It is All Over! I am a New Self and I’m Single!

The Tiger Cub


The Champ in the Making


A Youthful Amateur Champ


With his Father, the Late Earl Woods


With his Beloved Son, 18 month old, Charlie


THe Classic One Wood Tee-Off


The Classic Follow -Through


Hear Ye, Listen Up!


Shh....I'm Single and I'm Back!


The good news is (if it can be considered good news) is that Tiger Woods has put everything behind him. His marital problems have now been resolved. His divorce has been finalized. The settlement amount has been agreed upon and matters relating to visiting rights for his children ( 3 year old girl, Sam and 18 month old boy, Charlie) have now been determined.

Tiger the numero uno of golf has seen the worst. His position threatened, his game on the low, his swing coach no more with him, he missed the cut in a recent tournament and his home life shattered.

What is there then for him? A lot! What is his future now? Great! How is his golf going to fare? Interesting! Yes, He was down but not out. The only way to go is up.

We look forward to good things and good news coming from the Tiger camp. He has to. He has to prop up his game and win tournaments. This will show to the world that he is now a new man, a new player going into his old self. Show those who withdrew his endorsements before ( a lucrative USD120mil ) that he is of sterner stuff. He need not go back to them or rather they need not bother him now. He does not need them. He can get others. There are so many other products that could do with his magical touch.

The only thing he needs to do now is to win tournaments and he has that opportunity at the Barclays this week where he is playing ( The Barclays Classic at Ridgewood Country Club, Paramus, New Jersey, 26 – 29 Aug 2010)

What a turn around! From early reports, we are seeing what we used to see before, that Tiger is jointly leading the pack! His first round score is 65, which is his best this year. Now the old Tiger is on the prowl again!

Give him space, he needs it. Tiger from now on remember, the only way to go is up. Others have problems too, marital problems, still simmering, and not in the open.

You are now done with it! You’re now single! We crave for good golf. You are there to provide it. We crave to see the maroon T-Shirt leading the pack as before! Go for it!

Hari Raya Cards – A tribute to KJ

The First Hari Raya Card received this Year from OP KJ




For Your Valuation Needs OP KJ is at Tel : 603-2698-5522, email : wmmkj@wmmkj.com



Today, the 12th day of Ramadhan I received my first Hari Raya Card ( the equivalent of a Christmas card for the Christian faith)

This card is special! It comes from KJ. No. not that other KJ but OP KJ. OP KJ has always been the 1st to send, nobody else beats him to it. It is special because OP KJ has been sending me a Hari Raya Card for the past 30 over years, I think. I don’t really recollect, may be more.

To be sure when was the 1st one, it should relate to the day OP KJ first joined W.M. Malik and Lee. That year would have been the first Hari Raya Card that I would have received from OP KJ. I’ve been receiving it every year ever since – faithfully without fail!

‘Thanks OP KJ!. Before retirement I had acknowledged your card with a similar card from the Bank . However, since retirement, I had replied with a commercially printed card a couple of times but not in recent years. Apologies for the missed replies of recent years.’

Since the card is from the company I would immediately detect the progress of OP KJ in the company from the name change of the company’s name. It is now W.M Malik and Kamaruzaman, meaning OP KJ is now a Senior Partner of the company. This change has been there for quite some while.

Likewise from the card I could also detect OP KJ’s progress at home. It was first signed with just KJ and Asmah Ibrahim, a wonderful couple! However now, it includes Fadli, Hairi, Aizat, Faez & Zulqarnain.

‘Keep it up buddy! You are not alone with only boys! It is ok!’

Great! OP KJ has now lined up his potential golf partners for many years to come.

Note: The card I received today has the old address. However, we are still in the vicinity and the postman is aware of both addresses. I will email my current address forthwith to you.

While still on the subject, I notice that a Hari Raya Card is now a rare commodity. We used to send out hundreds of specially printed cards to our Bank customers and received a fair share in return. Most would have been received during Ramadhan but there were odd ones also that came after Hari Raya.

This was the culture then. A card is sent out for every festive occasion every year, be it Hari Raya, Chinese New Year, Divali and Christmas. If that's not all there were also Season’s Greetings for the New Year together with the accompanying New Year Diary. But not anymore!

Nowadays, the culture has changed greatly. We now receive and send out text messages via the ubiquitous mobile phones. It is sure to reach, it is at real time, convenient and cheap. It can do wonders for communication ( audio/text/cyberspace) images (photos and video) music, time management and some others in the pipeline. Yes, the computer geeks will come up with something new all the time.

The mobile phone has certainly revolutionized our lifestyles in more ways than one!

As for me I’ll still await for the Hari Raya Card from OP KJ every year. There will be a time when it would most probably be the only Hari Raya Card that I would ever receive for the year!

How Safe is it?

I did not think much of an episode that happened about 2 weeks ago until I saw a news item this morning about a 'Gated Community' guidelines.

I was parked by the road-side in front of the Standard Chartered Saadiq and Public Bank in Taman Tun Dr Ismail ( TTDI ). It was around 1530hrs (3.30pm ) and there were people in the streets. I was just reading an old magazine in between one of my ‘errands’. The car windows were wound down half way and traffic was moving from behind me and passed me by.

Suddenly, a man peeked in at the left car window and mumbled about something to me. He was smiling all the while.He showed his hand-phone, mentioned something that sounds like ‘no money’. His language didn’t sound English or Bahasa and it was garbled. He looked like Chinese but did not sound like one ( more like one of these foreign workers or something) My worry then was that it was just a ploy to make me open the car door.

Mentioning hand-phone and no money sounded weird. Was he trying to sell his hand-phone or what. Nobody sells hand-phones on the streets, watches, may be yes but not hand-phones. I thought it was odd. I just said thank you and waved him away. He was still smiling when he walked away. I didn’t think anything just glad he didn’t insist but just watched him walked past.

He then walked to the car parked in front of mine, a Kancil. He peeked in like he did before. Suddenly he froze. He was not smiling anymore. He hesitated. The car driver made a move to get out of his car. That was when the man bolted. He tried to cross the road, a van screeched past nearly knocking him. He then retreated and ran through between the parked cars to the shophouses. He must have been really terrified of the Kancil driver.

The driver in the meantime switched his car on and started the chase in his car. He was lucky traffic stopped for the red light behind us. He sped off unimpeded. I had also wanted to join in the fun and started my car to follow but I couldn’t. The traffic light behind me turned green and cars started speeding by me again.

What was that all about? The man had met the Kancil driver before? Yes, definitely yes, otherwise he shouldn’t have bolted. But what were the circumstances?

That’s the point! They must have met before but not on the best of terms. The man could have been a criminal, snatch thief, a gangster, swindler an along debtor or any shady character. The Kancil driver could have been a policeman, a gangster ( of a rival gang) a victim or an along debt collector or anybody at all. At that point of time they both recognised each other and desired to settle scores straightaway.

