Malaysian Post

In this picture provided by the netizen, A Naughty Lion, the dome of the Hall of Prayer for Good Harvest is wrongly printed in the bottom of the note. [Photo: leotown.blog.sohu.com]

A Chinese internet user has found a regrettable printing mistake in the recently-issued special 10-yuan banknotes emblazoned with Olympic patterns, sohu.com reports.

In his online blog, the netizen – who identifies himself as A Naughty Lion - said the dome of the Hall of Prayer for Good Harvest was separated from the main structure and wrongly printed in the bottom of the note.

The Hall of Prayer for Good Harvest, a landmark building in the south Beijing’s Temple of Heaven, is outlined on top of the banknotes with the Beijing Olympic logo printed on.

The notes, also featuring the newly-built National Stadium or the Bird’s Nest below the prayer hall, were sold out in no time after hitting counters on Tuesday.

The Chinese central bank issued 6 million Olympic notes to commemorate the upcoming Games. But the price of the notes shot up after the publication in a spate of questions over the less-than-expected quantity.

The notes have been priced at more than 5,000 yuan by some online retailers, more than 500 times its par value.

(CRI July 12, 2008)

Was saddened to read about the death of Ah Meng, the iconic Orang Utan of Singapore Zoo today.

I remember the first time I “met” this lovable animal. It was when I came across her image in a stamp issued by Sing Post. The item is reproduced below:

SINGAPORE’s favourite ‘daughter’, aged 50, died of old age yesterday.

The news was taken sadly but calmly by the man dubbed the ‘Father of Ah Meng’ by his own family for the tireless care he showered on his ward.

Former zoo keeper Revi Nair, 46, took care of Ah Meng between 1981 and 2005, and he had been a fixture at almost all of her public appearances.

He found out about Ah Meng’s death from his wife, who called him with the news.

He told The New Paper: ‘It’s sad news, but I was expecting it.

‘She was very old.’

What he remembers most about his former charge, he said, is that she was a good mother.

Mr Nair recalled: ‘About 15 years ago, there was a baby orang utan, Binte, who had been rejected by her own mother.

‘We took the baby to Ah Meng a few times. Initially, she wasn’t interested in letting the baby suckle because it wasn’t her own.

(From above): Former zoo keeper Revi Nair poses upside down with Ah Meng in a photo taken 15 years ago; In 1983, Ah Meng presented the zoo with the perfect new year gift - a 1.5kg baby named Hong Bao; Mr Alagappasamy Chellaiyah, who has cared for Ah Meng since 1971, gets a peck on the cheek. — File pictures

‘But eventually, she did - and she became the baby’s surrogate mother.’

Ah Meng also leaves behind children of her own - she has two sons, Hsing Hsing and Satria; and two daughters, Medan and Sayang.

She also has six grandchildren.

Mr Nair used to accompany Ah Meng on nearly all of her celebrity meetings, which included meet-and-greet sessions with Prince Philip, magician David Copperfield, Michael Jackson and Elizabeth Taylor among other stars.

He said: ‘When Michael Jackson came to Singapore, I went with Ah Meng to Raffles Hotel to meet him.

‘Michael… was happy to meet her. It’s hard not to like Ah Meng - she’s a neat orang utan, well-groomed, and she has good manners.’

Mr Nair added that over the years, Ah Meng had developed a keen understanding of English commands, and had learned human behaviour.

He said: ‘Ah Meng learnt the proper way of holding a teacup and stirring her tea, just by watching people do it.

‘She was highly intelligent and could learn nearly anything just by observing it.’

Mr Nair, who began his career as a zookeeper at the quarantine section of the zoo, started working with orang utans after two years there.

Ah Meng’s late daughter, Hongbao, which was born on Chinese New Year in 1984, was in his care until she died in 2004.

Zoo curator Alagappasamy Chellaiyah, 57, who has cared for Ah Meng since 1971, said he was ‘devastated’ by Ah Meng’s death.

He said: ‘Ah Meng wasn’t just any other animal - she was the icon of the Singapore zoo.’

Mr Chellaiyah said he had gone to Ah Meng’s enclosure yesterday morning as usual.

