Zane is Champion!

Three outings. It took Zane three outings in the Chempaka AOG Schools Sports Carnival to finally claim his Badminton Singles Crown that he so richly deserves. Years of training finally paid off when he cruised all the way to the finals in August 09. He lifted the champions title in a lop-sided match that saw little opposition.
This was because the ambitious young man strategized his path to victory by exposing himself to badminton tournaments around town- big or small just to gain experience. It worked.
Well done Champ!
Last weekend,being the long raya holidays I bought him new gear from the Bangsar Racket shop to further his sporting ambitions. Then we had to go to Sentral to check out a Blue Cube outlet that Summer insisted was there. It was there alright but they had just closed and vacated.
So we went to check out Hilton & Le Meridien instead. Zane was made to parade his new gear all around Sentral, Hilton, Le Meridien, the mall, etc.

The Streets of Vientiane

In the past few days, as I roam the streets of the capital city of Laos, I encounter once again the unhurried pace of life that has made this place charming to me. And as I pause to take a closer look, I am rewarded with some very delicious street dessert with a creative twist.
Pictured above is a simple tauhu huay dessert topped with strips of broiled pear with ginger bits in sweet syrup. Hits the spots right in the cockles of my heart.

Chick Magnet?

The reporter asked me that question regarding my Ducati.

I was recently interviewed for Sunday Metro, the weekend section of The Star.
The reporter also wanted to get a first hand account on; why the bigger boys get, the bigger their bikes.
And why I like my Sunday morning coffee black straight-up at 5,000feet above sea level.

Read the article online here-Brotherhood of Bikers or if you have a copy of last Sunday Star- Sunday Metro Sect.

Jon's 3rd Memorial

It's been three years since Jon left for the great gig in the sky.
And still I say, not one day passes by that we don't feel him or think about him or see things that remind us of him. I say that in my 2009 Memorial speech, because as a human being in this world, I want to be remembered and I want for my loved ones not to forget me, as such I strive to do in my lifetime, things that people (let alone my loved ones) will remember me by.

Being forgotten means being insignificant, being unloved, unwanted.
For now, as a living being I shall hold on to that belief and keep remembering my son.
It is not difficult to remember Jon, in fact it's impossible to forget as he is woven into all of us, his family. I see him sometimes as I gaze at Zane or Summer, I see him everytime I see a Boy Scout, a footballer, a scholar, a gentleman, a young man of 19 setting out to start his journey in this world, anyone in a wheelchair, a cane, a cancer patient or simply any brave person.
How can I forget you Jon?

Yuna is deep.

Another gem. She's Yuna from Kuantan. Love her voice and her lyrics cut real deep.
Shows a lot of substance and soul.
I like this trait in our young.

Malaysia's girls can sing

Bitter Heart @ Yahoo! Video

It's amazing what you can find when you have an open mind.
This is the second Malaysian songstress I have discovered over the www over the last 2 days and I must say I'm impressed with both of em.

I shall do a post on Yuna next.

For now enjoy Zee Avi (?) You might want to go to my imeem playlist to press pause before listening in. :)
If you can't get enough of her go to www.youtube.com /zeeavi

To boldly go where no man's ever been...

Most people are not creative...!

When I say creative, I mean, 'ideas being converted into results'

We're moving from the IT Age into the Conceptual Age where we need to convert tons of info into ideas and then results.
So, most people are not creative because:
they have ideas but have no courage to share, even when do, they may not be able to articulate it. and even when they eventually get to articulate it, they may get discouraged when a less than favourable response is received. Or, they share their brilliant idea, get it approved then they fail to get it implemented. Which is as good as not being creative in the first place.


But aren't we all born creative in the first place?
Yes, otherwise we would never learn to walk. Walking is an idea. The final act of getting up to walk is the result. As we grow, we become less and less prone to convert ideas to results.

We have become too sensible. Our bodies develop mechanisms to keep us safe.
Everytime something out of the ordinary crops up, the mind kicks in and rejects it because it's something alien, not done before, therefore unsafe, stay away. Danger. You may get hurt, feel uncomfortable.

So how do we overcome this? We say you can overcome this by building and cultivating courage. Do the uncomfortable things that you know are good for you. Take small steps.
Do courageous deeds everyday. Talk to strangers, talk to your idol?

