Military Band Competition 2007

I was a member of PGS military band from 1995 to 2000. ooopss....don't guess on my age. I'm always 21 years old.

Once you worked in other places, you don't have much time to contact with your juniors or get the latest information from them. Actually, I'm wondering what is their coming competition or any activities that seniors can take part for it. It's been quite sometimes that I did not go back to my secondary school to pay them a visit. Feel sorry to all teachers and juniors.

Sam Tet was the winner of this competition in 2007

Triumph!!!

SM Ave Maria Convent - 2nd Winner

SM Tuanku Abdul Rahman - 3rd Winner

SMK Perempuan Perak (Perak Girls' School) - great job!!!

Though they did not win any title in this competition, they have given so much effort to prepare for this battle. Must give them a big clap.

Eight new sites, from the Straits of Malacca, to Papua New Guinea and San Marino, added to UNESCO’s World Heritage List

The World Heritage Committee meeting in Quebec City has added eight new cultural sites to UNESCO’s World Heritage List on the morning of the 7 of July. With these inscriptions, Papua New Guinea and San Marino enter the World Heritage List for the first time.

The new sites inscribed are:

Melaka and George Town, historic cities of the Straits of Malacca (Malaysia) have developed over 500 years of trading and cultural exchanges between East and West in the Straits of Malacca. The influences of Asia and Europe have endowed the towns with a specific multicultural heritage that is both tangible and intangible. With its government buildings, churches, squares and fortifications, Melaka demonstrates the early stages of this history originating in the 15th-century Malay sultanate and the Portuguese and Dutch periods beginning in the early 16th century. Featuring residential and commercial buildings, George Town represents the British era from the end of the 18th century. The two towns constitute a unique architectural and cultural townscape without parallel anywhere in East and Southeast Asia.

(sources from http://whc.unesco.org/en/news/450 , dated 7th July 2008, Monday)

Petrol stations in Penang rescind ban on credit cards

GEORGE TOWN: Some of the 200-odd petrol stations here have started to reaccept credit cards from motorists as a method of payment after a “stand-off” of more than 15 hours.

Shell petrol station operator Seraz Ahmad, 45, said he started to accept credit card payments from motorists at his station in Jalan Mesjid Negri after being advised by the petroleum company at about noon yesterday.

Credit crunch: A handwritten sign posted on one of the pumps at a petrol station in Light Street, Penang saying cash transactions only.

“I am glad to put the matter behind me as many of my customers have complained about the move. I hope an amicable solution will be found to resolve our problem of earning less profit following the recent fuel price hike.”

A check on Penang Island also revealed that Caltex and Petronas petrol stations have started reaccepting credit card payments but not Esso and Mobil.

Mobil Stations Malaysia deputy president Roslan Jamaludin said the 20-odd stations in the state have yet to rescind their earlier decision of not accepting credit cards, as there was no directive from the Petroleum Dealers Association of Malaysia to do so.

More than 400 petrol stations in the northern region decided to enforce the no-credit-card-payment move after the association instructed its members nationwide to do so on Tuesday.

(sources from http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2008/6/26/nation/21658332&sec=nation ,dated 26 June 2008)

Credit card refusal draws ire

GEORGE TOWN: Motorists here are fuming over the sudden move by petrol stations here as well as Kedah and Perlis to refuse payment by credit and fleet cards.

The decision was made following a meeting in Butterworth at 3.30pm yesterday to discuss a circular by the Petroleum Dealers Association of Malaysia, which had sent out a notice to 3,200 members nationwide advising them to refuse all cards.

More than 400 stations in the northern region decided to enforce the move and started refusing the payment from midnight.

In the meeting, Mobil Stations Malaysia deputy president Roslan Jamaludin said petrol station operators could no longer shoulder the burden of the card charges.

Sorry, no credit: Workers informing a customer that only cash would be accepted at a petrol station in Tajung Tokong, Penang on Tuesday.

“We lose nearly 50% of our profit to card transactions. How are we going to cut costs if everyone uses cards for their purchase?” he asked.

He added that operators agreed to this “business decision” for “long-term survival” and to highlight their plight to the Government.

Motorist Zafran Zakri Mohamad, 37, said the petrol station operators should not be heartless.

“We are struggling to cope with the recent increase in fuel price. We thought we could depend on credit cards when we run out of cash.

“But now we cannot not even use credit cards. And to impose such a ruling at a time of month when most people are running out of cash is really unacceptable,” said an irate Zafran.

Car rental agent Kintan Natasuri Aziz, 40, who uses the fleet card, said the new ruling would pose much inconvenience to him, as he has to travel outstation to send and pick up cars for rental.

“We also do not carry much cash,” he said.

Another motorist, Maisarah Khairul Anuar, 27, said that if petrol station operators were unhappy with the interest imposed by the banks then they should take it up with banks.

