Malaysia New Cabinet Minister for 2008-2012

PUTRAJAYA: Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi on Tuesday afternoon announced the 27-seat Cabinet line-up.

More than half of the ministers are new faces.

The full list:

Prime Minister:
Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi

Deputy Prime Minister:
Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak

Ministers in the Prime Minister's Department:
Tan Sri Bernard Dompok,
Datuk Seri Nazri Aziz,
Datuk Ahmad Zahid Hamidi,
Datuk Mohd Zaid Ibrahim,
Datuk Amirsham Abdul Aziz

Deputy Ministers in the Prime Minister's Department:
Datuk Johari Baharom,
Datuk Dr Mashitah Ibrahim,
Datuk K. Devamany,
Datuk Hassan Malik

Finance Ministry:
Minister - Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi,
Second Finance Minister - Tan Sri Nor Mohamed Yakcop
Deputies - Datuk Ahmad Husni Hanadzlah &
Datuk Kong Cho Ha

Defense Ministry:
Minister - Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak
Deputy - Datuk Wira Abu Seman Yusop

Internal Security and Home Affairs Ministry:
Minister - Datuk Seri Syed Hamid Albar
Deputies - Datuk Chor Chee Heong &
Senator Wan Ahmad Farid Wan Salleh

Housing and Local Government Ministry:
Minister - Datuk Ong Ka Chuan
Deputies - Datuk Robert Lau &
Datuk Hamzah Zainuddin

Works Ministry:
Minister - Datuk Mohd Zin Mohamad
Deputy - Datuk Yong Khoon Seng

Energy, Water and Communications Ministry:
Minister - Datuk Shaziman Abu Mansor
Deputy - Datuk Joseph Salang Gandum

Agriculture and Agro-based Industry Ministry:
Minister - Datuk Mustapa Mohamed
Deputy - Datin Paduka Rohani Abdul Karim

International Trade and Industry Ministry:
Minister - Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin
Deputies - Loh Wei Keong, Datuk Jacob Dungau Sagan

Foreign Affairs Ministry:
Minister - Datuk Seri Dr Rais Yatim
Deputy - Tunku Azlan Abu Bakar

Education Ministry:
Minister - Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein
Deputies - Datuk Wee Ka Siong, Datuk Razali Ismail

Higher Education Ministry:
Minister - Datuk Khaled Nordin
Deputies - Khoo Kok Choong, Datuk Idris Harun

Transport Ministry:
Minister - Datuk Ong Tee Keat
Deputy - Anifah Aman

Human Resources Ministry:
Minister - Datuk S. Subramaniam
Deputy - Datuk Noraini Ahmad

Women, Family and Community Development Ministry:
Minister - Datuk Dr Ng Yen Yen
Deputy - Noriah Kasnon

National Unity, Culture, Arts and Heritage Ministry:
Minister - Datuk Shafie Apdal
Deputy - Datuk Teng Boon Soon

Science, Technology and Innovation Ministry:
Minister - Datuk Dr Maximus Ongkili
Deputy - Fadilah Yusof

Entrepreneurial and Cooperative Development Ministry:
Minister - Datuk Noh Omar
Deputy - Datuk Saiffuddin Abdullah

Natural Resources and Environment Ministry:
Minister - Datuk Douglas Unggah Embas
Deputy - Datuk Abu Ghapur Salleh

Rural and Regional Development Ministry:
Minister - Tan Sri Muhammad Muhd Taib
Deputy - Tan Sri Joseph Kurup

Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Ministry:
Minister - Datuk Shahrir Samad
Deputy - Jelaing Mersat

Plantation Industries and Commodities Ministry:
Minister - Datuk Peter Chin Fah Kui
Deputy - Senator A. Kohilan

Youth and Sports Ministry:
Minister - Datuk Ismail Sabri Yaacob
Deputy - Wee Jack Seng

Health Ministry:
Minister - Datuk Liow Tiong Lai
Deputy - Datuk Dr Abdul Latiff Ahmad

Information Ministry:
Minister - Datuk Ahmad Shabery Cheek
Deputy - Datuk Tan Lian Hoe

Tourism Ministry:
Minister - Datuk Azalina Othman
Deputy - Datuk Sulaiman Abdul Rahman Abu Taib

Fed.Territory
Minister - Datuk Zulhasnan Rafique
Deputy - M. Saravanan

Colbie Caillat LIVE in Malaysia!

(The stage where Colbie is performing)

The day before yesterday which is on the 14th March 2008 was a night to remember. Colbie Caillat pronounced "Kol-bee Kal-lei" a young singer hailed from Malibu - California currently at the age of 22 years old made her debut concert appearence at the Laundry, The Curve, Damansara, Kuala Lumpur. I first time saw her video clip appeared on tv few days ago for her hit single "Bubbly". She has a very beautiful voice similar to the like of Sheryl Crow. I manage to get 3 complimentary tickets to attend her concert.

