olddog-samesame

Groping for my spectacles and putting them on before I open my eyes every morning has been a routine for the past 40+ years. This morning, after the cataract surgery last night, the trusty pair of glasses was no longer by the bedside table. I walked to the window, parted the curtains and looked out the window. It seemed like the world has changed over night. The Ficus tree in the garden, with its perfect crown of bright apple green leaves were shimmering in the early morning light. The park across the road and every blade of grass never looked so green. Everything was in brilliant colors and perfect focus. I swear I could even see the yellow stripped caterpillar on the tree. Cataract and Lasik surgery has been around for quite some time. When lasik became available in this country some 10 years back, I was among the first to sign up for it but was rejected as an unsuitable candidate because of some minor eye blemishes. A few more tries down the years with numerous other eye clinics tha...

On the way back to the office after going to the bank nearby, I walked pass a clinic and noticed that it provides minor surgery among other services. I had this lump at the back of my shoulder for years. It was not painful nor was it growing bigger, but like any lump on the body it attracted unwarranted attention and concern. So I walked in to enquire and the receptionists confirmed that they do have a doctor who does surgery. There was no patient in the clinic at that time and the doctor had gone out for his teh tarik break. Since there was no queue I decided to wait. Soon the Indian doctor returned. I took off my shirt and showed him the lump. He said it was some kind of fatty cyst blah, blah, blah, medical jargons which I cannot recall and probably due to too eating much Nasi Lemah . The good news was it can be removed. While talking to him, I noticed that he had long and dirty finger nails. Even school kids with dirty fingers are punished what more about health care providers. Ima...

My daughter will officially become a teenager on August 19. With the blink of an eye, 12 years has gone by. We were first introduced inside a lift in SJMC as she was being pushed in a trolley from the Operation room to the Nursery at another level. She looked at me with tired open eyes – a sign of recognition as I introduced myself. She was a skinny little infant. All wrinkles and bones but bore a striking resemblance to her daddy when he was a child. Within months, with all the baby formulae and feedings, she piled on the baby fats. Not the prettiest of baby and was constantly mistaken for a baby boy. Then she took her first step before turning 1, by-passing the crawling stage. She would greet us when we came home in the evening – all excited, griping the grille door with her hands and jumping up and down though yet unable to talk. Education at home started early with all the illustrated cards, story books and bedtime stories followed by drawing and music class, swimming lessons and e...

Tom Watson the 59 year old professional golfer had captured the imagination of many senior golfers around the world in the recently concluded 2009 edition of the British Open in Turnberry. Professional golfers are deemed to be past their prime in their late 40s. Flexibility, strength, distance and eyesight (?) are on the decline and can no longer compete with the young guns in the regular tours. Come 50, they are mercifully sent to pasture and retired or “relegated” to the senior tours. For decades, this seems to the excepted order of things in the golfing fraternity. And then, the unexpected happened in Turnberry. While the much touted world no, 1 player embarrassed himself floundering in the bushes of the Scottish links, this veteran player steps in and played near flawless golf for 4 consecutive days in the toughest of tough golf courses. Die hard fans of Tiger Woods switched allegiance by hordes over night. There is suddenly a glimmer of hope for all those old geezers and high hand...

24 hours had gone by. All was calm and peaceful. Another day went by. Not a pip. Hey, this is cool, piece of cake. But it proved to be only a false sense of security. A typical lull before the impending storm. On the third day, the termites returned with a vengeance. Overnight, the dirt tubes, tunnels, freeways and mould hills were back. The speed and urgency of their reconstruction was simply mind boggling. You can not help but admire their tenacity and determination. Regardless of my sentiments and my impartiality to ants (a childhood obsession), truce is not an option. This defiant act of provocation called for an all out WAR. A quick research reveals that the “Shock & Awe” tactic will not work. These subterranean armies will simply disappear underground and continue their guerrilla warfare. I believe Sun Tzu (Art of War) will recommend fighting the enemy from within. In pest control terminology, it is called baiting. The strategy is to bait the worker termites with poison laced...

There is no reason to hang around in the dark and stuffy storeroom. You only venture in occasionally when something needed is in there. You switch on the light, pick up the thing and shut the door. So imagine the shock when one Saturday 3-4 weeks ago, the house cleaner announced that the storeroom was infested with termites. And it was no typical infestation, where you see a small amount of droppings by the door frame or furniture. It was the mother of all invasions. The whole storeroom was literally taken over. Dirt tubes streak all across the walls like brown poison ivy. The floor was ankle deep with dirt droppings with more pouring out from drawers and shoe boxes. It was not a pretty sight at all. With the teaming colonies of creepy crawlies running riot, the place was busier than a pasar malam. We could probability hear the racket when we walk past the storeroom door had we paid any attention. The tedious task of tidying up the storeroom and throwing away the junk had been postpone...

