Happy Teacher's Day

It is the 16th day of the 5th month of 2016 already and this blog has seen no progress...
But today is National Teacher's Day, so here's wishing all teachers wherever you are, a very Happy Teacher's Day!

On a wider and more inclusive note, what would we be without people to teach and encourage us throughout our lives... beginning with our parents for whom we took our first steps. School teachers who kept us in line, lecturers who guided us into our professions, managers who showed us the way in the work place. Also friends who grew up with us. We all learned something from people around us... so thank you all!

A Happy Mother's Day

Thank you B for a wonderful Mother's Day treat. Sorry you had to work A, but thank you for the gift.

Sixty4 at Thirty8

                        Thank you for the wonderful surprise!

Ari Moyang of the Mah Meri, Kampung Sungai Bumbun

The Mah Meri of Kampung Sungai Bumbun in Pulau Carey celebrated their Ari Moyang/Hari Moyang (Spirits/Ancestors Day) on the 20th March this year. It was a day of thanksgiving to their guardian and ancestral spirits and they were most gracious to share the occasion with many visitors and tourists including a busload of local secondary school children and three busloads of (very fervent) Indians.

                                          Shamidah and Suhaila greeting visitors

                                          Decorated archway to the first Rumah Moyang

At the Rumah Moyang or Spirit House, the Mah Meri villagers were not the only ones who sought the blessings of the spirits through the Batin/poyang. The fervent Indians jumped the queue to do so, much to the chagrin of other visitors.

But true to their peaceful and non-confrontational nature, we noticed the local Mah Meri youths lining up to be blessed only after the bulldozing visitors have had their turn!

Food is potluck on Ari Moyang. All families in the village contribute to the buffet spread. Likewise, visitors are encouraged to 'bring a plate' so that there will be enough food to go around.

To celebrate with the spirits, the Mayin Jo-oh dancers and musicians provided the entertainment with seven song-and-dance displays. Suffice to say cameras were clicking and whirring incessantly throughout.

A and I took the opportunity to talk to the masked dancers during their break. The men behind the masks? Sazali Halim wears the Moyang Pongkol mask while Fizal 'Ijal' anak Layon wears the Puteri Gunung Ledang mask. Masks are passed down from fathers to sons.

The celebration of Ari Moyang in Kampung Sungai Bumbun is at three sites, where the Rumah Moyang are. (Historically, there existed three settlements, hence the three spirit houses).

The second site was quite a walking distance away. Here, as at the first Rumah Moyang, many sought the blessings of the spirits through the poyang/shamans. The celebration of Ari Moyang also entails that the Mah Meri do not do paid work for three days.

(In progress)

Salam Maulidul Rasul 1436

Yesterday we celebrated the Prophet's birthday at a home in Bukit Petaling. The early morning ceremony began with doa/prayers; Yasin and doa selamat by a maahad tahfiz Nurul Iman (religious school) led by their Ustaz.

There followed a tazkirah by Ustaz Dato' Haji Mohd Najmuddin bin Elias Al Hafiz. He extolled the virtues of the Prophet and the five ways we may emulate him. This older brother of the more famous Ustaz Kazim Elias (UKE) is actually his replacement speaker because UKE is down with an ailment. We all hope he recovers soon. UKE is my favourite ustaz to listen to because he is witty and makes religion and religious issues interesting and enlightening.

Then a younger Ustaz Dr Fathul Bari expounded on the global scenario of Islam today. There were also nasyid songs in praise of the Prophet rendered by a few groups.

The occasion ended in the early afternoon with a sumptuous lunch for all guests.

Note: Last year the tazkirah was delivered by Ustaz Ravi Abdullah.
(In progress)

Ushering in the New Year at Port Dickson

We wanted to capture the last sunset of 2014 and greet the first sunrise of 2015 by the sea. To breathe the fresh sea breezes and feel the sand under our feet. And Port Dickson seemed the best location because it is near enough to Kuala Lumpur/Shah Alam. So it was a pleasant drive to the Avillion Port Dickson (at the 3rd Mile Jalan Pantai) on the 31st December, for a night's stay there.

Unfortunately, when dusk came, there was no sunset. The sky had been downcast for most of the afternoon although it did not rain. Ces't la vie!

