FEARLESS!

Goodbyes are never easy to say. The people who have left their marks in your lives somehow stay on forever. When we meet, everything looks great and rosy. A new chapter in your life begins. However- when it’s time to part and move on – the pain stays.

Leaving the ones you love cuts deep into your soul. Life must go on. Perhaps, a new chapter will begin again someday soon. Maybe this time it will stay.

That’s right. The iconic Golden Palm Tree Sea Villas & Spa resort will be officially opened come 1st April 2010. The resort will be managed by the International Swiss-Belhotel Group which also manages other hotels worldwide including Australia, Jakarta, China and everywhere! You can check them out at http://www.swiss-belhotel.com.

The villas are fantastic. They come with a hint of Polynesian and Maldivian architecture, and embellished with local Malaysian hints. I’ve included some pictures here.

Travellers Palm Studio Villa. Check out the high ceiling hand-laid by mastercraftsmen from Bali, Indonesia

Awaken to the gentle sound of the sea & morning sea breeze

It’s funny how we cling on to possessions and people, knowing that these things don’t last. Possessions like cars, house, money all don’t last. They are only here for awhile, satisfying our desires to be “seen” and “heard”. Similiarly, we also cling on to our relationship, tricking ourselves that they too, will last for eternity.

The mind changes very quickly. Everything is impermanent. Nothing ever stays the same.

I have learned that by attaching ourselves to people, or a certain person – the end result is suffering. Expecting that person to be whom you think he/she should be. We forget easily that every one of us is an individual.

I have learned that letting go is an essential part of life.

I have learned that letting go is gaining back your freedom.

Sometimes it is good to go and be with nature even if it is just for a couple of hours. And the good news is that you don’t have to travel far. The Kuala Lumpur Bird Park is located in the serene and scenic Kuala Lumpur Lake Gardens. And it is about 10 minutes drive away from the city centre of Kuala Lumpur.

Here are some facts & figures about the KL Bird Park:

• It is home to more than 2,000 birds of approximately 200 species of local and foreign birds.
• The bird park is located on a 20.9 acres of verdant valley terrain and the surroundings make you feel as if you are in a lush tropical rainforest.
• It is the biggest free-flight concept bird park in the world

Well – enough of the figures.

The moment you enter the bird park you will be welcomed by acres and acres of verdant slopes. Heck – the flora & fauna is enough to dazzle you, if not for the birds! Here, the birds are free to fly or waddle all over and wherever they wish.

"Let's explore, shall we?"

When I was there, a proud peacock strutted his stuff and displayed his magnificent feathers. Some were shy but this particular peacock was really cock-sure he was the main attraction at the park.

A real favourite section of mine is the zone where the Lories and parrots are kept. The birds here are unabashed and will come to you provided you have ample food for them. But watch out, they have been known to land on your head and go all over your hair in search of food!

This Lory wasn't coy when it comes to feeding time!

The Amphitheater is another place you shouldn’t miss. There will be shows every day at designated hours. The parrots, Kite, Hawks have been so well trained that sometimes you wish you had brought your children to be trained here! There is this parrot who can do math. Another “eco-friendly” parrot had been taught to pick up trash and discard them into a bin! Fancy that! Not only is it entertaining but highly educational as the presenters will fill you with avian facts & figures!

I noticed a lot of tourists when I was there. Truth to be told — I think most Malaysians don’t even know they have a bird park let alone know where it is.

The KL Bird Park is indeed, a place to bring your family. Your children will enjoy looking at the birds, interacting with them and it’s a real great way to spend a leisurely afternoon rather than being in a shopping mall.

There is a restaurant there that also caters for birthday parties. I think it is a great place to hold a party in a natural environment and guests can look forward to a guided tour of the bird park. When I was there, I noticed an inquisitive hornbill peering at the interior of the restaurant, perhaps in search of grub!

Getting to know one another better

Entrance fees are RM15 for adults and (Malaysians only) and I think RM8 for children. Foreigners have to pay a higher entrance ticket of RM40 if I’m not mistaken.

Take my word — it is the place to go!

Taking my children to the barber’s is very therapeutic for me. I get to watch their antics when they mosey into the barber’s chair. The barber (my children insisted that he be their only barber) never fails to get entertained by them too. For instance – Glen will “plead” with the barber not to slice off his neck or his ear. Ian will patiently wait for the barber to cut his hair and beam with pleasure if his hair is cut the way he likes it!

