OPM Workshop at BGF on 21/3 & 22/3

Itold Jason via WhatsApp that I could only commit to one day volunteering on Sat 21/3 as a workshop facilitator.

This is because on Sun 22/3 I have to attend the MAA AGM and also kyu grading at MAA HQ. As I have missed the last kyu grading I feel that this kyu grading and the AGM are too important to stay away.

Jason replied that he would confirm my status the next day. I think he needed time to talk to the BGF people about my case.

BR1M rejection appeal

BR1M 2015 Logo

Second Visit To LHDN
I decided to return to LHDN Cheras today after failing to submit my appeal for reconsideration of BR1M yesterday.

My appeal was rejected because the woman officer handling my case insisted that I submit my 2014 KWSP statement to show evidence of cessation of monthly contribution and submit a form signed by my wife declaring that that she has no monthly income. Apparently the letter from WBSB, my last employer, accepting my resignation with effect from July 2014 was not sufficient for her.

Counter #05
However today Anna, my wife decided to go to the LHDN office in Cheras with me. Compared to yesterday the reception hall was quite empty of visitors. I saw many officers managing the counters having nothing to do. After stepping inside the reception centre on the ground floor we proceeded straight away to Counter #05.

Almost Empty Reception Centre

I wanted to avoid meeting the same woman officer who attended to me yesterday. She didn't come across as customer friendly. As bad luck would have it her male colleague sitting beside her was busy attending to a visitor and the woman officer who was free was reading a newspaper leaving me with no choice but to deal with her. As I approached her for assistance she appeared to reconise me from my first visit.

After going through all the paper documents, including my WKSP statement she finally agree to accept my application by endorsing the first page with a date and a BR1M stamp. She told me to expect for a decision from LHDN by May. If there is no response by May I am supposed to check with LHDN for the status of my appeal application.

After insisting on an acknowledgement of my application she relented by stamping the LHDN email with a date and LHDN stamp but no signature.

2014 EA Form

EA Form

After no news from James since the middle of February I decided the time had come to call Thian Choon, my former boss from Wawasan Bersatu about the status of the EA form. He answered me almost immediately upon receiving my call.

He told me that the EA form will be issued by next week and asked how I wanted to get my hands on it. I told him to inform me in advance when the form is ready so that I can go to Wawasan Bersatu to collect it personally.

I need the EA form to file my 2014 income tax return via e-filling and the dateline for doing that is April 31.
This year will probably my last for filing an annual income tax return with LHDN.

Appeal for BR1M rejection

Notice board showing a sample of the BR1M
appeal form

Officers ready to receive the appeal applications

LHDN Cheras branch at Menara PGRM

The hall for processing the BR1M appeal application is located on the ground floor of the building. I was surprised to see more than 5 counters, each counter specifically assigned to process a particular category of rejection. Beside the counters for the processing of the applications there were two empty tables for the public to use. There were many people there who came earlier than me.

LHDN rejected my application under category 5. Category 5 refers to the application who is still receiving an income from employment. So I went to the counter responsible for processing category 5 applicants.

Including the application form I also submitted my Wawasan Bersatu resignation letter and also the latter's letter accepting my resignation as supporting documents to proof that I had stopped working since July 2014.

After going through the form and also the supporting documents the lady officer insisted that to show concrete evidence that I had stopped working I am required to submit my KWSP 2014 and 2015 statements. Apparently Wawasan Bersatu's acceptance letter is not good enough. She also required Anna to fill up a separate form stating that she has no income. I have a feeling that the officer did not believe me when I told her that I have no employment income.

KWSP Cheras Taman Shamelin Perkasa

At her suggestion I drove to Taman Shamelin Perkasa to look for the KWSP office. Although it was my first time visiting that particular branch of KWSP I managed to find it in Taman Shamelin Perkasa.

Once inside the building I went straight to a automated kiosk to get my 2014 and 2015 statement printed. The 2014 statement clearly shows that there were no more monthly contributions to KWSP after July

After leaving the KWSP I decided to return to TPJ instead of returning to LHDN. Anyway I also needed Anna to sign a form.

Keeping a cool head

Anjung Singgah

Inside the kitchen

The dining room outside the kitchen

As usual I stood outside the counter to arrange and hand out the meals and bottled water while the other two lady volunteers were inside the kitchen filling the plates with rice and vegetables.

