Selasa, 23 Ogos 2011

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Dad charged with attempted murder of daughter, 4

Posted: 23 Aug 2011 11:34 PM PDT

KUALA TERENGGANU: A contractor was charged in theSessions Court here with attempted murder of his four-year-old daughter in an incident at the new Bukit Besi Expressway, Dungun, last Monday.


Shahli Harun, 42, of Guar Jumaat in Gurun, Kedah allegedly committed the act using a machete and injuring her in the throat between 1pm and 2pm near a toll plaza which was under construction.

Shahli, who now lives in Kampung Bijangga Dungun, earlier claimed he did not understand the charge and that he was of unsound mind.

However he pleaded not guilty when the charge was read a second time.


If convicted under Section 307 of the Penal Code, he can be jailed up to 10 years and fined, or up to 20 years in jail if the act caused injuries.

Deputy Public Prosecutor Masriwani Mahmud @ Mamat urged the court not to grant bail saying that the accused might harm the victim and other family members.

The victim also sustained injuries in the incident and had received out-patient treatment, Masriwani said.

Judge Zainal Abidin Kamarudin fixed Oct 3 for mention. -- BERNAMA

Wisma Putra sets up relief fund to help Somali famine victims

Posted: 23 Aug 2011 11:31 PM PDT

KUALA LUMPUR: The Foreign Ministry has set up a Relief Fund to collect donations from the public to be channeled to the victims of the drought and famine in Somalia.


Wisma Putra in a statement here today said the United Nations (UN) had declared that the drought in East Africa had reached a critical level and was badly affecting the population.

"The drought in the Horn of Africa has been described as the worst in 60 years and has already claimed the lives of tens of thousands of people in Somalia, while hundreds of thousands others are facing starvation.

"If nothing were done to overcome the crisis, it is feared that it will spread to other areas in East Africa," the statement said. The UN had also called for financial aid from the international community asabout RM3.6 billion was needed to send humanitarian aid to save more lives in the region.


As such, Wisma Putra said they welcomed donations from the public to help the victims.

"The effort reflects the Malaysian people's concern for other people in the world regardless of borders," the statement said.

Contributions to the fund can be made via cheque in the name of "Tabung Bencana Kementerian Luar Negeri" and addressed to Chief Accountant, Foreign Ministry, Tingkat 2, Bangunan WP2, No. 1, Jalan Wisma Putra, 62602 Putrajaya.

Cash donations, on the other hand, can be made at Wisma Putra or the Institute of Diplomacy and Foreign Relations.

Qualified donors will be issued with tax-exempt receipts.

For further information and enquiries, please contact Wisma Putra at 03-88874251 or 03-88892924. -- BERNAMA

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Quake sends US East Coast scrambling like 9/11

Posted: 23 Aug 2011 07:46 PM PDT

WASHINGTON: Thousands of people across the US East Coast raced frantically into the streets Tuesday as an earthquake sent shock waves of the kind last seen almost exactly a decade ago on September 11.

The US eastern seaboard has few larger earthquakes. Many workers were bewildered — and feared the worst — as their desks swayed violently and their ceilings and walls shook.

In a region days away from commemorating the trauma of the September 11, 2001 attacks, many immediately suspected terrorism as they raced down stairways to parks and street corners.


Kacie Marano, who works at a think-tank two blocks away from the White House, said that she worried that the earthquake could be something more sinister as the alarms went off and her books fell on the floor.

"Initially, I wasn't sure it was an earthquake," she said as she waited in a downtown park. "When we're so close to the White House, you always have to think whether it's an earthquake or something else."

Kassandra Meholick, who works several blocks from the US Congress, said: "I thought for sure the Capitol was bombed."


Many people in parks asked one another where they were on September 11, 2001. But unlike 10 years ago, the mood was more festive as people learned that there was little major damage.

Several bars in Washington smelled a business opportunity and declared earthquake happy hours for residents who did not want to brave the commuter crowds — or who were suddenly given the afternoon off.

"We have a lot of people who got half the day off and we've been busy all day," said Lauren Smith, a bartender at The Ugly Mug bar on Capitol Hill which was offering drink specials.


