Perdah-Jasar revisited - photos

Parking kereta kat sebelah Villa Dahlia, Kg Sg Ruil, Brinchang.

Dari parking lot, kena jalan kaki skit ... as warm-up

Entrance to Gunung Perdah - ada signboard yg jelas, u won't miss it ... just rungkas from there - ikut jer arrow tuh ke atas ;) Gayut baik2 CikLiza, kang patah besi signboard tuh ... kuang3 !

Wonderful view from the top of Perdah ... menghayati Kebesaran Allah swt.

White mosses ... cantik kalu set gambar ni as desktop background ;)

Another candidate for desktop background. "Hijau" itu cantik ! Sejuk mata memandang ;) ... Takbir !

More mosses ...

Another breath-taking view between Perdah & Jasar ...

Banyak lumut kat atas puncak sbb cuaca sejuk & lembab ...

Yellow berries anyone ?

Tanah Rata town - view from Jasar ...

Green acres ... tea plantations !

Kat Kem Sg Pauh - di belakang tu Surau ... Takbiiir ! (L-R : Sir Mart, me, Liza, Hj Yahya)

3 jejaka macho & 1 jejaki machi ...

Shopping sakan - beli fruits & veges utk org rumah ... heheh3

Having a quick brunch (breakfast cum lunch) at Raaju's Hill Strawberry Farm Cafe. Makan pancake w strawberry ice-creams topped up w chocolate ... fuuuh - Sir Mart & Liza siap order tambah 2 kali ! Harga ? RM7 per plate, sekali sekala boleh lerr !

Menikmati teh Masala kat Bharat Tea Plantations. Satu teko RM15 kongsi 4 org. Berbaloi sbb teh dia mmg kao abis ! Kalah teh tarik kedai mamak kat Sect15 Bdr Baru Bangi ;)

The colors of Jasar-Perdah ...

Digi line clear ! Update report kat puncak Jasar - thanks Mr Yellow Man !

Melepas penat selepas poco2 kat puncak Jasar ! Ketulan batu-bata tu sebenarnya tapak asal landmark / signboard Jasar Summit yg dah runtuh ditiup dek angin ...

More colors of Jasar-Perdah ...

MasyaAllah ... mana ada views cenni kat KL ?

Wrong-way ! Jangan ikut trek nih ...

Exit point down from Jasar... terus ke perumahan Taman Carnation, Tanah Rata.

"Hantu2" Jasar-Perdah sedang beraksi ...

Early morning sight at Kem Sg Pauh ...

Hujan gerimis kat bandar Berinchang ...

Jasar - Perdah Revisited (17 Oct 2009)

The last time I climbed Gunung Jasar-Perdah (Cameron Highlands) was somewhere in March this year, as a warm up training prior to Gunung Mulu expedition (May 2009). But this time, our team do the reverse - ie. ascend from Perdah & descend thru Jasar (2 mountains side-by-side). Perdah is 5,565 ft ASL, while Jasar is 5,173 ft ASL (above sea level).

Pemandangan kali ni rasanya lebih menarik & panjatannya terasa agak mudah sikit. Mungkin disebabkan bhg yg mencabar tu terletak pd trek mula2 nak panjat Jasar - mmg mencanak ! Since kali ni kitorg naik ikut Perdah & turun ikut Jasar, so bhg yg mencanak tu dah jd "kacang" ler sbb kita on the way down ... cuma "braking system" spt kaki & lutut nak kena kuat lah beb ;)

I rasa analogy yg paling sesuai di sini (esp yg biasa dgn trek Kinabalu) ialah Jasar-Perdah ibarat spt Timpohon-Mesilau (naik mencanak, turun landai), & Perdah-Jasar pulak spt Mesilau-Timpohon (naik landai, turun mencanak).

Entry points utk mula trekking dari Perdah ialah kena parking kenderaan kat Villa Dahlia Jalan Kg Sg Ruil (depan golf course). Lokasi ni saya rasa selamat sbb dekat dgn parking hotel etc. Lepas tuh nak kena jalan sedikit on tar road abt 1.5km to reach TNB sub-station. On your right you'll see the Gunung Perdah signage. Rungkas (panjat) jer dari situ.

