View from a Hill

Well, the blog's been left unattended for the past few days as we headed to Penang over the Christmas break. As always, it was a great trip even though we didn't get a chance to rediscover the little nooks and crannies that make Penang such an enchanting place. There was food, though - lots and lots of it.

And there was this view that we were fortunate enough to enjoy from the peak of Penang Hill.

And the panorama version :

a Spanner in the Banner

Courtesy of a franchise chain. See if you can spot what made me look ...

the Inherent Huggability of Baby

It's amazing how much this soft toy has been a part of our lives.

Having been a constant companion of Catriona for the 5 years, he's always in her hands come bedtime at night (even if Catriona refers to Baby as a She). So when Cedric was fretful and was having trouble falling asleep, I plonked Baby in his arms. He fell asleep within one minute.

Magic !

The sister's promised to hand over Baby to Cedric when he's 3 years old (we were teasing her ...). Somehow, I very much doubt that it will happen.

Life's Great Pleasures #5

Bak Kut Teh.

The wiki :

The name literally translates as "meat bone tea", and, at its simplest, consists of meaty pork ribs simmered in a complex broth of herbs and spices (including star anise, cinnamon, cloves, dang gui, fennel seeds and garlic) for hours.^[1] However, additional ingredients may include offal, varieties of mushroom, choy sum, and pieces of dried tofu or fried tofu puffs. Additional Chinese herbs may include yu zhu (rhizome of Solomon's Seal) and ju zhi (buckthorn fruit), which give the soup a sweeter, slightly stronger flavor. Light and dark soy sauce are also added to the soup during cooking, with varying amounts depending on the variant. Garnishings include chopped coriander or green onions and a sprinkling of fried shallots.

There are many great dishes in the world. Bak kut teh is one of them. There are a few varieties including soups which place more emphasis on the meat flavour, or with additional amounts of pepper. As for me, I prefer the variety commonly found in Penang i.e. a soup with more emphasis on herbs.

In any case, pretty much all of them taste good. And many taste great !

the Eclipse

I was watching out for the eclipse of the moon two nights ago, but the clouds overhead put paid to that hope. All I have is a photo of the full moon which I captured on the prior night.

Whenever I hear of an eclipse, it reminds me of the time that I watched one from beginning to end.

I had been hiking all day at Pulau Pangkor with my team during an Outward Bound course. We had gotten lost and didn't reach the designated base camp that night. Instead, the team set up camp on a beach with the intention of finding our way back early next morning. With the camp set up and dinner finished, we kicked back on the beach and stared up into the sky.

And the moon turned orange.

Having been cut off from any news or outside events for the past few weeks, we were not aware that there was going to be an eclipse.

We got one.

With a clear sky. Whilst chilling on a beach. Accompanied by the sound of waves. And the occasional sea breeze.

It's an enduring memory.

Stuck inside of Mobile with the Memphis Blues again ...

What a great title !

For anything.

I heard this on BFM 89.9 yesterday and my first thought was - even though I had never heard this song before, and it wasn't him singing - that's a Bob Dylan song. The half talk/sing phrasing was distinctive and reminiscent of Dylan. It was a cover version by Cat Power and sounded great in the car. And that horn section ...... muah !

And the Dylan original is here.

vol. XVI

For what is likely the last time, my Sony Ericsson Cyber Shot 5.0 was emptied. What emerged were 5 recent shots and one blast from the past.

on the way to church

at church

the Blast from the Past.

That phone's been a faithful companion through some memorable journeys.

On the way to the wrong building while trying to pay a cheque to EPF.

Do you know that there are 5 buildings in Shah Alam that have exactly the same name ?

All named after some royalty. If that isn't brown nosing, I don't know what is.

Mosaic

at a car park, after lunch

LCCT2 ? KLIA2 !

No wonder the cost of the new airport has doubled ! Mind you, this is Malaysia, where cost overruns and variation orders for government projects and GLCs are as common as house flies. If the budget is currently RM3.9 billion - already almost double the first budget - one wonders what the final actual cost will be when the airport is completed.

I wonder :

* what happened to the original plan to build a second low cost carrier terminal ? As it is, the project is now dubbed the KLIA2 instead of LCCT2.

* what happens to KLIA now that the KLIA2 can cater for aircraft as big as the A380 ? Wouldn't that make KLIA redundant ? As it is, the KLIA is already under utilized.

* Would adding an extension to KLIA make more financial sense ? I'm not privy to the numbers so I don't know.