One time not too long ago, a woman driver who stopped by the roadside was slashed by 3 hoodlums on motor-cycles. The same trio apparently had terrorized those walking to the shops, brandishing parangs and robbing them. There were occasions fellow motor-cyclists were also robbed at knife-point. All these happened in TTDI, a relatively affluent township.

Some concerned citizens apparently tried to get the grave security situation under control.

This came about lately , may be a few months back, when we were suddenly stopped by security guards manning make-shift barriers when moving around within TTDI. Back-lanes were sealed off much to the chagrin of early morning walkers, joggers, housewives bound for the shops and motorists taking short-cuts.

Will these barriers and security measures ( which appear to be temporary) become permanent features? The need is there but the way these have mushroomed in the various townships and housing estates are causing much inconveniences and frustrations. There must be some form of standard security measures as done for gated communities. This means townships in future ought to be built with such thoughts in mind to avoid half measures which might not be effective.

By a sheer coincidence all is not lost therefor. Am I glad then to see the item in the news today about the cabinet having approved a ‘ Gated Community’ guidelines. It is now being considered by the National Council for Local Govt before implementation.

By doing so we would at least have some semblance of consistency of policies. Otherwise, the developers have been known to include ridiculous items under ‘ security fees’ and the rates being charged were exorbitant to say the least and varied so much between communities.

The Year After And The Sovereign’s Parade 1961

Image:1  The 'G' Coy 1961. The Company Commander Capt Jim Bradley and Company Tutor En Azman (seated from left 4th and 6th respectively)

Image:2 The DYMM the Deputy Yang DiPertuan Agong ( the then DYMM Sultan of Trengganu ) inspecting the Guard of Honour

Image:3 The DYMM the Dy Yang DiPertuan Agong taking the Royal Salute

Image:4 March Past in Slow March by the Junior Cadets

Image:5 The March Past by the Boys Following Closely behind the Cadets

Image:6 March Past in Quick Time by the Senior Cadets followed closely by the Junior Cadets

Image:7 March Past in Quick Time by the F, G, and H Coys

Image: 8 The Senior Cadets Marched Off as commissioned officers to the strains of the Auld Lang Syne

Image: 9 The DYMM the Dy Yang DiPertuan Agong being taken around the Boy's Wing complex upon completion of the Parade. The entourage was just getting out of the Dining Hall (foreground on the right). In the background is seen the Classroom Block with the QM's office on the ground floor.

Image:10 Some of the guests in front of D Coy.


The Big Move

The Big Move to Sg Besi ( SB ) from Port Dickson ( PD ) went off smoothly without a hitch in April 1961. It was then the First Term school holidays. On the Big Day we found ourselves already up and about in the wee hours of the morning, overly excited bent on the Big Move, the Big Shift to our new home.

The convoy of 3-tonners (the Military lorries) left early in the morning. Heavily ladened these lorries went on a pleasant and somewhat reasonable speed. It must have taken us about 2 hrs, maybe more,,I could not quite recollect. We approached SB town along the old winding Sg Besi road from the south, thus avoiding the city.

There was a tinge of sadness upon realizing that we were going to miss the fresh air and the breeze of the sea in PD. We were earlier briefed that SB was not that much different from what we were used to. The new FMC ( later RMC) was to be at the far end of the huge Field Command of the Armed forces just outside SB town ( a modest tiny town comprising a few rows of shophouses ) We conjured a picture of smog and din, typical of an industrial environment but not so. Industrial SB was there but only along both sides of the road from K. Lumpur before reaching the SB town.

While our new complex was quiet and peaceful it was small consolation as we missed the tranquillity of the seaside and the sea breeze. There were attempts to equate the sea that we missed to the old mining pools that were dotted around but it was futile. We had some semblance of the sea breeze though only because we were situated atop a hill and we had a fair share of a light breeze most times.

Physically the Boy’s Wing was isolated up the hill away from the Cadet Wing down below. We shared some facilities ( the Dewan Templer, the Covered Concourse and the sports field) but otherwise we did not bump into them as often as before ( when we shared also the faculty teaching staff ) Even when we came down to the Administrative Block ( next to the Cadet Wing) to have our hair-cut or encash our cheques we did not get to meet them either.Aside from that, all our other facilities were within easy reach atop the hill

Incidentally, each one of us received a monthly allowance of between RM30 to RM60 (depending on age ). This was the quantum 50 years ago and it was big money then. Some of the more frugal ones were known to regularly send small monthly sums to their parents. There were some moving stories that we knew of poor parents who successfully managed to see through their other siblings with such help.

We could withdraw the stipend through cheques drawn against our accounts at the Paymaster’s Office at our own time ( as long as we had a credit balance) Our cheques styled like any other bank cheque-books were valid at the Paymaster’s Office and nowhere else. It was most convenient as we did not have to queue up every payday to get our money.

Unlike in PD where we were housed in single-storey wooden barracks, in SB we were in 2 blocks of a 4-storey building. The A Block housed the A,B,C, and D Coys (Coy stands for Company) with the A Coy at the top. The B Block housed the remaining 4 Coys ie the E, F, G and H Coys with E Coy at the top. The Dining-Hall and canteen were just in front of the A Block. There were 2 other blocks which housed the Class-rooms, Library, Science Labs, the Administration and the Q ( Quarter Master which supplied the uniforms and military equipment).

All told, the various facilities were within a 50m radius, except for the Dhoby ( Laundry ) which was way down near the sporting field. We sent to the Dhoby all those items supplied to us, our uniforms, comprising the PD Green shirts, long pants, shorts, long green stockings and socks ( what we heard in the later years the Puteras had to do their own washings)

At the Dorm, we were given a Dunlopillo mattress each instead of the ‘coconut husk’ types as in PD before. We had a wardrobe each but no more the 3’x2x1.5’ ‘ heavy green boxes’ to keep our ‘knick-knacks’. In its place, we had a 2-tiered plywood box which was smaller in size but served the same purpose.

The utilities (bathing and toilet facilities) were an improvement in that we now had showers unlike before ( where we used dippers from a big and long cement tub) For those who still preferred ‘dippers’ a smaller tub was still made available for them.

Another big change was in the Prep facility accorded to us.Prep was from 1915hrs(7.15pm) till 2100hrs. In PD Prep was done in the Class-rooms at our own desks and separated from each other. In SB however, Prep was in a big room at the end of the corridor where we had to sit on long benches next to each other with the desks attached to the wall. We got into each other’s way initially but somehow we managed.

In a way the change of location also meant that we had to make a number of adjustments. This was particularly so for those who had experienced PD with its luxury of ‘space’ but found some ‘restrictive’ changes in SB.

We somehow could adjust better as our military training every Saturdays kept us fit and alert. Our week-end and Annual Camps further taught us that adversities and harshness experienced in a jungle environment strengthened our resolve that given any others were considered a luxury. So SB was a luxury, no doubt about it!

The Sovereign’s Parade 1961

The Sovereign’s Parade was to be the closing event every year where the Senior Cadets would receive their commissions from the King, the DYMM Yang DiPertuan Agong in a Passing-Out Parade. It marked their entry into the Armed Forces as a young subaltern officer for a full-time career in the Army, Navy or Air Force. In 1961, the Sovereign's Parade was graced however with the royal presence of the DYMM, the Deputy Yang DiPertuan Agong, the Sultan of Trengganu.

