Tuesday, November 21, 2006

18th Nov 2006

He's here!

Click here to view some of the pic i uploaded via mobile blogging, but only today i realise it did not show on the blog page! Dman it!

Anyway, for you people that is too lazy to click on the link above, here you are, my son, Ryan Ambrose Lim Jo-Hann!!!







Friday, November 17, 2006

Ryan - D-Day Minus 1 and Pikachu!

He is due tomorrow. 18th November.

Till today, 17th November, there was no sign of water leakage or even contraction. No tummy ache. No painful feelings in the the tummy even. Only thing is that Ryan is moving as per usual, pushing against wifey's tummy, as per usual.

So, this morning, before breakfast, i tended to my beautiful plants first. They need watering and TLCs as well. Got to try not to kill them like i did last time.

Then suddenly i saw in the pot, something that looked like Pikachu.

And suddenly Aini's comment rang in my head....


Pika!!! (Translated: Yo, wassup y'all)

I do not recall sticking anything into the pot a couple of days ago. I don't even recall watering the pot in the past 2 days or so. I let the soil dry in between watering.

So, imagine my shock when i saw this Pikachu inside my plant's pot...


Pika, Pika? (translated: What the F....)

It was as yellow as the original Pikachu.

Years of watching Discovery, National Geographic and Animal Planet told me that anything that is bright in colour are usually poisonous, or deemed to be poisonous.

Not to take any chances, i used a tissue paper and grab hold of Pikachu.

Pulled it out, which wasn't very hard as it wasn't planted deep into the root or eating up the plant's root for breakfast.


"PPPPIIIIIiiiiiiKKkkkkaaaaaaaa!!!!!! Pika pika...!!(Translated: NNNNOOOOoooooooo!!! You son of a...)

The yellow spores were all over the tissue. I almost wanted to strap a bomb around it to bomb the evidence. But i need Peace Hill's help la on this. Last i check, the officer and anohter man was already somewhere near some happy place, so, no such luck.

Many things went through my mind. One of them was if this is an indication that Ryan will be here soon?


Ryan Star came and went...but where is my Ryan???

By the way, if any of you want to google ryan star the supernova rockstar, please spell his Star with one R and not two Rs. 2 Rs will get you a female singer.

No doubt that me and wifey is getting anxious. Who won't if her bump is looking this big?


Probably the very last pic before Ryan comes today...or tomorrow...or the day after...

Thursday, November 16, 2006

Birthday Celebration with Friends!!!


My usual Light and Easy Babes and Hunks

We had a small gathering yesterday at Mohsin TTDI to celebrate my belated birthday. The guys and girls actually went to run Kiara in the middle of the rain yesterday evening before coming over for dinner.

Not only that, they then went cycling around Bukit Damansara-KL-TTDI loop.

Thanks to Karoline for the wonderful picture.

Later that night, I went over to Iqbal's place in Ulu Kelang for yet another celebration. This time spending with the buddies i grew up with like sisters and brothers. The celebration might be belated, but it surely does makes you feel grateful that you have friends that sticks to you through thick and thin!

On my birthday a couple of days ago, me and wifey went over to Castell at Sect 16 for dinner. She insist that she wanted to buy me dinner. I of course do not believe in spending so much money on food. My birthday celebration has always been a slow and low key thingy. But i guess age must had caught up with me and she decided that i must stop thinking about spending money on food, moreover, good(possible) food that only happens once, or twice a year.

So, i went on to order the Prime Fillet. Done Medium Well. Wifey went for the mixed grill and we both secretly hope that Ryan won't pop out during dinner, though if he did, it would be great nontheless, but we want to eat first.

Wifey even joked that if Ryan do wants to come out, at least she was properly dressed and with make up on. Enough about women going into labour with clothing that has seen better days.

The food was good. I must admit that the quality of the beef fillet was the best i've had so far, well, not that i had had many steaks to begin with! For RM48, it was sure expensive, but i guess it was worth the price.

I did not take any pic as there were many people around and this was one time i really felt shy snapping away! It got to be AGE!

The next day, ie Tuesday, wifey went out for dinner with her best bud at Delicious and came back with something from Bakerzin.

"Happy Birthday, again!", she said, refering to me not having any on my birthday itself.


Wifey said this was the most expensive desert she has ever bought...


Layers of chocolate and nuts and wafers....


Looked too good to be eaten...but at room temperature, it's either my tummy, or let it melt!!!

Best la the dessert. Best la my wife.

Maybe i should make her one jersey with the Number 1 like the picture below....

