What's with the 21st of October?

The 21st of October is one of those dates on which quite a number of important events took place, spread across different parts of the world and several centuries. Some changed the course of wars, some helped shape the countries we know today, while others had a lasting effect on everyday life. What follows is based on what I have uncovered in my reading. And for us in Penang, this date has a special significance of its own.

The earliest event in this collection goes back to 1097, when the forces of the First Crusade began the Siege of Antioch. The siege, which started on this date, lasted until June the following year. The capture of Antioch became one of the major episodes of the First Crusade, although the crusaders themselves paid a heavy price in hunger and disease during the campaign.

On 21 October 1520, the Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan reached the entrance to the passage at the southern tip of South America that would later bear his name. The Strait of Magellan eventually provided a sea route between the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. It was a significant moment in the expedition that would go on to complete the first circumnavigation of the world, although Magellan himself would not survive the voyage. It is worth distinguishing between sighting the entrance to the strait and completing the passage through it, which took longer.

Moving to Japan, 21 October 1600 was the date of the Battle of Sekigahara, one of the decisive battles in Japanese history. Tokugawa Ieyasu’s Eastern Army defeated its opponents, leaving him in a position to consolidate his power. In 1603, he was appointed shogun, establishing the Tokugawa shogunate, which ruled Japan until the Meiji Restoration in 1868. 

The 18th and 19th centuries also saw several important events fall on this date. On 21 October 1794, Captain Francis Light, the founder of the British settlement on Prince of Wales' Island, died of malaria. His death came just eight years after the British established their settlement on the island in 1786. Light's name remains closely connected with the early history of George Town. 

On 21 October 1797, the American warship USS Constitution was launched at Edmund Hartt’s shipyard in Boston. Nicknamed Old Ironsides after its celebrated engagements during the War of 1812, it became one of the best-known ships in American naval history. It is still afloat today and is recognised as the world's oldest commissioned warship afloat. 

Eight years later, on 21 October 1805, the Battle of Trafalgar took place off the coast of Spain. The British fleet under Vice-Admiral Lord Nelson defeated the combined French and Spanish fleets, thwarting Napoleon Bonaparte's hopes of challenging Britain at sea and helping secure British naval dominance for decades. Nelson was mortally wounded during the battle and died later that day aboard HMS Victory. The victory came at a great personal cost to the British, but Trafalgar became one of the most celebrated events in their naval history. 

For Penang Free School, 21 October 1816 is particularly important. On that day, the Prince of Wales' Island Free School first opened its doors to boys on the island, initially operating from rented premises in Love Lane. The word “Free” referred to the principle that education should be free from racial and religious prejudice. It did not mean that every pupil necessarily received a free education, as fees were paid by families who could afford them, while assistance was provided to those who could not. The school is widely recognised as the oldest English-medium school in South-east Asia. 

Another event on this date concerned a woman who would change the way nursing was regarded. On 21 October 1854, Florence Nightingale left England with nurses bound for the military hospitals at Scutari, in the Ottoman Empire, during the Crimean War. The conditions there were appalling, and her work in improving nursing care, hygiene and hospital administration would help shape the development of modern nursing.  

There is also a familiar American story associated with 21 October 1879: Thomas Edison and his team working on the incandescent electric lamp. The date has long been celebrated as a milestone in the development of the light bulb, but historians who examined the laboratory records have questioned the claim that the decisive experiment took place on that particular day. While Edison and his team developed a practical incandescent lamp as part of a wider electric lighting system, the system was publicly demonstrated later in 1879.  

The 20th century brought its own share of significant events on this date. On 21 October 1943, Subhas Chandra Bose announced the establishment of the Provisional Government of Free India, also known as Azad Hind, in Singapore. Bose and his supporters hoped to end British rule in India, and the government was closely associated with the Indian National Army. Its declaration was an important episode in the wider struggle for Indian independence during the Second World War.

On 21 October 1944, the German city of Aachen surrendered to American forces after weeks of fighting. It became the first major German city to fall to the Allies during the Second World War. The capture was an important step in the Allied advance into Germany, although the fighting in Europe would continue for several more months. 

