Ex-5th Collegians Reunion -We Were Given Time to Meet Again....

The reunion of the Ex-fifians Christian Fellowship at the NECF Office premise was punctuated throughout with laughter. We had good food and talked about the long gone years of group funs, outings, celebrations, day-dreaming of our future then .... Of course, there were also moments of sadness and tears especially during the closing prayer when some knew deep down in our hearts that by the next time we meet, some may not be around. In fact, a few in the group had already left to be with the Lord.

As we browsed through old photos, we couldn't hold our laughter and sighing at the same time.

At Fraser's Hill in 1973.

In 1973, we had an overnight outing to Fraser's Hill. In this group photo taken behind the place of accommodation, I was third from left. My future wife was at my left. Believe me, there was no spark between  them then. They eventually got married in 1978 and raise a new family.

In 2009, by coincidence, the 4 ladies captured in the earlier photo at the middle portion of the group in 1973 were captured together again. I am not in the photo as he was the cameraman then.

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An outing to Fraser's Hill in 1973.

Colourized photo.

At the waterfall in Fraser's Hill in 1973, I am not sure whether the 2 ladies were "shocked" by the chilled water or by the sight of the couldn't-care-less half naked man happily taking a bath in front!

The 2 ladies now.

Happy Birthday to My Wife

I finally managed to take the birthday girl out for her belated treat at Wagamama, the Japanese restaurant at Lintas Square, this evening. The place was packed, so no photos were taken - otherwise, we might have looked a little too san-ba snapping away at every dish!

The meal itself was delicious, and after dinner we strolled over to Lintas Plaza for dessert. As always, I ended up helping her finish the tau fu fah she ordered - some traditions never change.

What mattered most was seeing how genuinely happy she looked throughout the evening. That smile alone made it all worthwhile.

Original V Chinese Style

My Aircon is Working..........

It's been quite awhile since the house has some visitors.

Serene and MH were back to spend almost two weeks holidays with us. Their long awaited holidays has indeed spiced up the place and added noise and vibrancy to an otherwise quiet home. Of course, I had not missed the opportunity to take advantage of MH's expertise in IT to get a few malfunctioned systems rectified. Now that the wireless is back in order, I can have this blog done in the comfort of the bedroom.

I also managed to watch "Slumdog Millionaire" after picking up tips on download.

With their company, we also took time to locate a few eateries to savour some of the well known dishes in and around KK. Though they did not manage to visit any specific tourist spot, we did have great time together talking all sorts of things and eating practically all the good foods that could be found in KK. Thanks MH and Serene !

Our bedroom air conditioner has been "acting" weird the past couple of weeks with frequent tripping whenever switched on. Surprisingly, it was working well during Serene's visit.  I wonder whether electrical gadgets have also been missing some of the familiar faces!

Now that they are gone, routine is once again back and quietness has returned.

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Two old unimates dropped by the office also during the period of Serene's visit. Both have deep passion to help some of the poorest people in Pitas, a remote area in the north of Sabah. One is a retired teacher who now works as an accountant. He would frequently take time off to come to Sabah from Perak to look into ways of helping needy people. His current priority is to locate water source and channel to plantable field for some basic farming such as fruits and vegetable planting. His dedication and passion is admirable.

This one is a pastor. As he said, "I looks after the spiritual needs of these people. I need some other to look after their physical needs"

The Ex-teacher: Now helping to meet the physical needs.

Heal The World - Remembering MJ

In 2009, Michael Jackson was preparing for a series of comeback concerts. His sudden death on 25 June 2009 aged 50 was truly unexpected in the music world as well as people in general. He died of an overdose of propofol which was administered by his personal physician, Conrad Murray.

MJ was a controversial individual throughout his life. In mid-1980, his skin colour gradually changed from black to white due to depigmentation. In 1984, he married Elvis Presley's daughter Lisa Marie Presley but they were divorced two years later. He was also accused of sexually abusing a child.

Still, his singing and stage performance was unique and one of the kind. He started his moonwalk which became a sensation for many music enthusiasts.

For whatever he has done or accused of, he was indeed a great singer! He will be remembered!

