Category: Ramblings

Food hunting in Kuchai Lama

Taiwan, a self-ruled democratic island, was expelled from the World Health Organisation in 1971 and from 2009 to 2016, Taiwan could still attend the World Health Assembly (WHA) as an observer. However, that came to an end in 2017.

Come Monday (May 18, 2020) representatives of 194 countries will have a virtual WHA and one of the highlights of the meeting is to vote whether Taiwan will be back on board as an observer.

It’ll be interesting to see if the bigger nations, especially India who will be helming the World Health Organisation (WHO) beginning Friday (May 22, 2020), will give its vote to the tiny powerhouse.

Meanwhile, it’s the weekend and since the “gates have opened”, I was exploring Kuchai Lama and came across Taipei Walker.

Taiwanese restaurants and cafes are doing very well in Malaysia, based on observation. I absolutely love Din Tai Fung. I don’t know if Taipei Walker is going to be on my favourites list yet as it is my first time here but it was an awesome first impression.

(Note: This is a non-halal outlet.)

No. 25, Jalan Kuchai Maju 18, Dinasti Sentral, Off Jalan Kuchai Lama, 58200 Kuala Lumpur

The fried soybean cod fish set costs RM23.90. The rice is topped with pork and there’s egg, tofu, potatoes and a bowl of soup to complement the cod fish. The Dragon Fruit juice is RM7.90.

I really like the cod fish and the dragon fruit juice. Service is good and the cafe has a cosy setting.

Taiwanese food has notable Japanese influence as it was occupied by Japan between 1895 and 1945.

0

Thought-provoking and cuteness overload

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2cEXfJc6_d0#action=share
What a wonderful world this would be if everyone honours the earth and respects all life forms? A Letter From The Pandemic is a beautiful wake-up call to humanity to choose wisely how they want the future to be like. Stop ravaging forests. Stop environmental pollution and stop treating animals badly.

I couldn’t resist sharing Puppies At The Aquarium. Though not thought-provoking like the first video, it is cuteness overload to see two adorable puppies running around cluelessly and taking a nap at an aquarium.

I hope Covid-19 will be a catalyst for profound change and the world evolves into a better place after the crisis.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gb6c-PYWEJM
0

A time to be compassionate and reasonable

Photo by Oleg Magni from Pexels

By Michael Tay, Johor MCA Government Coordinating Affairs chairman.

I met my friend just now.  He had started his first business at the age of 18.   He’s 50 now and has several shop lots in two shopping malls.

Brian (not his real name) is feeling very stressed as he has received a letter from the management of one of his shop lots, reminding him to pay his rental.

Brian’s business at that mall has not exactly been profitable even before the pandemic simply because the rental was RM10,000 per month and he has three workers, each earning RM1,500, and then there were the taxes.

And with the onslaught of Covid-19, Brian is at a loss as to what he should do next.  The management said they could reduce the rental on the condition that he extends the lease for another two years, or take up additional shop lots which are currently vacant.

I am also a landlord and over the years, I have forged friendships with my tenants.  Since the lockdown started on March 18, I have reduced the rental by 30 to 50 per cent. This is the time to support tenants, not  give them a hard time.  If banks and landlords are going to be uncompromising, they are going to “kill” businessmen like Brian. 

Brian also found out that he was not entitled to any of the incentives in the  government’s stimulus package as his sales turnover exceeded RM100,000.  When Brian approached several local banks for a loan, he also did not get an encouraging answer to his problem.

He has to pay his workers and the rental, and yet he cannot operate the business.  I hope landlords, banks and even the government will look into the plight of people like Brian who are at their wits’ end right now. If they are “destroyed”, this is not going to help our economy.

Please save our local entrepreneurs as they are the ones who are providing jobs for the people.

For those who have savings and cash to spare, now is a good time to enter Bursa Malaysia as share prices have plunged. It’s time to snap up some blue chips.  

Shoppers will venture to malls again when our hospitalisation rates have reached a plateau or when someone can assure us that those who are asymptomatic cannot spread the disease and whether there is going to be a second wave.Until that happens, we should shop online.  But I want to caution online shoppers to verify the seller’s authenticity first before making any purchases as I have also heard many stories about frauds and scams, but I shall leave that story for another day.

0

Consumers’ safety is priority

Consumers need to make wise choices. They can check the status of cosmetic products at www.npra.gov.my but how many of us do that before buying a product?

Yeah, some will read reviews and ask friends for recommendations. Some do read the product labels but do we know what’s toxic, what’s not?

Manufacturers should also make consumers’ safety a priority!

Malaysia’s Health Ministry have urged consumers to stop using these 3 skin care products.

https://www.enanyang.my/?p=1397561

Saw the news in Malaysiakini and Nanyang Siang Pau which reported that

*Sifu Kunyit Day Cream

*Sifu Kunyit Night Cream, and

*JJ Skincare Glowhite Night Cream

are not safe as the products have been found to contain hydroquinone, tretinoin, betamethasone valerate and mercury.

The reports quoted Health Ministry director-general Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah.

