Seventeen

Sounds like nineteen, the song about the average age of American soldiers sent to the Vietnam war. At least those young men would have driven their first car...

At a very young age, he has travelled far and wide. At 9,we visited the West Coast of America to visit Disneyland and his aunty in Rancho Verdes, in Torrance, near Los Angeles. Then San Francisco, San Diego and Fresno.
At 12, he went to MUSS- Manchester United Soccer School for 2 weeks. There he visited the Theatre of Dreams- Old Trafford and posed for a photo with, who he and I consider the best defender England ever had-Rio Ferdinand and company.

Right after his fifteenth birthday, he had to take on a different journey, a journey that was to end his life on earth, two weeks after his sixteenth birthday. It was a journey that quickly turned my son into a man. After the initial shock and grief, he faced the disease head-on and ever so fearlessly he fought every inch of the way. From the steroids drips, to the stereotactic brain surgery for biopsy to the daily radio therapy, he never wavered in his stride. Then came the chemotherapy, he also came to terms with the poison, like a man. He took the blows, I don't know how but he took it straight on until he could no longer as it wasn't helping anymore.

I had planned for him to have his driving license now and for him to drive the Mini I bought in advance for him.
What a day it would have been for him and what a sight it would have been for me.

Today he would have been seventeen years and one month old. What a day it would have been.
Happy Seventeen my man. I miss you.

Visit Jon's blog for birthday post.

I'm stuck!

I am so stuck it hurts. Sorry guys.

The Tiger

Tiger! Tiger! burning bright
In the forests of the night,
What immortal hand or eye
Could frame thy fearful symmetry?

In what distant deeps or skies
Burnt the fire of thine eyes?
On what wings dare he aspire?
What the hand dare seize the fire?

And what shoulder, and what art,
Could twist the sinews of thy heart?
And when thy heart began to beat,
What dread hand? and what dread feet?

What the hammer? what the chain?
In what furnace was thy brain?
What the anvil? what dread grasp
Dare its deadly terrors clasp?

When the stars threw down their spears,
And watered heaven with their tears,
Did he smile his work to see?
Did he who made the Lamb make thee?

Tiger! Tiger! burning bright
In the forests of the night,
What immortal hand or eye
Dare frame thy fearful symmetry?

William Blake

That basically sums up my feelings when I chanced upon a tiger cub, only a month old, still being bottle fed by its keeper in Afamosa resort in May. That's as close as I could ever get to gaze upon such awesome god created beauty that Blake describes as; ...'What immortal hand or eye, dare frame thy fearful symmetry?
Fearful Symmetry Indeed. And beautiful.

Just Launched

Apple, dropped 'Computers' from its brand name in May and last Friday launched the iPhone in US. The queue outside its store that never closes on Fifth Avenue, New York started forming on Monday and by launch day, punters were selling their queue spots for as high as US$400. On Friday, the shelves in the New York store were swept clean within hours.
Trendseekers/trendsetters who just had to have it reportedly paid a hefty premium on the black market for this 1st generation Apple phone that is a portable computer/music player. Sales figures total 500,000 units over the weekend.
Now that's what I call the power of the Brand. Let's see if it will sweep the mobile phone market like it did the computer market. From history, that seems to be very likely.

Don't you just love the oh so simple headline in the ad above? There is genius in simplicity.

Now I know how a MotoGP rider feels.

Except for the crashes they endure, I think I have a pretty good idea, at least on the riding position. The hands position low and body slightly hunched over the low handle bars. One looks like a martial artist taking a starting stance kneeling on a tatami mat. Aggressive.

When you finally take off on the bike, you feel that the position doesn't allow you to sit in one position for a long time, the seat facilitates easy movement of the butt as you would need to move it alot from side to side as you manouver the bike through the bends. Now that's really the fun bit, going through the bends at the Ulu Yam backroads up to Genting highlands for the very first time on the Ducati Desmosedici 999S with some very good company of BMW bikers ending up at the peak having breakfast of scrambled eggs with toast and freshly brewed coffee at Coffee Bean. The feeling? Priceless.

