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The Star Online: Metro: South & East

Residents can finally breathe easily as haze clears up
Muar remains lively as people carry out their daily activities
Vonza to showcase latest sofa sets at Perfect Livin’ 13

Residents can finally breathe easily as haze clears up

Posted: 25 Jun 2013 11:30 PM PDT

MUAR: Thinking that I will be heading into a sort of "war-zone", I took about two hours' drive into the district from The Star's office in Johor Baru.

Knowing well that the Sunday reading of Muar's record-high Air Pollutant Index (API) at 750, the visual images that were playing on my mind was that the town or district was very gloomy and smells of burnt wood, the whole area was like grey and I can barely see anything beyond 100m.

Muar and Ledang districts were declared a state of emergency status with API readings surging over 700, double the Department of Environment (DoE)'s hazardous levels.

As I drove into Muar's vicinity on the North-South Expressway, my surroundings looked quite foggy and I could smell a faint burning odour as I wound down my car windows.

Before reaching my destination, I made a quick stop at a petrol station in Bakri, a small town some 12km outside Muar to ask an elderly petrol kiosk attendant how he was coping with the "haze emergency".

The man in his 60s who only wanted to be known as Khamisan however, laughed at me blankly when I told him that I had brought along 50 pieces of face masks to prepare myself for the thick haze.

"Look around you, the skies cleared up as soon as the emergency announcement was made and there was no need for us to feel scared at all. The haze is going away lah, amoi," he said.

Taking what Khamisan said with a pinch of salt, I made my way into Muar town, visualising a scene from World War II.

On arrival and to my surprise, the town was sunny and clear and was no where near what I had visualised.

In fact many of the locals had already stopped wearing face masks while taking relaxed rides on their bicycles and motorcycles.

After seeing a group of five people standing outside the gates of the district Public Works Department (JKR) office along Jalan Othman here, I asked them if the office was closed due to the emergency status.

One of them, a bald man named Zulkifli Yacob, 53, replied that all government offices had been directed to close until further notice.

The technician recalled that the situation was bad on Sunday when he woke up at around 6.30am to find that the surroundings outside his house was enveloped by thick haze.

"It looked like it was snowing but instead of feeling cold, I felt a burning sensation in my eyes and specks of soot covered my car that was parked outside my house, which is located near the coastline," he said.

When asked if he felt scared as he drove out that day, he replied, "scared is not the right word - I panicked" after learning that the API reading had hit 746 as of 7am on Sunday.

The father-of-three said driving amidst the thick haze was a real challenge as he could only see some 30m ahead and had to drive very slowly with hazard lights on.

"I felt like I was in a scene of a movie as the roads were quite empty except for a few cars and many eateries closed. I did not know what was going to happen next," he said, adding that the sun could not be seen that day due to the thick smog.

"Although the DoE said that the API as of 11am Monday was 148, I kept having a feeling that the haze situation is not over just yet," he said.

Hairdresser Annie Lim, 29, said that there was still a slight "unsettling feeling" among the locals because the emergency status has yet to be lifted.

"I feel like we are in a limbo wondering if the haze will come back or if it is gone for good," she said.

Chicken seller S. Sugumaran said he had gone about his business as usual on Monday morning despite the district still in a state of emergency, saying that "the haze is moving north, there is nothing to be worried about as long as you wear your face mask".

Meanwhile, while taking a break from the hot sun at an eatery near the Muar wet market, I overheard a lady in her twenties sitting at the next booth telling her friend that she planned to go out tonight.

"Thank God the haze is gone, I've been waiting for a few days to go let loose at the club," she said.

Looks like life is about to go back to normal in the town of Muar, famous for its otak-otak and furniture industry.

Muar remains lively as people carry out their daily activities

Posted: 25 Jun 2013 03:32 PM PDT

MUAR: The royal town of Muar in Johor remains lively and bustling despite the haze emergency.

Although a number of government department offices were closed following the declaration of a state of emergency, most businesses, private offices, factories, markets, stalls, construction sites were seen carrying out their daily activities as usual on Monday morning.

Fauziah Abdul Malek, 47, a tailor at Jalan Othman, said she opened her shop in the morning as usual but expected fewer customers.

"It is uncomfortable to work during this bad weather especially when my shop has no air-conditioning, but life has to go on.

"Most people open their businesses except for several eateries as they feel most people will not leave their homes because of the bad smog," she said.

Fauziah said besides suffering from headache and sore eyes which she suspected was due to the haze, she also had to clean the soot and other particles on her car.

Fresh and Convenient Store senior executive Yep Lai Chang said there were not much change in numbers of customers visiting her store in Jalan Sisi.

"We only saw more people buying dried food on last Saturday night as the haze situation got worse than the day before. However, the people were still shopping as usual on Sunday and Monday although the government declared a state of emergency," she said.

Yep also said the sale of masks at the store had gone up since last week.

Tofu fa (bean curd) seller Tan Chap Hwee said he did not stop selling tofu fa and drinks by the roadside because of the haze.

"Haze occurs almost every year and I will wear face mask if necessary. My business dropped since last week as many people don't travel due to haze and I hope the government would do something to control the situation," he said.

Construction worker only identified as Sukri, 46, also said he started working the morning as usual and haze did not really bother him much.

Vonza to showcase latest sofa sets at Perfect Livin’ 13

Posted: 25 Jun 2013 03:31 PM PDT

KUALA LUMPUR: Nothing beats coming home to a comfortable sofa that is functional and eye catching.

Home owners who wished to furnish their homes with a good sofa should head to the Perfect Livin' 13 home and lifestyle exhibition as Vonza Sdn Bhd is decking out some of their latest sofa sets for visitors.

The exhibition will be held at the Sultan Ahmad Shah International Convention Centre (SASICC), Kuantan (adjoining The Zenith Hotel) from June 28 to 30.

Vonza managing director Lucy Wong said the products are manufactured and designed by the company as it is a trend setter in the market.

"Previously, leather sofas were a hit in the market. However, with the high quality fabric fully imported from Belgium, we started the trend of fabric sofa.

"We emphasised a lot in functionality and comfort. Some of the sofas come with an adjustable headrest and extendable seats to suit the preferences of home owners," he said.

The company will be showcasing their latest product - the Cayman L-shaped sofa that was launched at the Perfect Lifestyle' 13 at Mid Valley Exhibition Centre this month.

Vonza sales and marketing manager Gary Lian said the sofa also comes with stools that can be made as a foot rest.

"With the stools, customers can utilise it by either putting items on it or sitting on it.

"Customers are not only looking into the outlook and the sitting comfortability of the sofas but also the practicality and versatility.

"The premium fabric used in the sofa is tested to be fire retarded and water repellent. It is a very durable and hardy quality fabric across all our fabric range," he said.

Another highlight is the Aston corner set specially for those who prefer a modern and contemporary appearance.

"People nowadays prefer the corner sets over the conventional sets due to its outlook. They feel closer to each other siting on the sofa.

"It required more space and caters more to home owners living in a landed property," he added.

Wong also mentioned that the exhibition came timely as customers can do their mid year shopping for the coming Hari Raya festival.

"Malaysians can expect special deals and we are optimistic that the sofa sets will be a treat to the visitors.

With over 400 booths from hundreds of industry-leading exhibitors, Malaysians can expect a variety of interior and exterior home products at the exhibition.

The first 1,000 early birds will walk away with an exclusive limited-edition Perfect Livin' aluminium drinking water bottle each while the first 2,000 visitors will get a sling bag each.

Exhibition will open from 11am till 9pm. Admission is free.

Kredit: www.thestar.com.my

Rabu, 26 Jun 2013