“Betamethasone valerate can cause the skin to be thinner and prone to irritation, acne, changes in skin pigmentation and increase the risk of being absorbed into the blood circulation system which can have harmful effects.

“Hydroquinone causes redness of the skin, discomfort, skin becomes hypersensitive and depigmentation reduces skin protection against harmful UV rays.

“The use of tretinoin without the supervision of health professionals can cause the skin to be reddish, uncomfortable, painful, peeling and hypersensitive to sunlight.

“Mercury is prohibited in cosmetic products because it can be absorbed into the body and causes damage to the kidneys and nervous system, as well as disrupt the brain development of young or unborn children.

“Mercury can also cause rashes, irritation and other changes to the skin,” said Dr Noor Hisham.

Read the full story at

https://www.malaysiakini.com/news/522 and at https://www.enanyang.my/?p=139756

0

Be resilient and ready for rebound

By Michael Tay, Johor MCA Government and Coordinating Affairs chairman.

I would like to remind the public to remain resilient and be confident of an economic rebound from the coronavirus.

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has predicted that Malaysia’s economy will bounce back to a 9% growth next year, from an expected 1.7% contraction this year.

This is believed to be the fastest among the Asean-5 economies, which also  comprise of Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam and the Philippines.

There’s a lot of theories going around now about the nature of the coronavirus, which can trigger paranoia. What we need now is as much credible information as possible and every country, including China, has to be forthcoming about what they know about the virus.  This is not the time to  be saving face or pointing fingers.    The main narrative should be to save lives and economies so that normalcy will return.

Actually, if you think about it, an increase in the number of cases of patients who tested positive for Covid-19 may not be a bad thing.  The reason for the lockdown was to break the chain of the spread of the virus.  We want to flush those who have the virus from the streets so that they don’t go around infecting others.

The government and relevant authorities now have to beef up efforts to track down illegal foreign workers who may be infected but are just too afraid to seek medical help.

Sooner or later, the lockdown will be lifted.

The coronavirus pandemic brings to mind the AIDs phenomenon.  Until today there is no vaccine for AIDS but because there is sufficient information about AIDs, we know how to prevent it.

Similarly, we are fearful of Covid-19 because we are still groping in the dark, with the vague and  distorted information that we have.  For lives and economies to get back on track again, we need to know everything about Covid-19.

If we don’t know this “enemy” yet by the time the MCO is lifted, we will be paranoid and fearful.

For now, all borders should remain closed.  We should not permit travellers to come in yet as a precautionary measure.

Meanwhile, we have to be optimistic. Have faith in our leaders.  Have faith in yourself that we can get through this if we continue to practice social distancing.

0

Port worker in a fix after RM4,000 debt surges to RM25,000

Michael Tay listening to Mohd pouring out his woes at the Johor MCA Complaints Bureau recently.

All of us are facing different challenges in the Covid-19 pandemic. Some are wondering when is their next meal coming, some are worried about their health, their income, and so much more.

Mohd, 39, is worried about facing the wrath of 12 loan sharks and settling his debt of RM25,000.

Mohd (not his real name) had initially borrowed RM4,000 from a loan shark in March. The port worker had agreed to pay the loan shark RM800 every week. He has borrowed money from loan sharks  in the past but settling the debts was never a problem then, as he has a monthly salary and a part-time job.

But due to the Movement Control Order, Mohd was not able to do any part-time work and he had turned to other loan sharks.  Now the amount has swelled to RM25,000 and he has 12 loan sharks to deal with.

None of the loan sharks has taken any physical action against Mohd yet but they have been nudging him via WhatsApp to pay up or interest will be accrued daily if he fails to settle the payment, which is currently a total of RM8,000 to be paid among the 12 loan sharks per week.

“It’s not that I do not want to pay but I only get my salary once a month and I can’t go out to work part-time.  How can I pay every week?”

Mohd has sought Johor MCA Government and Coordinating Affairs chairman Michael Tay’s help to get him out of his predicament.

Tay said he would liaise with the loan sharks on Mohd’s behalf to ask if they could waive the daily interest.

“Mohd has promised to settle his debt after the MCO but he would not be able to do so if the interest keeps adding up.

“I will discuss with the loan sharks to see if they are willing to withhold charging the interest until after the lockdown,” Tay said.

Tay’s advice to the public is to take up delivery jobs as there are many food operators looking for delivery services.

“That is the only way for people, especially sole breadwinners to put food on the table for their family,” he said.

Tay also called on the government to expedite the disbursement of financial assistance of RM600 for a maximum period of six months under the Perikatan Nasional economic stimulus package to employees who are forced to take unpaid leave.

The third phase of the MCO in Malaysia started today.  The first phase was from March 18 to 31, followed by the second phase from April 1 to April 14.

0

Know the things we eat and use

Food labels and product information are a requirement for all manufacturers but how many of us actually read the labels, and even if we do, do we know what’s good and what’s not?