On 21 October 1966, Penang Free School was celebrating its Sesquicentenary which marked 150 years since it first opened its doors. Yet, almost halfway around the globe, a tragedy was unfolding. A coal-waste tip had collapsed onto the Welsh village of Aberfan, and the black slurry engulfed another educational institution, Pantglas Junior Schoolm and nearby homes, killing 144 people that included 116 children. While Penang was marking a proud milestone in its educational history, the people of Aberfan were plunged into grief by one of Britain's worst mining disasters. 

On 21 October 1967, tens of thousands of people gathered in Washington DC to protest against American involvement in the Vietnam War. After a rally at the Lincoln Memorial, many marched towards the Pentagon, where clashes took place between demonstrators and security forces. An estimated crowd close to 100,000 people. The demonstration became one of the best-known protests of the Vietnam War era and reflected the growing opposition to the conflict within the United States. 

There is also a notable birthday to record. Alfred Nobel, the Swedish chemist, inventor and businessman whose will established the Nobel Prizes, was born in Stockholm on 21 October 1833. He made his fortune through inventions including dynamite, but his lasting public legacy is the series of prizes that bears his name. The first Nobel Prizes were awarded in 1901, five years after his death. 

It is quite a collection of events for one day in history. And for many of us in Penang, the reason to remember the 21st of October as the day in 1794 when Superintendent Francis Light died and in 1816 that the Prince of Wales' Island Free School first opened its doors. More than two centuries later, that date continues to hold a special place in Penang's history.

The automatic fuel adjustment factor

Most people don't pay much attention to their electricity bills. Or at least, not until something looks unusual. And I'm one of them. Every month, I generally consider my electricity usage to be normal. There will always be some fluctuations, of course, but they don't usually amount to very much. I'm quite happy as long as my monthly bill doesn't exceed RM150, and generally, RM90 to RM100 is about my average.

But yesterday, I attended a talk on ESG and one of the speakers mentioned something that got me wanting to know more. It was a feature on our electricity bills called the Automatic Fuel Adjustment or AFA. Apparently, this has been causing our Tenaga Nasional Berhad (TNB) bills to fluctuate quite a bit this year. So I decided to find out a little more about this AFA thingy.

As I understand it, the AFA is a monthly adjustment determined by the Energy Commission to reflect changes in the cost of fuel used to generate electricity, particularly coal and gas, as well as movements in the US dollar-ringgit exchange rate. When the costs are lower than the standard baseline, consumers get a rebate. When they are higher, we pay a surcharge. The adjustment is calculated according to how much electricity we use. One sen per kWh may not sound like much, but it works out to RM1 for every 100 kWh consumed. For households using a lot more electricity, the difference can become quite noticeable. And this year, the difference has been anything but small.

January 2026 started with an AFA rebate of 4.99 sen per kWh. The rebate gradually became smaller over the following months before disappearing altogether. By May, we were paying a surcharge of 1.38 sen per kWh. Things got worse from there. The surcharge reached 3.80 sen per kWh in August before easing slightly to 3.67 sen in September. That meant September was the fifth consecutive month in which the AFA was a surcharge rather than a rebate.

For a household using 1,200 kWh a month, the difference amounts to quite a lot. In January, the AFA effectively reduced the bill by about RM60. By September, the same amount of electricity attracted an additional RM44. That's a swing of roughly RM104 a month without using a single extra unit of electricity. For those using 800 kWh, the January-to-September difference is about RM69. At 1,800 kWh, it is around RM156, while someone using 3,000 kWh a month would see a difference of roughly RM260.

I am quite fortunate in the sense that my electricity consumption is low enough that I don't have to worry about the AFA surcharge. Under the normal arrangement, domestic users consuming 600 kWh or less a month are exempt from the AFA charge, the RM10 monthly retail charge and the eight per cent service tax. And there's some good news for those using a little more electricity. Following concerns about the rising cost of living, the government has temporarily raised the protection threshold from 600 to 800 kWh a month, covering electricity consumption from 01 September 2026 till December. The move came after Cabinet discussions, partly in response to the hotter weather and haze, which had pushed up electricity consumption in some households.

There's one important detail about this 600 kWh rule, or the temporary 800 kWh rule, that can easily catch people out. If our monthly consumption stays within the applicable threshold, the AFA surcharge is waived. But cross that threshold by even one unit and the AFA applies to all the electricity we use, not just the units above 600 or 800 kWh. So a household that normally stays just below the limit could suddenly find its bill going up quite noticeably in a hotter month, simply because the air-conditioning has been running longer.