Masa kat puncak Perdah & Jasar, sempat lah melepaskan penat dgn menghirup udara bersih, makan keropok & biskut yg dipack, sambil mengambil gambar & berpoco2 kejap. Just a couple of steps down from the Jasar summit, kami terserempak dgn sorang lelaki (Asian) bertopi cowboy - serious looking & hv that kind of "unfriendly look".

So kami x berani nak tegur lah - takut tersilap ckp kan lain pulak jadinya. Lg pun bila trekking dlm hutan nih nak kena jaga sikit mulut kita ... mana lah tau ? Anyway, atas belakang dia packed dgn photography equipments & net utk tangkap butterflies / insects. Rasanya dia mungkin "professional photographer" kot ... wallahu a'lam.

Half an hour later kami bertembung pulak dgn 3 org gadis montel Mek Salleh tgh trekking up Jasar. Bila bersembang, we found that they were eco-tourists from Ireland. Very friendly, and one thing I noticed ialah all the 3 of them pakai kasut getah Boling yg harga lebih kurang RM7-8.00 tuh. Diaorg siap bagi thumbs-up lagi kat kasut tuh. Mmg sesuai & berbaloi katanya ...

Utk exit point di Jasar pulak ada dua pilihan. Yg biasanya org turun ikut Oly Apartments. Tapi kali nih kami turn left kat cabang & turun ikut Carnation Park (housing area). Lepas tuh kena berjalan (on tar roads again) ke bandar Tanah Rata, & of course back to the parking area kat Villa Dahlia (Brinchang). Jauh jugak tuh ... Tapi kalau dah conquer Perdah-Jasar, perjalanan balik ke Brinchang tu kira "kacang" je lah ... heh3 ;) Cuma nak kena tahan sinaran panas terik matahari kat atas kepala !

I know of late, some people complains of weather getting hot at CH. To a certain extent I've to agree. I x nafikan CH is getting hotter, especially during day time. You can just wear T-shirts ! But at night x leh wat centu. What more if it is raining. Mmg sejuk sunggoh !

First nite I tried to sleep in my hammock. Halfway thru (abt 2-3 am), terjaga dari tdo sbb terlalu sejuk, wpun dah bungkus diri dalam sleeping bag, stockings etc. Terpaksa buang air kecik 2-3 kali. Akhirnya terpaksa lari masuk tdo dlm khemah. Nasib baik ada bawak single tent as backup. Conclusion : CH masih lg sejuk, especially at night ;)

Sewa camping site (khemah sendiri) kat Kem Sg Pauh ialah RM3.00 per head, plus RM10 per nite utk toilet & letrik. So utk team kami 4 org, camping 2 nights, jumlah bayaran hanyalah RM32.00. That boils down to RM8/= per person, kira ok sgt lah tuh ! Kalau dok hotel, mau RM100-200 satu malam ! Lagi pun kat Sg Pauh tuh, wpun x der free WiFi, but u get free fresh air, free river water yg sejuk gilerr ! Awet muda beb ;)

Bagi sesapa yg berminat utk wat tempahan boleh lah contact En Murad (Pegawai Jab Hutan CH) at 05-4911384. Just a word of caution though, nombor telefon tuh dikongsi dgn fax machine, so kekadang tuh bila kita call, line nya berbunyi bising (noisy).

In short, Jasar-Perdah ni saya kira boleh masuk dlm kategori Beginners Level. Not so easy & not so difficult either. Has quite a clear trekking path (x confusing), nice views with lots of fresh air ! Sesuai utk sesapa yg baru nak berjinak-jinak dgn trekking activities. Tapi kena ada stamina la. Kalau x, boleh semput jugak dibuat nya... hehe3 ;)

As of now, I ada skit prob nak upload fotos - size too big ! nak kena edit dulu ;)

KPTM's 26th Convocation

Last Saturday Oct 3rd, I had the opportunity to attend Kolej Poly-Tech MARA’s 26th convocation held at Putrajaya International Convention Center (PICC). As the invitation came in quite last minute, at first I was a bit unsure whether to attend or not. But now I’m glad that I did.