“They should not make consumers suffer,” she said.

Ryan Tang, 31, a graphic designer, said it was not right to immediately implement such decision without giving prior notice to customers.

“What if we run out of petrol after midnight when the ATMs are closed and we cannot withdraw money?” said Tang.

(sources from http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2008/6/25/nation/21651237&sec=nation , dated 25 June 2008)

Rebates for vehicle owners from Saturday

PUTRAJAYA: Those who renewed their road tax in April and May and are eligible for cash rebates can get the payment from all post offices beginning Saturday.

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi said although the Government had announced that cash rebates could only be collected beginning July 1, it had decided to bring forward the date.

“This is because we want to ease the burden of the rakyat. Detailed information on the actual procedure will be announced soon,” he told reporters after chairing the first National Inflation Council meeting at his office here yesterday.

On June 4, Abdullah had announced the new fuel price of RM2.70 a litre for petrol and RM2.58 a litre for diesel.

In line with this, private vehicles of engine capacity of 2,000cc and below will enjoy a RM625 rebate, which will be paid to them upon renewal of their road tax.

Private pickup trucks and jeeps with engine capacity of 2,500cc and below will also receive the rebate. Owners of motorcycles of 250cc and below are eligible for a RM150 rebate.

Abdullah said the meeting had also decided to increase the quota of subsidised diesel that public transport companies could buy.

“The companies have been given fleet cards to continue buying diesel at the old price of RM1.43 a litre. We have also agreed to expand the list of vehicles eligible for diesel subsidy to include factory buses and taxis using petrol.

“We are also extending the coverage of our social safety net by considering the increase of several allowances.

“The threshold of income will be raised so more Malaysians can benefit,” he said, adding that more announcements would follow.

Asked if the price of fuel would remain until next March, Abdullah replied that crude oil prices in the global market were rising too quickly.

“There are so many things we have to consider so I don’t think I will say anything now,” he said.

(sources from http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2008/6/10/nation/21504252&sec=nation, dated Tuesday June 10, 2008)

China quake: Death toll expected to rise

BEIJING: The 7.8 magnitude earthquake that rocked southwestern China Monday morning and was felt all the way in Bangkok may see tens of thousands dead.

China's state-run news agency Xinhua said in a news flash that between 3,000 to 5,000 people were feared dead in Sichuan Province's Beichuan country, which was nears the epicentre of Wenchuan County.

Wenchuan is about 145km west of Chengdu, the densely populated provincial capital.

Earlier, Xinhua quoted China's Ministry of Civil Affairs as saying the strong tremor killed at least 107 people in Sichuan's Chengdu, neighbouring Chongqing, Gansu and Yunnan provinces. Up to 900 teenagers were trapped as their middle school buildings in Dujiangyan, suburban Chengdu, partly collapsed. Rescuers were seen on TV using cranes to move away cement and steel structures.

China President Hu Jintao, back from a five-day visit to Japan, has ordered prompt rescue efforts to take care of the affected. Premier Wen Jiaobao cut short his inspection trip in central Henan Privnce and has flown to Chengdu to lead government rescue efforts.

More than 5,000 members of the armed forces and 3,000 policemen have also been rushed to Wenchuan and surrounding areas to spearhead rescue efforts.

Wen told reporters during his flight to Sichuan that the central government is closely monitoring the disaster relief work.

"I will be in charge of relief work headquarters that has been set up with eight State Council departments," Wen said.

Reporters in Juyuan town, about 60 miles from the epicentre, said that they saw trapped teenagers struggling to break loose from underneath the rubble of the three-story building "while others were crying out for help."

Two female students were quoted as saying they escaped because they had "run faster than others."

Many residents in Chengdu and elsewhere near Sichuan are expected to stay out-doors or in makeshift beds, as they fear more follow-up quakes and aftershocks.

Quake felt nationwide

In Beijing's financial district, many workers poured out from their buildings but there were no visible signs of damage. The subway system was unaffected.

"People were shouting 'get out, get out', so we all ran out of our dorm," said a student from a university in nearby Chongqing.

Reporters in many other parts of China also reported tremors.

The telecom networks in Chengdu and Chongqing were down for a while after the quake, cutting off all communications.

The quake was also felt in Zhengzhou, capital of central Henan Province, where people rushed out of homes and offices and took to the streets.

In Shanghai, people were evacuated from office buildings in Hongqiao and Nanjing Road. -- China Daily/ ANN

(sources from http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2008/5/12/nation/20080512223158&sec=nation, dated 12th May 2008)

Petrol price up by 78 sen - and will be reviewed monthly

PUTRAJAYA: The Government announced yesterday an increase in petrol and diesel prices, stating that it can no longer continue to subsidise fuel.

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi said the new prices were still at a 30-sen per litre discount from market prices.