So how does this look like?
To boldly go where no man has ever been...Star Trek? 95%
Terry Fox ran across North America to raise funds for cancer research, even if he had to crawl! Tony Fernandez took Air Asia to courageous new frontiers.

Everyone at 95% stand for the untapped potential and we can help cultivate courage to uncover that potential.

Why do we need to be creative? Because the future lies in "What IF?" not "What already IS?"



This was the proposed content of the BFM 89.9 interview with me this morning. But the producer/presenter kept throwing me 'curve balls' making me duck and miss.
Oh well, we had fun! Especially from reading the tweets in the background from my girls back in the office. Miles of smiles:)

Ducati 1198 Launch

It was good being back in the social circuit catching up with friends once again.
This time at the alcohol free Ducati 1198 launch at Naza Bikers in TTDI.
The 1198 was nice, not very different from the 1098 launched last year. That's the beauty of Ducati, minimal physical changes engine updates just for currency.
The models parading the Ducati lifestyle merchandise were nice...





But what drew my breath away and knocked the wind out of my lungs was this innocent little monster parked at the entrance. The Desmosedici RR. This is the motoGP race replica. Only 1,500 units made and sale of the bike is by allocation to the world. Price: a cool half million ringgit OTR.


And then I went into the showroom upstairs and fell in lust with this number which looks somewhat like the one I already possess. The S4Rs is about the same Ducati monster I have but this one has very high specs. The 999 engine with upgraded Ohlins shocks front & rear. What a beauty! This one more affordable.

Driving Lesson

I had planned this for a long time but never got round to it, partly because I wanted him to ask. Then the night before, driving back from The Gardens where we went to get his football boots, he asked if he could drive the car home at the last stretch.
I agreed and he got into the driver's seat but the car didn't move an inch. The darkness of the night didn't help cos we couldn't see the clutch. End of attempt.
So the next day ie. yesterday as I drove off to work, I made a mental note to come home early at least while there is still light to properly give Zane his driving lesson.
It was a hectic meetings filled day, as I rushed home from several delayed and lengthy meetings to get Zane behind the wheel again. This time in proper daylight although it was already late evening.

I drove the car to a secluded stretch of flat road and he got behind the steering wheel. After several attempts to get the clutch and accelerator going, he finally got the car cruising round the neighbourhood. He did. He really did drive a long stretch until he had to stop and restart the car again. Then the coordination of both his feet on the clutch pedal and the accelerator pedal went awry and the car simply lunged forward and died. This happened several times and each time he restarted and tried again only to have the engine die on him as he released the clutch too fast.
The times when he got the car going was when he just 'stepped and release' by pure chance. I think overall he enjoyed himself. Although I don't think I did.
I was such an idiot, a worry wart, an insufferable old man. I was totally impatient with him and I lost my cool. That is just so uncool.
There I was so looking forward to this 'special' moment of a son learning to drive for the first time and I totally lost it. This was supposed to be a milestone in my life and Zane's. Just like the time when all my boys and me got our ears pierced and acquired earrings.
Nett. Nett. I think Zane got a good first time out with driving a manual car while the biggest lesson of all was for me. A person who's supposed to be so calm, cool and collected.
Here's the lesson-Chill Pa!!!

TL's Farewell

I saw the man on April 13 at 6.15pm in the ICU at Pantai Hospital, holding in my hand the gift book I had just gotten on my birthday party the night before.
I had wanted to show him his very meaningful entry together with the picture he contributed to my book. But he was unconscious.

