Bon voyage Monsieur Bob ...

Paris is like a second home for my buddy Bob. He has been to the City of Love a couple of times over the last two years. Like many visitors, Bob could not escape the magic and aura that surrounds the city.
He remembers fondly the Citedine and Monoprix. And of course, the Unesco headquarters.
This time around he will be covering a 'new' man -- Muhyiddin Yassin, the deputy prime minister who also holds the Education portfolio.
As Malaysia sits in the Unesco executive board, Muhyiddin will now represents the country at its meetings in Paris, having taken over from Hishammuddin Hussein who has moved to the Home Ministry.
I'm sure Bob will give his best, no matter who's in charge.


File photo of Bob with Hishammuddin at the Unesco hq in 2007

The hillside mosque cafe ...

The Al-Ghufran Mosque at Taman Tun Dr Ismail is extraordinary. Situated on a hillock, it has a cafe which offers good food and a breathtaking view that makes an excellent spot for family and friends get-together. It serves local and Western cuisine from 6am to 11pm daily.
The cafe, which can cater up to 400 people, was opened for business on May 10. It is reputed to be the only one of its kind in the country.


But the cafe is not the only special feature of the mosque. It also provides rooms called 'Kamar Musafir' for out-of-town visitors travelling alone or with families. The rate ranges from RM60 to RM220.
For further information:
Masjid Al-Ghufran
Kompleks Balai Islam
Pinggir Taman Tun Dr Ismail
No 6C, Jalan 4/71B,
Jalan Damansara,
60000 Kuala Lumpur
Tel: 03-77282127

Like stars ...

Friends from the Pacific ...

Joseph Ealedona is Managing Director of the National Broadcasting Corporation (NBC) of Papua New Guinea and one of PNG’s most prominent journalists. He is currently the President of the Pacific Island News Association (PINA) -- the premier regional organisation representing the interests of media professionals in the Pacific region. It links radio, television, newspapers, magazines, online services, national associations and journalism schools in 23 Pacific Island.
PINA runs an online regional news service -- Pacnews which is headquartered in Suva, Fiji.

During our discussion this afternoon, Ealedona expressed interest to link Pacnews with Bernama so as to bring news about the Pacific to Asia and vice-versa.
That would be a win-win situation as the media could encourage people-to-people contact by highlighting news that could interest them such as in trade, tourism, culture and sports.

With internet connectivity, the proposed link-up would not be a problem.
Alternatively, NBC could readily utilized the NAM News Network – NNN either to upload their stories or extract items. PNG is a member of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) and had attended the grouping’s ministers of Information conference in Kuala Lumpur in 2005 which gave the go-ahead for the
setting-up of the Malaysia-initiated news exchange entity. NNN is based in Bernama.

Make new friends but keep the old ones ...

Away from home on this Fathers' Day, I must thank my colleague in Kota Kinabalu Newmond for keeping me company. We were at the waterfront just as the sun was going down. It was a fantastic view that would remain vivid in my mind for sometime.
I had arrived in the Sabah capital this afternoon for the 1st Joint Committee on Information and Communication Technology (JC-ICT) Meeting between Malaysia and Papua New Guinea (PNG).
Bernama was roped in as the PNG side had proposed to have exchange of programmes and news between its National Broadcasting Corporation (NBC) with us.

As I look forward to meeting the PNG representatives, I cherish the evening chat with Newmond, who has been heading our KK bureau for the last three years.
We spoke about work and non-work stuff. In the process, I learn more about him.
While I get the chance to meet new people as I carry out my job, my friends will always be important in my life. Just as the saying goes:
Make new friends but keep the old, one is silver and the other gold.

Starting a friendship with flowers ...

Browsing the internet, I came across this article about friendship. I thought I should paste it on this blog, more so after a friend emailed me the photo today -- well ahead of friendship day.
Though many of us have little problem of making new friends, some struggle just to get near people they are interested to know.
Here's what the article says:

Starting a friendship is a social skill that takes years to learn. Doing it successfully, like with most skills, involves a lot of trial and error on your part. Knowing when to approach a person, picking the right topic to start a conversation, and finding the guts to start it may come naturally to some people.
Others find making friends difficult due to shyness and the lack of confidence in their verbal skills.
Whichever the case is, one good way to start a friendship without some of the awkwardness is to give flowers on the right occasions.

