Tomorrow is April 1st

KUALA LUMPUR, March 31 — Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin claimed a report showed that Malaysians are getting better education than their peers in developed countries like the United States, Britain and Germany.

The education minister was pointing to the World Economic Forum’s global competitiveness report where Malaysia placed 14th among 142 countries — second in ASEAN — in terms of quality of education, The Star reported.

I Shoe You

A parent has demanded that the Education Ministry take action against a teacher he has accused of using her shoe to injure his son, a Year One pupil at SK Damansara Damai 1.

A Murugan told a press conference today that his son was now down with a fever and suffering from swellings on his face.

Speaking at the Hindraf office in Bangsar, he said the assault happened yesterday at about 4pm when the teacher, Nur Adha Mat Ali, caught his son, Sritharan, talking with a friend in class. He said the boys were talking about school work.

According to him, Nur Adha threw her shoe at Sritharan and hit his face.

PAS For Malaysian

Here’s the story in brief. A political rally was taking place when a group of youth on motor bikes came asking for trouble to an otherwise peaceful gathering. Then one of these hecklers found himself isolated from his group and was surrounded by some rally attendees who were not humoured by his trouble rousing. Clearly, the young biker found the trouble he came to look for but found it to be much more scary then he thought it would be. Clearly, he was in a lot of serious trouble and for sure he was about to be physically dealt with.

Enter Unit Amal, another group of young men but whose presence at the rally was for the very opposite reason from the group of hecklers on bike. Unit Amal (available in various parts of the country), being well trained, well taught, well brought up religiously, well motivated, went into action. Not to corner the young heckler so that the rally attendees could change his face for him. Not to teach the young heckler a lesson that was long in coming for him. But to rescue him from some very angry people he had in the first place provoked.

Honk Honk You

German carmaker Audi makes special horns for its vehicles sold in India where local drivers hoot so much as they fight their way through chaotic traffic, the firm’s country director has revealed.

The front seat area of a seventh-generation Audi A6 during the launch of the car in Hyderabad, India. Audi makes special horns for its vehicles sold in India. — Picture courtesy of Audi“Obviously for India, the horn is a category in itself,” Michael Perschke, director at Audi India, told yesterday’s Mint newspaper.

“You take a European horn and it will be gone in a week or two. With the amount of honking in Mumbai, we do on a daily basis what an average German does on an annual basis.”

More than 133,938 people died on India’s roads in 2010, according to the National Crime Records Bureau — a rate of 366 deaths a day. — AFP-Relaxnews

Suck-up Big Time

Every office has at least one employee who sucks up to the boss. In fact, chances are there are a lot more than one. You know the person: Maybe there’s an employee who constantly hurls flatteries at superiors or laughs a little too much at their jokes. Maybe there’s an employee who brings in sweets for the manager or offers to grab them a coffee from time to time. Or maybe there’s an employee who constantly offers to take on extra work to impress the boss.

The truth is that most workers resort to some of these tactics at one point or another. For better or worse, sucking up has become an essential part of getting ahead in the workplace – we just tend to use more positive terms to describe it, such as “enthusiastic,” “ambitious” and “people pleaser.” Those who don’t do a little sucking up should probably start.

Ask your superiors what they actually want
Before you start hanging around your boss’ desk each day chatting and complimenting them, take a minute to have a serious conversation about what their expectations are for your position and how he or she would prefer to be communicated with.


Always volunteer to do more
Flattery and nice gestures can be a useful tool to get ahead in the office, but they should never be used in place of hard work. Take the initiative and volunteering to do more work whenever possible.

Don’t forget to ‘suck down’ as well
Every employee wants to impress their manager, but you shouldn’t just suck up to that one person. “You also have to suck down because you just never know where people will end up.

Avoid too much empty flattery
There’s no sin in complimenting your boss’s new haircut, just be careful not to do it too much or it might get awkward.

Don’t overdo it on Facebook either
Sucking up doesn’t just happen in the office, it can also take place on social networks such as Facebook and Twitter, and the same rules apply. “If you are friends with your boss on Facebook and constantly saying how cute her kids are or how brilliant her posts are, that gets a little creepy,” A better option is to use Facebook to show off a little bit of your personality and insight to impress your boss that way. Just make sure you’re careful not to share too much.

Rethink your position if you aren’t comfortable sucking up
Some bosses are more susceptible to shameless flattery than others. So if you notice your boss gives favorable treatment to those kind of suck-ups, you have two options: either play the game or don’t. If you choose the latter, it’s probably time to move elsewhere.

