Tribute to Mair Waldo Thomas: On saturday 25th november, 2006, the university of wales aberystwyth alumni club in malaysia (Aber) held the 14th AGM at Faris's residence in Country Heights Kajang. I just went for lunch but skipped the AGM. Being honorary fellow I guess I had the priviledge of not attending the full meeting..heehee. I wa told before the meeting during lunch, that a dear old friend Mair Waldo Thomas passed away about a month ago. She was the secretary of OSA (old students association of the university of wales at aberystwyth) and was instrumental in forging the links with the malaysian aber...of course not without the support and undying commitment of non other than our beloved YBhg Tan Sri Datuk (Dr) Arshad Ayub and the rest of the aber alumnus in Malaysia and the university's international affairs office. I was at the Aber Easter Reunion earlier this year with Tan Sri. Little that I realise that that was going to be the last time I would see and be with Mair. I remember during her maiden visit to Malaysia years ago, I was her accompanying officer and we have been very good friends since. She will always make sure that when Tan Sri ands I are in Aberyswyth, we are as comfortable as possible. She makes everyone feel welcomed and important. A good listener, very sharp at her age, typically Welsh I guess. We will miss her. In her memory and as a tribute to her I have taken the liberty to upload some of my photos last taken with her at this year's easter reunion in aberystwyth. There is one pix taken with Prof Tecwin Jones, a world-renowned entomologist who gave the keynote address at the reunion dinner...

NACRA Awards 2006: HeiTech Padu Berhad won for the second consecutive year, the certificate of merit at the annual corporate awards (NACRA) dinner ceremony at the Sime Darby Convention Centre, Bukit Kiara. Here are some more photographs taken that night. Sorry Wadi...gue yang glamer malam tuh...heehee. But let the world know that you played no small part in that act ok?

some more pictures at IBIS2006....

It has been months since I last updated my blog. Here are some recent photographs. HeiTech won for the second time, the certificate of Merit award at the recent national corporate reports awards (NACRA2006) see www.heitech.com.my. Picture shows me receiving the plaque from YB Dato' Shafie Afdal, the Malaysian Domestic Trade Minister. I gave a keynote paper at the recent OIC International Human Capital Management Conference at the Magellan Sutera Harbour Resort Kota Kinabalu, Sabah officiated by the Prime Minister of Malaysia on November 24th and chaired the closing plenary session as well. My keynote paper was entitled: Islamic Human Capitalism. After I spoke, their Excellencies The Ambassadors of afghanistan and Pakistan came up to me to congratulate my presentation. Interestingly, some non-muslims also came up to me and said...'hmmm you have enlightened me on some things I never knew...' heheh.. I will talk in greater detail about what I presented in a separate posting.

Last week wednesday 6th, december, 2006 I gave a keynote address on ' Revolutionizing Knowledge towards economics and business advancement' at the 2nd International Borneo Business Conference (IBBC) organised jointly by Universiti Malaysia Sarawak and Universiti Malaysia Sabah. I have taken the liberty to upload some of the latest pictures on my blog. I will also write in greater detail of my experiences at the IBBC and share some of my thoughts on the paper I presented, in a separate posting...heehee...meantime enjoy the pix.. I have also uploaded more fotos from IBIS2006 at Switzerland.

Its almost 9 pm sunday nite july 23rd, 2006. just had dinner and had also just hung up with a dear friend on the mobile phone. I told some friends to checkout my blog and a few were dissappointed cos i only had pictures and no writeups or narration. The photos were just meant to test the uploading...heheh...I haven't really got down to pen my thoughts as yet. Plenty actually, a diversity of issues and observations...both from a global perspective and could come down to really mundane stuff like siti's wedding announcement and the likes for example...(well, mundance to me but big deal to plenty of people i would imagine...heheh). Alot is on my mind right now. The worries...well...concerns really....heheh the Korean nuclear missile tests (which reminds me of the James Bond movie 'Die Another Day'), the israel-lebanon attacks...so sensitive and so delicate...waiting for the superpowers to take sides (remember how the 1st and 2nd world war started??). Closer to home, we read about artists, about reality shows, about PM's reactions to accusations that he being infuenced by his son-in-law etc etc but what caught my immediate attention is the ageless rhetoric about the role of cooperatives in economic development. Having spent a good number or years in the top university cooperative and the top five investment cooperative in the country, i believe i do qualify to make some comments about cooperatives with some degree of authority...heheh.

