Let’s wish that 2009 will be an Ox-spicious year. My family and I will be out of town from today and will be away for next 10 days. Blog entries update will be scarce.

Here’s wish all my readers a very big Fa Cai and may the year of Ox brings more cheers, true health and true wealth to you and your family.

Gong Xi Fa Cai Fa Da Cai!!

INTEL says no lay off for the employees of the 2 plants which are shutting down. Employees will be “transferred” to other plants. That would literally mean “relocation” because the other major plants are located in Kulim! Lay off or not, it’s going to be a tough time ahead for the employees.

Extracted from today’s Staronline.

GEORGE TOWN: US chipmaker Intel Corporation plans to close two of its three factories in Bayan Lepas.

Its Penang corporate affairs manager Loo Cheng Cheng said the 1,000 employees affected by the closure would be offered comparable job positions at the company’s four other plants, three of which are in Kulim.

She said Intel, which has been in Penang since 1972, carried out manufacturing, research and development, and other services at its six Malaysian plants and currently have about 10,000 employees.

“It is safe to say that the company has no plans to lay off workers now,” she said yesterday.

Loo said the PG6 and PG7 facilities were expected to close down by the end of the year.

Meanwhile, Intel Corporation said the planned closure of the two facilities was part of the company’s move to restructure some of its manufacturing operations and align its manufacturing capacity to current market conditions.

Besides the PG6 and PG7, Intel also plans to close one plant in Cavite in the Philippines and will halt production at Fab20, an older 200mm wafer fabrication facility in Hillsboro, Oregon, in the United States.

“Additionally, wafer product operations will end at the D2 facility in Santa Clara, California,” Intel said in a news release yesterday.

It stated that the move, combined with associated support functions, would affect between 5,000 and 6,000 employees worldwide.

“However, not all employees will leave Intel. Some may be offered positions at other facilities. The actions will take place between now and the end of 2009,” it added.

Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng said the state government appreciated that no jobs would be lost with the closure of the PG6 and PG7 facilities.

More jobs cut. Not a good start to 2009 for those who are employed. Intel announces to shut its 2 factories in Penang which translates to tons of employees to be unemployed. That’s the uncertainties facing 5,000 to 6,000 employees. And more companies are closing amist global economic crisis. Be prepared, guys!
 
News below extracted from www.themalaysianinsider.com

LOS ANGELES, Jan 22 — Intel Corp said yesterday it is consolidating its manufacturing operations as a part of a restructuring bid that will affect thousands of jobs from the US to the Philippines.

Between 5,000 and 6,000 employees will be affected, though some may be offered posts at other facilities, the company said.

The world’s largest chipmaker is closing two assembly test facilities in Penang, Malaysia and one in Cavite, Philippines and will halt production at a plant in Hillsboro, Oregon. It will also end wafer production at a facility in Santa Clara, California. All five are older factories, the company said.

Intel currently employs about 84,000 workers. The company expects to complete the job cuts by the end of the year.

Last week, Intel posted a whopping 90 per cent decline in its fourth-quarter profit, hurt by declining demand for its microprocessors — the brains of PCs — amid the economic downturn.

The results, however, matched Wall Street’s expectations as the company had twice lowered its sales forecast.

Shares of the company climbed 17 cents to US$13.43 in after-hours trading, having closed the regular session up 40 cents at US$13.26. — AP

Little J is really a chatterbox. He will talk non-stop and even corrects me if I make a mistake, ahem in my English. I couldn’t help sharing here my conversation with him this morning..

Me : Darling, are you hungry?

Little J : Yeah, I am hungry, hungry, hungry. (He will normally repeat the word that he wants to emphasize 3 times)

Me : Would you like to eat milk?

Little J : Oooo Mom.. we don’t eat milk because we cannot chew milk. We drink milk..

Me : (I honestly don’t know what prompt me to say eat milk, but I am really proud of Little J for correcting me, haha..my silly Manglish)

Fancy fried egg, with kaya spread on a piece of bread for breakfast? That’s  what Big J took for breakfast this morning. And he loves spreading tomato keychup on his rice too… how about putting cracker biscuits in a claypot yee mee… He really has weird appetite..

PAS wrests KT from UMNO. See detail result here. If UMNO leaders still live in denials, still not panic, I am sure that we will change Federal government in the next General Election, if not losing more states to the opposition. Perhaps Sarawak will be the next state to change government? We shall see..

Whenever there is a third party in a marriage, most people would be quick to blame the mistress/girlfriend aka the wicked fox.. Shouldn’t the husband be held completely responsible for allowing a third party into his life.. read a typical story here.

Facebook, ha.. I must be very much left behind in Facebooking.. well, it’s better to be late than never. It’s an awesome way to keep in touch and to find a long lost friend and to expand my business! Hey, it even helped to catch buglars in New Zealand. Read the story here..

I am hooked to Facebook since I started my account a couple of days ago. And guess what, I am now friend with Dennis Waitley & Dave Wentz, Chairman of DSA of America! Haha..

If you haven’t set up your Facebook account, do so!

I gave a call to Michael on Saturday night. Told him that Ai Lee is here and would like to arrange for a meet up. Truth is.. I can’t recall how Michael looks like, though we spoke several times on the phone..hahaha.. 20 years and I am losing tons of brain cells after 2 kids. Wonder how those with more than 2 kids cope.. We arranged to meet up at Ipoh Old Town, Taipan for breakfast the following day..

Dom and Norman were there when we arrived. They looks exactly the same but somehow quieter cause I remembered them to be a bunch of noisy kiddos back then. Dom is a loving dad to 3 boys and Norman has a girl and another baby on the way. Felix was supposed to come, but he needed to perform some son-in-law’s duties, so he missed the meet up. Michael arrived shortly. He has a boy and a girl.

We spent 2 hours catching things up.. topics were focussed on children, careers.. and other former classmates.. who is married to whom, who is doing what, who is “missing in action” etc.. somehow it feels good to look back nostalgically to the good, old school days. Norman promised to organize another gathering soon, a pot luck party..

Frankly, I have been taking things for granted. I knew Michael and Norman are here in KL but never made an effort to meet up with them. We are all so busy with our own lives… It’s a blessing that Ai Lee came here and I picked up my mobile, gave Michael a call and we met up the very next day. It’s all about taking action and voila.. I set up Facebook! It’s a great “place” to catch up and keep in touch and will blog about it next!

Ai Lee, my best friend since school days has been staying with me for the past 7 days while attending an on-the-job training on her new-found career.. We had so much to talk about every night, recalling those wonderful days in schools, basically we can talk everything, our puppy love, our marriage, children, careers, friends etc.. We have been this close since the good old school days.

Haha.. I remembered confiding in her about that tall, dark and handsome senior in school, whom I had a strong crush on.. and she on the other hand confided in me about her strong crush on that macho rugby player..Haha, we were so young and naive then, hey.. the four of us are now happily married, but not to each other! Haha..We both had a good laugh when we talked about it a few nights ago. We had so much fun growing up together.

How times flies, this year 2009 is exactly the 20th year since we left high school. Wow! 20 years!!! And yesterday, we met up with some former classmates! Will blog about that in my next entry