Who the heck is Chee Chong Hwa ?

How much RAM can Windows XP Pro handle ?

2011-12-27T02:59:00.000-08:00

In short:
- Windows XP Pro 32bit can handle up to 4GB of RAM.
- A program running in Windows XP Pro 32bit can access up to 2GB of RAM.
- A program running in Windows XP Pro 32bit with the /3GB switch in boot.ini can access up to 3GB of RAM.

More at http://forums.guru3d.com/showthread.php?t=187977

A touching commercial that rubs the deepest part of your heart.

2011-12-20T21:44:00.001-08:00

Durians : Capri, 808 and Lipan

2011-07-22T20:15:00.000-07:00

Finally, I managed to eat some durians albeit at the tail end of the Balik Pulau Durian Season in Penang :-)

At the Mt Erskrine wet market, I checked out the Capri aka Bak Yu and yummy, it was nice and creamy. Later at night, Krystle just loved it and said that she loved the creaminess of Capri.

Yesterday, at the same stall, I tasted the recommended 808 and yes, it was kinda sweet and creamy.

Next, I was offered Green Thorns aka Cheh Chee aka Lin Fong Chiao but I declined as I did not like it and I was kinda surprised that he also has Lipan, one of my favourites :-)

We took a vote at night and whilst me and Tracey preferred Lipan for its "khor liam", Kimberley and Krystle voted for 808 for its sweetness and creaminess. In addition, Krystle said that Capri was more creamy. BTW, I forked our RM 17 for the 808 and RM 8 for the Lipan and yes, durians taste nicer after some time in the fridge.

All Men Are Brothers : Wu Sung, the Tiger Slayer

2011-07-09T20:12:00.000-07:00

When I was a kid, my mum told me the story of "Bu Seong Pak Hor" ie Hokkien for "BO Seong fights with a tiger" It was much later when in 1995, I bought the pictorial stories of the Chinese Classic the "Water Margin" that I realised that Bo Seong was actually Wu Sung one of the prominent 108 heroes of Liang Shan Pao :-)

I was first exposed to the Water Margin when I borrowed Water Margin from the PFS library when I was in Form 2, Then, I did not get pass the first few chapters as there tonnes of description of A Vs B fighting 100 rounds... so boring :-)

Last year, my youngest, Krystle discovered the 5 pictorial volumes and actually completed reading them within a week and surprise... surprise, we discovered quite by accident that the story of Wu Sung was shown on Astro Channel 708 (TV 8) !

Although, I knew the tragic ending, Krystle and me were just hooked on "All men Are Brothers" which ended 2-3 weeks ago. Then I remembered that I had several years ago bought the Shaw Brothers Celestial Movies, "Water Margin" and the sequel "All men are Brothers"

You may wonder why I even bother to blog about this Chinese classic. Well, after re-reading the 5 volumes, we noted that there were significant distortions in the TV Series, Celestial Movies and the original classic.

This series of articles serves to point out the discrepancies and solve certain mysteries about the Water Margin.

To kick off this series, let's take a look at Wu Sung..

In the Celestial Movies, Wu Sung's arm was chopped off by Fang La, the rebel Emperor and he died after capturing Fang La thus ending the campaign against Fang La.

However, in the TV series, Wu Sung chopped his own left arm off after being pinned by Fang La with a pitch fork. He subsequently defeated and captured Fang La. He was reported to live up to a ripe old age of 80 after retiring to a Monastery where his sworn brother, Major Lu Ta had passed away peacefully before the rump Liang Shan heroes returned to the Eastern Capital.

In Episode 28 (Suffering Great Losses in Suppressing the Revolt of Fang La) of the original classic, Wu Sung's left arm was chopped off by a flung sword knife thrown at him by Fang La's General Pao Taoyi. He was then rescued by Major Lu Ta. It was Lu Ta who eventually captured Fang La.

More to come...

Being 21

2011-04-08T09:22:00.000-07:00

I remember having a party at my house to celebrate my 21st birthday. But what does this mean ? Traditionally this would mean being given a gold key to symbolise one reaching adulthood. It would also mean that one is also old enough to vote.

Today, Melissa would have been 21 years old if she has not left us suddenly at the age of 12. Since I cannot give her her golden key, what else can I say except Happy 21st Birthday Melissa.

So, Melissa wherever you are and wherever you have been reborn,

May you be well and happy
May you be free from harm and danger
May you free from all mental and physical suffering
May you take care of yourself
May you find true happiness

Sadhu ! Sadhu ! Sadhu !

Chong Wei Beats Lin Dan to Win the 2011 All-England Finals

2011-03-18T01:05:00.000-07:00

The 15 Days of Chinese New Year

2011-02-10T00:50:00.000-08:00

On the third day of Chinese New Year 2011, I was asked by an American neighbor, Paul Stevens the meaning of the 15 days of CNY. I was a bit stumped. So, I did some research on the web and this is what I found :

The first day of the Lunar New Year is "the welcoming of the gods of the heavens and earth."Many people abstain from meat on the first day of the new year because it is believed that this will ensure long and happy lives for them.

On the second day, the Chinese pray to their ancestors as well as to all the gods. They are extra kind to dogs and feed them well as it is believed that the second day is the birthday of all dogs.

The third and fourth days are for the sons-in-laws to pay respect to their parents-in-law.

On the fifth day,people stay home to welcome the God of Wealth. No one visits families and friends on the fifth day because it will bring both parties bad luck.

On the sixth, seventh, eighth, ninth to the 10th day, the Chinese visit their relatives and friends freely. They also visit the temples to pray for good fortune and health.

The seventh day of the New Year is the day for farmers to display their produce. These farmers make a drink from seven types of vegetables to celebrate the occasion. The seventh day is also considered the birthday of human beings. Noodles are eaten to promote longevity and raw fish for success.

On the eighth day the Fujian people have another family reunion dinner, and at midnight they pray to Tian Gong, the God of Heaven.

The ninth day is to make offerings to the Jade Emperor.

The 10th through the 12th are days that friends and relatives should be invited for dinner. After so much rich food, on the 13th day you should have simple rice congee and mustard greens (choi sum) to cleanse the system.

The 14th day should be for preparations to celebrate the Lantern Festival which is to be held on the 15th night.The 15th day is called Chap Goh Meh in Hokkien

Chinese New Year 2011

2011-01-29T20:57:00.001-08:00

Chinese New Year 2010

2011-01-29T20:13:00.000-08:00

Chinese New Year 2009

2011-01-28T20:02:00.001-08:00

Chinese New Year 2008

2011-01-04T05:53:00.001-08:00

Chinese New Year 2006

2011-01-04T05:38:00.000-08:00

Chinese New Year 2003

2011-01-04T05:34:00.001-08:00

Chinese New Year 2004

2011-01-04T05:33:00.001-08:00

Chinese New Year 2005

2011-01-04T05:26:00.001-08:00

Chinese New Year 2002

2011-01-04T05:23:00.001-08:00

Chinese New Year 2007

2011-01-04T05:14:00.001-08:00

Who says that all politicians are corrupt ?

2010-11-25T21:00:00.000-08:00

Former Penang Chief Minister Chong Eu dies
By CHRISTINA CHIN

GEORGE TOWN: Tun Dr Lim Chong Eu, 91, who served as Penang Chief Minister for 21 years, died on Wednesday.

He leaves behind his wife, two sons and two daughters.

He was admitted to Penang Hospital on Oct 26 after he suffered a stroke but, when his condition worsened Wednesday, he was allowed to go to his home in Hillside, Taman Bungah, where he passed away at about 9pm.

The Gerakan founder was a towering leader who presided over Penang’s remarkable economic transformation but led a simple life throughout his political career spanning 39 years, shunning awards and titles.

He only accepted a Tunship after retiring from politics.

When he took over as Penang’s second chief minister in May 1969, the state was going through a difficult period after the withdrawal of the state’s free port status. Unemployment had shot up to 16.4%.

Dr Lim went overseas to attract investments that would provide jobs and managed to build one of the largest electronics manufacturing bases in Asia, earning the island the tag Silicon Valley of the East.

He came up with the “Free Trade Zone” concept to enable Penang to develop an industrial sector – a concept new to the country then.

Aside from courting western companies, he oversaw the transformation of Batu Ferringhi into a tourist destination and cleared pre-war houses to build the 65-storey Komtar, which was then Southeast Asia’s tallest building.

He also built the Penang Bridge.

Born in Penang, Dr Lim attended Penang Free School. In 1937, he was a King’s scholar at the Edinburgh University in Scotland and graduated in 1944 with a medical degree.