This top of the range Ducati Superbike was on loan from the local distributors for me to test. It was exhilarating as it was a very smooth 998cc engine that delivered the 142hp that I could not handle. Nonetheless, I put the bikes through the paces and managed to take it up to only 207km/h at the Sepang straight later. I like the experience but not the speed. I guess I have no need for speed. I live for the experience. It was a sweet Saturday and my butt aches sweetly. Thanks NazaBikers.

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Highway to Everest...

Good golly. I never thought it was possible for this to happen in my lifetime. A popular phrase going out of style. One of my favourite phrases to indicate what I consider 'impossible' to do goes like this;

"There are two things I know for sure I won't do this lifetime; First I won't work for George Bush and second I won't climb Mt. Everest".

But hey, at the rate the Chinese are going, I could climb Mt. Everest this lifetime! Can you imagine? These guys are actually building a highway to Everest Base Camp so that the Olympic torch can be brought to the world's highest peak. The base camp is at 5,200 meters. That's a full 1,200 meters higher than Mt. Fuji and Mt. Kinabalu and it is still 3,648 meters short of the peak. And soon we'll all be able to breeze our way up. Hmm...sounds not quite right for the attainment of physical and spiritual symbol of the zenith of the world, does it? Well, we would just have to wait and see won't we. The prospects certainly are mind expanding. Unbelievable? Read about it Here

Sports Day

It has been awhile since I last spent one whole day at a sports facility doing practically nothing but spectating and waiting in the humid and hot stands cheering for my children during their sports day. But I must say, as much as it was physically draining, it was just as fun. Especially watching Zane steamroll his opponents on his way to claiming the U-15 Singles and Doubles Champion 2007! Exactly a year ago at the same event, Zane was knocked out early in the competition but through alot of grit , training and sheer determination, he's back with a vengence and took no prisoners indeed. Well done Champion.

Happy Mother's Day

Show kindness through your face, your eyes, your smile and through the warmth of your greetings. You must bear a cheerful smile. Don't only give your care, but give your heart as well.
-Mother Teresa

Happy Mother's Day all.

SpiderMan 3

The only time I go to the cinema is when I have to. This time it was the charity premiere in aid of NASOM (National Autism Society of Malaysia) on Monday night. And it's the first time in 2 years. I must say I enjoyed myself throughout the movie, I didn't even fall asleep. Seeing it with family and extended family of 9 others helped keep me awake I suppose. However, I don't recommend popcorn on an empty stomach. I must have eaten two year's supply that night. Afterwards, my stomach was so bloated, I was hunched over walking out of the cinema. Only after lots and lots of farting did it ease up abit.

The movie's special effects deserve special mention as it was really, well, special. Plus to watch it on the big screen with the big sound was quite an experience. I like Sandman. He is really a villain of monstrous proportions. The story was pretty much Marvel Comic pulpy type but the transition of Spiderman to his 'dark' side was pretty interesting even fun! And how society always seem to associate having a little fun teethers on the 'dark' side. I think it's like 'day and night', 'black and white', 'pain and pleasure'. There must be a balance for without one the other means absolutely nothing.
Website's pretty cool too. Check it out here

Summer for Maggi

This young lady was relentless in her pursuit to appear in a TV commercial. Any commercial. So she got casted, got shortlisted, got selected and just shot her first commercial for Nestle's Maggi concentrated chicken stock. It was a breeze she says and this was confirmed by the producers, directors and co-stars. Well it was the experience she craved for and that she got. From screen test to wardrobe fitting and crew call. It was a wrap in just 12 takes. Well done girl!

Ducati Triumphs at Istanbul

Three Ducatis in the top four finishers in the Turkish Moto GP. That's a milestone in the history of Moto GP for my bike brand. It's the best ever result catapulting Ducati to the top of the constructors championship and Casey Stoner to top spot with 61 points, ten clear of Valentino Rossi. What a weekend. What a race. What a great finish.