‘She looked very weak. We fed her as usual, but she threw up the food we gave her. We were worried and called the vet,’ he said.

But she had already died by the time the vet arrived.

He said: ‘I’m just glad she wasn’t in any pain when she died - her head dipped downwards and she was gone.’

He recalled that whenever he took Ah Meng out for a walk in the mornings, she would place both her hands on his shoulders ‘like a hug’.

He said: ‘She would greet me with a smile, and poke her finger out to touch me. It’s rare that anybody could grow so close to an animal.

‘But she has lived a good life.

‘With my upcoming retirement, I used to wonder who would leave the zoo first, her or me? It’s unfortunate that she has gone first.’

DIVA

Others who have worked with Ah Meng remember her as the superstar of the Singapore Zoo.

Former zoo chief Bernard Harrison said: ‘She carried herself like a diva because she was a star and she knew that. She loved taking pictures.’

He recalled an incident 26 years ago when Ah Meng escaped from a film set at MacRitchie Reservoir.

‘She simply decided to climb up a 50m-tall tree and stayed up there for three days.

‘Everybody there kept calling for her to come down, but she simply wouldn’t,’ he said.

Mr Harrison said Ah Meng eventually fell off the tree due to dehydration and hunger, and ended up breaking an arm.

He said: ‘We had to rush her to Mount Elizabeth Hospital to get her arm fixed.’

Undoubtedly saddened by the news of Ah Meng’s death, Mr Harrison added: ‘I worked with her for 29 years. It’s almost like losing an old colleague.’

FOREIGN TALENT

Ah Meng was born in Sumatra, Indonesia in 1960.

She arrived at Singapore’s zoo in 1971, after she was confiscated from a family who kept her as an illegal pet.

In 1982, the zoo began the ‘Breakfast with an orang utan’ programme with Ah Meng as the star.

By 1986, she had been featured in almost 30 travel films and appeared in more than 270 newspaper and magazine articles.

Ms Fanny Lai, group chief executive officer of Wildlife Reserves Singapore, told The New Paper that special arrangements are sometimes made for zookeepers who have grown attached to animals that have recently died.

She said: ‘We understand that keepers work closely with animals over a period of time and need space and time to grieve.

‘We make provisions by giving them time off from work, and we have occasionally arranged for the animals to be buried near the keepers’ rest area.’

Ms Lai said about two small animals have been buried in the zoo this way.

She said: ‘In Ah Meng’s case, we will be burying her at one of the zoo’s most scenic spots - the Garden With a View.’

As a tribute, the zoo also plans to name its next newborn orang utan Ah Meng Junior.

There will be a special memorial service held at the zoo for Ah Meng tomorrow from 9am to 11am.

Bank Negara Malaysia (BNM), in a Press Release on 21st December 2007 announced the issuance of a new design for the RM50 banknote to commemorate Malaysia’s 50th Anniversary of Independence. This new design of RM50 banknote is the first denomination of the Fourth Series of Malaysian currency notes which will be replacing the existing series in stages.

The New Design RM50 Banknote

The new design RM50 banknote retains the predominant colour of green-blue. The main theme of the design is the National Mission where the first thrust is “to move the economy up the value chain” which reflects Malaysia’s economic transformation to the higher value-added activities in the agriculture, manufacturing and services sectors of the economy.

The dominant intaglio portrait of the first Seri Paduka Baginda Yang di-Pertuan Agong, Tuanku Abdul Rahman ibni Tuanku Muhammad, is retained on the right and the national flower hibiscus is in the centre on the front of the new RM50 banknote. Design patterns from songket weaving, which are in the background and edges of the banknote, are featured to reflect the traditional Malaysian textile handicraft and embroidery.

The first 50 million pieces of the new RM50 banknote features Malaysia’s first Prime Minister, Tunku Abdul Rahman Putra Al-Haj at the historic declaration of Malaya’s independence and the logo of the 50th Anniversary of Independence on the reverse side.