Many major institutions from schools to the Smithsonian museums closed for the day, some in hopes of easing pressure on commuters. Mass-transit systems around Washington, Baltimore and Philadelphia reported major delays, though trains ran closer to schedule in the New York area.

Julia Allman, an intern at an office in central Washington, was outside when the earthquake struck and suddenly saw people rushing out.

"I was thinking it could be a burglary," she said.

In New York, office worker Juan Ramos had another explanation.

"I saw my cup of coffee shaking, but I thought nothing of it. I had just donated blood so I thought I had not recovered my equilibrium," he said.

At magnitude 5.8, the earthquake was the largest with an epicenter in Virginia in more than 100 years.

"Just last week I was joking to someone about how we never get earthquakes here," said Kareem Webb, who works at a Washington law firm. "At first I thought it was trees falling or something. It was a sudden shock."

His colleague Johnnie Hill, standing in the park, kept trying to reach his wife but the connections were shaky or he was sent straight to voice mail.

"It scared the hell out of me," Hill said. "And now the phone service is all clogged up."

In Washington, a highly international city, several residents said they had felt earthquakes elsewhere. Millie Riley, an editor for children's publications, said she once felt a tremor in Indonesia.

Riley said she was preparing a vegetable and salmon sandwich for herself on Tuesday when the walls started shaking.

"I work in a building next to an excavation, so I thought there might be a tragedy," she said.

Office workers were not the only ones affected. At a school for children with special needs in the Washington suburb of Rockville, about 20 staff and families were quickly evacuated.

Several young children were visibly shaken after the three-story building was rocked by the quake, with parents and staff trying to reassure them.

Residents were warned to be on alert for aftershocks. And even barring more tremors, the East Coast is already under another threat — Hurricane Irene is forecast to hit later this week. -- AFP

Tripoli's $400 hotel is prison to journalists

Posted: 23 Aug 2011 07:45 PM PDT

TRIPOLI, Libya: We have been in the thick of the fighting, but also cut off from it.


Dozens of us journalists have been trapped for days in the luxury Rixos Hotel, kept there by government enforcers whose weaponry has convinced us of the wisdom of staying put. Once in awhile, though, the news comes to us.

Take the reports that Seif al-Islam, a favored son of Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi and one-time heir-apparent to his desert regime, had been captured by rebel fighters as they stormed through the city.

But here he was, confident and smiling in his camouflage pants and army-green T-shirt, turning up out of the night early Tuesday at the Rixos.


He flashed a big smile and a V-for-victory sign.

"You've missed a great story. So come on with us, we're going to hit the hottest spots in Tripoli," Seif told me.

A group of journalists piled into a second car, and we followed him and his gunmen through the dark as he drove through town. He stopped occasionally to lean from the car and wave to supporters chanting government slogans.

He looked confident and defiant. Along with his father, he is wanted by the International Criminal Court on charges of crimes against humanity, but he had a message he wanted to send to the world: Gadhafi was still in power, still fighting, still had support.

We spun off to the entrance to Gadhafi's nearby headquarters, Bab al-Aziziya, where about 200 men, volunteers defending the regime, were waiting for weapons. They were chanting and screaming as they waited for the guns.

Then the gunmen took us back to the hotel.

Back to the 400-a-night prison, with a spa but no power or air conditioning, with candlelight but no romance. With the sound of machine gunfire outside and bullets whistling past the windows, smoke hovering over the Libyan capital.

We might have been in the middle of much of Tripoli's fighting, but we saw little of it close up. Other than that short interlude, we have been here for days, surrounded by the combat.

Every modern war has had its hotels serving as de facto media centers, equipped with necessary services such as telecommunications and electricity generators. In Beirut's 1980s civil war, it was the Commodore. In the Balkans, it was Sarajevo's Holiday Inn, and during the U.S. invasion of Iraq it was Baghdad's Palestine Hotel.

The hotels, considered relatively safe in a war zone, often are selected for their rooftop views of combat. They are made known to governments and rebel forces alike in the hope that both sides will deem it in their interest to respect the neutrality of the base and allow journalists to do their jobs.

