My Simple Tribute.....Bro.Kuna

There is definitely so much to talk about this man but suffice to say that many would have said all that I wanted to say. Bro Kuna was a man of great faith, happy-go-lucky, humorous yet strict and a man of very great standing. Never arrogant but always a humble man of choiced words or a hard thinking man. 

Speaking to him is like bringing joy in the conversation because ideas flow freely and unashamedly but always with great respect even in differing ideas. A man of wide knowledge while sharing ideas is always stimulating and exciting. A man who loves to read and share that knowledge, I have found this quiet and gentle giant to be forthright, straight speaking and profound messages to digest and digress.

Always a friend to the young and the old, Bro Kuna has touched lives beyond words and many are blessed by his simple ways. I know I have been touched by this man's hospitality, gentle friendship and his own caring ways. 

Riling him up whenever his favourite team MU loses will bring out the best reaction from him and it was nice to see him passionately supporting his favourite team MU for being a Gunner fan, the rivalry goes a long way. But a laughter, a smile and even a quick humorous quip is never far way from this man. Easy going, simple yet caring is how I would describe this man I've come to know him as a great friend though we live miles apart. There are so many lovely memories of Kuna and Cheng that would have filled the pages if noted down. Suffice to say that his generosity , his life and his friendship meant a lot to me.  

Even in his difficult times, he was there to greet me and the family when we came visiting eventhough it was difficult time for him.. His wealth of knowledge astounded me a lot as I speak fondly of this man.  

Even at his wake service, scores of former students, friends, church members, former colleagues and relatives came in huge numbers to pay their respect to this great man whom they have regarded as inspirational, humble and a gentle person. It just tells you how much this man was respected and looked up upon.

YES! There is a new Angel in heaven today.............................. his name is Kunasegaran Supiah. Rest In Peace, bro and till we meet again........

Wrath of Mother Nature....

Speedometer reading:- 1,099km - that was my travel statistics for the past one week during my work assignment in Temerloh, Kuantan, Mentakab and Kemaman. Looking back at the work at these flooded areas, I was really greatly moved by what I saw during my work assignments. However, I take heart seeing the brave, valiant and resilient men and women of Temerloh, Kuantan and Kemaman picking up the pieces of the lives and re-building it from scratch. All along the way and in the course of my work, I see lives restored and faith put in order while living becomes the order of the day. The tenacity to work together in cohesion and in our spirit of goodness helped healed lots of lives thought few incidences of the rearing of the ugly head of racism, nepotism and distasteful remarks do exist.

My work travels started from Melaka to Temerloh. It was a last minute change of plans that made me land up in Temerloh. Initially, my colleague and I was asked to go to Kuantan, which was to be our HQ for the next few days, but somehow, last minute changes in plans made up travel to Temerloh as much work awaited us there. All along the travel, I was worried of the Triang road to Temerloh which was rumoured to be unsafe at that time. A quick call to Temerloh Police Station and Triang Police Station eased my worries as the roads were said to be open to vehicles but caution was advised. So, I slowly threaded my way to Temerloh and along the way, I saw the utter disbelieved devastation left by the floods. Water level were about 8 -10 feet especially those along the river and at every left and right, all I could see was a titan coverings of light chocolate reddish coloured level markings at all buildings, houses, marsh grass lands and even the plains as one drives to Temerloh. The road was slippery, muddy and covered with at least 4-6 inches of mud silt and I had to maneuver the car carefully.

After much driving , finally I arrived in Temerloh and it was as bad as I had anticipated. Water and electricity supply had been restored but food and petrol stations were still down. Only some brave souls opened their shop to recover form the devastation. After checking into U Design Hotel, my colleague and I went straight to work. Being in a new place, it was so comforting to know that Waze application works! You can never imagine how wonderful this application works when you are in a flood hit area! With this in hand, I managed to locate my work site and carried out my work. I actually used Waze applications for all my work assignments and it was great. From here onwards, it was just work after work after work. As I travel to Kemaman to do my other work assignments, I was pleasantly surprised to see the reception I received from the people of Kemaman. They are truly fine and  good people while there are some rather hostile ones but generally, Kemaman folks are really friendly and spoke with one Terengganu slang indeed. After a while of listening to them, you get the hang of it and you will start to talk like them if you pick up speaking languages fast enough. I managed to work easily with the people and helping them out wherever I could but generally, I had to stick to the list and mandate given and ensured that I was fair when it comes to discussing the right compensation to them. I must honestly say that it wasn't all grim and depressing as you make the best of of any situations you are in , right? For me, I just made myself at "home" with the situation of my surroundings and make the best out of everything that comes my way. But I must admit that I wasn't able to sleep well, tired but I had great colleagues working alongside me. That made a lot of difference, actually. If you are working with a negative person or a whiner or a pompous little ass, your life at work will be miserable. But luckily, I just had the right working people and we were able to achieve a whole lot more and be of service to the Kemaman people.