The Giving Pledge

In a show of an alliance of purpose, 2 of the world’s richest came together and showed the world theirs are not just on profit motive mode this time around. There is the compassion of wanting to give back to society what they had been privileged with.

A news report today Aug 06,2010 carried the commitment of Bill Gates and Warren Buffet to donate part of their riches, as much as 50% ( did I hear right?) yes, half of their fortune to charity.

The Giving Pledge was apparently announced 6 weeks ago by both billionaires - that they should think other American billionaires should also emulate them in a similar way.

Within that short space of 6 weeks, both managed to call 70 to 80 of Fortune magazine’s list of over 400 billionaires. It was such an encouraging move. Half of those contacted, ie 40 of them agreed to the worthy cause. It would be a loose arrangement on how the funds are to be channelled with the emphasis for projects on health, education, and the arts.

Almost all of those who agreed were self-made billionaires worth US$1bil or more each (though there are notable ones who had the good fortune of inheriting their riches from their wealthy families)

They comprised among others, Ted Turner ( CNN founder) Michael Bloomberg ( N York Mayor) Larry Ellison ( Oracle founder) George Lucas ( Film Director) and David Rockefeller who inherited the Rockefeller fortune.

The 40 may have on their own been philanthropists all along previous to this. However this time it is going to be a concerted effort where the aggregate will be on a larger scale and enormous.

There was no indication of the amount envisaged nor the distribution ( domestically or to the world at large) But it is not important. What we know is that for the next foreseable future, donations for charity would be enhanced.

Let's take our sights back home. We also have our own 40 Richest Malaysians ( also based on Forbe’s 2010 list) I just wonder if there’s any move towards a similar direction.

According to news reports released by Forbes on May 27, 2010 , they as a group are worth US$51 bil (RM168bil) , up from US$36bil a year ago. They made an additional 42% increase of combined wealth from the previous year spurred by Malaysia's economic expansion. This is matched by the 32% rise in the KLCI and the Ringgit’s 11% gain against the USD over the past 12 months.

A pledge to donate would not therefore cause a dent to their vast fortune. We certainly do not expect them to match the Americans' 50% pledge but just a pledge, maybe.



40 Richest in Malaysia ( as of Feb 17, 2010)

This is the list as published by a local business magazine. The numbers are based on public assets only and are valued in US dollars.

1. Robert Kuok – $10 billion
2. Ananda Krishnan – $7.2 billion
3. Lee Shin Cheng – $5.5 billion
4. Teh Hong Piow – $3.5 billion
5. Lee Kim Hua & family – $3.4 billion
6. Quek Leng Chan – $2.4 billion
7. Yeoh Tiong Lay & family – $2.1 billion
8. Syed Mokhtar AlBukhary – $1.8 billion
9. Vincent Tan – $1.3 billion
10. Tiong Hiew King – $1.1 billion
11. Azman Hashim – $700 million
12. William H. J. Cheng – $660 million
13. Lee Swee Eng – $495 million
14. Ong Beng Seng – $470 million
15. Lim Kok Thay – $345 million
16. Vinod Sekhar – $320 million
17. Lee Oi Hian – $300 million
18. Yaw Teck Seng – $295 million
19. Anthony Fernandes – $290 million
20. Mokhzani Mahathir – $285 million
21. Kamarudin Meranun – $280 million
22. Jeffrey Cheah – $275 million
23. Lee Hau Hian – $250 million
24. Chong Chook Yew – $245 million
25. Yaw Chee Ming – $240 million
26. G. Gnanalingam – $230 million
27. Lim Wee Chai – $200 million
28. Kua Sian Kooi – $195 million
29. Lau Cho Kun – $185 million
30. Abdul Hamed Sepawi – $180 million
31. David Law Tien Seng – $165 million
32. Tiah Thee Kian – $163 million
33. Liew Kee Sin – $160 million
34. Ahmayuddin bin Ahmad – $155 million
35. Eleena Azlan Shah – $150 million
36. Lin Yun Ling – $145 million
37. Ong Leong Huat – $130 million
38. Lim Thian Kiat – $115 million
39. Khoo Kay Peng – $110 million
40. Nazir Razak – $100 million



Forbes' 40 Richest in Malaysia ( as of May 27, 2010)

This is a more recent list published by Forbes. There are some differences between the two presumably owing to changes in the market and of shareholdings.

1. Robert Kuok
2. Ananda Krishnan
3. Lee Shin Cheng
4. Lee Kim Hua
5. Quek Leng Chan
6. Teh Hong Piow
7. Yeoh Tiong Lay
8. Syed Mokhtar AlBukhary
9. Vincent Tan
10. Tiong Hiew King
11. Azman Hashim
12. Lee Oi Hian & Lee Hau Hian
13. Yaw Teck Seng & Yaw Chee Ming
14. Lim Wee Chai
15. William H. J. Cheng
16. Goh Peng Ooi
17. Lim Kok Thay
18. Jeffrey Cheah
19. Anthony Fernandes
20. G. Gnanalingam
21. Kamarudin Meranun
22. Chan Fong Ann
23. Shahril & Shahriman Shamsuddin
24. A.K. Nathan
25. Chong Chook Yew
26. Mokhzani Mahathir
27. Ahmayuddin bin Ahmad
28. Lau Cho Kun
29. Chen Lip Keong
30. Lee Swee Eng
31. Liew Kee Sin
32. Nazir Razak
33. Eleena Azlan Shah
34. Ong Leong Huat
35. Rozali Ismail
36. Kua Sian Kooi
37. Lin Yun Ling
38. David Law Tien Seng
39. Abdul Hamed Sepawi
40. Syed Mohd Yusof Tun Syed Nasir

The Chicken and the Egg

The chicken is here first!


No, the egg is here first!


Which is which now, tell me!


Which came first, the chicken or the egg? This had been the age-old question often times asked but those asking were not really expecting an answer.

It was asked at times of exasperation, when things didn’t work out or when frustrations rein in over something not done well. It never got responded at all with a proper answer. It can even result in unnecessary arguments and disagreements.

In any case which came first, anyway? There was a news feature a few days ago and the question has now been answered. In case you missed it, here goes,

The chicken came first! Yes, the chicken came first.

The logic was - a chicken can lay an egg but not the other way round,
- a chicken can create an egg but not the other way round

Having come to this premise, scientists would then have to provide an answer that is scientifically acceptable. It has to be proven that it is scientifically possible for ‘ a chicken to create an egg shell to prove it was there first’

Researchers at the Universities of Sheffield and Warwick did just that. They said ‘the answer lies in the egg shell itself’. How so? Specifically it was the discovery of a vital role played by a chicken protein in the formation of the egg shell.

