50 years After – Reunion 2010

Aboard Luxury Coach Being Taken around the Port


Cars Awaiting Distribution


A Container Ship Streaming To Berth


Tea at the 18th Floor, From Left: Amin, Gear, Gurdial, Azzat,Bear, Hank and Hal


Tea at the 18th Floor, From Left: TSG, Bear, Hank, and Hal


Cruising Along The Coast, From Left: TSG, Gear, Bear, Gurdial, Hank, Aji, Azzat, and Chua


Disembarked at Pulau Ketam: From Left: Gurdial, Chua, and Gear


Dinner, From Left: Gurdial, Aji, Gear


Dinner, From Left: Aji, Gear, Hank, Hal, and Amin


Farewell, From Left: Hank, Gear, Aji, Bear, Gurdial, TSG, Azzat, Amin, Chua, and Hal



On April 24, 2010, we had a reunion. This came 50 years after we set eyes on each other in 1960. In fact it all started a few months earlier, sometime at the end of 1959.

We were then a group of scraggy looking kids barely 14 years old trying our best to get into one of the best schools then there was. We had come for an interview to be accepted into Form 3 of the FMC ( Federation Military College )

It seemed there were many groups of hopeful boys that came from all over the country. We came in batches. Everyone would want to join the FMC, ( later the RMC ) many could not as the number offered was very limited.
We therefore considered ourselves very lucky just to be called for an interview, the first step. We came to P.Dickson (PD) where the College was then, certainly full of hope. For 3 days we were pitted against each other, put through a rigorous regime of a medical exam, an obstacle course, and classroom academic tests. At each stage there were ‘casualties’. Only a small number ‘survived’ who had then to go through a final interview.

It was such a thrill when I received later at home the warrant ticket, ( the first of many ) a familiar pink coloured paper that entitled me to a second class KTM ticket from KL to Seremban . (Others came from as far as Kangar, Kota Bahru or JB) Together with it were the various papers containing joining instructions signed by the then adjutant Lt.Osman Zain ( later Maj-Gen ,Datuk ) with instructions to report to the Boys Wing of the FMC.

That was where we first met in PD in 1960, 50 years ago. There were altogether 35 of us new boys in Form 3 . The next year about 27 more joined in direct into Form 4 making a total of 62 Form 4 students in 1961. The number dwindled after Form 5 in 1962, the majority joined the Cadet Wing to be groomed as young officers in the Armed Forces, some others left as a natural form of attrition, and some overseas for further studies.

Only a handful were left to continue into the Lower Sixth Form, 18 in Arts and about an equal number in Science.

Now, fast forward to April 24, 2010. Of the 18 of the HSC ‘Class of ‘64’, 16 are still around and kicking, 2 had passed on and 1 somehow is untraceable (last heard had migrated overseas some where)

The 16 comprised OPs, TSG, Aji, Amin Jerry, AKBear, Dolet, Azzat, Hamzah Kalidas, Mazlan, Hank, Zawawi Emzet (all from 1960) Hal, Chua, Gurdial, Haron, Gear & Shah (all from 1961) The late Ritz & Lawrence had passed on and Ong is MIA.
TSG the Executive Chairman of Wesports hosted the reunion. However much we had endeavoured to get everyone in, only 10 were able to be present.
TSG had dispatched an Alphard to our rendezvous point in PJ where 5 climbed in and 3 followed closely in a car. AKBear decided to come by commuter from Seremban to P.Klang and was picked up on arrival and whisked to Westports direct. Nobody got lost and everything went clockwork. That’s logistics, military style. Resolve a potential problem at source and things fall into place!

We were then taken around the container terminals in a luxury coach, with a police car escorting us with lights flashing ( being a security area the auxiliary police escort is mandatory ) We spent 30 mins just looking through, stretched over 3.5km of quayside, there were then about 3 container ships berthed, some with containers stacked 8 stories high, while more containers ideally arranged on the ground awaiting movements. There were Perodua Alzas in rows due for export to East Malaysia and Mazda cars also in rows just arrived awaiting distribution locally. It appeared so orderly on the ground.

A container ship is in port 65% of the time of travel. The secret is to reduce the mph (movements per hour) of the crane speed of loading and unloading so that less time is spent idly in port instead of plying the high seas. ( the other measurement is of volume in millions of TEUs - to google ‘Westports, TEUs’ for more )

TSG, later met us at his conference room on the 18th fl and gave us a walk through of Westports. ‘It is S.E.A’s multi award-winning port, that’s leading the world when it comes to productivity’ he said. We did not argue with that because it is true!

We later had tea before TSG and all of us adjourned down to the wharf for a boat cruise. We then had a stop-over for our anniversary dinner at Pulau Ketam of fresh sea-food (of course) and came back to the mainland by 2200hrs.

Before we left , Chua exclaimed when bidding farewell ‘..well done, well done, well done..’ which best summed up our appreciation, respect and awe at one of us, namely TSG who was able to see a niche, seized the opportunity and got himself into the Malaysian Business’ ‘ List of 40 Richest Malaysians in the Country’ some years ago, all within 1 generation.

The Family Gathering – What a Day!

It was on, yes, April 17 to be exact. The first two dates earlier had to be postponed upon constraints relating to venues. Since this was going to be the first gathering following our adoption of Geni.com everyone were all excited.
The scenario was one of anticipation and awareness. This was prompted by exchanges on the Geni.com network of new-found relatives complete with their pictures but were still strangers at that point.

With this sort of feeling I had left on Friday the 16th afternoon to put up in Seremban for the night. The next morning I would just need to take a leisurely drive to Kuala Pilah for registration beginning 9.00 am. I need not have to rush.
The trouble started Friday evening itself. I suddenly felt a chill and a slight temperature that worsen as the night progressed. In the morning after prayers I still could not claim to have recovered. I told my loving wife, Shadah that we must make an appearance. “I want to be there,” I insisted. This was the Inaugural meeting. It was important to be there.

She agreed. I gulped my medication, rested awhile after breakfast then off to Kuala Pilah barely making the registration before the session began.
It commenced most appropriately with the Organising Chairman’s speech ( by my nephew Ano), doa ( by my nephew Abu ) and a walk through of the matriarch, Saamah who was fondly referred to as ‘Wan Kulu’ as what I had remembered ( which strangely was not mentioned that day)

The narration on 'Wan Kulu' ( my late father's loving mother)was done by our elder, my cousin Bang Ngah Jamal who also touched on Idris Abdullah (known fondly as Atuk Itam Oyek , my late father's loving father) and Yusof (known fondly as Datuk Dagang) both of whom were married to Saamah ( at different times, of course) thus the Family Tree of Hjh Saamah (Oyek and Tok Dagang)

( I would request Bang Ngah Jamal to get someone to transcribe the contents of his narration later as the sound system and acoustics in the hall that day left much to be desired.)

Then followed the crux of the matter - a narration of the structure of the family tree and the naming of the head of family and all decendents from top to bottom and identifying them if they were present then. This was ably done by Ano who later requested that amendments be updated and a corrected version later distributed. This took a major part of the morning.

This was necessary , being our first gathering, the information were all new knowledge heard for the first time by most of those present. There followed then a group photo snapping session of the whole family and the sub-families which took quite a while.

During this session, we the elders were seated in the front row while the crowd at the back were replaced to make way according to each respective family’s appearance as a sub-group.

It was then about 1.30pm? It was at this point that I suddenly experienced a very funny feeling. I kept yawning every other minute, my eyes watered, my head spinning and my throat dried and I felt a soreness of my muscles. It must be the heat outside, it must be the bad ventilation (only fans were running), it must be the carry-over of my fever from the night before, it must be pangs of hunger ( no appetite the night before) , just two pieces of bread before leaving that morning.
All sorts of things ran through my mind then.

After some while, it was then announced food was ready. I asked someone for directions to the ‘Gents’, when still seated. Others got up for lunch so did I. They got to the food spread, I didn’t!

The moment I got up, my head spun , my mind twirled and I heard a dull thud and I then heard nothing more ( the dull thud was my fall from a standing position on to the hard floor)

When I came to, after about 5 minutes I was lying on a row of 'folding chairs' after being picked up from the floor. The first thing I did was to touch my forehead and the back of my head (to check if my head hit the floor) I did not cushion my fall, I did not remember falling, only the dull thud. I had a black-out. Apparently I landed on my left side, my left shoulder took the brunt of the fall (still sore today, after 4 days)

A crowd built up around me. ‘give some water to drink’, ‘get a sweet drink for energy’ ( I got both drinks) ‘unbutton his shirt’, ‘take off his sandles’, ‘you need to go to the hospital’

Amidst my protestations that ‘I’m ok, no need hospital’ that we heard the wailing siren of the ambulance and within 5 mins it was parked right at the hall entrance.

I was very lucky. That day there were 2 doctors, 1 matron, a few nurses (I was told , but not fact checked) They were in the crowd and all were my waris. My cousin Azizah, even though retired still wielded strong influence and got the ambulance and an accompanying doctor in it within minutes. When I thanked her she later quoted what her father ( my late uncle Ulung Sulaiman) had wisely imparted to her, ‘ Take care as any of those signs and symptoms are impending warning signs of medical emergencies’ How true it was!.

An ambulance ride is out of this world. Even for barely 3km it put the F1 Grand Prix drivers to shame. I was tossed left then right then left and luckily was conscious enough to cling tightly on the stretcher railings for dear life.I wonder if they strap-up those who were really sick and bedridden. Otherwise they would not survive the journey.

I was put on drips at the emergency/trauma centre straightaway and later wheeled to the wards for admission.

