Baba House Hotel Melaka, Beware!

I wanted to book a hotel room that is big enough for a day for the use of my wedding photography in Melaka so I called to ask about the standard single room costing RM51.30++ if a dressing table was available. The sales person told me there are no dressing table in that price range unless I go for the superior rooms costing RM100 nett for a day use (Between 12.30 to 6pm). I thought since there is a dressing table in the superior rooms so I booked one but to my surprised, there was none! I asked customer service and they told me that none of their rooms has a dressing table! This is pure lie! So for wedding couples out there, please do not be conned. You can in fact use a smaller and cheaper room and you do not need to check out at 6pm. The location of Baba House is the only thing I like about this hotel. The rooms however felt dead to me. Maybe it's a very old place for me to appreciate. I would suggest you to go for Baba House as your last choice. Even if you would want to take wedding photos here, there is nothing really special about this place. I am sure you can find better places befitting your precious pre-wedding photography.

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I Can't Remember!! Is that wrong?

i'd seen this happening. yes, they have dementia or alzheimer... but that doesn't give us the license to shout, scream, threat or vent our anger at them. one day, when you are old and you have dementia... i really hope no one will treat you this way....

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source >> BBC : Dementia relative 'admit abuse'

Dementia relatives 'admit abuse'

Looking after somebody with dementia can be very taxing

More than half of those looking after a relative with dementia told researchers that they had mistreated them.

The University College London research revealed that a third admitted "significant abuse".

Verbal abuse or threats were common, but just three of the 220 people questioned in the British Medical Journal study admitted physical abuse.

The Alzheimer's Society described the findings as "shocking", but said that many carers were under great strain.

People with dementia are the most vulnerable in society and it is shocking that this study has found that they are being subjected to abuse in their own home Alzheimer's Society spokesman

The UCL researchers interviewed people caring for relatives with dementia in their own homes.

The patients involved had just been referred to hospital psychiatric services for their condition.

In total 115 carers reported at least some abusive behaviour, and 74 reported more serious levels of mistreatment.

More than a quarter of the carers admitted screaming or yelling at their relative, while just under one in five said they had used a harsh tone or had sworn.

Other abuse recorded included threats to send the relative to a care home, or to stop caring for them.

A far smaller number admitted hitting, slapping, shaking or rough handling of the person with dementia.

'All or nothing'

The researchers, led by Dr Claudia Cooper, said that professionals tended to avoid the issue when talking to relatives.

They wrote: "Professionals are often reluctant to talk about abuse, perhaps because of a fear that discussing and acknowledging it would necessitate referral of an adult for protection and trigger a punitive response such as removal of the person with dementia.

"This may result in an 'all or nothing' approach to abuse, where it is ignored until the problem becomes serious.

"Similarly clinicians may not consider abuse when seeing most carers, if abuse if perceived as a rare action purposefully perpetrated by amoral abusers."

However, the Alzheimer's Society said that the abuse of people with dementia should be considered in the same way as child abuse.

A spokesman said: "People with dementia are the most vulnerable in society and it is shocking that this study has found that they are being subjected to abuse in their own home.

"We need to ask why it is happening - most carers do an excellent job in very difficult circumstances, but without help and support they are placed under enormous strain.

"Giving carers access to respite, psychological support and financial security could help end mistreatment."

The government is currently consulting on a new policy for the safeguarding of "vulnerable adults", but the researchers said this was primarily focused on preventing abuse by paid carers, rather than family members, and called for it to be extended.

Rebecca Wood, chief executive of the Alzheimer's Research Trust, said the findings were "unsettling".

"Dementia requires a particularly dedicated form of care that puts enormous human and economic strains on our society.

"The UK is facing a dementia crisis - the number of people with the condition will hit 1.5m within a generation.

"The government must do much more to support carers, protect patients and fund more research into treatments for this terrible disease."

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Project Meeting/Workshop @ a Port Dickson Beach Resort

i remember telling my boss about a proper requirements and functional study when i just joined obtech after seeing how they work... i remembered that i mentioned to him how important is it to have all the stakeholders together to meet and discuss about a project before it even started because i didn't see that happening... maybe the client's $$$ for my previous project's too cheap for a better organized or planned project?? so everything's was "fast forward" then...

now, talking about a better organized IT project, what do you think about this? a functional requirements study with our client in a beach resort in port dickson?? is that too much? yes, it's not cheap to host all important stakeholders (around 40 of us) including the vendors in a beach resort.. so you see.. this is a really huge and expensive project...



the lobby to the resort.. it looks fantastic with it's malaccan malay architecture...



some traditional windows that didn't fail to attract me...



a small but nicely decorated cafeteria...



a resort's missing something without a swimming pool



but it's more of work rather than play!! our schedule's began on mon and will end on friday... 9am till 11pm at night!! talk about hard core eh?? but not to worry, we have ample breaks to relax for a moment..



the conference room's facing the sea...



how it looks like outside the conference rooms...



not to mentioned free wifi.. so sometimes i'll just sit here enjoying the sea side while surfing the net... not too much though cos we got to work!!



more view outside the confence halls



our apartment rooms... yes, it's large and spacious!!



and yes.. our rooms are really spacious too!!

one advice, you better keep the windows closed or you will be a feast to the mosquitoes!!



this is what we do before dinner... a 3 hour break with a volleyball game in between with all the stake holders... =)



this is what i call, work hard and play hard!!

yup.. even though i have to work like crazy even during weekends... i'm just glad i enjoy my work!! =)) at least for now.. kakakaka..