Formerly a medical officer with the Chinese Armed Forces, he founded the Radical Party in 1951 that won the first municipal council elections in George Town.

In 1954, he joined the MCA and was a member of the Razak Commission for Education.

He defeated the late Tun Tan Cheng Lock for the MCA presidency in 1958 but quit the party a year later following differences with Umno over the allocation of parliamentary seats in the 1959 general election.

He formed the United Democratic Party in 1962 and co-founded Gerakan in 1968.

The party swept the Alliance ruling coalition out of Penang in the 1969 general election and Dr Lim was appointed chief minister.

However, in 1973, Gerakan joined the Alliance Party to form a coalition called Barisan Nasional.

In 1980, Dr Lim stepped down as party president saying there were “many young and promising leaders in the party who are just as capable of holding the post”.

He was succeeded by (Tun) Dr Lim Keng Yaik in 1980.

He continued as chief minister but lost the Padang Kota state seat in the 1990 general election and then retired.

After retiring from politics, he stayed away from Gerakan affairs and kept mum, even when the party went through trials and tribulations.

He retired a humble man without a whiff of corruption.

After retiring, he became a passionate horse breeder and turned his attention to business, as chairman and adviser to several large corporations.

He also refused to publicly comment on the country’s political development when approached by newsmen.

In 2007, he was named founding chancellor of Wawasan Open University in Penang.

Penangites will not forget Dr Lim’s legacy.

************

Lim was the leader of Gerakan when the bloody racial riot of 13 May 1969 occured. However when order was restored after NOC, Federal Government under Tun Abdul Razak Hussein initiated a national level consultative council to resolve the issues how and why the 13 May racial riot happened. Lim brought Gerakan into the forum where New Economic Policy was born in 1971 as an affirmative action to address the socio-economoc disparity between the urbanites and under developed rural folks. In 1973, Lim brought Gerakan to join the Alliance Party spin off Barisan Nasional coalition government.

Upon his retirement from Penang Chief Ministership in 1990, he was invested with the Darjah Seri Setia Mahkota Negara (SSM) which carried the title ‘Tun’. He is the first Non Malay Penangite to be invested the award.

Happy Deepavali !

2010-11-04T01:24:00.001-07:00

CCH : Here's wishing Happy Deepavali' to all my Indian friends in Malaysia and all over the world :-)

Watch Lee Chong Wei Defeat Lin Dan

2010-09-29T01:57:00.001-07:00

Happy 85th Birthday Dad !

2010-09-19T03:25:00.000-07:00

What does 9th September 1925 means to me ? Well, in my school days, I used to buy the toto numbers 1, 9, 19, 25 for my Dad. Did he strike it rich ? Not that i am aware of :-)

Instead of remembering 5th August 2008 the day that he passed on at the age of 83, I'll rather remember his 85th Birthday today :-)

Music : This Masquerade (Updated 30th May 2010)

2010-05-10T05:32:00.000-07:00

CCH: My favourite Karen Carpenter song which I can actually sing from beginning to end :-)

Leon Russel's Version

George Benson's Version

Music : American Pie

2010-05-10T05:04:00.000-07:00

CCH : My all-time favourite till today

Penang Hawkers Food : Char Hor Fun Rediscovered

2010-04-25T06:15:00.001-07:00

In 1990, I was on a ferry to Butterworth, got down from my car and walked to the front. A while later, I heard someone seemingly calling to me "Lu Eh Kee Wah Oh ?"

I turned around and saw a thin chap smiling at me. He looked vaguely familiar. He said "Char Hor Fun Yin Yong Keh Kea Nooi" Out of the blue, I suddenly remembered that he was the Char Hor Fun Hawker in Fettes Park.

During my MICPA student days ,I usually stay overnight at the MACPA Student Society Library at Jalan Siput Remis. This was during the exam seasons (May and Nov) between 1981 - 1983. With only 4 weeks paid leave to prepare for each exam, I was pretty disciplined and studied 3 sessions at the Library and usually for dinner, we would walk over to Fettes Park and yes, Char Hor Fun was one of my favourite food then.

Fast forward to a couple of months ago. I was at the Mount Erskrine market with Tracey. As usual, she went marketing and I went looking for breakfast. For such a large market with a huge variety of hawkers food, I still struggled to find something suitable to my taste. That morning, I had the urge to eat Char Hor Fun and asked the newspaper vendor whether the Char Hor Fun near him was tasty. He replied that it was cheap but there is more tasty alternative to the right of him but hidden from view.

I sat down and guess what, the very same hawker form Fettes Park came over and took my order. Wow, what a coincidence to rediscover the tasty Char Hor Fun shown below :-)

Datuk Lee Chong Wei, the Fighting Champion !

2010-03-14T23:50:00.000-07:00

This morning, I read that Chong Wei has finally won the most prestigious badminton title in the world. It really made my day. I was a little worried that he will again fallen short on his 7th attempt.

Why do I call him a fighting champion ?

Simple, Chong Wei has been the World No.1 for more than a year and look at the way he has demolished all his nemesis such as Peter Gade etc. Lin Dan may have beaten Chong Wei in the Olympics, World Championship. But he did it the chicken way i.e hiding away and only playing in the majors. In fact, he registered to play in the Malaysian Open but chickened out at the very last minute.

BTW, just like World Lady Squash Champion Nicol David, Chong Wei is also a Penangite :-)

Other relevant articles...

Chinese New Year Cultural & Heritage Celebrations

2010-02-21T00:15:00.000-08:00

Yesterday, on the 7th day of the Chinese New Year, we decided to check out the Chinese New Year Cultural & Heritage Celebrations held at the George Town UNESCO World Heritage Site organised by the Penang State Government, Penang Chinese Clan Council Clan Associations Youth Committee.

Apparently, the whole celebrations was based on a historical touch of the four Chinese core moral values of "Faithful, Filial Piety, Etiquette & Justice" . The Faithful Area was centred on Chulia Street whilst the Etiquette Area and Filial Piety Area were on Ah Quee Street (off Pitt Street). The Justice Area was along Soo Hong Lane between Armenian Street and Ah Quee Street.

Having agreed to meet at the Chinese Restaurant opposite Yap Kongsi Temple, I dropped off Tracey and the kids and a neighbour, Laura at the junction of Jalan Masjid Keling (aka Pitt street) and was lucky enough to find a parking space at the Esplanade end of King Street which is pretty far from Armenian Street, the cente of the celebrations.

Walking along King Street took me through Little India, I could see all the Indian shops virtually in the CNY celebrations with Indian music at full blast :-)

On reaching Chulia Street, I could see a Lion Dance prancing on stilts and the street was full of people. All along Chulia Street, there were stalls after stalls mainly manned by youths including an interesting stall by the Penang Chinese Girls Private School which was showcasing Zodiac animals made from traditional Chinese paper cuttings !

On turning into Pitt Street, there was simply a sea of people. As I stood there, I could help feeling amazed at the kaleidescope of sound coming from the loud Indian Music, the banging of drums and cymbals as well as the sound of the Azan coming from the Majid Keling Mosque. No wonder Pitt Street is also known as the Street of Harmony with a Church, Mosque and several temples co-existing peacefuly on the same street !

As I very slowly moved forward through the mass of visitors (According to the Star, 100,000 visitors thronged through the 150 + activities and stalls) , one can see the 88 Chinese drums which was banged on as people passed them. Once passed the drums, one can see an imposing gateway into the Main Area of the celebrations.

At the Main Area there was a huge stage where singers were belting out Chinese New Year songs and directly facing it was a Teow Chew Opera depicting the story of the legendary Chinese General Yue Fei who had defeated the barbarians but was betrayed by the then evil Prime Minister and fatous Emperor of Song.

More to come...

Bak Kut Teh in Kota Baru ? [Updated 13th February 2010]

2010-01-28T01:02:00.000-08:00

I love Bak Kut Teh with its nutritious herbal soup, spare ribs, pork belly, tendons, leg cuts, pork balls and of course 'Yu Char Kueh'. My wife prefers to add the pig intestines, stomach and liver.

Sometime in January, I was at the Metropole Food Court at Jalan Sultan Ahmad Shah (aka Northam Road) and ordered a bowl of Bak Kut Teh and specifically said that I wanted spare ribs and not the spine and lots of "Yu Char Kueh". Imagine my sheer disappointment when it was finally delivered after a long wait with no "Yu Char Kueh" and totally no spare ribs ! To add insult to injury, it cost a bomb at RM 35.00. What a rip off and in no uncertain terms, I told the delivery person that her boss is really a dishonest hawker !

