like Ferguson it would have been a joy to watch if his side were not the ones trying to stop it.

The kind of football that allowed the Catalans to hit six goals past Real Madrid at the Bernabeu Stadium last month was not in evidence for the first eight minutes or so as United held sway.
However, once it began to emerge, Ferguson's side had precious few answers. The shape of the contest might have been so different had Park Ji-sung been able to snaffle the rebound after Victor Valdes had failed to hold a stinging Ronaldo free-kick. Instead, former United man Gerard Pique shot across to block what proved to be his old club's best opportunity of that opening period. Like his team, Ronaldo was clearly in the ascendancy in his personal duel with Messi.
How rapidly things changed. In the twinkling of an eye Andres Iniesta, one of the brightest starts in the Barcelona firmament, slipped a pass to Eto'o. The Cameroon striker cut inside Nemanja Vidic, then held off Michael Carrick as he prodded the ball goalward with enough strength to take it past Edwin van der Sar.

Suddenly the strategy of containment and hitting at pace on the counter-attack suggested by the inclusion of Park and the exclusion of Carlos Tevez and Dimitar Berbatov did not look such a good idea. Ferguson's team shot across the pitch, able to do little more than firefight as Messi, Iniesta and Xavi lit bonfires all around. Had a Messi flick found Eto'o in the area, it would have probably brought Barcelona's second. Rio Ferdinand's agility saved his team. Xavi curled a free-kick just wide, Vidic pumped the ball away after Van der Sar had failed to hold a cross shot, the slick passing wearing United down all the while. The arrival of Tevez at half-time had to come, and with it a more overtly offensive approach. Yet in taking such bold action, Ferguson knew he was playing right into Barcelona's hands. Xavi picked out Thierry Henry with a brilliant pass. The former Arsenal star cut inside Ferdinand with ease but could not find the finish, a similar mistake to the one that proved so costly for Arsenal in Paris three years ago.

When Xavi saw his free-kick come thumping back off a post, memories of 1999 and the mauling United nearly took at the hands of Bayern Munich sprang to mind. Yet this was different. Ferguson's team were poor until the unforgettable ending. This time they were simply ripped apart by the only team on the planet who can match them. The introduction of Berbatov midway through the second half was effectively Ferguson throwing his book of tactics out of the window and not worry about the consequences if it all went wrong. Sadly it did. Quite quickly as Xavi's curling cross dropped perfectly for Messi, who guided his header over Van der Sar.
Ronaldo's world player of the year crown was slipping and Valdes managed to get in the way of a close-range effort that would have given United some hope, as would the volley from Berbatov that followed. Berbatov had another chance too, although by then Carles Puyol had seen two efforts saved by Van der Sar. In truth, the Dutchman was his side's best player, which just about says it all. - Article taken from ESPN Soccernet 28/5/09. Rating 5/5