We had dinner at The Verte, and joined in the countdown to the new year with other guests there. There were no fireworks and a minute's silence was observed for victims of our recent disasters. It was altogether a very low-key celebration, appropriate in these difficult times for the nation.

On New Year's day the weather was most pleasant and we spent our time walking barefoot on the beach, strolling around the resort's beautifully landscaped environment (complete with herb garden and roaming peacocks) and enjoying some of the facilities available.

There are two beaches, although the smaller one, Tumasek Beach, being the historic landing place of the Avillion founder Lord Avery (?) was closed. I will have to verify this (piece of local history) later. The three swimming pools cater for family, adults and children. A pet farm/mini zoo seems quite an attraction for kids (and the kid in us all).

We ended our pleasant stay at Avillion Port Dickson with a visit to their award-winning  aVi Spa. (More on this later).

31/12/14-01/01/15        P.S. Thank you B for the New Year treat.

NY@PD; Hello 2015

                                                   Happy New Year 2015
                                    Jumping for joy on the first day of the year at Avillion Port Dickson

Merry Xmas

To all who celebrate, Merry Christmas. (The above very pretty card was sent by Stella Lowe of Salford, England. She was my boss at the Salford College of Technology when I was working there in the late 70s/early 80s).

On an unhappy note, our hearts go out to the victims of the current very bad flood situation in the states of Kelantan, Trengganu, Perlis, Johor, Pahang and Perak. We hope the floods will subside very soon.

A Birthday Celebration at Acme Bar & Coffee

Happy Birthday B!

B & b'day cake slice @ Alexis

We celebrated B's recent birthday today at the Acme Bar & Coffee (ABC) at the Troika, Jalan Binjai. It was our first visit to this eatery, on the ground floor of tower B of this Norman Foster building (more on this in another blog post maybe). So it was a combination of the celebration of birthdays, food and architecture. Birthdays? Oh, its also Malaysia's 51st today. Happy Malaysia Day!

It is 'summer' at the Acme Bar & Coffee (ABC) and their decor was colourful Hawaiian, including a really gaudy Tiki Bar as all tiki bars should be. They had some new introductions in their summer menu too. Although we had no reservation and there was a waiting list, we were lucky to be seated within 10 minutes of arrival.

Overall the food was good; we had duck and steaks. And the ambiance was fun! Aloha!

We skipped dessert here because the mains were pretty generous, so later we went to Alexis at the Great Eastern Mall to have our tea/coffee with B's birthday cake - a slice of zucotto complete with the mandatory (?) lighted candle. Once again, happy birthday B! Have a great year ahead.

A Merdeka Outing

It is the 31st August 2014, so a very resolute 57th year of Merdeka! 'Di sini bermula sebuah cinta'.

So much for making plans to be at Dataran Merdeka to watch the parade in the morning. We were up late the night before so there was no way it would be an early morning the next day. So for the umpteenth time now I had to watch the parade on TV. Sheesh!

But anyway, I was adamant about making it a memorable day. So when M suggested we go to KLCC by bus from Ampang, I thought what the heck, why not? Let's leave the car behind and take public transport. The bus fare is only RM1 to, but as we discovered later, RM2 fro. Did that sentence come out correct?

We walked to the bus stand and caught a RapidKL bus to (Suria) KLCC. In the bus the passengers were mostly loud Arab women and their more subdued men.  When we got there we headed for the Aquaria but there was a long queue so we ruled it out. So also the Petronas twin towers observation deck because it was fully booked for the day. So we chose to ... lepak. We lepak-d with a very cosmopolitan crowd in front of the Symphony Lake of the KLCC Park. People-watching here was fun because it seemed like the whole world has converged on to Kuala Lumpur and spending this Sunday evening here. In between the lepak-ing, we browsed the bookshop*, had tea/coffee at Dome, and later a light dinner of my favourite Caesar salad at Chinoz on the Park before going back.

We wanted to take a taxi but instead hopped onto a rickety, old Metro bus (because it beckoned!) to get back to our destination. In the bus it felt like one was in Indonesia, because nearly all the passengers were Indonesians. In fact one (Indonesian) passenger also took it upon himself to shout out destinations as we went along. Somehow I couldn't help feeling 'foreign' in the bus. Anyway its great to be hoi polloi "the many" in a very cosmopolitan Malaysia. Merdeka!