Fast forward a couple of weeks later, I was back in Kota Baru to supervise the parallel run by my client. After being sick of eating at Pizza Hut, A & W and the lone Chinese restaurant at Jalan Padang Garong, I decided to look for Kota Baru's China Town.

Taking a left at the Traffic Light and turning into Jalan Kebun Sultan, I walked across the road and saw a solitary Indian Restaurant and thought to myself... Perhaps I can get to eat Mamak Indian Mee after all. A short distance later, I saw shop selling Bak Kut Teh but did not stop as it did not look to clean. Then, I saw a couple of coffee shops selling a respectable variety of Chinese hawker food and then I saw "Feilo Heng Bak Kut Teh" :)

I then ordered my usual favourite combination of spare ribs, tendons, pork belly, pork balls and of course "Yu Char Kueh". How was the taste ? Surprisingly, delicious and yes, I got my spare ribs and all for a sum of RM 7.50 !

But wait a minute, isn't this Kota Baru, the capital of Islamic Kelantan ? According to Fei Loh Heng (in picture) , he has been openly selling "Bak Kut Teh" for the last 28 years at the Coffee shop fronting Jalan Kebu Sultan with no harassment from the municipal authorities. He claimed that in neighbouring Terengganu, such shops would need to have a plastic sheeting to hide them.

Best Sea Food in Penang ?

2009-12-01T19:24:00.000-08:00

I am sure that you have heard of the "Beginning of the World" in Batu Maung or the "End of the World" in Teluk Bahang. But have you heard of the "Fishing Village" also in Telok Bahang ?

This is what we had last Sunday at the Fishing Village :-

The lobster (about 800 gm) was fresh and very tasty with the delicious cheesy onions and sliced mushrooms combination. Even, Kimberley asked for more :-)

The Shark Fins soup was pretty delicious.

Look at the size of the crab roe, yum yum !

The Honey Buttered Squids was simply delicious !

To get there, at the Telok Bahang roundabout, take a 3 O'clock turn and you will see the "End of the World" restaurant at the corner, proceed straight until you see a left turn and there you are...

Reminiscence: Remembering 6/6/66

2009-11-26T20:41:00.000-08:00

What do I remember about 1966 ? Well, I started 1966 as a 8 years old and by 6/6/66, I was already nine. What I clearly remember was that I sat for some examinations and wrote the date as 6/6/66 !

In the above picture, my Class Teacher for Standard 3A, Westlands Primary School, Penang was Mrs Ang. On the first day in Standard 3, I remember a shocking incident whereby one of my classmate (Arabi) was chased out of my class and never to return. Why ? I haven't got the foggiest idea.

From the picture, I can still identify quite a few of my 49 Std 3A Classmates, some of which their names escape me :-)

Front Row, L-R
Loh Chiew Hor, Khaw Teik Gim, Me, Lim Weng Chew, Goh Yoon Wah, Tan Kean Teong, Mrs Ang, Lim Ewe Saik, Zainal Abidin, Barney, Leong Kok Wai, ???, Tang Heem Moh

2nd Row, L-R
???, Leow Teow Wah, ???, ???, Lim Kean Song, Khoo Chee Eng, ???, Ang Chuan Hin,??,Sek Wai Mun,???,???,???,???,???,???,Khoo Kay San,???,???,???,???, Seng Hai

Back Row, L-R
???, Hor Chan Wye, ???, Chin Keat Hoe, Akbar, Lim Seng Hin, Ooi Boo Chuan (Deceased, 2006), Khoo Kah Hean,???, Chee Kin Leong, ???, ???, Ibrahim, ???, Ooi Cheng Chye

As far as I can recall, Chiew Hor, Weng Chew, Yoon Wah, Kean Teong, Ewe Saik, Kok Wai , Heem Moh, Teow Wah, Chee Eng, Chuan Hin, Kay San, Chan Wye, Boo Chuan and me eventually went on to Penang Free School in 1970.

Since Standard 2, Goh Yoon Wah was always without fail the 1st Boy and the best that I did was 2nd Boy most of the time :-) AFAIK, he left PFS after Form 3 to join the Technical Institute and eventually qualified as a Civil Engineer. He was with the PDC for quite a while before commencing his own Professional Engineering practice. My Mum used to talk to his Mum and till today, I can still visualise his Mum waiting for him outside Westlands Primary School. An avid chess player, he is one of the earliest Penang player to be rated a National Master.

Sadly, Westlands Primary School is no more due to very low pupil enrollment and was converted to the Westlands Sports Excellence Centre.

Almost 8 Million Views of this "Michael Jackson" Video

2009-11-23T02:27:00.000-08:00

I was just looking at a controversial NameWee video on YouTube when I stumbled on this video. What caught my eye was that there was almost 8 Million Views (and more than 10,000 reviews) of this Malaysian Idol video which I had happened to view in 2007 on Astro or one of the Malaysian TV channels :-)

Spirits of The Dead Haunting Malaysian Justice System?

2009-11-21T01:03:00.000-08:00

CCH: With TBH body being exhumed and found in good condition on 21 November 2009 and the autopsy to be done tomorrow, 22 Nov 2009, I thought that it may be relevant to republish this post that I found on "Putt for Change" a blog that is on the list of socio-political blogs that I generally read.

Spirits of The Dead Haunting Malaysian Justice System?

Friday, November 20, 2009

It’s a common belief among the Chinese community that if a person died in an unnatural way, especially in a homicide, the spirit of the deceased would most likely wander about at the crime scene or a familiar place for a long time, until and unless justice is done to the deceased.

Take the case of DAP political aide Teoh Beng Hock for instance. I was recently told by a friend that Teoh’s spirit was reportedly seen by some people, especially those with what the Taoists called the ‘ying-yang eyes’ i.e. possessing the ability to see ghosts or spirits.

Among these individuals was an unidentified little girl (age unknown) who had not only seen Teoh’s spirit wandering about near his workplace but also reportedly became ‘acquainted’ with Teoh’s spirit after a few encounters.

And what was even more interesting was that Teoh had during their purported ‘conversations’, confided what had actually transpired during his controversial ‘interview’ with the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Agency (MACC) officers, which was recently declared as illegal by the High Court . It was said that the details of the “paranormal episode” subsequently related to Teoh’s former boss cum Seri Kembangan Assemblyman, Ean Yong Hiang Wah, besides a few other top brass of the DAP.

This was recently reported by Malaysia’s leading Chinese language political weekly, the Special Weekly in its 452nd’s issue, which focused on the issue of Teoh’s second autopsy which has been scheduled for this coming Nov 22, following an application by the late Teoh’s family.

The little girl also purportedly told someone that Teoh’s spirit was unable to return to his residence in Melaka as there was a shrine of a Thai deity outside his house, which purportedly prevented Teoh’s spirit from entering the house. It was mind-boggling when the tale by this young girl who had never known Teoh nor gone to his house in Melaka, was confirmed to be true upon checking by the Weekly later.

The Weekly later managed to track down the parents of this mysterious little girl but its attempt to interview them in order to verify what it had gathered earlier failed when the parents declined to speak, except for saying that they are non-believers.

There was also talk that Teoh had conveyed a message through a woman by appearing in her dream, requesting her to pass his message to his wife urging her to continue to pursue her studies after this. This particular subject matter concerning further studies was said to be privy to Teoh and his wife.

With Teoh’s second autopsy on Sunday 22nd November, this particular report by the Weekly has now become a hot topic among the Chinese community in the country, especially those in Peninsular Malaysia.

On Nov 4, Coroner Azmil Muntapha Abas allowed an application by the family of the late Teoh Beng Hock to exhume his remains for a second post-mortem.

They (the Chinese community) are anxiously waiting to see whether the second autopsy would yield some new evidence that would match and confirm the earlier statement by renowned Thai pathologist Dr Pornthip Rojansunand during the recent inquest on Teoh’s death that there is a 80 percent of it being homicide.

Many supporters and sympathizers of Teoh are also hoping that the information confided by Teoh’s spirit through the little girl, that is now known to a few top DAP brass including Hiang Wah, could somehow bring justice to Teoh and his family.

It is a known fact in some countries like Thailand, Taiwan, Hong Kong (China) that the spirit of homicide victims had led the relevant authorities to solve crimes contributing to their homicide.

More at http://advocateviews.blogspot.com/2009/11/spirits-of-dead-to-rescue-of-malaysian.html

Other relevant posts includehttp://khookaypeng.blogspot.com/2009/11/last-chance-to-right-wrong-teohs-body.html

Kau Ong Yah Procession in Kota Baru ?

2009-11-15T02:38:00.000-08:00

Late last month, I was in Kota Baru for a project where 99 % of the population are muslim and where a Islamic party PAS is the state government.

