Sheer Bad Taste

Haiya, like that also can arrrh?  Signs of liberalism or just sheer bad taste?  You probably think I took this picture off a shop that sells lingerie.  Actually I walked passed a joss stick shop (in Jalan Tokong, Malacca)  and did a double take when I saw this bright blue black lace bra and panties set.  This ensemble is make of paper and meant to be burnt offerings for dearly beloved departed ones.  In this case it is either wife, girlfriend or your transvestite best friend!  I marvel at the ingenuity of the craft man who thought of the inner needs of the dead.  And the workmanship of these articles were meticulous.  Look at those 'Mickey and Minnie Mouse' buttons!  Hmmmm .... I wonder what next?  Paper sex toys in the offings?

Would you burn this for your dead grandmother as offerings?

Blind person driving?

A 'no parking' sign or just decoration on the floor?

Which part of the 'X' you do not see or understand?  I guess for  some people a giant yellow box with an 'X' is just for show!

My office building is full of blind people!

Be careful of Big Words!

It  is important that building management make their premises look chic and up to date.  It adds value to the property.  Recently the building management repainted the car park.  Now it is easier to look for directions and find your car.  However in their zeal they have forgotten that sometimes using big word can be dangerous.  In this case I think the proper words should be 'Shops and Offices' and not 'Retail and Offices'.  Anyone can tell you that 'Shop' and 'Retail' are two different things entirely!

The day the politicians hijacked Wesak!

It was a bright and sunny Friday morning. Chung and I drove to Times Square, we parked the car and took the monorail to Sentral Station. We wanted to avoid the traffic congestion and save the troubles of looking for parking space in Brickfields.

Guessed what? We were greeted with the distinctive and raucous sound of the kompang (a tambourine liked hand drum of various sizes) . This is indeed strange. Perhaps some nearby Malay family was celebrating a wedding. Someone very important indeed judging from the number of policemen present and the long fleet of expensive cars parked along the road. Alamak, all the cars looked like they were from the various embassies and belonging to the top dogs too (ambassador cars are denoted with red registration plate with the numerals 01)!

We minded our own business and entered Jalan Berhala which will lead us to the Vihara. As usual both sides of the road were lined with makeshift stalls selling vegetarian food, flowers, books, trinkets and junks. However the scene that greeted us was not quite right. We felt as if we were in Cannes attending a film festival! On the hot and dusty road was a very long red carpet, leading from the beginning of the road to the temple’s gates. This was very strange indeed. Even stranger still was that almost all the people avoided stepping on the carpet except the foreigners in suits! We guessed the modest Buddhist were not used to such grandeur and pomp.

 Despite this the scene was still out of kilter for us. Then it dawned on us that there were no beggars seeking alms! This was another strange occurrence indeed. We knew that from past experiences, this road will be peppered with beggars and most of them congregating at the very gates of the temple. Have they been driven away and by whom? Did they not know that by removing the beggars, they were preventing the Buddhist from performing their charitable acts of Dana? Jangan main main (don’t mess with), nanti (later) Karma will come back and bite you on the arse!

The mystery was solved when we entered the temple grounds. We saw a big banner telling us why. The Prime Minister and his beloved wife the first lady were visiting the temple!

Of course we never saw them la. They were already seated in the air-conditioned hall with all the chief monks, VIPs and foreign dignitaries. But we knew what was going on. We had no choice because the proceedings were broadcast for all to listen! Anyway we were there to pay respect to the Buddha and seek his blessings, so no need to go busy ourselves with other people business. So we went to join hundreds of devotees waiting to enter the temple shrine.

The going on in the hall was really very intruding. Here we were, trying to be solemn and mindful of the Buddha’s teachings but at the same time we were bombarded loudly with the sounds of electric guitars and drums playing Jai-ho! Haiyo, so no respect and so salah (wrong) wor! Whatever happened to ‘awareness’ and ‘mindfulness’?