With great colleagues in Sathiya, Harid and Tye, we managed to get some fun together despite our grim surroundings. We had some fun in our food hunting quest, drinks and even getting something to eat in Kemaman wet market. It was quite an experience for some of my colleagues who wasn't up to having food at markets and so on. Generally, they get the drift and enjoyed the meals. I particularly remembered the food we had under a pedestrian overhead bridge in Kemaman town. Surprisingly the food was quite good. The Siakap Goreng Tiga Rasa ( fried barramundi with sweet, sour and spicy sauce) , Puyuh goreng ( fried quail ) with long beans and onions, Tomyam kuning ayam kampung ( tomyam kampong chicken ) and Kai Lan with salted fish tasted exquisite despite sitting under a pedestrian overhead bridge. Quite classic , actually! I guess, I enjoyed my morning breakfast of nasi kuning with daging ( glutinuos yellow rice with special savory curry beef ) while Harid enjoyed the nasi dagang and Sathy enjoyed the fish curry puffs and some rounded fish kuih.

I was told by the locals that Pak Hassan Nasi Dagang stall wasn't open that day and his stall was the best. Just our luck then....

I guess, the tiring part was actually locating and waiting for the claimants to get to their homes and so on plus the travelling time from Kuantan-Kemaman and vice-versa. I must admit the negotiations with the claimants were rather pleasant with the exception of a few , of course. I must admit that the tendency to be greedy and arrogant are always prevalent but at the end of the day a fair compensation is what we would seek.I am so thankful and grateful for the Lord has enabled me in doing my negotiations without much problem. I guess, being honest with your own limitations and being honest with everyone is the beat way to go forward in such situations. I believe, I have been able to get the work done by the grace of God.

I also recalled some funny moments or rather "anxious" moments during my work there. There was once when I slipped and fell in a store which was not only smelly but filled with brackish drain water plus urine smell from the nearby monsoon drains. It wasn't a pretty site and sight for me. One of the workers had to wash me with the use of the high power water jet and causing half of my body to be dripping wet. Luckily, I had kept some spare clothes in my car booth and managed to get a change. Yeah, my bums and back hurt a bit but it did not hamper me from doing my work but it was one smelly experience indeed.  The other incident was the encounter with the slithery critters in one of the store I went into to do my work. The furniture in the store office had collapsed and there were loads of rubbish from the flood in the store. As I took my step in to the office store, I could hear hissing sounds; stopped dead in my tracks and froze for a moment. I saw two black menacing looking snakes at the collapsed table and I quickly took my foot off some rubbish and retreated very  very slowly. When I was safely out of the store,  I informed the owner of the situation and his workers killed the two snakes after flushing it out from their hideout. Like I said, it was His divine mercy that I am saved! What a relief!

One powerful lesson I learned from all these experience is that if you screw up Mother Nature big time, you would face the wrath of Mother Nature BIG TIME too. I guess, some greedy people ( including the government, politicians, government officials, local authorities, local leaders, powerful & greedy contractors and the general public ) just don't learn their lesson well enough or purposely refused to learn or too arrogant to learn their lesson. Messed up big time and be prepared to be messed up BIG TIME by good ol' Mother Nature! Be forewarned........

Travels...Kuala Gandah, Mentakab & KL......

Before ending the year of 2014, my family and I together with our family friends, Errol & his family decided to spent some days away from Melaka to our yearly end of the year adventure. For as long as I can remember, I am always fascinated with elephants and so, I decided to make plans to visit elephants at Kuala Gandah, Pahang and I sold this crazy idea to our family friend, Errol & Jessica knowing very well that it is raining season at this time of the year. There were hesitations at first in regards to accessibility to the area and even to Mentakab town. Many friends shared their concerns with me and asked me if I am crazy to wade through the flood waters to get to the elephant sanctuary. I have one friend who asked me if I am nuts and am I going there to be part of the flood relief team. I answered honestly that I am part of the flood victim team when I go there! I must admit that there are times I also questioned myself if I am in my sane mind as everyone is trying to get out from these places and I am going in to these places! Evidently, I am not in my sane mind but I'll do the trip because I truly believe in a bigger GOD, really. That was how desperate I was to get away and spend some time away with the family. 

