月度归档： 2022年9月

A blessed and beautiful Saturday.

Bringing hope : Another RM1.063 mil for a hospital for the people (from left); Dr Chuah, Dr Sak, Dr Ting, Prof Ewe, Dr Ling, Datuk Seri Yap, Chor, Lim and Lee. Sept 25, 2022.
By Foong Pek Yee
The weather was fine and there was an air of festivity all over the place.
Some 100 plus golfers who gathered at the Sungai Long Golf and Country Club in  Kajang, Selangor last Saturday (Sept 24) were there for a good cause. .
The event-Charity Golf Meet- has scored a big goal – raised RM1.063mil  for UTAR Hospital, a not -for-profit hospital in Kampar, Perak.
“We appreciate all of you coming together to enjoy a game of golf over a good cause for UTAR Hospital,” says Tun Dr Ling Liong Sik who is Universiti  Tunku Abdul Rahman (UTAR) Chancellor.
“Most golfers would agree that the friendship and bond built on a golf course are meaningful and elevating,” says Dr Ling who was MCA president and Transport Minister for about 17 years, and he is well known to have taken part in many golf tournaments to raise funds for education; including funds to expand Tunku Abdul Rahman College (TARC)in the 1990s and the building of UTAR since the early 2000s to provide quality and affordable tertiary education for the people.
UTAR turns 20 this year.
All smiles: (from left),  Lim, Chor, Lee and other golfers at the charity golf meet in Sungai Long Golf and Country Club, Kajang on Saturday,  Sept 24.
Describing the event as meaningful, UTAR council member Tan Sri Chor Chee Heung says it brings together diverse groups of people who value acts of charity.
Also the event’s organising committee chairman, Chor notes that UTAR Hospital will benefit Malaysia’s multiracial community especially the less fortunate by providing very affordable medical care.
He thanked the golfers for their support, and also all who contributed to the donations; from friends, partners, donors to sponsors, including Datuk Seri Ir Yap Chong Lee who through his Sungai Long Golf and Country Club, sponsored the golf course for the golf play and the breakfast and lunch for the golfers and guests for the event.
Also present were UTAR council chairman Tan Sri Dr Ting Chew Peh, UTAR Education Foundation Board of Trustees  chairman Tan Sri Dr Sak Cheng Lum,  UTAR council members Datuk Lim Si Cheng and Datuk Lee Leck Cheng, UTAR president Datuk Prof Dr Ewe Hong Tat and UTAR Hospital board chairman Tan Sri Dr Chuah Hean Teik .
Chor commended Lim and Lee for their months of effort and hard work from day one to help make the event a success.
Prof Ewe in thanking the golfers, donors and sponsors, says their spirit of giving back in support of charity is truly heart-warming.
He says the hospital is a hospital for the community, and the funds raised will help in its development and makes affordable specialist medical treatment more accessible to those in need.
The 350-bed UTAR Hospital comprises  250 beds for Western Medicine and 100 beds for traditional and complementary medicine (T&CM).
The T& CM section  has started operations early this year and the Western Medicine section is expected to open next year.
The RM330mil UTAR Hospital is also a teaching hospital under UTAR , a not-for-profit private university which turns 20 this year.

More than good food.

Recipe for a worthy cause. Sept 23, 2022.
By Foong Pek Yee
It was drizzling since early morning .
But the crowd in Golden Kimwah Restaurant in Damansara Kim, Petaling Jaya yesterday was very good.
Apart from the good food in this popular neighbourhood eatery, the patrons were there for a noble cause -raise funds for Utar Hospital, a not -for- profit hospital in Kampar, Perak.
The event, organised by Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman (Utar) council and with the support of the restaurant, raised RM56,936. 80 from 7.30am to 3.30pm yesterday.
The donors include Ezon Bhd group chief executive officer  Ikaxa Tan, Ir Ling Leong Choong from Sitiawan, Perak and Datuk Peter Ng from Kajang, Selangor.
Highlight: Dr Ling frying char kuay teow.  Looking on are (from right), Dr Ting, Ezon Bhd group chief executive officer Ikaxa Tan and Utar council member Datuk Lim Si Cheng, also the event organising chairman. 
Big support :  Ikaxa Tan handing over a cheque to Dr Ling.
Good deeds:  Dr Ling (seated) receiving a cheque from Ir Ling Leong Choong. Looking on are Dr  Ting (second from right) and Utar council member Tan Sri Chor Chee Heung (behind Dr Ling).
Council chairman Tan Sri Dr Ting Chew Peh expressed his gratitude to the people for their support.
And he used the Chinese saying – to save a life is better than to build a seven – level pagoda- to underscore the importance of their support.
A mission:  To help build Utar Hospital for the people (from left);  Dr Ting, Datuk Peter Ng, Ir Ling Leong Choong, Utar official Fook Oi Yee and Wong Jung Lik. 
Earlier, Utar chancellor Tun Dr Ling Liong Sik fried a plate of char kuay teow to kickstart the event.
Utar Hospital is a 350-bed hospital for Western medicine (250 beds) and Traditional and Complementary Medicine (TCM)  (100 beds).
The hospital, costing RM330mil, is expected to be fully operational next year.
The TCM section has started operations early this year.

