Let the Sun Shine!

Wisma Techna

As usual, when the doctor told me that I was a confirmed osteoporosis case from the results of my bone-scan,I was non-plussed.It is not that I am stoic. Perhaps at my age of 60, things are taken matter-of-factly. A que-sera sera mindeset might have been installed in my brain many years ago. This fatalistic approach will work best as there is nothing one can do about it except to accept the truth and to go on medication.

Gribbles Pathology Lab

The specialist doctor at UMMC asked me to do more blood tests as well as one test that must be done at Gribbles Pathology Lab. This test will be to acquire a base-line statistic on the status of my Vitamin C3.

The Blood Test

To my knowledge, most of the calcium that we consume to delay the onset of osteoporosis will come to nought if you do not have sufficient sunlight to work on the calcium to be absorbed easily into our bones.

Interestingly, every osteoporosis patient will be given medication to slow down the degradation of bones as well as another to help build back the bones. Wonder if this two-prong assault will truly work? And there is good old sunshine!

So, this morning just before 9 am, I was at the Gribbles Pathology Lab in Petaling Jaya to have my blood sample taken for this Vitamin C3 test. As one lady receptionist registered me and prepared my bill of RM163.00, the other nurse took my blood. It was a breeze but with the usual tinge of invasive pain.

The result will be available this coming Friday. So, I will be picking it up on that day.

So, for those who are interested to check on the health of their skeletal frame, go and do a bone scan, a urine calcium test and blood test. It will help determine your status and if everything is not hunky-dory, know the early treatment to take then.

BJFoods-Will It Generate Interest?

This is another sleeper share on Bursa KL. Except for a brief moment when it propelled itself beyond RM1 and more in 2011, it has stayed at the 99 sen mark and would graze the RM1 mark perhaps to RM1.03 sen. Then is will falter and stumble.

Recently, Berjaya Foods has obtained permission from Bank Negara on some warrant issue to foreigners but this has not stirred Rip Van Winkle from his golden slumber.

With the forthcoming rights issue and warrants approaching on nigh on the horizon,we should expect some action. At 65 sen per rights issue on the basis of 4 for 5 shares, it should attract given the current price of a discount of some 35 sen. To boot, there is an equivalent number of warrants given to be traded for value.

Given the impending de-listing of two food counters i.e. KFC and QSR Brands, BJFoods will now become the listed market leader. with the expansion into Indonesia, Kenny Rogers Restaurants (KRR) should bring in the needed revenue for BJFoods.

The purchase of the popular designer coffee outlet STARBUCKS in Malaysia will also provide the required fillip to shore up the revenue, profit and price of this counter.

Let us await news of the rights issue subscription.

Time Would Not Sit Still?

After a history of more downs than ups,why is Time Engineering (Time),a sleeper stock, hogging the volume limelight this morning?

Hitting a high of 37.5 sen after the recent AGM and price adjustment for the 3 sen net dividend payout, Time went up from 33 sen to trade at the 36 sen to 36.5 sen currently.

Why is there a sudden interest in this counter when it goes ex? Is someone just collecting dividends and disposing the shares? Unlikely. If so, who is the buyer since from the CEO's briefing at the AGM, it was just hopeful talk about regional tender successes-albeit, small in value; a lot of unused cash in the kitty and very little else? Is there a mystery buyer who is going for the cash? Is Khazanah parcelling Time up for a sell-out to an UMNO bigwig? This is the more likely reason for the interest, I think.

There is no smoke without fire in spite of today's advance science that will tell you so that there could be smoke-like plumes without fire.

In a nutshell, TIME prides itself as a leading Malaysian IT infrastructure service provider. It also purveys cyber security and e-commerce solutions and an assortment of IT services. Time also claims that it has soared beyond national borders in to the ASEAN landscape and growing from strength to strength regionally.

Strength-wise, Time is a government-linked company, with the Malaysian government having a 45.3% stake in the organisation through Khazanah and UEM Land.

Will it breach the 40 sen and move ahead?

The highest price touched was 63 sen achieved in 2011 and the highest price this year was 40 sen and the lowest,30 sen.

We shall have to watch out whether there is price and volume traction today.

PS:

Time Engineering went into sleeper mode again and slid to the 34-35 sen range. We have to wait for the Khazanah announcement whether Syed Mokhtar will take over Time Engineering. I think a majority control will push up the price of this counter,more so if it is a candidate for Syed Mokhtar's empire which currently needs a telephone land-line outfit and perhaps a bigger commercial bank to boot.

Vocal Powderkeg Jessica Sanchez

Good singers are not simply born. It is definitely not wholly DNA-driven.