Strangely enough, the coffee shop that I was having a delicious dinner of Tong Yam, Eng Chai Belacan, Egg Omelette and guess what a unique pork dish, was openly selling alchohol to diners ! Wow, so what I had read in the mass media about alchohol and pork being banned in Kelantan seems to be wrong.

Half-way through dinner, I heard the familiar sounds of cymbals clashing and to my astonishment I was witnessing the Annual Nine Emperor Gods (Kau Ong Yah in Hokkien) procession coursing through the streets of Kota Baru ! Wow ! Talk of religious tolerance in an overwhelming muslim majority state :-)

BTW, you may be interested to know that the longest sleeping Buddha in South-East Asia at 40m is located at Tumpat.

Photo by 7caught7my7eyes7

In addition, the tallest Standing Buddha in South-East Asia, which is porcelain white and looming over its surroundings, is definitely a sight to behold. It is situated at Wat Phothikyan in Kampung Balai, which is a small village, 35 minutes from Kota Baru, Kelantan. It is just opened to the public on August of 2008.

Kelantanese Food

2009-10-31T03:28:00.000-07:00

As far as I can recall, my 6th Maternal Auntie from Kota Baru, Kelantan will always drop by to see my mum (Eldest in the Tan Family) in Penang with a packet or two of delicious Ayam Percik (aka Kay Peng in Hokkien) skewered on sticks and wrapped in newspapers. This was how I acquired the taste of Ayam Percik :-)

Recently, I was in Kota Baru with my Senior Software Engineer to implement a project which was first demonstrated to the customer 7 years ago ! On the first day, we were treated by Ridzuan to Sup GearBox at Pantai Cahaya Bula (previously known as Pantai Cinta Berahi).

On last Thursday, I asked to be taken to Restoran Yati where we feasted on Ayam Percik, Nasi Kerabu, Grilled Beef and Stuffed Lady Fingers :-

Ayam Percik

Nasi Kerabu

Stuffed Lady Fingers

Grilled Beef

80 % Homicide & 20 % Suicide says Thailand's Dr Death !

2009-10-21T02:23:00.000-07:00

See the following links with different perspectives on the above but what really galls me is that Teoh Beng Hock was ALIVE (though unconscious) when he hit the ground on the 5th floor after falling or being thrown from the 14th floor !

Dr Pornthip Rojanasunand appears to suggest that TBH was whacked on the head with a blunt object, manually strangled and had something inserted into his anus from a bottom-up direction.

Justice for Teoh Beng Hock !

Happy Birthday Dad !

2009-10-18T01:18:00.000-07:00

Just bought a Cannon Scanner and decided to preserve a handmade Birthday Card given to me by my youngest daughter, Krystle :-0

Penang Hawkers Food : Wan Tan Mee [Updated 2nd Dec 2009]

2009-10-15T05:27:00.000-07:00

Based on a poll carried out by the Penang State Government , Wan Tan Mee was voted # 12 with 1109 votes out of 2,018. The objective of the poll was to select 12 food that will be featured in the special brochure called the “Penang 12 Best Food”. However, I read somewhere that Mee Goreng (ranked # 15 with 997 votes) will replace Wan Tan Mee as Penang Best Food # 12 :-)

There is 2 basic version ie the Dry and the Wet version and this is how Wan Tan Mee (at New World Park) looks like :-

For me, the version at New World Park is just okay.

This how the version at the New Cathay Coffee Shop opposite Belissa Row, Pulau Tikus looks like

All I have to do is to say "Good Morning" to the Lady and the above will be served to me automatically :-) I love the fried Wan Tan and the bowl of wet Wan Tan but I think the wet Wan Tan will taste better without the taste of prawn in it.

Updated on 2nd December 2009

This how the version of the Wan Tan Mee sold by the seller beside Union Primary School in Jlan Burmah

Astronomy: Massive New Ring Detected Around Saturn

2009-10-07T18:25:00.001-07:00

An undated handout of an artists impression released by NASA to illustrate the extent of the largest ring around Saturn An undated handout of an artist's impression released by NASA to illustrate the extent of the largest ring around Saturn

A three-member team of U.S. astronomers say they have discovered a giant new ring around the planet Saturn. A thin sheet of ice and dust particles extending about 12 million kilometers out from the planet's surface has been detected by the U.S.-built Spitzer Space Telescope.

Officials with NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory says the ring is so big it would hold the equivalent of one billion Earths.

The trio of astronomers, led by Anne Verbisher of the University of Virginia, believe the ring was formed by debris from the impact of comets striking Phoebe, a moon of Saturn that orbits within the ring. The astronomers believe the ring also solves the mystery behind another of Saturn's moons, Iapetus, which has a light and a dark side. They say the dark side of Iapetus is caused by dust particles from the ring striking its surface.

The Spitzer telescope, launched in 2003, is currently 107 million kilometers from Earth in orbit around the sun.

Some information for this report was provided by AFP, AP, CNN and NASA.

Durians : Raja Kunyit

2009-10-03T02:46:00.000-07:00

After a great Chicken Rice lunch with my 2 Software Engineers Doris and Stanley at Chai Leng Park, I spotted a Durian Store at the entrance to Chai Leng Park from Jalan Chain Ferry. I couldn't resist visiting the stall and discovered that they were only selling branded durians such as D24, Sultan and Raja Kunyit.

The vendor claimed that the Raja Kunyit from Pahang was the best and once you ate it, it would be pointless to try the D24 and Sultan :-)

This is how the Raja Kunyit (Mau Wong) Durian looked like before opening

After opening :-

The flesh was smooth and had a nice kick and a slightly bitter taste. Costing RM 18K per Kg, it was more than enough for the three of us to enjoy stuffing our mouths with it :-)

Penang Hawkers Food : Penang Curry Mee

2009-09-29T03:07:00.000-07:00

Just before noon, I suddenly had the urge to eat Penang Curry Mee. I was in the Pulau Tikus area and walked into the New Cathay Coffee Shop opposite Belissa Row in Jalan Burmah.

A typical bow of curry mee will comprise :-

Yellow Mee
Bean Sprouts
Bee Hoon
Tau Hoo Pok
Prawns
Fish Ball
Jew Hoo
Pig Blood Curd
Mussels
Long Beans
Mint Leaves
Curry Soup
Special Curry Mee Paste

As usual, I ordered a bowl with no prawns, pig blood curd and mussels but with plenty of tau hoo pok. Here is how it was served to me...

Penang Hawkers Food : Endangered Hawkers Food

2009-09-21T21:43:00.000-07:00

Whilst there are plenty of stalls selling Hokkien Mee, Char Koay Teow, Wan Tan Mee, do you know that certain Penang Hawker Foods can hardly be found such as :-

Traditional Nasi Lemak

There seems to be 2 basic versions of nasi lemak that is easily available in Penang

Nasi Lemak Bungkus (curry with ikan billis or fish plus boiled egg) that is commonly sold by the roadside
Nasi Lemak sold at coffee shops and food court (pandan rice + a selection of add-ons)

The one that I like best is none of the above !

Up to the mid-70's, you can buy a packet of the real Nasi Lemak as peddled by itinerant Indian Koay Sellers. This simple but very delciious Lasi Lemak comprises

Delicious Pandan-flavoured Rice cooked with Coconut Milk
Assam Prawns or Fish
Belachan Sambal

Sadly, this traditional Nasi Lemak is no longer sold by these intinerant Indian vendors :-) Fortunately, you can still get this version at the Coffee Shop opposite the Supermarket at Cantonment Road :-)

Satay Babi

This yummy hawkers food comprises

Stick of marinated alternating pieces of lean meat and fat
Pigs Intestine (Hoon Chiang)
Traditional satay sauce (not peanut sauce)
Slices of cucumber
Toasted bread (optional)

When I was a boy living at Immigration Road, I remember a man carrying a kandar stick selling satay and there was a boy always following him.