So who is the imposter and who is the real Mc-Coy. The almost comical game of musical chairs and seat grabbing is still playing on the stage to a world wide audience. With new developments unfolding everyday it looks like the fiasco is set to continue for quite sometime from both inside the courts and without. So how will it play out when the dust finally settles? With the entire state machinery at the disposal of Federal BN Government, the odds are heavily stacked against Pakatan. It is almost mission impossible for Nizar & Co. to win this battle. However, every dirty trick and every act of treachery to usurp power will only serve to further expose how corrupt the BN government really is. With each episode, more and more fence sitters will be politicized and be alienated to the other side. It is a no-brainer as to who will win the war come the general election in 2013. 13 May 2009

The ground reports, analysis and predictions in the built up to the 3 by-elections all alluded to a touch and go affair. It would have been a political catastrophe had PAS lost Bukit Gantang as so much were at stake. The momentum of the March 8 tsunami would grind to an abrupt halt. Hence, it was a great relief that Pakatan managed to retain Bukit Gantang and Bukit Selambau and with an even greater majority. Unfortunately, the champagne was not chilled in time for the celebration that after the results came through the blogs. Another bright spot in the by-election. The obnoxious ex-PM tried to meddle and wield his influence but the results clearly showed that the use-by date of the old tyrant has long expired. It is time to put the pathetic octogenarian to pasture or more aptly discarded into the garbage bin of history. 9.4.2009

The 3 cucumber plants growing in flower pots in my garden finally bear fruits after 2 long months of tender loving care. Each plant only bears one cucumber. So it means the cost to return ratio is probably negative. The dream of organic farming and the Green Revolution nevertheless remains a mere dream.

It is my birthday today and I feel awful and sick in the stomach. Everyone would like to have their birthday coincide with a happy or remarkable event. Unfortunately 5 February 2009 will be remembered historically in this country as a black banner day. Treachery has brought down the 10 month old Pakatan Rayaat government in Perak today. My whole day was spend in front of the computer waiting for the news to filter in as events unfolded.The unfounded glimmer of hope that the Perak Sultan, being the most educated one amongst the monarchy, will exercise wisdom was completely shattered. There is scant regard for the democratic rights of the people to choose the government of their choice. It is indeed a very sad day. We might have to wait another 3-4 years but people have long memories. The full wrath of the people will be felt in the ballot boxes come the next general election. 5.2.2009

The 2008 UPSR results were announcement on the 13 November 2008. My 12 year old daughter was one of the candidates. The atmosphere in the house over the week leading to the announcement had been one of stark contrast. The daughter was sort of laid back and nonchalant about it. There is no sign that she was exited or worried. The wife on the other hand was tense and worried sick. She complained of sleepless nights and the night before the results were announced was a nervous wreck. Technically 5As, 6As or 7As makes little difference. The student still proceeds to Form 1. So the pressure arose more from peer competition among the net-working Hockey Mums. Egos and bragging rights were more at stake than another thing else. Statistics from the previous years Lick Hung School's results indicated that the top 20% of the students would normally obtain 7As. There would be a few exceptions of course if the students occidentally screwed up one of the papers. ML was a consistent top 10 studen...

The 3 days 2 night long Diwali weekend was spent in Damai Laut. The drive up along the coastal road took about 4 hours including a wrong turn towards Bagan Datuk instead of Teluk Intan. It must have been at least 10 years the last time we travelled up this route. Small towns and villages and scenery that had somewhat faded from memory slowly became familiar again. It was almost a nostalgic journey. Reached Sitiawan town around 1:30P.M. The wife was craving for a bowl of rice wine mien sein . Enquires with the few locals drew a blank. They claimed there is no stall selling the item. The sun was blazing and we were hot, tired and hungry so we did not persist and settled for some normal fare at the corner Kopitiam. The resort is located some 10km off the old trunk road leading to Pantai Remis and Taiping. The location is superb. Isolated, hidden away in the middle of no where and nestled by the sea with its own stretch of sandy beach and complete with its own 18 holes golf course. The m...

Last Wednesday was J Card members’ Day in Jusco, 1 Utama. The wife took a day off and requested my company. With no meeting scheduled for that day, I obliged without realising the grave implications associated with the outing. We arrived at 1 Utama before 9:00AM. The first omen of impending disaster was the chaotic traffic congestion leading to the shopping complex - unthinkable for an early weekday morning. Circumventing the mayhem, we smartly detoured to the basement car park of the adjoining One World Hotel. Emerging from the basement we were in for another shock. The whole of 1 Utama shopping complex was packed to the rafters. One can hardly move in the sea of people. It took a few long minutes for the body and mind to adapt and adjust. There were 2 distinctive categories of shoppers on that day. The majority in the crowd were apparently seasoned shoppers. These veterans were armed to the teeth, with steely determination in their eyes they charged to the targeted aisles piling in ...