While my ego (health ego?) took a dent ( considering I was given a clean bill of health by IJN no less, as recently as March 04, 2010) there was a sense of appreciation that it happened, though.

As to my waris, they had a real life emergency situation enacted right in front of their eyes and seen how they had rallied together in high drama, cool and composed with no panic.

It was a field day on Facebook of nephews and nieces who fished for news of the gathering but stumbled on news of my blackout, extending concern and 'get well soon' wishes.

As for me, it is a wake-up call. As my nephew Alifi had rightly said, ' it was a way of God the Almighty’s indication to show that we were extended solace and affections in sickness so that we should enhance our submissions, piety and goodness when in a healthy state'

What to make of it as an outcome ? It was recorded at the hospital as a viral infection arising from the fever the night before. It was not a stroke nor any of the current illneses making the rounds. It is just the tail-end of a fever compounded by dehydration. Nothing serious. The remedy - a round of antibiotics, salt/saline solution and paracetamol/panadol, nothing heavy nor any kind of spectacular kind of medicine - and a good rest!

I wish to extend our congratulations and record my appreciation to the Organising Chairman my nephew Ano, the committee comprising my cousin Mus, nephew, Zain, niece Nor and others not named for their excellent efforts. I was told there were projects discussed to be undertaken later. Considering, there were Doctors, Lawyers, Engineers, Professors/Lecturers, Economists, Entrepreneurs,Public Relations practitioners among us ( to 'fact check' for numbers),things look good not that far off in the ensuing years.

Here on a personal note that I wish to record my sincere appreciation to all those who helped me and showed so much concern and some later visited me during my one night sojourn at the Kuala Pilah hospital namely, my cousins Bang Ngah,Kak Ngah, Kak Limah,Mus,Azizah,OP Yusuf,my nephew Ano, niece Nor, my daughter Adura, son Hafidz, Zaf, my wife Shadah (all the while by my side), my sis Aishah and hubby Alias, my Induk Maridah (bought food), my brother Jai and wife Normah, my cousins Rohaya (brought home-cooked food) Bang Ngah Hashim – all in sequence and order of visits. And last but not least my bosom buddy OP Zam (who unfortunately came Sunday afternoon after my discharge)Thank you all!

The Ulu Selangor By-Election

The battle lines are drawn. With the announcement of the MIC candidate for the BN yesterday it is now battle stations. There’s so much at stake and so many permutations to draw on and being a by-election all eyes are focused on just this.
Not into politics, not before nor now, but it is too tempting when it comes to a by-election. I can still be an observer, why not? I don’t have to make a stand nor do I have to declare my political inclinations and sympathies but I can still have an opinion, yes, why not.
It was a strategic move to retain the MIC for the seat. In one stroke, the MIC stopped making noise, so also from the UMNO diehards. This is basic. What it means is that here’s no disagreement nor talk of non-cooperation from day one of campaigning from either. There could have been some disgruntled few from both (the MIC and UMNO) but these may just be personally inspired and may not matter.
Both then would have to show their best in the campaigning that follows. The MIC to justify why their candidate was chosen and UMNO to justify and stamp their strength with the shackles of the GE 2008 broken and is now history.
Likewise, the MCA would go in with vengeance. It is mainly to justify consolidation and unity and tell the world that their earlier troubles are now within control, not over yet but ok.
For the Gerakan, PPP and the smaller offshoots within the BN, well…just be there to show you are still alive not kicking but still around. They are not expected to be in the limelight, lest they spoil the broth. Just keep smiling as they have been doing after the GE 2008 debacle and ‘don’t say nothin’ (as the Americans would say)
As for the PR, they would have to take great pains to control the groundswell currently bothering them. The PKR especially is very vulnerable. Its their candidate and they have been getting the flax. What with the ongoing court case and the spate of resignations of their legislators (even until today there’s one) Not forgetting the Indians in Penang had not forgotten the Kg Buah Pala fiasco. There were reports of mass, en-bloc resignations of members, even. And here they are trying to woo the Indian votes!
Let’s see how the candidates stacked up. Kamalanathan, the MIC candidate is squeaky clean, up-and-coming,young, a PR person (read: Public Relations) and a blogger to boot – and with no known baggage.
The PKR’s Zaid is a high powered, and a high profiled person, used to being a ‘de facto’ Minister monetarily strong, was slapped with suspension/sacked? on money politics when in UMNO (but vehemently pleaded innocence) – with some baggage no doubt.
My take on the outcome? The MIC candidate will find solace in being a ‘local boy’ and can well relate with the younger set MIC or otherwise.
The PKR, has imposed a helicopter candidate (half the hall left when his candidature was announced) who had jumped ship ( may well be reminiscent of V. David’s answer when asked why he changed parties from Socialist Front to Pekemas and then DAP. He said that there’s nothing wrong with him but all the parties he left were wrong )

If Zaid wins it is said he may be one of the PMs-in-waiting apparently, that’s how he has styled himself (if Sg Buluh comes into the picture earlier). Of course he has to content with other contenders ( Ku Li may be?)If he loses then he may yet again jump ship out of frustrations.

My take again. Given the PM’s high ratings after one year, and his successful US trip and the woes of PKR, the BN will win hands down.

‘Many Happy Returns of the Day’, Honey Dear!

Try it! Say it out loud, ‘Honey dear! Yes, Honey dear! No, You can never say it that well. You cannot call out loud to someone dear to you when saying ‘honey’. The word has to be taken softly. The same thing with ‘love’ or ‘yang’ (short for sayang) It must be softly whispered, sometimes barely audible.

You would have to be physically close to your loved one to utter such endearment. I could never call out to my loving wife Shadah ‘honey’ or ‘ni’ when more than 5 feet away. It cannot be me in the lounge and she in the kitchen and I shout ‘honey’. No, it did not work out that way. If I have to call out to my loving wife I would have to come closer to her.

And another thing. I had never for the life of me called my loving wife ‘yang’ . Not in front of others as it sounded odd. It was embarrassing, and others hearing it would feel uneasy (meluat). But some people do and are proud to do so. At least ‘ni’ sounds like a name and sounds pleasing enough. I would always settle for ‘honey’.

Somehow ‘honey’ is universal and I very nearly always use it. It changed slightly when they came into our lives.(read: children) In front of them I would use ‘your Mama’ or call out ‘mama’ instead of honey. In our private moments it is still ‘ni’, even now.

Recently Zee Avi was in town. She’s the 23 year old Miri-born who was discovered through her ‘You Tube’ recording of her own song called ‘Poppy’. I’m saying this because one of her recent hits is called ‘Honey Bee’. On hearing it on the air, it rekindled times of togetherness with my loving wife, ever so sweetly , and it lingered on.

Zee Avi is special. I like her style. She is an acoustic guitar and an ukulele strumming singer and song-writer. Her rendition of “Honey Bee’ is plainly music to the ear, nothing pitchy, no high notes nor screams. It is so serene, innocent and peaceful. Her songs are reminiscent of Norah Jones on piano.( you can google more of her songs on You Tube)

Let’s get back to reality. Actually my loving wife’s birthday was on April 03. Yesterday, April 04, Adura and Hafidz (read: children) treated us to lunch together with their respective families . The option for lunch over dinner was prompted by the kids , Norman,Kimie,Nabil and Sarah Aishah (read: grandchildren ) who need to be early to bed. Azhar, my youngest boy chose to miss this out to attend a wedding in town instead.

As to the venue, both Adura and Hafidz chose a quaint little Korean Restaurant in One Utama that offered something different – a Korean buffet with a DIY grill-and-boil set-up (grill plus steam-boat like ) for each table. I thought it was perfect, not lavish nor overly crowded. It was ok.

It seemed to be popular with the younger set too. The attraction as opposed to a Japanese fare is pretty obvious. It is different, more savoury, spicy and hot ( akin to a Thai offering) The pickled kim chee ran out fast and was being topped up every now and then.

Last year, we had it at the Shogun, a Japanese buffet in town where it was practically twice as expensive (for the same number of us)

It is a far cry from those days , when I was in my final year and Shadah a freshie during Orientation Week. We would adjourn on my 2-wheeler to Amjal Corner (the eatery at the main entrance of MU) where RM5 could fetch 2 plates of whatever plus drinks ! ( I think it is no more there now, a sad casualty of road alignment works)

The Malaysian Grand Prix - April 4, 2010

It is now 1800 hrs ( 6.00 pm). The Malaysian Grand Prix at Sepang has just ended. I’ve not seen the write up as yet but I’ve seen the event ‘live‘ a short while ago. The race ended just after 1730 hrs or so.

It was a 1 - 2 finish for the Red Bull team. On the podium was the winner Sebastian Vettel with his team-mate, Mark Webber in second place and Nico Rosberg from Mercedes-Petronas in third.

The event did not have the high drama of the Australian Grand Prix last week in Melbourne when there was a skirmish ( was it a minor pile-up? ) as early as the first turn and some minor crashes along the way.

In this race, Vettel had pulled away right at the first turn from his team-mate who held pole position. By the 8th lap it was Vettel, Webber, Rosberg, Suttil, Hamilton in that order. Kobayashi was out of the race at Lap 9, followed by Schumacher at Lap 10.

At lap 13, the positions remained . At this point the Lotus F1 team was not anywhere in the running. They were at positions 17 ( Jarno Trulli) and 20 ( Heikki Kovalinen)

Hamilton tried his best to make his impact. In fact at Lap 33 he recorded the fastest lap at 1.37 secs but remained at 7th place. A consolation for the Lotus F1 team however was when Trulli managed to jump to position 15 at Lap 36.