This boy is now an old man known as Tung Ah Chun selling Satay Babi on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday at Bangkok Lane. Apparently, no one is going to take over from him. He uses to also sell delicious Hoon Chiang but does not do so anymore and it is simply too much work. :-)

Previously, there was a woman selling almost the same version at Penang Road beside Kampung Malabar. but since the Rent Control Act was repealed, she has moved away and I have not been able to locate her since :-)

Penang Hawkers Food : My Favourites [First posted in 1996, Updated 2nd Dec 2009]

2009-09-21T02:23:00.000-07:00

I know...I know... There is bound to be better places which I may not aware of ! Anyway, one man's meat... another's poison and these are my favourite hawker food :-

Traditional Nasi Lemak - Updated 21 September 2009

Cantonment Road, opposite Supermarket (Morning only)

Traditional Pork Satay (Satay Babi) - Updated 21 September 2009

Bangkok Lane (Tuesdays, Thursdays & Saturdays Morning)

Traditional Siew Mai, Kow Chee - Updated 21 September 2009

In front of Sisters Char Koay Teow in Macalister Road (Saturday/Sunday Morning)
Along Pahang Road & beside Padang Brown (At Night only)

Curry Mee - Updated 21 September 2009

Lorong Seratus Tahun
Corner of Tavoy Road/Burmah Road (At Night only)
New Cathay Coffee Shop at Pulau Tikus (Morning only)

Hokkien Mee - Updated 1st Nov 2009

Perak Road, opposite Padang Brown
Coffee Shop at junction of Moulmein Road and Burmah Road (Usually finished by 9.00am ! Not opened on Thursday)
Gurney Drive Hawker Centre (Starts in the Afternoon)

Wan Tan Mee - Updated 10th October 2009

Near Union School, Burmah Road (When he feels like it :-) )
New Cathay Coffee Shop at Pulau Tikus (Morning only)
Along Pahang Road & beside Padang Brown (At Night only)

Char Koay Teow- Updated 1st Nov 2009

Lorong Selamat, most expensive but very tasty
Coffee Shop before Tanjung Bungah Market (Tuesday - Sunday Morning)
Jalan Burmah, opposite Police Station
Behind Pulau Tikus Market (At Night)
Bee Hooi Coffee Shop in Pulau Tikus

Indian Mee

Bangkok Lane
Gurney Drive (formerly Edgecumbe Road)
Behind Pulau Tikus Market

Pasembur

Bee Hooi Coffee Shop , Lorong Kuching, Pulau Tikus opposite Haagen Das (At Night)

Loh Mee - Updated 21 September 2009

Bee Hooi Coffee Shop , Lorong Kuching, Pulau Tikus opposite Haagen Das
Next to Kuan Imm Temple at Pitt Street
Corner of Jones Road/Burmah Road

Fried Oysters (Oh Chien) - Updated 22 September 2009

Carnavon street (Afternoon)
Bee Hooi Coffee Shop, Lorong Kuching, Pulau Tikus opposite Haagen Das (At night only)

Koay Teow Thn'g - Updated 21 September 2009

Hutton Lane
Anson Road
Tanjung Bungah Market (Morning only)

Laksa - Updated 21 September 2009

Air Itam market
Balik Pulau market
Summer Cafe, Jalan Lembah Permai

Pork Porridge - Updated 21 September 2009

Kampung Malabar, off Penang Road - 7:00 pm onwards (At Night, Please be prepared to wait at least 45 minutes)
Junction of Macalister Road/Lorong Selamat

Reminiscence : Chartered Accountants are very powerful...

2009-09-20T22:04:00.000-07:00

Chartered Accountants are very powerful... So said Lim Soo Keat aka Lau Kiah on a date between 1964-1969.

It was on an evening and we were a bunch of neighbourhood boys sitting at the drain side at Immigration Road, Georgetown. I asked him why ? He replied that Chartered Accountants have the power to go into any bank or government office to check their books ! Wow, I was properly impressed by what he said.

Moving forward to 1978, I started my Accountancy career with M.S Ahmad Abdullah and Goh Certified Accountants and qualified as a CPA in 1983 and became a member of the Malaysian Institute of Accountants (MIA) in the same year as a PA(M). Guess what ? Some years ago, the MIA after a restructuring redesignated me a Chartered Accountant :-)

Why Hokkien... Hokkien... Hokkien ?`

2009-09-20T20:58:00.000-07:00

I was born, bred and will probably die in Penang where Hokkien is the predominant spoken Chinese dialet. Penang Hokkien is quite different from the Hokkien spoken in the rest of Malaysia, Singapore, Taiwan and China in that it is sing-song in nature and contains quite a number of Malay words.

Being born a Hokkien would probably make you assume that I am very proficient in Hokkien. Believe it or not, English is my native language in that I think, dream and have nightmares in English ! I only realise that I hardly speak any Hokkien when in the early 1980's my "Jee Tneoh" i.e husband to my Mum's 2nd Sister asked why I reply in English when he asks me in Hokkien !

The crunch came somewhere in the mid-1980's where I was involved in assisting Bank Negara in raiding a major deposit-taking co-operative during the "deposit-taking crisis". After the investigations, the Accounting Firm where I was working was appointed the Receivers and one of my task was to go on a road-show to almost all the co-operative's branches in order to return part of the money deposited. That is when I discovered my handicap in Hokkien :-(

I clearly remember trying to tell a depositor that the quantum of the deposit to be returned has yet to be decided as follows :-

Depositor : Lu eh heng wah jua cheh

CCH: Ah boi choo teah (translated as It has not been fated !)

What I should have said is "Ah boi kuat teng !

That's when I decided to try to learn and speak better Hokkien !

This blog basically documents what and how I am teaching Hokkien to my 2 daughters living with me i.e Kimberley and Krysle who are both studying in a Chinese School after 3 years in an English Pre-school.

More at http://cch4hokkien.blogspot.com

Reminiscence : Ah Hock Ko, I don't think your son can walk...

2009-09-20T01:21:00.000-07:00

I was told by my mum that I was a late bloomer when it comes to walking. In fact, quite a number of my relatives told my worried father that I would probably be unable to walk although I was already 4 years old !

So, how did I go from I place to another ? Apparently, I moved around on my bottom i.e by Cheh Lai Cheh Khee (in Hokkien).

So, when I did I actually start to walk ? The story told to me was that one day, I saw my your sister Alice (then about 2 years old) started to walk and I just stood up and started to walk :-)

Reminiscence : Going Up the Roof

2009-09-20T00:17:00.000-07:00

One day in 1960, I found myself on a Hin Bus and half an hour later I was in front of a house in Georgetown.

It had a large hall and going to the second hall, I notice some steps that seems to be going up the roof. As far as I can recall, I asked my mum whether I can "Khee Choo Teng" as I have never been inside a double-story house before and was amazed that one can go up the roof :-)

I was about 3- 4 years old then that was the beginning of a 16 years stay in 3 rented houses at Immigration Road, Penang.

PFS : facebook [Updated 25th Sept 2009]

2009-09-19T20:59:00.000-07:00

21 June 2008

Just joined facebook out of curiosity in Apr 2008 and added Goh Boon Hoe (PFS Class of 74) as the first friend.

Got a confirmation request from Tan Gaik Cheng (PFS, 1975-1976) to be added as a friend. From Gaik Cheng's profile, I found Chin Teng Lum (PFS Class of 74) and Ding Kec Chuan (PFS Class of 74)

From Boon Hoe's profile, I found Tan Ban Leng (PFS Class of 74) & Boon Sin (PFS Class of 74) and guess what, Yoon Kwai Lok (PFS Class of 74) requested to be added as a friend this morning :-)

The point is that I think Facebook is a great way to rekindle links with old friends.

Updated on 20th September 2009

As at today, more than 25 members of our PFS Class of 74 have facebook profiles including :-

ABC (was online for a while and since then removed :-( )
Chan Hock Aun
Charles Fong Chin Tuck
Chee Chong Hwa
Cheng San Tan
Danny Quah
Ding kec Chuan
Eng Khoon Chuah
Goh Boon Hoe
Jan Lim
Jefffey Tang
Keith Yeoh
Lim Kean Huat
Michael Yap
Po Seng Yuen
Ricky Chng
Simon Yeoh Eng Huat
Siow Jin Keat
Steve Teoh Hoy Chee
Sung Boon Leong
Tan Ban Leng
Tan Gaik Cheng
Tan Geok Leng
Teng-Lum Chin
Teoh Boon Sin
Veiven Goon
Yeoh seng Hooi
Yeong Mun Leong
Yoon Kwai Lok

Updated 25th September 2009

Sukumar Mahesan is the latest addition to facebook and was found via Simon Yeoh Eng Huat's facebook friends list.

Astronomy : Deep Sky Objects [Originally posted in 1996]

2009-09-19T20:55:00.000-07:00

Deep sky objects are celestial objects including nebulae, star clusters, galaxies etc. Astronomically speaking, they are classified as Messier's Objects or NGC (New General Catalog) objects

These objects are best observed at Dark Sites. Due to light pollution in the city areas, the best place to view such objects are in the rural areas or open fields with no street lamps around.

