Tuesday, March 21, 2006

Cameron Highlands Treasure Hunting Events

Fancy going on a treasure hunt that will take you all the way up to Cameron Highlands as its final destination while doing a bit of good for charity? There are two upcoming charity events, one organized by Hospis Malaysia and the other by Kiwanis Down Syndrome Foundation National Centre.

The Hospis Malaysia treasure hunt, themed “Miles and Miles of Caring” will be held on the 22 to 23 April 2006. Participants will start from Bukit Jalil Stadium, travel along North-South Expressway, to Simpang Pulai, and then on to Cameron Highlands using the new route.

While the Kiwanis “Chill Out” Treasure Hunt 2006 will start on 27 May for a three day hunt taking participants from Kuala Lumpur all the way to Cameron Highlands.

It seems like the organizers likes to unwind the participants in Cameron Highlands after making them go round hunting for clues and treasure. I think it is quite an apt ending for relaxation after running around to and fro.

Well if any of you guys out there are interested give the organizers a call and book your places. I will append below the news report from the Star and contacts details.

Cheers and happy hunting!




300 teams expected to take part in charity hunt
Saturday March 11, 2006
By Dharmender Singh


Eager to get the hunt going are (from left of the car) Lee, Dr Ednin, Wee, Loh and White who have the crew members from Fly FM for support during the ceremony on Thursday.
Eager to get the hunt going are (from left of the car) Lee, Dr Ednin, Wee, Loh and White who have the crew members from Fly FM for support during the ceremony on Thursday.

TREASURE HUNTERS can go on a motoring hunt for two reasons - do it for a noble cause and win big prizes like a three-night stay in Bali besides air tickets to London.

Hospis Malaysia, a non-profit organisation that provides palliative care services (care given to patients who have symptoms associated with advanced diseases), will be organising its fifth treasure hunt from April 22 to 23.

Housing and Local Government Minister Datuk Seri Ong Ka Ting will flag off the hunt, themed "Miles and Miles of Caring," at the Bukit Jalil stadium.

Hospis Malaysia vice-chairman Peter Loh said the organisation was pleased to have received support from three major corporations, HSBC Bank Bhd, Gulf Air and Fly FM, for this year's hunt.

"We are expecting about 300 teams to take part and the grand prize of a trip to Bali and another, a flight to London, should draw a good response," he said.

Loh said HSBC ,which was the event's title sponsor for a third consecutive year, had pledged RM40,000 as cost for organising the hunt and the grand prize.

"Being a charitable organisation, we also need as much as we can get to highlight the event and this is where Fly FM's involvement helps us," he said.

He said the hunt was Hospis' biggest annual contributor. "We need to raise RM1.2mil annually to provide our services to the needy," said Loh during a mock cheque presentation ceremony at Hospis Malaysia in Cheras on Thursday.

Present during the ceremony were HSBC managing director (business development) Richard Lee, Gulf Air Malaysia and Brunei general manager Lindsay White, Hospis Malaysia medical director and chief executive officer Dr Ednin Hamzah and HSBC Public Affairs head Elizabeth Wee.

Lee said HSBC was pleased to be part of the charity event as Hospis Malaysia was well known for the support it provided to patients with life threatening illnesses. "It offers the best quality of life for the patients and their families," he said.

Lee said he was looking forward to taking part in the hunt that would take participants along the North-South Expressway to Simpang Pulai and onto the new highway to its final destination at Cameron Highlands.

He said the company had a good working relationship with Hospis Malaysia and had recently donated £30,000 to the organisation.

Participation forms are available at Hospis Malaysia's office at No 2, Jalan 4/96, Taman Sri Bahtera, Cheras. Entry fee is RM160 per person. For details and enquiries, call 03-9133 3936.




Laptops and China tours up for grabs in treasure hunt
Wednesday March 15, 2006

SHARED MOMENT: Chan spending time with five-year-old Lim Wei Kang after launching the 23rd Kiwanis “Chill Out” Treasure Hunt 2006 in Petaling Jaya yesterday.

SHARED MOMENT: Chan spending time with five-year-old Lim Wei Kang after launching the 23rd Kiwanis “Chill Out” Treasure Hunt 2006 in Petaling Jaya yesterday.


PETALING JAYA: The longest-running motoring treasure hunt is back with more opportunities to win prizes, which include laptops and tours to China.

The 23rd Kiwanis “Chill Out” Treasure Hunt 2006, organised by the Kiwanis Club of Kuala Lumpur, is aimed at raising RM300,000 for the Kiwanis Down Syndrome Foundation–National Centre, the Bethesda Children’s Home, Rumah Perlindungan Social NCWO-YWCA and other Kiwanis community service projects.

The three-day event, beginning on May 27, will take participants from Kuala Lumpur to the Cameron Highlands.

Transport Minister Datuk Seri Chan Kong Choy said the treasure hunt would help raise public awareness on the work of the foundation, which provided an “Early Intervention Programme” for children with Down Syndrome.