Anyway, it was good that Errol got news from his sister-in-law that the road to Mentakab via Triang would be inaccessible due to the overflowing river banks. That leaves us the option of KL-Karak highway route to Lanchang and Kuala Gandah. I must say that no one in the team ever heard of Kuala Gandah Elephant Sanctuary and most of the time when I explained to people that I am going to Kuala Gandah, the obvious squint in the eye reaction is " Kuala what?" Well, we made our way amidst the early morning rain which is not comforting at all and it rained all the way along our destination right to the elephant sanctuary. It was an arduous 41/2 hours drive as we stopped for breakfast and putting out fires in the toilets along the way. Though it was raining all the way but it was pleasantly smooth drive to Kuala Gandah Elephant Sanctuary. 

The sanctuary was very well-kept, clean while we enjoyed every moment of feeding the elephants with sugar cane sticks while having one eye on the every rising waters from the nearby river. I noted with a tinge of disappointment that chalets and brick buildings are being built in the sanctuary spoiling the natural look of the sanctuary but like they say, progress is imminent especially with the lure of the ringgits insignia! I guess, everything gives way to the way of the ringgits as time goes by. I am just glad that I am at the sanctuary when it is still free entrance! The elephants are coarse and thick-skinned. Their trunks are powerful and their roar can be ear-splitting indeed. As we fed the elephants with sugar cane sticks, they are the gentle giants indeed and I was told that these are the younger ones. The bigger and taller ones are kept at the upper enclosures located on top of the nearby hill. I didn't mind the rain and the smell as it is once in a lifetime experience as far as I am concerned. The it is off to Mentakab to get a glimpse of our accommodation for the day. Along the way, we passed some very small towns which impressed me a lot as I am still very much a " kampong boy " at heart.

The thatched roofing of wooden houses and partially brick houses made the travelling such a fun thing. I have always enjoyed nice, eclectic, rustic look kampong houses and also the natural surrounding. It was fun and when we actually arrived in Mentakab town, we headed to our accommodation, EV Hotel and plopped our tired bodies on the comfortable Dreamland bed, man! We asked around for the happening places of interest and the poor receptionist girl had to endure our drilling on places of interest which is none and the only thing she could offer to us was Starmall Mentakab! The most happening shopping centre in Mentakab. This is the place where we watched the movie, " Night Museum 3" and continue with the last LOTR trilogy " The Hobbit". It was a marathon of movies for us to "kill" time in Mentakab,man. Truly one experience that will be long remembered! 

The following morning after breakfast, we were off to Kuala Gandah for Deerland. By this time, we were told that flood water had indeed rose further and this caused some concern for us but we really wanted to enjoy our holidays. As we were early for Deerland, we decided to catch some drinks and food at the nearby road junction. The beef rendang and sambal ikan bilis tasted good with our Gardenia bread as the proprietor was out of nasi lemak, mee goreng and bee hoon goreng that day. As we made our way in Deerland, we had fun feeding the younger deers with cuts of sweet potatoes. The weather was excellent but certain portion of the Deerland was under some water. We had to avoid the snakes enclosure as they were under water while the raccoon was a rascal indeed. I guess, the greatest fun for me was holding the small cute but thorny hedgehogs. 

They are like overgrown computer mouse when you put them in your hands but they are thorny...really thorny indeed. There were peacocks, birds of different species, pheasants and even rabbits every where in the Deerland. They are in the special enclosure and they are truly beautiful. Before ending our trip, one of the workers asked us if we would like to handle a python snake. SLing was the very first to bolt to the main exit and stayed there while the rest of us contemplated whether we should do it or not. Before I could say anything, I had a heavy but shinning cold slithering Burmese python around my shoulders. Boy , they are heavy, shinning ,cold and very very muscular. The handler taught us how to handle the snake gently and allow it to move the way it is. 

He then left us for a while as I handled the snake delicately though I was feeling squeamish and queasy a bit from handling the python. Out of the blue, the handler then whipped out a humongous looking Albino Burmese python and propped it to the shoulders of Josephine. That is one huge, heavy and real big piece of pure muscle. It took four of them to steady the docile and rather "tame" snake. To me, that is pure muscle every where and it is just so huge. We took photographs and then left Deerland with loads of memories of nature and fun. 

We were then on our way to KL for our next destination and we were again determined to enjoy ourselves and we did. Firstly , we turned gluttons for Hutong's Hokkien mee and then we filled our bellies with Outback Restaurant's finger licking and gob-smacking succulent ribs, chicken fillets, Typhoon burger and No Holds Barred burgers. What a feast lar....... 

The following day, we were off to the National Museum whereby the China's Summer Palace Exhibition was on together with Weapons of the World Exhibition nearby. It was indeed nostalgic as SLing and I used to date here many many years ago and how much the place had changed. I must admit that museums fascinates me a lot and I looked at everything in detail and in fascination. It is unbelievably a good place to bring you children for a lesson of history. BTW, should you want to know, the entrance fee to the museum is RM 2.00 ( Two ringgit ! ). Believe me, it is worth every sen indeed. As for the "Weapons of the World Exhibition", I paid RM 5.00 for the entrance fee and I am impressed, thrilled and fascinated by the array of weaponeries exhibited. It is truly exciting and so thrilled to see how these weapons are formed and made. Later, we went to the "Ethnicology Museum"and "Orang Asli Museum" nearby to further fascinate our already jammed packed with knowledge heads! Truly fascinating and NOPE! Those figurines in the museum doesn't come alive at night,okay? 