After the brief blessing ceremony, we made our way to light an oil lamp for peace. And guessed what? We thought RM20 for a small cup of oil was too expensive. At the same time, looking at the way we are heading, we need more than RM20 to get peace. Look at all the spilled oil in the Gulf of Mexico, more problems than anything else, right? So we decided to spend the Rm20 on some animal welfare instead.

Anyway Karma was a real bitch that morning. When we got to the monorail station in Sentral, we found the service suspended. Maybe this was for being so misery with the oil lamp. Ha Ha Ha. As usual nobody from the station made any announcement. I think this is typical Malaysian crowd behavior, we just stood and gawked like chickens. After several minutes mimicking poultry (believe me there were many of them around even at that early hours, if you know what I mean) we went to look for a taxi. This time good Karma, the taxi not only agreed to fetch us to Sungai Wang but the driver put on the meter too! And the taxi was clean too.  What a blessing!

Shadhu, Shadhu, Shadhu.

The thing about friends.

The thing about friends as you grow older, is that how much my life was made richer because they were there. Last year I lost a dear friend. One minute he was talking to me over the telephone and the next thing I know I was reading his obituary.

Now another friend is fighting for his life in Melbourne. What a bummer. Imagined getting so ill in a foreign land. Although his siblings are with him but his chosen family is here. So Edi you come back to us healthy now, you hear.

Tribute

Yasmin Ahmad (1958 - 2009)
Director, Story Teller and Malaysian

I always look forward to big festival celebration in Kuala Lumpur. The main reason being the traffic. Driving in KL during the holidays is delightful and enjoyable. It only shows most of the people living in KL are from out of town.

Besides the quiet roads, I look forward to the television commercials that remind us of home, community and love. Some clever directors use humour and others tug at our heart strings. But this year the magic of TV commercial is a little bit dimmer. I missed the work of Yasmin Ahmad who never failed to put a lump in my throat or well up my eyes. Yasmin had been entertaining us for many years, television commercials with simple message that are always apt for the festival. Poor Yasmin died suddenly on 25th July, 2009. I shall miss her.

I wonder if City Hall will ever name a road after Yasmin Ahmad. So each festival as I drive along Jalan Yasmin Ahmad, I shall enjoy the holiday wholly again.

Disfiguring declarations.

Two days ago my flickr friend William posted a picture and called in Bamboo Love (see here : http://www.flickr.com/photos/williamnyk/3896263931/in/photostream/). I was quite upset with this picture because it shows the insensitivity of Malaysian. I notice that Malaysian young lovers like to carve their declaration of affections onto perfectly defenceless plants and objects. Look at this photograph. Not an inch of the poor bamboo has been spared. And I wonder where they learn this disgusting habit from?

Not too long ago I was in a garden in Cameron Highland. I was enjoying myself taking photographs of the beautiful flowers when I came across a disfigured cactus. Someone had carved an inane love message on that poor plant. It must have taken years for that cactus to grow to that size. But because of someone foolishness and insensitivity the plant appearance was changed from being bold and majestic to something ugly and hideous. It would be better if he had carved that message on the lover's face instead!

When I was young my grandmother taught us not to deface plants and rocks. She said if you do that then your children will be born with ugly marks on their faces! And I sincerely hope what she said is true.

Taking Advantage?

A couple of months ago a friend decided to give away most of his furniture. He said he needed a new environment for his apartment. His things are in excellent conditions. It would be a shame to just 'campak' (throw) them. I inherited his sofa. His 'others' things and my existing sofa went to another friend's home.

The moving of the furniture was a bit complicated because the delivery man had to move things from one household to another. And we live in different part of the city. To simplify logistic we decided only one person makes payment. The final amount was agreed by all parties. At the very first stop, the delivery man was paid in full. He was fully cognizant of this fact. After my house he had to make one more stop. Our friend, the last recipient was at my house because he needs to lead the delivery man. Before they left for the last leg, I gave my friend RM150.00 I knew my friend did not have any cash, the money was for his own expenses. In the excitement of shifting (things were all over the place), I said 'just give extra like RM30 to the delivery man when he finished at your place'.