For households consuming up to 800 kWh a month, the temporary protection means they are also exempt from the RM10 monthly retail charge and the eight per cent service tax during this period. For those using between 601 and 800 kWh, the savings can amount to roughly RM40 to RM47 a month, depending on consumption. 

The good news is that there should be a retrospective adjustment for our September consumption, to be automatically reflected in bills issued from October onwards. And for the remainder of this year, households using up to 800 kWh a month have a little more breathing space. But what happens when the temporary protection expires at the end of December is anyone's guess.

There's another point I learnt from looking into all this. The AFA outlook isn't particularly encouraging either. The latest forecast had suggested that the surcharge would ease to 3.36 sen per kWh in October and 2.81 sen in November, before rising sharply to 5.48 sen in December. The October rate has since been confirmed at 3.61 sen per kWh, slightly higher than forecast. The November and December figures remain projections for now.

Come 1 January 2027, the 800 kWh protection is due to end unless the government decides to extend it. That may be when we find out just how much of a difference this temporary protection has been making to household electricity bills. So, while we may sometimes blame TNB when the bill arrives looking rather unhealthy, the story is a little more complex. Much of the fluctuation has to do with the cost of producing electricity, particularly fuel prices and movements in the ringgit against the US dollar. The continuing conflict in the Middle East hasn't helped matters either, given its impact on global energy markets.

For the moment, at least, households using no more than 800 kWh a month have some welcome protection. But it is only temporary. Perhaps this is a good time for the rest of us to pay a little more attention to our electricity bills, instead of simply paying them every month and assuming that everything is normal. I know I shall be doing that from now on.

The day that changed the world

Time has really flown. It's hard to believe that it's already 25 years since the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Centre in New York City on 11 September 2001. What was I doing that day? Well, I was still working, although by then I was no longer in the banking industry but with JobStreet.com, based in the Hotel Equatorial building in Bukit Jambul, Penang.

Because of the 12-hour time difference, the attacks happened in New York during our evening on 11 September 2001. By the time I went to the office the following morning, the 12th of September, the full horror of what had happened was already becoming clearer. Word had come in that there had been a terrorist attack on US soil, and as more details emerged, we slowly realised that this was something on a scale none of us had known before. For the rest of the day, very little work was getting done in our office. My colleagues and I were glued to our computer terminals, reading the news, looking at the images and trying to figure out what was happening thousands of kilometres away in New York. We had no idea then that we were watching an event that would change the world, or that among the nearly 3,000 people who died would be three Malaysians who were simply in the wrong place at the wrong time.

It was one of those days when the news seemed almost too unbelievable. Although we had become accustomed to seeing disasters and wars on television, this was different. The images coming out of New York were being shown again and again, and each time they looked unbelievable. First came the report of a plane crashing into the World Trade Centre, then another plane hitting the second tower. Before long, we knew that this was a coordinated terrorist attack.

There were four hijacked aircraft that morning. Two were flown into the Twin Towers, another crashed into the Pentagon and United Airlines Flight 93 came down in Pennsylvania after passengers attempted to take control of the aircraft. Nearly 3,000 people were killed, not counting the 19 hijackers. The Twin Towers collapsed within hours, taking with them office workers, visitors, firefighters, police officers and other first responders who had rushed towards the buildings when everyone else was trying to get away.

For those of us sitting in an office in Penang, we continued watching the events on our computers. Although the Internet was nowhere near what it is today, JobStreet.com by our very nature was very much connected through it to the outside world despite there being no smartphones delivering videos and notifications into our hands. So we sat at our computers, refreshing news websites and talking among ourselves as more details emerged.

I remember the feeling in the office. We were physically so far away from New York, yet somehow the events felt very close. Work continued, technically, but nobody was really concentrating on it. Every new piece of information seemed more shocking than the previous one. By the time we had spent hours following the unfolding events, we were not only distracted from work but mentally tired. And when the Twin Towers eventually collapsed, it was difficult to comprehend that the New York skyline had changed forever.