Wednesday, November 15, 2006

Congrats!!! Congrats!!!

Congrats to Zabil for the arrival of his Baby Girl yesterday morning!!

And Congrats to Ismadi/Chips on the arrival of his Baby Boy yesterday evening!!!

With so much bundle of joys running around, there will be a champion triathelete and champion rugby player in the near future!

Again, Congrats!

Tuesday, November 14, 2006

Time Capsule

I received an email which i set to sent to myself a year ago.

What? Set to send myself an email???

(The following is an e-mail from the past, composed on Thursday, November 17, 2005, and sent via FutureMe.org)

Dear Ee-Van,

It's me writing to you from the past.

If everything goes according to schedule, you must had:

Races:
1. finish KLIM
2. Participated in all the Duathlon
3. did Lumut, Desaru and Titiwangsa tri.

Personal Life:
1. Is Wifey pregnant?
2. Ee-Von changed jobs for how many time since? To date (17th November 2005), she already did change twice.
3. Where is Ee-Svun? She's taking her SPM now at the time of this being written.
4. How is mum and dad?
5. Is mother in law walking again, like she should be?

Working life:
1. Still in the same company???


I couldn't recall that i did send me an email a year ago.

So, receiving this email was indeed a surprise.

But i would like to answer the above email to myself.

Hi Past Ee-Van,

Races:
1. Yes,i finished KLIM in 5hours 55 minutes. That is my personal best time for marathon. Would future Ee-Van beat that record?
2. I managed to do both the duathlon this year. One in Dataran and one more in Putrajaya.
3. I only managed to do Desaru Long distance. Lumut was a no go as Wifey was expecting. Titiwangsa tri is non existence this year.

Personal life:
1. Oh yes, she is very pregnant. Due soon.
2. nah, she is still with the same company. But the company that she is working now got boughtover by anohter person though.
3. Ee-Svun is currently in Lower Six. Doing Bio Maths. She has since appeared in more TV than i did.
4. Mum is fine. She will be a granma soon. More reasons for her to be happy. As for dad, his motor coordination has not been fully regained back since the stroke 2 years ago. He tend to mumble sometimes.
5. Are you kidding? She is linedancing like nothing even happened!

Working life:
1. ahbuden....

Oh ya, I've also written a letter to Future Ee-Van. We shalt wait for his reply in a year's time!

Yours Lovingly,

Present Ee-Van

The Green Fingers In Me

I admit, i've not had any green fingers.

Over the period of one year, i've murdered and killed numerous plants on different occasion. The main culprit was overwatering.

I thought i was doing the plant a favour by watering them. But i was wrong, there is such thing as killing them with water. Root rot was the main reason why they died.

On different occasion, i over fertilised and totally burned the leaves, but managed to save them on time, by removing the top soil and replacing it with fresh soil.

Only on two occasion that the plants succumbed to parasites. Namely the mealy bugs. These pesky pest would multiply under the leaves and initially you would had thought some spider made some nest underneath with some spider-webby-looking ...err...web.


Notice the whitish looking thingy on the stalk of this calathea variant??

Out of the two plants with mealy bugs infestation, i managed to save the one above. The other one, a palm tree, was beyond salvage as the root was also infested and the only way is to rid the whole pot away.

For the record, i've also killed 1 Pandan leave plant and also 1 Kari Leave plant. How is that for being green? Both was because of over watering.

Lessons learnt about watering. It took me almost a year to realise that i wasn't doing any good to the plant if i over water it.

Rules of the thumb is that i should only water after the top 1/4 inch of soil is dry. Or just let it dry between watering. 2 to 3 days interval works fine if the plants are exposed to the sun. Otherwise, some plants only need watering once a week!

Fertiliser shouldn't be used like it's some miracle drugs for growth. Use it sparingly, if the instruction says to use 2 tablespoon, just use one. It's safer that way.




Cactus..aint they pretty?


Money Plant on kitchen's window with the cacti above

Wifey always love Dieffenbachia and also Crotons. Which explained why we had this much of these plants at home. However, do take note that the sap from the plants could be toxic to a certain extend. hence, proper handling and also respect for the plant must not be taken for granted.


Dieffenbachia


Another variantion of Dieffenbachia


And anohter...


Grim reminder of the once large Dieffenbachia


Some crotons...


and anohter variant of crotons


Anohter Crontons...this time a tree like looking one.


One of the crotons i overwatered and repotted to save it...


And this too, this almost died because of overwatering....

Then, there are other plants where the scientific names are not even pronounciable by mere green finger wannabe like me.


