My Longkang

From Chingay procession Penang 2008

I met the author Johny Chee while I was taking pics of the Penang Chingay Procession 2008. He was also taking pics and we struck up a conversation. He is the author of the book A Tapestry of Baba Poetry with verse translation in English by Lim Poh Keng.

From Chingay procession Penang 2008

Basically it is a book with

Ditties to please, poems to reminisce,
Rhymes to recite, verses to delight,
Siku to dedicate, pantun to celebrate,
Sayings to ponder, pictures to wonder.

Johny Chee was brought up in a typical Baba family. He is interested in the arts, fine arts, creative arts, humanities and the social sciences. One particular area which draws close to his heart is the Baba language, traditions, practices and way of life.This has eventually led to the realization of this book.

Lim Poh Keng is a lecturer at the International Buddhist College ( Penang Centre ) at Than Hsiang Temple. He is a poet and several of his poems have appeared in The Star newspaper and the Than Hsiang Temple newsletter.

The book Is available at MPH bookstores. If you have problems in purchasing the book or just wish to contact the author, please write to jchee@yahoo.com or alternatively you can write to P.O. Box No : 18, Glugor Post Office, Penang, Malaysia.

The book comes with a CD attached.

I wll reply comments later. I didnt have much access to the internet yesterday. I am snatching a few moments from my work place to do a quick one

I was at a coffee shop yesterday. I couldn’t help but overhear snatches of conversation from the other table. He was lamenting the fact that although his ATM card was in his possession all the time, some one managed to wipe his bank account out leaving him only a few ringgit left.

He then told of how he contacted the bank manager who questioned him why he never checked on his account balance. How many of us check our account balances every week or every few days?

Anyway, the bank wasn’t responsible because the withdrawals were made elsewhere in Malaysia. How was the bank to know who made the withdrawals?

Beware all those of you who have big deposits in your saving accounts. We are living in a complicated world today. By all means banks are a safe place to park your money but do not leave big sums of money in savings accounts.

I was at a dinner just now. It was to celebrate the birthday of a prominent businessman in town. I heard this song Yi Jian Mei - One Plum Blossom. It made me recall lots of stuff I had long forgotten. Back then it was my favorite song. Hearing the song again reminded me of an episode in my life. Maybe it is the new year that causes me to have weird thoughts.

Six years ago, I had signs of a heart problem. I couldn’t walk up two flights of stairs. After an attack, I called Mrs BB from Kuala Lumpur. We both thought it would be our final communication. Six years back I went down on my knees and asked for a second chance.

Now six years later, I think I have made a stunning recovery. Back then, I lead a couch potato kind of life. I had few friends and never mixed around. In fact I had only one whom I could call a friend at that time. But to him I was just one of the maybe hundreds of people that he knew. Perhaps I was a misfit back then. Perhaps I still am.

A lot of water has passed under the bridge. I am feeling good. I once blogged about round holes and square pegs. About not fitting in. It is now a thing of the past for me. I have assimilated well. Sometimes I feel I do not deserve such a good life. In the past I was like a rolling stone. But this rolling stone has long stopped and gathered moss.

Last year, I realized the God I had made supplications to had a name. It is not an easy path to tread. I foresee some difficulty ahead too but it will not be insurmountable.

Now looking back, I realize He has been with me all this while, never giving up on me. I feel humbled by His goodness and grace. I count it as God’s blessings on my life. Much of the pent-up frustrations and anger are slowly but surely dissipating from my life.

I have learned a beautiful lesson in life. It is more blessed to give than to receive. What was causing me misery basically was my insignificant ’self’. I have since received proof of this fact so many times since then.

Tonight I go to sleep praising God for all his little mercies and grace in my life. I thank God for giving me a second chance. I will not take it lightly. Praise God.

Up to today, Yi Jian Mei is still my favorite song. Enjoy the video.

From cemetery and columbarium

I found this dog at the cemetery. It was lying down listless next to a new tombstone. I looked closely at the writing and saw that it belonged to a little boy who had died very recently.

A man who was there told me the story. The dog refused to leave the tomb day and night. Its owner had tried to coax it to leave the scene but it had refused. The dog continued to pine for its master, the little boy.

The little boy’s family had no choice but to bring food for it every day. Apparently this action of the boy caused the the parents’ much grief but to the dog, it simply had no heart to leave its beloved master. I hope the dog will come to its senses soon because I am told the dog has lost a lot of weight although it isn’t apparent in the pic.