But it doesn't always work out that way. A hotel on the sidelines at the start of a conflict may suddenly find itself engulfed in fighting. Or a beleaguered government may decide to restrict reporters as part of a propaganda campaign.

The Rixos has been so cut off that we often haven't even been able to tell who was in control of the streets outside. Over the weekend, the area appeared to be in government hands. As rebels approached, our minders got jittery, then belligerent.

One young gunman grew paranoid that journalists were feeding information to the rebels and began threatening us. Others simply left, in some cases shaking hands with reporters and saying goodbye. The government's main spokesman, Moussa Ibrahim, departed soon after his German wife and infant.

For a while we were alone. Then the pro-government gunmen returned, surrounding the hotel with heavy weaponry — even as rebels reportedly took Gadhafi's compound a few blocks away. We don't know for sure.

Fighting intensified Tuesday and the smell of gunpowder hangs in the thick heat, along with sweat and a little fear. When the shooting is most intense, we take refuge in the hotel's basement conference rooms.

Two satellite telephones set up on a balcony were destroyed by gunfire, so we've stopped transmitting our material. We wait and worry the gunmen could turn hostile at any moment.

There is no power and no running water. On Monday we ate bread and butter. On Tuesday, the cook made french fries. Bottled water is running low.

We don't know when it's going to end, and we see little of what happens. We weren't there when Bab al-Aziziya was captured less than 24 hours after Seif took us there. He hasn't been seen publicly since then.

So I can tell a story about trapped journalists, but the real story about what is happening to Libya is just out there.

Unfortunately, we can't cover it. -- AP

Kredit: www.nst.com.my

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Flood spoils 30-year vinyl collection

Posted: 14 Mar 2011 06:27 PM PDT

2010/11/10
Adie Suri Zulkefli
adie@nst.com.my


Tengku Nahar Tengku Mansor holds his treasured collection of Michael Jackson Thriller at his flood-ravaged house at Taman Rakyat, Alor Star. NST picture by Ramdzan Masiam

Tengku Nahar Tengku Mansor holds his treasured collection of Michael Jackson Thriller at his flood-ravaged house at Taman Rakyat, Alor Star. NST picture by Ramdzan Masiam

ALOR STAR: Flood victim Tengku Nahar Tengku Mansor, 48, was devastated when he came home to find his collection of vinyl records was soaked in mudwaters after the city was ravaged by floods last Wednesday.

The father of three only realised the irreparable damages when he returned to his house at Taman Rakyat, Jalan Sultanah Bahiyah here on Saturday after seeking refuge at a relative's home in Hutan Kampung.

Self-employed Tengku Nahar said his record collection were kept in the storeroom of his double-storey house and he had forgotten about the records when his family were rushing to evacuate the house last week.


"I was busy moving our furniture to the upper-floor when the flood started to reach our doorstep last Wednesday. I forgot about the records that was stacked in a box which I placed on the floor of the store room," said crestfallen Tengku Nahar.

Tengku Nahar said he may salvage the vinyl records but the album covers were spoilt.

His collection includes evergreens and superstars the likes of Bee Gees, Dan Hill, Neil Young, David Gates, Kim Carnes, Cliff Richard, Nat King Cole, and Graham Nash.


Tengku Nahar began collecting the vinyl records in the 1970s, and he loved each of them dearly.

"This is the precious collection of my life, I simply could not believe that I forgot about them when we were leaving the house," he added.

Tengku Nahar had lived in Langkawi for over 20 years before moving back to his hometown in Alor Star two months ago.


"I had never expected this area would be inundated by flood as it was never badly affected even during the major flood in 2005. I certainly hope that it would not occur again," he said.

He thanked the volunteer rescuers for helping them in the evacuation process.

"I didn't realise how serious the situation was until the rescuers arrived at 11pm on Thursday telling us to leave the house as the authority was about to cut-off the electricity supply on safety ground," he said, sharing his first experience with flood disaster.

Tengku Nahar said he was planning to frame all the vinyl record and have them hung on the wall but did not have the time to do so.

He only managed to frame his most treasured album 'Thriller', by the late King of Pop Michael Jackson. "At least I still have this."

