Colour of Time: June 2015

Monday, June 22, 2015

Sabah is Forever Changed after 5 June 2015 Earthquake

The Psyche of the people of Sabah was forever changed after 5 June 2015. At 7.15am that morning, an earthquake measuring 5.9 magnitude on the Richter Scale struck Ranau and its tremor was felt throughout Sabah. Many aftershocks followed, one of which hit 5.1 magnitude on the Richter Scale.

At that precise moment, I was standing next to the dining table getting ready for my breakfast. Having suffered vertigo before, my first thought was - "Wow, what a major vertigo attack so early in the morning!". But then, the sensation was not in the head, I felt my legs swaying left and right in tandem with the swaying of the floor. The next immediate thought - "What kind of heavy machinery is passing outside our house so early in the morning to cause such massive vibration!". I rushed out to the front door together with my wife. There was no major machinery outside but we did see our neighbours all rushing out of the main doors. We knew then, an earthquake has struck. Little did we knew then that earthquake which lasted barely 30 seconds have claimed 18 lives.

Since no major damage was found in the house, we proceeded with our driving trip to the Tip of Borneo in Kudat to attend the Sunset Music Fest scheduled at 5.00pm that evening. This had been planned quite a few days ago.

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Out of this tragedy, we saw villains, heroes, victims and heart-broken parents and individuals. There were tears of sorrow as well as tears of joy when injured were saved and when parents were reunited with their children. But to many, it was a freak natural disaster that has forever changed their lives. That earthquake has chiseled off part of their hearts leaving irreparable void.

The foreign hikers who may have thought it's fun to pose naked on top of Mt. Kinabalu probably never meant to cause offence to the people of Sabah. Some did learn a hard lesson and were found guilty of "committing an obscene act in a public area". They were duly punished. To the indigenous people, it was their disrespectful acts toward the local culture that was deemed most abhorrent.

I have always been proud of this land which we Sabahans proudly proclaim to the world - "Land Below the Wind" or land free from natural disaster. But with the tragedy caused by the 5th June earthquake, there is no doubt that this claim would no longer be true.

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I have climbed Mt. Kinabalu twice. The first time was in May 1972, the year after I finished my A Levels. That was more than 43 years ago. At that time, climbing the mountain was no easy feat and it was so much more challenging.

Immediately after reaching the summit and on the way down, one of the girls injured her foot. She first tried to drag herself down with the assistance of an impromptu walking stick plucked from a little tree trunk. After repeated strenuous effort, it proved to be too difficult in the steep and rocky terrain. In the end, some of the nine boys had to take turn to assist her to move down the mountain slowly one step at a time. It was one experience that I find it hard to forget. That climb made me realize that friends are so crucial in time of crisis!

At the summit.

Donkey Ears in 1972.

The earthquake in 5 June 2015 was so powerful that part of one of the Donkey Ears was dislodged.

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In March 1987, I did the second climb with my wife together with a group of teachers from Sabah College.

A short break to watch the sun rise just before our final push to the summit.

At the summit.

Friday, June 19, 2015

Sir Christopher Lee (1922 - 2015)

Whenever I think of Christopher Lee, two characters invariably come to mind: Count Dracula and Saruman. His portrayal of villains somehow is so much more impactful than his acting as good guys.

I remember the one and only Dracula movie I had ever watched - "Dracula Has Risen from the Grave" way back in 1968 when I was just a Form 4 school boy. A school friend of mine invited me to watch this black and white movie in the Capital Cinema. Since we could not make it for the first show, we decided to watch the second show which was to start at 9.00 pm. By the time it ended, it was 11.00 pm. In those days, the last public bus that traversed the road leading to my home was at 7.00 pm. Taxi was almost non-existent then. Even if there was, it was way beyond our means to charter one. The only way was to walk on foot from the cinema back to my home along Harrington Road, now renamed Jalan Istana. Walking alone along an unlit road and without seeing or meeting anybody or a vehicle was nerve wrecking. This was made worse by the scenes of the eerie castle and the bloodsucking vampire kept replaying in the mind.

There was one particular spot along the road where a man had previously committed suicide by hanging himself in a tree not far from the road side. By the time his body was discovered due to the strong stench, his remain was practically bones and pieces of rotten flesh. You can just imagine the fear and horror the imagination of vampire combined with walking skeleton could cause in a young boy's mind! That was truly one most frightful walk of my life. Because of this, I could never forget Christopher Lee!

One of the qualities of Christopher was his lack of marital scandal which is sadly so prevalent in Hollywood nowadays. His marriage to his wife Birgit Kronke Lee lasted more than 54 years from 17 March 1961 till he died on 7 June 2015.

Christopher Lee as Saruman in the "Lord of the Ring"

Christopher Lee was not only a good actor, he was also known for his singing ability. This I discovered much later (view here).

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Capital Cinema then.

Capital Cinema, the yellow-roof building was a prominent landmark and a favorite place for hang-out and watching movies in those days. The seafront at Kampong Air where Asia City, KK Hilton Hotel and Plaza Shell are now sited had yet to be reclaimed.

Sam is Married!

While the rest of the world was celebrating International Labour Day, my son chose to tie the knot with his soul mate, Rachel on 1 May 2015.

This occasion was particularly precious because this would be one of the rarest of the rarest when the whole family could be reunited. I had great time spending with the family of Serene and the grandchildren.

This photo is probably the last picture Sam took with the parents at 8.30am just before he went off to gate-crash the bride's house. In exactly 10 hours' time, he would transit from being a bachelor to becoming a married man. There were moments when I did feel a sense of loss when I was reminded of Genesis 2:24 - A man shall leave his father and mother, and be joined to his wife, and they shall become one flesh. But that thought quickly vaporized when I knew that I would actually be gaining a new "daughter".

The wedding was held in an old Gothic-style magnificent chapel built in 1904 now being referred to as CHIMJES.

Photo from Wikimedia Commons

Photo with compliment from Elliot Ng

Abstract of wedding speech:

Marriage is the beginning of a new life, the beginning of a journey of togetherness. We are so glad that our son, Samuel has found a lovely lady, his bride, Rachel to hold his hand all his life and make the journey of life together, to discover the mystery and splendour of marriage life. Of course, it would be dishonest if we say that there will not be tough and trying moments. There will definitely be quarrels and disagreements.

When we first met Rachel, we found out what a smart, strong and independent girl Rachel is. But even more so, we find her to be a thoughtful, caring and compassionate woman. We wish to express our appreciation to her parents, Mr. & Mrs. Chong Kam Wah, who have raised her up so well.

Samuel is one of our three children, second child after his older sister. One of the incidents that I could never forget about him is that I forgot to pick him up from school after the school day ended during his primary education period. I think he was in Primary 2 at that time. Normally, I would send him to school in the morning and pick him back after school during lunch time. That particular day, I was so caught up with some work that I totally forgot about picking him up. I also forgot to notify my wife about this. By the time my wife returned home in the late afternoon, she discovered Samuel was not yet home and she called to ask me where Sam was. I said. "Wow, he must be still in school because I forgot to pick him up!". I rushed to the school immediately and to my great amazement, he was lying on the pavement alone by the road side where children were usually picked up. He showed no sign of distress and in spite of his hunger, he did not cry or grumble. His patience indeed was remarkable. I felt really bad and of course got a lecture from his mother.

That quality of his patience and perseverance is probably how he could carry on a long distance relationship (Singapore and England with a time zone difference of 7 hours) and finally won the heart of Rachel.