At that point it was 1708 hrs and it was a very clear sky. They had talked about the rain, but the expected rain did not come. It was a clear day right until the race ended. Apparently, the heat was scorching when the race began. Vettel the winner had mentioned at the post-race briefing that he was profusely sweating. Contrary to what we had expected he said he was praying for rain. ‘It would at least cool things off’.

At the closing moments, at Lap 55, the last but one, sparks and smoke spewed from Fernando Alonso’s car and he was out. It was good fortune for the eventual winners . They chalked up good points without Alonso. Alonso who ended with zero points in this race was the winner in the season-opening Bahrain Prix and 4th in Melbourne.

As for the Lotus F1 team, they met their target of completing the race. It was a switch this time. Trulli who did not complete the previous two races came in position 20 eventually. His team-mate Kovalainen went out of the race at Lap 21.

The unhappy Tony Fernandez twittered some unsavoury remarks during the course of the race, apparently. The CEO, Riad Asmat and and the reserve driver Fairuz Fauzy took it within their strides. ‘We would have to check on the hydraulic systems of the cars before Shanghai, the next stop’ they said.

However, it is not bad for Malaysia, not bad at all. In fact it was good! No, I’m not talking of the Lotus F1 team. I’m talking of the Mercedes-Petronas team. They achieved the 2nd runner-up position. It is a podium position. Isn’t that something?

In fact at the post-race briefing, Rosburg mentioned proudly and clearly that he was ‘happy to achieve a podium finish in Malaysia, the home of Petronas”. Of course, that’s something to be proud of!

Hats Off to Jins!

A piece of wonderful news from a veteran actor. A rave in his heyday , Mohd Zain Shamsudin or Jins Shamsudin as he is popularly known has just earned himself a PhD. It was conferred on Mar 27, 2010 at the UUM’s 23rd convocation in Sintok, Kedah

The area of studies revolved around what he knows best ie 'Filem Melayu 1930-an hingga 1960-an Sebagai Citra Budaya dan Sejarah Negara' or roughly ‘Malay Films from the 30’s to the 60’s as a Cultural Heritage and National History’ ( ?for want of a better translation!)

Senator Tan Sri Dr Jins Shamsudin achieved it at age 75, probably the oldest in the history of the UUM. This capped his earlier stint at the London Film School from 1970 till 1972 where he honed his skills on the intricacies of film making. He came back with a Diploma.

This is reminiscent of the accomplishments of other men of letters before him. They were already recognized in their own fields (as writers) but went academically further for their PhDs such as Tan Sri Awang Had, Datuk MKY, and the late Datuk Atan Long among others.

For Tan Sri Dr Jins, what makes it more commendable was the fact that it was all accomplished on his own resources.

He had utilised RM30,000 part of the RM60,000 that he received when he was bestowed the coveted Seniman Negara Award before. There were no grants given nor crying or whining for financial assistance.

The Arts and Cultural scene were all the more richer as there’s a dearth of works done on this subject. It would have required extending some form of financial assistance/grants to undertake such projects which would certainly be more than the modest sum spent by Tan Sri Dr Jins.

Not just that, he had also to ply up and down the North South Highway for 2 years from KL to Sintok and back. It is no mean feat to do in your ‘golden years’.

A Frighteningly Quick Dash and A Wonderful Bundle Of Joy

Last Sat , Mar 20th, 2010 in keeping with the ‘wedding week’ normally associated with the school holidays we attended yet another wedding. This time it was proud parents Shah and Bee for their son Ijam and his charming bride in TTDI.

We were seated with Dr Ib and Zariah and were later joined by Bang Aziz and Ka’ Su. There were the usual yarn of old times and current happenings, as a way of getting connected on what events transpired lately.

Then someone asked ‘how’s Farah?’ (Farah is the darling daughter of Dr Ib and Zariah) ‘She’s back here’ , Zariah confirmed. An innocent question and a simple answer suddenly led to a flurry of other further little questions and answers on Farah.

Farah evoked a nostalgic and emotional reaction on almost everyone around the table. Farah when growing up had been so close to Bang Aziz and Ka’ Su (almost a daughter to them) that Bang Aziz quickly remarked, ‘We want to see Farah’. Zariah said ok. So we agreed to adjourn to see Farah later.

There is also an emotional attachment Farah had to my loving wife Shadah many years ago. It was on June 26th 1981, to be exact.

Shadah remembered it well. A seemingly innocuous morning, Shadah and Zariah both then were teachers at the Assunta Secondary School in Petaling Jaya. Both were graduate teachers (Zariah later acquired her Master’s from the US) They shared a common bond as most colleagues did in a school.

However, theirs was a very special bond ( a bond that Dr Ib would invariably mention whenever we had the occasion to meet)

This was what happened that morning. Shadah and Zariah were then in the Staff Room. Assunta Secondary was a model school (and still is)

With Sister Enda as the Headmistress then, it was a privilege to be part of its teaching staff. Everyone were so motivated. Teaching in Assunta was just happiness (that was what Shadah used to tell me) That explained why Zariah was still taking classes even though in an advanced stage. Yes, Zariah was due but still at school that morning (dedicated teachers are a rarity these days)

Suddenly Zariah felt it. Yes, the first of many that came (ask any mother-to-be what it means to experience contractions and she’ll swear there and then that , she’ll not have another baby, ever!)

The lingering pain continued. There was no commotion but certainly something must be done, there was no time to lose. Both Zariah and Shadah had to decide immediately on what to do. Baby just couldn’t be made to wait.

An ambulance might take time. Zariah was under the care of OP Dr Idris whose clinic was in Section 14, barely 4km away (OP stands for 'Old Putra', an old boy of the RMC ) Dr Ib was then at his office further than 4km away and would not be in time to drive them there.

So what were they to do? The two wonderful ladies took it upon themselves to do the inevitable. Yes, Shadah was to drive Zariah to OP Dr Idris’ clinic. It was settled without as much of another thought.

It was a risky but brave decision but it must be done. This they agreed. (to this day I cringe thinking what if baby was really impatient, what if baby decided that the car would do just as well for a quick delivery) I dread to think.

Shadah was then driving a Honda Civic (the old version , a 2-door that looked like the present-day Proton Satria, both in shape and size).

Both scrambled to the car, Zariah gingerly holding and leaning on to Shadah’s shoulders for support. It was a miracle how Zariah could squeeze in onto the back seat of a 2-door car, but she did!

Both ladies were of sterner stuff, they kept their head, they didn’t panic. Every inch of the way, the contractions were there, silently but surely. Zariah likewise said silent prayers, repeating silently, lying face up. Shadah kept looking back, with comforting words (which baby must have heard and decided to wait until they reached the clinic)

After what seemed ages, they arrived at the clinic, they scrambled slowly out again, up a flight of stairs to the first floor. The nurses came, it was action stations. Zariah was wheeled into the labour room. Shadah was there stroking her, comforting her, and OP Dr Idris later arrived.

After all her brave efforts, Shadah was squeamish at being in the delivery room and waited outside. She knew Zariah was now in good hands. So it was ok. She could relax now. ( She later confessed she was shivering throughout the short journey but kept her composure somehow )

Zariah was barely 20 minutes in the clinic and not a moment too soon. It was then that baby decided. It was quiet on the western front. It was time to let herself out. And OP Dr Idris was there waiting with open arms.

It was such a wonderful bundle of joy! Certainly far exceeding every anxious moments the THREE of them went through minutes earlier! It was just sheer joy especially for Zariah,the proud mum!

Yes, a pinkish little darling, Farah wonderfully came into this world, oblivious of the drama that took place a good part of the preceding 40 minutes or so ( it seemed hours to both Zariah and Shadah).

It was a great relief and a great satisfaction to Zariah, now that she had a King’s Choice (a pair now with Farid the eldest boy). It was also a great relief and a great satisfaction to my loving wife Shadah for her good deed of the day (when I asked her later how she managed to get around the normally busy traffic flow , she said 'what traffic?' - in her haste she didn’t see any!) We were thankful to God the Almighty, that gave clear passage for them when mid-morning was always very crowded.

The happy Dad Dr Ib arrived later at the clinic, equally relieved that mother and daughter were there safe and well and profusely thanking my brave wife.

I’m so proud of my loving wife, Shadah. At other times she may appear dependent and helpless but in a sticky situation, she would invariably live up to it.

Now back to the present. After the wedding, we followed Dr Ib and Zariah back to the house. Farah was out but Dr Ib managed to contact her. Farah came back and met all of us. And there we were, and what do you know!

Farah is now in the family way herself. Dr Ib and Zariah are going to be doting grand-parents come July 2010 . And this is going to be their first grand-child.
( that makes it even more special!)

Dr Farah and her hubby, Dr Andy were on a short holiday back here. Dr Farah, the pride and joy of both mum and dad
(whom Dr Ib referred fondly to as 'my princess' in his email to me) is completing her post-graduate specialist course in medicine in Dublin (so also Dr Andy - there will be 2 Consultant Paediatricians in the house in no time) They have since gone back last Monday.

Apparently Zariah has planned to be with Dr Farah,( by her side in Dublin for the big day in July) and stay on for 3 months. ( ample time to reflect on the moment in time a long time ago when little Farah co-operated very well with mummy and timed it perfectly to the dot!)