Nation needs DNA banks, says lead CSI

Posted: 09 Mar 2011 10:50 AM PST

2010/12/08
By Nor Hidayati Mokhtar

SHAH ALAM: Malaysia needs to build DNA banks or repositories to assist in solving crimes and prosecuting cases, according to a senior forensic police officer.

Head of the Police Forensic Lab's Crime Scene Unit (CSU) Supt Amidon Anan said the ability to collect DNA at crime scenes often proved futile as the forensic lab had only a limited bank of samples.

"Having the DNA is useful if we have suspects we can match the samples against. But we are unable to use the samples to help us find potential perpetrators as we don't have DNA banks like what you see on the television series CSI," said Amidon.


He was speaking to students from UiTM's Faculty of Communication and Media Studies on the topic, 'Crime as the elective subject' at the campus here on Oct 5.

The need to create and develop DNA banks was critical, said Amidon, given the high public expectations on the police to safeguard society and reduce crime.

He said: "DNA banks can help the CSU in many pending cases, such as Nurin Jazlin. It was sad that while we were able to collect a DNA sample from the body of the child, we had little means or resources to match it with the likely murderer," he said.


Nurin Jazlin was a high-profile case of a missing child whose body was subsequently dumped in a gym bag in Petaling Jaya more than three years ago.

Amidon expressed his frustration that the CSU's repeated requests for the establishment of DNA banks seemed to have fallen on deaf ears.

While the cost of implementing such a project would be substantial, he said it would only escalate over time and "if not now, then when?"


"It is not about being a hero in solving these cases. It is about finding justice for the victim's family."

"Having this ability to solve and prosecute cases would significantly reduce the ability of criminals to get away with their crimes," added Amidon.

(Ed: This article first appeared in Varsity Voice, a monthly publication jointly produced by the New Straits Times and Universiti Teknoogi MARA (UiTM) under the newspaper's Journalism on Campus project.)

Kredit: www.nst.com.my

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Maybank seeks expansion in Thailand

Posted: 23 Aug 2011 06:06 PM PDT

Malayan Banking Bhd, Malaysia's biggest lender, is seeking to expand in Thailand, Chief Executive Officer Abdul Wahid Omar said in an interview in Kuala Lumpur today.

The Kuala Lumpur-based company is currently not actively seeking to takeover local Malaysian rival RHB Capital Bhd, he said. -- Bloomberg

MIDF keeps 'buy' call on Sime Darby

Posted: 23 Aug 2011 07:06 PM PDT

MIDF Research says Sime Darby Bhd's fourth quarter financial year 2011 earnings are expected to show stellar year-on-year growth.

"We estimate its net profit in financial year 2011 to be RM3,244.56 million, which is 6.1 per cent ahead of our expectation.

"The estimated earnings would be more than quadruple when compared to the corresponding period last year, mainly due to the low base factor," it said in a research note today.

Sime Darby is expected to release its fourth quarter financial year 2011 results tomorrow.

MIDF Research has estimated Sime Darby to register a net profit of RM892.6 million in the fourth quarter period as compared to the net loss of RM77.4 million in the same quarter last year.

It said the earnings will be mainly contributed by its plantation and motor divisions, with the former expected to realise RM741.02 million in profit before tax.

MIDF Research said Sime Darby is also expected to invest RM280 million in two new hospitals located at Ara Damansara and Subang Jaya which are expected to be in operation by the end of next year.

It said the healthcare businesses are projected to contribute about 20 per cent of Sime Darby's total revenue in the next three to five years.

MIDF Research has reiterated its "buy" call on Sime Darby with an unchanged target price of RM10.55. - Bernama

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Football / Malaysia Cup: Poor run-up worries Johor FC

Posted: 23 Aug 2011 05:15 PM PDT

2011/08/24
JJ Shah
nstsport@nstp.com.my


 Johor FC’s Azizan Baba is  struggling to find the net.

Johor FC's Azizan Baba is struggling to find the net.

THEIR best has been the semi-finals - in 2008 when they lost to Selangor 2-1 on aggregate -- and last year when Negri Sembilan stopped them from a historic place in the final by a similar score line.