Scientists already knew that the protein vocledidin-17 ( OC-17) plays a part in egg shell formation. The breakthrough came only with some new technology that ‘allowed the team to demonstrate how the protein makes it happen’

In a computer simulation:
1. The OC-17 protein acted as a catalyst to create the formation of crystals that make up an egg shell by clamping itself to some calcium carbonate crystals ( an egg shell is made up largely of calcium carbonate, apparently )
2. The OC-17 protein then drops off when the crystal nucleus gets large enough to grow on its own. It frees the protein to start the process all over again.

Egg shells are created when this is repeated many times. So in conclusion the ability of chickens to create egg shells has proven chickens were there first. The chicken came before the egg.

But nary a while , just wait a minute . Somehow it still leaves one nagging question unanswered and it is very perplexing.

Just where did the chicken come from in the first place?

It beats me!

Headlines That Catch the Eye Today

Two items in the news today July 28, 2010 were a bit unsettling while a third was a whiff of a goodness that sent a breath of fresh air to offset the doldrums.

The 1st item had been hogging the limelight even before this, but confined only to one party. But what came today affects the opposing party. It was just out of sych as though it came off a page of ‘Dallas’( am I that ancient?) where the sub plots would go through twists and turns just to sustain the serial.

‘DPP dropped over Saiful link’ the headline screamed! You can never imagine a member of the prosecution team in Sodomy II was revealed to be romantically linked to the main witness. You can never get it more weird or more worst than that. It was just an utter shock!

Never mind, it was an allegation by rogue fugitive RPK in his blog ( a few weeks ago ) or there’s any truth in it and that it involved a junior member of the team , but the govt had to act immediately and rightly so. The person, Farah Azlina Latif who was alleged to be currently dating or having an affair with Mohd Saiful was not only dropped from the team but also transferred out from the AG’s chambers.

This is not something deviously planned with bad intentions ( very unlikely ) It appears ( if true ) to be just an unfortunate, unlucky and a bad coincidence. Tough luck!

On hindsight, Azlina could have refused to be included in the team ( without having to state or give reasons) in the first place. It is just tough luck!

The other was headlined ‘PKA will pay ‘ so said the new Minister of Transport. This is relating to the release of the final payment of RM222.58mil. to be paid to Kuala Dimensi ( KDSB ) the turnkey contractor of PKFZ . The PKA ( Port Klang Authority) board had earlier on refused to make the payment but the Minister (under Sec 3 of the PKA Act 1963) which gave him the power to override the board decision made it happen. This is to meet the bond obligations of KDSB through its special purpose vehicle ( SPV) ) which falls due on July 31, 2010. It goes without saying that failure to meet the bond obligation would rock the bond market which is disastrous to say the least.

It makes you feel sick to know that after all the jiving, mucking and ruckus over the PKFZ issue, KDSB gets its payment. The legal eagles had made certain all the guarantees and safeguards ( favouring the govt ) are in place but what if KDSB couldn’t meet its payment obligations if found in the wrong later on. It would be a long legal battle again on the cards.


Strut your stuff, Ana, we need to see you winning more than just one game in a tournament, any tournament!



The whiff of goodness comes in the form of a pretty Ana Ivanovic , the pin-up girl of tennis in the Sports Section. It showed Ana who won her game in the B.O.W Classics in Stanford, California triumphantly exhibiting her delight to the crowd. Ranked 63rd in the world, she’s not expected to progress far, but still a good thing to know she is still in the game.

Her presence gave life to the sports. The endorsements she gets are more than enough to last her a lifetime. She doesn’t need tennis but tennis needs her. If only she can win more often , then we'll get to see her ‘live’ more often too.

The Neighbourhood Street Party

The MC Wowing the Crowd


Norman and Kimie on Stage, part Of the Merry-Making Kids


The Crowd Queuing Up for the Roast Lamb


Wati and Shadah Helping Themselves


Zaf, Adura and Shadah


Wati, Norman and Kimie


The Queue has Thinned off Now and Looked Relaxed


Together with Mr.and Mrs Gan, our new found Neighbours


Adura and Friends


Oh, the Bashful Little Darling




On Sat Jul 24, 2010 the Resident’s Association of our neighbourhood organised a gathering at the open space next to the Playground.

Previously there were ‘carnivals’ at two different locations around the vicinity of the Clubhouse. This time it was of a smaller scale termed as a ‘street party’. Kudos to the organisers as they did a good job at it.

The idea was to try and get residents to get to know one another on a more informal basis. When we do meet at the Club we tended to either be among those that we know or just together with our family members. A street party managed to break that barrier that allowed us the luxury of mixing around among the crowd.

The idea may appear simple enough but the initiative to initiate one is rarely given priority. The availability of club facilities tended to fill that void so much so that it would seem foreign or inconvenient to organize one. Coupled with modern living, where one tends to keep to oneself, a cool response is always dreaded.

The one organized last Sat had the ingredients of success worked out before hand that left everyone happy. There was food galore and good food prepared. By early evening we could see 5 marinated lambs ready for roasting. The aroma was so overpowering that it had already permeated the air enticing us even before we arrived.

There were no formalities, no speeches. Even though there was a stage erected, the committee members were not seated there but were mingling with the crowd. The MC welcomed us and invited the kids on stage. There was impromptu merry-making on stage with the parents snapping away.

After some pleasantries, we were then invited to sample the food. The array of food available catered for all tastes. The crowd was manageable being a gated community. There were around 500, maybe more. It was a mixed crowd. It comprised young couples with young kids in tow or pushed in prams from the town house, and also elder folks those with older kids and teenagers and grown up kids from the link house, semi-d and bungalows around the vicinity. We were there which otherwise we may not have the opportunity of mixing around freely together.

The Organising Chairman later took the mike from the MC and said a few words off the cuff. The crowd clapped and cheered at the end of it and continued with their food and seeing to the new-found neighbours at the next table. This was one open gathering that the MC had to coax those present to get to the food which was aplenty ( a few were also requested to bring home some to avoid wastage)

It was refreshing, the weather was kind, we met new faces, food was more than enough and everyone enjoyed themselves.

Love is Blind, How True It Is!

She, waits forlornly.....


He, walks out to go home eagerly....


They, in each other's arms longingly.....



There she is, sitting forlornly waiting for her beau. All of her 108-year old thin frame patiently . It had been many months, 12 months and 8 days to be exact. She certainly missed his loving arms to cuddle in. She is an epitome of love and honour rarely seen. Frail in stature but true to her beloved.

There he is walking out from the drug Rehabilitation Centre, Besut a few days ago. He had been in for 12 months and 8 days to be exact. All of his 38-year old self , ever so strong and steady, eagerly in anticipation of his sweetheart.

Love is blind, so it has been said. How true it is!

This couple was featured once before when they got married more than 5 years ago. Their love had to take a backseat for a while when he was sent in. When it happened she had vowed to wait for him.

Now is the moment she waited for!

She is not everything that Paris Hilton is - young, pretty, a socialite and a heiress. May be she has money but not as much as Paris Hilton has, certainly. This was indicated in her appeal that her love be given a job (now that he is out) so that they can set out to plan for the future.

