Its DURIAN time - Putting Zimmerman to shame

Hi All, its that DURIAN time @ Prestariang again. Its our 8th Annual Durian Feast for partners and clients. You can only have this when DURIAN is in season. This time around there 2200 kilos of the 'King of Fruits", 200 more than last year.
Indicating our Durian Feast has become a tradition in its own right and hugely popular among partners and clients!


This time around we have people of numerous nationalities at out feast, namely Korea, Singapore, Australia and Egypt to name a few, and of course our local Malaysians. All at a different level of 'engagement' with the King of Fruits.

To some 'durian virgins', an experience to smell it, some its the first time to hold in their hands the hard prickly thorns of durian, for some its time to sample the different varieties but the rest its time to savour the great taste and gobble it down.

Malaysians have this to say to our foreign partners, "if you have not tasted it you can't be successful doing business in Malaysia but If you liked it you are accepted and one of us."

As a King (of Fruits) they'll always be a few who dislikes as compared the popular majority. Durian has put Andrew Zimmerman of Bizarre Foods to shame. He can take on 'rats' and 'Icelandic rotten sharks meat" but NOT Durian, ha ha, not bizarre enough!

As usual we have top best 18 varieties of Durian such as the expensive "Musang King" to "XO", to D24, to Udang Merah among others. Durian in Malaysia and the region has these binding effects and promote friendship.
We at Prestariang tried to get friends to a get-together through dinner, high tea, kenduri & tahlil without much success, but Durian Feast never fails to attract a huge crowd.

With a combination of Durian, fresh coconut water, lychee, mata kuching and dokong we have trails of people coming in - from CEOs, Chairmans, Board Members, VCs, Government officers, MNC Partners, Vendors, Suppliers and friends from 3.30pm till 7.30pm.

Everyone enjoying the casual air of friendly get together and catching up with friends and buddies. Thats Durian the great equaliser! Look at them..


"To find the aroma of durian offensive, is a sure sign of ones inner toxicity" - Mango the Fruitarian
Thanks Doc, looking forward for another great feast next year.


Hamid

Looking for Anne

Hi it's time to write again. I rarely write about a movie, or rather hardly or never did. But last Saturday I stumbled upon one on Sundance a movie called "Looking for Anne" mid way through. Checked on its summary and decided to sit through till the end. We both (my wife and I)ended teary eyed...which is rare. As the movie was already half way through, so I was trying to know and do some background checking on the story. Things like where is this PEI (Prince Edward Island), who wrote the book "Anne of Green Gables", and Rose of Peace etc.

I initially thought it was somewhere near Vancouver but later to find out its near New Foundland. The scenery was beautifully set, the light house and farmhouses, but best of all is the story. A story of a young Japanese girl Anri who just lost her grandmother before their planned trip to PEI to find a Canadian WW2 POW veteran of Japanese camp. She sets out to find her grandmothers 'first love' bound by the book Anne of Green Gables and the Rose of Peace given to her grandmother at the end of the war by Gilbert.

The whirlwind search ended when the whole island helped to find the missing soldier by playing Anri's parting farewell speech on the local radio. Only to find later that Gilbert the war veteran had died near the Light house with a roses blooming on his grave. A rose hybrid he created and named "Beautiful Shizuka", Anri's grandmothers name. She found him at last.

You simply got to see this, I can't describe it better. After some searches the film had won the best film at Singapore film festival too. A great humanity stuff, of which Sundance is famous for...bravo Testimonials

Fast Facts About Looking For Anne


Starring: Honoka, Daniel Pilon, Rosanna, Kazuko Yoshiyuki, Johnny Sa, Mahiru Konno, Ai Takabe Screenplay By: Kikyo Gonpin Directed By: Takako Miyahira Produced By: Yuri Yoshimura-Gagnon, Samuel Gagnon Language: 60 percent English, 40 percent Japanese with subtitles Film Funded By: The Canadian federal government, Quebec and P.E.I.'s provincial governments and Japanese sponsors

"It's a beautifully small film that teeters perfectly on the right side of the line between emotionally true and mushy." ~~ Hour.ca

Hamid

Certiport APAC 2012 - A Learning Experience

Hello again...