But before that, right in front of me now, is a table (perpetual) calendar published by Karya Impian Sdn Bhd entitled Suara Hati Dr Mahathir Mohamad. It was given to me a few years ago and I still, unfailingly read the excerpts of the former PM's quips, quotes from his various UMNO general assembly speeches over the years and also from some of his books. I think he is the only Prime Minister who reads and writes hell of alot...and he has not given all that up even after stepping down(heheh). Let me quote today's caption: 'Sebuah masyarakat yang tidak pedulikan waktu haruslah dianggap sebagai masyarakat yang sangat mundur. Apatah lagi masyarakat itu akan terus-menerus menjadi masyarakat yang mundur. Masyarakat itu sekali-sekali tidak akan dapat mencapai sesuatu apapun dengan daya usahanya tersendiri dan sekail-kali tidak boleh bergerak maju dana mengejar peradaban lebih maju yang mementingkan waktu. Pastilah bahawa kegagalan orang Melayu untuk menghargai masa merupakan salah satu daripada halangan yang paling penting untuk mencapai kemajuan.' Dilema Melayu. m.s 194

Interestingly, when I read next week's the edge (it always arrives at my house on sunday), my favourite column 'Radzuan's Reasons', he wrote somewhere that an indonesian friend had commented to him that malaysians are so materialistic that they speak always of money and contracts and not of arts or culture....hmmm soooo very true. Well...that comment is debatable actually...heheh...but i am not about to start a debate on "money and contracts are more important than art and culture"heheh...which reminds me of my schooldays with the lierary and debating society hahaha... nevertheless...i must say that to a certain extent...thats quite true actually...heehee.

Coming back to cooperatives..ah yes...go read the report by booz, allen and hamilton entitled 'cooperative solutions' which gave an overview of the state of cooperatives in europe and their dominance and market share overtaking even the other big names in the private sector. What I like to say is that there has to be a genuine effort at developing a new framework or protocol if you may, to mobilize the movement. Most importantly, there has to be a major structural readjustment involving legislation, regulation/deregulation, structure, culture ...in short there has to be a structured change management...massive re-education both top-down and bottom-up and emulate what progressive (cooperative-driven societies) economies have achieved of course with adjustment and adaptation to suit local conditions and practicess. more in my next blog...heheh...nanait...

I gave a keynote presentation at the world-renown International Bodyshop industry Symposium IBIS2006 at Montreux, Switzerland, June 1, this year, attended by more than 300 delegates from 32 countries. I spoke on Change Management: Legislation and Technology. Picking up on IBIS chairman's plea for a more structured and joined up approach to legislation affecting the collision repair industry, I outlined the model that had been developed for an equally fast changing industry, the IT and telco sector in malaysia which had involved various stakeholders and had resulted in the successful development of a structured industry protocol incorporating controls safeguarding all sides of the market. i then went on to propose that a similar protocol be developed and adopted by the global collision repair industry. Full IBIS report is at www.ibisworldwide.com

HeiTech Padu Berhad Golf Game 2005 at Templer's Park 2005

With my MBA HRM module students (MBA strategic management, MBA venture capital and MBA technopreneurship) International Business School (IBS) /Cranfield MBA program, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia 2004

courtesy call to Bapak Sjahrazad Masdar, Head of the Training & Development Board of East Java. I was Dosen Tamu (visiting prof) in January 2006. On my right is Pak Masdar and his assistant, on my left is Pak Made (Deputy Head), and Bapak profesor Gitadi (Head of postgraduate programs at Universitas Airlangga, Surabaya)

public lecture on HRM/HRD to masters students of Universitas Airlangga, Surabaya, jan 2006.