All Because of Nathan

The 2011 CNY family reunion was possible: Thanks to little Nathan.

From Singapore
From Newcastle
From Sabah Malaysia
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louloulou

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At Cicerello's Fremantle

At Indiana, Cottesloe
At Old Swan Brewery

At Xintaindi Restaurant, Northbridge

At Jus Burgers, Subiaco
At Mash Brewery, Henley Brook
At Ciao Italia
Ramen, Dosukoi Japanese Noodle & Booble Tea, Fremantle Market
Little Creatures Brewery, Fremantle
At Sandalford Wines

At Oatover Winery
At Northbridge Chinese Restaurant
By our own home-grown chef
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Waiting for fireworks display, Australia Day 26 Jan
Hay Street, Perth City

King's Park
Fremantle
Sandalford Winery

Moving From 2010 to 2011

24 December 2010

An article I read indicated that as many as 300,000 Malaysians moved abroad from March 2008 to September 2009, among them 200,000 left between Jan-Aug 2009.

Come the festive seasons, many homes would be filled with returnees for reunion to celebrate the festive season and to catch up with old acquaintances. Our home is no exception. For Christmas 2010, Christmas reunion dinner was without Serene and MH.

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At precisely 9.35pm in the midst of Christmas Eve Service, a little vibration of my HP prompted me to read this message. Somehow, the waiting for Nathan's arrival was much longer than expected. There were more exchanges of sms for another 17 hours. Nathan's birth was finally declared at 428pm on Christmas day, 25 December 2010. Indeed, Nathan is a name suitably chosen for he is a gift of God.

Toward 3rd generation

Moving the Cheese

It was not hard to tell that Perth has developed faster than I could imagine when my Garmin-led vehicle just zoom-passed an empty space rather than along a clearly defined route on the map. Even driving with an old map, My Garmin proved very reliable as I managed to return home back in one whole piece safe and sound! Still, my Garmin map definitely needs updating to get ready for the next adventure.

With Lau Hui Woo

For this trip, there were of course catch-up to do and exchange of stories with old friends who left KK many years ago. In fact, this friend of mine, Lau Hui Woo was so desperate to meet up once I called him that he wanted to drive at once to where I made the call and pick me up. The impression I had was that he was really in need of someone to talk to and "to kill time". That really caused a stir in my mind to imagine what it is like to be in "retirement".

That experience also caused me to recall a not-so-recent unexpected meeting at a coffee shop with an Ex-JKR senior staff who has retired for a couple of years. When asked "What's up?". The reply though jokingly in Hakka "chor mak kai, dian si lo!" (what to do, just waiting to die la!).

For almost a whole day spent with him. The following were repeatedly being emphasized by this friend of mine:

*He has no regret of moving to this land down under. In fact he said that he should have moved earlier.

*Real estate in Perth appreciates 3 times over 7 years while only 1 time in KK.

*It makes economic sense for young people to earn a living in this land down under compared with someone who stays back in Sabah.

He is typical of those who spent great amount of time in real estate investment. Of course, his conclusion would not command complete agreement among many people.

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With Jimmy Tsen

There are also some who still choose to continue working, may be in slightly different capacity. After all, there is no retirement age in Australia.

In fact, we were told, there are plenty of jobs around if one is not choosy: supermarket, factory, delivery, truck driver...... Nobody gives a damn to what you do there!

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With James Cheah Yue Chiang

While there are people who advocated emigration to a greener pasture, there is at least one I know of who after staying there for over 10 years is keen to move back to Malaysia. Somehow, he finds it difficult to integrate and he also has difficulty adjusting to the cold weather. He also thinks the education system stinks! The sad part is that the husband wants to move while the wife wants to stay put.

Tenom

I decided to make a trip to this laid-back inland town called Tenom when I dropped by my "2nd home" at Keningau last weekend.

We were not quite sure when was the last time we visited this place until we tried to locate the wet market to look for the famous "Tenom Yong Tau Fu" and "Chun Kien (minced pork wrapped in egg omelette)" food outlet. Of course we also wanted to try the Tenom coffee as it was coffee that made Tenom famous. I was very certain I was at the right spot but the wet market was just nowhere to be found. Not satisfied, we asked the lady manning the little store by the building veranda. She told us "Ya, this used to be the wet market but it has been converted into a shopping complex with many stores selling all kinds of things - clothing, souvenirs, handicrafts etc". We were told to go further down the road to look for the new wet market and of course the "Yong Tau Fu".

Somehow, we didn't find the "Yong Tau Fu" and "Chun Kien" that were said to be fantastic. May be that was not the correct famous store! We noticed that by the time we arrived at late morning, some of the other stores had already closed up for the day. The one which was still operating at this late morning could be the not so good one!

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The Murut Cultural Centre where we stopped to visit along the way back to Keningau evoked many fond memories as well as many sighs.

At the Centre, the prominent feature that instantly drew our attention was the one-whole-tree-trunk pillars.

Mulut Cultural Centre.

As a family, we visited this place some 11 years ago.

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Old timber shops at Melalap.