Things look no better for club side Johor FC in this year's Malaysia Cup which kicks-off on Sept 6, having been drawn with defending champions Kelantan, who have established themselves as the new powerhouse in the game in the country.

Kelantan are also the reigning Super League champions and Charity Cup holders.


The other teams in Group C are Felda United, who are rich in experience and coached by E. Elavarasan, and newly promoted Sarawak, who are helmed by the wily Dutchman Robert Alberts, a former national coach.

Inconsistency has been Johor FC's main fault and this was seen in the Super League when they plunged to a lowly seventh after a fourth place last year and third in 2009.

And Johor FC's poor showing in the pre-Malaysia Cup friendlies have not drawn any encouraging results so far.


The most embarrassing was the 4-0 defeat to Johor, who play in the lower Premier League, a 1-1 draw against Negri and a 3-1 beating at the hands of Selangor, are statistics that are cause for concern.

Club president Ahamad Mohamad drove home the message when he said the team "lack a good motivator and leader" when voicing his disappointment with the team's management and coach Azuan Zain.

Johor FC secretary Tahir Hamdan, however, was more accommodating and said that the results of the friendly matches must be taken with a "pinch of salt".


"These are just warm-up matches as the coach tries out his match plans ahead of a tough competition like the Malaysia Cup. I believe that Johor FC will be able to hold their own against the challengers for a place in the quarter-finals," said Tahir.

"Kelantan look too strong and have the credentials to go far in the Malaysia Cup this season. After all they are the best football team in the country now. The second slot for a quarter-final berth is a battle between Felda, Sarawak and Johor FC.

"We have played Felda in the league and know their capabilities. They have an experienced team and the players to ride on while Sarawak are an unknown quality. However, the fact that they have earned promotion to the Super League speaks of their ability to stretch us."

Johor FC were again slow when coming to sign players who could have given the team more depth and plug the loopholes upfront.

Instead, Johor settled for another defender - Saiful Nizam Miswan from Pahang.

The club, who have never failed to qualify for the Malaysia Cup, have been struggling to get their act together upfront with former international Eddie Helmi Abdul Manan, national trainee Shahrizal Saad, signed from Perak this season, and Azizan Baba, all struggling to find the net.

Aquatics: Divers bag six gold in Wellington

Posted: 23 Aug 2011 05:11 PM PDT

2011/08/24
Ajitpal Singh
ajitpalsingh@nst.com.my


Ooi Tze Liang won two gold and one silver at the Asia Pacific Rim Junior Invitational Championships in New Zealand last week.

Ooi Tze Liang won two gold and one silver at the Asia Pacific Rim Junior Invitational Championships in New Zealand last week.

THE national back-up diving team turned in a commendable performance at last weekend's Asia Pacific Rim Junior Invitational Championships by bagging six gold, five silver and six bronze medals in Wellington, New Zealand.

The gold medals came courtesy of Ooi Tze Liang, Jasmine Lai and Loh Zhaiyi in the championships which attracted 60 divers from China, Australia, Malaysia, Hong Kong, India and Croatia.

Tze Liang, who competed at the recent World Championships in Shanghai, claimed the boys' Group A (16-18 years) 1m springboard event with a 537.15 total ahead of China's Zhi Dongwei. Compatriot Chew Yi Wei was fourth with 448.90 points.


The Penang-born diver earned his second title when he teamed up with Yi Wei to win the boys' Open 3m springboard synchro discipline with 323.49 points.

Tze Liang, however, had to settle for silver in the 10m platform with a 426.60 series behind Dongwei (505.95). Pui Yee stamped her mark when she upset the form book in the girls' Group A (16-18) 10m platform competition.

She garnered 404.05 points to take gold ahead of compatriot Kam Ling Kar (385.95) while Traisy Vivien only managed fifth place (351.50). Pui Yee then partnered Ling Kar to win gold in the 3m springboard synchro with 274.68 points.


Loh Zhaiyi also created an upset by bagging the girls' Group B (14-15) 10m platform and 3m springboard titles.

She, however, failed in her bid to make it to the podium in the 1m springboard when she finished fourth.

The eight-member team's strong showing in New Zealand will surely boost their confidence ahead of next month's Asian Age-group diving championships in Palembang, Indonesia.