A bit of history, a long time ago, an astronomer by the name of Charles Messier started to catalog a list of celestial objects to assist amateur astronomers to avoid confusing them with comets. the result is the catalog known as the Messiers's Objects

Astronomy : What can you see in the Malaysian Skies ? [Originally posted in 1996, Updated 20 Sept 2009]

2009-09-19T20:50:00.000-07:00

Although generally cloudy, there's lots of things that you can see in the Malaysian sky.

Personally, these are the celestial objects which I've seen using my naked-eye, a Vixen 7 X 50 binoculars and a Celestron Schmidt-Cassegrain 8" Telescope from my front garden in Prai, Penang.

Comet Hale-Bopp in April/May'97
Comet Hyakute, a spectacular sight in 1996
Moon, with its craters, mountain peaks etc
Jupiter, with its moons dancing around it
Mars
Saturn, with its famous rings
Venus, bright but featureless
Orion nebulae, a Messier object
Constellations including, casseopia, scorpio, orion, tauraus...

Astronomy: Star Parties [Originally posted in 1996]

2009-09-19T20:48:00.001-07:00

What are star parties ? In the USA, where astronomy is popular, Star Parties are held on the annual basis or when a major celestial event is due to occur.

Annual or regular Star Parties normally held to observe :

Messier Objects
NGC objects
Major planets etc

The adhoc parties are to observe major celestial events like

Jupiter Crash of 1994
Persid Showers
Comet Hyakute, 1996 etc

In Penang, there are star-gazing activities held at the USM every Friday and supervised by Dr. Chong Hon Yew.

I used to join Dr. Chong on a very infrequent basis at USM. What I am really interested is to gather a group of enthuasitic star-gazers to join me to obseve major celestial events.

The latest event which I observed was the Great Comet Hyakute at Telok Bahang on March 25, 1996 together with CCH Web's Webmaster, Choong En Tet and my brother-in-lay Francis Phoon.

Astronomy : Guide on buying a Telescope [Originally posted in 1996]

2009-09-19T20:43:00.001-07:00

When buying a telescope, you should consider the following:

What do you intend to observe ?
Focal Length
Aperture
Reflectors versus Refractors
Availability of lenses
Telescope mounting
Telescopes can be classified as either refractors or reflectors.
Reflectors, which are generally cheaper than refractors include :
Dobsonians - cheapest
Newtonians
Schimdt-Cassegrain - most expensive

Palmistry : Mixed Hand [Originally posted in 1996]

2009-09-19T20:14:00.000-07:00

The mixed hand occurs once in a while. Several characteristics are combined on one hand. You could have a couple of spatulate fingers, two conic-shaped fingers and perhaps a tapered finger on the same hand !

This is fascinating because it denotes a complex character with several interests. In fact, if you have a hand that is mixed, you may well have so many interests you just don't know what to focus on. But your greatest asset is the adaptability and resilience that accompanies a hand like this. You can meet all the demands made upon you by fate,

with chameleon-like ability. And you don;t just change, you accept and make the best very best of every situation. As for me, fortunately or unfortunately, I have mixed hands and most if not all the above is absolutely correct !

Palmistry : Spatulate Hand [Originally posted in 1996]

2009-09-19T20:13:00.000-07:00

The Spatulate Hand is characterised by fingers that splay out at the tips rather than tiny spatulas. The palm tends to be on the broad side and all in all, this sort of hand is curious enough to warrant a remarkable owner.

If you have spatulate hands, you are remarkable in many ways. You are restless and brimming with energy, you bubble with enthuasim and high spirits. Musicians, surgeons, sculptors, mechanis, etc often possess spatulate hands.

You are highly independent and most likely a non-conformist. Your mind is original, inventive and you may be well on the way to being a genius in your own field. You love exploring and adventure and you will always be a total individual no matter what.

You will probably make a success of whatever you turn your mind to, and you will bring to it your own special brand of origiality. If your palm is broader at the base of the fingers than at the wrist, you are more practical than the pure spatulate type. The reverse, ie with a palm that is broader at the wrist than at the base of the fingers, could indicate a really bright career if you aren't there already.

Palmistry : Conic or Creative Hand [Originally posted in 1996]

2009-09-19T20:12:00.000-07:00

The Conic or Creative Hand is medium-sized and has a slightly tapering palm. The fingers are fuller at the base and narrow at the tip, giving a cone-shaped effect.

Women with conic hands tend to be impulsive and act on instinct. If your hands are conic, you are likely to be charming, imaginative, enthusiastic, creative and entertaining. You are clever and quick with ideas and will excel in areas like advertising or acting, art or writing as you have an honest-to-goodness zest for life and living and a brain that moves speedily.

Trouble is, of course, that you end up with little patience and a rather fickle nature. You run the whole range of affections, blowing hot and cold in such a short space of time, that your current man or woman will find it hard to believe you when you say you love him or her ! Moreover, you are quite capable of falling in love several times, too !

You are flexible and you absorb much from your surroundings, even the people you move around with. This means that you are easily influenced and you can switch moods and change your mind rather frequently. You could rave about someone or something today and be completely turned off by tomorrow... However, your generosity and your sympathy make up a good deal for what you might lack in dependability.

You are the one that comes up with bright, bold, exciting plans for so many things... but unless you have someone around, driving you to the finishing line, you simply don't have the discipline to get there on your own.

Palmistry : Psychic Hands [Originally posted in 1996]

2009-09-19T20:11:00.000-07:00

The Psychic Hand is a very beautiful hand to look at. It is long and slender, well-shaped and smooth. The fingers are long, tapering or pointed at the ends, and the palm is narrow nad elongated. The skin is generally paler in tone than usual.

The instant impression this type of hand gives, is one of refinement and elegance. There is something fragile and spiritual about the physic hand and the owner is a person (likely to be a female) who loves beauty in every form and shape.

You are a dreamer...impractical, emotionally susceptical, and sensitive to everything...words, atmospheres, gestures and even looks.

You have no business head at all but you are gentle in manners, and placid in nature. You show little or no temper although you can suffer from acute depression at times. Your friends have probably told you countless times how impractical, unpunctual and undisciplined you are but it hasn't really changed this side of your nature.

You are just not cut out to face the harsh realities of life. You are idealistic and a 9 to 5 job would cripple you unless it happened to be really creative. Otherwise, you would e happiest in something that would allow you to express yourself fully without binding you down to office hours and office routine.

Painting, sculpture, drawing, or any other creative career is right up your alley. You could be a decorator, color consultant, designer or architect because you love colors and nature in the most positive way and you react fully. You instinctively like and trust anyone who is kind to you and this is something you will have to learn to be more selective about, or at best, you could end up being more depressed than happy.

Palmistry : Knotty or Philiosophic Hands [Originally posted in 1996]

2009-09-19T20:10:00.000-07:00

The Knotty or Philosophic Hand is usually long and thin. A long palm and long slender fingers with long nails, more often than not. The general impression is one of the of boniness and length; its an angular hand and the unmistakable features are the well-developed, knotty looking joints A thinker.

If your hand is long and narrow and knotty at the joints, then you are kind-hearted, incredibly faithful and a true friend. You are happiest as a student of odd subjects and not just any old subject. You would perhaps study mankind, people and the things that make them tick, mysterious philosophies and culture and you would be attracted to mysticism, transcendental meditation or yoga. Famous people with this type of hand include the poet Tennyson.

You are inclined to be reserved and almost secretive but this is because you tend to sit on the sidelines and observe the players rather than plunge uinto the game yourself. You make a few friends but these are really close friends and with them you are warm, open and totally unreserved. The rest of your circle consists of
fun acquaintances whom you treat lightly.

You don't take any notice of what people think or say of you. Once you have made up your mind that you are going to do something a certain way, its because you believe in what you are doing and nothing else matters. You must have been the originator of the do your own thing philosophy.

You say few words but each one means a lot because you have given them much thought in the first place. In extreme cases, this can make you a rebel or innovator but one thing for sure, you are certainly an interesting and original sort of person.

Palmistry : Square Hand [Originally posted in 1996]

2009-09-19T20:09:00.000-07:00

The Square hand has obviously a square sort of look about it. Square palms, blunt fingers of about the same lenghth, squared off at the top, and even nails, that are generally short and square.

This is a highly practical type, and if your hand is square, you are likely to be a down-to-earth person who loves punctuality, order and discipline. You are easy to get along, inclined to be precise and conservative.

You are likely to be a conformist and have a respect for authority.. You use your brains rather than your intuition, you work out things logically rather than fly off the handle and you are seldom quarrelsome or argumentative.

Your element is earth which makes you solid and reliable. You are determined without necessarily being stubborn or unyielding. Your power of reasoning is excellent and your judgment is sound.