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Happy 1st Birthday Sugar & Teddy =)

Exactly 1 year ago.. they were like this...



then 3 months later...







and now.. after 1 year.. Teddy weights 4kg while Sugar's around 3.5kg !!



so now, they are officially adult cats!!

i wonder what will happen if they were to meet their parents during the coming cny... hhhmm...

anyway, happy birthday to you both!! i bought you some cat treats as ur bday gift.. enjoy!!

and oh!! not forgetting your new bed & a rug (teddy's favourite) and a plastic stool (sugar's favourite). hope you both love your gifts.. =))

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The TIMSS 2007 Education Report

i didn't know how "well" or "great" the malaysian education system was until today... i mean i heard pple say the malaysian edu system is crap but that was just what people say without clear fact of justification but then read the excerp i got from Malaysian Insider below...

the best part about the TIMSS (Trends in International Mathematics & Science Study) 2007 report is, everything was kept in the dark without you knowing it as a Malaysian!! another "Malaysia Boleh" spirit to be proud of here right?? we are all used to these sort of "Malaysia Boleh" spirit... politicians are just politicians. sometimes i really wonder if a politician be considered as a nation builder or they are just "building" the nation to be voted back in??

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(an excerpt from Malaysian Insider)

The proud statement of Hishammuddin in December 2004 that Malaysia was placed 10th in Mathematics, scoring ahead of Australia, Britain, United States and New Zealand while in Science, Malaysian students were placed 20th, ahead of countries like Norway and Italy, has all turned to ashes.

TIMSS 2007 was a total reversal, with Malaysia losing out to Australia, England, Scotland and the United States in Mathematics (New Zealand was not in the TIMSS 2007 list for Year 8 students) as well as being overtaken by Norway and Italy in Science!

Malaysia plunged from No. 10 placing in Mathematics in TIMSS 2003 to No. 20 placing in TIMSS 2007.

With the disastrous showing in Mathematics at the eighth grade level, Malaysia not only lost to the five top Asian countries which took the first five places, namely Chinese Taipei (1), South Korea (2), Singapore (3), Hong Kong (4) and Japan (5) but also to Hungary (6), England (7), the Russian Federation (8), the United States (9), Lithuania (10), the Czech Republic (11), Slovenia (12), Armenia (13), Australia (14), Sweden (15), Malta (16), Scotland (17), Serbia (18) and Italy (19).

In the three TIMSS for Mathematics in eighth grade level, Malaysia dropped a hefty 45 score points from 519 points in 1999, 508 in 2003 to 474 in 2007 (500 is the TIMSS mathematics scale average). The Australian national report on TIMSS 2007 noted that Australia's mathematics achievement score of 496 was "not significantly different to the TIMSS scale average" and "significantly higher than the remaining 31 countries, including Italy, Malaysia and Norway".

For science, Malaysia also plunged below the TIMSS scale average of 500, falling to 471 points in 2007, a drop by 39 points compared to 2003 (510). In 1999, Malaysia scored 492 points. Malaysia's ranking in Year 8 science in TIMSS 2007 is No. 21, behind Singapore (1), Chinese Taipei (2), Japan (3). South Korea (4), England (5), Hungary (6), the Czech Republic (7), Slovenia (8), Hong Kong (9), the Russian Federation (10), the United States (11), Lithuania (12), Australia (13), Sweden (14), Scotland (15), Italy (16), Armenia (17), Norway (18), Ukraine (19) and Jordan (20).

What should be quite startling about the science findings of TIMSS 2007 is not the Australian national report observation that Malaysia is one of the countries which "showed a "statistically significant decline" in score points, but the observation by the Dubai national report that Malaysia's TIMSS 2007 science score of 471 is "significantly lower than Dubai", which scored 489, as well as Thailand catching up with Malaysia in having a similar score of 471!

Had Hishammuddin ever submitted a report of Malaysia's dismal showing in the TIMSS 2007 to the Cabinet and did the Cabinet give the Hishammuddin the "green light" to bury the disastrous TIMSS findings from public knowledge?

It must be particularly galling to Hishammuddin that he cannot really claim credit for Malaysia's good results in TIMSS 2003 (as the survey was conducted in 2003 when he had not been appointed Education Minister), but he has to bear full responsibility for the dismal results in TIMSS 2007 as he had already been Education Minister for three years when the survey was conducted in 2007.

Read more >> Time Hishammuddin broke silence — Lim Kit Siang

Other Links

TIMSS 2003 Report
TIMSS 2007 Report

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Engrish.com - English with a Twist

This is a really funny website... English with a Twist



http://www.engrish.com/

do check it out if you are really free and laugh all the way!! (unless you're as blur)

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Pirates Galore!

i was just cleaning up my gmail account when i stumbled upon this year 2004 photograph taken when i was still attached to Star Publications...



this exact copy of the edited photo was used in the front page of an In-Tech issue on video/cinema piracy... kind of an anti video piracy issue la.. unfortunately i lost the in-tech issue!! i think i kept all the newspapers issue with my face on it... if i were not wrong, my face was "featured" 4 times... kakaka..... eeerrr... "featured" more like an "extra" or... "kale-fare" (dunno how to spell) is more like it..

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