To end our trip to KL, we proceeded to the National Monument ( Tugu Kebangsaan ) at Jalan Parlimen. I know, this is a regular school children "must-see and must -do" program , we just wanted to get that patriotism feeling once again. Visiting the National Monument gives you that sense of pride that you are proud to be a Malaysian and there are people out there who will die so that you can enjoy that peace, safe and tranquil feeling. I could never help but feel "indebted" to the fallen heroes who had fought for the freedom of this country. It is the most meaningful bronze art structure ever - the majestic feel, the artistic taste of art and the pregnant meaning of freedom were captured that day. 

For once, I became a small child again going on for a field trip to KL. As I looked around me, I saw busloads of tourists taking pictures of the monument and these people don't know the first thing of what this monument really meant to us as to them it is just another tourist attraction. It is just sad sometimes that they posed, take pictures and never really read the carving of words nor knew the price of freedom. To me, the other monument caught my eyes. The one before the actual national monument. The very one that greets you as you walked towards the national monument. It is the monument whereby names of fallen had been engraved on the copper plates that adorned the pointed monument. An inspiring day indeed, as far as we were concerned. 

It was late when we arrived our respective homes that night but truly one good experience indeed. Thankful that we were protected, sheltered and safe during our trip and to the places we went. Thankful that we were not part of the statistics as flood victims. Thankful that we had wonderful experiences together as family and friends. Most important of all, thankful to GOD for He made it all happened for us.

As I looked back at year 2014, there are only two words that came to my mind and stick out evidently in my life - THANKFULNESS and BEING THANKFUL. Thank you , everyone for playing a part in building my life to where it is today. GOD is the very reason I live today but you people colored my life throughout the years of my life.....thank you...... 

Opinion...

Many had asked me why I have become "silent" during the last few days of 2014 and many were also asking why I have not written regularly over the months. I must admit that I have deferred writing anything because I was basically looking at myself and did a whole lot of thinking. I want to write what is from my heart even if it means hurting people, seems like making fun of others, questioning authorities or even making people feel sad. I want to write even when it hurts me or even as a lesson in life. I took time to examine if what I had written been honest, fair and truthful. I find the saddening truth that people by large are no more interested in truth, transparency and hard hitting facts.People are now generally accustomed to hearing " good and comforting " news rather than the pains as the people say that " life today is already hard enough, don't make it anymore depressing and difficult for us." Truth be told that many just wants "happy news", "more lies" and "more comforting news" rather than the truth.

Take the flood situation in Kelantan, Pahang and Terengganu. By God, people, this is a yearly event that happened to these three states. What is there a need for more study on why flood occurred? It has been 57 years already that these states had been coping with the floods and politics and politicking made it even worst. Real people are dying out there. Real people are losing their homes and their livelihood. Are we so blind to miss this year after year? Surely, something could have been done much earlier to prevent such catastrophe from happening, right? Is this another corrupted scheme in place and relief items could not reached these people? Why are plans not hatched earlier or preparation of storage of items be made earlier? Did not the relevant authorities in weather conditions gave out early warning or someone was just to dumb and deaf to take things seriously? Yeah! The top brass in these relevant departments should be given the sack or even be taken to task for their lackadaisical attitude and that is including our PM and His DPM as well! People's lives are at stake and these relevant departments screws it up year after year. I find it a joke that food items and relief for those trapped in their homes or areas could not reach the people. Well, try harder especially with the boat and the canoes or whatever. It warrants the armed forces to do their bit, the police to do their bot, Customs dept to do their bit ( they do have high speed boats and what not , right? )  and the Bomba dept to do their bit. Those millions spent on boats, high tech equipments and so on are spent in vain? Come on! Let me be unfair then to say that they should have done better and YES, I am pointing fingers at them for not doing enough for the people. 