A Hanuman welcome

I am penning down what is was supposed to do two months ago. Alas, what the heck...better late than never kind of thingy. The trip to Certiport APAC - Partners Meeting 2012 in Bangkok started with a half hearted effort. The reception from the CEO was lukewarm but later agreed that me (alone) need to be there, when i was pitching that Sales rep. should be there too. In the past partners meeting is where partners meet, get updated on latest info and product, recognized and awarded. APAC has been one of the biggest contributing region for Certiport business. APAC partners are important group. Me being there representing my company, but at a different level in terms of partnership with Certiport. We are there as Product Development partner first and reseller of Certiport product second. So the expectation of treatment from Certiport is a little bit different, we are more than mere making numbers as others do.

Certiport's Update

The partners meeting started with updates from Certiport's CEO and the rest of the management team. Followed by partners by country. Everyone updated on success stories, new deals and future plans. We also talked about expectations, support and ideas how to make things better. My presentation on Prestariang's IC CITIZEN Certification was on the second day in the afternoon. Ray miss big part of it as he joined my session almost to the end. I was urging partners to try out IC CITIZEN...most are quite sceptical...but i think its their lost opportunity. There were also some new on-boarding partners from Korea and Indonesia.

4th GDLC - APAC

Being appointed to the Global Digital Literacy Council (GDLC) is an eye opener. The Global Digital Literacy Council (www.gdlcouncil.org) serves as the preeminent advisory body and as an authoritative voice on issues driving the development and implementation of global digital literacy standards and systems. The GDLC is a leadership and advocacy organization. Council members convene and collaborate online at a community site to review and ratify digital literacy standards, define best practices and develop programs and position papers on global digital literacy.  

The Wat from Cho Phraya

Membership in the GDLC is by invitation only. The Council's community site is hosted by the ICT Literacy Forum (www.ictliteracy.info), and the Council is sponsored by Certiport, an advocate of global digital literacy and provider of the Internet and Computing Core Certification (IC3) program. Its a recognition to my work in development Digital Citizenship certification and their need to have certain ethical component included in their IC3 content.



Seriously, the biggest learning experience comes from a personal talk with our partner from Down Under...He really opens up a new twist to my insight of other partners reluctancies in adopting IC CITIZEN...its marketing....While we are expecting Certiport to handhold us, its us that it is expected of by other partners. It has become my mission to just that ...prepare all the marketing kits, and get Certiport to "impose".

Recent developement in MEA market wrt to IC CITIZEN is very encouraging....we had our first 300 orders from Kuwait....with more coming soon from Turkey and the rest.
May the force be with us!


hamid

When Common Sense is not Common

Off white and pink roses

March 11, 2012 was a day "When Common Sense is not Common". A rare case for me, as its my first. My first to be the head of delegation on an 'engagement' mission for my nephew Abdullah Omar, eldest son of Hj Abdul Aziz and Hjh Nor Hamidah, my in-laws.

Its a delegation from Terengganu, in transit in KL en route to Cheng Baru, Melaka. Being the eldest...hmm no no...being the senior most uncle i was unanimously made the head of delegation. As you all know, an engagement delegation to Melaka - the home of 'dondang sayang' and 'pantun' is quite a daunting task. So came all the ideas, suggestions, recommendations of 'pantuns' through email, fb, sms and chat.

iPad - ing a pantun

I ended up with a compilation of pantuns. Even Azhim's majlis on February 7 2012 in Seremban was not as stressful. But then Hai or Hj Mohd Salleh was around to be the spoke person on that day.
Come March 11, 2012 most of our family members were there in Melaka. Stepping out of the car, we were welcomed by smiling faces with open arms, the new extended family to be.

True enough, Melaka is thick in 'adat' and ceremony, and the host had long 'khemah' in front of the house in 'kenduri' mode. Common sense is not common! as all action has to abide the 'adat' or local ceremony.

The celebrities

When all seated and making our selves confortable...but nothing happens. Later we got to know we had to wait for the host 'spoke person' to arrive. Apparently the 'Tok Ketua' of the Qariah will represent the host family in welcoming and all negotiation.

True enough the opening remarks starts with a 'pantun' out of his mouth effortlessly - indicating experience....but my iPad saved the day! All my compilation of pantuns came out smoothly to counter all of his...much to the awe of the crowd...pantuning via iPad...

How i love technology....

hamid