*At Kinokuniya I bought the only copy of Nigel Slater's Toast that they held, a sweet and 'warm' memento of 31st August 2014.

A Birthday Celebration at Cafe Cafe

Happy birthday A!

We celebrated A's birthday recently at an eatery that was new to me - Cafe Cafe in Jalan Maharajalela, Kuala Lumpur. Timeout deemed it to have "Continental European charm and a top class French/Italian menu in the unlikeliest of places - a dim, candle-lit nook of Jalan Maharajalela". (www. timeout.com/kuala-lumpur/restaurants-and-cafes/cafe-cafe)


The food was good, the decor mainly antique, and the ambiance, 'very the French, very the noir' (according to moi). You actually need a torchlight to read the menu! We all had either fish (salmon) or seafood. Before the main meal you get a nice sorbet (raspberry) each. Thank you SB for the wonderful treat at a restaurant with attitude!

Anyway I would never be able to find Cafe Cafe on my own but I know now its just next door to the Dewan Bahasa & Pustaka.

Selamat Hari Raya Twenty14 (1435H)

Raya morning pic at home in Shah Alam

Selamat Hari Raya to all who celebrate this day of triumph after a month of steadfast fasting.

Three Years, 505 Postings

Today this blog is three years old, and this posting is the 505th. Looking back, even if there were times I felt like abandoning my blog altogether, I find that on the whole, blogging has been a pretty interesting exercise (sometimes at the expense of essential housework, heheh!). At the very least I have tried to keep on writing (sometimes cheating with lots of pictures though, because I also love photography) about whatever, wherever, whenever. I have 'tweaked' some old entries that needed tweaking, but there are those that have been and still are 'in progress' and those that I am still not too thrilled about. C'est la vie! 

A Rose by any other name is still a Rose.  A Rose by any other name would smell as sweet.
(Picture of pink rose was taken in the garden of the Rumah Puteh, Pulau Pinang)

On a very sad note: Even as the mysterious disappearance of our Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 has yet to be solved, today our MH17 was shot down near the Ukraine-Russian border.

I Remember (Some of) My Teachers

It was Teacher's Day on the 16th May, so inevitably we recall the times we were being educated by our many teachers, some great and some not so. Mostly though, I cannot recall exact names but some incidences remain etched in my memory. I don't remember my kindergarten teachers in Alor Star at all but thank you anyway for starting me off on the long journey into the education system. I enjoyed kindy really, or so I gathered from my parents.

The start of primary school was interesting at the Sultanah Asma, Alor Star. There was Mr Rodishes Tan (should it have been Rodriguez? But he was definitely not Latin!) the art teacher who even came to our house to give us extra art tuition. Only my sister CY became the artist - of architectural drawings. Till today I appreciate art and still very, very occasionally dabble in paintings but never come up with any worthy of exhibit. Mr Lim Say Aun taught us Arithmetic and the reason I remember his full name is because I have this b&w photograph (below) that he gave us, duly signed at the back. I wonder if teachers still wear bow ties to class?

Mr Lim Say Aun, one of my primary school teachers

At the Tuanku Abdul Rahman School in Gemas there was Cikgu Md Zain who gave us tuition on almost every subject at his home. My sisters and I remember the many quizzes he gave us to beef up our general knowledge. We knew the capitals of countries, even their flags, among other facts. When his sister got married in Kuala Pilah we were invited to his kampung, for our first adat pepatih occasion. Then there was Miss Arumalar Kandiah who was my class teacher (I think). I still have a photo of her and I remember her most for the very neatly pressed clothes she wore.

My secondary school teachers were the most memorable. Among them Miss Sobita Sinha with her very expressive ways during English Literature classes. There was never a dull moment and till today I love books and literature. Puan Hasnah Ali taught us Biology but I remember that the subject of reproduction was dealt with in just a few sentences. We had to supplement our knowledge about the birds and the bees from other sources as well. When it came to dissecting a frog she never found out that I could not do it at all and left it entirely to my partner in class to do it. So that put paid to any hopes of  medical aspirations, not that I had any! There were the expatriate (Peace Corps, VSO) teachers Miss Black, Miss Vaughan, Miss Bergan and Miss Ellis. And their enthusiasms certainly made school very interesting. Also quite memorable was Mr Chee Peng Lim with his "master piece of distortion" remarks on our Economics essays.
(In progress)

Welcome Twenty14, Goodbye 2013

Dear Stella,
Thank you for the beautiful Christmas and New Year card you sent at the end of 2013. The picture of the tulips in your garden are very pretty. I'm sure your garden gives you joy the whole year round, as does mine.