I am back after a 7 month long hiatus. After the high over the March 8 GE, was eagerly waiting for the next political tsunami to sweep over the country. However, the impending storm did not materialize despite the much publicized and repeated warnings. 916 came, went by and had since faded into oblivion. Looks like Plan E or is it Plan F is still brewing in the back burner. 4 November 2008

The tumultuous political storm that swept through Peninsula Malaysia on 8 March 2008 took everyone by surprise. The rumblings and undercurrents of discontentment had built up over the years. All the tell tale signs were there but no one has foreseen the devastating scale of the eruption. And then on Election Day, the voice of the Peoples’ Power came through overwhelmingly loud and clear through the ballot boxes. The Rakyat has finally awakened after 50 long years of political deceits and abuse to usher in a new exciting political era. It was unfortunate that our brethren in East Malaysia were still in their slumber. It was through their massive block of 54 seats that allowed BN to survive by the skin of their teeth. Nevertheless, 5 States fell to Barisan Rakyat. The election result could actually turn out to be a blessing in disguise. An over night change after 50 long years of a one government system might be too sudden and difficult for the people to digest. A 2-stage transition on t...

For the past weeks the on going election and ceramahs has taken centre stage in the news and blogs. The last GE Ceramah that I had attended was so long ago that I cannot even remember what year it was. So when I learned of the DAP’s ceramah at neighbourhood field in USJ 12 on Saturday night, I decided to drop by to check it out. Scheduled to start at 9:00PM, the residential neighbourhood was already jam packed with cars within a radius of 2 km from the site of the event when I casually drove there at 9:05PM. After trying unsuccessfully to find a parking spot within reasonable walking distance I ended up getting the wife to drop me by the main road. The ceramahs you see on YouTube and the real live action is very different. The turn up that night was 5000-6000 strong despite not having any heavy weight speakers. The atmosphere was almost festive and the crowd feisty and responsive. The audience were aware of the current sorry state of national affairs. Malaysians are not so politically ...

It was announced over the news today that the 12th General Election will be held on 8th March 2008. Though an extremely important event, it does not bring forth a gush of anticipation and excitement from the people. Malaysian elections are by and large rather tame, one-sided affairs with so many restrictions on campaigning imposed by the government of the day. BN is always expected to win. The only unknown factor is the margin of the win. Even then 2/3 majority is more or less a foregone conclusion. Despite being a non-event, come polling day, whether rain or shine, I will dutifully queue up to cast my ballot. I have done the same without fail for the past 5-6 general elections after registering as a voter in Subang Jaya some 27 years ago. That was probably a mistake I did not anticipate when I registered. Subang Jaya is, has been and always will be a BN stronghold. The opposition is not likely to win in Subang Jaya for the next 30 years. The votes that I had cast for Semangat 46, PAS,...

Turned 55 years old last week. There is no stopping mother time. The first thing that struck me on my birthday was I had reached my retirement age if I were to work for a firm in the private sector. I happened to be in Genting Highlands on my birthday and was taking my daughter to the Theme Park. The notice at the ticketing counter declares that anyone above 55 years old qualifies as a Senior Citizen. So the second thing that struck me was, I have officially become a Senior Citizen. I have always considered myself to be in middle age category. This honorific title that unexpectedly creeps up on me suddenly make me feels so old. I have joined the Ancient Generation category now : So how do you celebrate a birthday with such an unwelcome and unhappy reminder. Fortunately there is an upside to it as well on such a depressing day. As a Senior Citizen, the entrance ticket to the Theme Park is at half price, which means that I pay less than my 11 year old daughter. Riding the roller coaster ...

Made another trip to Kuala Kangsar last Friday. Put on full alert driver mode. Thought I would investigate whether I got scammed by the cops the previous week. The plan was to drive at the 110kph speed limit all the way and see whether I would be flagged down. My normal driving comfort zone (depending on the car) will be in the region of 140-160kph. Thus, it was excruciatingly tedious keeping the speed down to 110kph, esp. when even Kancils and Protons overtook me at the down hill stretches. The urge to floor the accelerator made my foot itch. It took a great deal of restraint and determination to persevere and stick to the plan right to the end. Thus, it was a major letdown when there was no road block or a single traffic cop in sight on the highway that day. All the restraints and plan were in vain. The only positive thing was, at that speed with the engine running at 2000-2500 rpm, the fuel consumption was extremely economical. The car consumed only ¾ tank of petrol for the return j...

DAY 1 – Touched down at Sibu Airport around 1:30PM. After a lunch of pian-pian hu (Sibu speciality rice pasta soup) and quick shower it was off to Bintulu. The road journey of 213km took about 3 hours. The winding trunk road with pot holes at long stretches was a challenging drive even during the day. The eyes have to be glued to the road at all time if you don’t want to wreck the car’s suspension or rupture a tire. Driving at night would truly be a nightmare unless you have perfect night vision. Thankfully we arrived at about 6:30PM which was already dark as the sun sets at around 6:00PM in East Malaysia. The Park City hotel is located at the estuary of the Bintulu River and next to the Water Front Park. Like most river in Sarawak, the river water is a dirty yellowish brown – quite similar to Miri’s popular teh-xi special . With rough sea and muddy river banks there is no idyllic beach to talk about. DAY 2 - Travelling along the new coastal road, the 200 odd km journey from Bintulu t...