And saying that passengers will not be charged for the additional higher specifications is pure bunkum. I guess I'll be paying higher airport tax while flying on a low cost airline ..... sigh. As much as I would like to believe otherwise, one wonders if there is any leakage going on.

on UMNO leaders ...

Aren't you tired of listening and reading about idiots like this ?

I know I am. I'm sick and tired of the many UMNO leaders who claim that the Malays will lose their political power. Sick and tired of allegations that a Chinese population of 20%-25% can actually control the political fate of Malaysia. Sick and tired of those who keep pushing racism as a political ploy to further their own personal agendas. Sick and tired that these same people can close both eyes to the scandals emanating from their own party on a regular basis. Sick and tired that a leader who claims '1Malaysia' is also the leader of a party who seem to be more interested in 'Malay first, Malaysian second'.

Aren't you sick and tired too ?

Everywhere

My grandfather used to have an entire library of musicals - Fred Astaire, Cole Porter, Elvis Presley, My Fair Lady, The Sound of Music - a veritable treasure trove of music and dance. I do not know how much influence he's had on me, but I do know that till this day .... the songs are still with me. And I still remember the way he looked, the way he spoke, the timbre of his voice ......

And sometimes, an unnamed melody soars with the wind, and makes me reach for an album to play. Or in this case, to share :

on Flying Budget Airlines ...

I was reading Haris Ibrahim's complaints about his flight using Air Asia (link here). I also read the comments that followed his post. Here's the thing I don't get about some people who complain about Air Asia.

* If you have luggage to drop off, don't turn up 35 minutes before the boarding gates close. If everybody has the same idea, of course you will have a long queue. And yes, this applies even if you have done a web check-in. And really, this is a budget airline - don't expect to just waltz in and be treated with premium service. You don't go to McDonald's and expect to be served at your table , do you ?

* If you didn't bring along your boarding pass, don't expect to be able to get on the flight without any hassles. This applies not just at Air Asia, it applies at many other companies. It is not their fault that your documentation is not complete.

It happened to me once at Kota Kinabalu Airport. We couldn't print a boarding pass because we didn't have the equipment and the web check-in was done at KL. I informed the Air Asia counter staff and they printed the boarding passes for the group - all nine of us. Smooth flying all the way.

Now if you turn up at the boarding gate without a boarding pass, don't blame them if they don't let you on the flight. It's your fault for not having the proper documentation.

* Do not expect Air Asia staff to help take care of your 70+ years relatives or very young children. They allocate one, sometimes two staff, at the departure gate for the whole plane. Do you seriously expect them to extend any help in these areas ?

If you say that they do not extend help to the aged or to young children travelling alone, it is true. Either arrange it yourself, or fly on another airline. Air Asia caters to people who can get in and out by themselves or with their families. That's how they make it cheap.

* Don't complain that Air Asia is expensive if you book the night before the flight. The ticket prices are time sensitive. The earlier you book, the cheaper it is.

I once booked tickets on an Air Asia flight in two tranches. The first tranche was booked much earlier and were cheap. The ticket prices for second tranche were 3 times the price of the first tranche. All Economy Class, all on the same plane - the difference in ticket prices were purely due to the timing of purchase.

* Don't complain that once you purchase their meals, purchase the seat choices, etc. it is almost the same price as a full service airline. These items are discretionary. You DO NOT have to buy them.

* Taxi rates to LCCT are expensive because it is far away. Granted. But that is hardly Air Asia's fault. Just ask Dr. Mahatir why the KLIA has to be in the middle of nowhere.

* And complaints about the signage and toilets at LCCT being lousy. Seriously ! Air Asia is an airline. If you're not happy with the LCCT, why blame Air Asia ? They don't own the LCCT, they don't manage it, they didn't build it or ask for it to be there ........ they wanted Subang Airport.

Here's the thing. For most flights overseas, Air Asia is not a monopoly. If you don't like it, just fly on another airline. If you continuously complain about them, and yet keep on booking their flights ................ pardon me if I'm wrong, it just makes you look stupid.

Slave to Love

A staple through the years, turning up in multiple playlists, and still my favourite Bryan Ferry song.



Of course, having Kim Basinger advertise the song in 9 1/2 weeks didn't hurt either.

vol. XV

Happiness is a Red Balloon

In Honour of Sir Alex Ferguson

We didn't have a stadium stand to name in his honour and we weren't at Old Trafford or England to join in the occasion. But we couldn't let Sir Alex Ferguson's 25th anniversary as Manchester United manager pass by without notice. We took a photo instead.