People need money and not gift sets.

Rising cost of living and sluggish business.Sept 15, 2022.

By Foong Pek Yee

Many South Koreans are selling the Chuseok gift sets they received in order to have more cash in hand to battle the rising cost of living.
The popular gift sets include canned ham, seasoned tuna and red ginseng.
As the four- day Chuseok or Mid Autumn Festival celebration drew to an end on Monday, secondhand e-commerce platforms are  flooded with popular Chuseok gift sets for sale at a fraction of the original price,  according to Arirang News on Sept 12.
South Korea’s secondhand e-commerce platform Joongonara says canned ham  made up 30% of the goods put up for sale this festive season.
The e-commerce platform says gift sets which can be bought for half of the original price are selling well.
Meanwhile, another secondhand e-commerce platform held a promotion for resale of gift sets at a reasonable price.
Reselling Chuseok gift sets on secondhand e-commerce platforms reflected the people’s pressing need for more cash to beat soaring prices.
And there is little if no sign of  the inflation coming down anytime soon.

 

A long-awaited reunion under the moonlight

This Mid-Autumn Festival holds a special meaning for folks in  Changkat Kruing New Village in Sitiawan. Sept 13, 2022

Photos: By Changkat Kruing Clean and Beautification Committee.
By Foong Pek Yee
Hundreds of villagers including many who returned from outstation  celebrated the Mid-Autumn Festival in Changkat Kruing New Village last week.
The two-day event kicked off with a lantern parade on Sept 8, followed by  dinner the next day.
Chinese celebrate Mid-Autumn Festival on the 15th day of the eighth month in the lunar calendar with family and community gatherings, praying for everything good.
Organised by the village’s Clean and Beautification Committee, the villagers were overjoyed to learn  the movement control order (MCO) for big events has been lifted and that they can celebrate the festival as a village, says committee chairman Ching Sia Tiong, 68,
He says they were unable to do so  in the last two years due to the MCO.
“The village is full of excitement since a month ago when villagers started the preparations; from making lanterns, preparing food to getting family members from outstation to return for the celebration ,” says Ching.
Taking centre stage:  Big lanterns on the 12 Chinese zodiac.
No small feat:  Coming up with lanterns on the 12 Chinese zodiac takes much creativity, time and patience.
Utilising their creativity, talents, skills and resources, and working together to make the event a success, Ching says this has always been the villagers’ strength in all other events in the village.
All is good :  Ching Sia Tiong (right) and his wife Ong Cheng Eng .
Unity is strength :  Villagers preparing some food ahead of the celebration.
Full force : Villagers all out to make the celebration a success.
Finishing touch:  Getting ready the food and lanterns.
Environmentally friendly:  Empty cans are turned into brightly coloured lanterns.
Lanterns on wheels:  A very old type of lanterns using empty cans.

 

Big demand for no-frills Korean ramyeon.