I walked to his bedside and there he was, breathing hard into an oxygen mask. He looked like he was in deep sleep until he let out a cry for water...
"Water", he said, " I want water".
We called for the nurse who promptly swabbed his lips and mouth with some water. She then told us that there was an unusually high level of toxins in his blood and that he had just completed one cycle of dialysis to remove the toxins.
"He is resting now... and he should come out of it later tonight", the nurse said.
"Is he conscious now?" I asked her.
"He drifts in and out of consciousness", she answered. "When we want to tell him something, we just wake him up by calling his name".
"Thanks", I said.
I turned my gaze to TL lying in his bed still breathing heavy and hard, his eyes closed, I leaned forward, using my right hand, I held his left hand lightly and called his name;
"TL, TL!" I raised my voice.
"Huh??!" he responded
"Do you know who I am TL?" I said. And he tried to open his eyes to look at me. His eyes opened partially and then he said;
" You are Doctor-la"
"No TL. It's Peter... Peter Gan TL...?" I said
He continued his laboured breathing into the oxygen mask.
Seeing that there was no response, I figured he needed rest so, I squeezed his hand and said to him, "TL..., you have just finished dialysis, and the nurse says it's ok. You should continue resting ok? I will let you rest and I'll come back later ok?!"
Then Agnes and I walked to the side and continued to look over him from a distance.
"He looks quite serious? No..?" Agnes observed.
Without skipping a beat, I said; "No darling. He'll be fine, he's got a lot of life left in him, he'll be ok." And with that we said a silent farewell to TL and left.

Barely six hours after that, TL had passed away. At 12.30am April 14, TL succumbed to Septicemia or blood poisoning. Apparently the dialysis didn't work and I was wrong about him being ok.
Well, I still think TL to be the most OK guy in my world. In our earlier and younger days, I would often refer to him as our 'fearless' leader. He would always stand up to any situation and face it with a cool head and solve it with his keen, analytical and organised mind. He showed me what fearlessness and responsibility was about. He showed me how to live with a big appetite and how to love, laugh and pursue everything with a tenacity that only he possessed.
I shall go to his wake tonight to pay my respects and the funeral tomorrow to be pall bearer.
It will be my honour dear TL as it was an honour serving with you.

Farewell my friend. For now.

The Grand Hyatt, Bali

It was a pleasant respite coming out of the gruelling Genting pitch to be invited to a digital media conference in Bali.
Well the Grand Hyatt was nothing short of, grand. From the size of the property to the size of the room and the size of the buffet spreads and of course their grand hospitality is rather sterile, if you ask me. I suppose if you're the Grand Hyatt, a lot more is expected of you! Sigh... the perils of a well known brand. I suppose it's own grandness is it's own enemy. This is where size really does not matter when it comes down to service because with size comes it's own arrogance and hence aloofness and a certain pride or even snobbishness. Some people like that I suppose. That not withstanding, my largely singaporean hosts led by the affable Paul Beckley were very accomodating and gracious hosts. They were very good event organisers even experts at it- Paul declared. Throughout the two and a half days of conferences, they managed to even throw in 9-hole of golf which stretched to 18 at the Bali golf and country club.
The farewell dinner on the last night was outstandingly lavish. Held on the sandy beachfront of the resort it was like a shindig from an Elvis Presley movie in Hawaii.
Absolutely Grand was my Bali respite and well deserved I might add.

Zane is 16

It's a great joy watching this young man grow up.
He has fastidious habits like being the earliest waking up. He's up most mornings at half past seven.
He masters what he has a passion for.
He's an extremely fit and skillful badminton exponent who has beaten almost everybody there is to beat in his circle of friends.
A photography master in the making
He's a jazz afficianado
A romantic
Good conversationalist, very knowledgable but shy.
He plays a responsible big brother in pandering to his sister's needs and whims, sometimes begrudgingly but always lovingly.
He's a saavy video gamer who plays whenever time permits.
He's good in Maths and Science but not history and geography.
He likes anime, manga, sushi and metal gear.
Loves his sister and mother and......
the Canon 30D, his first digital SLR camera we got him for his birthday.
Happy Birthday Son!

Zane's composition

Happy Diwali

Just like Raya, when I was in school, I used to visit my Hindu friend's during Diwali, the festival of light. Meaning that good has triumped over evil.

The sweetmeats were the most memorable as they signify a culture so rich (sweet) and unique. Jalebi and Ladoo are pictured above.
I wish all Malaysians a Happy Diwali, let's celebrate this beautiful festival with our Hindu friends and make it meaningful for all of us like it used to be.

Home Alone...

...With Summer and Zane. Mum's taken two weeks off for a well deserved retreat in Egypt.
I'm glad really to see Agnes finally take off for a holiday of sorts.
She reassures me she can take it and wants to take it and thinks it's good to be away for a while and I believe her.
She landed in Cairo at noon on Sunday. Then they flew south to Aswan to start their journey down the Nile. What excitement and adventure- Egypt, land of the Sahara Desert, the Pyramids of Giza, Cleopatra, tis indeed the gift of the Nile.

