Charlie, JJ and the Stock Market

Well today mark the last day of October 2007, which has been a volatile month for the stock market. The Kuala Lumpur Composite Index better known as the KLCI deep down as much as 9.96 points to touch 1402.83 before closing the market with a tiny little gain of 0.86points to close at 1413.65 points. The market is expected to experience a mini bull run tomorrow should the US Federal Reserved make another rate cut to its Federal Fund rate which will see the Dow Jones rally to close above 14,000 points. The US Federal Reserved made its first rate cut in 4 years during its monthly meeting in September.

Anyway, I've decided to take rest from the market as I have managed to liquidate some of my shares in favour of cash position. The rest of my portfolio are rather resilient for the moment. Shall write more about my personal portfolio management soon.

As I was saying I've decided to take a rest from the market and do something interesting (the market was on the negative side for the first half of the session). Just as I was about to call JJ, I received a call from her.

Long Story cut short: (sorry if the story is still long)

• JJ called me.
• Went to pick her up.
• We headed to The Tengku Ampuan Rahimah (TAR) Hospital, also known as Klang General Hospital or Klang GH is a government tertiary hospital located in Klang South in the Klang District, Selangor (Wikipedia).
• Locating the Hospital wasn't much of a problem as I am quite familiar with the area.
• As we all know, Malaysia is bad in giving direction, from the car park, we walk toward the old building after getting some help from a nurse, at the old building we were directed to the new building which is 0.5km away. So we walked again, and when we reach there, we were again directed to the old building. Gosh how did they know we were neglected our morning walk???
• We walked back the the old building again, and thank god someone with some brains help us out there and we soon found our self at the X-Ray Section.
• X-Ray was done and we waited for about 15 minutes to collect the x-ray film(again there were miscommunication here which resulted in delay.)
• Finally collected the report and we decided to hunt for some food since we were at Klang.
• Suddenly I have this craving for BKT which stands for Bak Kut Teh(direct translation= Pork Bone Tea) aka Pork cooked with Herbs.
• Decided to go the the infamous BKT shop which is located under the Klang bridge. This shop is so famous that has been visited and endorse by the Hong Kong God of Cookery (食神 Sik San in Cantonese, Shi Shen in Mandarin).
• I had trouble finding my direction to the shop as and spend about 20 minutes driving around cause the local authority has change the direction of the route since my last visit.
• Park my car in front of a row of pre-war shop houses. I had to get my parking ticket while JJ enjoy shopping at the shop around there. Things are really cheap here, I mean the price not the quality.
• The BKT store is located behind this row shop houses. So we walked right to the end and tadaaaaaaaaa... The shop is close. I was so disappointed.
• We decided to check out the shops around to see what they have to offer. Then JJ saw a bakery and decided to get some buns to munch. Suddenly JJ spotted an old coffee shop just beside the bakery which was pack with people.(this shop is located along Jalan Stesen 41000 Klang, a noticeable landmark would be OCBC Bank which is located on the same row)
• So we walk toward the coffee shop and decided the dine in it.

Some of the antics on display at the Coffee Shop glass panel

Stepping into the shop made me feel at home. It feel like being back in hometown where everyone speaks hokkien. Reminded me of the good old days when I was back a Alor Setar, Kuala Kangsar and Taiping.

Packed with people. You can find malay, indian and chinese enjoying their meals together. Now this is unity!!!

Yummy Nasi Lemak, apparently its quite famous here.

Found huge anchovies(better known as ikan bilis to the local) staring right at me.

JJ couldn't wait any longer and decided to start off with the Nasi Lemak

The cup makes you feel like you are back in the 70s or even 60s. Drinks taste much better in cups like these.

This is how messy our table becomes. Cant help it cause the table is small

Roti Bakar: JJ savouring every bite

After enjoying our meal, we proceeded to the counter and to our surprise, our meal only cost us RM8.70 pretty cheap. You definitely cant get it as this price back in PeeJay. We got back to my car and was prepared to go home. As I was driving, we happen to pass by the Bak Kut Teh shop and we say the entrance open. Ahhha.... looks like luck is on our side after all, JJ immediately ask me to park my car at a nearby car park and we got down hastily. Went down to the shop to check out if they are really open, and we were subsequently told that they will be open at 5.30pm(about 30 minute wait). While waiting we decided to shop around, and this time JJ came up with a crazy idea to but 4D as the Magnum Shop was just right in front of us. Decided to buy the combination of our birthdate. Went to the shop, hang around for about 3 minutes and then we decided then JJ decided to leave(cause we dunno how to buy number, please don't laugh). We were getting tired, so went back to the BKT shop and wait while the clock ticks away.