“If you work in an environment where your boss is swayed by that, then you are not in the right position, because you will not be promoted as quickly as someone who is willing to do that,”. Just remember that wherever you go, you’ll probably still need to do a little bit of sucking up now and then.

Malaysia Bolih

Do Not Press My Durian. They Will Prick You.

Mountain Goat

Ah Lian - Serious Cooking

The Transporter

Ohhhhh So Cute: Angry Bird, Bear

Leave Baggage At Work

Many business people do not realise the importance of their family in their business. Your family will either support you and help get you to your vision, or your family will hinder you along the journey. Even when you arrive home, how you spend your time with your family is important. Sometimes things don’t go according to plan at work. Don’t take it home with you!

Leave your work at work
Your to-do list at work will always be there. You have to come to the realisation that you will never get to the end of it. So at the end of each working day, leave it all behind you as you close the office or shop door. You are going to need to learn how to prioritise your work so that you are able to leave work at a reasonable hour to be able to spend time with your family.


Balance family and work
Some business people believe that family and business should be kept separate. But you live and breathe both, especially if you operate your own business. Learn to share the experiences of work with your wife or your husband (and children) in a positive way. Don’t let the only time you share work with your family be when things are not going well. No one wants to hear complaints all the time. Too much negativity about the business will eventually shut you out. Share the positive aspects of your work. Make sure you talk about the fun things and celebrate the successes. Then your spouse will be more open to hear about your challenges at work and offer support during times of stress.

No business person on their death bed ever said, “I wish I’d spent more time at work!” Learn to bring your family on your journey. They are your most loyal supporters and they are the ones who will always cheer from the sidelines.

Delegate to maximize your time
If you continually try to handle everything yourself and neglect to delegate responsibilities to other people, you will be constantly tired and your relationships at home will be impacted. Learn to pace yourself. Don’t try to do everything or you will kill yourself, your business and your family.

Take care of yourself
Do you take work home? Do you stay up late after the children go to bed and your partner is asleep? Do you skip meals to catch up on paperwork, even though it keeps replenishing itself like weeds along a hillside? Too often we view sleep and exercise as luxuries rather than necessities. Yes, there are occasions when we need to work late or put in an all-nighter, but this must not become a lifestyle. If you want to reach your destiny, your vision and your plan, you must organise your life accordingly and learn to pace yourself.

Schedule time for relaxation
Isn’t it ironic that we used to take holidays to escape work, and yet today we take work with us on holidays via mobile phones, pagers and laptops. All that outside connection leaves us disconnected from each other.

Stay Energized

Ironically, the answer is the opposite to what you would expect: To have more energy - in any form - put out more energy! Your entire being is designed to run as efficiently as possible, and to use only those resources that it needs to do the job at hand.

Physical Energy
If you lead a sedentary, quiet life, you will find your energy drops to a level that is only sufficient to manage this lifestyle. Conversely, if you engage in regular physical exercise, you will find your energy levels rising to meet the demand, and persisting in anticipation of future demands. So the secret here is: To have more energy available, put out more energy!



But don't think that you just "put your head down and work". That is often a destructive process as you "wear yourself out" by working but not investing time in ensuring that you are well fed, well rested and to a degree, well exercised.

"Hard work" is not "Exercise". This is a common misconception among businesspeople, and is one worth addressing here. 

Constructive and positive exercise for a human has exactly the same basis and principles as constructive and positive exercise for a race-horse: Short, spaced periods of controlled intensive activity, followed by rest periods, palliative care (massage, hot-tub, stretching) and first-class nutrition.

Mental Energy
One of the principles of physical exercise is that of "rotation" or "muscle confusion" in which the personal trainer or sports coach will include as a component in their training regime, exercises that are different to the run of the mill, and which change all of the time. 



Their purpose here is to ensure that the athlete's muscles cannot become "too comfortable in a familiar groove" but are being challenged to do new things all of the time.

This same principle applies to mental training. All of us tend to think and operate in our "familiar grooves" and the more specialized our work, the deeper the groove, often as not. 



One of the tricks in increasing our mental energy is in ensuring that we are continually challenging our mind with sources of new thinking. This is not to say that we dissipate our mental energies across an unorganized mass of topics; it is to say that occasionally - but regularly - we should spend a little mental effort on a field of knowledge with which we are not familiar.

Retail At Its Best

Forbes magazine analysed the secrets of Apple’s retail success and put it down to:


1: Forget about the money, remember the customer!

2: Making money is a result not the goal

3: Delight the customer

4: Don’t sell — help customers solve problems

5: Ask the customer about their challenges and help them!