Updates: F1 Team Lotus

There you have it! Team Lotus met their goals for the 1st outing of the season at the Bahrain Grand Prix yesterday, modest as it seemed. They had set out to have 1). both the drivers finished the race (which they did) and 2). that they beat Team Virgin in the process (which they also did)

Heikki Kovalainen, the first driver was placed the 15th position while Jarno Trulli was placed 17th. It is nothing to shout about though but Datuk Tony Fernandez was elated so also the drivers. ‘Big oaks from little acorns grow’ so it is a good start just as they had set out to do.

For the records, Fernando Alonso of Team Ferrari stood on the podium as the winner and collected 25 points followed by Felipe Massa and Lewis Hamilton.

The list of the Drivers’ and Constructors’ Standings with points collected are appended below:


DRIVER STANDINGS

01 Fernando Alonso - 25
02 Felipe Massa - 18
03 Lewis Hamilton - 15
04 Sebastian Vettel - 12
05 Nico Rosberg - 10
06 Michael Schumacher - 8
07 Jenson Button - 6
08 Mark Webber - 4
09 Vitantonio Liuzzi - 2
10 Rubens Barrichello - 1
11 Robert Kubica
12 Adrian Sutil
13 Jaime Alguersuari
14 Nico Hulkenberg
15 Heikki Kovalainen
16 Sebastien Buemi
17 Jarno Trulli
18 Pedro de la Rosa
19 Bruno Senna
20 Timo Glock
21 Vitaly Petrov
22 Kamui Kobayashi
23 Lucas di Grassi
24 Karun Chandhok

CONSTRUCTOR STANDINGS

01 Ferrari - 43
02 McLaren-Mercedes - 21
03 Mercedes Benz GP - 18
04 RBR-Renault - 16
05 Force India-Mercedes - 2
06 Williams-Cosworth - 1
07 Renault
08 STR-Ferrari
09 Lotus-Cosworth
10 BMW Sauber-Ferrari
11 HRT-Cosworth
12 Virgin-Cosworth

F1 Team Lotus

The season opening Bahrain Grand Prix ( of the 2010 FIA Formula One (F1) World Championship) is on tomorrow, March 14th 2010. There are altogether 12 teams of which 3 are new entrants this season (with 24 cars/drivers on the grid)

It is of special interest to Malaysia this year for 2 reasons namely, the real presence of Malaysia in F1 racing with the debut of Malaysia’s very own Team Lotus , and the collaboration of Team Mercedes with Petronas in F1 racing.

This is therefore more than just a participation but the first foray into F1 which was announced by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak only in September last year which is now a reality.

When it was first mooted late last year, many were sceptical. Only the Principal Officer, Datuk Tony Fernandez and the Technical Head, Mike Gascoyne were positively identified together with Naza Motors as joint backers. Then there were a flurry of behind the scenes manoevering to get additional sponsors (especially with the loss of Petronas to Team Mercedes) and to naming the drivers and the management team.

The detractors spewed countless venom, mindful of the enormous financial burden to be carried by Team Lotus. Tony Fernandez ventured on anyway. Lotus at their factory in Norfolk, England came up with a new car (within 6 months) after assembling ‘80,000 components'( a report stated that in all seriousness a 99.9% perfection will still mean 80 component parts are not up to mark)

The testing must be more than perfect. It is awesome! It is no small wonder that an F1 car that made it on the starting grid can still stall at some point in the race owing to a less than perfect testing. It cannot be more perfect than that!

The Lotus T127 rolled out on a T127 chassis supporting a Cosworth 2010 engine. It went through the various precision factory tests and last month was presented on the tracks in Spain for final tests by the designated drivers.

So we have Malaysia’s very own F1 car to be driven by the named drivers, Jarno Trulli and Heikki Kovalinen with Malaysia’s own Fairuz Fauzy as the 3rd and reserve driver.

The Management Team comprised, the CEO, Riad Asmat (son of OP Tan Sri Asmat), Mia Sharizman Ismail as Head of Operations (Asia), Alex Yoong as Head of Driver Development (Asia) and Nino Judge as the Head of Driver Development (Europe).

So what is it in for Malaysia apart from the ‘novelty’ and the hype worked up for our presence on the world’s stage which is a grand PR adventure for prime movers Tony and his team.

For a start Alex Yoong and Judge will co-host a driver’s development programme with the aim of nurturing young drivers for the future. Alex’s father OP Hanipah Yoong went up against all odds singled-handedly in guiding Alex as an F1 driver before. So Alex is very much aware of the difficulties and pitfalls.

On the technical side, a team of young engineers are already in Norfolk working towards building up a core of technically experienced personnel. These would be conveniently absorbed into Proton and Naza Motors in future, I imagine.

With the impending production of the compact EMAS hybrid of Proton recently exhibited at the Geneva Motor Show, it is imperative that we need these engineers in large numbers.

There has to be a concerted effort to trigger off the multiplier effect of human capital development to meet needs of industry. A home grown F1 venture can certainly provide the platform to enhance the numbers.

On the prospects of notching up glory in this debut presence, Tony is being realistic. ‘We hope to finish each race, anything better is a bonus’ he said. He has 19 opportunities to do that as there are 19 races in the 2010 calendar. The 3rd leg in K. Lumpur will be on 4th April.

Apparently, we’ll get to see the real, the actual, the car that is going on the tracks in Bahrain tomorrow at the Pavilion in K. Lumpur when it is put up on show in early April (before its debut on our Sepang Circuit)

This is mainly because there was insufficient time to produce an additional car for exhibition purposes. So be it!

A Clean Bill of Health

I was at the IJN (National Heart Institute) for the better part of the morning today, March 03, 2010. It was the culmination of a series of tests conducted which started sometime last month and I came away smiling from ear to ear.

I got it off my chest. Yes, that’s where it all started, my chest. There was a slight tinge on my left side where the heart is. It came at odd times lasting just seconds though not that frequent, but enough to cause worry to me. The GP years ago said it was muscular. The specialist that saw me quite recently said the same thing.

I want a second opinion I said, not that it mattered to anyone. If it was anything to do with the heart, a pain would have been triggered off by a physical activity, say 'running up the stairs or rushing to catch a plane.', they said. There ought to be an exertion of some sort on your being, not when watching the TV or while having a meal.

It may not have anything to do with the heart they reasoned. So it is, I thought, but still it left me unsettled. It was unsettling and it was worrisome.

In the meantime, my blood pressure is under control through medication so also my cholesterol. I needn’t worry.

The good thing about the medical specialists looking after me were their positive attitudes. None stopped me. They encouraged me to explore the various avenues to determine what was the affliction. So started the series of tests.

First, the Stress Test on the treadmill and the accompanying ECG. I did the walk, brisk walk, slight trot, faster and faster trot and completed Level 3 within the standard time required for my age. Would I need to go on to Level 4? No, I did not have to prove anything, so I stopped there.

I then sought a reference to the IJN, the premier heart institute in the country. I mean, if you cannot trust the IJN with your heart who else would you trust.

Second, 3 weeks ago I went to the IJN for a CT Coronary Angiogram. It was a heart scan in simple terms. A ‘spiral imaging with resrospective gating was performed’ – images in colour from various angles in other words!
Results:
Aorta: - ascending aorta is normal in size with no significant atherosclerosis - descending aorta is normal in size with no significant atherosclerosis
Myocardium: - appears normal . No evidence of scar or other abnormalities
Chambers: - normal size chambers
Valves: - normal to extent visualized

(my comment: I am fascinated by the word ‘normal’ in all instances)

Third, the Pathology Report(blood test) showed all were within range, kidneys are ok and cholesterol is ok

Fourth, the Echo done this morning showed an EF of an acceptable % ( the number I shouldn’t reveal here)

All in all, it was a satisfying morning. So what’s next?

All that I’ve heard before as advised by the GP ought to be given serious adherence not just serious thoughts ie Diet and Exercise

Diet - you can eat what you want but of a smaller portion and of less frequency. Less carbohydrates and noodles but take oats and fibres. No limits on fruits and vegetables, take fish and chicken but avoid red meat and anything deep fried. So it is , simple enough (now to be religiously adhered to, yes, adhered to)

Exercise - No, not jogging. Just brisk walking around the neighbourhood. BUT do it! Yes, a regime ought to be worked out and improvements to weight shedding to be noted. (It should not have to follow the vigorous gym work of the ‘Biggest Loser’ though)

I ought to renew my ‘love affair’ again and be more demanding. Yes, my clubs are all rusty. I will have to go back to the Driving Range to hit some balls first. My ‘golf muscles’ ought to be toned up and fitness enhanced. Only then can I accept calls from my buddies to have that round of golf ‘on a regular basis’ again ( which I had declined all these while ‘on doctor’s orders’)

Last but not least, a regular medical check-up every 6 months must be done to keep in check anything untoward that might just appear undetected.

Tiger Woods has gone through rehab and ‘domestic counselling’. He is ready to take on the world again. So am I!

Geni.com - The Online Family Tree

On Jan 22, 2010 I received a text message from my cousin Mus. He requested for my email so that he could extend an invitation for me to access Geni.com.

I promptly did and, hey presto! I was immediately connected with not just the handful that we are used to but to more than 631 family members ( to date, Feb 17, the number has since increased to 649)

It is so infectious in a good way and so satisfying. It would take ages just to compile all the necessary information and contacting each other the traditional way. Now it is all there for the asking.

I remember we made a start to have one done many years before. We wanted to list all of our family members so that we could get to know each other before we just go separate ways in no time.

