HOPe & Fun 2.0 Charity Carnival day at Dewan MPHTJ Bukit Beruang - 19 Aug 2023 [DONE]

Seems that these are difficult times indeed - there seem to be quite a few charity events lately. Just a month after the Fund-raising Carnival at my old high school (St David High School), today there was the HOPe & Fun 2.0 Charity Carnival organized by the Agapecare Society of Melaka, held at the Dewan MPHTJ Bukit Beruang.

H.O.P.e. by the way it is written, stands for "Help Other People event", and is the 2nd such event organized by the Agapecare Society, hence the 2.0. The first fund-raiser was held way, way, way back in 2006! Almost 20 years ago! 😲

My family and I have a habit of going early, so we arrived roughly half an hour after the official start of the event at 10am. Public Service Announcement - even though it was a Saturday, currently free "weekend" parking was only given on Monday's and Tuesday's. That's right - for Saturday and Sunday, you still need to pay for parking either using the scratch coupons or SVP Smart Parking app (which seems to work reasonably well). There were parking bays in the hall area, however, they were reserved for the volunteers, so we parked outside along the row of shops nearby. Wanted to stay for up to 2 hours though (foreshadowing what was coming), things didn't quite go exactly as planned.

There were a couple of food trucks open for business just outside the Dewan MPHTJ Bukit Beruang - the one that caught our attention was the one from Cowrasa - selling milk, yogurt and ice cream! 😋

Going into the hall, noted a counter from Oriental hospital offering free basic health check and an assortment of pre-loved (fancy way of saying used / 2nd hand) clothes, books and other stuff for sale. Just like the recent carnival at St David, all transactions were via coupon / voucher, which we had also bought earlier to avoid wasting time in the queue. Even the stuff for sale AND food trucks were accepting only coupons as payment. Notably there was no queue today, so looks like many other people also followed suit. There were some tables and benches set up in the hall where we could sit down to eat. A few row of chairs were also arranged in front of the raised stage, where there were some dance and song performances by students and also senior citizens. The old folk were quite good, playing renditions of classic "oldies" like "young ones" by Cliff Richards as well as lagu keronchong melayu & baba nyonya on their guitars, ukulele, tambourine and beatbox.

The stalls outside boasted a small but highly varied selection of food and drinks, cookies, even one selling fresh satay. There were also some games booths and one selling potted plants as well. There was more space to stand under the tents, so was not so congested, though the crowd was not as large as the one at the St David event. Again, I was in "full emersion mode" so did not take any photos - need to kick back into blogger mode if I'm going to be writing posts such as this in the future.... 😅

First round of food (I purposely did not eat breakfast at home so that I could maximize food intake here) for me was some Nasi Lemak from Jasin, Siew Pau, fruit tarts. As we had time, walked around some more, and bumped into my ex-high school mate and ex-colleague. One hour into our arrival, the sky darkened, and it started drizzling. As time went on, it got heavier until it became a downpour. Fortunately, there was ample space in the hall for everyone to seek refuge from the unforgiving weather. We just found ourselves a bench near the stage and continued to watch some of the performances.

One thing to note - this hall was set up for badminton, so the lighting was arranged to evenly light up the center of the hall where the courts were. The stage was, however, practically unlit, so this did serious injustice to the performers, who were literally singing and dancing in the dark. Not sure if it was because the organizers did not turn on the stage lights, or just that there were none to begin with....

A quick time check - our 2 hours were up but there was no sign of the rain abating. It did ease off, though was still not possible for us to make it back to our car (lesson learned for future outings - do bring umbrella). So, with the last of our coupons, we bought a sizeable haul of milk and ice cream from the Cowrasa food court. Ice cream had to be consumed on the spot, and so happened by the time we finished, the rain had become a drizzle and we had our chance to leave after passing our unspent coupons off to someone.

Well, all in all, for a good cause, and although organized by Agapecare Society, there were no religious elements in this event so all were welcome to join and participate. If there were one thing I feel they could have improved - it was on the publicity. If it weren't for the fact that I knew someone from the organizing team, I would never have known about this event. A pity as all in all was a good effort and successful charity / fund-raiser in my humble opinion. Also a chance for us to give back to society and enjoy some quality family time together! 😀

 

Fund-raising Carnival at St David High School Melaka - 22 Jul 2023 [DONE]

There's a phrase in Malay, "Seperti Kacang Melupakan Kulit", which literally means, like a peanut forgetting its shell. In the context of my secondary school education, proud to say this does not apply! 

When I first found out about the (then) upcoming fundraising carnival to be held in St David High School, happy to find the responses from my fellow ex-schoolmates in our Whatsapp chat group. To be frank, there were only SOME of us who actively voiced their wish to join, and in the end only SOME actually did turn up (both on time and late).

The link to the event's Facebook page is <HERE> 

I knew traffic would be bad, and available parking extremely limited - nothing changed since those days.... Sort of reminds me of the situation at Infineon on a rainy day.... My family and I arrived shortly before 9am, but by then it was already very crowded, with many students participating in the carnival as well as manning the counters and food stalls. Also on active duty were the teachers, but not from my time as those who had taught us earlier were all retired (yes, I know I'm THAT old already).

As with most events these days, in order to ensure good fund management, all transactions were in the form of cash vouchers that could either be purchased beforehand or during the event itself at the appropriate counter. Very fortunately, I had purchased earlier, as there was a very, very long queue at the counter during that day.

Right inside the entrance, there was a fire truck parked there on display, though it was gone before noon. Possibly some emergency calls.... The assembly area which was open-air during our time, was now fully covered with a high roof. There were several counters there, and highlight on display were the electric vehicles (EV's) from Volvo. 

The school hall where we had several memorable events back in the day (including our stage performances and debates) was used for jumble sales. 

The food stalls were located at the school field. Unfortunately, in order not to damage the track / football area, the 3 rows of food stalls were placed very close to each other, leaving little room for the bustling crowd. We basically could not stop or walk slowly between rows, so I had to resort to multiple passes to identify what they were selling on both sides, and finally zoom in to the stall to buy something. There were limited seating and tables to eat (not everything was easy to eat standing up), so we ended up sitting at the stairs near the vocational classroom block (at least that was I believe they were from last time, not sure if they are still used for the same purpose nowadays).

The students were really going out, to push sales of the food and drinks. I remember my Americano being prepared by a teacher, who somehow was over-enthusiastic when it came to adding sugar.... 😅 

Not sure if it was part of the event, but there were a few students in full cosplay mode - and a few in cross-gender outfits as well. Possibly to promote the face-painting counter, there were a few students going around as well. Seems to be working, as the queue to that counter was even longer than then queue for the vouchers!

The remove class block classrooms were used for games booths, where we could try our skill and luck (mostly luck) to win several small prizes.

It did drizzle lightly, but that did little to dampen the spirits - the crowd was huge and did not thin down towards midday. Our ex-schoolmate group was supposed to gather at 11am, but somehow few came a bit late.

