Kings and Queens For Special Children

After a break of one year, a chess competition for special children in Terengganu was held again, this time at Ri-Yaz Heritage Resort and Spa in Pulau Duyong on Saturday.

Jointly organized by the resort and Mumtaz Murad Ali Sdn Bhd, the event attracted participation from 12 special education students from schools in Kuala Terengganu, Marang, Dungun and Kemaman.

The contestants, aged between seven and 14, may be autistics, dyslexics, hyper-actives, hypo-actives or slow-learners but in front of chess boards, they were transformed into regular chess players.

They were a determined lot with only one mission: to be the champion.

Tournament favorite Muhammad Danial Zainuddin struggled in the preliminary round but the 14-year-old autistic student of Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan Agama Sheikh Abdul Malek managed to defend the title he won two years ago.

12-year-old dyslexic Muhammad Nur Firdaus Nor Azli, a Standard Six student at SK Padang Hiliran, had to be satisfied with the runner-up position again.

But it was debutant Tuan Mohd Sholihin Tuan Zahrin who represented SMK Ketengah Jaya, Dungun, who created a stir in the competition by finishing third.

The 14-year-old hypo-active student proved he was made of sterner stuff when he almost caused an upset by narrowly losing to the reigning champion in the semi-final game.

Fourth place went to Mohamad Amir Zulhilmi Dain, 12, of SK Pusat Bukit Besar after going down tamely to Sholihin in the battle for third.

Each of the top four winners received a trophy, certificate, cash and prizes while the rest of the contestants went home with a certificate, cash and prizes courtesy of Kedai kasut You, ANZ Engineering, Mydin, Giant, Nasir &Sahabat, Celcom, The Sports House and Hedaco Travel.

Close, But No Cigar

Sholihin (right) looking calm and composed during the semi-final match against reigning champion Danial.


Tuan Mohd Sholihin Tuan Zahrin came close to winning the Terengganu Special Education Chess Challenge 2009 at Ri-Yaz Heritage Resort and Spa in Pulau Duyong on Saturday.

But the 14-year-old student of Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan Ketengah Jaya, Dungun, failed to capitalise on early mistake made by defending champion Muhammad Danial Zainuddin, also 14, in the semi-final game.

Competing for the first time, Sholihin, a hypo-active person, could have been nervous when he made a wrong move which gave Danial an opportunity to gain an advantage by taking out his opponent's Queen.

Danial, an autistic student of SMKA Sheikh Abdul Malek, went on to win the game before clinching clinching the title with a victory over Muhammad Nur Firdaus Nor Azli of SK Padang Hiliran in the final.

Dyslexic 12-year-old Firdaus had earlier beaten Mohamad Amir Zulhilmi Dain, also 12, of SK Pusat Bukit Besar, Kuala Terengganu.

Solihin won the battle for third place over Amir but he could not help thinking that he could have won the title if not for the wrong move he made against Danial.

A Blogger Is Born..

Perhaps every minute, just like a sucker.

But then again, P.T.Barnum could be wrong..about suckers and not bloggers.

One thing for sure, Fauzi Baharudin, the blogger, not the sucker, is seldom wrong.

He is one of the top five main-stream media photographers in Kuala Terengganu.

But then again, there are no more than five of such shutterbugs in the city.

He rarely sees things in black and white except when he is in the mood for classic P.Ramlee movies.

He writes his blog at www.fauzibaharudin.blogspot.com in English, mainly because he does not want his best paparazzo friend Imran Makhzan to be privy to his innermost thoughts.

"My life's an open book," he says but then again, so does his fly, on more than a few occassions.

Heritage Bay Cup

Terengganu are only a couple of years away from winning the Monsoon Cup.


A little too ambitious perhaps but not according to Duyong Heritage Sailing Team skipper Mohd Rais Hashim.


And he may just know something that many others don't as he is now the current holder of the Heritage Bay Cup match racing competition.



Six other sailing teams took part in the match racing competition at Ri-Yaz Heritage Resort and Spa in Pulau Duyong on Saturday, and Mohd Rais and his crew proved they were the sailors of the day.

Coached by Malaysian match racing champion Nurul Ain Md Isa, Duyong Heritage Sailing Team led from start to finish, leaving Team Ri-Yaz Heritage and Spa in second place and former cup holders Team Terengganu in distant third.

Ri-Yaz skipper Wan Nordin Wan Abdulah said his mostly rookie crew members had done their best although it was clearly, not good enough.


"It was a case of so close and yet so far," said mainsail trimmer Malizan Zakaria who was match racing for the first time.

He was not the only novice sailor out on a sailboat for the first time in the second edition of the competition as Team Terengganu Tourism Action Council skipper Tun Baharom Tun Abdul Razak said also made his debut.



Tun Baharom's team crashed out early in the competition but trimmer Ahmad Fathil Abdul Ghani said," we couldn't do much better as we had to take on the eventual champions in the early round."



The other competing teams were Team Inai Kiara, Terengganu Economic Development Corporation and Terengganu Treasury.

Food Fair At Primula Beach Resort

It is not everyday that hotel foods, prepared by trained chefs, are offered to the public at road stall price.

But Primula Beach Resort, a prominent establishment here, did just that at its recent annual food fair, in the name of charity.


Sandwiches and hamburgers were sold at RM1 each while rice and noodle selections, cakes and pastries were priced at RM3 or lower.


Resort general manager Mazuki Husin said proceed from the sale, estimated to be over RM5,000, would go into their humanitarian and disaster relief collection fund.

