SHS Homecoming 2010

A few weeks ago, I got the following invite from Hii Chang Kee, one of our former head prefect:

I think this sounds like a general reunion that covers all the different batches of ex-students of SHS. Does anyone have more detailed info on the event?

All the Best to the Magnificent 7

A short note to wish the 7 boys (*cough cough*) a safe and successful climb to Mount Kinabalu this coming weekend (...they will always be 'boys' to us matured, level-minded ladies, ngek-ngek-ngek..).

Leading the team is of course non-other than Big Foot Stephen. The other six are Paul, Ah Too, Kok Sey, Martin, Ngie Chuong and Chuan Yew. Rumours are that they will be visiting some strange-named islands after the climb, you'll need to check with Stephen.

Seven 'batang-s' who have known each other since school days going for an adventure together.....I can just imagine the topics they will have for conversations, or rather, I better not imagine, heh heh.

Let's wish the boys all the best! Take lots of photos ya, we'll be waiting to see them on the blog!

Najib's Cabinet

Najib Cabinet not “lean”, may be “mean” - announcement overshadowed by ghost of Altantuya..................April 9th, 2009

Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s Cabinet failed to live up to the hype of “lean” though it may be “mean”, setting a dubious Cabinet record of using the “back door of Parliament” to bring into the government the biggest crop of defeated candidates in the previous general election – namely Tan Sri Dr. Koh Tsu Koon, Datuk Seri Shahrizat Abdul Jalil, Datin Paduka Chew Mei Fun and Datuk Dr. Awang Adek Hussin which does not speak well for the government’s commitment to accountability and democracy.
If Najib wants the Cabinet to be really “lean”, he should have slashed the 32-strong Abdullah Ministers by at least one-third!
All the blurb about downsizing Abdullah’s second 67-strong Cabinet (32 Ministers and 35 Deputy Ministers) has not really borne fruit, as Najib has produced a bigger 68-strong Cabinet with 28 Ministers and 40 Deputy Ministers although there are four Ministers less.
Najib has appointed even more Ministers and Deputy Ministers than Mahathir’s last Cabinet after the 1999 general election, when there were only 27 Ministers and 27 Deputy Ministers, together with 15 Parliamentary Secretaries.
Najib’s unveiling of his Cabinet has set another record, being the worst public relations (PR) disaster in the nation’s history.
Najib’s P.R. advisers should be sacked for it was completely overshadowed by the ghost of murdered Mongolian Altantuya Shaariibuu after the morning’s High Court conviction and death sentence for policemen Chief Inspector Azilah Hadri and Corporal Sirul Azhar Umar for her C4 murder.
The majority of those who watched Najib’s live-telecast announcement of his Cabinet were not interested in his 15-minute statement on KPI (key performance index) for his Ministers, with the Altantuya murder case uppermost in their minds, and all they wanted to know with growing impatience was his new list of Ministers.
Najib’s Cabinet cannot convince Malaysians that the country has a new Ministerial team which can be serious in the three Najib mottos of “1 Malaysia. People First. Performance Now”.
Although Najib does not want to have Ministers with political baggages, there is not only the question as to which member of his Cabinet can claim to be free from baggage, there is the even bigger question as to which Cabinet Minister has more baggage than Najib himself!
Unlike his predecessor, Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, Najib failed in his highly-publicised attempt to recruit any prestigious member from the corporate sector to join his Cabinet.
The Cabinet appointment which has evoked the greatest interest is not a Minister but a Deputy Minister – the appointment of Datuk Mukriz Mahathir as Deputy Minister for International Trade and Industry and the conspicuous omission of Khairy Jamaluddin, the Umno Youth leader.
This reinforces public perception that Najib is under thumb of former Prime Minister Tun Dr. Mahathir Mohamad as well as raises the question as to why Khairy, who is publicly accused by Mahathir of being corrupt, could continue as Umno Youth leader when he is not fit to be a member of the Cabinet – just like the question asked by Malaysians how Datuk Seri Mohd Ali Rustam could continue to be Malacca Chief Minister when he was not qualified to contest for Umno deputy president because of his involvement in money-politics corruption!
In Najib’s Cabinet, Sabah is the biggest winner and Sarawak the biggest loser – as Sabah has four Ministers while Sarawak only two. Clearly, Najib does not appreciate the Batang Ai by-election victory of the Barisan Nasional on Tuesday.
.............are we such a loser, Sarawakian?