Photos above taken by my friends, credit to them. Somehow this time I did not really take any, as was fully engrossed in the event.

And a short post on the school's Facebook page on the outcome of the event with some photos can be found <HERE>

My family and I had a good time. For my especially to see my alma mater once again, in better shape then when we graduated. Telling some old time stories to my kids about the time when I was their age. Unfortunately, we had to leave after noon, so I did not manage to meet some of my ex-schoolmates who came much later. Overall, was happy to have managed to attend. Congratulations to the organizing committee, teachers and students for making this a successful fund-raising carnival! Looking forward to the next such event!

Inter-state travel allowed in Malaysia once again

After nearly 9 months since inter-state travel was banned in Malaysia, effective 13 Jan 2021, the restrictions have finally been lifted - with conditions, of course.

From 11 Oct 2021 onwards, Malaysians are once again able to cross state borders (not counting the Langkawi tourism bubble which was open earlier since 16 Sept 2021) and go everywhere as usual, except for areas under EMCO. This applies to fully vaccinated individuals above 18, which specifically means 14 days after the 2nd dose of Pfizer-BioNTech, AstraZeneca or Sinovac, or 28 days after the single-dose Cansino or Johnson-Johnson. SOP still mandates wearing masks out in the open and all public places, though now there's some allowance for sports, recreation and dine-in. Based on experience, SOP's can be quite vague and also can (have) changed without prior notice, so always check often for the latest updates so not be caught non-complying. The announcement can be found here on the Malaysian Ministry of Health Covid-19 website, though it's in Bahasa Malaysia.

For many, this is a welcomed release, to finally be able to re-unite with their families and loved-ones, or simply to travel for leisure and food once again. Traditionally popular destinations like Penang and Melaka are expected to be swamped with domestic tourists, even without Singaporeans, might be over-crowded and jammed this weekend. Good news to the food and beverage, accommodation and tourism players, as business will start to thrive once again.

On the down side, besides the annoying the local residents with the influx of traffic, I for one am mostly concerned with the risks of exposure and spread of infection. It's bad enough that many people do not wear their face mask properly (if at all) in the past - can only expect this will become more rampant in the coming weeks. Some people have too much faith in vaccines - not forgetting that even fully vaccinated people may spread the virus to others, so I think it's very rude and inconsiderate for these people to behave the way they do.

Apart from the risk of spreading the virus, I'm also concerned on road safety, for two reasons. Firstly, there will be way too many cars on the road now. And secondly, some of these people have not been driving for a long time, or have been driving inconsiderately in the past months where there were very few cars on the road. I see many traffic offenders (not only motorcycles) overtaking on double lines, speeding, going against traffic, beating red lights, etc.. The authorities really need to step up on enforcement, and not pass the buck to the public to send photos, videos to them.

Lastly, hate to break the news to the local tourists, but many food sellers and restaurants have gone under during these difficult times. Your favourite Satay Celup or Char Kuey Teow may no longer be in business, so don't get your hopes too high when you go all the way in search of food.

What are my plans?

Well, for starters, my priorities will be on transitioning back to work-in-office. We're starting off with a 2 shift weekly rotation first, and let's see how's the long-term plan (hybrid working model or full back to normal?). The kids will be resuming their classes too, also in a 2 shift weekly rotation - the challenge will be that these shifts are not going to be synchronized, so will require some effort and co-ordination.

I don't plan to travel yet - would rather let the initial crazy spike taper off and stabilize first. Also, to check if having more than 90% of the adult population fully vaccinated really helps to prevent another wave. And not forgetting to allow for more time to generate more statistics on vaccine efficacy - not all vaccines are equal in this respect, though all the approved vaccines in Malaysia are effective at preventing severe symptoms or hospitalization. Just hope that vaccines other than Sinovac will finally be accessible to the public ASAP....

Eventually, will be able to slowly transition back to normality and restart some old interests and hobbies that have been put into stasis for the past ~2 years.

Well, to all of you, whether in Malaysia or not, stay safe and be well!

Covid-19 in Malaysia - the story so far (as of Jan 2021)

First post of 2021. As 2020 is now history, unfortunately, the Covid-19 pandemic is still very much a current issue and is even CREATING history as new records in daily new detection seem to be made almost every week. Looking at some available data, this has led me to several observations.

Firstly, forgive the poor rendering above. At the top is basically what I keyed into MS Project, based on the start / end dates. And below it is a screenshot of the graph from FreeMalaysiaToday. I roughly scaled the two and lined up mid Mar'20 (when the MCO started) and end Dec'20, to see how the trend in new cases overlays with the xMCO phases. I've updated the RMCO extension up to 31 Mar 2021, as well as the CMCO extensions for Selangor, KL and Sabah up to 14 Jan 2021, as this is the latest information available as of today.

Secondly, a disclaimer, this is just my own opinion. I'm not an expert on the subject matter nor am I a politician, just an engineer looking at some data, and voicing my thoughts out aloud.

Now, the first vertical red arrow is where the number of confirmed new cases has dropped to nearly zero, somewhere in mid Jun'20. This is roughly the end of the 1st Conditional MCO extension. At that point in time, things were looking good, so declaring a phase of Recovery MCO (RMCO) for the next 3 months seemed like a logical move.

The second vertical red arrow where we start to see a rise in new cases, which shoot up somewhere in Oct'20. Remember the Sabah election, which took place end of Sept'20? This might be linked partially to the rising rate of new cases, but there must be some other factors at work too.

Now, some observations. Up until the end of the original RMCO (end Aug'20), there was no spike yet, so the RMCO could have been called off based on data. However, it was extended to the end of Dec'20 - perhaps to be on the safe side.

Also, the CMCO/EMCO/TEMCO started again in Mid Oct'20, in various states and locations. However, this time, the growth rate did not stabilize and continued to climb steadily. What could be the reason for this?

- People were tired of movement restriction and hence more lapses in SOP (evidently more people were caught during this time) by individuals and even organizations

- Sabah elections (though it is not clear through contact tracing how much of an impact this made to today's situation)

- Travelling allowed again + year-end festive season + school holidays

- More tests (even if the detection rate is the same, a larger sample size will result in a higher number of detected cases, for example, 10% of 1000 is more than 10% of 100)

So, clearly, whatever was done (or not done) towards the end of the 1st half of 2020 was clearly no longer effective. Perhaps this time, the government is actually not as strict as before, due to pressure to maintain the economy as well as the people's sentiments (eg, religious / social activities) or perhaps there are more positives as there are more tests now (especially for foreign workers). Whatever the reason, there does not seem to be any deep analysis as to what is the actual root cause based on available data. Without this, it is unlikely that the root cause of increasing daily new cases will be discovered and thus, effective corrective and preventive actions cannot be drawn up and implemented.