If we can set up road blocks in a blink of an eye or have speed boats ready for "kerja-kerja pencegahan penyeludupan and what not " plus one thousand and one exercises "untuk kerja-kerja penyelamatan dan pencegahan" - why can't we move faster for search, rescue and relief works? The devastation is bad in these states. Is there no shame in the Govt. civil servants for not carrying out their duties as efficiently , clean and honest? Ladies and gentleman, tolong halalkan your gaji and serve the people honestly!! Of course , there are black sheeps in any dept from the top right to the bottom of the food chain of command but will the honest, righteous and compassionate people, please stand up and be counted in situations like these. I asked only one question to the PM, DPM, Ministers, Govt Dept Heads and so called expert advisors - What have you learned from the floods in Kota Tinggi, Segamat and Cameron Highlands? Have you learned nothing at all from these floods? Or millions just spent in vain by giving out "kerja-kerja mendalamkan sungai dan parit"? I tell you this - all these so-called natural disasters could have been averted and prevented in the first place had the lands not being raped by greedy developer and ever dirty prevailing hands of political influences and mother nature not altered and raped repeatedly of its natural resources! Yeah, the familiar line comes to my mind, this is "BOLEHLAND"! O God, How much we suffered because of these blundering clowns and the decisions they make.  

I am saddened by what had happened to the people in these three states. I had had the experienced of doing work and visiting such places of devastation by flood waters. It is an ugly sight, people. Believe me, the sight and the smell would make you remember it for a long time. People genuinely lose everything they have worked for over the years and the recovery takes time. It is disheartening to see people from all walks of life, color and creed losing their possession, their homes and even the fear of re-occurrence. The frustrations were shown in most places I worked at and I believe it will be much harder this time while the devastation and lost of confidence were evident.  My family and I together with our friends could only help with whatever we could contribute and offered prayers of love, compassion and good faith to these families. It is tragedy to me as the people in the govt of the day continue to ignore the pleas of the people and continue to plunder and rape the lands for all its worth and continuing to built more buildings and facilities without the slightest consideration for the well-being environment such as proper irrigation and proper flowing of waters to prevent such occurrences of flash flooding or even blockages.

Last night, I watched "Left Behind" movie which starred Nicholas Cage with my family. I wonder, how many politicians in our present Govt will be "left behind"? I believe many will be left behind. Hmmmnnnnnnnn......my, my, my, what an interesting thought! Go and get the DVD and watch the movie. Perhaps, it will jolt your mind and stir your heart a lot......afterall, we are ALL accountable to GOD ..... one day!

Barrel of fun...

Kak Lina's family , SLing and Apang.....

As the year comes nearing towards the end, surprises will somehow appear out of no where to give a booster. However, surprises like visits and opportunity to meet up with friends and former colleagues are hard to give it a miss. The older folks used to say that meeting old friends will somehow bring about to a lot of joy than sorrow. I must agree that it sure does bring wonderful memories. Last Friday, SLing and I had the opportunity to play host to our former colleagues, Norlina Kamin and Rusni Jitah Singh and JWee's very first babysitter, Lusia Stevens a.k.a Apang. Meeting them put so much joy in my heart. It has been ages since I saw them and the opportunity to meet with them was an opportunity I would not miss. It was so kind of Norlina's brother to send our two Sabah guests down to see us and spend a night at our place while Norlina and family would go back to JB the very same Friday evening after meals.

Ikan bakar and colgate smiles.....

 I guess, I must say that it was such an honour and gratifying feeling being able to see all of them.I was so glad to see Kak Lina and her two children including her brother and mother who came along with them. I marveled at Kak Lina's strength and tenacity despite being in so much difficulty after her husband left her and her children in a lurch a couple of years ago for another woman. Knowing how much she had to pick up her life and re-built her life including caring for 3 growing up children certainly is one huge story of encouragement. My heart was filled with so much respect and marvel at her for picking the pieces of her life up and continue to live on for her children , care for them and nurture them. What a woman! Knowing that she is doing okay now brought much relief to my heart and also so much joy for her. 

Taming Sari Tower with me, Apang and Rusni....

As for Rusni and Apang, I am just so happy to meet this colleague of mine and my one time student in person. Both have grown so much in years. Rusni was my colleague when I started my teaching career in SMK Tenghilan, Sabah. She was awesomely fair, firm yet friendly person and still very much the same. Over the years , she has become family to me and SLing as we shared BBQ meals and great fun together. She and her housemates would be our temporary babysitter before we left for home In Melaka after finishing our teaching days in SMK Tenghilan. She was also the athletics field coach whereas I was the athletic team planner cum athletics track coach. We worked well as a team together with other teachers in order to bring glory to the school, district and the state we served. She is a great netball coach and netball player too.  

Apang & Rusni - River Cruise....

As for Apang, she was my student and JWee's babysitter. As a student, she was my hockey team defender and a good one too. She is also bright , studied well and eventually she is now a teacher. She has always been playful but courteous but also a person of strong and good character. She was a good babysitter to JWee who was a couple months at that time and she really took care of our baby. I am forever indebted to her as she took care of JWee when he was just a baby and she really took care of our baby. Today, she is a dedicated teacher in one of the rural school in Kota Belud , Sabah and she teaches hockey in her school and district. It was just so nice to see her and Rusni again as the last time we met was about 10 years ago while I have not seen Rusni since I came back from Tenghilan, Sabah which is about 20 years now.