Khir Toyo's Disney tours cost more than RM1 million .... The Malaysian Insider Wednesday April 01 2009

By Asrul Hadi Abdullah Sani

SHAH ALAM, April 1 - Selangor investment arm Perbadanan Nasional Selangor Berhad (PNSB) paid a total of RM1.85 million for former Selangor Menter Besar Datuk Seri Mohd Khir Toyo's Disney tours to both Paris and Orlando in the United States.
The trip to Euro Disney was from 26th till 30th December 2004.
Khir and his delegates first went to Morocco and then had a five day transit in Dubai before going to Paris at a cost of RM416, 863.
The transit in Dubai cost an additional RM10,000. The official delegation spent a total of RM416,000 and a team which went to make arrangements for the trip spent RM366,000.
Khir's second Disney trip was to Orlando from 23rd December 2007 to 1st January 2008, costing RM646, 841.
The delegates were also given an additional USD30,000 "pocket money" and therefore the total expenses for the trip amounted to RM750,000.
The state government paid RM336,531 first class tickets for airfare to Orlando and Honolulu while RM305,800 was spent on accommodations with Khir's suite in Orlando costing RM110,000.
The revelations were made today by PNSB chief executive officer Khairiyah Abu Hassan during an inquiry conducted by the state's Special Select Committee on Competence, Accountability and Transparency (Selcat).

Cita Cita

Apakah cita cita anda? What is your ambition?

This seems to be a perennial essay question favourite among our BM and English teachers when we were younger. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if teachers today still set the same question.

If memory serves me, I think I wrote that I wanted to be a teacher. Of course, all that changed when I discovered computers. My dad, on the other hand, was hoping I would be a lawyer. Considering that I can get quite emotional sometimes when getting into arguments, I don't think I would have made a very good lawyer.

I also thought I could be an electronics engineer, but a lot of the stuff about it wasn't intuitively obvious to me. Software and computer architecture, on the other hand, I could get my head around.

The other day, as I was running in a 10km race, I thought to myself that I wanted to achieve a certain timing for 10km before I hit 40. Then suddenly, I thought about my life and whether I am happy with what I have achieved so far.

Then I realized that life is a bit like the race I was running in. Does it mean that if I fail to get 1st position, I am a miserable failure? As I looked around, I realized that a lot of the people in the race are just happy to be running. They are running for the sheer joy of it, and to compete against themselves, trying to become better each time.

And I suppose life is also like that. As long as we're happy with what we're doing and what we have, it doesn't really matter that we're not number 1. No one should judge us, and neither should we ourselves against others. As long as we are happy with our own lives, what other people think do not really matter.

Of course, our cita cita should spur us on, but it should never push us to the point where we become miserable with our lives.

Sarawak Anthem

I am not sure how many of us may remember this, but in 1988 (our Form 5 year), Sarawak changed its state anthem.

From 1973 to 1988 the state anthem was "Sarawak Bahagia" and it went something like this:


Then from 1998 onwards it was "Ibu Pertiwiku", and it went something like this:


Somehow I preferred the newer version better, I found it more moving and sentimental :)


Just as a side note, for me coming from Sarawak to KL during the late 80's felt like going into a different country, everything was just so different. Now, as I watched the video of the anthem, I felt homesick and long once again for that place I have called home in my youth.

TVB Serials

Okay, yet another 80's nostalgia post from me :)

The early 80's also marked the start of the videotape craze. For those pre-Astro days, the humble video recorder was a perfect avenue to while away the hours between work and rest.