We should not just doing the same as before and hoping for the best - as the saying goes "doing the same thing over and over again, and expecting a different outcome is INSANITY". Extending the RMCO/CMCO/xMCO further with "generic" controls would likely be futile.

While we are waiting with hope for a deux ex machina (that is, the vaccine) - for one thing, implementing a successful vaccination program would be a challenge in itself and take some time till everyone is inoculated. And secondly, by the time this happens, we would have endured much more suffering and loss of life.

Well, hope everyone out there stays safe and healthy. Thanks to all the frontliners who are putting their best effort and lives on the line - let's all do our part and get through this challenge!

MCO Phase 4 - May the 4th be with you

Today is not only Star Wars Day, but also marks the start of the ambiguous CMCO (Conditional MCO) as declared by the Malaysian authorities.

Starting off on a lighter note, Star Wars Day was coined as a result of "May the 4th" sounding very much like the common phrase most spoken by Jedi and non-Jedi alike in the Star Wars Universe. It's the equivalent of "Live Long and Prosper" which is most spoken by Vulcan and non-Vulcan alike in the the Star Trek Universe.... Let's not get started on the Star Wars vs Star Trek thing! Star Wars Day was first celebrated officially in 2011 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada at the Toronto Underground Cinema. Why in Canada and not US? Go figure....

Now, back to more pressing matters. As we are midway through the 4th phase of the Movement Control Order (or rather, the 3rd extension), due to immense pressure coming from businesses and certain quarters to "cut some slack" and open up the country one again.

There are two main driving factors behind this:
1) Economic pressure: Loss of income from businesses and employment
2) Health consciousness: Interesting how many people get caught flaunting the MCO by jogging, playing golf, badminton, etc.. Who says Malaysians do not care about health and exercise...?

Hence, in a "damned if you do, damned if you don't" situation, the Federal Government has generally initiated a Conditional MCO with some relaxed conditions from today onwards. With this, there are certain relaxations, such as the number of passengers in a car, and the allowance to go out for non-contact sports. However, Ramadan Bazaars and balik kampung (going back to home town to celebrate Hari Raya) are strictly forbidden.

Now, generally, businesses are allowed to restart, not requiring approval, but subject to certain conditions. This includes spacing out of tables and registration of dine-in customers for restaurants. Air con repairs and plumbers do not need MITI approval. To its credit, the Majlis Keselamatan Negara (National Security Council) has published official SOP's (Standard Operating Procedures) on it's official website, which you can find over here. SOP's for 26 ministries (including Petronas and the NSC itself) are listed, along with the date of update.

The local governments on the other hand (remember, Malaysia has 13 states (Negeri) and 3 federal territories (Wilayah Persekutuan - Kuala Lumpur, Labuan and Putrajaya), have each their own interpretations of what can and cannot be done. Hence, you should check carefully with your local authorities before leaving the safe confines of your home.

Well, the entire nation is now divided into two camps - one looking forward to restarting ASAP, and another preferring to err on the side of caution. After all, symptoms of Covid-19 only appear after ~14 days, and its still possible for asymptomatic patients to exist (carriers who themselves show no signs of infection). With the number of daily cases in the double to low tripled digit figures, the decision to open up the country now could go either way. What's your opinion? In any case, let's hope for the best, and May the 4th be with you!

MCO Phase 4 (3rd extension) - holding on for a little while longer

The end of the Movement Control Order (MCO) was in sight, and, unsurprisingly, once again, the finish line has been moved back by another 2 weeks. The 3rd extension brings into effect MCO Phase 4 from 29 April 2020 to 12 May 2020. Yesterday, the Phillipines has also followed suite and extended the lockdown of Manila until 15 May 2020. Quite similar to Singapore's extension of the "circuit breaker" ending from 4 May 2020 to 1 Jun 2020.

As i blogged my thoughts two weeks ago, businesses were already getting restless due to the long stretch of inactivity, with running costs to upkeep it's dormant workforce eating into their reserves. This further extension further aggravates the situation, though many manufacturers (particularly those from the automotive manufacturing industry) have quickly converted their production lines to manufacture face masks, ventilators, and other relevant health equipment. This has a two-fold benefit of both generating income and keeping their workforce productive.

Unfortunately, this latest extension crosses into Ramadan, the fasting month for Muslims which started yesterday (24 April 2020). Life just got one level tougher for our Muslim brothers and sisters, though most of them are very positive and take this as form of divine challenge to strengthen their resolve. In order to ensure social distancing, the usual Pasar Ramadans (food bazaar) are not allowed this year, and the government is working hard to enable and online solution for the traditional food sellers.

Now, this is somewhat of a relief to me and my family. Prior to the announcement, we were thinking of how to handle going back to work when schools were to remain closed (the government would make a separate announcement when schools would resume, 2 weeks ahead of the starting date). This meant that while parents like us go back to work, the kids would have to be at home, as day care and baby sitter functions are not likely to resume. My company had already planned to split the workforce into 2 alternative shifts rotating weekly between working from home and being in the office. This extension buys us some time, though ultimately the day will come when we have to face this issue and find a solution.

Somehow, we have gotten used to the life staying at home, and also working from home (WFH)as well. Can't say the same for others, as I still observe some people taking regular morning and evening walks around my housing estate. I hope that they do not get arrested by the Police, a real risk as there have been many cases in Malaysia daily. Having limited detention space, the authorities also consider a fine of RM1000 for those violating the MCO rules.

Speaking of WFH, just to add to my recent thoughts which you can read over here, as long as the telcos are kind enough to stick to their commitment of daily free data (which is sufficient to carry out teleconferences and file access online), working from home is "manageable". I use this term, as in my own experience the quality of the connection is intermittent - sometimes, impossible to do anything in real-time (like voice and desktop sharing). I'm using the wireless broadband from my phone as a WIFI hotspot. Especially challenging when you present your desktop, and try to speak and scroll around all at the same time. Your own mileage might vary, and if you have a wired connection, I guess you should be luckier than me. I use roughly 1 Gb of data per day, so for a typical 4-week month, that comes up to ~20 Gb. Soyacincau.com has put up a good comparison of the free data + extras offered by the major telcos in Malaysia over here. On the bare minimum, all of them offer 1 Gb of free data per day from 8am to 6pm (enough for doing work during regular office hours). For most of them, either it's automatically given or a one-off request through their app or SMS. Maxis is the most troublesome, as you have to use the app to apply each day after midnight. For those with kids in school, YTL has a good offer of a 40 Gb / month free data plan for 60 days (check it out here). And for those "big kids", Telekom is offering a good deal (RM59/month for unlimited data) to those pursuing tertiary education at selected institutes of higher learning (read more over here).

In any case, with everyone using the Internet, I guess this is somewhat expected. All the more reason for the world to speed up on the adoption of 5G technology (US and Huawei better get their act together and align once this is over). In the mean time, entertainment companies such as Netflix are reducing their bitrates of their streaming services, since the "width of the pipe" is not going to get bigger any time soon. Youtube has also followed this move, though I'm not sure if Europe alone is sufficient since America and Asia are also likely to consume high volumes of data.