6: Apple staff don’t have sales quotas or commissions!

7: They aim to create adoring fans as well as employees

8: And they change the store regularly to excite the customer.

Apple tells their team to approach customers with a personalized warm welcome and probe politely to understand all the customer’s needs. Next, they present a solution for the customer to take home today and they do this by listening to resolve any issues or concerns. And they finally end with a fond farewell and an invitation to return.

Hypocrite

Former US Vice President Adlai Stevenson once said – “A hypocrite is the kind of politician who would cut down a redwood tree, then mount the stump and make a speech for conservation.”

Greed Compliment Scam

Investors in the nation’s largest gold invest scheme today urged Bank Negara Malaysia (BNM) to compel the company’s director Chong Yuk Ming to refund their monies. More than 6,700 people who had invested RM411 million in the scheme are demanding that BNM and Bestino return their investments.

Saraswathy, who leads Bestino Action Committee, said this after a meeting with the central bank’s assistant governor Abu Hassan Alshari Yahaya.

Bestino, which is based in Ipoh, stopped taking in investments after BNM raided the company for illegal deposit-taking activities last year. Four of its directors were charged in the Sessions Court in Ipoh on Feb 23, 2011, with illegal deposit taking under section 25(1) of the Banking and Financial Institutions Act 1989 and section 4(1) of the Anti-Money Laundering and Anti-Terrorism Financing Act 2001.

Chong, on Feb 13, told the media that the Bestino was prepared to return the money to the investors on April 30, provided BNM gave its approval. Following the statement, BNM issued an official clarification, saying Bestino need not wait for a green light from it and the company could go ahead and refund investors their money.

They also urged Chong to show the proof of the US$146 million (RM438 million), he claimed was in HSBC Bank in Hong Kong and which will be used to refund investors.
Chong declined, and said that BNM clarification on their website cannot be taken as an official approval to bring in the money into Malaysia.

Who Is Leela Ratos

The nation has lost a great but humble and selfless doctor – Dr Leela Ratos - a prominent doctor and philanthropist, was well-known, especially among thousands living in the Klang Valley, some of whom have sought treatment at her clinics for two generations. For over 50 years, she dedicated herself to serving others and gave free treatment to poor patients.

She opened her clinic day and night during the 1969 riots, caring for the wounded and women and children who lost their husbands and fathers and had nowhere to turn to.

Chong Suet Fah, 46, whose mother was pregnant with her sixth child in 1969 when her husband was killed during the riots, recalled how Dr Leela came to the family’s rescue. “We were very young then. Dr Leela gave us free treatment. She took care of us and others in the same situation – she bought us milk and diapers and made sure we were okay.

“And it was Dr Leela who gave me a job at her Jalan Pudu clinic during the recession in the 1980s. “She helped so many but she never boasted or shouted about it. My mother told us what she did for us,” she said at Dr Leela’s wake yesterday where her family, friends and patients gathered to remember her.

Dr Leela died on Thursday, aged 76, leaving five children and three grandchildren. Her husband and Orang Asli advocate Datuk Dr Antony Ratos died in 2010. Their chain of clinics Dr Leela Ratos dan Rakan-Rakan is well known.

Her list of accomplishments is long, having dedicated her life to social work and giving scholarships to those in need. She was also Cheshire Charity Home’s founding member and its longest serving committee member.

V. Penchavaranam, fondly known as “Papa”, has worked with Dr Leela at her Jalan Pudu clinic for 41 years and recalled what a dedicated doctor she was and how the free treatment for the poor continued throughout the years.

“She and her husband also adopted many unfortunate children regardless of race as she wanted to give them a good life. We never dreamt of working anywhere else. She was a dear friend who we will miss dearly,” said the 65-year-old.

To her children Anthuan, Dr Anita, Ari, Antonia and Dr Andre, Dr Leela was a loving mother and friend whose life and memory they would forever cherish. Her oldest child Anthuan described their mother as a loving and inspiring person who never said a nasty word to anyone.

“It amazes us how she juggled work, five children and charity work all at the same time. She was a wonderful mother,” he said.

Malaysian Graduates

KUALA LUMPUR: Graduates emerging from the national education system are failing to meet the expectations of prospective employers due to a lack of critical thinking skills and poor communication.

This has resulted in employers having to provide additional training to fit them into their respective job scopes while many graduates have to accept employment that does not correspond with their qualifications.

Malaysian-based education, human resource and recruitment consultants feel there is a need for a sound foundation in critical thinking to be incorporated into the education system to prepare future generations for the employment market.