We had a Protem Committee set up, comprising 6 members, chaired by my cousin Hj Jamaludin. Other members were Zakaria (Deputy) Hamzah (Secretary) Yunus (Treasurer) Razak (Asst. Sec) and Ghafar (Comm. Member)

It was set up with the noble purpose and aim of:
1. Getting family members together
2. Extending family ties
3. Establishing a family network
4. Compiling/updating information for the younger generation to relate to each other
5. Having an Annual/Bienniel Gathering

All of the above as resolved in our first meeting way back, are now provided spot-on by Geni.com - in fact lots more are given if we care to go deeper into it.

We had our first meeting on Mar 08, 1997 when it was agreed that we set up a database of members. Somehow it did not get off the ground beyond that and the matter was just forgotten with time.

Now with the advent of online facilities it suddenly is a breeze to be connected and stay connected. Geni.com made this possible.

What seemed so far fetched before are made so real, simple and convenient for us. We now just need to invite any and every family member , and we are on.

Apparently Geni.com was brought to the attention of Maslina (my niece) through our elder, Pakcu Kamarudin sometime early last year. Maslina got the initial details of the family tree worked out through her father , Hj Jamaludin ( fondly addressed as Bang Ngah who was instrumental in organising the earlier one also)

Geni.com has since grown with a life of its own nurtured through the enthusiasm of the younger generation - and there's no turning back! I would imagine it must have given a lot of personal satisfaction to Bang Ngah to see its progress within a span of just a year.

In my case Maslina and Shah Rezan managed my family’s entry initially. They rightly got my cousin Mus to contact me to get the sketchy details of my tree updated with the designated details.

The Geni .com comprises a ‘tree’, an organization chart-like structure with details of every member but went beyond that especially with regards to relationships to one another.

Following an invitation, a family member is given a password to access Geni.com through email. Once in, any member can input details of his own and his other immediate family members .

The beauty of Geni.com is that it is styled according to the Facebook format that many are familiar with. Any member can make a wall posting of messages to keep in touch together with video and photo-sharing facilities.

A click on any name will immediately show the relationship of that person to you and his other family members. This is most refreshing as otherwise someone who is in the know needs to tell you of the relationship. Not many of the elders are around to be able to do that anyway, let alone knowing the relationships. More so if it transcends a few generations of specific individuals to others.

The Calender of birthdays and anniversary dates covering everyone, broken into months, will now make it convenient (no more excuses of forgetting). And what’s more, the reminders are emailed when due.

There are many other items such as Address book, Map (showing location of members around the world) Timeline, Statistics, (with generous use of pie-charts) very conveniently worked out among others.

And the icing on the cake? Yes, brace yourself! It is slated for March 20 and 21. We are going to have our Family Gathering that week-end. No details yet but it is not a problem as communication is instant.

It is going to be very exciting. I’m sure glad to meet my kins, folks who were strangers not many months ago if not for Geni.com. It is great! Just great!

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Postcript: (inserted on March 01, 2010)
Yesterday we received news from my nephew Nor Aman Shah that the Family Gathering is now rescheduled to be held for the weekend of March 27 and 28, 2010 (one week later than previously advised)

Postcript: Déjà vu at MU’s Speaker’s Corner

Quoting the Star of Jan 27, 2010, ‘The reintroduction of the corner has a sense of déjà vu for UM, as the university housed Malaysia’s first corner for students in the 1970s.’

I had in my previous posting related on the day that I witnessed the launch of the original Speaker’s Corner of MU in the 65/66? session. (the acronym of University of Malaya is invariably written as ‘UM’ but students then fondly referred to it as ‘MU’. I’m not sure now, has it changed? )

The Speaker’s Corner at MU was reintroduced/relaunched/reestablished/reinstated, what-have-you, yesterday Jan 26, 2010. How you state it is not important. The point is, it is back and not anywhere too soon!

It was officiated through the gracious presence of the Dy Minister of Higher Education YB Datuk Saifuddin Abdullah (who lamented the fact that he did not get a chance to participate before as it was then under wraps, with compliments of the University and University Colleges Act (UUCA) 1971).

Interestingly enough, Ms Shah Rizul Ayuni Zulkiply 23, took to the mike so to speak (mega-phone in this instance) minutes after when it was ‘open to the floor’ expounding ‘women’s power’ – 'on the role of female student leaders and the need to acknowledge their leadership qualities’

A former secretary of the MU’s Students’ Union, she said ‘the Speakers’ Corner was a good avenue for her to explain how female student leaders could complement their male counterparts.’ – good for her! Certainly this would not be the last we hear of her.

This a far cry from before when lady students were largely spectators to be ogled at and not heard! Times have changed, certainly for the better.


P.P.S (submitted Feb 02,2010) The Sunday Star of Jan 31, featured a news item and picture of Tan Sri Dr. Adam Kadir (ex-Senate President) leafing through past issues of Mingguan Malaysia where he had written in his column about the launching which was confirmed as June 15, 1966.

In The Nick of Time

The Star of Jan 22, 2010 carried a news item captioned ‘Heroes recount how they saved 9’ It told of the heroic exploits of two rescuers, Saiful Azhar and fisherman Yeoh Lai Pin relating to the Dragon Boat tragedy on Jan 17 in Penang.

In the said incident, 5 students and their teacher were drowned during training for a boat race. It was a sad outcome to what was intended to be just a sporting event. We feel for the concerned families in their hour of bereavement.

I am reminded of an incident many years ago, not quite similar, but also revolved around a water activity - a white water rafting downstream. I had mentioned about wanting to narrate about this episode in a previous posting.

This happened during the Kelantan River Expedition. We were (Putras of RMC) on our Hari Raya Break (crazy) from Feb 23 till Mar 03, 1963. There were altogether about 20 of us, averaging 18 years of age and a teacher-in-charge (‘ call me Gopala M.K.’)

On the way after leaving Gemas in the wee hours of the morning (Gemas was a hub of train change-over to the East Coast leaving @ 0200hrs?) excitement was in the air. Even though we were in the berth section of the 2nd class coach most were wide awake. Some were engrossed in empty talk listening to OP Aziz expounding his theories of a social-democrat in readiness of him going into politics (to the sceptical comments of Mr Gopala, who must be thinking ‘why politics?’ when we should be bothered with maths, geography, history etc).

It was much to the awe of those young minds around (who must be thinking OP Aziz was way ahead of his time) and to the consternation of the ticket checkers (who kept coming to our section), insisting the booked berth coaches were out-of-bounds to the 3 s.y.ts from MWTC/ Tun Fatimah? who were without seats (being pre-Hari Raya rush) but invited in for a yarn by you-know-who!)

We were slated to go downstream from Manek Urai, in the upper reaches of the Kelantan river to Kota Bharu a distance of about 80km. It would take about 1 hr by road presently. We covered it in 3 days then, an enjoyable 3 days with all the excitement and drama thrown in.

When we arrived at Manek Urai there were 2 rafts all ready, waiting for us, made up of bamboos all nicely lashed up together. OP Wan Ghani had arranged for everything. (That we were told. When we later arrived in Pasir Pekan at the end of the journey, he had the whole group for lunch at his house. Great guy!).

We only had to further improvise the rafts by having our ‘ponchos’ set up tent-like, to provide cover.Otherwise they were perfect.

(Unlike on the Perak River Expedition later in the year, we had to spend 2 days to build our own rafts out of light wood and bamboo. The bamboos were already felled arranged through Kemunting Camp in Taiping.These were stacked ready in Sauk (of the weapons snatching notoriety, remember?) We loaded them up into the 3-tonners (lorry) and off to Chenderoh Dam to start lashing them and later off downstream when ready – but that’s another story!)

In Manek Urai we broke up into the 2 groups of 10 each to a raft. In my group were OPs Rahman, Mansor ( later Datuk, Dr. who at one time helmed the ITM), Aziz ( later Datuk, Deputy Mentri Besar, Pahang and a 2 term Senator) Mohd Sham (later Datuk , Dr.) Muhamad (later Maj-Gen, Datuk) Syed Mustffa and Ismail ( both joined the Army) yours truly Hank, plus two others I don’t quite remember now.

OP Rahman made himself out to be the skipper and was fortunately accepted readily by everyone. He christened the raft the 'Kon Tiki’ complete with the name written and stuck on a pole atop the ‘poncho’. OP Rahman is a very talented artist ( you still draw and sketch? ) who speaks impeccable Queen's English that you never would realise speaking to a guy from Kelantan (Trengganu?) when he sounds every bit a polished English gentleman!

Kon-Tiki was the raft used by Norwegian explorer and writer Thor Heyerdahl in his 1947 expedition across the Pacific Ocean from South America to the Polynesian islands. It was named after the Inca sun god, Viracocha, for whom 'Kon-Tiki' was said to be an old name. Kon-Tiki is also the name of the popular book that Heyerdahl wrote about his adventures. (see Wikipedia)

It was truly a new experience for me, in fact for all of us. The raft had 2 rudders of long bamboo of about 4m one at each end. Both must be manned by one person each all the time. Both must react immediately at their ends to maneuver out of obstacles, such as floating logs or rocks along the way.

We cooked on the raft. The army-supplied fuel, made up of 2”x 2” pieces of hard candle-like material were used extensively ( 2 of those can cook a mess-tin of rice to be shared by 2 persons) We continued travelling at night keeping away from the banks lest overhanging branches hit us again. It did the first night. The raft shook, the makeshift clothes line was swept away. A PD Green uniform, some T-shirts and undies were lost. It was a frightful moment. It gave us a jolt as what to expect when rafting in the night. Visibility was poor. We could not relate to the river banks so we were not able to see that we were moving even. We only felt that we were moving. We were more careful after that. We kept to the centre and away from the banks. We were lucky it was no more serious than that.