So here we are - all 4 of us dressed up in Man United jerseys. A photo taken in honour of a man who's been a part of my life for the past 25 years. He's brought much joy to us with the work that he's done at Man United.

Here's hoping that he will continue to do so for many years more !

The Mostar Diving Club. Seriously ?

Just saw a movie entitled 'Waiting For Forever'. Ostensibly a love story, but one that's rather weird. We spent some 80% of the movie wondering whether it WAS a love story. Anyways, it was okay but I wouldn't particularly recommend it to anyone.

3 things stood out :

* Some of the scenery, especially in the early part of the movie, was beautiful
* Tom Sturridge looks good here
* The soundtrack was pretty good but this was exceptional :

Lee Martin's take

In light of SAF's 25 years as Manchester United's manager, stories, memories, anecdotes and accolades have been coming out of the woodwork from all and sundry. Many of them from players that I knew of from my youthful days.

One of the more memorable ones is from Lee Martin, scorer of the winning goal in the FA Cup final replay vs Crystal Palace in 1990 - SAF's first major trophy as Manchester United manager.

Martin, at left-back that day, said: "With an hour gone, I heard a shout from the bench with the boss yelling 'Get forward!'. So I put my head down, ran towards the box and got on the end of a brilliant ball from Neil Webb to score what proved the winner.

"As we were celebrating in the dressing-room afterwards, he came over and said 'When I shouted about getting forward, I wasn't talking to YOU!'

Approaching SAF's 25th Anniversary

The Sun UK's Tom Barclay has selected this first eleven as Sir Alex Ferguson's best team during his tenure. If you're an avid Man United fan, or English football fan, these faces should be familiar to you. And if you're not, you really don't have to read any further.


I don't really have any quibble with the players he's chosen, by and large. An argument could be made for Bryan Robson in central midfield but I'm fine if it remains Keane and Scholes. Where I strongly disagree is Rio Ferdinand being in this team. Jaap Stam and Steve Bruce have far stronger claims as far as I am concerned.

Where it gets interesting is the headcount that would last the match. With Vidic, Scholes, Keane, Cantona and Rooney selected, half the team is a red card waiting to happen.

As for the substitutes, they'd make a pretty strong team by themselves too.

Visit to Penang Hill

We made a lightning visit to Penang Hill last week trying to get up and down before it rained. Tried, and almost made it - but not quite.

It did give me a chance to snap this photo of the rain approaching as the winds blew it towards us. You can clearly see on the right of the photo that it is dry. Five seconds later, the first raindrops started splattering around us.

Two Daisies in a Vase

by Masao Ota. Bought at Ikea, it's been hanging in our living room for almost a decade now. We bought it because we liked it very much; then discovered that it matched the colours of our curtains perfectly.

The curtains are gone now, but this still remains.

Penang is for dreamers

Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng : "We must have an environment where people can be foolish and dream. When you refuse to follow the line, innovation happens and society marches forward." (link here)

Dreaming can be a good thing. Einstein was a well known daydreamer. Martin Luther King, Jr. had a dream. Paul McCartney composed 'Yesterday' in his dreams.

Sometimes, dreams can come true. But you need to dream first.

Happy ?

Proof of Global Warming

This was so funny, I thought that I'd share it.

on Bonuses

Having just come from my company's conference where the staff agreed that they understood the situation if the company does not pay a bonus if it's not making a profit, it bemuses me when I see a headline like this :


Why is it that private corporations can and do link their bonuses to company profits but these GLCs can't ? What comes next ? A bail out utilizing public funds ?

Why am I paying taxes for shit like this ?

France vs New Zealand All Blacks - deja vu ?

France vs New Zealand in the Rugby World Cup - it brings back memories.

I remember the first rugby match I ever saw live on TV. It was 1999 and I was in England together with my family. My brother and I were staying at a B&B run by a 50-ish English woman. Lovely house in the suburbs of London. I distinctly remember that she decorated her walls with many, many miniature pictures of her family and friends.

My interest in the Rugby World Cup had been piqued when we bumped into a group of South African fans who were in England supporting their team. So when I got the chance, I decided to watch my first rugby match on TV. It happened to be the semifinal where France were playing against the New Zealand All Blacks. Having walked all day, I fell asleep in the first half and woke up at half time to face a slightly irritated landlady who asked me to go sleep in my room upstairs. New Zealand were already leading 24-10 at that stage.

As soon as the chance presented - 5, 10 minutes ? - I slipped back down, headed to the kitchen, and turned on the smaller TV set there. Volume down, of course. I ended up watching the greatest comeback victory in Rugby World Cup history. Funny how things work, sometimes.