Manpower Staffing Services (M) Sdn Bhd country manager Sam Haggag said there was a distinct gap between what the education system was producing and what employers were looking for.

“This has resulted in six out of 10 graduates from Malaysian universities taking as long as six months to find a job.

“The other 40% take even longer,” said Haggag, whose company provides workforce solutions that include recruitment and training.

“Recruitment is a distinct challenge as the uni­­v­­ersities are churning out graduates who don’t have the requisite skills to enter the workforce.

“The lack of proficiency in English limits their ability to communicate beyond the borders of Malaysia and this lowers their confidence and curtails their ability to add value in the workplace,” he added.

Hong Leong Bank chief human resources officer Ramon Chelvarajasingam said many new graduates lacked the critical thinking skills required to keep up in a constantly changing and increasingly competitive world.

These days, most employers look for graduates with a high level of confidence who were exposed to niche areas outside their academic studies.

Prospect Consulting Sdn Bhd director Nina Adlan, who provides advisory services to educational institutions aiming to set up branch campuses in Malaysia, said she had observed “a disconnect”’ between what graduates state on their curriculum vitae and what they are like in reality.

“When we hire, we consider the way graduates converse and portray themselves to be more important than what’s in the CV.

“What’s the point in having good academic results when they can’t communicate, can’t conduct a proper conversation and have no confidence?” she asked.

Greed & Scam

Malaysians lured into investing in illegal interest schemes have been fleeced of at least RM620mil over the past three years.

The Companies Commission of Malaysia (SSM), concerned over the rise of such scams, published an advertorial in the wake of recent complaints over a Canadian land-banking scheme to remind investors of the risks involved.

“An interest scheme is a form of investment in a medium other than shares and debentures (unsecured loans) involving the pooling of public funds to finance the business activities of a company,” Mohamed Sufyan said.

In return, participants are offered a specific return on their investment in the form of money, benefits or facilities.

“A common modus operandi involves convincing people to make a one-off investment in a business endeavour that is managed entirely by the operator,” Mohamed Sufyan said.

Another is to convince investors to build their own business (often with a buyback guarantee) on the condition that they purchase their training and equipment from the operator. “The operators are creative,” cautioned Mohamed Sufyan.


A few years ago, agriculture and its products (like lemon grass, leeches, earthworms, seaweed) were very popular.

Recent products include livestock (swiflets and arowana fish), plantations (palm oil, jatropha and agarwood), leisure and property development (holiday homes and hotels), equipment (ice-cream, ICT and water-vending machines) and gold.


However, not all interest schemes are illegal. There are provisions that regulate them under the Companies Act 1965. “Legal schemes are registered with SSM in accordance with requirements under the Companies Act 1965,” said Mohamed Sufyan.

He said the only way to determine the legality of an interest scheme was by verifying with SSM the status of the company and the scheme it operated. To date, SSM has registered 173 schemes worth about RM1.29bil.

A list of registered interest schemes is available on the SSM website (http://www.ssm.com.my/en/company/is-registered-scheme-public) and the public can call 03-2299-5500 to check or verify offers from interest scheme operators.

Makan Makan - My Shoe

GEORGE TOWN: The Penang Malays Congress (PMC) Secretary Mohd Noor Mohd Abdul Kader - today hit out at Perkasa members for causing the ugly Esplanade ruckus during the anti-Lynas peaceful gathering on Sunday. He condemned Penang Perkasa leader Mohd Rizuad Mohd Azudin for rudely showing a shoe to Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng when the DAP leader was leaving the place in his official car.

Mohd Noor criticised the Perkasa mob for being “un-Malay-like” in creating the disturbance at the peaceful gathering, in which two reporters were roughed up.
“Perkasa has embarrassed the Malays and insulted the intelligence of a civil society with its mob culture.

“The crowd was rude and vulgar,” Mohd Noor told FMT here today. He said he was ashamed at the ill-mannered behaviour of Mohd Rizuad, who was seen by many – and caught on cameras and videos – showing a shoe to the chief minister.

“It’s against Malay culture and custom. Malays are disgusted with Rizuad’s loutish gesture.” “Umno should blame Rizuad if it loses more votes and seats in Penang in next general election,” he added. He blamed Lim for causing the Esplanade ruckus. He claimed he was upset when Lim condemned Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak and his 1Malaysia concept in his address to the anti-Lynas crowd.

In the ugly incident, two newsmen from Kwong Wah Daily were roughed up by the mob. Besides Perkasa members, state Youth chief Shaik Hussein Mydin has confirmed that the mob included members from the Umno Tanjung division

Confucius Confusion