On the next day it happened. It was mid-day. Some were cooking for lunch, while 2 were manning the rudder. We were in the centre of the free flowing waters. The other raft was about 25m downstream, more to our right. Not that far but near enough. It was hot and sunny so it must have been tempting for OP Mohd Sham.

At first he just dipped in and out by the side of the raft. All of a sudden he jumped into the water and swam towards the other raft. I think he did reach it. After exchanging some pleasantries with those on the other raft he jumped back towards us. I only realized it when he was cheered on. It was not going to be easy as he was now going against the current and water flow.

'This is going to be a disaster', I thought to myself. The others didn’t notice that I pulled a life-jacket from the pile next to me and held it in my hands. I made myself ready. I took off my wallet and handed it to someone just in case if I need to jump in.

Sure enough. One minute OP Mohd Sham was smiling happily swimming towards us but the next minute he shouted out loud, ‘help!, help!’ and waving frantically. He was about 15m away. He was exhausted. He was not going to make it.

I got up threw the life-jacket to him. It didn’t reach him. I jumped, swam towards the life-jacket and pulled it as quickly as I could to him. It was in the nick of time! OP Mohd Sham quickly grabbed the life-jacket. If I had been a split second late, it could have been a different story. It was close! We both held on to the life-jacket and inched our way back slowly towards our raft.

Under normal circumstances, when we approach a drowning/struggling person in the water it would be fatal to try and catch hold of him. The person would grab even a floating straw so they say. In a panic state he would grab you even before you reach him and would bring down both together.He would not be in the mood to be nice to you!

The technique is to approach him with both hands bent at 90 degrees at the elbows (with the clenched fists pointing skywards) That was fundamental in the Bronze medallion life-saving training. It could be a life and death thing. The moment the person grabs your wrists, you bring both wrists down into the water with a quick pull. His hold would be broken and he would automatically let go as his head would be bobbing in the water. You then twist him around and catch him under both armpits. It would be easy as he would be disoriented and facing the other way. That’s no way he could grab you. You then softly calm him and pull/swim backwards to safety.

In the case with OP Mohd. Sham I did away with this as I had pushed the life-jacket for him to grab. He didn’t need to grab me. I just had to calm him down after that.

We got onto the raft. The others got to OP Mohd Sham. He was ok. I got my wallet back, went to one corner to change into a dry T-shirt and only then that I realized. I forgot about my pocket diary. It was in my T-shirt pocket when I jumped in. It was still there but all wet. I had jotted some notes about the trip but they were not readily readable anymore. It was ok, that was ok, that was not the problem.

What saddened me most was that I had 2 passport-sized photos plus another slightly bigger one also in the diary and all were damaged. That was what I was sad about, but I didn’t tell anyone of them. One was of mine but the other two were of someone so dear to me then (not a photo of my loving wife, I met my wife years later) The damaged photos were for a long time with me. I dared not tell that someone they were damaged. Anyway they are not with me now. I was very sad then but I have long forgotten about them. We did not keep contact. She is definitely a grandmother by now. I just wonder!

For the next few minutes upon getting up on the raft, I reflected quietly. What if there had been some submerged rocks or floating logs or a crocodile. It frightened me suddenly. What if I had not pulled the life-jacket and held it in my hands minutes before that. What if I had hesitated and not jumped even with the life-jacket in my hands. I dread to think about it.

I only had the personal satisfaction of doing justice to my life saving knowledge, acquired 3 years earlier (which gave me the confidence) I may not have jumped in otherwise.

I was at the Victoria Institution (VI) before RMC. VI is the only school (I stand corrected) with a swimming-pool. Our swimming teacher then was Lim Heng Chek, an Olympian, rare in those days.

I joined a life savings group when I arrived at the RMC in Port Dickson (there was none since then after we moved to Sungei Besi) The beach then was just across the road from us, so training was convenient.

The life-saving test was done in mid-1960 at the Specialist Teacher's Training College pool at Cheras Road, K.L. I remember that. There were just a handful of us, less than 10. One was for an instructor's certificate while the rest were for the Bronze medallion. All got through, yes!

The Kon-Tiki made it on the morning of Feb 26. We berthed at Pasir Pekan across the river from Kota Bharu. We later pitched tent at Pantai Cinta Berahi (now Pantai Cahaya Bulan) for a few days before making our way back to our College on Mar 01.

OP Datuk Dr. Mohd Sham went on for medical studies in Canada? and became a very successful pediatrician while in the govt. He was also very involved in SCAN for many years after that.

The Speakers’ Corner is back!

On Nov 01, 2009, it was reported that the Higher Education Minister Datuk Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin was in favour of reviving the Speakers’ Corner in the various universities.

“It would train the students to think and be creative. They can say anything on any topic but they must be responsible for them when they speak,” he said.

On Jan 15, 2010, Datuk Seri Mohamed Khaled did one better. He kept to his word and even found the time to graciously officiate at the launch of the first Speakers’ Corner this time around, at the UKM. It is located behind the Tun Sri Lanang Library at the main Bangi campus.

This is certainly a progressive gesture from the govt. Earlier on, the Speakers’ Corner at the University of Malaya (MU) was a casualty prompted by restrictive provisions imposed under the University and University Colleges Act (UUCA)1971.

I can recollect the launch of that first ever Speakers’ Corner at the MU in the mid-sixties. I was there to witness it. I don’t quite remember when. It was sometime during the 66/67 session I think! ( I stand corrected)

It was a fine day. It was at the patch of greenery just across the road from the Arts Concourse next to the Library. There were a few long benches and students would take a breather or a quick puff at that place before continuing the dreary ‘pastime’ of sitting in the library again.

Suddenly Thili and Ravi appeared. I was n’t sure how they came. It was something not expected. They could have alighted from a car which I didn’t really notice. Thili was covered from head to toe (obviously to create a mysterious entry) and slowly led by Ravi. No fanfare, no trappings of a formal launch,no dignitary invited,no ribbon-cutting,nothing! Nothing to indicate a historic event in the making.

The only thing different was the way Thili was dressed. He was loosely wrapped around in white akin to a Roman toga (made up of dhoti and bedsheets it seemed) Ravi led Thili to one of the benches after which Thili quickly pulled off the cloak covering him and proceeded to speak.

He came as ‘Prometheus? a character in Greek mythology who was bound with an iron chain to a mountain in Scythia named Caucasus for thirty thousand years’ who was now unchained and free to speak' (see Wikipedia)

That was how the Speakers’ Corner was launched through the initiatives of Thili and Ravi (theirs were the faces seen) but there could have been others .

It was a tame affair when it happened which caught many by surprise. Some even thought it was a joke initially. It picked up momentum through the years and became an institution until it was caught under the stringent measures of the UUCA that finally signalled its demise.

Dato Dr R.Thillainathan (aka Thili) is a friendly guy always with a smile reserved for you. He went on to become an acclaimed Economist (First Class Hons. in MU and a Ph.D from LSE )and later carved out a brilliant career in banking and in Genting Berhad where he is currently on the Genting Berhad board as a Non- Independent Non-Executive Director.

Ravi read History, and according to unsubstantiated reports went to the US where he met up again with Prof Silverstine (who was an American Visiting Professor in History in 65/66) Ravi was a karate exponent who coached students at the campus. One day he came with his forearm in cast, and a little finger broken, (kicked by accident during karate practice - such dedication! ) Apparently his karate prowess proved good enough for him to be made an instructor in the US Army (with the help of Prof Silverstine) If these reports were true he should have easily been given a Green Card and should be a US citizen by now.

So much for the digression. Let’s look at the Speakers’ Corner again.

‘A Speakers' Corner is an area where public speaking is allowed. The original and most noted is in the north-east corner of Hyde Park in London, England. Contrary to popular belief, there is no immunity from the law, nor are any subjects proscribed, but in practice the police tend to be tolerant…’(see Wikipedia)

The ‘resurrection’ of the Speakers’ Corner in campus here is like a breathe of fresh air, but it has to happen. It was timely that it did. More so things are different now with the advent of the internet and cyber-space. In fact it is better! I would expect speeches at the Speakers’ Corner to be more responsible and more matured than what we get in blogosphere.

Blogosphere has its inherent drawbacks. In our pursuit of transparency, freedom to speak and non-interference we had unnecessarily opened a Pandora’s box of base writings and comments. Articles and comments have such leeway that they are often abused most dastardly. It is the law of the jungle again so to speak. It is a free for all, no holds barred, anything goes.

The comments especially are often blasphemous, crude, encroaching on lese-majeste, with elements of slander and libel freely thrown around, rumours stated as facts, with a distinct anti-establishment approach, finger pointing and profanity. Talking of profanity, I just don't see how the inclusion of the F-word for instance,in an article or comment, can make them any better to read.

It is more indicative of not just anger but maybe a deprived childhood and injustice experienced for those who are smart. And for those few who are just unfortunate not to have a good command of English, they try hard to participate with crude language and swear words to cover up their weakness. All these negative traits and experiences they unwittingly reveal to the whole world to see and make judgement of their person from their writings - which is not that smart a thing to do!

How is it possible. Why this is so? Anonymity that’s why. It gives a false sense of courage to those who are otherwise timid.Being anonymous in blogosphere apparently is like being given a licence to make irresponsible comments, racial slurs and to tell blatant lies.It gives a sense of power not available before.

The abuse of the the privilege of free speech is just unbearable. Many seem to forget their ISP particulars can easily be traced. Maybe if a few can be made as an example of ( as in the case of the 3 school boys and Mr Brown in S’pore years ago who were brought to book within 3 days), I’m sure these irresponsible elements will turn around and can exercise self-regulation and self-restraint on their own after that without any form of punishment nor any monitoring necessary from the authorities.