A small mother in law plant...


Some big leaves plant....


Japanese Bamboo


Some very fragile shrubs which needs loads of TLC


This looked like the Pachira, but it isn't...


can sometime tell me why my aloe vera looked like it's dying???


The calathea making a full recovery!!!

Gardening is soothing. It could be frustrating sometimes when it doesn't go the way it should. I hope that these plants, which were planted with much TLC by the nurseries where i purchased them, would not die in my hand. I tend to them everyday, removing any dead leaves and checking for pest which might be present.

Currently, my balcony is almost camouflaged by the plants. Wait up while i paint my face...

Monday, November 13, 2006

Ryan - 39th Weeks and Waiting...

Went for a check up last Saturday and Ryan is now 3.35kg big and almost 20 inches tall.

However, Dr. Raman, which was fresh out from hosting the FIGO conference, told us that it won't happen until a week or two time.

"Akan Datang", he quipped.

"Got contraction or not", he asked.

"Cervix not dilated yet", he confirmed.

Then later on Saturday, we went to OPA for the Raya Open House. The usual suspects are there, as usual and it was catch up time again.

Jokes were flying all around and one particular Old Putera (OP) was asked if he was related to the Mongolian Bombing's suspect. Can't help it since the name was almost the same to a certain extend.

Also present were the Form 5 boys, which will be taking their SPM on the 20th November. I wish them and all of you good luck! Don't worry, i'll be at you passing out on the 22nd December this year.

Che Aris has the best expression of them all.

"What happened?", pointing to wifey's very pregnant tummy.

Wishes came in from left and right and tips were again, exchanged amongst the wives of OPs which most of them are proud mohter in their own right.

Congrats to Upak too. He is also expecting a baby boy next year and things couldn't be better for RMC's future. Chips will have a boy, Iqbal will have a boy. I have a boy, Upak will have a boy. That makes 4 future RMC boys in the making. :)

It's funny though. With Ryan's due date coming this soon (it could be like now as i'm blogging this), i have a mixed feeling. Emotions and physically wise.

I'm sure it would be emotional to see my first born coming out to this (cruel) world. Perhaps i would be so overwhelmed by emotions that i forget to blog about it live? (Goddamit, still thinking about blogging ah? KNN!!!)

Whatever it is. I do not know what to answer anyone when they ask me how i feel.

"So how you feel?" Bandit asked last week.

"Err...excited?", I anwered while shoving a serving of BBQ chicken breast into my mouth.

"excited or not?", anohter friend asked on Saturday.

"Yeah, we hope the baby won't come out like now, i still want to eat my satay and laksa", I answered.

Frank Beltran, an OP in his 60's told me that a woman giving birth is like me trying to pass motion while doing handstand. If i could sh*t while doing a handstand, i would know how that feels like to be giving birth. I can't do handstand to begin with.

Then, of course, you get all the advise from people that isn't even married yet, let alone having a baby or even gotten pregnant in the first place.

"you know ah, they say first born usually early", a friend said.

"No la, my friend say usually they late!", anohter added.

"But they say Boy usually late la, what more first baby?", anohter interjected.

"eh, you taking Epi(dural) ah?, they say not good one la", one relative quipped.

"My friend say you have to follow confinement practice strictly, if not, you will suffer later in life", anohter added.

You see how many MY FRIEND, YOUR FRIEND, THEIR FRIEND say this and that?

Why no one actually ask us, or more specifically wifey, how she felt?

But of course, we are young what, where got experience?

It doesn't help i guess, with both parents expecting their first grandchild and with no reference on both immediate sides of the family about newborn.

But nevermind that, i'm fully trained. Domesticated. My mum has taught me well and enough to handle a new born. I grew up with my mum babysitting babies as young as a month's old until they are old enough to go to school. I grew up with kids at home. No issues. I'm a family man. No doubt.

We went to church yesterday for Sunday Mass. Nola, no sms this time about anyone being baptised or any FRU presents. It's silly, really.

For the first time since i know wifey and went to church with her on Sunday, we sat separately. No thanks to some church goer which place their precious handbag on the seats next to them like they were booking for someone.

So, i sat an aisle away from her. Was thinking she would go into labour.

Then, she stood up and walk out. Alamak. I got worried. But i can't get out as i'm sitting at the dead end of the aisle. I would be stepping on at least 4 pairs of feet before i could leave. She sms-ed me and told me she wasn't comfortable as the bump was actaully touching the seat infront of her when she stand up.