In those days, the videos mostly came from recordings of the popular TVB series broadcasted on Singapore TV, which had been dubbed in Mandarin, even the theme songs

Nowadays, both Astro Wah Lai Toi and Xing He channels repeat quite a number of these series. In addition, you can also buy the series in disc sets online.

Long after the stories had faded from our memories, the theme songs remained. Mostly composed by the prolific Joseph Koo, they were amazing pieces that matched the melodrama of the stories well. There are too many to cover here, so I have chosen a few for your enjoyment. For the rest, just surf around Youtube and you will be rewarded :)

First off, The Twins, which came out in 1979 (!).

Then, The Dynasty, which was from 1980.

Another popular series was Tai Chi master Zhang.


This next one needs no introduction - it was THE series of 1984:


Finally, a series that we were all watching when we were in Form 5:

My Old Photos ... Part 1

This year CNY 2009 - my wife found my old photo album while we were staying at her parents house. Every one was very surprise that I was a very skinny and smiley boy!! I guess the corporate world made me into a monster and super killing machine.

I will be posting the picture in stages as I have a lot of old photo that need to be scanned.

p/s This is a special request from Ivy ... she misses all her ex-boyfriends. .. innocent and cute ... Boy is Paul Ting and Hanafi ... little ... err I mean small ... err or I better shut-up.

2nd Sibu Troop & Company Reunion

I "borrowed" this photo from the www.2ndsibu.org website to be posted here.

The ex-boy scouts of 2nd Sibu Troop and ex-girl guides of 2nd Sibu Company had their reunion on the 2nd day of CNY at Tanahmas Hotel in Sibu. There were quite a few who came back from overseas just for the reunion, from as far as Australia and The States. Unfortunately, not many girl guides from my year attended the reunion....and even more unfortunate, the few that did attend left before this photo was taken.

Those who know me well from the girl-guiding days would not have expected that I would miss such an event....sigh, apa boleh buat?! Nevermind, I'll definitely be at the next reunion!

The American Dreams...

I like the flowers...Roses....it is so define and at full bloom...indeed king of flowers....I like the dress...elegant beauty...I like her blonde curvy hair...very sensous...

I like to look at her...well, she is a real beauty, isn't she ? Yes, indeed she is, she has been crowned as the most beautiful girl in the United State of America as of 24th January 2009.

By the way, do you know why they called it beauty pageant contest rather than pretty pageant contest ?

Another question, there is of late a very strong call of not buying American products, are you going to resist when you are scheduled to have 1-2-1 Chap Goh Mey dinner aka Chinese Valentine Dinner with our new Beauty Queen here ?

Do think wisely, do not regret...I only say resist not reject...hehehe ...

SHS 88-90 21st Anniversary Reunion 2009

Hi, are you all in the mood already ?????

I can feel that the feeling of celebration is seeping strongly into my mind now, reflecting the great feeling of reunion.......as I got the message from Heroes that our Chairman Peter Yii had earlier updated him that more than 10 of our teachers had confirmed attendance...wow ! (but not too sure who are the teachers confirmed...though my mind tells me that those 3-4 teachers strong supporters will always like to mingle with us)...

So, it is definitelywill be a wonderful night to catch up.

The reunion is just another 5 days to go...on the 27th January 2009, 6.30p.m at Paramount Hotel, Sibu.

On the sponsorship for lucky draws plus gift expenses invitation for our teachers, please do not be shy to put down your name and try to be as generous as possible though in this economic climate.

For those wish to contribute, please email your commitment to ericphang@yahoo.com

For those wish to attend the dinner, please do not hesitate to contact and secure your ticket (cost RM40 only) with the following coordinators;

KL - Patrick Ling (plingsc@yahoo.com)
Kuching - Heroes (ericphang@yahoo.com) or myself (mygreatbuds@yahoo.com)
Sibu - David Kuok (davidkuok70@gmail.com ) or Peter Yii ( peter_yii@yahoo.co.uk )

Please do spread this good news and encourage all to attend.