That is why I have high hopes and expectations in the Speakers’ Corner. The speakers are bodily seen standing right in front of you. He couldn’t hide under anonymity to cover his cowardice like what we get in blogosphere.

Malacca and the ‘Eye on Malaysia’

                                                                           Attribution: Capt (RMN) Tajudin Yahya
Image: Hank's autograph diligently kept by Tajudin
(Thadj) all these years alluding to the sojourn in Singapore

There were some ‘hiccups’ relating to the ‘Eye on Malaysia’ in Malacca. The 60m Ferris wheel (located at the estuary of the Malacca River at Taman Kota Laksamana) was brought to Malacca to help boost tourism in the state. It had dominated the local skyline and was very popular with the crowd. However, only a few days ago, on Jan 07, its services had been stopped, owing to some disputes on its running.

What a shame. We were in Malacca barely 3 weeks ago during the school holidays. It was a long vacation period and Malacca offered a variety of ancient and modern, old and new, a balance uniquely absent in the other states. The kids (read: grandchildren) had an enjoyable time, but what a shame and we felt bad about it.

They could not get to go on the Eye on Malaysia, that’s why. They were beaten to it. A bus-load of ‘local’ tourists made it before us and there was a crowd building up.

I had a hard time persuading them with a ‘we’ll ride on it the next time’. I reasoned with a ‘it would not go anywhere and we are here in K.L. barely a few hours away’ kind of answer. I’m really not so sure now.

I remember many years ago when we were at the Circus World in Tampa, Florida the Ferris wheel was a much bigger one. It was early December and sunny Florida was pleasant. We were early and there was no crowd. The kids (read: children) made a bee-line for it.

It was a great ride. We had the added privilege of being right at the top when it stopped. Apparently it was made to stop for a few minutes for us to take the view, - what a breath-taking view it was!

Shadah, my wife sitting beside me, just shut her eyes. It was pretty cold up there. We were seated but we were just dangling. Adura and Hafidz in the seat in front were waving happily to us both when it stopped. Shadah kept shouting ‘look in front, look in front, stop waving!' She was concerned, their seat was swinging. I could only murmur ‘brr….brr…’ in the cold even though it was sunny ( Shadah had opened her eyes eventually). The skyline up there was just fantastic and she had to see it. The panorama, all around was as far as the eye could see, bluish in the distance and glaringly bright in front.

Malacca had changed very much though. The old road from Seremban winding through Alor Gajah to Malacca Town (now a city) is now not recognizable anymore. Instead, it is now a smooth highway (two-lanes on each side) smooth, if not for the 17? traffic light junctions we have to go through before we reach the city.

I remembered it well because I had to go to Paya Rumput along that old Alor Gajah road. It was way back in December ’62. We had just sat for our OSC/FMC exam (equivalent to the present SPM). I had to look for OP Tajudin (aka Thadj) in Malacca. A chance meeting with OP Hamdan just before I boarded the bus at the Kuala Pilah bus station saved the day. OP Hamdan told me ‘you go to Paya Rumput, that’s where he stays’

(OP Hamdan currently has a restaurant in Taman Tun Dr Ismail - it is the
Nutri Saji Caterer Enterprise at No. 25, Lorong Dato Sulaiman 7, TTDI 60000, KL. Check 
it out Hamdan 014-338 4331)

Before leaving the College (RMC) back to our hometown for the school holidays, we both had broached the idea about hitch-hiking to S’pore but there were no details discussed. We agreed on the date for one thing but could not meet before we left for home (we were left with no phone numbers nor our addresses) I had to look for Thadj and see whether it was still on. Those were the care-free days of teen-agers, brash and rash without any thoughts of danger and pain.

I told my late Dad before I left for Malacca that ‘if I don’t go I’ll be back tonight otherwise I’ll be in Spore’. I took the bus, told the conductor to press the bell when we reach Paya Rumput, got down, knocked on the door of the nearest house and was told Thadj’s house was barely 50 yards up the road.

I was very, very lucky indeed. Thadj could have been anywhere in Jasin or Merlimau or Durian Daun or whatever. And there was no mobile phone to talk of ! We took so much risks when we were young. I just wonder how my late Dad took it.

In any case, his worries were cushioned by the fact that we RMC ‘budak boys’ were not anywhere at home most of the time during our ‘term breaks’. We normally partake in many ‘expeditions’ all independently organized by certain groups of like-minded boys. There may be a few at one time. One may be in a group up ‘climbing Gunung Tahan’, another ‘white water rafting’ down river (I was in both the Perak River ( here) and Kelantan River (here) expeditions) or at Annual Camps somewhere or a cultural visit to the East Coast or just trudging along with Thadj to S’pore, anywhere else but home. (the following year in '63 I was hiking with Jamaludin to Penang)

We had a few advantages other school boys didn’t have. Training and logistics. Thrown anywhere in the Malaysian jungle, we could survive through military warfare and map-reading skills for which we were trained.

The logistics in terms of transport and equipment were all there for the asking. Military 3-tonners (lorries) transported us to Chenderoh Dam for the start of the Perak River expedition. OP Zubir through his father's efforts, picked us up with a chartered bus at Teluk Anson (Teluk Intan now) 7 days after and dropped us at the railway station. We were issued warrant tickets (train tickets to and fro) to Manek Urai, somewhere in the ulu, for the start of the Kelantan River expedition and picked up at Kota Bahru at the end of it, 8 days after.)

In all instances before proceeding on any expeditions, we were issued through the Quartermaster, (the Q), the packed rations. These were the same military rations of rice, tinned food, biscuits etc, a ‘poncho’ each,which doubles as a tent and rain-coat, a dhurry ( a thick and colourful 2.5 ftx7 ft sleep-ons, haversacks, water bottles and pills ( one, an anti malarial ‘paludrine’ to be taken every day and the other, to neutralize river water to make it palatable in taste and safe to drink) Sure enough, our Dads were not unduly worried. We were prepared and well equipped.

My late Dad was confident and I was also, especially in the river expeditions as I was a Bronze medallion life-saver (there was a life threatening episode which I’ll relate in a later posting)

So much for the digression. Now back to Thadj.

I walked up the road, knocked on the door, and Thadj was there, smiling widely. ‘It is on, right? I asked. A very decisive ‘yes!’ was the reply.

A little bit of rest, a little bit of snacks and off we went. ‘ Don’t forget to visit your sister, in S’pore,’ his mother reminded us, ‘and send our regards!’ That was good advice. We had no where else to stay otherwise, anyway.

With haversacks on our backs, with a little bit of cash ( I don’t remember how much) and an address in Clementi Estate, Pasir Panjang, S’pore, we walked out from Thadj’s house. It was mid-morning and pretty hot as we happily trudged along.

We had covered quite a fair distance and sweating. We were on the road towards Muar. I did not verbalise to Thaj but my thoughts then were, ‘would any one pick us up? Not in this heat. And we, teen-agers, fit and healthy would sweat like nobody’s business.’

While lost in thoughts we just leisurely plod on. Suddenly a red open-top sports-car screeched to a halt nearly hitting us.(was it a Triumph Spitfire?) Driven by a young Caucasian/European, it was just God-sent - he offered us a lift. I squeezed into the narrow backseat. It was so narrow that I had to face only one direction ,to the right, without much free movements. Thadj was ok. He was in the front passenger seat.

We were just plain lucky. A sports car. A million to one chance. The wind just swept over us and we were sweaty no more, plainly not offensive to the driver. I later asked Thadj ‘how come the European knew we wanted a lift’. Thadj said, ‘I don’t know. I just raised my right hand to cool off my armpit and he stopped.’ He said something to that effect in not so many words. I didn’t want to argue with that, it was too good for us, anyway.

The European took us right through to S’pore. There was no passport necessary then, no immigration, it was a breeze. ( I wonder if anyone would stop for hitch-hikers these days)

We arrived in S’pore sometime late in the evening. I remember we stayed at Thadj’s sister’s house. I’m a bit hazy now on what we did in S’pore. I remember for a fact though that we went to Abdullah’s house for lunch one day.

I met Abdullah when we attended the Outward Bound School (OBS) in Lumut the previous year. We both obtained 'Merit Awards' as all others (Incidentally OP Ling Leong Sik is the only budak boy to have obtained an 'Honours Award' in the history of the OBS)

Abdullah was one of 2 cadets from S’pore. His pretty elder sister was such wonderful company then, and she suggested many places for us to visit. Her husband, Ungku, a talented footballer, (who kept goal for the state of Johore team?) was also there.

Abdullah was initially in the S'pore Armed forces but later switched and joined our Malaysian army and rose to the rank of a Major-General that came with a Datukship. OP Tajudin became a naval officer and rose to the rank of an RMN Captain.

The Burj Khalifa

The Burj Dubai is renamed or has been officially named as the Burj Khalifa at its inauguration on Jan 04, 2010. It is in honour of the present ruler of Abu Dhabi, a neighbouring sheikhdom. Abu Dhabi and Dubai are 2 of the six sheikhdoms that make up the United Arab Emirates (UAE)

Dubai was indebted to Abu Dhabi for coming to its rescue with the much needed 10 billion dollars to bail out its troubled property developer Nakheel, (a subsidiary of Dubai World, a government outfit)late last year.

What better way to show its appreciation than to have the Burj named after the Abu Dhabi’s ruler, Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan (who is also the President of the UAE)

At the inauguration, the closely guarded secret of the height of the Burj Khalifa was also revealed. It is now officially at 828m high, the highest free-standing structure in the world.