Security Features The security features incorporated in the Fourth Series of RM50 banknotes are as follows :

• The Watermark Portrait can be recognised by tints that are lighter or darker than the surrounding paper. This watermark portrait which has a three-dimensional effect appears without sharp outlines. At the base of the watermark, the numeral 50 is clearly visible.
• The Security Thread is embedded in the paper and appears on the reverse side of the note as a silver coloured dotted line. When the note is held against the light, it is seen as a continuous dark coloured line and the repeated text BNM RM50 can be read. When viewed under ultra-violet light, the thread is seen in various changing colours known as the “rainbow effect”.
• Micro-Letterings of “BNM RM50″ which can be viewed under a magnifying glass.
• Invisible Fluorescent Elements can be seen through various elements of the background on the obverse and reverse side of the banknote and will fluoresce in different colours when viewed under ultra-violet light.
• Perfect See-Through Register feature where the graphic songket design on the obverse side of the note will register perfectly with the same graphic songket design on the reverse side when it is held against the light.
• Multicolour Latent Image of the denomination 50 can be seen when the banknote is tilted slightly and the colour changes when it is rotated.
• Holographic Stripe features the denomination 50 and the hibiscus flower, with a multi-coloured pumping and matt-structure effect.
• Hidden image with moiré effect where certain areas of the design appearance will change when the banknote is copied.

Members of the public are advised to take note of the security features and design of the new RM50 notes outlined above. The existing series of the RM50 banknotes will continue to be legal tender.

Sale of RM50 banknote with Special Packaging The new RM50 banknote with a special packaging will be available for sale to members of the public. It will be priced at RM60 per set. Twenty thousand (20,000) sets will be available for sale from Wednesday, 26 December 2007 at Bank Negara Malaysia’s Head Office, and at Bank Negara Malaysia’s branches in Pulau Pinang, Johor Bahru, Kuala Terengganu, Kota Kinabalu and Kuching. The availability of these banknotes will be on a first come first served basis and will be limited to one set per person.

The new RM50 banknotes without special packaging will be available through commercial banks on 30 January 2008 onwards.

I queued up at BNM in Kuala Lumpur and managed to obtain a handful of these new notes in Special Packaging at RM60.00 a piece.

Scans of the notes and folder as follows:

In less than 2 weeks we will be celebration the 50th Anniversary of our nation’s birthday. Around this time, there are many articles relating to this event being published in the local media. One of them is on the Malaysian stamps issued pertaining to Merdeka and The Star today has an article about this exhibition at the Penang Museum.

Just wondering why a similar exhibition is not held in Kuala Lumpur. After all, this is the nation’s capital and the bulk of the collectors are based here. Over to you, Pos Malaysia.

Merdeka stamps galore

PENANG: An array of first-day covers and stamps released to commemorate Merdeka on Aug 31, 1957 are being displayed at the Penang Museum.

The historic stamps and covers, some from private collections, will be exhibited for a month on the first floor of the double-storey museum in conjunction with the 50th Merdeka Anniversary Philatelic Exhibition 2007.

Engrossed: Visitors John van Langeveld and his daughter Linda admiring some of the Merdeka collections at the museum yesterday.

“Although the covers and stamps are not rare collections, we felt that the exhibition is meaningful because most of the younger generation did not have the opportunity to see the commemorative stamps released 50 years ago,” said one of the exhibitors, Lim Ken Beng, who has 30 official Merdeka Day covers and 50 unofficial covers.

Two of his framed official Merdeka Day covers are displayed at the museum.

“The most important collection is the Merdeka Day cover with official cover bearing the government emblem,” said Lim, an engineering manager who started collecting stamps about 30 years ago.

The exhibition is jointly organised by the Penang Museum and Penang Philatelic Society, and sponsored by Pos Malaysia Bhd.

The society’s oldest active member Abdul Salaam Mohd Anver said the 10-cent Malaya stamp bearing the portrait of Tunku Abdul Rahman was now worth RM6.

“The original cover could cost about RM100 each,” he said.

I guess not many of you have seen a freak Malaysian currency note.

I do have one in my possession and the note is shown below.

See if you can detect what is so “freaky” about this note.

For those who still cannot see what is wrong with the note above, the serial number at the top left corner differs from that of the bottom right corner.