National diving coach Yang Zhuliang was delighted with the performance of his young divers.

"They are on the right track for next year's World Junior Championships in Adelaide. I am now looking at naming a few of them for the Indonesia Sea Games (Nov 11-22)," said Zhuliang.

The Malaysian medallists:

Gold -- Boy's Group A 1m springboard: Ooi Tze Liang; 3m springboard synchro: Chew Yi Wei-Ooi Tze Liang.

Girl's Group A platform: Jasmine Lai Pui Yee; Group B platform: Loh Zhaiyi.

Group B 3m springboard: Loh Zhaiyi; 3m springboard synchro: Jasmine Lai Pui Yee-Kam Ling Kar.

Silver -- Boy's Group A 3m springboard: Chew Yi Wei; Group A platform: Ooi Tze Liang.

Girl's Group A 1m springboard: Kam Ling Kar; Group A 3m springboard: Kam Ling Kar; Group A platform: Kam Ling Kar.

Bronze -- Boy's Group A 3m springboard: Ooi Tze Liang; Group C 1m springboard: Muhd Nazreen Abdullah.

Group C 3m springboard: Muhd Nazreen Abdullah; Group C platform: Muhd Nazreen Abdullah.

Girl's Group A 1m springboard: Traisy Vivien; Group A 3m springboard: Jasmine Lai Pui Yee.

Kredit: www.nst.com.my

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Simple yet delicious comfort food

Posted: 22 Aug 2011 08:56 AM PDT


I REMEMBER having my first plate of Hainanese chicken rice at the Chinatown food centre in Ja l a n Ungku Puan, Johor Baru, when the adjacent Segget river stank like a s e we r.

When the tide was low, the mouthwatering flavours of freshly cooked food had to compete with the pong from the river.


Even with this river's r e p u t at i o n , foodies knew that Chinatown offered some of the best Chinese food in the city at that time.


I remember how the feisty but friendly hawker lady would serve this fluffy, fragrant long-grained rice by packing it tightly into a rice bowl before putting it on a plate.

This created a neat little mound of rice which I enjoyed eating. I ate meticulously so that I could maintain the lovely shape of the mound of rice for as long as I could.


This flavoured rice, in a pale shade of yellow, tasted so good that it could even be eaten on its own.


After Chinatown was demolished, the hawkers moved to other parts of the city. Some retired as there was no one to take over the business.

As food centres flourished in malls and residential areas, a variety of Chinese street food including chicken rice could be found in almost every food court.


Hawker fare also moved upmarket long ago with live cooking stations at private parties and h o t e l s.


They also serve the halal variety, which was an excellent way to pro - mote local street food to hotel guests and tourists.

Some hotels have earned the distinction of serving tasty loc al favourites such as chicken rice.


One of the best hotel versions of chicken rice in Johor Baru is the Hainanese Chicken Rice set served at Café Downtown in Tropical Inn.


Fans of chicken rice will agree that the taste of its fluffy rice and chicken is consistent and there are side dishes to make this variety a more balanced meal.


I was delighted to see the three sauces — chilli-garlic, minced ginger and dark soy sauce — neatly served on a single plate, which had three s e g m e n t s.


I also scouted around the city in my quest for a good plate of chicken rice over the last few months and discovered the different ways the food is ser ved.


Of course, the standard serving included the flavoured rice with a choice of boiled or roasted chicken chopped in pieces, served with a few slices of cucumber and a bowl of chicken soup.

This meal comes with several dips like the mandatory chilli-garlic sauce and ground ginger sauce.


Light soy sauce is usually available but thick, dark soy sauce is commonly served here while oyster sauce mixed with garlic may be offered in upmarket restaurants.


Chicken rice lovers will agree that the right chilli sauce made all the difference in the meal.


My friend Margaret, a self-confessed chilli freak, said the only way to enjoy chicken rice is to eat it with plenty of chilli-garlic sauce.


At a chicken rice lunch with my friends, I watched in fascination as William and Shane, one after the other, picked up the dark soy sauce bottle to drizzle it copiously on their bowls of steaming hot rice.