I remember the time I was back home in Segamat. I must have been 6 years old. My uncle Soon Fatt will fetch me aboard his old Elswick (bicycle) and bring me to the barber’s. It’s not too far away from my maternal grandparents’ house. I think a haircut then costs 50 cents as opposed to RM7.00 now for a child.

The barber, an old stout Chinese man will smoke a cigar while he goes about with his trade. The snip-snip sound of his scissors and a virtually non-existent tool that looks like modified pliers never fail to make me drowsy. My uncle will usually bring me to the barber’s in the mid-afternoons — the time a small boy is most sleepy.

My head will usually sway and nod me into dreamland while the barber patiently props my head into position so he can get a better cut. Amazingly – it is this very sound of snipping scissors that will still send me off to sleep!

The haircut style is standard. No fancy hairstyles. Just a standard “slope” at the back and straight cut all the way on your forehead. Much to my chagrin – I usually end up with a hairstyle looking like a well-trimmed coconut. It’s as if the barber placed a bowl over my hair and cut along the edges of the bowl.

After the haircut, it’s shaving off the sideburns. The barber’s trusty shaving knife (now non-existent too) will be sharpened on a leather belt. Shaving foam (usually soap) will be splattered on the sideburns and the nape of the neck at the back before the shave.

To wake you up from your afternoon siesta, the barber will wickedly splash some aftershave (Old Spice brand I suspect) onto the back of your neck & sideburns. The stinging sensation is the key to waking you up, short of making you yell in pain!

I miss those times. Indeed I do. I still patronize the traditional barber. I detest the modern hairstylists not only because of the exorbitant price they charge but because of the ridiculously long time they take to cut your hair.

Sigh – there are some things you just cannot replace in life.

There is an old Chinese adage that says “you cannot break many chopsticks in your hands but you can easily break one”. This is very true. Our Grandparents (my maternal side) passed on many years ago. To be exact, 22 July 2009 would be exactly Grandpa’s 6th death anniversary. I do miss him very much and my Grandmother too.

Grandfather (or ‘Gung-gung’) was born Yap Jit Sin. Although poor he never failed to care for his wife and 9 children. I cannot remember much about him in my younger years but my grandparents’ house was my daycare centre before I went to school. The house was then an old pre-war shophouse located in Segamat town. It was large by today’s standards and there was always room to run around or explore.

Gung-gung's obituary

Gung-gung loved all his grandchildren. He would always smile at us and speak to us in Hakka, his mother dialect. I was admitted to the Segamat hospital for severe food poisoning when I was 12 and Gung-gung was there to visit me. One morning while lying on my hospital bed in the dingy, stinking hospital – Gung-gung walked in bringing my favourite breakfast – half-boiled eggs and the famous Segamat “roti Kahwin”, and a packet of “kopi-o”. Of course, I never had the opportunity to sample the breakfast as the nurses forbade me to even near the food. I later told Gung-gung that the hospital food is only fit for animals.

Grandma (or “Phor-phor”) loved us to death. But like all Hakka old ladies then, she would grumble and tell us off in her sing-song Hakka. “Port Nia Thai Lang” was her favourite. There is no English translation for this except maybe “you fool”. And another favourite of hers was “Yen Wong” or “mercy”! Today, I’d use those Hakka words whenever I converse in that dialect out of fun and perhaps, to constantly remind myself of my dear old Phor-phor.

Our late Grandmother - we miss you so much

She was born Chung Kiaw and her hometown was Seelong, a Chinese village near Senai in Johor Bharu.

Mum and Dad were teachers and I’d end up in Gung-gung’s house when they went to work. Phor-phor would never fail to give me 25 cents to go to the house’s sidelane and enjoy a delicious bowl of Cendul. Cendul is a traditional Indian delicacy where stringy green flour vermicelli is served in sweetened coconut milk and ice. It truly is delicious and back then 25 cents is probably equivalent to today’s RM1.50.