The next day I asked my friend about the moving and how much he tipped the delivery man? He said he gave him RM180! I was upset with myself for not making myself clear. Obviously there is a misunderstanding here. My friend thought that the RM150 was the delivery payment and that he should pay an extra RM30 as tip. However he recalled that I did tell him that full payment will be made by someone else. My friend rang up the delivery man and told him the mistake and that he should return RM150.

I recounted the story to my friend who arranged the moving. He said the delivery man is known to him and that he was very disappointed with him. At the first stop he told the delivery man explicitly his payment was for the whole job. Obviously the delivery man should know that no one will give him a RM180 tip!

So did the delivery man took advantage of the situation? And did I unknowingly became the temptation vehicle?

Musical Chairs, anyone?

When I was very young, I was rather shy and awkward. I was not a very competitive child. I remember I dislike playing games in a group because I do not understand what others were doing.

Just before school year is over there is always a party. One of the most popular games then is musical chairs. It is a simple game. The objective of the game is to find a seat when the accompanying music stops. The trick is that there is always one chair less than the number of participants. As the game progresses each person without a seat will be removed together with a chair. Needless to say as the chairs become less, there will be more frantic pushing, running and screaming. At the end there will only be one chair and two persons wanting to sit on it. And everyone of course will like to know who will get the ‘Chair’.

Congruently this is happening in the Perak State Government. Currently there are two Mentri Besar (State Chief Ministers) and two Speakers of the House. Likewise in the game there are a lot of shoving, pushing and noise. It will be very interesting to see who gets to sit down when the music stop.

Songs For My Mother.

Last weekend my friend Mok gave me a CD 'Songs for My Mother' by Ronan Keating. For the first time I played the CD in the car on the way to work. I am not a big fan of Ronan or boy's band for that matter. The collection of songs is perfect if you are over 40 because you will probably heard all of them before. Ronan sang 'Time after Time' a Cyndi Lauper classic. This song always choked me up. I am glad I caught Cyndi in Singapore many years ago. Ronan also sang 'Both Sides Now'. I remember my friend Walter Knight teaching me this song while sitting on the school field 38 years ago! Some songs are just meant to last.

Fresh Start

After several weeks without rain, the residents in Kuala Lumpur was just so glad that they had a downpour yesterday afternoon. The sudden deluge may caused inconvenience to some but I am sure they did not mind. The rain was a great respite to the unbearable heat. I missed this event because where I sit in the office is just too far for me to see and hear the falling drops. But in the wee hours of the night the rain came again. The loud drumming of the droplets against the windows woke me from my slumber. I dug deeper into the warmth of my furry blanket and within minutes was fast asleep again. Within that brief awareness, the clock told me it's only three something. The next thing I knew the pesky clock was insisting I wake up for work. From my bedroom windows I could see the ground was wet and I could smell the freshness in the air. As I walked to my car I can feel the insistent light caress of tiny drops on my balding pate. Wet cool mornings are my favorite and I hope the rain will come again, soon.

Birdy Num Num

If you are a big fan of the late Peter Sellers than you will probably recall that was a line from the movie 'The Party'. I do not know why but it went round and round my head while thinking of a title. Maybe because today's posting is about bird.

Chung and I went to the Kuala Lumpur Birds' Park located in the Lake Gardens. It's a lovely garden filled with plants, little ponds, streams and waterfall albeit man made. Well better than nothing. Surprisingly the park is very well kept. The walking paths are well marked out and lots of warning signs about it being slippery after rain. There are even ramps for baby prams and wheel chairs! Almost unheard of in KL! Perhaps because of foreign visitors, the city father thought the park must be of higher standard in safety and security.