Do not miss but grab the opportunity when it is presented to you.

"Gong Xi Fa Cai"

REUNION DINNER 2009

After the much awaiting period, I am pleased to announce that the Reunion Dinner 2009 is still on !

Date: 27th January 2009 (2nd Day of CNY)
Venue : Paramount Hotel
Time : 6.30 p.m.

Ticket price : RM40 per pax

The new O.C is Peter Yii Sing Sin who had gracefully accepted the last minutes (an hour ago) proposal following the the unavailability of the elected O.C due to unforeseen cirscumstances and tight schedule which was only disclosed yesterday. Thanks to David who had swiftly managed to convince Peter to take over and our tradition is once again protected.

It is only less than 2 weeks to go and we will have to put in total support to enable our noble tradition continues. I believe many of us would not just sit still but will go all out to spread this news and canvass all support.

It may not be as grand as last year, but we will put in our best effort. However, it may be the best ever organised in a shortest notice !

The dinner ticket will be out by this Saturday, so that we could drum on with the support. Sponsorship of cash is most welcome to provide with lucky draws and other running expenses to the organising of this dinner.

Will update with you on the confirmation of number of attendance as we move on.

Meet-up with Eleu in Kuching

The photo says it all! Ai Ping was in Kuching from 27 Dec - 1 Jan. Eleu arrived in Kuching on 31 Dec around 8.30pm.....in order for the 3 of us to meet at the same time, it had to be on 31st itself!

We picked up Eleu at about 9.30pm and went for a drink at Jalan Song....Eleu's family lives around the area. What can I say about Eleu after not having kept in touch for so long? Still as fun-loving and as ngiau-siaw as ever! But he now has an area of expertise which I didn't know of before - he's a health expert! Ladies, if you're looking for tips to have a better body shape, Eleu's your man!

I haven't been out with friends late at night for ages....much less on new year's eve, so it felt a little weird leaving the baby and hubby at home. Still, it was time worth spent. Anything for meeting up with school days friends!

It's a BRAND NEW Year!

Friendship is like a flower;

A joy from day to day.

But you must take good care of it;

Lest it should fade away.

So always treat is gently,

And nourished by your care.

The bud will grow and flourish

Into a blossom rare.

HAPPY NEW YEAR 2009

Today 31/12/2008 is the last day of year 2008. Time flies very fast and our last reunion in Sibu was still fresh in my mind although it was almost a year ago.

Tomorrow is the 1st day of another new year of our life; 2009. I believe there are plenty of 'look forward' events or things that each and every one of us are eagerly waiting for irrespective of personal, family, company or friends, therefore in order to make our 'look forward' happen, we must put it into action in the coming year.

Here I would like to wish all of you a Happy New Year 2009 and may all your dreams come true. No matter how well or bad our performances was, no matter how high we flew, no matter how happy or sad we were in the past, let's forget about the past. Live with no regret, no reserve & no turning back but instead march forward with hopes, smiles, dreams, aspirations and resolutions.

For those who join us to conquer Mount K.K next year, please be reminded that we MUST well prepare ourselves mentally and physically fit. Set your own preparation for the historical event of our life time. See You At The TOP.......Cheers.... :-)

MERRY CHRISTMAS

Christmas songs were played everywhere, shopping arcades, hotels, offices, home and even in our cars for the past few weeks. Even though with the current economy situation, this annual festive season will not be forgotten by all of us and the mood of the pre-celebration are still equally high as compare with the westerners.

For some of us, it's time to do some recollection of what we had been done or achieved in 2008, although some may or may not have that kind of practise but I must say that it's good to start to review ourselves in order to prepare us in moving on towards the even more challenging and tough year ahead which is just A WEEK before we say goodbye to year 2008.

In Kuching, we had just organised a small scale of Christmas gathering at Kenny Rogers. How about you guys out there? I guess you should have a great plan for family gathering or dinner somewhere.