Love is blind, it certainly is. This may be an extreme case but certainly it has lots of love elements than that of wealth elements to set things going.

What we are used to seeing is the other way around. He, a dashing, good looking, monied businessman ( complete with a nicely trimmed moustache may be) middle aged, a Datuk or an MP leading a pretty sweet young thing ( syt ) in tow, a singer or an actress both beaming for the whole world to see in awe and admiration.

Yes, love is blind. In the case of Mohd Noor Che Musa it truly is. We sincerely hope he gets a job soon to live happily ever after with his dear darling, affectionately and fondly known as Wook Kundor! We wish them well, and may ALLAH the Almighty bestow HIS blessings and good health for a blissful marriage and a wonderful future!

Juicing and Juicers

Ozone the Okamizu Way: This photo was taken in our kitchen when my maid ozoned chicken bought from the supermarket. We can see the foam, bubbles and slime forming up ( enlarge to see better ) These are the combination of impurities, toxins,bacteria and chemicals discarded from the chicken flesh. If not ozoned then all will be gulped down into our stomach, 'finger licking good' chicken as fodder for a build up leading to cancer maybe. Looking at what comes out through the process it certainly is worrying. The Okamizu process has solved this problem through its innovative technology.

The Okamizu food detoxifier makes our food safer to consume.


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I eat vegetables and I drink fruit juice. That’s what I’ve been doing and that’s what most others are known to do also until someone tells them to the contrary!

'Yes, you can now safely change that habit . You eat fruits and drink vege juice'. That was what my son Hafidz told us a few months back.

What a novel idea, I’ll say it again, ‘eat fruits and drink vege juice’. The health freaks must have discovered this a long time ago. It is not too late to start, in any case, for me at least.

The idea is to eat raw . You eat fruits raw but you can’t possibly think of munching spinach raw. So just with a little bit of imagination, we can get to eat both raw. True enough. Through juicing that is!

Furthermore eating vege raw will cut off the sugar intake prevalent in fruit juices whether fresh or otherwise. Also eating vege raw would mean we get to exploit 100% of its goodness. Otherwise we lose:

a) most of the nutrition and vitamins when we peel off the skin ( as we know it , most lie just beneath the skin which get thrown away in the act of peeling)
b) the goodness of nutrition lost arising from heating and cooking.
c) as juicing of vege avoids the sugar content present in most fruits.

So it is logical to eat vege raw but our stomachs are not made for it. So juicing is the answer.

My son Hafidz swears by it. ‘It is good for those with a sensitive nose,’ he said .Those who get irritated easily by dust, cold weather and even seasonal happenings of pollen in the air ( the beginning of flowerings, so it seemed)

‘But you must do it right to get the full impact and the fullest of its benefits’ he advised. It has to do even with the right hardware. Let's see how we go about it.

1. First you must have the vege ozoned ie to detoxify your food:

The Effect of the Ozone Process:
When fruits and vege are ozoned and put back in the ‘fridge, they last longer, retained their freshness and colour and remain crunchy. And when meat is ozoned especially chicken the fats discarded could be seen easily. The water in the container turned murky, full of foam and bubbles and looked like gutter wastes. When you see it you’ll never would want to take KFC again. ( in fact what is discarded is not just the fats but also the chemicals and whatever else that contribute to the alarming cancer cases that we have now)

An ozoned meat tastes better! You must also ozone your drinking water and it’ll be sparkling and again tastes better ( filtration is for other purposes)

2. Secondly, the juicer best used is the Masticating Juicer:

The Effect of the Masticating Juicer as opposed to the Centrifugal Juicer:
I have in the house a centrifugal juicer easily available in the market costing a few hundred ringgit. But a Centrifugal Juicer works like a blender and is not recommended.

The better choice is a Masticating Juicer which costs more. Quoted herewith from ‘ juicing for health.com’ which best describes what is the effect of a Masticating Juicer:


Quote
“A single-gear juicer is also known as a masticating juicer. To masticate means to chew or to grind to a pulp. A single-gear juicer has a 'worm-like' gear that drives the produce and squeezes them through a stainless steel screen.

This action tears open the produce's cell membranes and releases its deep-seated nutrients and enzymes. It also breaks up more of the phytochemical from the produce, resulting in a richer colored juice which is also richer in its nutrients and minerals.

Unlike the centrifugal juicer, a masticating juicer operates at a much lower speed which does not disrupt the cellular structure of the fruits and vegetables. This eliminates oxidation to the juices, therefore, preserving the precious enzymes and nutrients that are closest to its natural form.

If you have tried the juices resulting from both a centrifugal and a masticating juicer, you will notice a marked difference in the quality of the juices between the two. For example, an apple juiced on a centrifugal juicer will produce an oxidized brown colored clear juice (only water content with no enzymes and nutrients) which has a metallic taste; whereas the apple juiced on a masticating juicer will result in un-oxidized, even-colored and great tasting juice. Oxidized juice is effectively, spoiled juice” unquote.

3. Thirdly have a Revised Edition of ‘ Raw Vegetables Juices ‘ by N W Walker’

This copy helps as a guide to create the combination of what vege to juice and to zero in against what ailments. It listed the proportion that is found to be consistently helpful when used in the combination and proportion as indicated for eg Diarrhea ( 1, 2 ) Cancers ( 1, 61) where:

1 - Carrot (16 oz)
2 - Carrot (7 oz) Celery (4 oz) Parsley (2 oz) Spinach (3oz)
61 - Carrot (10 oz ), Spinach (6 oz)

From the above it appears carrots seem to be a wonder vege. There are other combinations for other ailments to choose from.

Happy juicing!

Note: I have been advised to juice raw unpeeled and unripe papayas to include the seeds as well. A ripe papaya is not ideal as it has a high sugar content. An unripe papaya ( can be considered a vege) but it is not easy to get unless you ask from your neighbor or plant one at home.

Annual Camp 1961 - Cameron Highlands Revisited

Image:1 Brinchang Camp: A 1961 Postcard take from the air showing the whole Complex


Image:2 Outside Brinchang Camp ( a few yards up the road - the signboard says ' You are now 5000 ft above sea level') From Left ( foreground) : OPs Hank and Jalal ( at the back ) Weng Yin and Zawawi ( Datuk)

Image:3 Jungle Trekking/Map Reading Excercise: From Left (front row) OPs Bachik, Zubir,Saifuddin (middle row) Pathma, Hank, Rahman ( Maj Gen Datuk) (middle/back row) Choon Yeow, Weng Yin, Jugjit (back row) Andrew and Taharim


Image:4 Farewell, Just Before Leaving, From Left: ( front row) OPs Andrew, Raja Aman ( Datuk) Pathma,Jalal,Zawawi (Datuk) Middle Row: Hank, Zubir, Jugjit, Bachik,Taharim, Rahman (Maj Gen Datuk)and Weng Yin
Back Row: Eng Lay, Choon Yeow, Megat (Datuk Dr) ,Ronald,Saifuddin and Mansor (Datuk Dr)

( Eng Lay, Megat and Saifuddin were in civilian clothes as they had to break journey before reaching Sg Besi. The rest proceeded to Sg Besi first and then home for the rest of the term break)


Image:5 Present Day Brinchang Camp: From Left Hank and my 2 cucus Norman and Kimie. ( notice in the background the new structures of a few storeys up)


Image:6 Strawberry Farm showing Strawberries Grown on the Racks and Hanging above.