You are a tidy sort of person who keeps a neat and orderly home. You might find it difficult to demonstrate affection. A spontaneous hug or quick tender kiss is not something you do easily but you love well and is sincere and true in your feelings.

As a friend, you're loyal and a staunch supporter due to your honesty and reliability. You would do more than merely signing your name to a cause and would likely contribute more of your time and ability.

Heliconias... Heliconias... Heliconia

2009-09-19T04:57:00.001-07:00

On 3rd October 2008, I started a blog on growing Heliconias, an exotic plant not native to Malaysia. All pictures shown are digital photos of the actual species in my garden such as Rostrata,

Dwarf Jamaican,

Latispatha and several psittacorums such as Andromeda,

Lady Di, Fuschia,

Strawberry & Cream and hybrids such as Golden Torch

and Alan Carle.

Heliconia are close relatives of gingers, bananas, birds-of-paradise and traveler’s palms. There are more than 200 (350 including cultivars) documented species of the single genus, with the bulk of them originating from Central and South America such as Guyana, Costa Rica, Berlize, Ecuador, Peru and Brazil. You may be interested to note that about 6 species have evolved separately in the South Pacific and Indonesia, and typically have green inflorescence.The name "heliconia" actually comes from Greek mythology after the great Mount Helicon, the abode of the muses of the arts and sciences.

The beauty of the heliconia lies in the brightly coloured bracts that are mistakenly called the flowers. The actual flower is the tiny little flowers that emerge from the large showy bracts. Each stem can only flower once, after which the entire stem deteriorates, drives up and collapses. As such, it is recommended to cut at the base of 'flowered-out' stems.

More at http://myheliconias.blogspot.com

Palmistry : Texture and Colour [1996]

2009-09-19T04:48:00.000-07:00

Examine the skin at the back (not the palms !) of your hands or even the wrists.

If the skin is coarse and has a rough sort of feeling and large pores are visible, then you are full of strength and vitality. This is more common in men rather than women. If you possess such a skin texture, you are likely to be naturally charming, full of a heady animal like magnetism and has strong material ambitions.

If your skin is smooth, delicate and fine, it indicates a sensitive person who is by nature shy and timid. If you have this kind of skin, you are likely to love beauty and things of the mind. In addition, you are likely to enjoy poetry, music and tends to be moody. You are less excited by materialistic or worldly gains.

The colour of your hand is lso significant. Besides your natural skin tone, if your hand is slightly pink or reddish, it means that you are a full-blooded person who is warm-hearted,impulsive, quick-tempered and passionate. But watch out for people with very red hands (i.e if the redness is not due to sheer hard work) as they tend to possess violent tempers.

If you possess pale or almost white hands that lack healthy colours and appear almost translucent, you are likely to be introverted, shy, docile, inclined to depression and moodiness and very hard to provoke.

Palmistry [1996]

2009-09-19T04:22:00.000-07:00

I am an amateur palmist who unfortunately could read his own palms and see unpleasant & painful events occurring. However, I tend to focus on the positive points and try not to worry about the negative events. This article is based on a booklet which was published in 1974.

Language of the hands
Palmistry is a belief so old that its origin are lost in time. Records in the West date it back to Aristotle's time, but we know that it flourished unrecorded, long before that. There are two main aspects to palmistry i.e Chirognomy and Chiromancy.

Chirognomy focuses on personality and character traits while Chiromancy which concentrates on fortune-telling and preditions.

Which hand to read ?

Take a look at your hands and notice that there is a big difference between both your right and left hands. It is generally agreed that the hand to study is the the hand you use most often. As such, we should study the right hand for right-handers and the left hand for southpaws. The late Cheiro, the celebrated palmist states that your left hand shows what you have been born with and your right shows what you are today !

In order words, your left hand shows your inherited positive and negative points while the right records the way you shape your life. The opposite is ture for southpaws.

In reading palms, you should look at both the type of hands and the major lines on the palm. Before studying the lines and features of your own palm, categorise the shape of your hands.

Type of Hands

There are six main type of hands :

Square hand
Knotty or Philosophic
Physic
Conic or Creative
Spatulate
Mixed

Reminiscence : Saved by My Brother

2009-09-17T22:41:00.000-07:00

After Choong Lye Hock Road, for some reason or another, we moved to stay at an attap house in Tanjong Tokong. I clearly remember my Dad being extremely angry about this move :-(

One day, we are playing in front of the house and I was sleeping on a foldable canvas bed (Pang Poh Ee in Hokkien) and for some reason or another, my brother Alvin asks me to wake up and shifted the Pang Poh Ee to another location.

Guess what ? A short while later, a coconut tree just fell down and would have probably crushed me to death if Alvin had not moved the Pang Poh Ee.

Reminiscence : My Earliest Recollection as a Child

2009-09-16T02:55:00.000-07:00

Have you ever wondered how long back you can remember ?

Speaking for myself, my earliest recollection was being carried by my Dad who was standing on a road and seeing ships passing in the horizon. I knew that I used to stay at a single-story house in Choong Lye Hock Road, Penang and some years ago, I actually stopped by at this very house.

Guess what ? Standing on Hock Hin Terrace, just beside my house, I could see ships passing by in the horizon !

Now, when was that ? Well, I remembered seeing cars plastered with pictures of sailing ships going around. Now what does that mean ? Well, in August 1959, there was a Malayan General Election and the symbol of the Alliance Party was the Sailing ship ! Given that I was born in 1957, my earliest recollection was at 2.25 years old :-)

It may be relevant to note that the next Malaysian General Election was in 1964 and by then I was already in Standard One and living at Immigration Road in Georgetown.

Durians : What tastes like heaven but smells like hell ? [1996 & Updated 15th Sept 2009]

2009-09-16T01:40:00.001-07:00

I love durians !

There's no two ways about it. I will not hesitate to pay for a good durian. My earliest recollections as a kid was that once or twice a year, my maternal uncle, Tan Eng Chuan would drop a basket of assorted durians for us to feast on.

During the early 1980's when I was squatting at the MACPA Student Library whilst studying to be a Certified Public Accountant, myself and a couple of fellow CPA students namely Liew and Marina Tan used to drive to Sungai Pinang to taste durians.

In the last few years, my daughters have grown to love durians after our trip to the Tropical Fruits Garden. Kimberley just loves the cheesy D11.

The durians which I tasted over the years include :

Hor Lor

Check out this video of someone eating a Hor Lor

Ang Hwa
- not nice

Lit Pan
- Very nice

Durian Ong
- small but one of the best but unable to find the last few years :-(

Koon Poh
- overrated

A15
- fleshy but coarse & no kick , not recommended

Ganja aka Theeng Tangkai
- long stem, a bit on the dry side

D11
- best so far, make sure you try this last

D600
- good

D604
- very good

Bak Yu aka Capri

- whitish but very good, not a clone
- best at the durian store near the Chap Kaki Stall

D2
- an old favourite but very difficult to open

D24
- a new favourite

Cheh Cheeh
- Don't quite like it

Ang Heh
- Over-rated

Ling Fong Chiao

Updated 26th August 2009

A new favourite (available at Jalan Chain Ferry entrance to Chai Leng Park) is the Sultan, yum yum !

Interesting Durians Links

Penang Durian
The King Reigns at Bao Sheng

An intereresting article on thornless Durians !
Penang Durians
Divine Durain

Smells Like Hell, Taste Like Heaven

Disclaimer

Nb. I do not claim copyright over the various pictures of the Durians as they were extracted from various Durian-related sites (including from the links above) and placed here for the convenience of the reader :-)

Bowling: How to play a perfect game ? [1996]

2009-09-16T01:34:00.000-07:00

To be honest , I don't really know the answer to my own question !

I have read about our national bowler, Karen Lian striking it rich after she scored a perfect game in Singapore. I even personally know of a Penang Bowler, Mr. Eddie Lau who won RM 10,000 and a Volvo after a perfect game during one of the International Pesta Bowling Tournament held at Penang Bowl.

As for me, the highest I have ever achieved was a 279. Actually, I did played a perfect game in 1989 and all I got to show for it is RM 50 as it was during a 9-pin Tap tournament !
Anyway, although I am far from being a perfect bowler, I have been bowling (on & off) since 1984. I have read quite a number of bowling books and is quite competent on the technical aspects of the game. So here's some tips to help you bowl better.

How to Strike

If you are a right hander, you have to roll your ball into the 1-3 pocket over your favourite arrow from the right side of the lane. Conversely, if you are a left hander, roll your ball over the said arrow from the left side of the lane to hit the 1-2 pocket.