JJ cam whoring with my Sony Ericsson camera phone

(Left)Taking a sip(JJ please don't choose that tea again ah). (Right) trying to mesmerise me???

We're getting restless while waiting for our bak kut teh to be served

A snapshot of what is in the clay pot bak kut teh

JJ sticking her spoon into the clay pot to taste the sup

A candid shot while JJ enjoyed Bak Kut Teh

JJ posing with the pork fats which ended up on the table(and not her tummy) after this photo shoot

• We finished out dinner at 6pm(one of my earliest dinner so far)
• Send JJ back(thanks for entertaining me with all the stories. while on the way there and back)
• Arrived home at almost 8pm.
• Went out for another dinner with my aunt and my family.
• Watched The Last Legion at 9.30pm at TGV 1Utama.
• Arrived home at 11.40pm
• Begun writing this post.
  

What a good day, by the time I reached home and check on the market performance, I was surprise that it manage to pull it through and close with a slight gain. Anyway, will be looking forward for a rate cut tonight which will possibly see the US Dow Jones hitting 14,000 again for the 3rd time this year.

Definition of Marketing.

I was surfing the Internet and came across an interesting article which gives a range of definition on marketing. Hope you guys enjoy reading it. Have fun =)


You see a gorgeous girl at a party.
You go up to her and say, "I am very rich. Marry me!"
That's Direct Marketing

You're at a party with a bunch of friends and see a gorgeous girl.
One of your friends goes up to her and pointing at you says, "He's very rich. Marry him."
That's Advertising.

You see a gorgeous girl at a party.
You go up to her and get her telephone number.
The next day you call and say, "Hi, I'm very rich. Marry me."
That's Telemarketing.

You're at a party and see a gorgeous girl.
You get up and straighten your tie; you walk up to her and pour her a drink.
You open the door for her, pick up her bag after she drops it, offer her a ride, and then say, "By the way, I'm very rich "Will you marry me?"
That's Public Relations.

You're at a party and see a gorgeous girl.
She walks up to you and says, "You are very rich, I want to marry you."
That's Brand Recognition.

You see a gorgeous girl at a party.
You go up to her and say, "I'm rich. Marry me"
She gives you a nice hard slap on your face.
That's Customer Feedback

A tribute to Tan Sri Dato' Seri (Dr) Lim Goh Tong

Tan Sri Dato' Seri (Dr) Lim Goh Tong, the founder of Genting Highlands Resort and Genting Group pass away peacefully on the 23th of October 2007 at 11.20am local time at Subang Jaya Medical Center. He is survived by wife Puan Sri Lee Kim Hua, and their six children, namely Lim Siew Lay, Lim Siew Lian, Lim Siew Kim, Dato' Lim Tee Keong, Tan Sri Dato Lim Kok Thay and Datuk Lim Chee Wah.

I received the news shortly at 12pm, just right after a meeting at Digi's HQ, Shah Alam. The moment I received the news, I felt a sudden sorrowness flowing within me and my heart felt a little pain. Well he doesn't has any blood relation with me, but Tan Sri Lim Goh Tong has always been my source of inspiration, my idol and a good boss to me. His ability to foresee and build Genting Highlands single handedly is something worth admiring. The strange thing about Tan Sri is that he doesn't speak english or bahasa, nor does he has a bachelor in engineering or business but yet he is able to turn the virgin forest of Genting Highlands into an empire that is worth USD22 billion as of 22nd August 2007.

Having the opportunity to work with Genting Group's HR department 2 years back was really an honour to me. The working experience at Genting was an intense one, with dynamic and creative people from all walks of life working at the City of Entertainment. The good old days back at Genting has certainly allow me to understand the nature of Genting businesses and the founder of Genting Group much better. He may have left this world, but his legacy will stay on for years to come.

Tan Sri is a legend, a legend that has lived his life to the fullest, as Datuk Tan Chin Nam says, “At the age of 90, he had these four things before he passed away – health and longevity, the success of his children, companionship of his spouse and old friends. There is nothing else that one can hope for.”

Before I sign off this tribute to the late Tan Sri, let me leave you(my readers) with a malay proverb: Gajah mati tinggalkan gading, harimau mati tinggalkan belang; manusia mati tinggalkan nama.

Lets observed 1 minute of silence as a mark of respect to our beloved Tan Sri Dato' Seri (Dr) Lim Goh Tong, a.k.a Uncle Lim. You will always be the pride of Malaysia and the Chinese Community.

Another day of my life in Oct 2007

Chairman of the AIESEC TBS EGM 2007

I was given the honour by the Local Committee President of AIESEC TBS to chair the 2007 EGM which was held at the 6th Floor at the TBS Building(Subang) on the 19th of October 2007. Mr Daryl Tan the LCP of AIESEC TBS 2006/2007 approached me earlier this week and invited me to chair the EGM, which he subsequently explain to me in detail regarding the election which will takes place during the EGM. It was really an honour, which I gladly accepted it. Thanks Daryl for the respect and believe you have in me.