Image:7 Strawberry Goodies ( my cucus enjoying Strawberry Ice Cream ) From Left: Kimie and Norman
( Credits : Photos and text in collaboration with my buddy Weng Yin who was also there when it happened)

The Annual Camp 1961 ( from Aug 08 – 20, 1961) was at the Brinchang Camp in Cameron Highlands. At most of our annual camps we had to construct our own tents using materials that we brought along with and improvised with what’s available on the ground.

In Brinchang however we were housed in barracks just as we were in Port Dickson with all the basic amenities. While it was convenient to just unpack our ‘barangs’ when we arrived, it deprived us of the joy of constructing our very own shelters.

At the Annual Camp in Kuala Kubu Bharu ( KKB ) in 1960, the architect, the builder and the materials provider would huddle together before anything else to discuss on how best to go about building a shelter. The architect determined the design (sometimes just in his head ) the materials provider scoured around for wood and branches and the builder ( upon consultations with the 2 ) and a parang in his hand, chopped away.

The end result was fascinating! Some of these tents were just 2 ft above the ground, and you could sit up when resting while some were nearly 4ft above ( to avoid wild animals, so it seemed ) and they needed to crawl in and remain in a lying position. Whatever it was it had better work as otherwise we would be subject to the vagaries of the weather the next 12 days.

A peculiarity with Brinchang was the cold. At 5000ft above sea level where Brinchang was it was pretty chilly especially in the wee hours of the morning. For me and most others as well this was the first experience of such weather conditions.

We had warm water showers at least, with compliments of the big boiler shed that sent hot, warm water through a network of pipings to the bathing and toilet areas.

Something hilarious , which could have been a calamity (near enough) happened at the boiler shed. It was after our map-reading exercise when we came back all wet because of the extreme cold and rain the night before. The jungle boots were muddy, socks and the PD Green uniforms were all soiled and sweaty. There was no prospects of drying them out in the sun because there was no sun – just mist and light rain.

A smart Aleck placed all his wet things nicely arranged in the boiler shed next to the furnace ( with the hope that these would dry up fast) Others followed. After an hour the smart Aleck went to check on how dry were his boots, socks and uniforms.

He came running back and that was when the alarm was raised. Those who had placed their things in the boiler shed scrambled to retrieve their belongings. Even though the things were placed quite a fair distance from the furnace, the heat within the shed was enough to melt the rubber materials of the jungle boots, given time, while some clothing materials were singed. Those nearer the furnace got more of it.

The Q ( Quartermaster) alleviated the woes of the more serious ones, with replacements ( that we heard) However luckily nothing serious came of it eventually, except for some burnt out socks or burnt out holes in some PD Green shirts ( as though they had been sprayed with shot-gun pellets)

On the 3-day expedition, another round of stories were heard again relating to the Orang Asli, this time regarding distance. Capt Bradley besides his haversack and water bottle had also a .303 rifle slung by his shoulders this time. It must have been pretty tiring to carry around.

On a few occasions, he had to restrain OP Megat ( later Datuk, Dr) who was then leading the pack, to slow down. OP Megat would be in front in the single file when we moved and Capt Bradley would shout out loud from the back, sounding like, 'May Guard, May Guard’ calling for OP Megat to stop for a breather every now and then. Capt Bradley would then just ‘plonk’ by the embankment and we all got some time to rest awhile. It was very sporting of Capt Bradley to accompany us during our Annual Camps both in 1960 and 1961. I’m not so sure about the other Company Commanders if ever they did.

While proceeding towards the confluence of a stream which was in the map but still not seen on the ground we bumped into an Orang Asli and enquired about it from him. After some seemingly serious discussions and gesticulations we were told it was just about ten minutes in front. That boosted our morale and we got up and proceeded on. There were smiles all round.

We found it but only after about 1hr but somehow the stream had dried up. That explained the absence of the sounds of running water which was the tell tale signs of a nearby stream in the jungle (even though not seen by the eyes).

But why the Orang Asli’s estimation was way off ? Was it because he could walk very much faster. Maybe yes but someone suggested it could be also be a case of the ‘one cigarette time frame syndrome’ An Orang Asli would say it only takes a cigarette to reach it ( meaning time to smoke a cigarette, by our standards say, 10mins) Unlike us an Orang Asli would smoke awhile then extinguish the cigarette and place it above his ear and later would light it up time and again. The idea was apparently to make one cigarette last longer. It would take about 60mins in all. We all had a good laugh!

Besides that we also reached the ‘Trig. Point’ atop the summit of Gunung Brinchang. I can’t recollect how we did it, either it was jungle bashing or running up the narrow road. My buddy Weng Yin however remembered that we were at a height of 6666ft above sea level ( The perculiar figure stuck in his mind ) So we were definitely up there.

( I remember how we did it in Taiping when we had the Annual Camp at Kamunting in 1963 - we ran up Maxwell Hill as part of our Endurance Test, but that’s another story!)

We also had the normal inter-Coy games like Volleyball. And also rather unusual at an Annual Camp, I thought, was a 7-aside hockey at the town padang, somewhere ( which was abandoned when heavy mist descended and enveloped the field)

We also made some visits, namely to the Hydro Electric Dam, some rose gardens, vegetable farms and also a strawberry farm.

I was there in Cameron Highlands during the recent school holidays (June 07 - 09, 2010). I took the opportunity to see where Brinchang Camp is now. It is there still but different from before. It is now just like the structure in Sg Besi that went a few storeys up and made of the flimsy material that we have nowadays. The surrounding areas just jungles before are now apartments and shophouses.

We also visited some farms. I notice a fundamental difference in strawberry cultivation. In 1961, strawberries were planted on the ground. The ground was covered with black plastic sheets akin to present day garbage bags. This was to protect the fruits which were left on the ground. The present day technique is to have them in pots hanging very much like dendrobium orchid growing and on racks below. We just need to pick the fruits from above our heads or from those on the racks and these are immediately edible.

So much for Cameron Highlands. It is very much worth a visit despite having Fraser’s Hill or Genting Highlands ( both nearer to K Lumpur and Gentings with its entertainment and gambling attractions) as rival hill stations.

Freedom of Information ( State of Selangor )Enactment 2010 Bill

I’m in the inquisitive mood. Being a layman in things law, legal and political, I put myself in ‘a wanting-to-know-more mode’ about the Freedom of Information ( State of Selangor ) Enactment 2010 Bill. The Bill was tabled in the Selangor State Assembly at its sitting on July 14, 2010 ( 3 days ago)

What does it entail. How will it be beneficial to a law abiding citizen like you and me? Let us see.