It was an auspicious & joyful event indeed. With a total graduate of roughly 1700, it is the largest number ever produced by KPTM since its establishment in 1983. This time the event has to be split into 2 sessions – one in the morning & the other in the afternoon.

Based on the Buku Program, the afternoon session was expected to end at 1800 hrs, but they manage to conclude everything by 1630 hrs. I was informed that not many students under the collaboration program with UiTM turned up. I guess may b they prefer to attend UiTM’s graduation ceremony more than KPTM’s, or could it b that they did not receive invitation ? … wallahu a’lam.

I had a great time at PICC. Had opportunities to meet & mingle with old friends, colleagues & ex-students from other branches. PICC is really a nice place, with easy parking & the food was good too - thanks Maizul ;)

Tapi yg paling best ia lah bila dpt bersua dgn bekas2 pelajar yg bergraduat. I guess that’s the climax for anyone in the education sector ! It’s really a great feeling when ur ex-students wave their hands upon seeing u, tegur to say TQ & mentioned that they miss ur lectures ! Wow, masa tuh terasa lah jugak kembang-kecup sekejap ;) heh3. Astaghfirullah ... Hrp2 diorg nih sincere lah bila mereka kata mcm tuh ttg pengajaran kita …

Many of them took classes w me in The Digital Society (346IS), Business Info Systems Strategy (331IS) & Group Projects (201KM) when I was teaching in KPTMKL from 2007-2009. Some of them were from KPTM Alor Star, when I was their College Director from 2005-2007.

Their happy smiling face tells it all. Everybody was in a happy & joyous mood. Ramai jugak yg ajak nak bergambar dgn saya. Felt like I’m the center of attraction la pulak – prasan lah tuh ! Penjual di gerai bunga kat tingkat bawah tu pun kelihatan sgt gumbira sbb semua bunga2 abis di jual ! Semua pakat beli utk bagi kat their loved ones ! To all my ex-students : I’m very happy & proud w ur achievements. U deserve it all !

Tp yg paling berbangga sekali pd event ari tuh saya rasa ialah parents kpd para graduan. Diorg sanggup dtg dari jauh, membelanjakan byk wang ringgit, demi utk menghadiri & menyaksikan sendiri event & saat yg paling penting & bermakna dlm sejarah hidup anak2 mereka. To all these parents : SYABAS & TAHNIAH atas kejayaan anak2 tuan2 & puan2 !

Dan saat yg paling touching bg saya pulak ialah pabila MC majlis menjemput both parents of Allahyarhamah Nor Aishah Mohamed to the stage. She passed away on 7 Nov 2008 after a long battle with Thalasemia major. She was one of the many good students in my 346IS class. TQ to Coventry University for being so "generous" in awarding her Posthumous Degree. I'm sure that means a lot to her parents. Al-Fatihah …

Overall, alhamdulillah I’m happy that the whole event runs well, but of course with minor hiccups here and there. But what can you expect ? Convocation ceremony is a mammoth event, requiring excellent planning, execution & monitoring – bukan calang-calang orang boleh handle !

I’m x sure other ppl realized this or not, but this time I see less emphasis was given to salutations in speeches. Kalau dulu2, siap berjela2 dgn salutasi hinggakan audien naik muak ! Kali nih straight forward to the point. Ladies & gentlemen, bla bla bla ... I like that !

Satu lg yg I suka ialah the deployment of JPA3 (Putrajaya) to ensure “law & order” at the event. So far I x see any untoward crisis happening on that day. Next yr boleh jemput diorg lg … ;)

Areas for future improvement ?

1. Bhg PR – Jemputan & edaran maklumat amatlah kurang efektif. Ramai x dpt info yg mencukupi / tepat, esp mereka di kampus cawangan. I believe there must b some communication breakdown somewhere.

2. May b can just forgo the gamelan ? This time it was so boring … can put u to sleep in less than 1/2 hr ! I thought next time may b we should give more slots to the more “contemporary” music. Honestly, the keyboardist aritu mmg best. He’s a savior ! Pandai pilih lagu2 & rentak yg sesuai. The moment he played his songs, almost all of us audience terkejut dari lena & start tapping our feet & fingers … If I were not seated in the front row, I would probably get up and dance ! Those lagu2 Hari Raya & the evergreen Sway really puts many of us in the mood again ! Syabas Mr Keyboardist !