By 12.30 pm I had given away almost all the meals on the counter except two. I didn't think that there would be any more coming in to eat the food and we were about to start packing when a lone burly man strode in.

For the reason that I could not understand at that time when I passed him one of the two remaining meals he glared and shouted at me angrily.

Instead of reacting to his aggression I put down the meal and asked him calmly and politely if he wanted the other meal on the counter. Then when I picked up and offered the other meal he realised what was happening. Almost as fast as his sudden outburst he apologized repeatedly for his offensive behavior.

In the first place I think he got offended and became angry mistaking me for another guy cutting in from behind to grab his meal. Then when I offered to pass him the other meal it dawned on him that I was actually the helper serving him food and not what he thought was another guy grabbing his share of the food.

I wonder what would be the outcome if I had lost my cool and reacted in kind to his verbal posturing and aggression.

Distributing the full moon gift packs

Iand Anna spent the whole morning and afternoon running around from one part to another of the city distributing these gift packs to relatives and friends.

First before we could start to deliver the packs we had to go to the shop in Puchong at 10.00am to collect them and also to settle the balance of the money owing.

We were disappointed when the lady boss said that her credit card machine was out of order and therefore we had to pay her cash. I remember she assured us when we made our order last week that the shop accepted credit card payment. I felt that she wasn't completely honest with us but decided to over look the matter as we were in a hurry to send out the gift packs.

As we didn't have RM643.80 in cash to pay her we had to drive a few blocks to Public Bank to look for a ATM machine to withdraw the cash.

By the time returned to the shop with the cash we had already wasted more than an hour of looking for parking and the bank. Stressed by the traffic congestion and the difficulty of find a lot to park the car I and Anna were getting a bit on our nerves as we entered the shop for the second time.

After lunch our first stop was at Nicholas and Amy's house in Sierra 16. By that time the weather had started to get hot. We didn't go inside but chatted briefly with Nicholas and Amy by the staircase before leaving for the next destination.

After Sierra 16 we headed straight for Peter Chew's house in Pandan Glades which was about 1 hour drive away. In Peter Chew's house we spent about 30 minutes chatting with Peter Chew and Angie.

From Pandan Glades we then went to Chin and my sister's house in Taman Sri Sinar, Segambut. Spent about 30 minutes before returning to TPJ.

As Nigel who was out of town we could not go straight from Segambut to his Koi Kinara apartment in Puchong. We decided to return home and wait for him to inform us when he was back.

5.00pm. Nigel sms to said that he had already reached home. On the way to his apartment I ran smack into a heavy downpour and flash floods. Although I was worried about the flash flood I decided to press on my journey to his apartment.

Fortunately by the time I arrived at the guardhouse at the entrance to his apartment the rain had stopped. I handed over the gift pack to him when he came down from his unit after waiting for aout 10 minutes in the car.

7.30pm. Arrived home rather exhausted by the whole day's running around and the extremely hot weather.

Weibin's first full moon birthday celebration

Sat 7/3/2015 Ipoh Pusing Public Seafood Restaurant

This baby boy, blissfully asleep in the arms of his grandma is unaware of the drama that is unfolding all around him

His family is busy holding a luncheon in his honour to celebrate his first full moon birthday.

Repairing the leaking concrete roof

Mr Yong applying sealant to the joints
of the metal flashing

Mr Yong inspecting the existing metal flashing

Trying to nail the flashing to the brick wall behind
the air conditioner unit is a tricky business

Tight corner. Lack of working space

New sealant to seal the gap for water tightness

Engaged Mr Yong our regular contractor to treat the leaking concrete roof above the kitchen. Due to normal wear and tear the existing sealant at the joint between the gi rainwater flashing and the plastered wall have opened up. rainwater seeped through the gaps in the joint into the kitchen below. 

He spent one whole afternoon adding new gi flashing and sealing the old joints. After sealing the joints he also applied a fibre reinforced coating to ensure that the leakage is completely plugged.

Paid him RM350 for the rectification work.

Reunion of old guys

What do old guys in their 50s, 60s and 70s have in common?

They all like to eat and drink together at the slightest excuse. For this occasion of the wedding dinner of Dr Tiong and Lilian Su at Restoran Golden Court in Bentong all the brothers-in-laws sat around Table 30 for a round of endless drinks, food and small talks. Likewise while the men were busy toasting each other their wives who are sisters would occupy another table exchanging gossips with their own kind.