This is my first blog post for 2014 and I would like to dedicate it to you and our >30 year-long friendship.

New Year resolutions last only a week usually (for me at least), so this year I have not really consciously made any. It is all going to be up to serendipity ... so in failing to plan for 2014, I guess I am planning to fail. Oh, well - life goes on, and I will continue to count my blessings, especially where travel is concerned.

Pantone's colour of 2013 - Emerald green (CNB) 

Let me recall what I did in 2013 so I may be grateful to have gone through another year of 365 sunrises.

In January I went 'home' to Alor Star, Kedah by train, the day they closed the Railway station.

We celebrated Chinese New Year in February with feathered friends at the KL Bird Park.

On my birthday in March, I rode on the North Borneo Railway - certainly a most memorable occasion. And I also experienced the Kota Belud Tamu with our good friends in Sabah.

I went back (balik kampung) to Pulau Pinang four times. The first was on the sad occasion of my loving mum's demise in March (Al-Fatihah), the second for a family meeting in May, the third for Hari Raya in August and the last for my niece's wedding in November. (I have discounted the trip to PP to go on my first cruise on a big ship).

In October we went on a road trip to my nephew's place in historic Kota Tinggi, Johor (and also visiting Legoland Malaysia and Johor Baru).

In November we went on another road trip to another historic place (where it all began) Melaka. In the same month I went on the Star Cruise to Thailand (Phuket & Krabi). This is the only foreign travel that I went on for the year, so it has mostly been 'staycations' or cuti-cuti (di) Malaysia year for me. Not that I am complaining because, despite my 62 years, I am still discovering new patches in my own backyard, especially in Selangor. So far I did visit and 'document' 16 landmarks of this state where I now live.

Slowly but surely I will have visited/revisited the various landmarks that make up our built history and the natural sites the country has been endowed with. Appropriately, 2014 is 'Visit Malaysia Year', so I will make (serendipitous) road and railway trips around the country. I also hope to throw in one or two or more foreign travel. Wish me luck!

Merry X'mas 2013 & Happy New Year 2014

Wishing all who celebrate it, a Merry Christmas 2013, and everyone wherever you are, a Happy New Year 2014.

Note: The very 'Christmassy' Poinsettia (Euphorbia pulcherrima) above, I bought at a garden centre a couple of years ago and tried to grow it in my garden. Unfortunately it did not thrive. I understand that to produce the beautiful colourful bracts, the plant has to be in about 14 hours of uninterrupted darkness! Definitely a plant for the short days and long nights of winter.

Celebrating a Royal Birthday

The 11th of December is a public holiday in Selangor, to celebrate the official birthday of its Sultan. But various functions are held in the run-up to this date, including one I had the privilege to attend yesterday at the grounds of the Istana Alam Shah in Klang. The function is the Majlis Jamuan Teh DiRaja and I was invited because I have white hair am a civil service pensioner, currently residing in Shah Alam, Selangor. I am all for celebrating life, especially birthdays, royal or otherwise. Thank you for inviting me a second time.

Sultan Sharafuddin meets the pensioners

The orchestra played golden oldies, I like!

Posing in front of the Istana

Guests leaving the function ...

... and posing for lots of pictures in front of the Istana.

Note: All pictures by CNB except the middle one (because its not a selfie, duh!).

Happy Birthday B!

... err, sorry the 'celebratory lunch/tea' has had to be postponed because of the chicken thingy ... but Happy birthday today and we're definitely looking forward to our outing soon ...

Merdeka!

Happy 56th Independence Day to all Malay(si)ans!
Malaysiaku Berdaulat, Tanah Tumpahnya Darahku

A Birthday Celebration at Marini's on 57

A very happy birthday to A from all in the family.

The birthday girl (CNB 2013)

The family (2013)

The view (CNB 2013)

(In progress)