As businesses become more restless, people are also becoming increasingly uncomfortable, as it looks like Hari Raya this year will be a anti-climax of a celebration after a month of fasting. The government is also working to restart the economy by gradually relaxing the controls that are in place. For several days now, the number of new confirmed cases in Malaysia has been in dual digit figures, though it is still to early to lift the MCO completely.

Even after this is done, it is certain that we will not go back to the life as before - there will definitely be long-lasting or even permanent changes to our social and travel aspects of life!

MCO Phase 3 - Businesses getting restless

It's 15 April 2020 - Melaka Historical City Day! It's a public holiday for us in Melaka, to commemorate the declaration of Melaka as a historical city by UNESCO in 2008. Interestingly, this was inscribed together with George Town, Penang, but somehow it's only a holiday in Melaka. For the rest of Malaysia, instead of going back out into the world (and into the office, for most of us), instead today marks the start of MCO (Movement Control Order) Phase 3. This extension is from 15 April to 28 April 2020, and is expected to be a step up in terms of measures and controls implemented during the month long "Stay at Home" initiative.

For businesses, in principle only "essential" supplies and services are allowed to operate (this itself with some degree of ambiguity) with the approval of the Ministry of International Trade and Industry (MITI). Ironically, MITI takes care of the approval of "Internal"/local business activities too. As businesses are not allowed to cut pay, force staff to take unpaid leave, retrench / lay off staff, there is increasing financial pressure to remain in business through this MCO period.

For my company, being a multi-national semiconductor manufacturer, some of the departments which are not limited to that in Malaysia are able to operate (sometimes with reduced activities) by "Working from Home" (WFH). Of course, we have a manufacturing plant here, which I just realised also supplies parts for ventilators! So, for the respective production staff, work goes on....

However, many businesses in Malaysia are not in such a situation. From the start, there have been concerns from businesses on how to stay afloat. The key focus points / grouses:-

1. Cost-avoidance: Appealing to defer rental, loan repayments and other costs during this period
Coming from: Most SME's, typically in hand to mouth situation

2. Continued payment: Argument here is that the monthly payments are in fact a division of cost across the entire year, hence should be paid even during this time
Coming from: School bus operators (though they are open for negotiations), day care centers

3. Allowed to work: The strict requirements, including limited workforce and measures (sanitizing, social distancing) are no deterrent to several businesses who seek to restart activities to offset fixed costs
Coming from: Manufacturing, Agricultural sector

4. Government bail-out: Citing loss of income, appealing to the government for aid
Coming from: Taxi Association

As the prolonged MCO has shifted the economy back to first gear, it is crucial to have a plan to restart the businesses as soon as possible to minimize the effects of recession. Of course, the challenge is to clearly define which business could resume operations, and how to enforce this effectively.

Our company management has already drawn up some elaborate plans to ensure social distancing and the necessary precautions can be taken once the MCO is lifted. Still too early to deploy, as the end of the MCO series is not yet in sight, but good to know we have a very proactive management team!

Initially, MITI did announce that barbers, hair saloons would be allowed to operate, much to the surprise of the community. Unsurprisingly, most Malaysians did not understand how this sector of business could qualify as essential, and also how social distancing could be maintained (eg, while having a hair cut). Even the association of barbers themselves refused to go back into business, even though it was apparently allowed. Better to stay safe and healthy rather than take the risk! Eventually, this was retracted by the government.

On the other hand, there are many, many businesses that seek to restart, as there were so many applications to the MITI website over HERE that it crashed shortly after opening on Monday (13 April 2020). I don't have a breakdown of the applicants, so it could be a mixture of essential businesses which still needed MITI approval, or simply those who wished to try their luck.

Not everything is bleak and disastrous. For certain businesses, namely e-commerce (Lazada, Shopee) and logistics (DHL, FedEx, Grabfood, Food Panda), the MCO has temporarily put competition on hold and causes a surge in clients. Some are even adapting and evolving their businesses to the current situation, such as Lazada, which has started to sell produce from Cameron Highlands which would otherwise go to waste. With Hari Raya just around the corner, the annual Pasar Ramadans are no longer allowed to operate this year due to the CoVid-19 situation, however, the authorities are offering support to business owners to go online so that they can continue to sell food during the Puasa month - a yearly phase where there is a significant potential for income.

The only risks now are running out of inventory, hitting bottlenecks in the supply chain (ie, not enough delivery channels) and compromising quality of service. For now, people are switching because they have no choice - whether or not these business make a lasting positive impression and experience to permanently secure their new customer base is entirely up to how they perform in these times.

For us, I would say our manufacturing is somewhat affected, but we still manage to continue where our business partners, situated in other countries, are allowed to resume operations. Example, those in China are cautiously back to work, while on the other hand those in Philippines are basically in the same boat as us.

Are you a business owner who would like to share your experience in these troubled times, or perhaps you are a wage-earner like me who is dependent on the employer to bring us through?

Movement Control Order - 2nd extension

As officially announced yesterday at 4pm, the nation-wide MCO (Movement Control Order) here in Malaysia has been extended for a second time for an additional 2 weeks. This means the end of the MCO has been extended from 14 April to 28 April.

Even before the announcement, judging from the daily new confirmed cases alone, it would be a real surprise if the MCO would be ended as planned.

Extending into the 3rd phase of MCO will not be a case of "more of the same", as this state of economic stasis cannot be sustained indefinitely. As essential supply chains are disrupted, its only a matter of time before food, medical supplies and other consumables run out.

The definition of "essential" remains somewhat ambiguous. The government has published a list of permitted industries, and those that were not listed would be allowed to appeal from Monday (13 April). However, this then opens up a can of worms, as there is little transparency of how such appeals are handled. Also there will be some bad-hearted parties who will object that approval is given to some. Thus, I expect this list to be somewhat dynamic (not counting exceptions) so do check the official government websites and sources for the latest info.

The key problem statement is how to resume daily functions with adequate controls without compromising the social distancing and other necessary measures. Besides restarting essential supply chains, businesses cannot afford to continue paying their staff for doing nothing. As they are not allowed to take any measures such as terminating staff, closure remains the only realistic option, which will then leave people jobless instead of just short of income. This sadly would be a real case of killing the goose that lays the golden egg. On the other hand, businesses like day care and school buses are insisting that they still be paid in full throughout the MCO period. So, everyone is being pressed and doing their best to stay afloat in these difficult times.

As of today, this is a tough challenge which no country has a clear solution. With the reopening of Wuhan, China today is taking the first steps into uncharted waters, and I hope China will be successful and that we can all learn from the experience.

One thing is clear - everyone, from the leaders down to the common folk like us, has to do their part and act responsibly, if we are to overcome this global pandemic.