Twenty-five years later, the world has moved on in ways that would have been difficult to imagine that day. Airport security became much tighter, governments introduced new counter-terrorism measures and the United States went to war in Afghanistan. Osama bin Laden, the leader of al-Qaida, was eventually killed by US forces in Pakistan in 2011. But the consequences of 9/11 went far beyond the immediate response to the attacks and continue to influence the world today.

A whole generation has grown up since 9/11. In 2001, I was sitting in the office at Hotel Equatorial Bukit Jambul with my colleagues, staring at computer screens. This blog didn't even exist then, so there was no post for me to look back on and remind myself what I was thinking that day. Today, there are young people who were not even born when it happened. For them, 9/11 is not something they personally remember. It is something they learn about from history books, documentaries, photographs and the stories told by their parents and grandparents. So perhaps this is my belated 9/11 blog story, coming 25 years late.

No title attached, thank you

I'm not one to chase state honours because I've never been a businessman or corporate leader, nor have I ever felt the need for the weight of a state or federal title behind my name. But if an award comes my way in recognition of my contributions to society, I certainly wouldn't turn it down. One thing is for sure, though: I would think twice before accepting any award that comes with a title. I still prefer to stay low-key and out of the limelight.

Last Monday, I attended an investiture ceremony at Dewan Sri Pinang to receive the Darjah Johan Negeri (DJN) from the Penang Governor, Ramli Ngah Talib, on the occasion of his official 85th birthday.

It wasn't my first state award. The last time I stepped into Dewan Sri Pinang for this purpose was in 2021, when I received the Pingat Kelakuan Terpuji (PKT) for 2020, the ceremony having been postponed because of the Covid-19 pandemic. And because of the pandemic, I never got to receive the award personally from the then Penang Governor, Haji Abdul Rahman bin Haji Abbas. But still, I had to dress up to the nines just to collect the medal. Before that, I have to turn the clock back to 1995, when I was awarded the Pingat Jasa Kebaktian (PJK).

Three medals under my belt. I think that's enough, lah. I'm happy, I'm contented, and I'm certainly not looking for any more.

There was another reason why receiving the award from Ramli made the occasion a little more special. Many people probably don't realise that he was the President of the Malaysian Chess Federation from 2007 to 2016. As I stepped forward to receive the medal, there was only time for a brief congratulatory handshake. I quickly told him, "This award is for Penang chess."

Whether those few words registered with him amid the hundreds of recipients that day, I really don't know.

Later that evening, however, there was an unexpected sequel. At the state dinner, as Ramli made his way along the red carpet greeting the guests, he shook my hand once again. This time, I simply reminded him with a single word: "Chess."

Before he could respond, his wife, Raja Noora Ashikin Raja Abdullah, who was walking just behind him, immediately looked at me and said, "He was in Norway." She was referring to the 2014 Chess Olympiad in Tromsø, held during Ramli's tenure as President of the Malaysian Chess Federation.

I found it fascinating that, completely off the cuff, she could instantly make the connection and recall that particular event. It was a fleeting exchange lasting only a few seconds, but it left a lasting impression on me.

As a postscript, I want to mention some other people who received titles and medals during these four days of the investiture.

• Apart from me from the Wu Lien-Teh Society, there were also Clement Liang Chow Ming and Ong Siou Woon who received their PKT and PJK respectively. I thank the President, Anwar Fazal, for putting forth my application and the Secretary, Dr Hor Chee Peng, for the patience to prepare all the paperwork.
• Then from The Old Frees' Association, other than me, Albert Moh See Eng was conferred the DGPN, Kannan Srinivasaraghavan received the PKT and Lim Wee Seong the PJK.
• Finally from the Penang Chess Association, the recipient other than myself was Chong Kean Foong. There was also a Lee Ewe Ghee, but the one I know said that this wasn't him.

Healthcare and batik

Have I let the cat out of the bag? Apparently, I have. In my last posting about this year's durian glut, I casually mentioned that we had been in Kuala Lumpur. Well, the secret's out now. Yes, we spent a few days there last week, mainly to chill with our daughter and enjoy a short change of scenery.

One of our first stops was GHHS Healthcare, where we had booked ourselves in for
a Tuina massage. As it turned out, they surprised me with a complimentary session on their Yunohana Hokutolite stone bed. I had tried this before. You simply lie on a stone bed while letting a gentle warmth seep into the body. Whether it works wonders or not, I'll leave to those better qualified to judge, but I certainly came away feeling relaxed. Together with the massage, we spent a very pleasant couple of hours there before heading off in search of durian at Seri Kembangan. That, of course, turned into another successful expedition.