Let’s have it again in comparison with others:

1. The Burj Khalifa - Dubai 828m

2. Taipei 101 - Taiwan 508m (world’s tallest since 2004)

3. Shanghai World Financial Centre - China 492m

4. Petronas Twin Towers - Malaysia 452m (world’s highest Twin Towers)

5. Willis Tower - Chicago 442m (the previous Sears Tower)

6. World Trade Centre - N.York 415m (before the 9/11 2001, attack)
(The Freedom Tower being planned for the 9/11 ground zero site will rise 541m when completed possibly in 2013)

While the Petronas Twin Towers is the 4th highest free-standing structure, it is still the highest Twin Towers in the world.

While an awesome Burj Khalifa stands tall, we have to be mindful of the ‘Skyscrapers’s Index’ which had also been unflatteringly referred to as the ‘Skyscraper’s Curse’ by some quarters. The observation conceived by Andrew Lawrence, suggested that the completion of skyscrapers may herald in an economic crisis as what Dubai is facing now.

High rise buildings would result in an era of economic slow-down as evidenced with the Empire State Building to the 30’s Great Depression, the Sears Tower and World Trade Centre to the Oil Crisis of '74, Petronas Twin Towers to the '97 Asian Financial Crisis and the Burj Khalifa to the current Dubai economic meltdown.

If this is so, then brace ourselves for we have not seen the worst as yet. In the pipeline are a number due for completion, i.e. Saudi Arabia's Abraj Al-Bait tower in 2011, the Freedom Tower at ground zero in 2013, China's Shanghai Tower in 2014, Korea'a Incheon Tower in 2015 and a few others in Russia and other parts of China.

Are we going to see a slew of economic downturns of countries in the not too distant future. Is it in the offing. Can we take it when it comes?

So be it!

The Burj Dubai

The Burj Dubai, at 818m (or 824m? ) the tallest free-standing structure in the world by Emaar Properties of Dubai will be inaugurated tomorrow, Jan 04, 2010 (construction had begun on Sept 21, 2004)

The date Jan 04, 2010 is specifically chosen to mark the fourth anniversary of the accession to the throne of Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum as the Ruler of Dubai.

The exact height of the Burj Dubai is still subject to speculation as it is being kept confidential only to be made known by Emaar after the inauguration. However, it surpassed the two previously held records of:

1) a TV mast (held by the KVLY-TV mast in Blanchard, North Dakota),at 629m and
2) the tallest free-standing structure, (previously held by the Toronto’s CN Tower) at 553m

Other high-rise buildings are not anywhere near it.

Two local dailies carried a news item on the Burj Dubai, one yesterday and the other this morning (there may be others that I may have missed, though). It is therefore superfluous to repeat all of the record breaking numbers associated with the Burj Dubai, which are many and are very intriguing to say the least.

Among them which make for quick reference are the:

Highest number of storeys in the world
Highest occupied floor in the world
Highest outdoor observation deck in the world
Elevator with the longest travel distance in the world
Tallest service elevator in the world and many others.

This is apart from other superlatives heard before on Dubai, i.e. the biggest building, the biggest Mall, the largest airport, the tallest hotel, (the Burj Al Arab, the only 7-star hotel in the world) and the richest horse race (leave it to the Arabs).

There is however one significant item (though mentioned elsewhere before) that needs mentioning again. It is the Malaysian connection, which should be a shining example of our rallying call of ‘Malaysia Boleh’. It is the direct involvement of Eversendai, a Malaysian company associated with steel structure construction.

Eversendai Corporation, had its beginnings in the high-rise building construction of the then Dayabumi in K.Lumpur. This was followed with strings of jobs through the years locally and in Singapore until they landed the ‘biggie’, the steel works for the Petronas Twin Towers. When the Koreans through the primary builder the South Korean Samsung Engineering & Construction, (who also built the Taipei 101 and the Petronas Twin Towers) were awarded the Burj Dubai, they naturally brought in Eversendai and renewed the relationship again.

According to Datuk A.K. Nathan, the Group MD as quoted by Bernama last year, “ the final 260m of the soaring tower was an all-steel structure, and Eversendai had the privilege of putting it up successfully. In fact, we're the first company in the world to have worked above 700m. No one in the world has worked above this height,"

Can you beat that?

Serina – The Darling Daughter of Chef Wan

Image:1 Mdm Christine O’Luanaigh, the mum-in-law
who was about to place the ring on Serina's finger.

Image:2 Serina, the ever so beautiful,
elegant and charming bride

Image:3 Serina and her beau,
now husband and wife

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Postcript: The 3 photos below were inserted on Sept 17th, 2010 to announce the birth of Serina's baby. It’s a boy! Actress Serina gave birth to a baby boy on Monday, Sept 13th 2010 at the Prince Court Medical Centre, Kuala Lumpur. Baby is named Tristan Tareef O'Luanaigh ( ‘Tareef’ means ‘out of the ordinary’ ) Baby at 51cm and weighing 2.85kg arrived at 1813hrs ( 6.13pm )
Datuk Chef Wan confirmed both mum and baby were fine, and in the best of health!

Image:4 . The Cute Little One,
Tristan Tareef O'Luanaigh

Image:5 . The Proud Gramps,
a Beaming Datuk Chef Wan

Image:6 . The Family Sharing
The Happy Moment

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

It’s been in the news in recent days. Serina the talented and ever beautiful actress is tying the knot. This is further confirmed in a local daily this morning. There was a write-up with an accompanying snap-shot outlining the various related ceremonies tonight and tomorrow morning right up to the bersanding slated for the evening of Jan 02, 2010.

The picture ( please see above) captured a beaming Serina, resplendent in a daring pure white bridal fashioned dress, with an equally proud father, Chef Wan, next to her and a happy Mdm Christine O’Luanaigh, the mum-in-law, who was about to place the ring on her finger.

I only know about Serina from what I see in the press and from what I hear from the news from time to time. What I want to relate about is more of her father, the internationally acclaimed celebrity chef, Chef Wan. It is a leaf from the pages of history, a moment in time, not too long ago.

I first met Redzuawan Ismail a.k.a. Chef Wan sometime in the late ‘70s. He was then a teenager just out of school. I happened to visit Lokman his uncle in Taman Tun Dr Ismail. Lokman was my house-mate during our student days at the University of Malaya. Later, Lokman was sent overseas and came back with an M.Sc. in Economics and was attached to the Forestry Dept.

It was normal then that those who were successful were held in high esteem and in awe by close relatives as role models. It was no exception for Lokman. He in turn was always there to give a helping hand even financially, I was told later. He would have his relatives and nephews at odd times in his house.

That night, Lokman and his wife persuaded us to stay on for dinner. It was quite normal and acceptable in our society, to be persuaded to stay on and we were equally expected to accept graciously. Nowadays, however,with a more hectic pace of modern living, it is more practical and to be fair to the host that one gets to take dinner only after having made and agreed through with prior arrangements. We, my loving wife Shadah and our little darling daughter Azlin Adura, stayed on for dinner.

After dinner, while having coffee in the lounge, I had commented to Lokman that it was such a wonderful dinner.It was the best home-cooked dinner I've had in a long, long time. I complimented Lokman’s wife for having whipped up that one very good dinner in a jiffy, only to be told it was not her.

Only then did Lokman tell us, and he called out for Wan from the kitchen. ‘Wan’ in the Negri lingo is how one would address a grandma or an old lady. I had expected an old lady when a fresh-faced and innocent-looking young man walked in, the ‘great and lovable Chef Wan’ then, just a teenager came over to us.

He straight away went into a chatty discourse of what he did in the kitchen, of the various dishes that we had and how he helped out with his mum at home in Pahang - just as his chatty self on TV in later years. Even at that tender age he was already at it, his great cooking and his happy self.

Would you have imagined it? We, my wife and I and my darling daughter had savoured Chef Wan's culinary expertise even before the whole world had an even chance of knowing about it. Let alone tasting it. Isn't that something!

We later got into talking about job opportunities in the bank where I was. I was then heading the Human Resource Dept and the bank was expanding and we needed personnel at all levels.

I talked to Wan, Lokman also talked to Wan. Wan agreed to give it a shot. Later, Wan went through the various formalities and joined our bank as one of our staff members. Whenever I occasionally bumped into him at the bank then, he would call out ‘uncle, uncle’ and he would chatter away with something or other. He was always his merry self.

I do not remember how long Wan was with us. I only knew later that he went for further studies in Australia and the rest as they said, is history.

Some few years ago when his interview was featured in one of our local dailies (or tabloid?) Chef Wan who was already well known then, alluded to the episode when narrating his life story. He said that ‘after school, he left Pahang and stayed with his uncle Lokman in K.L. Through his uncle’s friend he got a job in a bank or something to that effect. When I read it, it really made my day. It showed his sincerity in acknowledging it when it may be just a moot point easily forgotten.

Chef Wan, you did extremely well for yourself. I am so proud of you. All the very best for the future from Uncle Hank.

You must also be so proud of your daughter. Wishing them also the best, Serina Redzuawan and Salahudin Ghafar O'Luanaigh ‘Selamat Pengantin Baru’ and may all your dreams come true!


Postcript:  

On 1st Feb 2010, Chef Wan was conferred with the
Panglima Mahkota Wilayah by the DYMM Yang Di
Pertuan Agong which carries the title Datuk.

Chef Wan is to be officially addressed henceforth as
Datuk Redzuawan Ismail

August 14, 2010 at 10:57 PM