The birds are left free to fly and roam all over the park. Some are housed in cages and special holding area. I guess you can't have eagles, owls, emu and ostriches mixing with the two legged kinds. Many years ago my friend father was in a similar kind of bird park in Australia. He was walking along without realising that he was too close to some ostrich eggs. The female bird kind of attacked the old guy by slashing him with her talon. Do not let the birds fool you. Despite the comical and gentle look of large flightless birds, they are lethal. Lucky thing the old gentleman lived but had to spend several weeks in a hospital.

Anyway our main intention was to take some pictures. You know lah, any excuse to bring out the camera. The walk was pleasant enough and some birds were very obliging to photographer. They actually sit there motionlessly. There were many peafowls in the park. One of them even obliged us by doing a spectacular strut in all his full glory. That alone was worth the trip.



On the other hand I wish there were more birds. Yes, I know, the cost of maintaining such places must be enormous. We were there on a Sunday morning, the crowd at best was just okay. It's a trade off, if you have lots of people the birds will not exactly be very happy. As it is I saw some really idiotic behaviors from both adults and children.

So if you are in the city and for want to do something then head for the park. The entrance fee RM19 per person. If you are a foreigner its RM39! Do not forget to bring your camera.

I got to be good in something!

Goodness I got to be good in something. I am already 52, there must be something that I do well besides the usual bellyaching and whimpering. Well, I am a pretty decent and good person, let say I won't take your money before asking you. Just kidding. Hmmm ... I pretty good at making new friends. Come to think of it I do have friends whom I know for a very long time. Today I met up with Edi. We been friends since 1982 which means we have known each other for 26 years! I remember Jeff Kwong was the one who took me to meet Sam and Edi. Poor Jeff, been dead for so many years now. Jeff is quite a character, literally grew up with Bangsar. He was already making a mark there even before it became the 'it' place in Kuala Lumpur.

I am also pretty good with the camera. I like photography and lately been getting some results and recognition. That aside I always have the 'eye' to look at thing differently so its easier for me to create something 'beautiful' in the conventional standard. I am also afraid my photographs maybe too 'pretty' .... a trap I willingly fall into. I wonder if I can ever be an edgier camera man with a raw bite. We shall see .....

Cameron Highland

It was just a 'on-the-spot' kind of decision. Tong Seng said the gang is taking a short break in Cameron Highlands. I jumped at the chance. The last time I visited was more than 10 years ago! I remembered we stayed in the HSBC Bungalow courtesy of Andrew Lim who was working with the bank then. That was a good trip. So many memories.

We left early last Friday. The worst part of the whole trip was being caught in this horrific traffic jam. It took us almost an hour to get to the Sungai Buluh rest area. I was so glad to get out of Kuala Lumpur. We had a piss break at the Tapah rest area and pig out in the KFC corner (well we were in holiday mood). Alex (the driver for the trip) missed the turn off to the Highland (it was almost next to the rest area), so we drove further down to the next one, Simpang Pulai. I thought this route was more scenic and less demanding. In my younger days going up the Highlands was always a challenge because most of my aunties will get car sickness from the winding roads.

Alex drove a Toyota Alphard so the journey was very comfortable. I hardly felt the corners and ascent. Anyway I was too engrossed with the beautiful sceneries to mind the steep climb. Our first stop was the Boh Tea plantion. Along the way we passed through lots of vegetable farms. The vista of the tea plantation was breath taking, the open space totally covered with either jungle or tea bushes. We had a light lunch in the cafe. Needless to say the air was terribly invigorating, just as if someone had switched on a giant air-conditioner. After lunch we toured the little tea museum and factory. Although the displays were few but I found them interesting.

My primary reason for this trip is to exercise my camera. Unfortunately the weather got a bit dicey. I got a call from Stephen later in the day telling me Kuala Lumpur was practically flooding in a big storm. No wonder we had billowing clouds and intermittent showers all the time. Nevertheless I was stopping Alex every now and then so that I can take another shot. Poor guy was most patient.