Every day, there is still news of people arrested and fined (as space in detention is fast becoming a bottleneck), their numbers far exceeding the confirmed cases. I also observe inconsiderate people in the neighbourhood still going for morning and evening walks, and even stopping to chat with anyone they bump into. No doubt they share the same shallow thinking with the doctor and engineer who was jogging in Penang as well as the Shah Alam City Council member and friends who were playing badminton. Perhaps the police should start patrolling rather than just set up static road blocks...?

Back home, how does the news of extension bode for us? Well, the kids are getting started with their online lessons, though the teachers are the ones with the most challenges - having to master online teaching tools. Most of the lessons are a form of watching online video lessons followed by questions. Haha, for now, the videos are not of the teachers themselves, but some 3rd party. Not like what I've seen on social media for China, where some videos are starring the teachers themselves. But I don't blame them - even for me, presenting a Powerpoint slide online is no problem, but live (or even recorded) video feed is a completely different and new experience. Unless you are a seasoned vlogger on youtube, you'd probably keep comfortably off-screen....

For me, life during MCO is quite routine, occasionally starting my car to break the monotony. Working from home is still possible, and major telcos like Digi and Maxis are kind enough to offer free data daily from 8am to 6pm, which is sufficient to get a day's work done. The network speed can get slow at time, making teleconferencing a choppy affair. With the extension of the MCO to 28 April, I hope the free data plan offer would also be extended accordingly - otherwise, will have to incur a bit of cost. It would be interesting to calculate the daily cost of working from home versus the usual working at office (factoring in costs such as refueling and parking)....

Well, the first MCO clamped down on our daily lives and started us working from home. The second MCO (14 day extension) limited our movement to within 10km of our homes and with valid reason only. Let's see how the next two weeks go along in the 3rd episode of the MCO trilogy - hope we start to see the light the end of the tunnel (as Donald Trump aptly puts it) or maybe we'll see yet another extension - but even then, life after this pandemic will unlikely to be the same as before!

Red alert for Melaka (Covid-19 situation)

Just as news of the MCO (Movement Control Order) extension by an additional 2 weeks hit us (a bitter pill to swallow, but not completely unexpected), today the number of cases in our district of Melaka Tengah exceeded 40 cases, effectively putting us into the Red Zone.

The zone classifications are as follows:

• Green - No detection
• Yellow - Between 1 to 19 detections
• Orange - Between 20 to 40 detections
• Red - 41 detections and above

There are 3 districts in Melaka - prior to this Jasin had already gone into Red, and Alor Gajah was edging closer to the upper limit of Orange too, as reported on the FreeMalaysiaToday website. If you look at the map of Peninsular Malaysia below sourced from the KKM (Kementerian Kesihatan Malaysia), this generally means the overall situation in Melaka (which is a relatively small state compared to its immediate neighbours Negeri Sembilan and Johor) is quite alarming!

As you can see, the central and southern states are quite badly affected. There are 4 green zones where there are no detections so far - let's hope it stays that way.

For us, this means definitely having to be extra careful when going out for the essentials (food and other supplies)!

MCO-ing for a a bit longer

It's Day 9 of the MCO (Movement Control Order) here in Melaka (and for that matter the rest of Malaysia). Posting my thoughts here while waiting for my upcoming Skype meeting (still WFH-ing, remember?).

Yesterday, it was announced that the MCO that started on 18 Mar 2020 would be further extended by an additional 14 days, meaning until 14 April 2020. For us in Melaka, 15 April is a local public holiday (Melaka Historical City Day), so we'd be back to office on 16 April. Assuming there will be no further extensions....

This was more more less what I estimated, as mentioned in my earlier posts on MCO+Water Rationing in Melaka HERE and also WFH (Working from Home) HERE.

Speaking of water rationing, I'm happy to say that it has been raining quite frequently in the past few days, mostly in the late evenings and at night. The situation has somewhat improved, because as of late, we have not had water disruptions. So, I guess it has been raining in the right places, which is most important.

While this is a welcomed relief, no reason to go complacent and start washing car or soak in the hot tub. It's actually a reminder of our scarce resource, and that we should practice a sustainable lifestyle instead of just temporary measures.

Well, back to MCO, instead of crossing the 50% "milestone", looks like now the finishing line has been moved further back - more like only 25% of the journey now completed. From the news, there are still many people in defiance or ignorance of the MCO, which is aimed at effective social isolation (and not just "staying at home", which has become a popular catch-phrase). But some of these people appear to be not so clean (and have some reason to evade the cops). Others seem to have all sorts of reasons as to why they go out. Finally, we have the innovative people like this gentleman, who has left nothing to chance and designed his own HAZMAT suit from garbage bags (Macgyver would surely salute this guy!).

Until next time - Stay Safe, Stay Healthy, Stay at Home! 😁

MCO and Water Rationing in Melaka - a double whammy

Unless you have been in deep meditation somewhere in the middle of the desert, or have somehow managed to decouple from the world, you should all be well aware of the Covid-19 global pandemic that is (as of the time of this post) bringing the entire planet to a grinding halt. For us here in Melaka, this unfortunately overlaps with an extremely long dry spell that has left our taps running dry. Alas, two negatives do not make a positive....

Regarding the latter, Melaka historically has always had troubles with water - either too much (flooding) or too little - like we are currently experiencing. While past incidences were sometimes triggered due man-made mishaps (contamination of the water supply), the current predicament seems to be mainly due to the prolonged dry spell. It has not rained consistently for months now, save for the occasional downpour which a) may not be in the right place where the water catchment areas are located and b) may be heavy but too brief - only sufficient to make the dust stick to your car.

There are currently 3 water catchment areas in Melaka: Empangan Durian Tunggal, Empangan Jus and Empangan Asahan. There is a 4th Empangan (Malay for Dam) project at Jernih that is still far from completion, having been put off since 2018 but recently rejuvenated - which is too late to remedy the current situation. The malay proverb "sediakan payung sebelum hujan" or "prepare an umbrella before it rains" aptly describes the situation. Of course, there is another saying involving lavatories and certain bodily functions which I choose not to use, but more or less implies the same meaning....

As a result of this shortage of rain, the water levels at the dams have been decreasing rapidly. It was forecasted by the state authorities that the dams might be completely empty by April 2020! Thus, two months ago (from 29 Jan 2020), water rationing was implemented in Melaka, with water supply turned on and off on alternate week days (extended to include weekends as well in the later stages).

Now, as if life weren't challenging enough, over the past few weeks, Malaysia has seen an alarming increase of Covid-19 confirmed cases and even deaths. There is a lot of material online regarding this as well as preventive measures, so I shall not repeat here. Though a words of caution - do not blindly believe everything you read on the Internet and Social Media, as there is a lot of Fake News in circulation. In response, the Malaysian Government has issued an MCO (Movement Control Order) from 18 Mar to 31 Mar 2020. This has been done in order to impose social isolation in order to effectively break the chain of virus propagation, given the highly contagious nature of Covid-19. This essentially means everyone is to stay at home and only go out to purchase food and other important business.