Flowers can sometimes be more eloquent than people. Different roses, for instance, have varying shades of meaning for every affair.
Also, giving flowers mean that you value a relationship (or future relationship) enough to go out of your way to make the person feel special.
Starting a friendship involves confidence, trust, and effort. Giving flowers certainly makes the person appreciate your efforts more in trying to be friends.
However, before giving flowers to people you'd like to be friends with, make sure that you know the right flowers to pick. They should be appropriate to the occasion.
For example, if you're attending a birthday celebration for a person that you are not that closely acquainted with, giving orange roses says that you want to know her better.
If you're at a wedding, giving yellow roses to the newlyweds mean that you are glad to share their happiness.
Peach and pink roses convey admiration, so if you want to start a friendship with an officemate (or anyone whose work you appreciate), pink or peach flowers are the best choice.

Sketching a new dimension ...

The National Art Gallery's latest display sketches a new dimension -- tourism through art.

Entitled "Mosaics of Malaysia", the exhibition showcases the wide-ranging work of China's renowned artist Zhang Zhou.
National Art Gallery director-general Dr Mohamed Najib Ahmad Dawa said the exhibition was significant as it commemorated 35 years of friendly relations
between Malaysia and China, capped by the recent visit of Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak to Beijing.
"What makes it special is the sharp observation of a foreign artist to transform the beauty and prosperity of Malaysia's rich culture and landscape into enthralling art pieces," he said as we walked along, admiring the display.
Zhang Zhou has captured not only a number of popular tourist destinations in
detail on canvas but also the country's flora, fauna and habitat. Commissioned by a Malaysian collector, the artist took six years to produce the 100 paintings on display.
The panoramic night view of Kuala Lumpur city centre, Penang Bridge, the Putrajaya mosque, the Siti Khadijah Market in Kota Baharu and the national day parade are among scenes illustrated by the 52 year-old Beijing-born artist.
At the centre of the magnificent spectrum of artworks is a huge, delicate touch entitled "Keranamu Malaysia".

The exhibition, which began yesterday, will run until Aug 31. Admission is free and the opening hours are from 10am to 6pm daily except on public holidays.
"This is something not to be missed as the uniqueness of his artwork illustrates the perspective of a foreign artist towards our surroundings which we often take for granted," Dr Najib said showing Zhang Zhou's fine drawing of rubber trees.

Peace of mind ...

Din 'discovered' this place in Semenyih and jokingly told me that I would cry if I miss it. He told me about its clear stream, clean air and serenity.
Getting to the place was not difficult as it fringes a residential area. But not many people know about it except for those who were bold enough to take the risk to clear the area and turned them into orchards. Apart from matured durian trees, starfruit, banana and papaya were being cultivated.

We bumped into an elderly man on a motorcycle, carrying a basketful of durian which he had just collected from the area.
"This is good durians from the jungle," he said, happily selling us the whole lot for RM40.



A sight to remember ...

Success is an inside job …

Just as someone had tried to boost my sagging morale with words of encouragement, another emailed me about the importance of self-esteem to achieve success.
“It can be hard to identify what exactly healthy self-esteem is.
The signs of an unhealthy self-esteem are usually obvious. Someone who cuts themselves down a lot and is always afraid to make big decisions or use their talents doesn't have healthy self-esteem.
Arrogance and boasting are also signs of a poor self-esteem, even though the person comes across as supremely self-confident. I think we all know our fair share of braggarts. It's hard to spend time with them," he wrote.
"To trust one's mind and to know that one is worthy of happiness is the essence of self-esteem," he remarked.
He goes on to say that someone with high self-esteem is able to persist in the face of difficulties.
And the more one perseveres, the more one is likely to succeed.
"Self-esteem doesn't let us simply feel better...it lets us live better.
And to respond to challenges and opportunities resourcefully.
We usually tend to feel the most comfortable with people whose self-esteem level is similar to ours.
So if you think you have low self-esteem, start seeking out people with healthy self-esteem.
Take note of how they think and behave and try to emulate that. We all need role models and mentors.

P.S. Success is an inside job because success starts from within, with your self-esteem.