Like “low-fat” food products, for instance. It doesn’t necessarily mean low-fat means it’s actually healthier as the product may have high-fructose corn syrup or refined flour. Anything that is processed and not natural, is not healthy. If we want to be healthy, go for food that are naturally low in fat or contain healthy fats.

What prompted me to write about this was because I came across this list of 20 toxic additives that should not be found in cosmetic products. They are —

Dibutylhydroxytoluene (DHT), Mineral Oil, Butylhydroxyanisole (BHA), Sodium Lauryl Sulfate, Sorbic Acid, Avobenzone, Oxybenzone, Imidazolidinyl urea, Isopropyl methylphenol, Isopropyl alcohol, Artificial flavour, Thymol, Triethanolamine (TEA), Trisopropanotamine, Triclosan, Paraben, Phenoxyethanol, Polyethylene glycol (PEG), Synthetic colorants, Hormones.

There’s also this non-profit environmental group in the US called Environmental Working Group (EWG) that sets the guidelines on the safety level of cosmetic ingredients.

I don’t even know what all those fancy words are but now that I’ve come across that information, I better start reading the labels before buying any cosmetic products.

Anyway, if you need to do any online shopping, do check out my affiliate links.

  1. Zalora, Asia’s Online Fashion Destination, which has a wide range of international and local brands.

https://accesstra.de/000ltn000fj9

2. GOOGLE Home Assistant Mini Smart Speaker pack of 2 (Chalk). The Amazon Echo Dot (3rd Gen) seems to be selling pretty well, so I’m not sure which of these two product is better. Need to ask Alexa.

https://www.lazada.com.my/products/new-google-home-assistant-mini-smart-speaker-pack-of-2-chalk-i790862688-s1827320942.html

And before I sign off, do remember to lend a helping hand to the animals that need us in this challenging time.

This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is image.png

Adopt Kayla

0

Turn to home delivery

Michael Tay seen here with the frontliners during his visit to the hospital in JB last month.

Food and beverage operators have to embrace e-commerce and revolutionalise the way they do business in light of the coronavirus pandemic to avoid bankruptcy.

Johor MCA Government and Coordinating Affairs chairman Michael Tay said F&B operators may not earn as much as they used to but at least there would still be income coming in if they offer only home delivery service for now.

“These operators have to promote their business via their websites or other social media platforms if they are not already on FoodPanda or GrabFood.

“They cannot be waiting for the MCO to be lifted to resume their business.  I’m glad to see that some have already started promoting on Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp, but there are still many who are still just waiting and complaining,” Tay said.

Tay said the government has already tried to help business operators and landlords have also reduced rentals for business premises, so the people should do their bit to ride out the storm just by doing business in a different way.

“Covid-19 looks like a stubborn disease that isn’t going away anytime soon and there are different strains of Covid-19.  So even if the MCO is lifted, the public still needs to wear mask when they are outdoors and practice social distancing.

“E-commerce plays a major role in today’s marketplace and Covid-19 may have catapulted some into financial crisis but it has also prompted others to revolutionalise and embrace the new economy,” he said.

On a separate matter, Tay said he has received 5 complaints since the MCO was introduced on March 18 that some members of the public have turned to online gambling to ease their boredom during the lockdown.

“A 26-year-old man recently incurred debts of up to RM8,000 due to online gambling and he had turned to loan sharks to settle his debts.

“What this young man has done is detrimental to himself and his family members.  Please do not turn to online gambling,” Tay said.

0

Online directory Salehoo

With more shoppers going online to buy groceries, electronics and a whole lot of other stuff now, it’s time to start learning about E-commerce. 

And with the lockdown, we better equip ourselves with a new skill or a new discovery or something. If you’re not a frontliner and you’re not in the essential industry, then you’re probably housebound.

I’m familiar with affiliate marketing but dropshipping always baffles me, so I decided to do some research.

Drop Shipping is a retail fulfilment method where the drop shipper accepts the cash and places the order on behalf of the client.  The supplier then ships out the product according to the details the drop shipper has provided.  In this business model, the drop shipper does not need to keep an inventory or a warehouse to store the products.

Being a newbie, you will find it hard to identify reliable drop shippers, profitable products to sell and trustworthy suppliers.  But you may require more than just a directory to have a successful e-commerce business.

You still need to do more research and go through some trials and errors.  But having access to a directory may be like getting your hands on a road map or a GPS.

How does a drop shipper make money?

You do not need a physical shop but an online store is required so that you can showcase the products that you can drop ship.  To make a profit, there’s usually a 10 to 50% mark-up.

The easiest way to find drop shippers is through SaleHoo, a paid online directory that has over 8,000 drop shippers and  wholesalers. For US$67 (MYR290) per year, you have access to numerous products which are popular and trending.  There are also training and resources videos available, and a community where you may find people to network with.

There are plenty of drop shippers out there, particularly in China, but for a newbie you’ll be swimming in a sea of sharks and piranhas if you dive in clueless.

*ClickBank E-commerce product service and this is my affiliate link  https://www.salehoo.com/learn-more?aff=shopwithbe

0

Website Powered by WordPress.com.

Up ↑