Ramyeon with banchan or side dishes served in restaurants can be two to three times more expensive than no-frills ramyeon. Sept 11,2022
By Foong Pek Yee
foongpekyee@gmail.com
You can get a bowl of no-frills hot ramyeon or instant noodles for about 3,000 won (RM9.85) in 24 hour- self service- ramyeon shops within three minutes in Seoul.
The no -frills ramyeon which comes without side dishes is an option for  people opting for a cheap and fast meal outside their homes these days.
These specialty ramyeon shops use vending machines and come with a wide range of brands and flavours.
The seating also caters to solo diners.
But patrons may need to pay more for their no-frills ramyeon soon.
Major ramyeon  manufacturers have announced an increase in price from this month, according to reports by The Korean Herald recently.
South Korea’s Nongshim will increase the price of its instant noodles by an average of 11.3% effective Sept 15.
And Paldo’s  average increase of  9.8% will start from Oct 1.
Justifying the price hike,  Nongshim cited soaring global wheat prices while Paldo attributed it to the increase in price of raw materials and logistic costs.
Quoting  industry sources, The Korean Herald says  Ottogi and Samyang will also increase their price after Sept 12.
Soaring inflation in recent months saw many South Koreans opting for  cheap meal options like ramyeon at convenience stores as dining in restaurants became increasingly expensive.

 

Death in the basement

South Korea saw at least 11 deaths in  the basement over the last 30 days. September 8, 2022.

By Foong Pek Yee
Seven people  including a teenager died in a basement carpark submerged in flood water when Typhoon Hinnamnor hit South Korea,  bringing along heavy rain on Tuesday (Sept 6,  2022)
According to The Korean Herald,  the teenager had accompanied his mother to the carpark.
His mother, in her early 50s, is one of the  two people who survived  when they were rescued from the flooded carpark.
The tragedy took place in an apartment block in Pohang, about 270km south-east of Seoul when  Typhoon Hinnamnor hit  South Korea, reports The Korean Herald on September 7.
It says rescuers pulled out nine people from the flooded carpark – two alive while seven others who were rescued in a state of cardiac arrest were pronounced dead later.
According to The Korean Herald the nine had gone to the basement carpark to move their cars amid heavy downpour brought on by the super typhoon.
As of  Sept 7, the Central Disaster Safety Relief Headquarters says Typhoon Hinnamnor saw 11 dead, one missing and three injured.
Meanwhile, the big flood in  Seoul on August 8  saw four people,  including a family of three in Sillim-dong, perished  in their  semi-basement  home or banjiha in Korean.
Another person was also found dead in a flooded banjiha in the neighbourhood on the same day.
About 95% of South Korea’s 379,605 basement or semi-basement homes can be found in Seoul, reports The Korean Herald quoting Statistics.
In the wake of the  tragedies, Seoul announced that it would phase out all forms of underground residences – home to about five percent of all families in the city-  in the next two decades.

 

Run-up to Mid- Autumn festival in South Korea

 Food prices have gone up by an average of 28% ,
 and a super typhoon on the way.
Sept 3, 2022
By Foong Pek Yee
Ahead of Chuseok coming Saturday, South Koreans are set for a simple celebration.
Soaring food prices saw Chuseok or Mid -Autumn festival sales all time low since the Asian financial crisis 25 years ago.
 The  four-day holiday to thank ancestors for a bountiful harvest is the second biggest festival after Seollah (South Korean lunar new year).
By tradition, many South Koreans from Seoul with a population of about 10 million, will return to their hometown to celebrate Chuseok with their elders.
 But Typhoon Hinnamnor, along with strong winds and heavy rain,  and  is expected to hit the country in the next two days, is a cause for concern.
The Korean Herald reported yesterday that the typhoon  is set to hit the southern part of the country including Jeju Island.
Quoting the state weather agency, it said the typhoon’s trajectory however will only become clearer by tomorrow.
Update Sept 4 evening: Arirang News reported that Typhoon Hinnamnor is due to arrive in South Korea by Tuesday morning (Sept 6), quoting the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters.
 
It also reported on the cancellation of  Monday flights in and out of Busan and  Jeju Island.
Jeju Island, and the Jeolla and Gyeongsang Provinces are put on high alert.
The oncoming typhoon also saw public hiking trails in South Korea closed to the general public  until further notice.
Arirang News reported yesterday that people are spending less for  Chuseok this year, with prices of major food items like vegetables up by almost 28% from a year earlier.
And the price for napa cabbage used to make kimchi has shot up by about 80%.
Sales for must have food items for Chuseok memorial tables also took a plunge.
Arirang News quoted a trader saying the price for dried fish for the memorial tables has went up by 500 won, and traditional sweets that used to cost 5,000 won are now 6,000 won.
Ahead of Chuseok and to ease the burden on the people, Arirang News said the government will release about 4,000 tons of goods in high demand, including cabbage and garlic from its  stockpile.
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