“Some people consider the foundation ‘rich’ when they were approached for donations,” he said when launching the event at the Kiwanis Down Syndrome Foundation-National Centre here yesterday.

“In fact, the foundation needs RM250 per month to educate a child and with 200 children, the centre will need RM600,000 annually.”

Therefore, he said, the treasure hunt was a very important fund-raising event.

The main sponsors for the event are Autoliv-Hirotako Bhd and Sekolah Sri Kuala Lumpur while the co-sponsors are Abec Technology Sdn Bhd, Cantolli Sdn Bhd, Dunham-Bush Bhd, Federal Furniture Industries Sdn Bhd, M&C Engineering & Trading Sdn Bhd, Nexaldus Sdn Bhd, Palam Mesra Sdn Bhd, Paramount Property Development Sdn Bhd, Platinum Victory Sdn Bhd, Premium Tours & Travel Sdn Bhd, Putra Perdana Construction Sdn Bhd, Syarikat Perumahan Sunshine Sdn Bhd, Sushi Kin Sdn Bhd and Uni Asia General Insurance Bhd.

The media sponsors are The Star and Sin Chew Daily while Petronas Dagangan Bhd is the petrol sponsor.

The closing date for registration is April 27 or on reaching 110 entries. Those interested can call Ricky Koo at 019-3383332, or Nur or Lily Chong at 03-2282 3898.


Tuesday, March 14, 2006

Food Pricing Affair

As a regular to any coffee shop, we all know how easy it is for the food operator to raise price. Just any excuse, like the recent fuel price hike, instantly resulted in various drinks increasing by 10 cents. The increase looks paltry so most consumer just pays up, though we just make feeble attempts at protest.

Well not so with the restaurant eatery in the news below in Cameron Highlands. One up for the consumer? Nah, it is just a matter of time before inflation catches up and our disposable income as well as savings just get smaller as time goes by.




Restaurant in hot water for charging 10 sen more
Tuesday March 14, 2006

IPOH: A restaurant operator will be prosecuted for charging a Perak Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs enforcement officer 10 sen extra for roti canai.

Department director Mohd Khalis Kasim said the officer had posed as a customer at the restaurant in Cameron Highlands, Pahang, after receiving a complaint from the public on Sunday.

“According to receipts issued by the restaurant operator, customers were charged RM1 per piece of roti canai although the price list displayed at the restaurant stated only RM0.90 each.

“The operator in Tanah Rata was also found to have been charging a different price from the price list for roti puri,” he told reporters at the Kinta City Shopping Centre here yesterday.

He said the restaurant owner would be charged under Section 14(2) of the Trade Description Act 1972, which carries a fine of up to RM100,000 or a maximum three-year jail term, or both.

Earlier, Mohd Khalis headed a team to inspect prices at the shopping centre’s food court.

“None of the 15 stalls at the food court was found to have raised prices.

“We did, however, receive complaints from the public that drinking water sold there is slightly higher at RM1.50 per 500ml bottle,” he said.

The department, he said, was going all-out to keep tabs on food prices in Perak and the Cameron Highlands following the rise in fuel costs.

“We are checking on wholesalers, producers, hypermarkets, supermarkets, mini markets, restaurants, food stalls, food courts, bus stations and lay-bys along the expressway,” he said.

“Canteens at schools, institutions of higher learning and hospitals will not be spared.”

Source: The Star

Saturday, March 11, 2006

Lake clean-up results in pollution

Is progress necessary good? Well it is fine line between having people with jobs so they have a comfotable living while still trying to protect the enviroment.

But it is so difficult to maintain the enviroment. If only the people take care during their construction it would not result in the badly silted lake situation at the Ringlet Lake. Now when the authorities tried to repair the damage, it caused some other effect downstream. Read on...




Clean-up results in pollution
By MAZNI MUSTAFA
Saturday March 11, 2006

IPOH: Efforts by Tenaga Nasional Bhd (TNB) to clean up the polluted Ringlet Lake in Cameron Highlands has ironically resulted in pollution downstream at Jor Dam in Bernam.

Unless measures are taken to overcome the sedimentation problem, the Perak Water Board (LAP) may have to close the dam.

State Health, Science and Environment Committee chairman Datuk Tan Chin Meng said he found massive dredging and desilting work at the Ringlet Lake, when he visited the site with officers from the state Department of Environment last week following a complaint from the board.

“The board complained that desilting activities upstream had caused murky water to flow into the dam,” Dr Tan said yesterday.

“The situation is quite bad and LAP may be forced to shut down the dam if no immediate steps are taken.”

It is understood that TNB started desilting works at the Ringlet Lake on July 6 last year. The RM130mil project is part of a maintenance exercise to achieve full capacity of the hydroelectric dam and is due for completion in December next year.

Uncontrolled development over the years had caused 75% of the lake to be silted, increasing flood risks.

Tan said the Perak DOE and LAP had sent notices to TNB requesting that it take the necessary action.

Source: The Star