Catriona & Cedric - a Comparison

A comparison of how the brother looks compared to the sister when she was young.

Gym Nation, near Queensbay Mall - Photos !

I was wondering when I'd get a chance to upload photos of Gym Nation, so finally, here it is.

Three apples that changed the world

an Apple a day ... Steve Jobs

I remember reading John Sculley's autobiography (don't ask), Odyssey, over 2 decades ago. Other than a general idea that the book was Sculley's version of history, I really only remember one thing; Steve Jobs recruiting Sculley (who was President of PepsiCo) to work for him by asking :

"Do you want to sell sugar water for the rest of your life or come with me and change the world ?"

What a challenge !! How many people would be able to resist trying to meet that challenge ?

Much has been written about Steve Jobs and to say that he has changed the world would not be hyperbole. Just fact.

And as much as his products leave outsized footprints in their industries, there is one lesser known Steve Jobs product. One he made personally.

I remember reading the full text of his Stanford commencement speech in 2005 which was circulated to me in an e-mail. What he said rang so true, I kept that speech on my hard drive. It's still there today.

So Steve, I didn't buy your Apples (couldn't afford it) but I got your Pixars and I definitely got that Stanford speech.

Stay Hungry. Stay Foolish.

9

It started off as a compromise decision on what movie to watch. Since both father and daughter wanted to watch a movie on a weekend some 2 weeks ago, I decided to pop this one in so that we could watch it together. It was one that I had been holding off for some time because it didn't look like the cuddly, huggy type of movie that my girl usually gets to watch.

With the Kung Fu Panda franchise so strong, I thought that '9' would go the way of some of the movies she's watched lately i.e. fun, but doesn't ignite the imagination come story time. So when '9' popped up at story time, there was a tinge of surprise. And now, it's #1 with a drawing.

Hiding in a Corner ...

Trying to get a child to read books in today's iphone/ipod/ipad culture isn't easy. Not to mention YouTube and cable television. Cartoons, movies and video games are so much more enticing to a child. And you have to admit that having a child sat in front of the TV/PC/iPad is so much more convenient for a parent.

And so we struggle on.

the Road that turned into a Garden

I have mixed emotions about this. A neighbour has annexed part of a field, part of a road, and converted part of a road into a sidewalk - and he's turned all those public areas into practically his own private garden.

The negatives are that I don't have access to that road and nobody can use that road/sidewalk any more - which in turn affects the traffic flow on our road. Not to mention that what he's done is actually an illegal land grab.

All pretty negative stuff. On the other hand, he grew a garden.

So while I was very unhappy when he first started his conversion process, and I'm still not very happy now ....... on balance I think "could have been worse."

Is this apathy or an indictment of how things are run in Bolehland ?

How to cure the Angry Birds craze

How do you improve on Barcelona ?

How do you improve the best football team in the world ? Do you do it by buying Cesc Fabregas ?

The almost-all-conquering Barcelona team is rightly famed for it's 'tiki taka' style of football, it's La Masia youth academy and it's ability to attract Shakira to watch their games. Cesc Fabregas was their highest profile capture during the transfer window but Barcelona have snagged yet another world's best, though this was one that would have been missed by most football fans.

If you're wondering who this world's best is, wonder no more. Ferran Adria - of El Bulli fame - one of the best chefs in the world, has signed on to revamp the menu at La Masia.

He will fit right into the Barcelona set up. He's home grown - i.e. from Catalonia - which means that he's got the same cultural background as most of Barcelona's star players.

And ........ look at his cooking philosophy. You could almost say that it mirrors Barcelona's playing philosophy : "The ideal customer doesn't come to El Bulli to eat but to have an experience."

Bukit Gasing with a Kitten

3 weeks ago I took the kitten on her first trek through a secondary forest at Bukit Gasing. She was looking forward to it, so early one Sunday morning - 4th September - we were off. Rather late as it were since we only started around 0900 hours but the shade from the trees pretty much kept us sheltered from the sun.

All set to start !

Sun rays

About to enter the Rabbit Hole ...

On the way back

I think that she was happy at the end of it, apart from complaints that I didn't allow her to play with the sand there. But it's not the soft sand that you find at the beach, and stopping for too long was sure to attract mosquitoes so I just kept her moving along.

There was some carrying involved but mostly she walked. I think she covered about 1 km which I guess isn't too bad for a 5-year old.

All in all, we ticked another box in the 'Father & Daughter Things To Do' list.

I know it doesn't seem that way, but I didn't Photoshop this photo