(I am just behind them, Colbie & her band having a group talk)

The concert was scheduled to start by 8pm but it turn out to be later than we had expected as rain starts pouring at the area. People were searching for cover. Luckily me & my friends manage to take our shelter at the nearby restaurant. However, there are some so called "loyal-fans" still standing under the open sky & get themselves wet under the rain. Not to mentioned people who bring along umbrellas & rainjackets.

(She waves her hair in front of me! A beautiful shot taken)

At around 8.30pm the DJs of the organizers of Hits.FM start to warm up the crowd by doing some games to win prizes of Colby Caillat's CDs & posters. I've got her CD already so there's no need for me to get wet for another. By 9.15pm the sky starts to clear. I manage to get near to the stage. It was a long wait for her to come to the stage. Finally Colbie & her bodyguard arrived at around 9.30pm. I manage to get near her & took some picture of her & her band.

(Looking at me while performing on stage)

It was a beautiful performance by Colbie that night. She sang about 8 songs of the total 12 songs produced for her debut Coco album. There's also Hitz.FM winner named Prima (might spelled wrongly) who manage to sing along Colbie on the stage. Woah! She's 1 lucky girl! I think every other Malaysian would be very jealous of her because just how many people who manage to sing side-by-side with an international artise?

(Azza, Asari, Natalie-Hitz.fm DJ & Me enjoying ourselves)

Her concert finally come to an end around 10.30-11pm. Next is the authograph session with the fans. What really pisses me off here is that no fans are allowed to take any pictures with her! I should have taken a picture with her earlier. FYI, Malaysia has a very bad reputation as a country to have a fan-artist session. This not only happen to Colbie's concert but all other concert too! Arrogant organizers! The same thing happen to the Sunburst concert held on the 15th of March (yesterday).

(The signed CD album :-p )

Anyway, it took me 15mins on the queing line to finally meet meet her face to face. She signed my copy of her album Coco. I must say she's a very beautiful lady. She has a beautiful pair of green eyes & a wide smile that i cant just stop staring. She's a very humble & down to earth lady who deals with her fans very well. After having a moment with her i head to the exit of the signing area. I'm so happy that i attended her concert. Later that night me & my friends have a drink at Rasta & few hours later at Hartamas just to ease the hype that we've gone through. It was certainly a memorable night that will never be delete from my memory.

12th Malaysia General Elections...who did u vote?

Free & fair election...a phrase that has been ringging at the ears of most people in the world...

(The place where i cast my vote, my old primary school...mind u i'm the 1st batch of this school)

Yesterday was an epic battle between The Government (led by BN) against the Opposition aka Barisan Alternatif @ BA (comprised mainly of DAP, PAS, PKR) to win the hearts of many Malaysian to form the new government. And the outcome of that result is... a great battle scar towards the Barisan Nasional. The BA manage to take over Selangor, Penang, Perak & Kedah from the BN. While Kelantan remains the impenetratable stronghold on PAS @ BA. A humiliating defeat...most of the people would say as the BN won only due to simple majority & not by 2/3 majority. A great victory towards the BA indeed!

(Checking our names at the frostdesk reception before we're allowed to go inside to vote)

Me being a Subang Jaya resident since 1988...this is my 1st experience of casting a vote. A vital vote that could change the rule & administration for the country... my family & I cast our votes after having our lunch at home. We arrive at SKSS17 Subang Jaya (my former primary school 95-96) around 3pm. I manage to take a peek at the BN bench over there. There were lots of supporters coming from BN's component parties while the DAP bench only consisted about 3 staffs. Then i make my move to the polling station inside the school compound. There we met Mr.Kumar who was a traffic officer at the school since my batch. He looks healthy as I remember it 12 years ago!

(The entrance of the room where i cast my vote)

I'm voting at the No. Saluran 3. I guess this means that i'm the 3rd generation of the voters coz the elders seems to be at Saluran 1 & 2 (i might be wrong though). There after showing my IC & clarifying that i'm eligible to vote, the person from SPR with the list on her hand called my name out loud so that the pemerhati from each representative take note of my attendance. Then, they gave me 2 piece of papers to mark my choice on the Parliament & DUN's seat. After made my decision & marked my papers, i insert it inside the transparent box in the middle of the room. Everybody was watching my action,...hehehe....i know my votes are important for future of the country. After casting our votes, my family & I went to Subang Parade for hi-tea before we head home later by 6pm.