But if I'm being honest, the healthcare visit wasn't really the main reason we went to Kuala Lumpur. The real reason was batik. 

The men in batik, from left to right: myself, R Subramaniam, Abdul
Rahman Ahmad, Chan Swee Loon, Hu Yu Kwang, Tan Bian Huat
and Christi Hon

My first brush with batik actually goes all the way back to 1978. I had been selected to represent Malaysia on an official chess delegation to China, and before we left, the Malaysian Chess Federation had batik shirts specially made for the team. It was a thoughtful gesture, and naturally we wore them throughout the tour.

One or two years later, the Penang Chess Association also thought that batik was a pretty good idea when our team travelled to Hong Kong for the Asian Cities Team Chess Championship. I was issued with a batik shirt again but after returning home from that trip, I don't think I ever wore it again. To me, the colour was simply too loud and, dare I say it, rather hideous. At that stage of my life, batik just wasn't something I could imagine myself wearing all the time. 

And also from left to right, the Penang chess team in Hongkong: 
Lam Leong Yew, Goh Yoon Wah, Jimmy Liew, myself and
Eric Cheah

Over the next few decades, I owned one batik shirt for official functions whenever the dress code called for it, but the shirt rarely saw the light of day. Batik was something I wore because circumstances required it, not because I particularly wanted to.

That attitude began to change only two or three years ago when we became involved in the activities of SAMENTA, the Small and Medium Enterprises Association. Their functions often encouraged members to wear batik for uniformity, and before long we found ourselves acquiring a few shirts that were much more tasteful than those I remembered from years gone by. The designs were subtler, the colours more restrained, and I found myself wearing them with increasing frequency.

Then came our trip to Indonesia which changed everything. Seeing batik in Jogjakarta, where it is not merely clothing but part of the country's cultural heritage, gave me an entirely new appreciation of the craft. We visited batik shops, watched artisans at work and came home with several pieces. Suddenly I found myself noticing the patterns, the colours and the remarkable variety of designs. What had once seemed little more than formal attire had become something I genuinely admired. We came home with pieces that we thought would surely satisfy us for quite some time.

Well, we were wrong. The more we looked at them, the more we wanted to see what else was available. It's rather like discovering a new genre of music or a favourite author. One purchase somehow leads to another. So while we were in Kuala Lumpur, we decided to continue the hunt. 

Our search took us first to Central Market, where batik has long been one of the attractions. We wandered in and out of the boutiques, taking our time to admire the colours, motifs and different styles. From there we strolled around the Petaling Street area, popping into shops whenever something caught our eye. We even made our way to Publika in our search.

The SAMENTA people in batik

Not every shop yielded a treasure, of course. Some designs were lovely but beyond what we were prepared to spend. More often, others simply didn't appeal to us. But that's part of the fun. Half the enjoyment lies in the browsing, comparing and occasionally stumbling upon something that seems to speak to you. In the end, our efforts weren't in vain. We found something that pleased both our eyes and our wallets, which is always a satisfying combination.

I have a feeling this won't be the end of our batik adventure. Once you've begun to appreciate the artistry behind the patterns and the craftsmanship that goes into making them, it's difficult not to look a little more closely whenever you pass a batik shop. Who knows? We may well be wandering into yet another boutique, telling ourselves we're "just looking". I've learnt by now that those are probably the two most dangerous words a batik enthusiast can utter.

P.S. I should also mention that the SAMENTA batik shirts we wear for official functions were specially tailored at the Penang Batik Factory in Teluk Bahang. It's well worth a visit. Besides the showroom, visitors can watch the craftsmen at work and even try their hand at making their own batik prints in a hands-on demonstration section. It gives visitors a much better appreciation of the skill and patience that go into every piece. I also like the fact that Penang Batik Factory continues to use traditional cotton rather than silk or synthetic fabrics. Somehow, cotton just feels more authentic in our tropical climate. Maybe my appreciation of batik didn't begin in Jogjakarta after all. Indonesia deepened it, but Penang has been keeping the tradition alive all these years, right on our own doorstep.