We stayed in the Century Pine hotel. I guessed the room is decent enough. I had a big room with the balcony facing a copse of green trees. Dinner was sitting out in the open with a huge cauldron of seafood and vegetables. Yummy. After dinner we just while our time walking the one main street. I guessed the highlight was me finding a shop that stocked Mah Meri carvings. They were so gorgeous but for me still expensive. A small mask cost RM400! I know they are worth it since it is one of a kind and totally unique because no where in the world makes them. Maybe the next time.

The next day was a whirlwind of hotel hopping, farm visitation and even a stop at a Temple. So my camera was kept busy. We visited the other Boh tea plantation. This one much older. I even climbed up to the very top of the hill. Unfortunately it started to rain just as we 'conquered' the summit. I couldn't do much snapping because the rain was rather heavy. For dinner we went ang mor but the food was a big let down. That evening was a big wash out because it rained the whole night. I went and salivated at the Mah Meri masks again. Good sense prevailed and I did not buy anything. Maybe my lost. Aaaaargh.

The next morning, after breakfast, Chung and me hightailed to the little garden across the street. We went hog crazy taking pictures of all the flora there. Every blade and bloom was fresh and wet! The air was just incredible. We left the Highland early and along the way we did some vegetable and cactus shopping. We then beelined to Bidor. This place brought back so many memories. We ate at 'Pun Chun', of course we had their famous 'Arp Tui Mee' (duck leg noodles). I still remember my father always took us (I was pee wee then) to this shop on our way to Ipoh. I was always glad to see Bidor, it means we are almost reaching granny house.

Besides the famous noodle, you must (de riguer) buy the 'chicken biscuit' and 'sat keih mah' from the shop. Outside the shop you can buy 'petai' (just gathered from the jungle) and seedless 'kai see kor' (jambu).

I am so glad I went for this trip. Not for anything else, just all those old memories are themself priceless.

.... what am I to do?

Do I stand still in the stream of time and let changes flow around me or do I go with the flow to become someone I do not recognise?

3 things

Thank you Kai .... I found this in your site.

Three things in life that, once gone, never come back:

1. Time
2. Words
3. Opportunity

Three things in life that can destroy a person:

1. Anger
2. Pride
3. Unforgiveness

Three things in life that you should never lose:

1. Hope
2. Peace
3. Honesty

Three things in life that are most valuable:

1. Love
2. Family and Friends
3. Kindness

Three things in life that are never certain:

1. Fortune
2. Success
3. Dreams

Three things that make a person:

1. Commitment
2. Sincerity
3. Hard work




~ Anonymous

In the Mind, In the Heart.

The last time we met was many weeks ago. Since then I had travelled thousands of kilometers. Yet you are no further than a thought away. I would really like to put you in the back burner but the mind is a funny thing. I see you in all the little things around me like the wallet in my pocket or the handphone I bring with me to Ho Chin Minh City. I even found you in a Vietnamese song 'You are not from here' by My Tam. Imagine that!

Move On

Two little words that has such an impact on me. This seems to be the popular term to use when someone wants to break up a relationship with you.

'Move On'. But where to? I got accustomed to everything we do toghether. So what constitute 'moving on' for me?

Resolution - to make or not to make?

I am a person who do not like to make promises I cannot keep. In this case a resolution is a promise to myself. Maybe because I do not have to account to myself, it is easier to break them. Could it be in a perverse sense that because of this reason I am capable to fufill my new year resolutions!

So for the year 2008, I resolute to;

1 Loose Weight,
2 Save Money,
3 Blog more,
4 Be nicer to others and
5 Improve my photographic skills.

Happy new year to all.

A very beautiful poem

This poetry was part of an anthology paper about Chinese funeral. Even the writer of the report did not know who wrote this beautiful poem.


Do not stand at my grave and weep,
I am not there,
I do not sleep.

I am a thousand winds that blow
I am the diamond glints on snow,
I am the sunlight on ripened grain,
I am the gentle autumn rain

When you awaken in the morning’s hush
I am the swift, uplifting rush
Of quiet birds in circled flight,
I am the soft stars that shine at night ……..

Do not stand at my grave and cry
I am not there
I did not die