(The exit door after casting the vote)

It was said that the result of the election will be broadcast by 9pm at night. Most of the channels have their political analyst to commentate on the election. I must say that the result came out very slowly. My family & our neighbours had our barbeque near the enclave to enjoy the thrill of knowing the result but i must say the state of Selangor's result came out very slow. It bored me the whole night. How can they announce the result very late at night? Things were not even finish by 3am! I must say that this is the most ridiculous timeline of result given i've ever seen. The ESPN can announce & post the result of any sports better than our own channels!

At 1am i decides that its enough for my wait. I take a short nap til i realize that the unofficial result came by saying that Selangor has been won by the BA & not BN. Whoa!!! (shocking) Oh well, i hope that the newspaper tommorow will give a good review of the election. However, to my findings when my parents brought the Malay & English newpapers...there were still unofficial result of the election. This really pissed me off. I decide to checkout the SPR website & found the exact figure & result of the election...

And the result for DUN Subang Jaya (N-31) are...

Hannah Yeoh Tseow Suan - DAP - 23,459 votes

Ong Chong Swen - BN - 9,608 votes

While the result where i'm voting for the (P-104) Parliament of Kelana Jaya are...

(L-R: Loh Gwo Burne, Lee Hwa Beng, Billi Lim)

Loh Gwo Burne - PKR - 30,298 votes

Lee Hwa Beng - BN - 25,267 votes

Billi Lim Peng Soon - Bebas/Independant - 1,895 votes

These were what the Subang Jayan voted yesterday.

The ruling party BN have lost 5 states to the BA! A shocking result. A political analyst said that the ruling party should do a post-mortem on why they losses so many seats on both Parliament & DUN. I have to agree with him. Malaysians these days are much more aware of their rights & keep a very watchful eyes on the people they vote.

Tommorow i'll be attending a post-mortem & review of the current Federal Elections held at ISIS Kuala Lumpur. I hope to get more news on the current situation. Anyway, i congratulate all the Malaysians for doing their part in the 12th Malaysia General Elections. You certainly make a difference!

The year of the Rat!

On the 21st February 2008 is the day i enter the 24th years of my life. Born on the year of the Rat according to Chinese Astrology, 2008 was said to be a promising year for me. Yet i dont know what the future holds. They said that a Rat should not be in their comfort zone in order to achieve greater success. Hmm...maybe they are right, i should work harder to make my dreams possible. Like the Adidas slogan said 'Impossible is Nothing'

They said that Rats who're born during the day are most likely to have a rich easy life while those Rats who're born during the night may have a life of hard work. People who're born in these years are said to be cheerful & kind. Rats tend to sleep all day & hunt all night. Hmm...i better check with my birth certificate on what time was i born.

Some famous people who're associated with the year of the Rats are William Shakespeare, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Winston Churchill & George Washington. I think i have these 4 peoples' characteristics.

The first William Shakespeare a poet. I love Arts & Literature! It makes my mind works at its best playing with words. I guess that's why i'm taking the Bachelor of Arts for my tertiary education.

The second Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart the musician & composer. For your information, i've tons of Orchestral & Scores musics from various composers not just Mozart but also Beethoven, Tchaikovsky, Howard Shore, Nick Glenn Smith etc! To me the music is at it best with no vocals.

The third Winston Churchill an orator, statesman, Prime Minister & a British Army officer. I've an ambition to become a military officer due to passion & family background but i think i'd better go for the legal service or diplomatic core because a man with words holds the key to a successful future.

The fourth George Washington was said of all the Americans he was "first in war, first in peace, and first in the hearts of his countrymen." Somehow i see myself having some of GW characteristics which is serving for the love of the country.

Other celebrities who're born in the same year of the Rat includes Prince Charles, rapper Eminem, actress Scarlett Johansson. Haha..., the Rat rule the street!

A stint at Borders Bookstore Malaysia

(The main entrace advertistment before the grand opening on the 6th Dec 2007!)

On the 19th November 2007 I started my working career with Borders Bookstore here at The Gardens MidValley, Malaysia. Here i make friends with staffs from all over the world & Malaysia. The Store Manager is Mr Ooi, The Senior Sort Manager from Seattle, US Sarah Florio & other newly transferred staffs from The Times Square & The Curve including: Sakina, Yuana, Erwin, Dorn, Danny, Syed, Kid, Dee, etc.

(The 1st day morning briefing by Sarah Florio & Mr Ooi)

On the 1st day sorting & shifting...we're more like a working labour. Taking all the packages from the trucks & bring it to the relevent section & sort it before we shelf it. There are a lot of sections here. During the sort period, i mostly handled with the Genre, Travel, Cooking & Kids section.