So, i went out and stood at the church's entrance with her. No one actually offered her a chair until one of the church goer brought a seat to her. Thank you sir! Sorry to say this, but perhaps the church that we go to are pretty superficial. Everyone just wishes each other "peace to you" because they have to, not because they wanted to.

I've lost count of time where i sat next to a person which looked like he/she would eat me up. I tried smiling, maybe my face are just not pleasant enough.

Heck, i've even nearly had a brush with accident once with this youth driving so fast and did not stop at the junction in Taman Tun, showed me the finger because i horned at him (i was on the main road and i had to stop for him) only to end up parking next to me near the church...and i had the last laugh when he sat 2 row away from me in church.

He never did look at me when i offer him peace though.

Or how about those that act holier than thou and then once church's is over, their own spiteful and attitude returns?

After Mass, we went to anohter church, as they were having sales on plants. Last week, we spent RM30 and bought a few nice plants. Uncle Joseph and Uncle Thomas, which runs the nursery in their free time, nuturing the plants and selling them so that the money would go to that particular church. I frankly felt that church has nicer people, more genuine to help and offer help. The two old men even offered to help me bring the plant to the car, parked a good distance away, as they notice wifey is notably pregnant. We bought more plants yesterday and gladly gave them more than what the plant was worth as it was for a good cause.

It made me think, why so different in attitude, was it the location of the church? With one set in an affluent neighbourhood, when anohter was in a more mixed neighbourhood?

Maybe it got to be with the people's attitude and mentality. The richer you are, the less human value you would have. The more well to do you are, you tend to think and feel others are less of a human and could be treated like some outcast. Prove me wrong, will you Malaysians?

I've seen a lady screamed at the cashier at Tesco, for reasons only known to her and the cashier. I've never came across any rude cashier in Tesco, but i've came across some in Giant One Utama.

I cooked lunch for wifey yesterday, as opposed to us eating out after Sunday Mass. I was still a bit sad that i had to miss the Powerman race in Lumut a day before. But i promised wifey i won't have anymore outstation race or even bike ride until the baby is safely borned.

I was also feeling a bit down yesterday, as some event took place over the week, which question my believe in things i've always believed in strongly. Family that is. I felt helpless to a certain extend, and angry and frustrated on the other end.

My family came over last minute yesterday, to have an early birthday celebration with me to mark me turning 3-0. My sis bought some dishes while mum brought over some home cooked food and all i did was cook the rice. Wifey bought 4 slices of cakes, of which 2 were of the chocolate variety, 1 durian cake and one cheese cake. That meant a lot to me. My family is what you would call the typical chinese family that don't express our love openly verbally but rahter by action.

Without fail over the past 8 months of wifey's pregnancy, my mum has diligently bought fishes for me to cook for wifey. She has helped me marinate chicken to be stewed, yong tau foo to be fried, fish paste to cook porridge with, and tonnes of other things which i never did ask for. She brought along 6 bottles of high grade sesame oil for wifey's confinement yesterday, along with some dried oyster which would be used to cook for wifey as well. All this, without even asking her to.

And that made me felt that the very thing i believe in, the family institution is strong and very much alive despite some ass burning ear paining talk about "you younger, you listen" mentality.

As for now, there is still 12 more hours should Ryan decide to come out on my Birthday.

Wednesday, November 08, 2006

Mat Rempit : *Globalised*

Hey, what do you know? All these rebranding of Mat Rempit and mat Konvoi has gathered enough international attention.

Check this page out : Los Angeles Times

Extract from the online paper:
It's the roar of rebellion
By John M. Glionna, Times Staff Writer
November 6, 2006

THE traffic light lingered red as the motorcycles congregated at a crowded downtown intersection — engines revving, drivers fidgeting. Dozens more filtered through the idling cars to the makeshift starting line and soon there were 60 cycles in all, buzzing like angry insects.

Then the light turned green and chaos ruled.

In a renegade roar of noise and smoke, they were off. Teenage girls riding pillion held on tightly as their boyfriends popped wheelies, vying for show space, racing fast and furious into the humid October night.

One rider turned his head back to confront cyclist Wazi Hamid, shooting him a defiant "Can you catch me?" glare before slicing left in front of a lumbering bus and careening in the wrong direction up a one-way side street.

"I call it a motorized typhoon!" Hamid shouted over the wind's scream. "Racers love the sound of their bikes — that 'waaaaah, waaaaah!' is music to their ears. As the night goes on, their maneuvers get more dangerous, the stunts get crazier and crazier."

