Archive for » February, 2006 «

Gift Of Life & Living

22
Feb 2006
By pummkin

I am not perfect. In being human, I am hurt & as a result I hurt others. Not tit for tat but in defense of a principle that I try to bring across so that I would be understood. At least, I thought I would be. Whichever way, I tend to lose. Whether it’s the point, or the reasoning in not understanding the way God wants me to see His people the way He does or in not being hurt when words are said in defence not malice. It could be that I did not know how to love His people the way He wants me to love them. How do I repair what’s broken & what’s torn? What do you do when you cause a person to lose interest in doing the things that bring joy?

To every thing there is a season, and a time for every purpose under the heavens:
a time to be born, and a time to die;
a time to plant, and a time to pull up what is planted;
a time to kill, and a time to heal;
a time to break down, and a time to build up;
a time to weep, and a time to laugh;
a time to mourn, and a time to dance;
a time to throw away stones, and a time to gather stones together;
a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing;
a time to get, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to throw away;
a time to tear, and a time to sew;
a time to keep silence, and a time to speak;
a time to love, and a time to hate;
a time of war, and a time of peace.

What profit does he have who works in that in which he labours? I have seen the task which God has given to the sons of men to be humbled by it. He has made everything beautiful in His time; also He has set eternity in their heart, so that no man can find out the work that God makes from the beginning to the end. I know that there is no good in them, but to rejoice and to do good in his life. And also that every man should eat and drink, and enjoy the good of all his labor, it is the gift of God. I know that whatever God does, it shall be forever; nothing can be added to it, nor anything taken from it; and God does it so that they fear before Him. That which has been is now; and that which is to be has already been; and God requires that which is past. And again I saw under the sun the place of judgment, that wickedness was there; and the place of righteousness, that wickedness was there. I said in my heart, God shall judge the righteous and the wicked; for there is a time there for every purpose and for every work. I said in my heart concerning the matter of sons of men, that God might reveal them, and that they might see that they themselves are beasts. For that which happens to the sons of men also happens to beasts, even one thing happens to them. As this one dies, so that one dies; yea, they all have one breath; so that a man has no advantage over a beast; for all is vanity. All go to one place; all are of the dust, and all return to dust again. Who knows the spirit of man that goes upward, and the spirit of the beast that goes downward? Therefore I have seen that there is nothing better than that a man should rejoice in his own works; for that is his portion; for who can bring him to see what shall be after him?
(Ecc 3:1-22)

God made seasons so that His creation would have a cycle. He also created us to have an aesthetic side, in order to appreciate the beauty of His creation surrounding us like the baby blue skies & the clumpy clouds on a sunny day or the flowers that shout ‘Kiss me! Kiss me, bumble bee! And I will spread for all to see! Water & sunshine are all I need from below me so kiss me to declare the process that be!

To allow a gift to die would be to quench the gift that God had given you to appreciate His artistry. May I ask that you forgive the cause of your loss & resurrect this gift by asking Him to restore your ability to appreciate it…?

Category: Issues, Personal  Leave a Comment

Closure

16
Feb 2006
By pummkin

It is a chapter in my life, a three-year long one, being closed for the last time. I couldn’t bear to think of an ending to such a place that bore such an impact in my life. Gloria Jean’s Cafe had been instrumental in providing an environment of work in which I churned out more than 90 articles from November 2002. I was utterly shocked & disappointed. I arrived one morning to see Gloria Jean’s shut down!!!. I was like a regular fixture there! How could they not have told me to prepare me for the worse? I was without a wifi place for a month before I discovered another eatery. Two of their outlets had been closed down since November 2005.


Outside Gloria Jean’s at midnight.

Johnny, the chef who prepares my meals, left without saying a word. That didn’t raise the alarm until Helen, the Assistant Manager of the outlet went on long leave. By then, I was really wondering who would make my half boiled eggs the way I liked them? Or the salads that had the special sauce that’s non-fattening & delicious? I can’t even describe my sadness now when my regular haunt became no more. A place where I met many other surfers, held my association meetings & such, a place where your entrance is always greeted by smiley faces, a nod from the gentleman with the Mac at the corner, the man with his wife at the settee, the Nihonjin at the desk & the shy guy with specs next to the wall…. a place where recognition does not carry a prize or award. Just a simple “hello, you are late!” or “why were you not here yesterday?” would have made my day. A place where I met TV Smith & was inspired to start blogging. We would be there way past the closing time, sitting outside with our computers plugged into their power extension cord. Now I would have to build a new relationship with a strange cafe in a stranger environment, hoping that it would be a lasting one. The only pictures I took of my so-called second home are the ones here. May the memories of those encounters with the other patrons linger on as they find other outlets to call their second home. Goodbye, Gloria Jean’s….sob, sob!

Category: Issues  2 Comments

Where Is My Valentine?