My own humble opinion - 2 weeks is definitely not enough. The virus has an incubation period of 14 days (so they say) - but our detection is also not 100%. There should be additional time given for any more cases to be detected and isolated beyond the weeks, also since it will take a while before we have everyone fully adhering to social isolation guidelines. I'd say, at least until mid of April 2020 (but again, this is just my gut feeling).

So far so good through Day 3 of MCO, but believe me, being stuck at home is not as good as it sounds - at least to me. As the situation is quickly escalating on a global scale, more and more countries are forced to implement such measures, so chances are you know EXACTLY what I am talking about....

Well, for humanity's sake, I hope we can all put aside our differences and do our part to save ourselves!

A speedy drivers' license renewal at JPJ Melaka

In the blink of an eye, 5 whole years have passed since I last renewed my driver's license. With the expiry date coming up, and lots of things to do (Chinese New Year's just around the corner), it was going to be hard to find some time to get it done.

While it was possible to renew the driver's license at the Post Office or UTC, today I had some time in the morning, so I decided to test the efficiency of the Melaka JPJ staff (and also my luck). The Melaka JPJ officially opens at 7.45am, and I have absolutely have no reason to doubt it. I arrived at the JPJ (Jabatan Pengangkutan Jalan) Melaka, (https://goo.gl/maps/WXmxMxbTPynFxmhG6) at Bukit Katil roughly around 8.40am. It wasn't too crowded, with roughly 50% occupancy of the seats. I do note that the space between seats was too narrow - worse than the economy seats in AirAsia....

I got a number, and looks like i was 16th in line (for driver's license renewal). There were dedicated counters for other functions, so in actuality there were more people in line, but they would be routed to other counters and hence did not impact the waiting time.

Having not brought along any photo, fortunately they could scan my identification card (which was taken quite some time ago, luckily still looks like me). The cost of renewal is RM30 per year, up to a maximum of 5 years. Plus RM2 for the scanning. After confirming my address and paying, I dropped off the documents at Counter A to get it processed. This took less than 5 minutes, so all in all I was done by 9.30am. Renewal date is from today until my birthday 5 years from now (so I got some extra days free 😃 ).

I'm happy to say that the staff here is friendly (from the reception, to the counter, to the collection) and very fast / efficient! Definitely commendable and a good place to get JPJ-related things done if you are living close by.

High Tea @ Avillion Legacy Melaka

Seems that my change in organization was as good enough a reason for old friends to come together. As some friends in particular group were not from the same company as I was, we decided that lunch was not possible due to limited time. Hence, in looking out for a suitable place, my friend Din suggested we try out the High Tea @ Avillion Legacy Melaka. And so we did this fine Saturday afternoon....

The Avillion Legacy Hotel is situated along Jalan Hang Tuah, close to the HSBC bank and opposite the former Soon Seng Plaza / Fajar Shopping Center (should ring a bell for those of you who are familiar with Melaka many years ago). Parking in the multi-level car park of the hotel is free (as of this time of writing), but note that it was a bit dark and narrow (which might challenge those of you with large vehicles). Managed to get a spot on the 2nd level. The restaurant / cafe was on the ground floor, right next to the hotel reception counter. Of course, air-conned as it was fully indoors. High Tea details here or as shown below:

Details as seen on a smartphone screenshot....

Starting from 12pm and ending at 4pm, it seemed more of an extended lunch rather than high tea. We agreed to meet there a 1.30pm, which was nice as it was after the initial crowd and not too late that all the food would be gone. Luckily we made reservations beforehand, as even at that time all tables were full, and it looked like additional tables were set up into the lobby area to cater for everyone. Special promotion rate for this - buy 3, free 1, with special rates for senior citizens and children! No indication on how long this promotion will last, so best to catch it before it's gone....

It was not as large as the Zest Cafe @ Ramada, and the food served was not as varied, however, for less than half of the price, I'm not one to complain. Besides, the usual fruit and dessert counter, the bread counter was basic (one type of bread with a toaster, and one type of bun with butter). They had mushroom and red bean soup close by. The main course counter had butter rice, chicken, asam pari, japanese tofu and mixed cabbage / cauliflower. Special counter for roti john, waffles and pizza. For hot drinks, there was black coffee, tea and teh tarik - the last one to me being a bit sweet for my taste, but that's teh tarik for you. Over at the other end, seems the ice cream was moving quite fast - by the time I was there, there were only strawberry, yam and corn favour left, and 5 empty slots where the other flavours were. Seems that the food here was limited, as they didn't top up once finished. This meant that even though you reserved a seat, there might be nothing left to eat if you got there late. As we sat, ate and caught up on old times, looked like there were still some people coming in after 3pm - hope they weren't disappointed!

I liked the balanced layout - the number of tables, food counters and space did not give me a feeling of congestion, even with the additional tables set up encroaching into the lobby. Place was well lit, and suitable for kids and and also the elderly. The staff was quite attentive - our water glasses were refilled quite promptly and empty plates cleared. I did not manage to try out every dish served. Fortunately, there was no loud background music playing - good if one was trying to strike up a conversation.

In short summary and conclusion, all in all, no complains from my side. Reasonably priced with a comfortable environment too. Recommend to give it a try if you're in Melaka over the weekend, but be sure to call and make reservations first!

DIY laundry @ Xpress Laundry, Bukit Katil

One of the trends these days is self-service laundry, which are now popping up all over the place, especially in high-density housing estates and near apartments / condominiums. Never really gave one a try, until today....


We had a total of 6 curtains that needed some washing. Due to the absence of a back up set, they had to be washed, dried and re-installed by tomorrow in preparation for an upcoming event. Now, we could have loaded them into our washing machine, but we don't have a dryer at home. Hence the idea to try out the DIY laundry. My wife and I dropped by Xpress Laundry, somewhere in Bukit Katil, and took some time to get our bearings. Neither one of us had done this before, so to the other people there, we must have been one odd couple.

It was good that the instructions were clearly written literally on the wall. The 24 hour establishment was essentially open at both ends, with a row of 9kg and 14kg washing machines taking up the first third of the shop lot, in the middle was a row of 6 dryers arranged in a 3x2 configuration (3 rows up, 3 rows down). Back portion was empty, save for 2 massage chairs. There were CCTV cameras mounted at strategic locations, which is a must as this was a 100% DIY joint - not a single employee in sight.

Here's the location on Google Maps:

I guess it must be a franchise with standard decor, as there was also info on a 25kg washing machine, that was not available at this branch. Interesting, there was a warning label listing down what was prohibited, including shoes! :)

We did not bring our own washing detergent, so we purchased some powder from the vending machine. A standard cycle takes roughly 27 minutes, and water temperature and machine determines the price. Of course, one can do some load optimization to maximize the load/cost, but since we'd have to make do with 2 loadings anyway, we divided the curtains equally between the 2 washes. An overloaded chamber would restrict the tumble movement of the fabric and result in poorer cleaning.