Hello every body, koko, che che, uncles and aunties. My name is Benghui. Today I teach you how to cook cha koay teow.

From Benghui

Prepare all these. I take a long time because daddy only let me use a small knife.

From Benghui

I fry it in a wok.

From Benghui

This is what I cooked. Want to try some? I have my own computer. This Christmas I received many presents. I love my remote control car.

From Untitled Album

Some of you may probably wonder what refrigerator magnets has got to do with the theme ‘hope’. I have probably stretched it a little but truth is usually stranger than fiction.

I had been traveling the past few weeks. I have a friend who likes refrigerator magnets so I took this pic with the hope of making it into an online Christmas Card. I was full of hope this Christmas card would open some doors for me and I wouldn’t have to spend Christmas season so alone in a city away from home.

Anyway, I didn’t find the relevant software I needed like photoshop etc on the computer I had access to so the hope remained just that.. a hope. I never sent the card. The hope to open some new doors remained that too just a hope. hahahah

For those new to photohunters, feel free to join us. Click here

In the excitement of coming home I had forgotten all about it. Iiks! Until I read neo and I realized I had actually been to the Rabbit Park at Berjaya Hills Resort sited at Bukit Tinggi.

You got to excuse me about that. By the time we left Kuala Lumpur and almost arrived in Bentong and u-turned back to Berjaya Hills Resort I was already suffering from a little motion-sickness. No, no, no….I am not pregnant. No, no, no….it has nothing to do with Neo’s character. He has a wonderful, bubbly personality. Occasionally I chatted with him to keep him awake. Driving along these winding country roads can be hypnotic and make one feel sleepy especially on a particularly warm day.

From rabbit park

I saw this sign and thought we were going horse-riding. I didn’t want to ask and show my ignorance so I just smiled and let Neo take the lead.

From rabbit park

I smiled as visions of myself in some cowboy outfit riding up and down the mountain trails crossed my mind. Oh…so macho. knew I was going to have a great time.

From rabbit park

Instead I soon found ourselves here. Rabbit park. RM3.00 per entry. It is an okay kind of place more so if there were kids following. I am not a kid and Neo I presume is also not a kid. Anyway I paid the tickets and soon Neo was busy taking pics. I have found his secret. The secret of how he can take such great pics.

Behind the camera he is like invisible. He is unafraid to take shots. He will always smile at his subjects, ask for permission with the sweetest I am a Japanese tourist smile and almost always the other party agrees. If I were to follow the same style, the other party might yell for the police or something. I suppose it has to do with public relations skills. I must improve on that aspect.

From rabbit park

As the name implies, it is about rabbits. I had always thought rabbits could move fast but they couldn’t. Many rabbits were allowed to roam free in an enclosed area for visitors to caress or for children to hold and take pics.

From rabbit park

I could easily outpace them but on the other hand I didn’t want to frighten them.

From rabbit park

I assume this is a mouse deer or the infamous Sang Kancil in Malay folk lore.

From rabbit park

Decided to play voyeur and but this is a blog graded general audiences. So this pic willl have to do.

From rabbit park

I thought these were horses with short legs until I read Neo’s blog and realized they were donkeys In my school days, I must have failed my Biology or something

On the way down, we stopped at a rest stop along the highway. Amazed at the quantity of food I was consuming, Neo remarked that I have gained weight. It is true. For the past two months I have been very relaxed and seldom go to the gym now. It is worse when I go traveling and eat to my heart’s content without the presence of Mrs BB, the food police.

I looked at Neo again. He is not thin but he doesn’t have a tummy at all. Amazing. Maybe I should pick up badminton as a hobby.

I recently came across this video on my friend, lcteh’s blog. He was singing the song The Great Pretender made famous by the Platters. It got me thinking. In reality we are all different personalities to different people. Does this mean we are pretenders? Multiple personalities … different personalities to different people?
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From Sibu

Benghui : Daddy, which long pants should I wear?
Daddy : The black one. ( easy question..he has only one pair of long pants)
Benghui : Which pair of shoes should I wear daddy?
Daddy; I don’t know . You decide.
Benghui : I have a pair of slippers, a pair of school shoes and a pair of wushu shoes.
Daddy : Wear your school shoes.
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I am now back in Sibu. I had a wonderful holiday in West Malaysia. I have so many people to thank.

From Sungai Petani Trip

Bernard thanks for the invite to the hash run, great dinner and crazy 9 packets of nasi lemak supper.Mark thanks for providing the transport and tour guide service . Chee cheong fun and wan than mee never tasted so good as that night at New Lane.
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