3. More seats should be allocated for the lecturers. To me, convo is an event to celebrate our students’ academic achievements. Who else would b more appropriate to attend (besides the graduates & their loved ones) than the lecturer themselves ? I’m very sure that these students also want to see (& show off ?) their lecturers more than anybody else at this joyous occasion.

Akhir kalam, my syabas & tahniah to the urusetia & all those ppl involved as AJKs etc. Special mention to my closest of friends who hold big responsibilities in ensuring the smooth running of the event – Abd Azmi, Bro SFO, Sis BB, Bro Pian, Napi, Maizul, Hamidi, UstFazli.

Abd Azmi – for ur high spirit & endurance to shoulder both TRA & Rector’s responsibilities. If given to me, I don’t think I can execute it as well as him.

Bro SFO – our KPTM’s best Floor Mgr ever ! Bukan setakat floor jer dia cover, kalau boleh sampai kat dinding2 & siling2 pun dia nak manage ;) Dari pagi ke petang, I x nampak sekali pun dia sempat duduk – asyik ke hulu ke hilir always on the run to ensure smooth running of the event.

Sis BB - for her “motherly / sisterly final touches” to ensure semua graduan memakai jubah & mortar board masing2 dgn se-elok2 mungkin sebelum naik stage.

Bro Pian & Napi – both of them dgn penuh dedikasi & poyo nya menggunakan alat komunikasi wireless di tengah2 dewan depan para hadirin, demi utk memastikan pergerakan perarakan berjalan dgn lancar & sempurna.

Maizul – for the good food. Pandai u pilih kombinasi ! Cuma I x sempat nak merasa mee-hoon, diorg kata sedap !

Hamidi – lelaki KPTM bersuara jantan terakhir ? Next time saya rasa pihak JK Konvo perlu cari sorang lagi back-up MC lelaki bersuara jantan mcm dia ... klu x kesian Hamidi sorang, sampai nak hilang suara. (MC perempuan pulak ada 2-3 org utk disilihganti)

UstFazli – for the barokah of his doa – dgn izin Allah the whole event runs smoothly. To me, sesapa saja boleh baca teks doa, tapi tahap keberkatannya berbeza2 …

Yg lain2 tu jgn lah terasa plak… I tau ramai yg bertugas "di belakang tabir". Nama u all kan dah ada kat dlm Buku Program Konvo tuh ? Heheh … Anyway, ALL of u just did a great job guys ! Keep up the good work. KPTM Hebat ! Takbiir !

Note: Sorry guys kali nih x der fotos nak di upload – digicam I yg dulu tuh ada prob sikit ! kuang3 … nak kena cari ganti … x ada sesapa nak bagi hadiah digicam utk I ker ? X nak bagi yg canggih2 pun x per, kalu leh bg Olympus Tough 8000 pun kira ok lah ;)

Problems Faced By Employers In Hiring Fresh Graduates

I got this stats from NST (10 Jul 09). The survey was conducted by Jobstreet.com. Saja nak kongsi ... Lu pikir lah sendiri ;)

55.8% Poor command of English
37.4% Poor character, attitude or personality
33.0% Asking for unrealistic salary / benefits
30.2% Mismatch of skill
27.7% Choosy in job or company
25.9% No demonstrated ability to solve problems
23.8% Skill knowledge not in depth enough
15.6% No suitable operning available
14.4% Ill prepared for job interview
13.2% Poor general knowledge
7.8% Little or no interest in job applied
2.2% Graduated from lesser known university
1.9% Unemployed for too long
1.3% Female graduates less suitable
1.1% Poor command of Mandarin
0.7% Poor command of Malay (BM)
7.9% Other reasons

In the same article, MEF (Malaysian Employers Federation) cited examples such as :

a) Out of 10 unemployed graduates, 7 have communication problems.

b) At a recent job opening for call centers, only 8 out of 80 applicants were selected as the others had fared badly in English.

So camner tuh ?