Belated Chang Festival Reunion Dinner

Our belated Chang Festival Reunion Dinner at Po-po's house last night turned out to be a 2-generation affair. This time around, we didn't have members of the 3rd generation around the dining table. Of course, many are overseas. Those in KK were either too busy in their work or caught up in the Church for the regular music practice or get-together or what have you.

Dumplings made by my wife in May 2024 for Dumpling Festival 2024 (Photos added on 01.07.2024)

Time is both our friend as well our enemy. The month of May can be remembered as a fairly sad month in that I attended two funerals and one wedding banquet in a period of three days. In one of the funerals, the eulogy was both a reflection of happy moments spent together and words of regrets. He wished he could have taken more time off to spend more time together with his loved ones than caught up with the ever unending cycle of work and routine. Of course as he said, that would not be possible now.

I always felt that attending funerals worth far more than listening to week-in and week-out of sermons. Funerals are moments of real people reflecting on impacts on lives, sacrifices made and inspirations of so called little and insignificant things by ordinary people.

Lock Out

I was locked out of my room last night. I only discovered I left my bunch of keys in my office after I came back from my usual badminton session.I called one of my staff and see whether he could go back to open the door for me to collect my keys. Somehow, he was too busy then and apologized for not being able to comply. That started me thinking of how to spend the night without access to my room to complete my routine.

Fortunately, I had numerous rooms to go to. I managed to find a bit of soap in Serene's room to have my bath. Fortunate to locate my underwear in the maid room's freshly dried laundry. A pair of short from Paul's room. For my teeth, I managed to find an old tooth brush in the study's pencil box (I could not figure out how it found its way there !). I had it washed and boiled. Tooth paste, not to worry. I discovered tea is good substitute. Spent the night in Paul's bed.

For my work attire this morning, I managed to find a long sleeve white shirt in Paul wardrobe. No hair spray, not to worry. I found moisturiser cream ( somehow a bottle was found outside my room) a good substitute for it. Tooth brush turned out to be a good "comb" substitute.

When I met up with a friend for morning tea break later in the morning. His observation was: " You look smart today!". " Well, that's with complement of my son!" Then I related my unusual experience to him. "No wonder you are unshaved this morning". That's is something I could not find as substitute to do the job!

Good survival experience!

Ripples in Life - At Teluk Usukan Resort

It turned out to be a blessing that I finally yielded to the persistent “pleading” of the Pengarah to accompany her to her Institute’s Staff Motivation Camp 2009 at Teluk Usukan Resort. What seemed at first like just another invitation became an opportunity to see places I might otherwise never have set foot in. For me, it was a refreshing new exposure at a stage in life when my circle of friends is slowly shrinking, my energy level is on the decline, and daily routines tend to fall into predictable patterns. Every now and then, life needs a ripple or two - little bursts of colour, surprise, and spice - to remind us that we are still alive and learning.

One highlight was finally standing on the old jetty once used by the Mamut Copper Mine company. Locals often describe it as the very spot “where the Japanese packed the copper, gold, and other minerals from Sabah (Mamut Copper Mine) and shipped them to Japan in the 70s and 80s.” Despite its industrial past, the ambience of the jetty is strikingly picturesque - majestic in daylight, and quietly enchanting at twilight.

And then there is Usukan itself - a place of breathtaking natural beauty. Corals fringe almost the entire bay, painting the waters with vibrant colours. I could not help but wonder why my CG member, Chio Cheng Leng, an avid leisure fisherman, had never once mentioned this hidden paradise.

Ususkan Bay from Google.

The pristine water at Ususkan Bay - emerald green.

Sunset at the bay.

Teluk Usukan Resort.

Another view of the resort.

Some of the camps erected.

I managed to capture the moon together with four of the fence lighted bulbs.

It has been a long time since I put up full gear for a boat trip out to the sea.

After the Camp, the group had a detour to visit a knife making home-based workshop. We were told that they are now trying to standardize their making process so as to obtain SIRIM certification.

They even make Samurai sword.

Don't play play, these are lethal weapons!

The Pengarah was blessed during the camp, as she received not one but two gifts of appreciation - both in the form of finely crafted knives. One was presented by the camp organizer as a token of gratitude, while the other came from the workshop proprietor, a gesture that carried both warmth and respect.