(Me not on picture & Najmi, Naim, Sharina & others having training on the TLU system)

The opening was origially planned on the 6th. Due to our high commitment, we managed to put things beyond schedule which means that we only concentrating on the shifting with the remaining days. Nearing the final days before the opening, our main concern was the Mentor (chinese books) & Basheer (arts & design books) which were lease to foreign distributor to handle were seems to be working very slowly. Not to mention Starbucks too! But in the end, all turn out well.

('Winnie the Poos?' Some people just dont know Disney that well...huhu)

On the opening day itself ie 6th December, i was given the opportunity to handle the cash register (casher). Its the first time i ever handled a cash register. But as time goes on it turns out well. Only to find out later when i closed my bay, it was found that i short 30 cents. Heck. I've to replace that shortage with my own money. So much for being a casher.

(Another morning briefing by Sarah. We always get the interesting 'Question of the Day' like dream places to go, super-powers, books to give on a tourist who'll take 18 hrs flight etc. I just love morning briefing with interesting question.)

Most of the time when i'm not handling the Cash Register or the Information Counter i'd most likely to be found at my section. They had assigned me to History, Romance & Crime books section. I've no problem with History & Crime books but Romance??? Hmm...honestly speaking...i'd never touch a romance book til i work here. But hey! Its a challenging career learning about books that i'd never bother flipping into.

(Me with Sarah who's the Sort Manager from Seattle. I'll always remember her as Meredith Grey's twin sister coz she have an uncanny resemblance with the character.)

After working for a few days here at the Borders, i learn about the business itself. 'How to make a good customer service.' Besides customers to the bookstore comes from all walks of life. From a minor to an elderly people and from nobody to some very influential people. It was fun working here & meet new people everyday!

Selamat Hari Raya & Maaf Zahir Batin!

(celebrating Raya with the rest of my extended relatives)

I'd like to take this opportunity to wish you readers / bloggers a Selamat Hari Raya Aidilfitri & Maaf Zahir & Batin. Happy Eid-Mubarak to all Muslims who are celebrating the Syawal after a long days of endurance during the fasting month of Ramadhan.

(with my grandfather at his open house)

To me Syawal this year is very interesting. I got the opportunity to meet my extended relatives and share some thoughts with them. Nowdays we all have different path lies in front of us. Some are doing law, others are doing public administration & administrative science, geology, medic, economics, business, physioteraphy, accounts etc. Some also were not here coz they're pursuing their studies overseas in which Aidilfitri is not a public holiday to their country like my brother is the UK & my cousins in Australia. Oh well, life still goes on & i just hope that they all have a very good Aidilfitri over there.

(the Johorean delicacy being served to visitors at the open house)

Being part of the strong Johorean family...serving laksa Johore & Arissa (the turkish delicacy) is a must when there's a festive season's coming. Of course there's also satay, ketupat, lemang etc. being serve along the way but i guess its just tradition for the host to show our very arts of culinary.

So today, being the 3rd day of Hari Raya i've went to about 10 Open Houses. Oh it's such a wonderful month to eat all you can but i'm afraid that men do have their capacity in their stomach. The problem is that when the food is so tempting & so tasty...there's no way stopping it. Huhu. I guess we might just get along with it.

To infinity...& beyond!!!

(The Soyuz rocket which will be their carrier into outer space)

As of yesterday the 10th October 2007 at apporximately 21.21 international standard hours, 2 man & a woman was sent into outer space on a Russian rocket named Soyuz. Sure it seems like nothing to most people in another country but for Malaysia sending its first astronaut is 1 hell to scream about. The lucky chap who get to travel outside earth is Dr. Sheikh Muszafar whom if i not mistaken a medical lecturer at the local university. He was competing with Dr. Faiz who's a dentist at the Royal Malaysian Air Force Medical Kor but luck was on his side to get such honour.

(The Russian space station)

Hari Raya is just around the corner, while most people in the bustling city of Kuala Lumpur were busy buying stuff to prepare to celebrate Aidilfitri by going to Jalan Tunku Abdul Rahman or Chow Kit Road or anywhere alike, our astronaut is not going to celebrate it with his family like most muslims on that much-awaited day. So since he's the only muslim on board of the Soyuz starcraft, i guess he'll be celebrating his Aidilfitri up there...huhu...no ketupat & lemang for u ah Sheikh this time.

(Dr.Sheikh & 2 others from Team A in spacesuit)

Oh well, like most of the people would say "Experience is what makes u different from others". Where thousands of Malaysians applied to get such experience, Dr.Sheikh is sure one lucky fellar. Funded by our very own govenment worth RM30mil++ with a good relationship with the government of Russia, i dont think any Malaysian can afford to go to space even as a tourist. I'm not sure about business tycoon but it sure takes a lot of money to go up there.

Anyway, i'd like to congratulate for u Dr.Sheikh & Dr.Faiz for your achievement where only you who have gone to a place where no Malaysian had ever been. Salute!