F1 Weekend in KL

Very nice pictures from the day dremer



The F1 circus has come to town. The second leg of the GP season at Sepang is at its full swing with almost every constructor along with their sponsors throwing parties for their clients milking the F1 franchise for some brand association and celebration. Big celebration.
My friends and I were fortunate enough to be invited by BMW to their Pit Lane Party at KLCC Park on Friday night. The joint collaboration of our hosts BMW, Petronas, Swiss-based Sauber, Dell and Intel saw a most impressive set up of a 50 meter tarmac track for demos and stunt drivers flanked on three sides by makeshift tents that houses pit lane activities for public participation. At the top of the track, sits a majestic 2-storey white lounge strictly for invited guests only. Here, the well heeled and well connected luminaries of KL sip martini and white wine, munch on chic canapes in the cool comfort of the well spread out, zen decorated lounge.
We made our rounds in the lounge, admiring the exhibits and paying our respects to our hosts making sure we were 'seen' by the right people and chatted with some.
As the clock struck 10, we thought we'd call it a night but our hosts had more in store for us.
The bar upstairs has just opened and champagne will be served. The makeshift bar upstairs could rival the swankiest in town and has what the swankiest bar in town doesn't have- a world class female DJ flown in from London playing lounge music to chill. We partied and inevitably od on champagne that was free flowing all nite.
Corporate Malaysia has indeed come a long way. And when you have big brands on your side for F1, you're in for a party!

Haven't had a champagne hangover in a long long time.

A Night in Singapore

Hill St.Fire Stn.


Spent a quick weekend in Singapore with the family and Godmas. It was to celebrate Godma Hanim's birthday.

The journey via the Nice bus from old KTM stn was quick and comfortable even pleasant save for the little 'event' at the Singapore customs when I was marched to the duty officer's room by a 'red army' type, female officer who deemed me a sinner when she led me, meaning me made to walk behind her while she brandished the bottle of champagne, that I purportedly failed to declare, striding proudly to the 'sentencing' room with me in tow. At the end, duty payable was S$8.73 which I gladly paid a very nice Malay gentleman who never gave the issue any weight at all. In fact he was even apologetic.

The New Majestic Hotel we stayed in was well, newly Majestic. Only just about a year old, this boutique hotel has only 30 rooms all individually designed by Singapore's foremost artists and designers. Our room's designer is Miguel Chew. The Coolhunter aptly calls it "the Anti-hotel, more hollywood mansion than mega chain". Well, after this experience and knowing it's at Chinatown, I now know of many such hotels to explore in future.

Dinner at Flutes at the Fort was well executed for our party of six. The venue used to be the expatriate fire chief's residence snugly tucked atop a hillock behind the Hill St. Fire Station near Fort Canning. Very nice colonial bungalow with high ceilings and wide verandahs.
The wine and food fitted the occasion pretty well. Worth mentioning was the Oyster Bay, Sauvignon Blanc from New Zealand. The Kangaroo loin was very gamey and chunky as the Cab Sav. that was served with it. Dessert came in a huge platter of all their offerings doubling up as Hanim's surprise birthday cake. But what topped the evening beyond the food and wine was the level of service we received from the very competent, attentive and creative head waiter Rashid and crew. This I believe, is Singapore's edge, a very competent work force.

Liverpool 4 Arsenal 1 . Revenge is sweet

Liverpool have reclaimed third place in the Premiership from Arsenal after a brilliant hat-trick from Peter Crouch and a goal from Daniel Agger gave them a emphatic 4-1 win over the Gunners at Anfield on Saturday.

Unfortunately, I missed the match. I was clubbing in Singapore.
Liverpool. Live!

Faster Than An F1 Car

The world's fastest production car, the Bugatti Veyron wowed Jeremy Clarkson when he drove it to race with a plane, yes a plane from Italy to London. Back then, the sheer power and speed of the Veyron already contorted Jeremy's face beyond recognition. Now, as in last month, Top Gear's James May took the Bugatti Veyron on Audi's test track near the East German border to see if the car can hit it's claimed top speed of 407 km/h. Thanks Jeff Orr for this piece of gem. Go see it The Veyron

A New Season Starts Today

The greatest F1 driver, Michael Schumacher has retired at 37.
Kimi Raikonnen has moved from McLaren to Ferrari to fill Schumacher's shoes.
The champion for the last 2 seasons, Fernando Alonso has moved from Renault to Team McLaren. The team has never won since 1999.
There are many new rookie drivers this season.
Looks like an interesting season ahead for F1 enthusiasts.
The playing field looks pretty flat and it starts today at 11am in Albert Park Melbourne with the first instalment- the F1 Australian GP.