15
Feb 2006
By pummkin

Every year, everyone is suckered into paying top dollars for flowers especially roses & dinners at restaurants. At the end of the day, who does it profit to mark this ‘hype of love’ if the love is unrequited? When I was in school, I remember admiring a few of my seniors & would send them a stalk of rose each with a greeting card when the school’s Interact Club took orders for THE DAY. I would get flowers, in return, from friends & juniors as I rose in seniority but not from those I had sent flowers to. It’s not what the day represented. It’s the warm feeling I get when I know I’ve been thought of & the words that accompany the flower, are often very meaningful. Though I wasn’t the chief prefect who had secret admirers in a co-ed school to deserve cards & flowers, I knew then, how special it was to receive flowers. Nowadays, the only flowers I get to admire are the flowers that are still attached to the plant….

Last Valentine, we got together to celebrate singlehood. Young & not so old alike. If you have been following this blog, you would have seen what we were up to last year in Putrajaya. This year, our performing arts department has grown into an almost 50 members team. To give everyone a reason to come together for fellowship, I sent an email on the 13th to invite those who are game to try ‘Roti Romalee’ & Manchurian Chicken in a secret location in Brickfields. KC was the only one to reply stating that he had been looking for this roti since he returned from India in 2001 & no one seems to know what it was. So without much thought, I sent out another email & proclaimed a confirmation for the few who had ‘verbally’ agreed to be included in the event……..last year.

Come the break of dawn, messages trickled in confirming attendance. Despite the map that I’d provided in the email, many called to ask for directions. Had to pick DeeDee & Rachael at the KL Sentral station & wait for the rest at the restaurant. As the town stood still with floods & treefalls, some who were stuck in traffic arrived much later but by 9pm, 16 people showed up & Roti Romalee & Problem tea (teh masala) was the order of the day!


Chef showing the way!

Intrigued by the ‘no oil’ factor in the cooking of the roti, we asked the owner to take us on a tour to see how it’s made. The Indian chef kneaded the dough & virtually spun the flattened roti in the air several times before laying it on an inverted wok to cook it! The oohs, aaahs & WHOOOOAAAARRRRGGGGHS permeated the restaurant while the chef prepared the dish. My group is so dramatic…..


Cooking on the inverted wok.

KC finally arrived bringing us a bouquet of Ferrero Rochers & we finished the dinner with homemade ciku ice-cream!!! Before we adjourned I left something for everyone to take home to remember this day & what Valentine really means to me now…..

Category: Issues  One Comment

Stopover in Ipoh

15
Feb 2006
By pummkin

On the way back from Alor Setar, we broke journey & decided to give Old Town Kopitiam a try. The quaint old facade of the place with marble tables laid out was so inviting, I couldn’t pass this one up for breakfast.

Ah! The menu was full of ‘MUST EAT’ items & with the order sheet, I filled out what I wanted together with what would bust Moggie’s diet & gave it to the sweet Ipoh girl when she came to take our order.

Eggs were yummy! The Ipoh White Iced Milk Tea was even yummier! Ooh, and the french toast filled with peanut butter topped with honey was out of this world (bust my scales later…)!

This sweet Ipoh girl saw that we were out-of-towners & told us to go to the exhibition that showcased the civilisation of Ipoh town at the museum around the corner. Fascinated by her description, we went.

It was a great collection of old memoribillia from the generosity of those who participated in the exhibition. I got to see how Ipoh was transformed from feet to flight. Naturally, I propped my camera everywhere & took pictures on self timer, something that I don’t normally do but because this was a one-time exhibition & the items were no longer available, I had to break the rule! I’m even breaking my own rule of not exhibiting myself here!!! We were not allowed to take pictures of the photographs on the wall but were allowed to take the exhibits so I had fun posing in compromising positions, some of which I will not show…..ahem.

The man who has so much admiration for the history of a part of our country, funded part of the exhibition himself & showcased many of his own collection of items, happens to be a Scotsman. His name is Ian Andersen & he graciously autographed my folder on top of obliging for a photo opportunity. There was a dugout, a boat carved & literally dug out of a log, that was used in a Guy Ritchie (Madonna’s husband) film that starred Jessica Alba! What a butt she’s got! So I had to take a shot of the boat!

Then of course, in the days of my kiddie years, I remember sitting on one of these trishaws & becas. Now it feels so strange seeing them again!

Thank you, Mr. Andersen, for taking the time & trouble to put together something of our heritage that puts many Malaysians to shame for your love of our country. May you set a fine example for our people to carry on a legacy of keeping paraphernalias to showcase in later years……

Category: Adventure, Event  4 Comments

Koh Lipe

14
Feb 2006
By pummkin

I apprehended a lady the night before on the street as we looked for food. She was the one who sold me boat tickets on all my previous trips. Gave us a 900 Baht return ticket for 800 Baht each! So we saved RM20! The boat journey was shorter than I had expected. Only 3 1/2 hours as opposed to 5 hours years ago.