We managed to find another free machine, so we didn't have to wait for 27 x 2 minutes back to back. Since the dryers were much larger, we collected our curtains and loaded them all in at one go. There are 3 temperature settings - the highest one is possibly for thick, heat-proof fabric!

Interestingly, the drying cycle took 24 minutes, but one can open the door at any time (the machine will come to a halt when this is done) to check and remove anything that has already dried up. There's even an option of topping up and extending the drying cycle if done with more than 8 minutes left on the timer. Saw some of the other customers doing this - though since we were new, we reserved ourselves to being non-interactive and hoped that the dryer would take care of everything. Luckily, 5/6 of the curtains were dry, and the last one was only slightly damp in the center.

There were a few benches along the opposite wall for customers to sit and wait, and some tables where one could fold the laundry so they won't wrinkle. In the end, we found the place to be convenient and a viable solution if you don't have a washing machine at home (especially for student houses) or if you need to use a dryer. Cost-wise, would be nice to do a mathematical exercise if I have the time to calculate and compare the DIY solution vs having one at home. Perhaps in another blog post.... :)

Do you or anyone you know do your laundry at a self-service laundry mat? Do share your experience and views via e-mail or in the comments below.

Hiking through the Bukit Beruang trail

My ~2 hour hike, as captured by Google Fit running on my venerable Xiaomi

Been busy at work in the past couple of weeks, so once again, my blogging momentum hits yet another speedbump. Doesn't mean I spend ALL available time while awake at the office though. On this fine Sunday morning, I and my colleague, L, decided to go for a hike through the famous Bukit Beruang (aka Bear Hill).

We met up at the start of the trail (GPS co-ordinates : 2.242120,102.280092), which was in the housing estate of Taman Dahlia. Depending on your normal routine, 8am may be either early or late. Either way, there were already many people there, as there was a distinct lack of parking near the foot of the hill. Ended up parking some 200 meters or so away (at least I get an effective brisk walk as a warm-up exercise).

I've been up and down the asphalt road all the way up to the Telekom station on many occasions, but there was more to Bukit Beruang than just the "easy trail". Today, we planned to go "offroad" through the forest trail would take us through a round to the other side of the hill (effectively, to Taman Muzaffar Shah, Air Keroh) and back to our starting point.

As this was my 2nd time through, I knew roughly what to expect. Traveling light without a backpack, I just had my wallet, handphone and camera. Several parts of the trail required the use of your hands to hold on to the support ropes and make-shift rails, I only carried what could fit into my pockets. Bringing along more gear would be an overkill, IMHO. So no DSLR or even mirrorless - just my Olympus TG4 (my ruggedized solution for the outdoors).

A helpful signboard with emergency contact numbers and a trail map.

Don't get me wrong, even though the hillside trail was relatively easy, compared to, say, Gunung Datuk, one should not be over confident and underestimate the effort. Going after rain (where the ground gets wet, muddy and slippery) or late evening where light and visibility falls is not recommended. Good shoes are a must - a pair of running shoes with good soles will do.

Well, fortunately, it was a bright sunny morning, and there were plenty of trees that provided cover. With L leading the way, we took the offroad path to the left of the asphalt trail up to the Telekom station. From there on, we took off to the right side of the Telekom station and followed the mountain bike trail all the way down to Taman Muzaffar Shah. We took a walk through the housing estate and re-entered the hiking trail at the side of the the water tower. Eventually, going all the way round and ending up back at the Telekom station. At that point in time, we decided not to over-exert (as this was already a step above our usual daily routine, and the next day was a working day), so we took the asphalt road back down to the foot of the hill. We spent around 2 hours there, and according to my phone we traversed around 4.9km. Mind you, this is from my phone which spent most of the time in my pocket, so understandably, accuracy with a dedicated GPS tracker would be much better.

Zoom up of the Bukit Beruang Trail Map

There were many fellow hikers there that morning, so we were never alone by ourselves for longer than 5 minutes. Still, for safety reasons, one should always come with at least one other person, and exit before it gets dark. The trail was not too difficult, though elderly folks and shorter kids may find it hard to reach and hold on to the ropes and side rails at a few points. For some strange reason, there were no mosquitoes (not sure if it was because it was morning).

As our hiking plan was rather ad hoc, it was just me and L today. Hope we could round up more colleagues of similar interest for the next hiking adventure! Any one of you reading this, please step forward and approach me. :)

If you ask me, I highly recommend you give it a try. All you need is to be in general good shape (otherwise, you may want to build yourself up at Bukit Serindit first).

Volunteering as a helper at the Relay For Life Melaka 2017

Some time at the end of last month, my old highschool friend, EF, contacted me  to ask if I'd like to help out as a volunteer for the then-upcoming Relay for Life Melaka event. Now, to be honest, I believe I had never heard of such a thing before, but as long as it did not clash with any of my other plans (and did not require me to actually do any running), I was otherwise more than happy to help out.

For those of you who (like me) are new to this, briefly, the Relay for Life was an overnight charity event aimed as raising funds, awareness, supporting and remembering those who have themselves or know someone who has had an encounter with Cancer. Organized by the National Cancer Society of Malaysia, the event generally involves a continuous relay of participants around a track. This year, the event was held at the Dataran Pahlawan field in Melaka Raya. Participants need not run - walking was fine. The goal is to ensure at least someone is still going round the track at any given time. This is to symbolize the continuous battle against cancer, which never sleeps (hence the event taking place over night). You can read more about it on their web page : http://www.relayforlifemalaysia.com/about-relay/

I arrived relatively early (nearly 7pm), considering my official shift duty was from 12pm to 4am. Again, this was to help out EF who was tasked as one of the main co-coordinators for the event. Already, there was no parking as all available bays were full (even with so-called VIP access - reminds me of my company parking....). So, I just temporarily double parked long enough to unload the stuff from my car before driving off in search of parking. In the end I had to park in front of the TNB, Banda Kaba, which was some 15 minutes walk away from Dataran Pahlawan. Was going to be for some exercise that night....

There were lots of people there, a mixture of volunteers and walk-in participants. There were food stalls set up with some game booths as well. There was a small stage set up at the entrance of the shopping mall, where there were some stage acts (singing, dancing, etc.).

Though generally stationed at the volunteer tent, I was there as a general helper, after all, so in principle this means looking out for whatever needs to be done and help out as best as possible. Thus, I was involved in carrying stuff, registration of volunteers, distribution of water / t-shirt to allocated volunteers, making rounds / spot checks, cleaning up, sorting of waste for recycling, etc..