Have fun Mum...

My Raya Message

Ever since I was a young boy, my raya wish for my Muslim friends has never wavered much; I have always wished them well and togetherness with their families. And they have such strong family ties, much more than the Chinese or Indians I believe for they are unafraid of showing their love and emotions. That has always been a trait I have admired about my Muslim brothers and I'm glad for them. This year however, not only do I wish my Muslim brothers and sisters well but the entire nation as we go through an unprecedented political crisis... Hence my post;

 

Dear Friends,

 

Never has Hari Raya Aidilfitri been celebrated in such times of great change and uncertainty for our nation. As our Muslim brothers and sisters prepare for the Aidilfitri celebrations, the entire nation is embroiled in political change amidst global economic upheaval. May a wise leader prevail from this and may his wisdom be focussed on bigger and more important issues to lead the country to better economic standing. Whatever the outcome, if we stay united as Malaysians and reject the racist policies raised by outdated politicians, we will come out of these uncertain times better and stronger as a nation. Our strength lies in our ability to celebrate our diversity; it is only through embracing each other's cultures and differences that we truly embody what makes Malaysia unique. I wish you a Selamat Hari Raya Aidilfitri whatever your race, religion or political affliation. Let's all stand united and by God's grace, continue to grow and prosper in this beautiful country of ours as we rightly and truly should.

Liverpool sack MU

Last night at Anfield, Liverpool redeemed themselves against MU as they won the tie 2-1.
What a sweet victory it was especially when we lost during the last encounter before last night. And the hero Ryan Babel. Towering Babel I call him, fired home the winner 13 minutes from the end. Well done boys! That's 10 consecutive victories in a row. Jon's smiling as well.

XXIX Olympiad Opening Ceremony

Olympic spirit explodes on the cauldron


It keeps getting better and better these Olympic opening ceremonies but give the Chinese a chance at showing off, they literally blow you away against a backdrop of seemingly endless fireworks.
China waited a long time for the world's attention and when they got it, they made sure it was all for the right reasons.

The deployment of 15,000 Chinese performers to tell 2,000 years of Chinese history was meticulously choreographed with precision and synchronicity by Zhang Yimou!
They cleverly reminded the world who invented the gunpowder and pioneered the art of paper making
A lovely Chinese history lesson for the world.

The parade of nations renewed our acquaintances with lesser known nations and would be not known if not for the Olympics. After what seems to be miles and miles of unending nations to parade, finally the host nation emerged led by Houston rockets star Yao Ming who probably felt much taller than 7' 6" that night. Also leading the 1099 host delegation was 9 year old Lin Hao, a Sichuan earthquake survivor/hero, who felt equally tall if not taller as he waved two flags walking side by side with Yao Ming.

Li Ning multi gold medal gymnast, finally put an end to the speculation as to who will light the cauldron. Pandas, star hurdler Liu Xiang, other olympic veterans and an astronaut were possible candidates.
The dramatic final torch "levitation run" around the bird's nest stadium before it finally spilled onto the cauldron was nothing short of spectacular. Only the the Hollywood-staged lighting of the cauldron at the LA Olympics could probably rival this.

It was special for me as the build up to the games was a feat in itself done with such professionalism and hype that I felt deeply engaged with the games long before the start. What's even more special was my Aussie mate Daryl was in town bringing along 2 lovely colleagues who are Chinese nationals equally looking forward to the opening ceremony.
I was the perfect host at WIP as we all had a blast that night!

080808

Today is an auspicious day as far as the Chinese are concerned. And these numbers only fall in place once in a thousand years! And true to form, as far back as a year ago, we mooted the idea for our Client, Genting to own the most auspicious wedding in town. They liked it.
The launch event is tonight.




Tonight, I also eagerly await the launch of the most auspicious event firstly, for all the people in China as they host the XXIX Olympiad of the modern world and all followers of the games.
Beijing and the entire nation has taken great pains and preparation since 2001 for this great opportunity to showcase the new China to the world. There has never been a better time for such an opportunity as China propels herself forward as an economic giant.
We await to be surely delighted at tonight's opening.
Where will you be on this auspicious night?