Here I would like to take this opportunity to wish all of you a Merry Christmas and God Bless. Treasure every moment being together with your loved one, family, relatives, friends and colleague and always show appreciation to them anytime & any place.


HO HO HO......


This is my dream and I hope to celebrate a real White Christmas one day...... How about you?

We Did It Again !

A total of 9 families joined in our 2008 Season Ending Get-Together event at tHe Spring yesterday. It was a joyous occassion as we mingled among families as we update our memory banks (in case some of us complained about memory loss, overhauling may be needed here).

It is a simple gathering with no official speeches but pure chit-chatting, laughters, smiling, hugging, cuddling, singing, cheering, drawing, games, free CDs and of course eating plus cake cutting but we start with food ordering first in line...

Whilst waiting for roasted chicken, Heroes finds time to cuddle Isaac.... & mommy is watchful at the side...

A family drawing event, putting down wishes for 2009 was a hit. I must say this is a lively event, some of us had not been drawing for the last 20 years, suddenly the art & skill when display is unfaded and even much better than those years ago. Beside wishing peace, health, harmony & wealth...we have a catchy wish which is celebrating White Christmas next year...whooha...oh yes...a White Christmas in US or Europe... err..may be a bit expensive...then we could choose Beijing/Shanghai...cheaper leh...

Mr. Tee though lone ranger is seriously displaying his unused artistry since leaving school in 1990.

Updating is a must...we can observed how our 3 friends catching up with each other. Mr. Tee even taking time to consult specialist on his troubled parts...hehehe..guess which leg ? (no photographic evident, pleasezz)

On yes...for the kids...beside the drawing, we have gift exchange activity.

Ivy is indeed very good in this activity, taking every advantage being close with kids (just look at her lovely smile...not only watching her communicating with the little ones and the flow of her body language). The little cute girl is Josephine (Leh Ning/Ah Too's daughter) who is so happy to have her choice. This year no more crying liau...more confident now. hehehe ...

A wonderful event indeed...Moses is so delighted to have the RM20 MPH voucher, had been holding on (yes...for 6 hours or so) until I had to go back with him to buy his favourite comic book using that voucher.

Last but not least...a group photo taken...mapping the smile of everyone...

Oops..there is one special photo after the group...looks like this is going to be the Photo Of The Year ! (this is not an anniversary cake of theirs but ours as we get the singles to do the honour).

The cake is very delicious and Moses had 3 pieces just to validate on this fact !

We also played our special edition Christmas CD (specially prepared by Heroes) and we sing along a few songs softly....

We had only spent slighlty over two hours but after the event, as I slowly walked back to my car with Heroes, I am practically exhausted but satisfied as it was an enjoyable moments especially cuddling Isaac (Looking at this condition, Heroes warned that we had better be prepared for the big event in May 2009).

Hmm...I am looking forward for our next gathering soon and of course the White Christmas next year..

Before ending, on behalf of the organising committee (Ivy, Heroes & MGB), thank you very much for joining us for this season ending gathering...(Ah Too/Leh Ning/Jonathan/Josephine, Ah Yaw/Joanne and kids, Martin/wife/daughter, Mag, Mellisa, Mr. Tee). It will not happen without the support from each one of you.

We look forward for bigger crowd next round...may be bigger than the traditional gathering in Sibu.

Hohoho...Merry Christmas Everyone...

A Family Affairs at Kenny Rogers

In 6 hours time, 10 families of our batch will be having year end lunch together at Kenny Rogers, The Spring Kuching. It will be a fun time for the children and for the parents to catch up with each others (probably the last time before the new year ends).

A wonderful event awaits...shall keep all posted. Cheers

The Final Countdown

In 14 days time from now, we will be gathering around with family and friends to wave farewell to a great year 2008 and welcoming 2009. Wow, time really flies it is another year end and another new year coming. A lot of festivity moods here, I must confess. Nevertheless, the kickstart is a bit slow and I believe everyone would say...well you know..lah,...financial ? Angpow boh leh...

