HeiTech Padu Berhad 2006 Annual Report arrived on my desk yesterday afternoon. This pix is part of the full board. The rest of the board members and company secretaries appear in the picture posted earlier.

Farewell Hanida...

Roundtable UMS/AIM 15 may 2007

Me, dr kamal n assoc prof dr kassim dean of economics UMS

Anak branak kira duit

Tomorrow is by-er(l?)ection day for Ijok...hahaha. am not about to become a political writer, economist or observer...heheh. I mentioned it because the opposition candidate happens to be someone I know personally and I used to work for the same organization that is still a stratgic vehicle and custodian of bumiputera corporate stakes, cake or whatever one may choose to call it.....lets ge back to other corporate talk-talk...heheh. Last month I was invited attend the 39th homecoming and reunion of the Asian Institute of Management (AIM) Makati, Metro Manila. In conjunction with the celebrations was an asian business conference (ABC) and had the chance of being in person with Dr Murthy the second richest and most important ICT guy to watch after in the world after Bill Gates. I believe AIM needs fresh pespectives if it is going to survive in the coming decades vis-a-vis the current global management education scenario. Frankly, the new President of AIM,Estrada, need more than luck to turnaround AIM and bring it back to its former glory. I was priviledged to have listened to his acceptance speech at the investiture ceremony . while at manila, the Malaysian contingent also made a courtesy call to our envoy. At the friday prayer congregation at the Indonesian Embassy, bumped into Laksmana Datuk Ramlan, our new Malaysian Navy Chief.

hmmm it really is a challenge...to consistently update one's blog. Thelast two weeks have been filled with so many high-powered weddings. the time now is 2.20 am monday morning april 24th, 2007. A few hours ago was Tan Sri Arshad's youngest son's wedding reception at Sheraton Subang. I came in a little earlier to help out with receiving VVIP/VIP guests. 3 sultans attended. The Sultan of Selangor, Sultan and Sultanah Pahang, Raja and Permasuri Perlis and the whos who in town but mostly academics and old friends. Finance Minister II Tan Sri Nor Yackop and Puan Sri was also there as well as the nation's Chief Justice. Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah, Tan Sri Thong Yaw Hong, Tan Sri Zuki, Tan Sri Azman Hashim, Datuk Johan Jaafar, Datuk Saleh Majid, Datuk Rafiah Salim VC UM, Datuk Sharifah Habshah VC UKM, Datuk Zukifli VC UTM, Tan Sri Anwar Ali, Agil Natt, Tan Sri Sulaiman Daud, Datuk Pahamin Rejab, Datuk Seri Ibrahim Shah VC UiTM, Datuk Bhaskaran Pillay and a number of foreign guests from aberystwyth and senegal... and many other tan sris and datuks too many to mention.....hahaha

April 2 was Dato' Mohd Hilmey's third daughter's wedding reception at the shangri-la hotel, guest of honour was sultan pahang. Datuk Siti Nurhaliza and hubby Datuk K was spotted at that wedding. April 6 was Datuk Abu Samah"s reception. Guest of honour was Tun Mahathir and TYT Yang DiPertuan Negeri Melaka Tun Khalil Yaacob. April 14 was Tan Sri Abi Musa's son wedding reception at Fela Perdana Ballroom, and april 8 was Sabri's son's wedding reception at sime darby convention centre. Sabri's do wuz unique and special and very malaysian and a blend of borgeouis and proletariat crowd with people from the rank of mechanics to tvmen to ministers....the attraction and what made the difference was, i think, the wayang kulit (shadow play).

Weddings can be very tiring physically and financially (hihi). But the good side is, you get to meet old long lost friends or make new ones as well. I have had my share of being the 'nudak2 penanggah' at kampong weddings when I was much younger those days at the kampongs. I miss the traditional ways weddings are planned and conducted. The ways are all gone, well mostly now. There aren't many young men to mange and operate wedding functions the way it used to be. Nowadays, it's buffet-style all the way whetherto the ordinary or the rich and famous...except if it is a sitdown dinner at hotels or special wedding venues. Wedding receptions have also become big business and have created a few really innovative and creative wedding planners...if you afford it, that is...hihi. Well, so much for weddings!

On saturday morning, april 21, 2007, i was invited to officiate an excellence awards ceremony and the PIBG annual general meeting at SBPI bandar indera mahkota kuantan. The reception i got was awesome. as sson as i got out of my car, kompang was played (macam YB jer...hahaha), then i was ask to do a cadet inspection (i felt like a general...hahaha), and when i finally gave my speech to officiate...i felt like i was running for office....like a politician...hahaha. they have asked me for a copy of my keynote address...which i need to re-edit before i eail it to the school... heheh. well, it was a hectic week actually...its 3 am now but i dont feel sleepy. must be the durians i took this afternoon...hahaha...ok time to go now....

Looks like I have become an occasional blogger. Looking at the period of absence and the rather snailmail type heheh...unlike the regular daily very disciplined type of updating...hahaha. Last thursday March 8, 2007 I was a panelist at the Hospitality Forum 2007 organised by the Faculty of Hotel and Tourism Management UiTM at UiTM Hotel. Was the last speaker and had a field day bashing the industry and its HR practises...hihi....The session was videotaped...my only worry is...if I was too critical, controversial or provocative ...I may suffer the same fate as TV3's program 'sensasi' and 'rosnah' heehee. Apparently the feedback I got from the organisers was that I was the most favourite of the four speakers and everyone seems to enjoy me locking in and bashing the other 3 fellow learned speakers and industry professionals...hahaha. Sorry my frens...hihi. Ulrich says, the continuing battle for HR practitioners is to be AT the table (meaning a member of the boardroom) and not ON the table as is often the fate of HR. HR practitioners need to constantly juggle their role of being an employee champion, administrative expert, strategic business partner and change agent...all at the same time...a tall order huh?hihi. It was a touch n go tingy , much of what I wanted to say have been said by the others (hahaha...usual excuse for lack of preparation..hihi). Anyway, I was glad I left an impression or an indelible mark to some others. For those who missed my keynote presentation at the 2nd IBBC in Kuching last december 2006, I am uploading the powerpoint of that prez.

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...