Congratulations...

Congratulations to Bernama staff who will receive the Excellence Service Award for 2010. The list of recipients was announced today.

Getting on to my 5 series….

With so many things going on around me, I gracefully entered my ‘5 series’ with optimism of the challenges ahead.
The roads may be bumpy or smooth but I wouldn’t know how far the journey will be.
All I know is I am getting nearer to my destination as the years go by.
As I turn 50 today, my thoughts go to the five stars in my signature.
I have often been asked about their significance.

That’s not difficult to explain – one star each for my three children, my wife and I.
So wherever I go especially on overseas trips, they will always be with me.

Simply awesome..

These motivational words about success were clearly written on the wall of Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan (SMK) Taman Keramat.

The school held an excellence award presentation this morning to reward its outstanding students.
The ceremony coincided with the school's 31st parent-teachers association annual general meeting.
Dressed in her new baju kurung, my daughter Dina looked resplendent as she drove me to the school. She had told me that she would be getting a prize for her SPM achievement.
This proud father would not want to miss the opportunity, waiting excitedly to the event. But what turned out was a big surprise indeed.
Dina went up the stage not one but three times to collect her awards.
And each time her name was called, it carried along my name -- three times!!!
I was so touched and of course, proud.

It made me even prouder to know that she was the most outstanding student in the school when she was awarded the 'Anugerah Tokoh Pelajar 2010' (Student Personality Award 2010).
As she stood on stage to receive the award, the master-of-ceremony read the following citation:
The award recipient is Diyanah Zufazlin bt Ahmad Zukiman. This SMART jewel shines in various fields. She is liked by teachers and idolized by many students in school because of her character. It is no surprise that she has received various awards such as Admirable Personality and Excellent Prefect. She is committed in discharging her duties as school prefect for five years she had been in school and was appointed as head girl for the 2009/2010 session.
In co-curriculum, she was active and excelled in softball and hockey. She represented the school and district in the sports at the Gombak District School Sports Council and Selangor School Sports Council competitions. She also held the post of chairman and vice chairman in various school clubs and societies.
23 March 2011 will be a date to remember for her when she received her excellent Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia results with 6As.
Diyanah Zufazlin has proven that despite being active in co-curriculum activities, she had successfully balanced it with an excellent academic achievement.
Thus, the school awards her with ‘Anugerah Tokoh Pelajar 2010’ (Student Personality Award 2010).

My 'little girl' brings big joy...

My little girl had a big surprise when she collected her Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) results -- 6As.
So overwhemingly surprised that Dina felt she was dreaming.
"Is it ok Pa?" she asked me excitedly over the phone to inform me about her achievement.
Okay? It was more than okay to me.
I am so proud of her.
Before she went to get the result this morning, I had told her that whatever it is, we must be thankful to Allah.
Just a few days ago, she passed her driving test on her first try.
I sense that she had kept the excitement down as the bigger suspense was the SPM result.
Having obtained the licence, she requested to drive to school and pleaded with us not to accompany her.
She wanted to be with her friends. They had been close friends who stuck to one another like glue over years of secondary schooling that has now become memories.

Although Dina humbly says she had not targeted any A, she had studied hard for the school-end examinations.
As the examinations drew nearer, she would stay up into the wee hours of the night to revise the subjects. Besides the tougher subjects like Mathematics, she had to deal with the Sciences -- Chemistry, Biology and Physics.
There were days when she went to school without sleep.
Looking back, Dina said the last-minute preparation was pleasantly rewarding.
While friends can be a source of inspiration, she says believing in Allah is the key to success.
Apart from revision, she frequently did the 'solat hajat' to prepare for the examination.
As my little girl seeks to pursue her studies, I thanked Allah for all the blessings that have been showered to the family.
Dina is our youngest after Adam, now pursuing diploma in tourism, and Yasmin, a mass communication graduate.

Binding ties with Pyongyang...

Almost 20 years after Malaysia and North Korea signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on cooperation in information, officials from both countries met in Kuala Lumpur yesterday to discuss its progress.
Led by Vice Chairman of Public Information Committee Jong Yong Chol, the four-man North Korean side expressed optimism to continue cooperation with Malaysia.
Possible cooperation were exchange of radio, television, film and documentary programmes.
Bernama, the Malaysian National News Agency, is ready to step up news exchange with Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), such as on sports, economic and culture. Both are members of the Organisation of Asia Pacific News Agencies (OANA).
Apart from talks at Angkasapuri, the North Korean delegation visited Radio and Televisyen Malaysia (RTM) and Wisma Bernama at Jalan Tun Razak today. They even stayed for lunch before heading for Putrajaya to visit the federal administrative capital.

During his visit to Bernama, Jong was surprised when I showed him photographs of the 1992 meeting in Pyongyang.
I was a young reporter then who had accompanied the Information Minister, the late Tan Sri Mohamed Rahmat (still Datuk at the time) to Pyongyang for the talks.
It was a memorable trip partly because I was a last-minute inclusion in the minister's delegation that also visited Fukuoka in Japan.
In a way, it reflected the importance of Bernama to report about such landmark event in Pyongyang.
I remember taking along my Olivetti typewriter to file reports. After typing down the stories, I had to look around for telex facility to relay the stories home.
The minister managed to convince the North Korean side to take us up to Panmunjom, at the border of North and South Korea -- a trip that taught me a lot about international relations.
We even met the late North Korean President Kim Il-sung and had a group photograph with him, which appeared prominently on the front-page of the leading newspaper on 26 May, 1992.

Landmark Bernama-Antara summit...

After the opening of Bernama-Antara Summit in Kuala Lumpur yesterday, senior officials of the two agencies headed for Melaka for the summit discussion.
Meeting at the Puteri Resort in Ayer Keroh, Melaka this morning, Bernama General Manager Hasnul Hassan and Antara's Editor-in-Chief Saiful Hadi led their respective sides.
On the agenda of the first-ever summit were possible areas of cooperation to bolster ties between the two agencies.
This include exchange of reporters and photographers, photography on Sabah, Sarawak and Kalimantan, joint photography exhibitions and the publication of photography collection.
Other collaborations include the joint publication of Sinergi, a quarterly magazine and the alternate hosting of the Bernama-Antara Summit.
The publication of a coffee table book on cultural similarities of Malaysia and Indonesia was also explored.
Another significant collaboration is the exchange of visual footages between Bernama TV and Antara TV, set to be launched in June.
The summit was a follow up of the Malaysia-Indonesia Joint Committee Meeting on Information and Communication held in Kuala Lumpur last year.
In conjunction with the summit, a half-day seminar on bridging ties between Malaysia and Indonesia was held.

Melaka Chief Minister Ali Rustam delivered the keynote highlighting the various sectors being pursued to further develop the state.
Antara will host next year's summit.