They insisted that it was the best way to enjoy chicken rice.


The dark soy sauce was such a perfect complement that it brought back childhood memories of how my grandma taught us to mix dark soy sauce with hot rice and Chinese sausages during our Chinese New Year meals.


During a recent stay at a resort hotel, chicken rice was listed on the menu.


My hosts were puzzled that I picked such a common meal instead of something more exotic from their extensive menu. What they did not know was that I wanted to see if they were serving an authentic version of it.


It was delicious. The chicken rice came with a bowl of soup and three types of sauces — chilli-garlic , minced ginger and dark soy sauce.


Chicken rice remains a favourite comfort food as it's mild enough for the young and old. Foreigners with low tolerance for chilli can leave out the chilli-garlic sauce.


Chicken rice is available daily in many stalls throughout the city and Hua Mui Restaurant regulars know that its chicken rice day on Wednesd ay s.


But here's a friendly word of advice on behalf of my dentist friends to chicken rice lovers: never eat chicken rice with lots of chilli-garlic sauce before going for dental appointments because dentists also deserve a more conducive working environment.

TAI CHI FEAST

Posted: 22 Aug 2011 08:48 AM PDT

2011/08/22
By Sim Bak Heng


2,000 people gather at a restaurant to watch local and foreign tai chi masters perform various styles, including pushing hands

IT was a night of flashing sabers, spears and swords with a spectacular push-hand performance, at the International Classic Taiji Performance and Dinner 2011 in Johor Baru recently.

Over 2,000 people packed the Peking Restaurant auditorium in Taman Sutera Utama to dine and witness 37 action-packed performances rolled out for the audience by tai chi experts.


It seemed as though kung fu stars Jackie Chan and Jet Li were on stage, but the performers were from Malaysia, Singapore, Australia, the United Kingdom, Spain, China and India.

It looked like tai chi, which originated from China, has also spread to Western shores.

The night began with a tai chi extravaganza featuring sabers and swords by members of the Society of Yong Nian Taijiquan Johor Baru.


This was followed by the Shaolin kuan tau performed by Tan Miau Fung of the United Kingdom.

Next, a team of six women from Sunrise Wushu Taiji Training Centre flashed Chinese paper fans in their performance of the slow but steady tai chi movement.

Solid but feminine, the act also resembled a paper fan dance and enthralled the women in the audience.


As the women receded backstage, Gago Trottino Ezequiel from Spain emerged to turn the audience breathless with a one-minute performance of nan quan.

Nan quan literally means "Southern fist" and describes the Chinese martial arts that originated south of the Yangtze River of China.

His swift body movement with arms and legs in kung fu mode won the audience's applause.

Even a hoe can be used in tai chi, as artfully demonstrated by Master Cheng Tze Ming of Johor Baru. He swung the farming tool left and right, up and down, as though working the land.

The performance named "Ploughing on Farmland" showed how a simple tool could double up as a weapon in times of need in an agrarian society of the past.

Below the stage, Chinese calligraphy was presented by Lim Yun Kuan of Southern College, Johor Baru, The artist drew Chinese characters with a brush using tai chi motions.

The audience had a rare chance that night to witness one of the highest forms of tai chi -- the push-hand.

This form of martial art involving the use of inner strength to push an enemy away is usually only mastered by the experts.

Masters Tan Liang Poh (Kuala Lumpur), Yuen Zhi Jiang (Singapore) and Liew Chin Hoon (Johor Baru) showed the technique by pushing away volunteers, some who were thrown up to 10 metres away, as though were blown by a typhoon.

The night ended with a performance by Grand Master Fu Sheng Yuan of Australia. He is also the chairman of the Federation of the Society of Yong Nian Taijiquan.

Deputy Education Minister Datuk Wee Ka Siong, who opened the performance said martial art was one of the co-curricular activities in school.

Society of Yong Nian Taijiquan Johor Baru chairman Ooi Kean Seng presented a token of appreciation to Fu for his attendance as well as his enthusiastic promotion of tai chi as a sport.

The event was organised by the Society of Yong Nian Taijiquan Johor Baru in conjunction with its 16th anniversary celebration.

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