PR Role - In Keningau

The PR role that comes with being the “better half” of the Pengarah of IP Keningau turned out to be far more demanding than I had imagined.

It’s not just about showing up, smiling politely, and making small talk in BM. No  - you also need to sing, and yes, even dance! To my surprise, one of the lady lecturers invited me up on stage to dance, while my wife had to partner her Deputy. Suddenly, I found myself under the spotlight, with more than 200 pairs of eyes fixed on us. Talk about pressure!

My dance partner, however, was not amused. Halfway through she complained: “Why do you keep switching to dance with the Pengarah? I’m your partner, not her!”

Well, I did my best to play the role with charm and dignity (at least that’s what I’d like to believe). Hopefully, the audience thought so too. ^-^

Annual dinner as well as birthday celebration for those born from June to December.

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Here we were - singing our hearts out to the delight of the whole crowd.

Dancing the night away - unfortunately, the photographer didn't capture us.

Fashion show of those who wore traditional costumes.
Posing with the king and queen of the night.

No Souvenir...Food Aplenty

This trip, we didn't buy any souvenir as this is not the agenda of the tour. Food being the number one target and sight seeing as the little side kick.

On many occasions, we wished we have the stomachs of camel so as not to miss out the many attractions we found on signboards.

This "Fabric Washing Bridge Kay Si Wan Than Mee" which was found immediately after the Laksa "under the tree" in Penang.

This Black Feet Mountain Chicken in Bidor.

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There were also occasional surprises. For example, in Kuala Lipis where credible Chinese food is hard to locate, we found this Low Kwan Restaurant which is in Jason's recommended list. Main attraction is the Patin fish.

There was this impromptu birthday party hoisted at the little lobby of Hutton Lodge, Penang which was totally unexpected. A cake with toothpicks as candles! Thanks for the ingenuity.

Hutton Lodge: Plenty of memories.......

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My special thanks to Hui Min for her generosity for making available the Lexus to make this trip so much more convenient and hassle free. For me, this trip would have been less fun if I were not on the wheel. I thoroughly enjoyed the driving. No hesitation to do it again.

Teochew Chendul, Penang Road

We were there twice. We had wanted to have a final round the morning we left Penang for KL, unfortunately, it was not yet opened.

Even operating by the road side, 5 people were seen manning the store in full uniform. A little shop lot nearby is for those who would like to savour in the comfort of seats and fans away from sunlight.

Alicia was so fond of it that she was eyeing what little left in her sister's bowl after she finished hers!

 

The little shop is proud of the celebrities who have patronized their outlet. Among them is Lim Guan Eng, Chief Minister of Penang.

Chief Minister of Penang Lim Guan Eng
Characters of Phua Chu Kang

Ms. Garmin the Navigator

The West Malaysia trip turned out to be far more interesting and rewarding then expected. With GPS, Ms. Garmin as the navigator, it has set a new standard for land traveling particularly in searching for food and lodging in unknown territory. With Ms. Garmin, tension between spouses would be a thing of the past.

"Yup, it's the navigating part that can be contentious. I confess that at one point at the start of the trip, the tension between the navigator and the driver got so bad that tempers were flaring up to breaking point".

The photo and quote above illustrate my point. (Sorry for using the photo without prior permission! ^-^).

Of course, there was moment of distress when Ms. Garmin failed to perform. One morning in Penang when we were ready to go after breakfast at Hutton Lodge, Ms. Garmin suddenly failed to load the map despite repeated trials. I really had cold sweat. "How are we going to continue the journey and to go back to KL ?". Not to panic, I made a few calls and finally my Garmin supplier called from KK to give me a few hints of solving the problem. After a few pushing of button here and there, the map finally appeared. What a relief! The adventure could resume.

Ms. Garmin is rated to have done a good job of navigating even with occasional interference and rivalry from the 3 ladies - back seat drivers!

I am sure everyone in the trip has thoroughly enjoyed the tour. I have never heard and seen so much laughter from the 3 sisters. Many untold stories of yester-years were revealed for the first time throughout the trip. I was really touched to see the bond they share and that they are still so opened and frank with each other even after all these years! I wish all siblings can be like this.

At Hakka Restaurant, KL

At Km 0, Kuala Lipis. Interestingly, this point which was first established by the British is regarded by tradition as the centre of Peninsular Malaya.

At entrance to Gua Tempurung, Ipoh

At Istana Kenangan, Kualau Kangsar, Perak
At Bidor

Already, there is talk of another similar tour, may be to the east coast up Kelantan and Thai border or even touring New Zealand.

Just wait and see.

090909

At the stroke of midnight, my hand phone buzzed and I found a greeting from a friend for this unique day.

Many would choose to wed on this 999 thinking it would ensure long lasting and happy marriage. For many, lives just go on as normal. May be it's good time to pause and reflect.

Tennis is in the Gene

After going through some of the old photos, I now realise that tennis in fact is in the gene....

At a tennis court in Fraser's Hill in an
overnight stay in 1973.

At a tennis court in Fraser's Hill in an
overnight stay in 1973 with KC Ho .

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The "tennis coach" who is wearing a in cap back then in the previous old photo as he is seen now.

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!

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.