What's Next

I found this in the notice board at the Engineering Faculty of NU

Paper-Cut Portrait

At the Sydney China Town, I couldn't resist to give a go by the paper-cut artist to "do" a portrait for us. With one minute and at A$3, that's not bad. Of course, it's more for the tangible record of my presence there rather than for the substantive quality of the effort!

The Lai's

We finally met up with the seniors of the Lai's at a Thai Restaurant in Newcastle for dinner. The next day just before we left for home, we met again for breakfast by the seaside of Newcastle.

We found many common grounds: MU, politics, education, Lam Kee Hing......

New Places, New Experience

It was less than 9 months ago we last visited Sydney. This time, we took a more relaxed pace and rather spontaneous decision on places to visit.

At Tony Roma in Sydney.

At Stockland Glendale Super Shopping Centre.

Ay Sydney Aquarium.

At Hunter Valley Winery.

Introducing The 2nd Engineer of the Family

I still remember introducing the new architect of the family way back in Dec 2006. It's hard to imagine that another two years plus has passed and now it's another fine opportunity to introduce the 2nd engineer of the family. This time around, the son did far better than the father:) Congratulation Paul !

That's Life

Recently, I received an email from one of my uni-mate friends which I find rather amusing. Now that all of them are in their fifties, their thoughts seem to be in pensive mood. Here goes the joke :)

God created the donkey and said to him :

"You will be a donkey. You will work un-tiringly from sunrise to sunset carrying burdens on your back. You will eat grass, you will have no intelligence and you will live 50 years."
The donkey answered:
"I will be a donkey, but to live 50 years is much. Give me only 20 years"
God granted his wish.
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God created the dog and said to him:

"You will guard the house of man. You will be his best Friend. You will eat the scraps that he gives you and you will live 30 years. You will be a dog. "
The dog answered:
"Sir, to live 30 years is too much, give me only 15 years.
" God granted his wish.
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God created the monkey and said to him :

"You will be a monkey. You will swing from branch to branch doing tricks. You will be amusing and you will live 20 years. "
The monkey answered:
"To live 20 years is too much, give me only 10 years."
God granted his wish.
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Finally God created man and said to him :

"You will be man, the only rational creature on the face of the earth. You will use your intelligence to become master over all the animals. You will dominate the world and you will live 20 years."
Man responded:
"Sir, I will be a man but to live only 20 years is very little, give me the 30 years that the donkey refused, the 15 years that the dog did not want and the 10 years the monkey refused.
" God granted man's wish.
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And since then, man lives 20 years as a man, marries and spends 30 years like a donkey, working and carrying all the burdens on his back. Then when his children are born, he lives 15 years like a dog taking care of the house and eating whatever is given to him. When he is old, he retires and lives 10 years like a monkey, going from house to house and from one son or daughter to another doing tricks to amuse his grandchildren.

That's Life.

Fire Drill

In a large multinational company..............

A fire alarm rang at 4pm in a large office when almost all employees were in office (approx 5,000). As usual the entire office was evacuated within 3 minutes and all employees gathered outside the office in the designated area waiting for further announcement.

The Security Officer in charge made the following announcement: "Dear employees - with sincere regret I have been asked to announce that for many of you it will be your last evacuation drill. Due to the recession the company is laying off almost 50% of its employees. So when this announcement finishes, I ask all of you to move back into the building and if your swipe card does not work then it means you have been laid off in which case you will not be allowed inside and all your belongings will be couriered to you by tomorrow.

The Company has used this innovative approach as we didn't want to fill up the email box with lay-off mails and good bye mails in thousands and also to avoid any fight inside the office and the consequent security issue for all staff.

Hope you have had a rewarding career with us and all the best ahead.

Please move back in and try your luck".

CNY 2009

CNY 2009 will not be spent at "home" but at "niang cia" in West Malayia.

My banker is generous this year. Goodies include 2 small packs of Premium Fortune Cookies, a couple of mandarin oranges and lots of angpow packages.

Office will be closed for whole of next week. One of the reasons is that Eric is getting married on 31 Jan. The family will be very busy whole of next week and week after that. Bride's banquet will be on Tuesday, 3 Feb.

With Eric getting married, will the pressure be on Sam........ Just thinking and wondering.....

That reminds me of Serene's wedding back in 2004. Rushing around to three places in two countries. Never make this mistake again. Simply too tight a schedule. Still memorable :)