At 8pm (or some time shortly after, as it was hard to keep things punctual with so much going on), it was time for the Luminaria event, which was when people lit up candles inside paper bags with messages written on them. Each was uniquely hand-decorated.

To ensure that there were sufficient people going around the track through the night, there were many participants who camped in the middle of the field, and took turns going round and round. Most of them appeared to be secondary school children, though I'm not sure from which school they were from. Participants could register themselves in teams of 10 (RM450 per team), Adults (RM50 per person) or Kid (RM20 per person). Registration for cancer survivors (both adults and kids) is free. Each Luminaria was sold at RM5 each, and F&B coupons sold in strips of RM10 (in denominations of RM1 and RM2). For over-night participants, tents were sold at RM70 (for those who did not have their own tent), while the space to pitch their tents was for RM30 per tent.

Helping out too were some RELA members, which were tasked with ensuring only people who registered and paid at the counter were admitted to the field (everyone was given a wrist band upon registration, including us volunteers). Also, later, to ensure that the said school children were kept in check. As there were limited bottles of water and t-shirts, it was a challenge to keep the distribution in control only to those who were identified. This entails having to deal with the occasional volunteer coming over and "insisting" they deserve to get a t-shirt, a box of mineral water, some other free-bies, etc..

It was quite "happening" before midnight, with all the activity going on, but after 12pm, the stage shows ended, the crowd dwindled, and it was down to just the volunteer group and the over-night participants. From there on, keeping awake while seated at the volunteer tent was rather challenging. Especially since they did not have any coffee available.... :(

As it turned out, some of the volunteers did not turn up on time (some did not turn up at all), so I was glad I was prepared to stay longer than planned. And stay longer than planned I did - in the end, leaving only around 9am, to send the paper carton boxes and plastic bottles to the Tzu Chi recycling facility at Air Keroh before finally heading home to catch up on sleep lost over the night before.

Do check out their Facebook page for many photos / videos covering this event : https://www.facebook.com/RelayforLifeMelaka/

Well, now that it's over, looking back I found it was a new experience for me - I've volunteered as a helper before, but not for an all-night event such as this. Due to a busy day prior to the event, I did not manage to get an afternoon nap to shift myself into the right timezone. Fortunately, the following day (Monday) was a public holiday in conjunction with the installation of Sultan Muhammad V of Kelantan as the 15th Yang di-Pertuan Agong of Malaysia, so by Tuesday, I was back to normal just in time for work.

Coincidentally, 22 April also happened to be Earth Day 2017, but that's another topic for another blog post.... :)

Beauty & the Beast - an outing to GSC, Aeon Bandaraya Melaka

I was tied up for the past two weeks engaged with my European counterparts, who were here for business trips. Thus, before the next wave of visitors arrived, I took some time off on an uneventful 2nd half day to bring my family to the movies. This time, it was to watch the live action Disney remake of the classic Beauty and the Beast. Clarification / disclaimer : this is not a movie review post.

The original plan was to watch the show for the Infineon Melaka Club81 Movie Day. However, due to some complications last month that resulted in a temporary ban of this movie, the show was no longer offered, even after the reversal of the ban by the Malaysian Authorities. This incident postponed the release from 16 Mar 2017 to 30 Mar 2017. Quite a storm in a tea cup, as you can search the Internet for news on credible sites such as : https://www.nytimes.com/2017/03/21/world/asia/disney-malaysia-beauty-beast-gay.html

Not wanting to disappoint my kids, especially my daughter, I planned a family outing on my own (as soon as possible, in case the Malaysian Authorities have a sudden change of heart). In Melaka, there are now quite a number of cinemas, but this time I chose the Golden Screen Cinemas @ Aeon Bandaraya Melaka. That's the "New Jusco" to some of us local folks.

In my recent movie going experiences here, I found the staff friendly (from the ticketing counter to the food/drinks counter to the ushers). The hall and seats are also kept in good working order. No stale or smoky smell in the air.

As this show was basically a musical, I chose to go for the show which features DOLBY ATMOS. This was offered in the hall with an enhanced sound system. Only 3 shows per day, perhaps due to lower number of movie goers (as the ticket prices were more expensive). Speaking of movie ticket prices, here's the breakdown:-

Adult ticket:
Ticket price - RM12.22
GST (6%) - 0.73
Entertainment tax (25% of ticket price before GST) - RM3.05
Total - RM16.00

Children ticket:
Ticket price - RM6.49
GST (6%) - RM0.39
Entertainment tax - RM1.62
Total - RM8.50

As you can see, Malaysian businesses have become quite mathematically competent, as the customer is presented with a nice "round" figure while leaving the fractions to the tax breakdown structure. While the GST was fairly new to Malaysia (implemented since 1st April 2015), the entertainment tax has been around since Oct 2011.

The seats were made of PVC / faux leather which was a step up from the usual cloth / cushion seats. Sound was clear and powerful (when needed) without buzzing or distortion. Great for musicals (where this show seems to fall into the category) or action movies where there are lots of sound-effects. Now I'm wishing I had come here watch Les Miserables (you can read about my experience in another cinema over here : Les Miserables Midnight Show at MBO).

As we were just from lunch, we only got a Large Popcorn + 2x Mineral Water (500ml) which comes up to RM12.10 (as you might have guessed by now, a GST of RM0.69 is already inside as part of the price). From these prices alone, you can get a rough idea of what it costs for a typical family outing....

Well, as for the movie, hopefully not giving away any spoilers, it's practically the same story as the 1991 animation (also released by Disney). With some additional songs (which fit seamlessly in with the rest of the original soundtrack). Can't help but compare to the original cartoon from 16 years ago (wah, has it really been that long ago?). Emma Watson (the girl from Harry Potter) really nails the role as the beautiful Belle, and can also sing! :)

As for the Beast and Gaston, the live-action movies have stuck to more "realistic" renditions for these two characters (if you can call a horned, hairy beast realistic). The beast is no longer a towering, um, beast, and Gaston is built more "proportionally" and not like, say, Johnny Bravo. Still, I feel it's a bit of a pity that Luke Evans does not have as powerful and deep a voice as the original voice actor from the animation. Ah, well. At least they didn't replace it with another voice actor (like Darth Vader). Then of course, the rendition of the title theme soundtrack by Ariana Grande and John Legend, the two of which are accomplished singers in this time, but could never displace duet by Celine Dion and Peabo Bryson.

I honestly enjoyed this movie. Now just trying to figure out if it was because of re-living memories of the original Disney animation, or was this truly a successful stand-alone. Nonetheless, a great movie experience, enhanced by GSC's fine and complete cinema. I'm not really into the 3D movie hype (My 2 Cents on 3D TV and Movies), but I'm fully supportive of the ATMOS sound system especially when watching the right kind of movies. I'm looking for the right movie to come, to try out ATMOS D-BOX to see if it really is the next level up.

In spite of being rather pricey, will definitely chose to come here for an unforgettable and enjoyable movie-going experience in future!