Nurture and Nature hand in hand will bring out the latent talent and get it honed to its exceptional ideal possible.

As with Leona Lewis, we now witness a spring of hope in a young American Mexican of Filipina decent as she sings her heart out on stage at each American Idol outing and she has just got into the Top 4.

Will America vote in a super performer of a tender age of 16?

The following videos, most from American Idol, will testify on the vocal prowess and stage presence of Jessica Sanchez.

Enjoy the selection and vote!

Proud Mary



The Prayer



Dance with my Father



I Always Will Love You



Love You I do



How Will I Know Life



How Will I Know - Studio



I Surrender



I ‘ll Rather Go Blind



Some Jessica Audition Videos



Bohemian Rhapsody



Try a Little Tenderness



Falling



Stuttering


Jessica Sanchez Voted Out


Sweet Dreams


Smash Into You-Beyonce Album

American Idol 2012 Season: My Early Thoughts

With Elise and Skylar Laine leaving the much touted global singing competition, we now have four comely contestants to battle it out.

Interestingly, all four of them have differing styles.

Let me on the outset put forth my speculative forecast on the strengths and weaknesses of each of these top four finalists.

The weakest of them all will have to be Hollie Cavanagh.

Petite and pretty, she can sing, this small bundle of joy. However, as far of performance range is concerned, she has been acceptable so far, being the prettiest Caucasian in the contest. Whether she can weather the storm of more intense competition to come in as the top three, is anybody's guess. For me, I rank her the fourth of the finalists.Unless the fickle American voting crowd is hell-bent on bringing her in, that will stumble someone who is more deserving out of the contest.

Philip Philips is the third rated in my perception. Interesting singer with his own style, as he fashioned each song he sang according to his vocal capabilities,Philip may have a big following which may bring him into the top three next week.As many would love his nifty hip dance movements and the annoying yet habitual head motions and closed eyes, he may lose the bigger voting crowd to the other contestants. Unless you are a Philip Philips die-hard, he may be an underdog in week 2 to the final countdown.

Jessica Sanchez. It is a love her and love her more situation. She sort of grow on you. Petite as well as charmingly attractive, this nubile singer of Filipino descent has wowed all three judges particularly Steven Tyler who visibly is enamoured by this sweet sixteen. As none of the three judges are objective any more or to be believed because of their rar-rar roles as the singers come into the home-stretch, any one can win. For me, I think Jessica has captured the imagination of the world, just like Leona Lewis with the Britishers in the X Factor singing competition. However, whether the popularity of Jessica, gauged by the sheer volume of the applause after every of her performance can be translated into sweet victory for Jessica, remains to be seen. In my reckoning, in all probability, she has fired the imagination of the young liberal voting American public which can see her emerging as this season's potential American Idol because of her strong vocals, spell-binding stage performance and extra-ordinary audience appeal.

Joshua Ledet is one great singer, undoubtedly. He is destined for greater things, even if he loses. Compared to Jessica and Philips, he may be the underdog without wings below his wings if the voting public votes Caucasian first and feminine charm second. Joshua will come in as Number 3 then. Joshua is no loser. He will be a pop chart wonder with his stage presence,win or lose.

So, let us see whether my crystal-balling is apt or otherwise.

Dirty Dozen Revisited

It took me two days to watch this one great movie of all times.

A bunch of murderous convicts hand picked to destroy an R and R resort for the German generals in World War Two makes for an interesting plot line.

With the participation of macho actors like Lee Marvin, Jim Brown, Telly Savalas, Trini Lopez, Donald Sutherland and Charles Bronson, expect top notch action as they toss in their brand of mayhem on Hitler's Gestapo and the German Imperial generals.

As usual things go awry from the first to die in the parachute drop to the intra team shoot-out between Telly Savalas who played a Bible-toting and death to women persona and Jim Brown who had to mow Telly down before he goes off to create more disaster to their precision plan.

The training bit was fun and the real action, dynamite!

Great film for a revisit on a cold, rainy day.

My Father's 87th Milestone

By 8.45 am, my sister S and I were on our way back to Malacca for my Father's 87th Birthday lunch. Traffic was light today.

I am fortunate that my brother JC planned it on Wesak Day as I do not have to cancel my classes nor get a substitute teacher for my classes at the nearby tuition centre.

Though not everyone turned out like last last year to mark the occasion,the spirit was high as well this year around.

JC and his missus brought a cheese-cake as we sang the Birthday song for my daddy.

Food was just so-so but it was pretty expensive. We cut it three ways and the amount came to RM143.00 each.

Saying goodbye to daddy, we made our way back to reach PJ before 5 pm.

Good drive in a Viva Elite.