The Yap Family. I am fifth from the right

From my pre-teen to my teenage years, and up to the time I went to college and even after I started working – going to my grandparents’ house was like a ritual. Mum would drive there and meet the rest of her sisters and the result would be one big happy Hakka association. I must mention that the Hakkas speak as if they are quarreling but rest, assured it probably a trait brought down from the generations in China. Or maybe because in China those many, many hundreds of years ago – they had to make themselves heard because of the strong winds.

Gung-gung was ill many times and in 2003, he finally succumbed to his illness. I was in my house in Subang Jaya then. That night, my cousin Alex, his mother and I drove down to Segamat. I was indeed sad that such a grand old man, well-respected in Segamat and a staunch supporter of the 8 Immortals (Deities), and 9 Emperor Gods had finally left us.

Nearly two years later, Phot-phor followed suit. My beloved Grandmother whom I still remember, cooked the best steamed minced-pork had left us.

July 22nd would be Gung-gung’s 6th Death Anniversary. May you rest in peace along with Phor-Phor. To this, I dedicate this Buddhist share of merit:

Idam me, natinam hotu
Sukhita hontu, Nyatayo.

To all my cousins reading this, do share your merits for them.

Tomorrow is Father’s Day. Malaysia, like the rest of the world, is going goo-goo gaga over the euphoria of celebrating Father’s Day. To me – every day is Father’s Day when I have the opportunity of spending some precious time with my two boys. That would not be possible as they are now in their grandparent’s place.

Anyway – I’d like to talk about my Father. He is perhaps, one of the most colourful person I have ever known. He is a Taekwon-do enthusiast, a rally driver having participated in numerous international rallies (chief amongst them the London to Sydney Rally in 1976), golf maniac and daredevil.

Daredevil? Yes – when he was 60, he skydived just to prove that people at his age could still pull off a stunt like that. And to boot that – he even scaled Mount Kinabalu, arriving at its peak grinning from ear to ear. Now that’s an achievement I don’t even think I can outdo.

I think the only interest we ever emulated was the spirit of driving fast. My younger brother, Edward is also a motosports freak, having participated in the Malaysian Millennium Endurance (MME) race in Sepang somewhere in 2000. My youngest sister June too, drives equally fast. And me – I’ve modified the racing spirit by taking to the hills, sidewinding whenever there’s a tight corner!

Dad was a school teacher. He was pretty strict, not only in school but at home. As a youngster, I was terrified by the sight of him. The school children were equally terrified when they see him walking around in school with a thick cane in his hand. I cannot count the number of school children who had probably suffered mild cardiac arrests when they see him!

Today, at 73, he still plays golf and exercises regularly at the gym. He relaxes by going to the club and having a drink with his mates.

To Dad, Happy Father’s Day! Wish I could be back home having dinner with you!

Happy Father's Day, Dad!

I brought my two sons home to Segamat on 31st May 2009. On the same day itself two things happened. First was my car, which failed to start after I stopped to let my sons ease themselves in Gemas. My trusty car just gave up on me. I called Dad and he got a mechanic to come by later to look at the car. He tinkered with the starter and somehow – it started. And we continued onwards to Segamat.

Later that same evening, I brought my children to the park at the back of my parent’s house. It is a nice, breezy park and I figured that my children could do with some workout.

Glen, my youngest is truly a daredevil and in a way, a chip off the old block. He had a go at the monkey bars and halfway through, decided to release his grip on the bar and fall to the ground. Or so he thought. He landed on his elbow and dislocated it. Poor thing. I was at first miffed because how could he have pulled a stunt like that. But upon retrospection – I realised the stunts I did when I was his age were even more dangerous.

I immediately brought him to see a Chinese Traditional Chiropractor. The first thing he did was to pull the dislocated elbow back into place and that made Glen, my son holler as if he was being slaughtered. Ouch! I know the pain is incredible and my heart goes out to him.

After the treatment

This chiropractor, Mr Wong (not to be confused with the Wong Fei Hung) is really very good. He applied his own herbal concoction on Glen’s elbow and later wrapped it up with some foul-smelling herbs. He also gave Glen some medicine to help quell the swelling and help the blood circulate better.

Sure I was angry at that time but it taught me a lesson. Glen has my adventurous spirit. He has a love for life and I shouldn’t allow small things like this from stopping him shape his character. It’s the tough things that build a person’s character!

I just hope he doesn’t have a passion for fast cars like I do!

At Segamat Airstrip

Walking Tall