Hmm, never mind that...I am not Chinese educated but I was repeatedly advised that there is sayings in Chinese, in risks or challenges, there is always opportunity. Importantly are we ready to sieze the opportunity when we saw it ? Many of us could not sieze though many said they will not let opportunities pass by. Example....if today you come across an opportunity to buy a property that has guaranteed good investment return, will you buy it ? Uurh...frankly, we will think more protective measures especially during times of financial turmoil, engaging a surviving mode rather going all out to sieze the opportunities. So, generally, we will not take it during this time of turmoil, worrying about what if we are tie down with such big investment when the return is only going to materialise in 5-10 years time, amidst rumour of more job lay offs or closures of businesses (I have just learnt that 1,800 companies were closed down in the last 1 month in China ?).

So, state of preparedness (SOP) is crucial, I believe strongly. We will probably not strike even we have clear opportunity ahead...if we are not prepared (as we cannot afford it). In the world...there is only one Donald Trump, Bill Gates, Barrack Obama, George Bush, Warren Buffets, Tun Dr. M, Tan Sri Ting, White Ant...they are well known to us as they have achieved huge successes. From what I know they seldom missed opportunities passing through them...few of them even had grasses died off naturally whenever they stepped on it. They practically did the opposite but of course with a lot of guts and risks consideration.

My best buddy had also mentioned to me few years back, success is depending on one's definition and even if one's success is so minute compared to others achievement, it is also a great success to their satisfaction. Example, if a beggar managed to beg a plate of rice and met his daily target...it is a success to him. So long as he is happy, there is nobody who could take that satisfaction away from him. This is a great advice indeed for which we must honour as many among us do go for the stars but for the moon which is equally successful as they lived a happy and wonderful life. In short, everyone will have their opportunities, they shall need to make the best of it.

Whichever way, we have fourteen days to reflect for what we have gone through for the past 12 months or so and to chart our new course or aims (if needed) to seek our own stars or moons in the new year.

One thing for sure, we have the magnificent 7 who had put forth one of their 2009 goals to scalp the highest mountain in South East Asia on 2/5/2009.

A happy time ahead together with all our loved ones with array of wishes are along the way, with free flowing beers, whiskey, brandy, soft drinks plus roasted chicks, ducks, squids, fishes and prawn...hmmm..muacch...(like this how to achieve my dream weight huh...) Merry Christmas & Happy New Year 2009...plus Happy Reflection 2008 hehehe...Cheers..

Of Magazines and Pen Pals

Oops, I have owed Ivy a tag for more than a month now, and Mygreatbuds have been kicking my butt in the shoutbox, so I guess I better get going.

The topic came to my mind when I was driving (as with most things nowadays) to work one day.  Remember those little A6 sized magazines that were sold every now and then in both SHS and SES?  That's right folks, I'm talking about The Young Lasallian.

The little compact magazine was meant to update the La Salle students all over Malaysia and Singapore on the latest happenings in the La Salle schools.

One of sections that always caught my attention was the pen pals.  Around Form 2, I finally got the courage to write to 2 of them (both girls, of course :P)  One was in Taiping, and the other Semenyih.  I later corresponded with another 2 pen pals (both girls as well, of course!) in Penang and Kuching.

Those were the days of non-instantaneous communication, where calling outstation cost a bomb and there was neither sms nor email.

So, we all used to look forward to going back home after school and checking our mail box to see whether another letter has dropped into it.

I remember the Taiping lady used to write long reflective letters about her life, while the others were more flippant and generally just shared about the latest happenings in their school lives.

After I went to college, the letters dried up, and when I reached uni, I lost touch with all of them.

But as I reflected on those letters that we exchanged, I am in a way quite struck by how profound some of those letters were.  Those were the days of youthful idealism and great clarity of mind, unpolluted by cynicism and broken dreams.  They were a snapshot of our minds, and reminded us of who we once really were.