Coconut Milkshake stall plus goodies

That evening as we ate and spoke about how well my former students were doing, I am so glad to hear that most of them had been working as teachers, educators, Govt.Departments and even as farmers manning their own lands. It was also sad to hear of the passing away of several former colleagues ( teachers ) and also what had happened to some of the teachers and students too. In my heart , I am so glad to meet up and have Rusni and Apang in my home. That night after dinner at Medan Ikan Bakar Pernu, Alai, we talked, laughed, had some sorrowful moments and also enthusiasm all thrown in a mixture of feelings as we spoke of our friends and colleagues. The ride of memories back to the yesteryears seemed so fun, close and funny yet poignant, sentimental and meaningful as we spoke fondly of everyone we knew. To me, it was good to know that everyone in one way or another is contributing to the raising of standards of knowledge and living in that Land Below the Wind state. I am so happy that many of my students had become teachers and creating good perspective of life there. That day, I slept at 4.00am in the morning and it was well worth the waking hours listening to stories of everyone I knew.

KakLina's family, Apang and SYuen

It was satisfying that I wasn't just another West Malaysia teacher in the school who was there just to fulfill my 5 years there. Most important was I wanted to encourage and help these students to better themselves and to be a changer in their society. I must say that I have always questioned myself if I had been an effective teacher in that sense. I must admit that I wasn't a good academic teacher but I was a good coach both in athletics and hockey. My methods of teaching these young one are not textbook stuff but more to unconventional teaching methods of school of hard knocks, hard words and plenty of heart. I don't know how else I can do it. I must admit that I tried my best in the academic and the sports field to inspire these young one to really make a change in their society. This is what that is always playing in my mind - did they make it? Have I played my role in encouraging them? or due to their "hatred" for me, they have finally succeeded? I guess, the greatest yardstick for me is when you get a former student like Apang and colleague like Rusni Jitah Singh coming by to see you and with warm embraces does tell you a lot! 

Rusni, SLing and Kak Lina

My heart was so overwhelmed with great emotions as I received hugs and embraces of such love. It does warm an old heart like mine la....I tell you! It doesn't need a thousand students to show that as it only needs one who will go out and inspire others with your passion. That day, I felt that rush of relief that students everywhere will be encouraged and loved by my former students who are now educators and leaders in life. The passion and love lives on....... It is a great feeling......

Anyway, I brought Rusni and Apang for some great food fare, sight seeing and Malaccan hospitality. We zig-zagged through the busy Saturday streets in Melaka and continued to show off great Malaccan food and sights before they board the bus to Kuala Lumpur for another adventure in that big city. We laughed a lot that day and we also had so much fun together. They had to tell me that they are stuffed full before I get them more food and more calories to their bodies! Sure, the Nyonya laksa, mee goreng, Hawaiian toast, special egg toast, pineapple tarts, kedodong juice, coconut ice-cream special, juices in bottles, the coconut milkshake, nasi lemak, ondeh-ondeh, samosa, popiah cili, crepe cake plus ikan bakar such as stingray ( ikan pari ), barramundi fish ( ikan siakap), cuttlefish ( sotong) and lala filled their food veins, pipes and stomachs! Taming Sari Tower , River Cruise , A Famosa , St.Paul's Hill climb plus night walk at happening Jonker Street were part of their simple tour diet during their visit to my hometown.

Me and my Sabahan beauties, Apang & Rusni

I guess, when Rusni & Apang stepped aboard the bus to KL, my heart was sad seeing them leave. I guess, parting is such a sweet sorrow in many sense. I really missed these two brave, creative, funny and happy-go-lucky women. They were young woman and girl when I met them. Today, they have become women of stature, strong and confidence. As I saw the bus leaving the terminal, I wished I could have more days with them so that at least, I could be transported to the days of fun, laughter and sheer joy. I will miss them, alright.... 

So, to Rusni Jitah Singh and Lusia Stevens, thank you for sharing your simple lives with me and the memories we shared in the last few days were truly memorable, fun and they do add up more years to my life! That's for sure! 

Breaks and reflection......

Today, I write with fond memories of the places I went in November as I took a break from work. Like all stressed out father,  such rest are rarity but when you get it, make sure you make the best out of it. I really did that and I just wanted to spend as much time as possible at some nice places and I did. I am always intrigued and fascinated by archaeological places, museums and places of interest plus the lure of good food. Yup! Nice places and the tummy rumblings go hand in hand when travelling......