Across Malaysia, weekend nights are mat rempit time.

That's when tens of thousands of mat rempit, or illegal racers, take to the streets in a noisy show of daring, speed and questionable judgment. Factory workers and fry cooks, soldiers and students, these Malaysian Marlon Brando wannabes are typically bored teens with too little money and too much time in this orderly Muslim nation, experts say.

But the government has recently declared war on the youthful street subculture. Since the races became popular in the mid-1990s, scores of youths have been killed. The fatality rate has surged in recent years, leaving officials wondering, "Why only in Malaysia?"

Authorities have imposed heavy fines, jail time and a lifelong driving ban, and they've forced repeat offenders to view the autopsies of crash victims. They've also considered confiscating motorcycles and outlawing the bikes within city limits and at major universities.

Still, police say the mat rempit have grown in number to an estimated 200,000 nationwide, menacing other motorists as they compete for money, prestige and women. The racing scene is a two-wheeled version of Hollywood's "The Fast and the Furious" amped on steroids.

SOME thrill seekers turn violent and even deadly, authorities say. After a traffic accident with an illegal racer, a motorist was beaten to death in 2005 by a mob of cyclists. This year, mat rempit used their helmets to attack a driver after an accident in which a cyclist was killed.

"The mat rempit are very aggressive, sometimes even criminal," said Shafien Mamat, deputy of traffic enforcement for police here in the capital. "They're a major problem in our country. Motorists are afraid of them."

The racers have also become a cultural phenomenon, inspiring a popular movie as well as a university study that sought to paint a portrait of the cyclists. One political party wants to turn the races into a tourist attraction.

Rozmi Ismail, a psychologist at the National University of Malaysia who interviewed scores of mat rempit for the 2002 study, calls the practice a coming-of-age ritual.

"It's a social rebellion," he said, "kids saying, 'We don't care about your laws.' "

Many illegal races are underground events akin to American rave parties, complete with sponsors who put up prize money. Others are spontaneous face-offs triggered by a stare or a challenge at an intersection.

"This is Malaysia's showoff culture — kids risking their lives for attention," the researcher said. "At age 18 they're all invincible, right?"

Ahmad Idham, who directed the 2006 film "Remp-It," sought to show the racing culture for what it is: an exhilarating, sometimes deadly sideshow.

"I didn't try to make these racers into supermen. They're just kids expressing their dissatisfaction with society through racing," he said. "Their skills are incredible. But in the end, one mistake and you die. And nobody cares about you anymore."

Wazi Hamid insists Malaysian society has misjudged the young motorcyclists. The 35-year-old former street-racer-turned-professional-motorcyclist has emerged as the maligned youth culture's biggest defender.

Hamid says the daredevil stunts suggest a deeper societal problem: blue-collar youth who feel ignored by their own culture. "It's a last resort of underprivileged kids with nothing to do and nowhere to go," he said.

IN Malaysia, small but speedy Japanese-made motorcycles are inexpensive, a fraction of the cost of a car. Youths may lack the money for discos or movies, but many can pump 5 ringgit, or less than $2, of gas into their tank and run the streets from dusk till dawn, with cash left over for cigarettes.

"The speed is addictive," Hamid said. "You want to be the most skillful. Riders think: 'I'm a very bad man. I want to be the bravest, the best.' "

Hamid says all racers are unfairly lumped together as criminals and delinquents. Invited to take part in a recent government seminar on the issue, Hamid said he was the first racer asked to meet with Malaysian ministry officials.


No, it's light baton, not Keris

In tense confrontations with police panelists, Hamid often showed his emotions.

"I said, 'You want these racers to stay in every night and play with their baby dolls and wear women's clothing so your streets can be emptier?' " Hamid recalled. "These kids are not that kind of people. They're athletes and they're proud of who they are."

Hamid sponsors several youth programs to defuse the problem: He invites the most skillful riders to join his motorcycle performance team as a way to earn money. For the rest, he offers free two-day seminars on bike safety.

The slightly built Hamid, a father of four, calls many of the riders "my boys."

"You've got to talk to these kids," he said. "You have to show them some respect, rather than just strong-arm tactics. Increased enforcement should be used as a last resort. You can't destroy a culture just because you don't like it."

HAMID began riding a motorcycle when he was 12. Before long, he was street racing for bragging rights — long before the practice became a national passion.

He and other challengers performed stunts such as the "balance of death," riding on only the front tire, and the "highchair wheelie," sitting on the handlebars and leaning back to control the bike. They did headstands on their seats and drove with no hands. They raced on darkened highways without headlights, to see who was braver.

