What is a Widget?

A widget is group of programming code that can be installed and executed within any separate HTML-based web page by you without requiring additional action on your part.

An example is Google Adsense that you put in the page elements in the Google blog template. You just need to put it in the page element and its done.

Widgets make it very easy for people who are not programmers to come up with blogs that are peppered with all sorts of things.

What are News Aggregators?

On the left side of my blog are links to news aggregators. I would like to explain what news aggregators are.

To make it simple, I have condensed from Wikipedia information about aggregators:

1. Aggregators reduce the time and effort needed to regularly check websites for updates, creating a unique information space or "personal newspaper."
2. 
   
3. The software applications used for aggregators are RSS readers, feed readers, feed aggregators, news readers or search aggregators
4. 
   
5. RSS is a family of Web feed formats used to publish frequently updated content such as blog entries, news headlines, and podcasts in a standardized format
   
6. A feed is frequently updated content published by a website

Malaysia News Aggregator in my blog is just a name I put to describe Virtual Malaysia Content Syndication's website. In there are links that allow you to read feeds using RSS.

At the bottom of my blog too is a link that allows you to subscribe to my blog so that when I update my blog, you will be notified. The link looks like this:

Subscribe to: POSTS (ATOM).

When you click on POSTS (ATOM) you will then be taken to a page where you click Subscribe to this feed (please refer to picture at top). After that it will open a new window and then you click Subscribe again. The feed is then automatically added to your browser's Favourites / Bookmarks and your computer will check online for updates even when your browser is not open.

Also in Virtual Malaysia Content Syndication's website are instructions on how you can get and use an RSS reader. I have extracted the instructions from them for your easy reading:

RSS Feeds
RSS feeds bring automatically updated information straight to your desktop. You can monitor Virtual Malaysia news, destination, event and latest travel packages.
More and more sites offer feeds, which you can identify by a small button that says either RSS or XML. However, if you click one of these links, you will most likely get a page full of code in your browser.

To properly read the feed, you need an RSS reader.

Here's how to get and use one;

1. Websites summarize content in RSS feed.
2. Visitors download RSS readers (aka news aggregator). There are generally two different types of RSS readers. The first kind of feed reader is a self-contained programme, the second kind of feed reader use a web browser. Many of the programmes are free, but generally those that have a small fee are more
   robust.
3. Visitors select the content and summaries they wish to view in a news aggregator or RSS reader. (News aggregator and RSS reader are essentially interchangeable).
4. Content is added to the newsreader by entering the URL or web address. Sites that have an RSS feed available typically have an orange RSS or XML graphic. Clicking on the graphic will provide the URL of the feed. Some RSS readers will auto-detect an XML file on a site indicating that a feed is available. (Assistance for those wanting to subscribe to RSS feeds)
5. Each time the feed is updated the content being viewed in the RSS reader indicates that there is new content. This insures that the customer has current information related to the topics they choose.
6. Professionals estimate that RSS will soon rival e-mail’s popularity as a content delivery method

I hope that this blog is helpful. If you need further help, please post a comment and I will help in whatever way I can.

Henkel SilverNight

Henkel held their 25th Anniversary dinner at Syuen Hotel on 23rd May 2008. HJ and I were invited as guests of New Horizons Special Children Centre, Ipoh. HJ is the auditor for New Horizons.

Henkel (M) Sdn Bhd is a company that produces electronic adhesives. Its parent company is in Germany. As part of their corporate social responsibilities, Henkel donates to societies and schools for children in need.

New Horizon is one of the societies. The other societies at the dinner were Hannah Home, Precious Gift Home, Pertubuhan Jagaan Kanak2 Cacat (disabled) and Pusat Jagaan Anak Yatim dan Miskin Nurul Aman (orphans and the poor).

New Horizons Society is a non-profit organisation which encourages and promotes the involvement of the Ipoh community towards the education and welfare of people with learning disabilities. It has been running an Early Intervention Centre since 1995. They provide an educational programme (EIP) for pre-school children and babies with development delays, learning difficulties or mental handicaps. They are run by Michelle and George.

Hannah Home was founded by Pastor Carol Cheng Penner and her Canadian husband. It was established on 7th June 2001. They house orphaned, abandoned and autistic children as well as homeless elderly ladies and single parents. Hannah Home is also adopted by the Budimas Charitable Foundation whose primary mission is to support projects that promote the welfare and well being of underprivileged children in Malaysia.

The children performed a dance at the dinner which was quite good! I tried to take a video of it but unfortunately the stage was too brightly lit for my handphone camera.

I was unable to search for any details on the other homes, unfortunately, so I will not be able to list any information on them here.

When I was in a mall in Kuala Lumpur I was approached by a kindly elderly gentleman who was collecting pledges for Budimas. I was interested to contribute a one time donation but that option was not available.

Later I recalled a controversial article in the Star about fund raising companies that NGOs subscribe to. It appears that the fund raising company takes about 50% of the funds raised for their overheads leaving the balance for the NGOs. There were some objections by the public regarding this and it cast a negative light on charities. However the NGOs rebutted that they used fund raising companies for their expertise; to get a steady flow of funds as well as to leave the NGO staff to do their job of caring for their charges.

For me, I think I will donate directly to the home.

3 weddings in 2 days

Over a Sunday and Monday, I attended 3 weddings - 2 sikh and 1 indian. I did not attend the wedding ceremony (which would have been an eye opener and which I heard from friends who have is very time consuming and full of tradition) but I attended the lunch and dinner.

The first was in a small village in Tronoh Mines about 45 mins drive from Ipoh. The ceremony was held in a Sikh Temple, after which the bride and groom had a photo session before the bride returned to her home alone for the lunch. (To find out more about sikh weddings and why the bride returned to her home alone; please go here.)

Lunch was buffet style with 3 types of vegetables, briyani rice and a dry curry chicken. Here is a clip of the people queuing up for lunch with loud bhangra music in the backgroud:

I saw something very interesting which I hadn't seen in many years a bed of the type in picture above. It is very cooling and nice to sleep on; probably an antique now!

The next wedding I attended was a Sikh wedding dinner on the same day. This was held in a club hall which can hold about 100 tables of 10 people each. Unfortunately, even that hall was not able to hold all the people who came. Those who came late had to stand and wait. The bridal couple came in very fasionably late; and dinner started 1.5 hours after the time shown on the invitation card.

It was a rather modern Sikh wedding dinner with a powerpoint presentation of the events of the day and a bollywood dance troop from Kuala Lumpur. Dinner was served that the table; there was curry mutton, chicken and different types of vegetables served with rice.

The day after was an Indian wedding dinner held at a community hall and orchestrated to the minute. In contrast to the sikh wedding dinner, the bridal couple arrived on time and everything went smoothly according to the agenda that was placed on each table.

Dinner was buffet style with a rather long queue as there were many gate crashers (2 wedding invitations were issued - one for the wedding ceremony; the other for the dinner. Unfortunately those invited for the ceremony only tagged along for the dinner... lol rather comical for me but not for the host!)

There was plain rice, briyani rice, chapati, tosei, fried chicken, curry mutton, all sorts of vegetables and a stall dishing out ice kacang.

The couple sat in a separate area from the guests with an ornamental tent over them. During the dinner, guests walked up to greet the couple and were given a sweet in return.

All in all the weddings were rather interesting.