For a start, it is a piece of legislation making its appearance for the first time here (whereas more than 80 countries have already done so) The reason given by the Selangor Pakatan in wanting the legislation, ‘ is to improve the administration of the state, as a transparent government will be more efficient and responsible’.

Well and good! I like that. Furthermore, ‘ it will more than help stamp out corruption or intended corruption ( before anyone gets some funny ideas to indulge in one) and boost accountability.

As a rejoinder, however, the Pakatan state government stated its limits, that ‘ it applies only to the state government and their subsidiary departments ‘ This means federal-controlled departments do not come under its purview but under the OSA as it is now.

At least we are clear on one point even though it was superfluous for them to even mention it, they should know their limits. Maybe it was more to clarify and to dispel the feeling that the proposed enactment was not prompted by any ulterior motives.

If we are curious to know about the ‘hows and the whats’ of the state government how do we go about it?

It is simple enough. Anyone can do it. All we need to do is to apply to the information officers based in each department. They must respond within 30 days ( or within 7 days for urgent cases). All applications must state the reasons and purpose obviously and a small fee may be charged.

When is it possible to do this? Not immediately as there is a process it’ll have to go through before it becomes law ie

1. It will be tabled for the First and Second Readings in this July 2010 sitting.
2. Public consultation ( feedback from the public), research and study would be through a Select Committee
3. The Select Committee would then table its findings and recommendations to the state Assembly sometime in April 2011 for its Third Reading.

The final Bill then would have the ideal inputs of the executive, legislative and the people of Selangor.

This is great. Seen positively, at least we are assured that we can have access to information that can be made available within a stipulated time frame.

However knowing how politics work, what stops the Pakatan Selangor government to get one of its cronies to apply for info, just so to open the can of worms ( on what it perceived were wrong-doings of the previous BN government) The Pakatan Selangor government is protected by this piece of legislation, where ostensibly it is done with good intentions.

Since they are running the state now and they have access to sensitive information it is political survival to bring out the ‘shit’ with gusto and work out a frenzy against YB Khir Toyo right up to the impending G13.

This ability, I anticipate would be exploited to the fullest by the MB, YB Khalid Ibrahim with relish and glee in the 2nd half of 2011.

Even though this is negative thinking on my part, I’m sure it will happen ( with a lot of ‘dirt’ dug up from both sides of the political divide eventually )

We’ll see some fun, definitely!

Port Dickson Revisited - The Submarine Island

At the Roadside End of G Coy 1960, From Left: OPs Hank,Weng Yin,Zawawi ( later Datuk)
In the background can be seen part of the H Coy Barracks.


On The Beach 1960 ( The beach is now fronting the Regency ) From Left: OPs Hashim Amin (later Lt Gen Datuk) and Hank. ( Hank has his Bronze Medallion insignia stitched onto the left side of his swimming trunk.) We were then standing on the wreck of a boat left to rot on the beach. In the background can be seen 'The Enclosure' a seaside swimming enclosure together with a seaside house.


The Resorts and Condos lining the Road., snapshot taken from the beach


Undisturbed Beach: Taken at the UPM Marine Research Station: Somewhat akin to the natural beauty and tranquillity of the 1960 beaches ( this snapshot was taken in 2010)

Images: All from Hank's collections

The Current Scene

I was in PD last week-end Jul 09 -11, 2010 and I took the opportunity to recce some of the familiar grounds around the vicinity of our alma mater, the FMC.

There is a detachment of the Armed Forces occupying the place where we were before. The area occupied by the 2 barracks nearest the road where G and H Coy were before is now the entrance to the detachment. There are none of the old wooden barracks. Instead new structures dotted all of the areas previously occupied by us.

Further in, what appeared to be the classroom blocks could be seen in the distance. It is difficult to determine if they are still being used. The old Dining Hall building appeared to be still standing, though the same cannot be said of the Cadet Wing next to it . The Parade Square in front of the classroom blocks is still intact. This we discovered when we were there for a function a few years back.

The Guard House next to the Square that held ‘fond’ memories of those who were ‘gated’ is no more there now. Gone also was the ‘brass bell on the tripod’ that John, the bell-ringer used to faithfully ring ( without fail ) to signal the end of each class period.

What fascinated me most is the development of areas on both sides of the road right up to the sea shore. What was just waste-land of tall grass, shrubs and odd Casuarina trees before are now tall buildings ( of condos and resorts) and shop-houses that lined the stretch from where we were right up to the old Sungala Camp.

Let us trace the new structures. On the inland side ( on a southerly direction) is the Armed Forces Detachment , a government Hospital, The PD Golf and Country Club, and a Nurses Training College before coming to the roundabout on the PD-Seremban Highway. All of these were wasteland and marshes before.

Across the road ( again on a southerly direction) we have now the The Facility Unit JKR, the Regency, Selesa Beach Resort, Residence Desa Lagoon Resort, Admiral Marine Bay Condo and the PD Perdana Condo Resort in that order. All these resorts and condos occupied the very beach that we used to laze around on Sundays in it’s then natural settings.

The Submarine Island

The Unit JKR was where Capt Preedy had his boat-shed for his catamaran. Capt Preedy was one of the seconded officers/lecturer from England. He apparently saw action in the war and walked with a slight limp as a result ( It seemed he was decorated with a Military Cross).

One Sunday, I was fortunate enough to have volunteered together with 1 other to help out at the shed. After some cleaning and clearing chores, Capt Preedy decided to take the catamaran out to sea. Surprises of surprises, the 2 of us were invited on board.  Was not certain whether Ahmad Chik was also there with us then. It was such a thrill as it was as fast as any boat but more open. We were taken for a spin not far from shore for quite sometime ( I don’t quite remember how long now) I have been on a boat, sampan, and raft, ( later kayak at the OBS) but nothing beats a catamaran. It was such a thrill for us then.

Capt Preedy later went into retirement in Trengganu to continue with his sea-faring days there.

At the boat-shed were two rowing boats. We used to see them lying there not often used. On one Sunday morning, OP Wan Dollah and I got the idea of ‘borrowing’ one of them from the security guy.

The 3 of us carried the boat to the water and after a quick lesson on ‘rowing’ we put out to sea. There were some awkward moments initially but we managed. We rowed southerly towards the direction of Telok Kemang, keeping close to shore.

Just where the present Residence is was an outcrop of rocks that jutted out to sea. Since it was low tide, we had to go a bit further out especially in trying to avoid the rocks. That was when we got close to the ‘Submarine Island’. The ‘Submarine Island’ comprised one big island ( that looked like a sub) surrounded by a few smaller outcrop of rocks around it. Most would be submerged during high tide except some parts of the ‘Submarine Island’.

We decided to ‘explore’ the island. We slowly approached it. We weaved around the rocks. We somehow managed to guide the boat in and got down. It was mid-morning and quite hot. We were sweating and OP Wan Dollah on seeing a log ( about 20ft long and 2ft in diameter ) just went over and sat on it. I was just standing looking across to the sea. After about 10 mins we suddenly saw a movement, a slithering 2ft green ‘thing’ that went under the log.