We started out with a trip up north for my buddy, Rosli daughter's wedding in Bedong and a trip to Lembah Bujang Archaeological Museum  nearby. It was a wonderful experience of understanding what took place at these places a long time ago. The best part is that the museum is free of charge and very well kept indeed. As for the outdoor upkeep, I must say I am equally impressed with the cleaniness and the well kept place. The model "candis" were exceptionally interesting and there is something mystical about them too. 

You may ask what is so interesting and mystical of such places and artifacts, right? Well, for one, you could see the strategic placement or the placement of balance in the building of such places of worship. A lot of emphasis was given to ensure that these so call "candi " is properly balance and depicts harmony flow. It is like the entire "candi" will be surrounded by harmonious flowing running water which will create the ambiance of harmony. From the stones cuttings to the art works and stone carvings, they were really interesting. It was really interesting to note the Buddhism and Hinduism influence to these "candi". Interesting indeed, I tell you. Well, this is just my perspective of things as I see it. The experience there was truly wonderful. One that I cherished a lot.

The other place which I truly enjoy was the trip to Bukit Mertajam to visit St.Anne's Church. I must say, this is truly one of the most beautiful churches I have ever been to. Never mind the denomination or whatsoever, the church is such a majestic one. 

As I sat at the old wooden pews in the church and with the gentle voices of choir singing from practising carollers, it was truly an experience of a lifetime. I must say, I was overwhelmed with such thankfulness in my heart knowing such beautiful church is in place. The architecture of the church is absolutely great and majestic. It is just so awesome being in this church and the experience alone is so worthwhile. I love the artworks especially the wood carvings, the bronze or metal works of art depicting familiar Biblical stories, the rustic wooden pews that adorned the congregation worship hall and the wonderful mosaic works adorning the historical wall. 

The worship hall was just great and I felt the peace in my heart and simple adoration for His presence that day. It was a great feeling. Even my sister felt she was at some overseas church and never knew it was such an experience. The other great experience is that one would get to know the Story of Jesus to the Cross through the works of art around the vicinity area of the church. What a great experience! Blessed and humbled are what I felt while at that place of worship!

Butterfly Farm in Teluk Bahang was the next destination my family and I went during our short break. Though the entrance fee was a little stiff as the area was quite small but it is still a great surprise for me. The butterflies are beautiful and I enjoyed them thoroughly. Maybe one would complaint that there are many of the same species of butterflies but I must say, there are truly amazing. Multicolored butterflies flying by and making a pit stop at your hand or head or shoulders can be quite an experience if you are a nature lover like me. However, it does get quite uncomfortable as the place was not that big and there are plenty of visitors to the farm. I noted pertinently that there are a lot of social photographers at the farm. Yeah, I must admit that this is a photographer's haven if one wants to shoot pictures of the unique butterflies.

Then , there is the over-rated Colmar Tropicale place in Bukit Tinggi. There was so much said about it and so on but sadly, to me this is just another theme resort. Incidentally this is a French theme place. Sure, the buildings are nice and so on. It is a little damper for me just like the weather then while the journey there was arduous and long plus there is an entrance fee too. I guess, there is so much hype in it but overall, it was still a nice cool place to go just to get away from the hustle and bustle of the city life, I guess. Anyway, I bought some pastries from one of the bakery and they are stone cold!  I really wished they could have warm the pastries a bit before packing them for us to eat. It would have been a better experience, I guess. 

Anyway, take not the beauty and attraction away from this place as the idea of it is good. Looking at the pictures of it, I too would have given my mom and dad a hard time by constantly harassing them to bring me there for my holidays! As for the Japanese garden, I must say that the road towards the garden is horrendously steep while the steps ( I hate steps!) up to the garden was my nemesis indeed! The Japanese garden was well kept and clean but just too little to see. 

I guess, my next memorable experience was hopping in and out of hotels like E&O and Rasa Sayang Shangri-La Resort.  These are truly beautiful hotels. Rasa Sayang Shangri-La in Batu Ferringhi has a truly beautiful beach front and nice relaxing lawn to go with it. The facilities are great though I wouldn't afford to stay here, to be honest. Everything was nice and cosy. I just truly love the feel of this place and being able to walk around the place with SL and SYuen are just as good. 

However, Chi Spa did not sound that nice in Hokkien and so, I did some signs which disgusted SLing but we both burst out laughing at the end. Guess, just two old people having a lighter moment in life!!! It was just a nice day enjoying simpler things in life. Yeah, we had so much fun just visiting hotels and E&O is the other great hotel too. We walked from the old wing to the new wing and got a shock in our lives when we enquired about the room rate! Thank God, my heart did not skip many beats or else, you'll probably know where I will land........