"The food fair which include cultural performances and karaoke contest has always been popular with our guests and the locals.


"Besides, it is for a good cause and it is also a good way for the resort staff to get to know the city residents a little better," he said.

Mazuki said the event was effective in introducing varieties of food which are available at the resort's three restaurants.

He said the resort also organised a blood donation drive for its staff and the general public in conjunction with the World Blood Donor Day yesterday.




"We were a little disappointed with the lukewarm response to our blood donation campaign but at least, we still managed to collect almost 50 pints of blood this time," he said.

The One And Only Rami Store

Deep rooted in the heart of Kuala Terengganu Town, all the way back to pre-independence days, Rami Store has become an institution with many of the people here.

Its existence has become a fact-of-life for many Kuala Terengganu residents, young and old, who at one time or another must have visited or at least heard of the most famous textile and clothing store in town.

After all, it was more than 50 years ago, when Madame Ishwari Jiwatram Chuggani poured her heart and soul into her little business venture which has now turned into a diversified group of companies.

From a modest beginning of selling textiles from town to town, from house to house, from Kuala Terengganu to Kuala Berang, Rami Store has long become an established company with extensive and impressive list of clientele at its current address of 39, Jalan Bandar, 20100, Kuala Terengganu.


Under the guidance of Ishwari's son, Ramesh Jiwatram Chuggani, Rami Store has grown even stronger and permanently marked its presence in the business world.

With wife Roshni and son Mishesh by his side, Ramesh has begun looking into other business opportunities which include advertising, lodging, travel and event management.

But Rami Store remains committed to its clothing and textile roots by setting up RJC Design Terengganu to produce ready-made clothes with unique design and style.

The companies are well known for their quality t-shirts, caps, vests and many other clothing items, and they are being sought after by Government agencies and private companies.

RJC Lodging provides budget accomodation while RJC Travel specialises in travel package to Redang Island and variety of tour packages in and around town.

Ramesh and family may be very busy with their many other businesses, which also include RJC Advertising and RJC Event Management, but rest assured that they will never be too far away from the Rami Store.

It is, after all, the store that has started it all.

Home Away From Home At RJC Lodging

There is no place like home!!

The phrase does mean a lot to the management team of RJC Lodging headed by Mishesh Ramesh Chugani or better known as Mitch to friends and regular guests at the lodge.

More than anything else, Mitch wants RJC Lodging, located at 68A, Jalan Air Jernih in Kuala Terengganu Town to be a home away from home for his guests.


He tries hard to make the lodge absolutely perfect for privacy seekers who enjoy a peaceful and quiet stay but still need to be close enough to the hustle and bustle of the town.


Shopping centres, Government offices, restaurants, a football stadium, mosques, churches, temples, handicraft outlets and other Terengganu attractions are only minutes away from the lodge.


Especially for first time visitors to the State, there is no better place than RJC Lodging to observe the ritual and the way of life of local residents of Kuala Terengganu.



After all, it is practically situated amidst residential houses and mingling with local residents will be an option for those who are interested to find out more about living in Kuala Terengganu or just to catch up with local gossips.

Large families or groups are more than welcomed at the lodge as just like living at home, RJC Lodging makes it its specialty to cater to the guests' many needs.

With eight air-conditioned rooms, richly furnished and equipped with astro television, mini bar and many others, the lodge is truly home away from home for many satisfied guests.

The best part about RJC lodging is its reasonable price policy. The daily rate for a standard room is only RM70 while a family room is at RM90.

It also makes arrangements for the guests to visit places of interest in the State, such as Kenyir Lake, Sekayu Agricultural Parks, Redang Island, Perhentian Island and many others.


City tour is also available at RJC Lodging for the guests who do not want to venture out into town on their own.



For reservation or more information please contact (09) 623-7445 or (012) 956-7445.

It's Not The Stadium

And it's not the coach either.

The Turtles could have lost, probably with similar two-goal margin, to KL Plus FC even if the match was played at Sultan Mizan Zainal Abidin or with former head coach Mohd Nik shouting commands from the touch line.

It made no difference whatsoever when the game was moved to Sultan Ismail Nasiruddin Shah Stadium in town on Tuesday night due the closure of the new stadium in Gong Badak after its roof collapsed earlier this month.

Coach Ken Worden could only watch the blunder made by Sharbinee Allawee in the 4th minute which resulted in Rusydee Samsudin scoring the first goal for the visiting team.

The ball had rebounded off the chest of the first choice goalkeeper and fell right at the feet of KL Plus striker who only needed a simple touch to steer his shot into the back of the net.

To be fair to Terengganu, they did try to search for an equaliser and midfielder Zairo Anuar Zailani came close to scoring in the 12th minute through his trademark freekick which was off target by only a couple of inches.

The black-and-white team came out with their guns blazing after the break but ran out of ammunitions halfway through the second half as KL Plus defensive line led by captain Norhafiz Zamani stood strong.

Striker Irwan Fadzli Idrus slotted in the second goal for KL Plus after running past two defenders before unleashing an unstoppable shot to put the game to bed in the 69th minute.

The final whistle could not have come any sooner for the home team supporters who had to endure yet another mediocre performance from the Turtles.

At least KL Plus coach Mat Zan Mat Aris was kind enough to suggest that his team were a little fortuitous to win the evenly balanced match.

But most of spectators knew that it was a better organised team who won.

They also knew, the Turtles could not do any worse with a local coach.