Standing(left to right): William, Vincent, Daniel, Issac, Kevin, Siew Jhong, Daryl
Sitting(left to right): Michelle, Cecilia, Sook Theng, Suat May, Julie, Ka Wei

I was there rather early to be briefed about my role. Upon arriving at the 6th floor, I could see many young leaders anxiously walking around and I begun to scan a round to see if there is any familiar faces that I can relate to. Spotted Yee Yen, Suat May and Ka Wei, three beautiful young ladies who greeted my with their sweet smiles(couldn't remember which was the first though cause I was carried away with their smiles). Had a short chat with them as well as some candidates that will be contesting for the Executive Board election during the EGM.

Ka Wei and I

The EGM was delay slightly from the scheduled plan, a norm in Malaysia. Anyway it went on pretty well with all the 12 candidates tries to win the heart of the voters with a short speech each stating their plan and goals should they be elected.

Julie and I

After almost 3 hours, the EGM ended with 10 out of the 12 candidates obtaining sufficient mandate to run the office for the 2007/2008 term. I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate all the successful candidates. To those that fail to secure sufficient mandate, its not the end of the world because when one door closes another door will be open.

From left to right: Julie, Kevin and Cecilia(Getting a little notti after a stressful EGM)

I'd fun chairing the meeting as it was inspirational . The dinner session was great as I had the opportunity to mingle with those that ran for election. Right after dinner, we decided to chill out in a better environment and subsequently proceeded to McDonald's at subang. Ended the session at about 1am.

Group Picture

**All photos are courtesy of Julie Kuan**

Hari Raya 2007

Luxurious Canopy were setup at the compound of Tan Sri's Private Residence

Today is the first day of Shawal, a day where muslim around the world celebrate Hari Raya. It's usually celebrated after 1 month of fasting during Ramadan. The date in which Hari Raya is celebrated varies from year to year because the muslim follow the lunar calendar as oppose to the solar calender. Ramadan is the 9th month of the muslim calendar. Hari Raya Puasa is also commonly known as Hari Raya Aidilfitri. In Malay the word Hari Raya means ‘A Great Day’ and Puasa derives from Sanskrit meaning ‘fasting or abstention’. So, Hari Raya Puasa literally means ‘great day of fasting’ or in actual terms ‘the festival marking the end of a period of fasting’(GeoVision).

Being a Malaysian and having lived in this beautiful county for the over 20 year, it's the greatest place for me to call home basically because it is a multiracial country that have been able to live together peacefully for 50 years.

So What I did this Raya?
Well got an invite, an invitation to Petronas CEO's open house. Arrived at his private residence at about 4.30pm, the host, Tan Sri Dato Sri Mohd Hassan Marican and Puan Sri Datin Sri Noraini Mohd Yusoff were seen cheerfully greeting throngs of visitors and VIP that were invited to their rumah terbuka(Open House). The rain had just stop, which was rather in time, as the car that I was travelling on just arrived and manage to park somewhere around the corner. While taking a 5 minutes breeze walk to the main entrance, I notice a truck with the name GroupBased was parked right beside Tan Sri house. At that moment, I knew that the food is gonna be fabulous. Why So? Because GroupBased is one of the best caterer in town, known for its good food and not to mention price $$$. GroupBased are known to the ultimate choice for most Conglomorate, Tan Sri's , Datuk's, politicians and tycoons when it comes to catering for parties and open house.

So arrived at the main enterance, extend my hand politely and greated both Tan Sri and Puan Sri "Selamat Hari Raya". Which they politely greated me in return. Then we proceed to roam around the stores. There were many stores setup at Tan Sri's private residence compound, with each store offering different range of food. Among the local delicacies available at those stores were poh piah, tau foo bakar, rojak, thosai, nasi kandar, roasted lamb, tempura, char kuih teow, nasi kandar. Tried most of the available food there, but my stomach isnt big enough, so by 6pm, decided to call it a day and proceed to the enterance to thank Tan Sri for the foooodsss!!!. Managed to take a photo with Tan Sri before leaving. Unfortunaly Puan Sri was too busy entertaining the hundreds if not thousands of visitors they had.

Tau foo Bakar, Rojak and Sotong Kangkung prepared by GroupBased catering

Chun Shen, Tan Sri Dato Sri Mohd Hassan Marican (CEO of Petronas ), Charlie Chia, Andrew, and Justin. This picture was took at the enterance of Tan Sri's private residence.