SINGER Farish Ramli, better known as Cat Farish, 52, and his wife Shikin Maembong, 41, who are no longer operating their banana fritter spring roll business known as Cekopis, now hope to own an art gallery complete with a cafe, reported Berita Harian.
The couple’s business in Taman Melawati, Kuala Lumpur, closed in October after operating for less than a year.
For Shikin, the shortcomings experienced while running the business were a valuable lessons.
“This business had many challenges. It doesn’t feel the same when you delegate the work.
“I also have dreams of opening my own gallery and a small cafe,” she said.
They are still eager to return to the food industry because customers liked their banana fritter spring rolls.
“Shikin is currently preparing 40 paintings for her solo exhibition after Aidilfitri,” Cat Farish said.
“I’m still active as a singer and have three concerts, including one with Datin Alyah, famous band The Fabulous Cats and a traditional Malay concert,” he said.
> A regional student mobility programme, brought together students from the Advanced Medical and Dental Institute, Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM), and pharmacy students from the Assyifa Institute of Health Sciences in Kisaran, North Sumatra, reported Berita Harian.
The programme served as a platform to empower communities, build youth leadership and improve communication skills.
“It also provides an opportunity to strengthen Malaysia-Indonesia relations in the context of science education and community development,” USM said in a statement.
> Two Orang Asli youths from Kampung Damak in Jerantut, Pahang, are willing to climb durian trees as tall as 10m, turning the grafting of premium durian seedlings into a source of income, Utusan Malaysia reported.
Mohammad Firdaus Asing, 24, said he and his friend, Vira Bungai, 14, took up the work as forest produce became increasingly scarce due to logging.
“We learnt for almost a week from a farmer before becoming skilled at grafting durian shoots.
“Within two months, we have produced nearly 2,000 grafted shoots of Musang King, IOI and Damak King,” said Mohammad Firdaus.
Vira said new agricultural skills need to be learnt to open up more income opportunities, making the premium durian industry a source of hope for the community.
The above articles are compiled from the vernacular newspapers (Bahasa Malaysia, Chinese and Tamil dailies). As such, stories are grouped according to the respective language/medium. Where a paragraph begins with a >, it denotes a separate news item.