At the starting grid this morning;

1. Kimi is on pole -Ferrari
   
2. Alonso in second -McLaren
   
3. Nick Heidfeld is third -BMW
   
4. Lewis Hamilton -Mclaren rookie make up the second row.

Who's your champion?

Bloggers are cheats and liars...*

I don't like politics and I don't like to write about politics but I'm very well informed about the politics of this country only because it's a country I love. But when such mindless slander is uttered by no less than a Minister of the cabinet, these wrongs must be righted.
We must stand up against such bigotry and not be some frog under some coconut shell.
All the more it becomes our responsibility to be more informed about what's happening around us and our environment.
Yes folks, it is our individual responsibility or we be like the honourable Tourism minister.

Yes. A Minister and he starts by incurring the wrath of female bloggers by accusing them of the following quoted in Chinese daily Sin Chew;

Bloggers are liars. They use all sort of ways to cheat others. From what I know, out of 10,000 unemployed bloggers, 8,000 are women.

Bloggers like to spread rumours, they don’t like national unity. Today our country has achievements because we are tolerant and compromising. Otherwise we will have civil war.

Malays will kill Chinese, Chinese will kill Malays, Indians will kill everybody else."

Strong words huh? Read what some strong women have to say here
and here
If the phrase be true, 'Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned" there's more to come.

* Headline from movie 'Hot Chicks' featuring a limerick that starts;

Boys are cheats and liars, they're such a big disgrace
They will tell you anything to get to second base....ball
Baseball. He thinks he's gonna score
If you let them go all the way, then you are a whore..ticulturist...
..........

Post comment if you want the full lyrics to limerick.

Well, it was sweet victory for the reds on aggregate on the return leg at home. We will clinch the Champion's League. We will. We will

Steven Gerrard declared Rafa Benitez "one of the best managers in the world" as Liverpool reached the last eight of the Champions League. Full story here

Liverpool fans will never forget the night their boys knocked the best side in Europe out of the Champions League.

So just be abit more aggressive and let Benitez the tactician bring it in.
Liverpool Live.

We're hosts this weekend.

Liverpool 1-0 Man Utd
FA Cup fifth round – February 2006

Peter Crouch directed a Steve Finnan cross into the bottom right-hand corner of Edwin van der Sar's net on 18 minutes to leave the Mancs with just the League Cup to play for. Afterwards Alex Ferguson suggested Rafa's side produced just five minutes of football - in reality the Reds overpowered his limp midfield and thoroughly deserved their first FA Cup win over United in 85 years.

I blogged on that victory here last year. And what a sweet victory it was. And we shall carry that victory of ours in mind when we play them again this weekend. Here's more titbits to munch as we await the clash;

• Last week against Sheffield United, Liverpool set a new club record of nine consecutive clean sheets in league games at Anfield. They had achieved eight on five previous occasions including last season.

• Liverpool, United and Chelsea have all conceded 19 goals this season – the best record in the Premiership.

Have a good weekend Reds!

The 7th Day Memorial

Last Chinese New Year, I blogged here about how the 6th day dragged into the 7th day and how my hero, my father fought bravely till the end at the emergency room of the KLGH.

This picture came to mind after the memorial lunch, when I sat in the dining room of our ancestral home where Papa spent alot of his years, growing up and growing old. I gazed around the simple room, it's walls filled with old photos of grandfather and Papa in various portraits, poses and official events when I spotted this one featuring Indiana Jones in The Temple of Doom but photoshopped in place of his face was my father's. He had gotten it done when he visited Universal Studios in California. He loved it enough to hang in on the wall and as I reflect on my Papa on the first anniversary of his death, he was sort of an Indy in our lives.