Of all the old men shown in the picture Mr Yip, the bald and plumb guy in white shirt is the oldest and the most gregarious of all. After a few drinks he will become the spark of the group

Wedding dinner in Bentong

Tonight is Dr Tiong and Lilian Su's big day; their wedding dinner being held at Restoran Golden Court in Bentong

Restoran Golden Court which used to be located in the market area in the town centre has found a new home in a purpose built stand alone building at 1st milestone Jalan Tras. This impressive two storey building now houses the newest and biggest Chinese restaurant in Bentong

On this night there were three wedding dinners being held simultaneously. Ours were held on the first floor level while the other two were held on the ground floor.

The open staircase leading to the first floor has an impressive wall facade with decorative koi fish features stuck to the wall. At the centre of the stairwell the ceiling-hung chandelier further enhances the beauty of the staircase.

At the registration counter I was assigned to Table No 7. Table No 7 was the table where all the sisters sat together. As I thought there might be a mistake in assigning table numbers I decided to join the rest of my brothers-in-law at table 30

Nicholas and Amy came in at 7.30pm after being delayed by traffic congestion and loosing their way in the town centre.

The dinner started promptly at 8.00pm when the bride and groom's parents walked into the banquet hall to be closely followed by the beaming bride and groom. The groom wore a white suite while the bride don a red dress.

The groom's father dressed quite simply in a short sleeved white shirt, black pants and wearing sandals. They do look like the part of simple rural folks by the way they dressed> I would have thought that since their son was getting married they should wear something more appropriate to the glamorous occasion.

The food was good and in big portions.

All the brothers-in laws had a good time drinking and toasting each other. Yip the most senior brother-in-law was at his elements when under the influence of alcohol. As for me I didn't touch any red wine, beer or brandy. As I had to drive I stuck to Chinese tea.

The dinner ended at 10.30pm.

After the dinner we headed back to KL instead of staying the night in Bentong.

Baitiangong （拜天公）celebration is worshipping the Jade Emperor

Disturbed from my sleep by the crackle of exploding fireworks I went downstairs to escape the noise and also to do some research and writing on this celebration.

Today is the 9th day of the CNY. On this day some members of the Chinese community worship the Jade Emperor or Baitiangong （拜天公）by burning incense, lighting candles, offering of food and setting off fireworks.

Although the Baitiangong ceremony was originally practiced by Hokkien people, nowadays other Chinese dialect groups also join in the celebration.

Of all the days of the CNY usually Baitiangong is the day when the fireworks activity is the most intense. Although the noise from the exploding fireworks can be quite irritating, fortunately the fireworks activities are of short duration lasting at the most one hour.

Reigning in the erratic behaviour of the York room air conditioner

Just disabled the timer on and timer off function buttons in the remote control of the York split air conditioner in the Master Bedroom.

I did it only after reading up the user manual in detail. However I am still not sure if I'm doing it correctly because the instructions in the manual are too brief as to be incomprehensible. I shall know after I turn on the air conditioning tonight.

The reason why I'm finally doing something about this air conditioner is that it has been behaving erratically for months. After turning it on it would sometimes shut down automatically by itself after operating for half an hour. Lately I have to switch it on more than once after it shut down by itself.

I hope that the problem is with the incorrect timer on and off functions, otherwise I will have to call in the experts to come take a look.

Wealth 财 (cai)

This attractive bamboo plant is the only CNY decorative accessory that we bought to welcome the Chinese New Year.

My wife spotted this piece when we were shopping for CNY clothing at the Aeon store in the Aeon Cheras Selatan Mall about 3 weeks ago. At less than RM20.00 it was a small price to pay for such an attractive feature plant.

After 3 weeks we notice that the bamboo plant has sprouted leaves when they were not there when we bought the item.

The Chinese character 财 (cai) imprinted on the side of the gold coloured pot refers to wealth or fortune.

May the year of the goat bring prosperity, good health and happiness to all. Happy Chinese New Year. 恭喜发财

Auspicious Beginnings of Peace and Harmony

Ilike the script in this scroll so much that I and my wife decided to paste two of them side by side on the window glass panel to welcome the Chinese New Year.

In English the 4 Chinese characters of 三阳和谐 (san yang he xie) means "Auspicious Beginnings of Peace and Harmony."