"I look back on those days now and feel lucky I didn't get killed," said Hamid, who left the scene for the professional racing circuit and now competes throughout Asia and Europe.

On a recent Saturday night, Hamid toured downtown streets saturated with the acrid odor of thousands of motorcycles.

By night's end, a 21-year-old would be stabbed to death in an early-morning face-off between mat rempit.

Outside Kuala Lumpur, two 15-year-olds were killed during a race on a rural back road. Neither boy had a driver's license, police said.

But at midnight, the night was still young.

Near City Hall, several riders parked their cycles on the sidewalk. With sullen looks, they watched other racers storm a 10-block circuit with reckless abandon, many ignoring the traffic lights in a heated hurry to go nowhere.

When asked about it, a cabdriver moved a hand frantically back and forth like a motorcycle moving through traffic: "Zip, zip, zip, zip. Why? Motorcyclists used to have to look out for cars. Now we have to watch out for them."

Nearby, two young men slouched atop a 110-cc Honda to watch the action.

Joehan Mohammed, 20, works two jobs, as a dispatch driver and restaurant worker. He called racing a release from the real world.

"I work hard — this is my freedom," he said. "On my bike, I can go anywhere."

His best friend, Wan Johari, also 20, frowned. "The police treat us all like criminals," said the woodworker, cigarette in hand, baseball cap worn backward. "That's not who I am."

Within minutes, two police officers approached the men, demanding licenses and insurance papers. They threatened to confiscate their bikes unless the riders moved.

Hamid shook his head in disapproval.

"They're just young — is it a crime to be young? I know that woodworker. He's a creative kid. Why don't Malaysian authorities try and get to know him, help him get through those uncomfortable years between 18 and 25 and emerge a healthy adult?

"Instead, what do they do? They get out their ticket books."

Not far away, a traffic light turned green and another race was on.


Oh ya, incase you do not know what Mat Konvoi is, they claimed to be the non-racing version of Mat Rempit. They don't race, they only Convoy. No wonder they say they were misunderstood!


My FOOT!

Oh ya, remember i mentioned about 2 Live Crews? This must be their pre-race song for Mat Rempits.


R Rated. listen at your own ear-risk

Tuesday, November 07, 2006

Teresa Teng

I was back at my parent's palce for dinner yesterday and went through the stacks of CDs that i had, mostly oldies and boring stuffs by today's standard anyway.

I even earned the nickname "Monster from the past" back when i was in school for my knowledge of old songs (yes, when NKOTB and groups like those rules the day).

I chance upon one CD with someone i thought i've seen before. Yeap, it's Teresa Teng. I couldn't resist it. So, i took the CD back for listening.



As i played the first song in the car (Yuè Liàng Dài Bia Wo De Xin - Moon Represent My Heart), i can't help but felt nostalgic.

It's like i was brought back to my younger days when i was growing up watching those old mandarin movie which more often are more tragic than some tamil movie or bollywood movie of today...you people around my age and had to sit through RTM2 on sunday afternoon with all your aunts and uncle watching these tearjerkers back in the 80's knows what i meant la.


Linda Lin Dai - HK Movie Queen

As Teresa sang to me and wifey in the car drive from Gombak to Damansara, the all familiar simple lyrics of songs of yesteryears made me realise why i actually likes them.

The songs are simple. At best innocent. Unlike songs of today that has singer singing like they are constipated (Rihanna - Unfaithful; seriously, she sound like she need some enema), or corny (James Blunt - Your Beautiful ; but that's all he can say about it in the Subway???) or even plain rude (2 Live Crew - Nursery Rhyme ; Jack & Jill went up the hill to have a lil fun???)

And so, today, i ripped the whole CD from the, err...CD and uploaded it into my lifelogger.

Problem is, i can't read chinese and i do not know the title of the songs, except for a few which are too obvious.

But here it is, for your listening pleasure.

Click Here for some old love songs


Tián Mì Mì

Anohter song worth mentioning is Fragrance of the Night (Yè Lái Xia-ng) .This song was originally sang by Li Xiang Lan, a japanese (borned as Yoshiko Yamaguchi in Manchuria in 1920). Then, Teresa hit it with all the right notes. Our home breed Dama Orchestra even released a CD with this name with Tan Soo Suan rendering it out as original as possible. I've seen Dama started from way back in the early 90's as one of the founder is a family friend.

Phone From China...

My Grandma recently went back to Eng Choon before her 80th birthday to visit her sisters and brothers and living relative. And she brought back with her, this phone...