Apart from wrestling armadilloes, snakes, and other wildlife, he was much of a 'throat dog' when it came to affairs of principle and morals. He showed me how to stand for things that matters and how he tenaciously held on to things and people he believed in.

Being the eldest of 14 brothers, he had to stand firm to keep the rest in line. He always displayed the stern side alongside his gentle side to put his point across and it almost always worked to ensure respect and order in the large family. Save for one time, when I was witness to his youngest brother who got rowdy and hurled a chair at him over a misunderstanding. My father, although had to be restrained, displayed a level of composure that can only be described as cool, and he never retaliated physically.
Yes, he was my Indy alright and it's no wonder he feels so comfortable in that leather fedora and that whip, just like Indy. I will always remember you Papa.

New Year's Day

All dressed up and nowhere to go.

This being a different kind of New Year, we felt less hurried like in previous years when we made the annual pilgrimage back to kampung. We would almost, always be frenetic, rushing out the door to pack the bus with pillows and goodies for the journey. This time, there was a certain calmness, of inactivity, of nowhere to go. I was in control. I felt good...
But we were all dressed up in our CNY best and had to have some place to go.
So we drove to the city and almost everywhere we turned, we were met with empty roads and clear green lights to breeze through...whee.....It's an eerie feeling, seeing KL like this. It also gives you an idea about the composition of the people of KL, they're from elsewhere.

All the driving around made us hungry again, and we ended up tucking in hi-tea at The Regent KL.

Reunion Dinner

This Chinese New Year would mark the first without my father, who taught me the beauty of upholding family values and tradition especially during CNY. He would be the beacon of family unity, always emphasizing on the importance of the reunion dinner. And this New Year also celebrates the first absence of Jon who in dying, taught me how to live. With the passage of time, and the even more certain passing on of loved ones, it is really up to us how we get on with milestones and events in our lives. For me, it is with these changes that enable, and cause new things, and new experiences, to happen in our lives. For it is also the wish of our dearly departed for us to really 'live'. I believe. This CNY, we had a wonderful change in having the Levers over for reunion dinner. It started with Johnny,Karen & Aunty bringing over bags of CNY goodies like beef rendang, sambal udang galah and Aunty's famous rice cakes for the dinner spread. Then the Godmas came over, one to cook her 'Double Happiness Chicken' dish, the other to take Zane & Summer out to town for lunch and abit of R&R. After doing the mandatory house clean up, hanging the red curtains, and changing the light bulb bit, I went to the florist to get New Year flowers while mum slaved over a hot stove with godma, preparing the reunion feast. As the evening neared, the carrot cake and brownies arrived, as did the children with Hanim, from their afternoon binge at Bintang Walk. A little later, Nigel and Peggy, with their bounty of dark vinegared trotters and more goodies also arrived. Then PoPo showed up, albeit briefly, to deliver her contribution of abundance to the feast. Mum's abalone mushroom with fatt choy began to materialize with the 'hee hee' 'haa haa' prawns. The whiff of 'double happiness terragon chicken' from the oven filled the house like a huge dose of well, 'double happiness'. With the house filling up as such, it was time to break open that delectable bottle of white wine I had chilling in the fridge- a 2005 New Zealand Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc. A real fine vintage and a refreshing start to a nice evening. Our wine glasses practically runneth over as the evening progressed, so we promptly switched to the Rioja that was brought from Spain and was waiting patiently in Jakarta until this auspicious occasion. The bright, ruby red Spanish 1998 vintage, made it's appearance most fittingly. Full round, ripe body with the characteristically dry Rioja taste and a bit of edge to it. Spunky, I'd describe it. Which was necessary to compliment the wide ranging taste sensations available for the night. Everyone had their fill of the sumptuous spread at our round table. For me, the taste was sweetness. The sweet taste of having our closest and dearest share our reunion dinner. The sweetness was heightened with dessert comprising happy fruits like; pistachios, cashew nuts, and very, very, sweet coconut candy complimenting the cakes on the table.

Change is a wonderful thing if you embrace it and make the best of it. "Xin Nian Kuai Le " everyone.

Happy New Year

Make big fortune

Happy New Year

Chinese New Year

Fortune in Year of Pig