The phrase is written by Ven Master Hsing Yun, a renowned Buddhist monk from Fo Guan Shan monastery in Taiwan.

Of the two scrolls in my possession, one of them was given to me when I and my wife visited Fo Guan Shan Monastery in Taiwan as tourists in December 2014. During the Taiwan visit Fo Guan Shan Monastery was one of the tour itinerary.

As for the other one, it was given to me by members of the local Fo Guan Shan centre in Taman Puncak Jalil where I am now serving as an OPM volunteer.

I like this particular scroll because the script has deep spiritual meaning, so unlike the common CNY scripts that focus on materialistic themes such as wealth, good fortune and prosperity.

Wishing everyone a Happy Chinese New Year.

OPM gathering night

Thu 12/2/2015 OPM Centre, Tmn Puncak Jalil

To mark a successful year the committee organised a vegetarian yee sang and steamboat dinner at its premises for the members. It was also held to celebrate the CNY that is going to start next week on Feb 19.

Today is the last time that we all meet and work here before closing the centre for 3 weeks to celebrate the CNY. Today was also the first time we wore our newly designed green T-shirt for the occasion.

After the dinner and washing up all of us sat around a table for a dialog session. During the dialog session many of the members freely shared their experiences of OPM therapy so that others may learn some valuable lessons from such exchange of information and knowledge. Two guests who are currently undergoing regular treatment here were also invited to share their experiences of the treatment with the members.

Although I am one of the newest members I was also invited to talk about my own experience working here. I told them how I got started and how grateful I am for being accepted by the group and given the opportunity to learn this form of health therapy.

My introduction to OPM therapy was purely by chance.

One day last year while serving the internet I stumbled upon a web site called "Origin Point Medicine in English" After reading all the stories written by the readers of this page I was convinced that OPM therapy is something worth looking into. The more I read the stories the more I got intrigued by the potential of this type of alternative medicine for health preservation and cultivation.

Before long I found myself registering for a two day weekend OPM workshop organised by BGF at Ara Damansara. Even before attending the workshop I was already attending treatment sessions at the Tmn Puncak Jalil OPM centre for my painful knee conditions.

The first person at the centre who attended to me was Jason Ng, who is a senior therapist here. When he first kneaded the origin points on my back I felt like I had just received an electric shock. The pain was so intense that my body even trembled as he piled on the pressure.

After a few sessions when I got to know Jason better, one night he suggested that I learn the art at the centre. Without hesitation I accepted his offer and started to visit the centre every week long after my knee problem was resolved. Beside Jason other senior members also gave me pointers and tips on how to execute the original point massage. I recall starting my first lesson in July 2014 and since then I have never looked back.

Then after about 6 months of hands-on training one night in January 23 2015 they gave me a green T-shirt to wear. That was my proudest moment. By presenting me with the T-shirt I knew that it was their way of accepting me as a full-fledged therapist. Before that even though I had already started to give treatment to visitors I was wearing my own clothing while the rest of the members were wearing their green T-shirt uniforms.

Although I am one of them now I still consider myself as a novice with a long road ahead to travel before I can consider myself competent in the art.

I am also grateful for the assistance that I am receiving from my senior colleagues who continue to teach me the deeper aspects of OPM therapy without reservation.

Inti Aikido gathering night

Inti College, Nilai. Wed 11/2/2015

The Wed regular class was cancelled. Instead the members decided to organise a BBQ gathering night. Days before all the members were invited to attend the gathering via WhatsApp.

Although all the members of the club were invited some could not make it to the event due to work obligations. Then there were other non-club invited guests who didn't show up.

By the time I arrived at 7.00pm the members were already busy setting up the fire at two BBQ pits. I walked over to the pit where Nigel was busy fanning the charcoal to try set up a fire. I then decided to help in fanning the fire, at first with old newspaper and then later with a paper plate. Meanwhile some members were busy arranging an assortment of meat items on the skewers.

By 8.00pm when the fire was deemed ready all of us placed the skewed meat on a wire mesh laid over the flame to cook the meat. It was the first time that I had ever try my hand grilling meat over a charcoal fire. On hand to guide me was Nigel who is an old hand at cooking BBQ meals. Still due to my inexperience I overcooked some of the food.

Originally the organising committee had planned some games but due to the low turnout decided to cancel the games. Before the event ended at 10.00pm everyone was given a T-shirt printed with a beautiful Aikido artwork design to wear during the next training session.