Anyway, thanks to my brother-in-law, Tee and my sister, we were able to sample the Seberang Prai food fare again which was a real delight to us. Thanks to Felicia, we got our coffee fix together with some nice bread while spending time with son, JWee and also with Felicia were priceless. I never could understand how one could live by a 780 sqft apartment and still go to work sane each day. There space is simply too small but obviously there are people who still could do it. I shudder at the thought of how on earth is JWee gonna have his own place if prices of apartments/condo in Penang keep rising to the 600k to 700k range. 

I often wonder if there is any hope at all for the citizens of Penang unless you already own a place n the first place.  I guess, I am pretty lucky in the sense that I do have a landed property which I could call home and snug nicely each night at my rustic bed. I guess, I should kiss the ground called home and wished I hadn't complained too much. A roof over the head is better than none, right? Yeah, breaks like this makes you realised just how blessed you are in your life and so I have learned! And so I have learned.............

Bedong Wedding...

About a month or two ago, I received a Malay wedding invitation from my buddy, Mohd Rosli Hj.Osman who is in Taman Lembah Bujang, Bedong, Kedah D.A. It was quite a shocker at first but after realizing that it wasn't his wedding but his daughter, Ieda's wedding SLing and I were invited to, it was a sigh of relief! Honestly, I could not remember driving such a far way to attend a wedding but I was determined to attend this one. The prospect of meeting again my buddy, Rosli is indeed the greatest reward for me at this stage of my life.

You see, Rosli was my flat mate and fishing kaki when I was teaching in Sabah. Rosli is small built in nature, soft spoken, calm and a man of few words. He was a real friend to me and he introduced me to catch fish with drift nets in the shores of Mantanani or some sea shore near Kota Belud those days. He would take me and Cikgu Malijin Lagoh with him to the sea and we would put on our drift nets and gathered whatever fish which hit the net and divide our share equally. He was like a brother to me during my early years in Sabah and he often taught me a lot about life. He is a good man and he gave me a lot of encouragement when we were in Sabah. We caught river prawns together and fished for fresh water fish in the creeks and flowing river near our school flat. It was simply marvelous being with Rosli and his wife, Kak Zan. 

This couple always welcomed me and my housemate for meals with them whenever we could and we were close friends. The hospitality shown by Rosli and his wife gave me a lasting impression in my heart. The BBQ sessions, the mahjong session ( taught them  how to play mahjong ) and our "going out to the sea session" were really fun times. The bounty was always good and we were always thankful. I learned what it meant to be thankful from these two great teachers of mine namely Rosli and Malijin.

So, coming back to the wedding invitation, I was more than willing to drive down to Bedong just to attend the wedding and catch up with my buddy , Rosli. I immediately told SLing that I am not going to miss this wedding date. Days passed and soon, I made my way to Bedong , Kedah but not before stopping at Lembah Bujang for some archaeological lesson at the Lembah Bujang Museum. I did not inform Rosli that I was going to make it for the wedding just to surprise him. 

So, imagine the shock and the joy of his face when he saw us as we walked to his home in Taman Lembah Bujang! I immediately hugged my small frame long lost friend while SLing embraced Kak Zan. For once, tears filled my eyes as I hugged my good buddy, Rosli. Maybe it was awkward for the people at the wedding to see us like that but I really missed this good friend of mine. He also felt touched and we told each other that it has been too long we have not met up. I shook Kak Zan's hands and I told her thank you for inviting us for the wedding. I could see that there were tears in the eyes of Rosli and Kak Zan as Rosli took us to a nearby table. He repeatedly told me how happy he was to see me at this wedding and I told him that the joy is mine and it was a real honour to be able to come by.

I then chatted freely with Hafiz , Rosli's son who was just 5 years old then when he was in Sabah. I spoke fondly of his dad, Rosli while he spoke of remembering me and SLing when he was a boy then. I was honored that he could remember us and we chatted about work, life and his mom and dad. I remembered Hafiz being a young limping child then but he had soon went through an op to rectify the limp and now, he works as a bus driver for an express bus company. So proud of him helping out the family on his sister's wedding and he spoke fondly of a lot of matters which had happened while we were in Sabah. 

Though SLing and I weren't able to see the bersanding part of the wedding, we were just happy to see Rosli and Kak Zan. As we posed for photographs and were introduced to all their children ( they have 6 children ), four of their children could recognised us while 2 of the younger ones couldn't as they were born in Kedah. I felt so much joy in my heart as I get to see my buddy and like most Malaysians, there weren't any barrier between us. We are just good friends breaking through all the nonsensical barriers that had burdened us all our lives. 

As we bid farewell, I guess, SLing and I felt so much joy and honour to be able to regain the sweet memories of friendship, love and respect for this couple, Rosli & Kak Zan. What an honour! What sweet memories! Rosli said it right when he said, " See you again, my friend. I've got 5 more to go! " Yeah, I look forward to attending my good buddy's children wedding in the future. 

Be blessed, Rosli & Kak Zan!