In other words, if the market price is RM3 per litre, Malaysians will be charged RM2.70 at the pump. He said the price would be adjusted monthly based on the global oil price.

Half empty or half full?: Azhan Sharom showing the difference of how much petrol one can buy with RM1 Wednesday and today at a petrol station in Kuala Terengganu.

“Malaysians still pay lower than the market prices as far as petrol is concerned,” he told a packed press conference when announcing the restructuring of the subsidy package.

Abdullah said that although the restructuring would result in consumers having to pay more, prices were still lower compared with Singapore and Thailand.

He said the Government would save RM13.7bil through the restructuring.

From the savings, he said RM4bil would go to the National Food Supply Guarantee Policy, RM1.5bil for subsidising cooking oil and RM400mil to subsidise rice imports to make the price uniform in peninsular Malaysia, Sabah and Sarawak.

The Government would also spend RM200mil on flour subsidy, RM100mil on bread subsidy and RM7.5bil was meant for contributions to the subsidies for petrol, diesel and gas.

On top of that, Abdullah said, the Government would have to fork out RM5bil to pay to owners of cars and motorcycles eligible for rebates introduced under the restructuring of subsidy package.

“Our effort is certainly not an attempt to be popular but we try our best to help the people. We cannot satisfy everyone,” he said.

Abdullah said demand for public transport would go up with the rise in fuel prices and the Government was currently addressing the need to improve services.

He reiterated that the public should make changes to their lifestyle, saying they must ensure there was no wastage in resources such as water, energy and food.

He said if certain adjustments were made, the public would not be “too badly affected by price increases”.

He said the hike in fuel prices would cause a projected increase in inflation of around 4% to 5%. It would also have an impact on the country’s gross domestic product (GDP) growth but was confident that it could be maintained at 5% this year.

Abdullah said the Cabinet committee on anti-inflation had to come up with a system to ease the public’s burden from higher fuel prices.

“What is important is that we want to ensure the restructuring will encompass a mechanism that will protect and benefit those in the lower and middle income group.

“We are truly committed in ensuring these groups will not be burdened by the increase in petrol and food prices,” he said.

Asked if the subsidy restructuring would result in Malaysians going to the streets to demonstrate their unhappiness, Abdullah was confident the people would not resort to that.

The Changes
Price increase
Petrol – RM0.78/litreDiesel – RM1/litreElectricity:Commercial and industrial – 26%Retailers and small restaurant operators – 18% (for first 200kWh per month)Residential – new pricing structure for users above 200kWh per month
Prices effective today (per litre)
Petrol – RM2.70 (previously RM1.92)Diesel – RM2.58 (previously RM1.58)

Rebates
> RM625 per yearFor private vehicle with engine capacity of 2000cc and below, including private pickup trucks and jeeps with engine capacity of 2500cc and below.
> RM150 per yearFor each private motorcycle with engine capacity of 250cc and below
> RM200 reduction on road taxFor private petrol and diesel vehicles with engine capacity above 2000cc
> RM50 reduction on road taxFor private motorcycles with engine capacity above 250cc
Streamlined diesel subsidy(for approved transportation companies, vessel owners and fishermen)
> Diesel – RM1.43 per litre (previously RM1 per litre for fishermen and RM1.20 per litre for vessel owners)
> RM200 per month for every owner and employee of Malaysian-owned vessels registered with the Fisheries Department
> 10sen per kilo incentive for every kilogram of fish caught by registered vessels
> 10sen per litre for every litre of diesel used by river transportation operators according to approved quota
Gas subsidies restructure(for Peninsular Malaysia)
> For power producers – from RM6.40 per mmBtu to RM14.31 per mmBtu
> For industrial users (consuming less than 2mmscfd) – from RM9.40 per mmBtu to RM24.54 per mmBtu
> For industrial users (consuming above 2mmscfd) – from RM11.32 per mmBtu to RM32.56 per mmBtu

Electricity tariff restructure
> Households using 200kWh and below every month will not be affected. This covers 59% of households in Peninsular Malaysia with a monthly bill under RM43.60.
> Commercial and industrial users face 26% increase. Small retail and business outlets consuming under 200kWh per month face 18% increase.
Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) andNatural Gas for Vehicle (NGV)
> No change. Prices remain at RM1.75 per kg (LPG) and RM0.635 per litre (NGV)
Oil palm windfall tax
> For Peninsular Malaysia 15% for every tonne of CPO exceeding RM2,000
> Sabah and Sarawak 7.5% for every tonne of CPO exceeding RM2,000 > Abolition of cess tax

Service tax threshold for restaurants and eateries
> Service tax now for restaurants with annual sales of RM3mil (previously RM500,000)

(sources from http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2008/6/5/nation/21461533&sec=nation , dated Thursday June 5, 2008 )