We made a detour to a little outpost called Melalap between Tenom and Keningau to find this only row of old timber shop houses. I remember during its hey days, this place (when I visited this place with our church youth group way back in the 60's) was a thriving town as a rubber collection centre. Practically, all smallholders sent their rubber to this town. The rubber was then sent down by train to KK port for export.

Melalap is now almost abandoned. We don't see any initiative being implemented for it to regain it's glorious days.

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The trip ended with a durian feast. We ate so much we had to defer our dinner that evening!

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I like the big compound of this 2nd home which is good for evening stroll and contemplation. In the morning, the mist descended even to the compound of the house. Almost fairy-tale-like.

Tribute to Dads

Eye Opener, Singapore

The Marina Sands is indeed another engineering break-through

This is probably the longest cantilever structure on earth. Amazing!

I will probably be a member of this Harvey Davidson if I choose to stay here. This is quite a big group even with limited road network.

Familiar Places Revisited in Singapore

We were surprised to see a road being named after a family member

YMCA hostel we once stayed

16 May - Teachers' Day

16 May is designated as Teacher’s Day in Malaysia. This year, the day holds special meaning for me. A half-page Special Report in today’s Daily Express features a prominent educator who has contributed significantly to the field of education in Sabah - Penny Lim, my better half.

The article, titled “IPG: 25 Years of Education Excellence” and written by Clarence George Dol, marks the silver jubilee of IPG Keningau. It highlights the institute’s milestones under various directors, with themes such as indigenous pedagogy, the Pensiangan–Salinatan model project, key teacher training programmes, and the institute’s steady growth over the years.

My wife, before assuming the role of Director of IPG Keningau in September 2008, she had served as Deputy Director at IPG Gaya and earlier as school principal in two secondary schools in Sabah. These roles not only honed her leadership skills but also shaped her vision of combining academic training with practical, community-based initiatives.

One of her most significant contributions was steering IPG Keningau towards recognition as the Centre of Excellence for Indigenous Pedagogy (Sabah Zone) in 2009. This milestone led to the establishment of the Department of Indigenous and Interior Pedagogy in 2010 - a move that gave due recognition to the unique cultural and educational needs of rural and indigenous communities in Sabah.

Among the initiatives under her leadership was the Pensiangan–Salinatan Model Project, first launched in 2004. By 2008, it had expanded from 12 to 15 schools, delivering measurable improvements in UPSR results and becoming a model for targeted rural education interventions.

Beyond academic programmes, she oversaw significant infrastructure development at the campus. New facilities included a pre-school block, Physical Education and co-curricular buildings, a resource centre, and lecturer residential quarters - all of which strengthened IPG Keningau’s ability to meet growing demands.

She also continued to promote the Teaching School Programme, which began with SK Menawo in 2003 and expanded to SK Penagatan in 2009. This initiative bridged the gap between theory and practice by giving trainee teachers invaluable hands-on classroom experience.

As IPG Keningau celebrated its 25th anniversary in 2010, she captured its spirit perfectly with the theme: “25 Years of Upholding Excellence.” (Read here for an article written by Clarence George Dol and published in the Daily Express published on 16.05.2025). Her leadership not only honored the institute’s proud legacy but also charted a bold path forward - one rooted in indigenous pedagogy, rural outreach and modern teacher education.

This Teacher’s Day, it is not just the celebration of the teaching profession, but also the woman I am privileged to call my partner in life. Penny’s dedication, vision, and leadership are a reminder that education is more than teaching - it is about building futures, one student, one teacher and one community at a time.

Newly Completed Multi-Purpose Education Centre, STS (Updated)

The mad rush to complete the new Education Centre at the Sabah Theological Seminary (STS) was finally over. When this centre was declared opened by the Chief Minister of Sabah this morning, certain areas were still off limit as they have yet to be fully completed yet.

 

When the seminary leadership committed the opening date so far in advance (when the reinforced concrete frame was half way done) and with all invitations sent out to all parts of the world, the building has to be completed by whatever mean. Somehow, by the grace of God, it was just ready literally at the last minutes!

Personally, I was not very happy with rushed job when contractor simply ignores good construction practice in the name of meeting the deadline !

One of the guest speakers for this occasion is this man called Morley Lee. I first met him in the sixties when I was just a secondary student attending the church youth convention in Sandakan where he was the convention speaker.

I consider him a man of exceptional quality in that he is the only speaker whose lectures I heard some forty years ago still inked deep in my mind.

I recalled he started by saying that we are all familiar with the Proverbs in the Old Testament. He asked, "Do you know that there are only three proverbs in the New Testament ?" Of course, I did not know then. He just used those three Proverbs for the theme of the Convention. The verses are still fresh in my mind:

2 Peter 2:22 "The dog turns back to his own vomit, and the sow is washed only to wallow in the mire".
John 4:37 "One sows and another reaps".
Luke 4:23 "Physician, heal yourself".

When we met yesterday and talked about that convention, he could not recall what he said. But when I mentioned the three Proverbs, he could immediately remember and was amazed of the impact of his sermon on me. He specifically asked to have a one-to-one photo taken and then emailed to me which is now uploaded.

Rev. Morley Lee and me ( in the sixties). How young we were then !! See, only b/w photo then!

30 April 2010