It cost her RM40 or RMB90...

How Ah Beng is this phone???

If there is any show to imitate Pimp My Ride...this got to be Pimp My Phone...

Monday, November 06, 2006

Subang 10K:2006

The paper wrote there were 3500 people running this race yesterday.

There were me, amir, ming, ben, adilah, ayam, hakim, achot, doc and family.

I also saw Princess, Kim, Ah Thiam, Weng Aun, Dino, Azam, Ashley and a host of other regulars.



I must say i misses racing. Infact, this race was possible because i promised wifey i'll finish it in record time just incase Ryan decided to come out yesterday.

Also, thanks to Bandit for being so kind and registered me for the race.

As with any other races, anticipation in the early morning was hard to ignore.

I felt like some virgin runner, running my first ever race. Nevermind the fact i posted my PB time last year at the same race with a good 48.44 minutes. I did tell myself to try to at least acheive this again.

So, at 7.30am, the MB flagged us all off. I found myself running a good pace initially. For a good 2km which i did in 10 minutes of jostling with other runners. My heart rate was going skyhigh, touching 180bpm on several occasion. Adrenalin rush. It felt good to be racing, again.

Weng Aun caught up with me and i ran with him for the next 2km or so. Then, i realised my second wind ain't coming anytime soon. Going into my 20th minutes of run, i felt very lethargic. Legs were not listening to what my heart wants to say.

But i ran anyway. Going into my 5th KM in 26 minutes, if i could maintain this pace and sprint when going downhill, there is a good chance i'll do anohter PB.

It was then Amir came from behind me and asked me to push for 48minutes.

He was running without a number as Bandit had some emergency and couldn't pass the bib to him.

Not that it mattered anyway as SJ10k is notorious for not providing ANY water to runners. Cheapskate.

Amir pulled away and i could already see Weng Aun running infront a good distance.

My second wind never came.

It was only after running for 40 minutes and going into my 7km that my leg got it's rhythm back and i tried to keep a 6:00 pace.

No pain whatsoever, but heart rate was a high 171bpm.

At the u-turn, i saw Amir again, he should be doing a good 50minutes or less i supposed. After the U-Turn, i saw Ben, then Ming and then Adilah.

Ben overtook me at the final last 300 meters and i know i won't be able to post any PB.

But that doesn't matter, as i finished the race anyway. Not in any style, but with a friend.

Amir waited for me at the side while wifey snapped pic of me and him.



I ended the race in a slow 57min +/- 1 minute.

Congrats to Kim, Dino, Ashley and Ming for scoring good position!

And congrats to me, for not crashing out and giving up.

This morning, Wifey gave me back my Phiten. She thinks i might need it as she knows my legs are hurting this morning. Almost jello like!

So, there you go, my last race for this year and on the plus side, my PB record wasn't broken by any of my LnE friends, YET!

3R: Kem Kotek Konfiden

The final episode of the season for 3R was aired yesterday.

Here is whatever i could actually capture on my phone.

My sis in the chinese girl in Team Biru and both Songx and Ladysoul was there with me to marshall the race as well.

You could see both of them clearly, compared to me, which was shown in green looking night vision colour as i unhooked them from their abseil line inside Gua Tempurung.

:)


Part 1 and Part 2


Part 3 and Part 4

Enjoy!!!

Happy Birthday Granma!!!

Last Saturday was my maternal Granma's birthday. Her 80th to be precise.

My granma came all the way from China, to be precise, in Fujian province where most hokkien immigrants came from. For those that knows what i'm talking about, it's in this village called Eng Choon.

Rumours has it that when hokkien people from this particular place comes from, when they walk on the grass, the grass will die because they are known to be "kiam siap" (that's stingy for you that is hokkien-ly challenged).

She came to Malaysia, to be more precise, Old Klang Road 5th Mile when she was 8 with my great-grandparents. She got married to my grandad when she was in her mid teen and has since then given birth to 8 childrens, of which 2 died of SLE in their mid 30's and 40's.

She wasn't given the Malaysian citizenship until 30 years later. Not going to go into some other stories about why it took her so long when some other immigrants could do so in record time.

My grandad passed away in his 60's. That was almost 17 years ago. Cause was Lung Cancer. Just like granma, they share packs of ciggies (Peter Stuyvesant - Your International Passport to Pleasure), which my uncles would pinch as well when they ran out of theirs.


Their passport to everything...