Upon reaching the island, long-tail boats would approach the ferry to transport passengers to the respective resort of their choice. I asked to be taken to Andaman Resort which the ex-pirate had set up in the 1990′s. Direk was not on the island. He used to sleep outside after quarreling with his wife. On my previous visit, he was sleeping outside for the entire duration of my stay……

Horrors. His wife had taken over the running of the resort. Settled for a 400 Baht bungalow. The adventure begins with food. Prices had gone sky high. Gone are the days where you can eat yourself silly with the amount of cash that you carry. Coconut shake was great!

Proceeded to check out the rest of the island to see what has changed. the Chao Le (sea gypsies) village is still there, with the school & the compound right by the beach. Walking back, we decided to swim before it gets dark.

Ventured to Mama’s Cafe in the middle of nowhere for dinner. Great food. Great coconut shake! Not so great prices.

Set out to take pictures when Moggie’s DSLR refused to co-operate. Turned to other means of entertainment. Observing the Chao Le kids in the village! The other end of Koh Lipe is Pattaya beach, which is where the action is. The restaurant in Lee Pae Resort served very good seafood & the fried fresh Emperor Snapper I ordered was a great bargain at 150 Baht per fish! This fish is retailing for RM9.00 per 100gm in Sabah! No coconut shake here. The catch is, it’s a 1.5km walk from our resort. And the walk is guided by nothing but the constellations above……& the RM9.90 super bright 12-LED water resistant torch to see creepy-crawlies as we walk pass the fields & jungle.

Not only is this island blessed with fantastic beaches & crystal clear waters, it breeds unusual fauna.

After much trekking & hiking around to take pictures, nothing beats snorkelling in the cool waters for little treasures! (Ask me what they are when you see me next!) Before long, the journey back to Pak Bara was inevitable. There’s something about this place that I keep coming back to, not to mention the discovery of coconut shake that I will love for you to try & it’s just blissful……


Category: Adventure  Leave a Comment

Adventure Across Borders

07
Feb 2006
By pummkin

There was no way I would be able to get bus tickets to Hadyai at the point of my decision to travel north so I decided to drive my ‘Pammobile,’ to Kuala Kedah. I dragged Moggie with me to take pictures with his more ‘canggih’ DSLR & hopefully he would blog again. Leaving town was easy, getting onto the freeway was not. On the second day of new year, people were still returning to their hometowns. I was very prepared to sit through the traffic jam & listen to Level 42 along the way while talking Moggie into going somewhere people have never even heard of. Pammobile has always been packed with essentials & travellers-must-haves. Made stops along the North-South Expressway & slept for half an hour parked on a grassy bank before a pee-stop because the stop was packed! Have GPS will travel….

Called Brown Cow to pay him & his family a visit at Alor Setar, with the thought that we would have missed all the ferry times upon reaching so seeing them was a great reunion! They have a new addition called Eaton & he’s also round-round like Brown Cow! He took us to Deejay Restaurant (N6 07.355′ E100 22.595′)a fancy name for a mamak 24-hour eatery with fantastic, bryani rice topped with all kinds of gravy!!! Decided to stay the night & travel to Kuala Kedah at the break of dawn but still couldn’t make the earliest ferry. The place was filled with Chinese Malaysian holiday-makers! With some sweet talking, I managed to get a gentleman to get me the 10am tickets without queing! Cool beans!

Upon reaching at about 11:30am, I bought tickets to Tammalang Pier, in Satun, Thailand for 1:30pm & had lunch in between then. I was still reeling in from the drowsiness that was caused by the motion sickness pill that I’d taken before the boat ride….

At Tammalang Pier, (N 06 36.897′ E 100 03.929′) the immigration checkpoint had lots of tauts, common in most tourist destinations, trying to trick us into taking a private charter to Pak Bara Pier about an hour away for 900 Baht. Took a tuk-tuk to town instead where it cost 20 Baht per person & another 240 Baht per way to Pak Bara Pier(N6 51.632′ E99 43.377′) Reaching the pier at 3:50pm, there were no boats servicing the route so we had to wait till the next morning to get to Koh Lipe. I was so keen to try all the Thai food & discovered a drink called Coconut Shake!!! It must be the best drink ever to quench a traveller’s thirst!

Put up at Diamond Beach Resort for 250 Baht (RM25 believe it or not) & combed the beach for signs of life.

While watching the sun set, I was greeted by eagles & local fishermen who were returning to base. Searching in the waning light, I found some sand dollars! Excited by the prospect of more discoveries, I had to brace myself for the cold bath & cool winds later.

To think that we haven’t even arrived at our destination yet!

To be continued…..

Category: Adventure  One Comment