OP Wan Dollah jumped up and the log moved. Apparently it was a crooked log. It moved when we pushed it a bit when its centre of gravity shifted. We looked at each other. Without saying a word we decided to both together push with our legs. One mighty push and the log rolled over.

‘What do you know!’ There was a whole colony of them under the log. They slowly started to move. Each was about 2ft to 3ft long, green in colour with yellow and black rings around its body from head to tail. Its tail was like that of a cat-fish, flat, dorsal upright ( I saw on Nat Geog one day that it was one of the more poisonous sea snakes around)

A few slithered into the water, one or two came at us ( I shudder when I think about it now) OP Wan Dollah took a stone as big as a young coconut and heaved and smashed it to the one that came at us. I followed suit. It was such fun we thought. We continued throwing stones, most as big as double our fists, others a bit bigger. We were lucky there were a lot of stones. The stones we threw would smash them against the hard rocky surface and blood splattered and raw snake flesh were smashed to smithereens. We must have smashed about 5 or six of them. We didn’t think then about cruelty to animals nor the danger we were in. We were just two boys on an outing.

When there were more movements in the nest , because of the heat ( they were now exposed to the sun - we could not make out the number probably 20 more) we decided to leave. We jumped into the boat and rowed away.

With parched lips we decided we needed a drink. We never thought about food or drinks when we decided to borrow the boat. In fact we did not think the security guy would give us the boat in the first place.

We rounded the rocks and came to a bay. We rowed slowly in. It was about noon. We could see coconut trees . We decided to get some young coconuts. We beached the boat and OP Wan Dollah who always seemed stronger than me decided to climb one that was not that tall. He brought down about 3 green but not so young coconuts. They were too hard to smash. We decided to go further in, in search of other coconut trees. We found some trees but they were too tall to climb. We were tired and hungry. We rested for about 30 mins.

We then went back to take the 3 coconuts back to the boat. When we arrived, there were no coconuts under the tree. To this day I still did not know who took them.

We then proceeded to the boat. Suddenly there was no boat. The tide came in and the boat had drifted away. We made that silly mistake of not tying up the boat.

We were lucky it was a bay. The water was relatively calmer. The boat could be seen in the distance about 40 yds away. OP Wan Dollah then kept telling me, ‘you are a swimmer and a life saver, you have to get the boat’ 

(digression:  About a dozen of us Budak boys had taken the life-savings test/exam conducted at the Specialist Teacher's Training College pool in KL sometime in early 1960.One was OP Ir Qua Hock Chye. Being a swimmer with broad shoulders he heaved down hard on my shoulder blades when he did the 'push and pull' the Holger-Nelson way.  I remembered it well. On its successful completion we were later awarded the Bronze Medallion from the Royal Life Savings Society of England, as a certified life-saver. One of the group was awarded an Instructor's certificate) I do not remember of any more of such test/exam as there is no sea-side convenience to train in Sungai Besi)

I kept thinking of the sea snakes we had just killed barely 2 hrs earlier and I was thirsty and hungry. Now, I was to swim 40 yds to get back the boat! With each little seconds ticking away, I knew we did not have much choice.

Given the same situation now, I wouldn’t do it, definitely! But in 1960, as a 15 yr-old you didn’t think about these things.

I slowly swam to the boat, towed it in slowly to the beach. I was exhausted. We found a shady spot and rested for a while. We only got up and climbed into the boat when we thought it would be dangerous to linger on. Someone with a parang (a long knife)  might just appear for trying earlier to ‘take’ their coconuts! (to us these were wild coconuts, even then we felt unsafe)

We then decided to explore further and rowed along the coast southwards. After sometime we realized it was faster and much easier if we were to just walk. We beached the boat (and this time we had the good sense of tying it up to a log) Wan Dollah put on his rubber shoes and we merrily walked along. It was a mistake! To walk on loose sand on a hot afternoon was a mistake. It was too hot on the bare feet. The wet part of the shore was cooler but full of debris, sharp broken shells and pebbles. Wan Dollah took one of his shoes off  his foot and asked me to put it on. We walked some distance but looked rather clownish each with only one shoe on. It was no go! It was too hot on the one bare foot and we were hungry.

It was early afternoon and it was high tide. The sea was beginning to be a bit choppy. We decided to row back and not a moment too soon.

We reached the boat-shed when the sky was beginning to darken. It was then 1500hrs. We were dead tired. Luckily the security guy helped us carry the boat in. He thought we would be just rowing around the boat-shed area. He was worried that we took longer than he had expected.

I would not have taken similar risks now. No water, no food nor life-jacket . It was just madness. As youngsters we never thought about such things, dangers and all. We acted on impulse.

OP Wan Dollah was a colourful character. A brilliant guy, an avid reader ( he digested James Michener’s ‘Hawaii’ - a 3 inch thick book within days). Naturally his English was fantastic. He was also a very talented cricket and hockey player representing the College at both games when he was a new boy in Form III. .

He officially left the College sometime in April 1961. He did not make it to Sungai Besi when we made  the move.  He left word, saying he wanted to join the French Foreign Legion - to look for real excitements. He was always on the lookout for adventure

I've had no news of OP Wan Dollah until in the late 90’s when I met his brother. I was then organizing a friendly golf with KTM and his brother was the coordinator for the KTM team,. He confided to me that OP Wan Dollah completed his Form Five here, read medicine in India, married to someone there and had a thriving medical practice in Chennai.

It was just a pity the email culture was not rampant then, that we could have connected otherwise. I’ve not seen him since!.

Postscript: Jan 02, 2016
Hank recently connected with OP Andrew Hooi through FaceBook. Interestingly enough,OP Andrew browsed through 'birdhouse' and stumbled upon this posting. He made his comments on FaceBook. OP Andrew came back with a surprise for both of us. Hank took the liberty of uploading OP Andrew's FaceBook comments below (with permission)

Andrew Hooi says: 

"port dickson revisited - the submarine island ". lo and behold you brought back memories of my first year in fmc port dickson as a form 3 new boy. and guess what : the same wan dollah (i only recall the name at your mention) took me on a similar sampan trip to submarine island one weekend morning; and he did the same thing on the island exposing the sea snakes, but this time under some large rocks, not a log. we did chuck some smaller rocks at the snakes but i don't think we did much damage this time. i was most impressed with wan dollah, being a new boy: he seemed full of confidence to me and somehow he took a liking to me and sort of took me under his wing even though he only knew me for a short time. later i often wondered what happened to him as he seemed to have left the picture in my memory as we moved to sungai besi. this is the first time i have read your blog about submarine island and i am grateful for the triggering again of this warm and wonderful memory of an episode of my young life with the unforgettable wan dollah. and thanks hank also to the filling in of dollah's subsequent story, albeit not in great detail. if wan chances to come upon this message i wish him the best in life. thanks again hank...happy new year.

Like · Reply · 1 · December 30, 2015 at 10:18pm

Note: Both of us experienced a similar episode with Wan Dollah (at different times) but were not aware of it until recently. It was fun when we looked back on these things now!