Heck, i even recalled stealing one stick and shared with a distance tom boy cousin (which has since gotten married and had 2 kids of her own) and ended up choking on the smoke. That experience has some what made me dare to light up a ciggie in the school lab (the experiment was to show what damage the ciggie would do, a stringe with moist cotton inside to represent the lung and we would draw the ciggie by drawing the stringe, but we had trouble lighting it up, so, i literally lit it up...i was 13). Then, later in my teen life, i was averaging 2 packs a day. Wouldn't go anywhere without my Dunhill AND Semporna. But that was history since almost 5 years ago.


My sinful pleasure

They lived in Old Klang Road for a number of years before they shifted to Gombak when the logging business was good back in Karak. My grandfather, his brother and one cousin made a living being middlemen for the logging business, buying and reselling the timber for a living and managed to build one big house where the 3 nucleas family stayed under one roof. Each individual house has 10 rooms inside but only 2 toilets and bathrooms in each units. Water wasn't an issue as for the past 30 odd years, we've been living, washing, cooking from underground water. The taste of the *mineral* water will take some use to for some though.

It was later that when the timber business wasn't as profitable anymore and could only sustain one family, granpa took a brave step and tendered for a canteen job in SM Chong Hwa at Jalan Gombak.

I grew up eating junk food, literally. Granma would fry fish crackers, pack them and sell them for 10sen back in those days. Sweets such as Hudsons, Hacks, Sugus, Barley Mints were heavenly available anyday, anytime. sweet and sour jerkies were dried and pack in the living room, all those junk food you all 80's kids could remember off were sold there and i have 100% access to them. I also get to count those syillings that granpa brings back everyday after the school session is over. Softdrinks were cheap and a plenty at 40sen a bottle. The original Joy Juice, Kickapoo that is, was like a staple diet.

Granpa too, maintained a small farm in the school, which were granted by the principal and granpa gives living skills lecture on planting mung beans and black beans, apart from the multitude of vegetables that he planted and harvest for dinner everytime. The school was literally at the house's backyard. My uncles literally cross the fence to school and they could afford to wake up 5 minutes before the school starts. It was like bording school with full home confort for them when they were growing up.

Infact, the canteen was also where my dad first know my mum...You see, mum helps out at the canteen whenever she could and dad was one of the regular that comes and buy 3 sweets for 5 sens back then.

And so, we had a blast for her last Saturday. Families at the 3 houses were called for the 80th Grand dinner.


5 tables; 2 family, 1 kids and 2 relatives

And horror of horror, there were karaoke in the room at Kum Lun Tai Selayang Mall.


The closed the Restoran in Petaling Street that served good Dim Sum with old waitresses with Attitude.


And this sis of mine had to sing some songs...

Just how much did my everyone drank? For the record, i did not drink as i can't drink. I wonder whose gene i got. Perhaps it's true that i was really picked up at the hospital's trash can 30 years ago.

5 bottles of VSOP Brandy were dried yesterday. I swore granma finished at least half a bottle. For her age, she is mightly strong. Ever seen an old lady her age hailing down a taxi, and give direction to the taxi driver in HOKKIEN, irregardless if the taxi driver knows the language and bring her to Batu Road? Bear in mind, it's still Batu Road to her and not Jalan Chow Kit. She goes there for the market and back then, she would come back with at least 15 chickadees to be reared behind the house and then slaugthered for festivities when they are old enough...

Heck, my grandad never fail to bring me along to Jalan Doraisamy's backlane for a hair cut which was actually a rundown hut behind a sofa factory. That sofa factory was what i termed as sweat shop back then. Smell of the rubber glue and loud chinese blaring music or the occasional Redifusion afternoon chinese drama blaring still lingers in my mind. That barber was granpa's comrade, literally. Back then, it was Mini Bus number 41, which brings us from Gombak to Jalan Dang Wangi.


She started out the night wearing a sweater....next to her is her sister in law, my late granpa's late brother's wife.



then, after some drinking and it became warm....here she is drinking


here she is forcing a relative to drink...sitting down is her cousin in law.


And here, she is drinking, again...


and i almost caught her puffing her ciggie....


and she still could puff out the candles...


And she blew all 8 big candles out...


With her 6 kids...


3 sons in law...


4 daughter in laws...


and a handful of grankids..some of my cousins can't make it for not known reasons...


collage of pics...


and me, my granma's favourite grandson. :)

It will be exciting as my granma hold her new greatgrand kiddo in less than 2 weeks time, marking the continuation of the 3rd generation of Kiam Siap Hokkien Lang in the Family. Hahahahaha!