If your ball is on target over your selcted arrow into the 1-2 or 1-3 pockets and you leave a Pin-5, it simply means that your ball is FLAT ie by the time the ball reaches the pocket, it is sliding and not rolling. The solution is to put more LIFT into your delivery.

Bowling : About Bowling Balls & Grips [1996]

2009-09-16T01:27:00.000-07:00

Most bowlers, especially girls, choose a ball

which looks pretty ! Actually, there is a number of factors which you should consider in buying a bowling ball including the weight, surface type, grip etc.

1. Weight
Generally, the ideal weight for a hook bowler is 10 % of your body weight. Spinners prefer light balls in the 10 lb range.

2. Surface Type
Buy a hard ball if your favourite alley has slow lanes ie hooking lanes. Penang Bowl is such an alley.
If the lanes are fast, a soft ball is preferred to counter the oily lanes. Top Bowl generally has oiler (faster) lanes than Penang Bowl.

3. Grips
There are 3 basic types of drilling :
Conventional - straight ball for beginners
Semi-fingertip - Hook Ball
Full Fingertip - Hook ball for advance bowlers

To know more about bowling balls, you may want to click on this link...

Bowling : How to Spare Consistently ? [1996]

2009-09-16T01:25:00.000-07:00

By instinct most new bowlers looks at the target pin when attempting a spare. There is a better and more scientific way !

3-6-9 System
This system assumes that once you have found your strike position, remember it . For a right-hander, the strike position simply means the position ( say the centre dot at the approach) which you start with & bowl over the the target arrow (typically the 2nd arrow from the right gutter) to roll your ball into the 1-3 pocket.

The 3-6-9 sparing system assumes that you will fix your target arrow and move your starting position left to spare pins on the right or move right to spare pins on the left

To spare :
Pin 3 & 9 - move 3 boards left of your strike position & bowl over the target arrow
Pin 6 - move 6 boards left of your strike position & bowl over the target arrow
Pin 10 - move 12 boards left of your strike position & bowl over the target arrow+ 5 boards to the left
Pin 2 & 8 - move 3 boards right of your strike position & bowl over the target arrow
Pin 4 - move 6 boards right of your strike position & bowl over the target arrow
Pin 7 - move 9 boards right of your strike position & bowl over the target arrow

2-4-6 System
This system also assumes that once you have found your strike position, remember it . For the right hander, the strike position simply means the position ( say the centre dot at the approach) which you start with & bowl over the the target board (typically the 10th board from the right gutter) to roll your ball into the 1-3 pocket

The 2-4-6 sparing system assumes that you will fix your standing position and shift your target board left to spare pins on the left or shift your tarfet board right to spare pins on the right.

To spare :
Pin 3 & 9 - stand at the strike position & bowl over the target board-2 (i.e 8th board from right gutter)
Pin 6 - stand at the strike position & bowl over the target board-4 (i.e 6th board)
Pin 10 - stand at the strike position & bowl over the target board-6 (i.e 6th board)
Pin 2 & 8 - stand at the strike position & bowl over the target board+2 (i.e 12th board from right gutter)
Pin 6 - stand at the strike position & bowl over the target board+4 (i.e 14th board)
Pin 10 - stand at the strike position & bowl over the target board+6 (i.e 16th board)

Penang : Round Island Trip [1996, Updated 15th September 2009]

2009-09-14T19:06:00.000-07:00

Going round Penang Island especially during the Durian season is fun. There's quite a lot of places to stop by :-

Start at Esplanade, Georgetown
Stop at Gurney Drive
Visit the pool at Chin Farm at Batu Ferringhi
Spice Garden, on the way to Telok Bahang (Updated 6th Sept 2009)
Stop at Telok Bahang Beach
Visit the Butterfly Farm at Telok Bahang
Visit the Rimba Rekreasi also at Telok Bahang
Have some delicious durians at one of the durian estate before Titi Krawang
Visit Titi Krawang at Sg. Pinang
Laksa at Balik Pulau Market
Visit Gertak Sanggul
Delicious seafood at Batu Maung
War Museum at Batu Maung (Updated 6th Sept 2009)
Aquarium at Batu Maung (Updated 6th Sept 2009)
Visit Snake Temple
Kek Lok Si Temple (Updated 6th Sept 2009)
Cable ride to Goddess of Mercy Statue from Kek Lok Si Temple (Updated 6th Sept 2009)
Heritage enclave at Armenian Street, Inner Georgetown

PFS: There are friends and yet there are friends...

2009-08-26T03:25:00.000-07:00

Last week, Ong Kok Wah called me and said that Cheng San, our New Yorker will be going back soon and would I be able to join them at lunch with Tan Theam Hock and Tan Chong Beng at the Maple Restaurant at Penang Road.

Without hesitation, I said yes and actually canceled a business appointment so that I could attend :-)

More to Come...

Penang Char Koay Teow is a National Heritage ? [Updated 30th August 2009]

2009-02-27T06:36:00.001-08:00

I read with interest the gripe by YAB Lim Guan Eng, CM of Penang as to why no Penang Buildings are listed as National Heritage Sites. However, he did mention that Penang Char Koay Teow is a National Heritage :-)

Well, when I cannot resist the taste for this high cholesterol sin food, I usually visit

Coffee Shop near the Tanjung Bungah Market
Coffee Shop in Jalan Burmah opposite the Police Station in Pulau Tikus
Coffee Shop in Jalan Perak opposite Padang Brown
The proud lady at Lorong Selamat where you used to have to queue up with your plate

So, where is your favourite CKT hawker ?

Penang Free School... Let us march on to fame... [1996]

2006-04-06T23:29:00.000-07:00

Whenever I think of my alma mater, Penang Free School, I can't help hearing in my head the PFS anthem which I last sang in 1976 !

Let us march on to fame
Let the ailes proclaim
Till the anthem will dare us to do
Let us onwards to win and new laurel gains
Frees School for the brave and the true.."

I had my primary education in Westlands Primary School ( now the Westlands Centre of Sports Excellence) from 1964 to 1969.

Based on the assessment exams for Standard 6, I was given a chance to enter Form I at PFS in 1970. I remember sitting for an open examination together with students from other feeder schools like Wellesley, Hutchings etc.

Based on the results, I was streamed into Form 1A. At that time, I was pretty proud of my achievement not knowing that I was soon to be demoted to Form 2C & Form 3D ! You see, my method for studying was to study just a few days before the exams. This used to work for me in primary school as I was always in the top 3 of my class.

Anyway, I finally woke up in Form 3 and managed to get two distinctions and the rest credits to enter Form 4 Science 2. As I recall, I was always at the bottom of my class as I was spending more time Scouting ! By a miracle and lots of common sense , I managed to pass my MCE again with 2 distinctions several credits and almost failed my Additional Maths & Bahasa Malaysia. As I recall we had to sit the BM paper twice due to the infamous leak !'

By the way, those days you had to get less than 8 points from 2 science & 1 maths subject to enter Lower Six. Again by some miracle, I gain entrance into Lower Six Science 2 with 8 points from 3 science subjects as compared to the 9 points gained from the best 2 science + 1 maths combination !

In lower & upper six, I was up to my old tricks i.e failing monthly exams, term examinations due to my interest in Scouting & other society activities. I was the Troop Leader for 1st Georgetown (S) Boy Scout in 1975 and the Assistant Senior Scout Leader of the Senior Troop in 1976 . I even managed to win prizes for my science projects at the State Science Exibitions.

The price I had to pay for the lack of attention was a mediocre HSC result ! That's how a science student became a Certified Public Accountant

Reminiscence: How did I get to become a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) ? [1996]

2006-04-06T23:27:00.000-07:00

In 1974, I was a fifth-former at Penang Free School (PFS) in the Science Stream. At that time, one of my classmates, Ng Swee Weng (now Penang Partner, KPMG) was telling me about the CPA qualification and his plans to do it after our MCE. At that time, MCE was the minimum entry qualification. As fate would have it, when the MCE results were announced in 1975, the MACPA raised the minimum entry qualification to HSC !

I went on to study Biology also at PFS with no further thoughts of pursuing the CPA qualification. In the meantime, Ng Swee Weng then a Maths Student also at PFS took up the LCC Book-keeping Certificate and in 1977 signed up as an Article Clerk at Peat Marwick Mitchell & Co as KPMG was then known. At that point, he was already offered a place at University Malaya to study Engineering. I was in close touch with him at that point in time and that rekindled my interest in the CPA qualification.

In 1978, I wrote in to quite a few big firms in Penang without even eliciting a response from them. Sometime in Jan 1978, another of my schoolmate, Khoo Chee Eng (also a Primary Schoolmate and now a CPA) visited me and informed me of an advertistment in the Star for the position of "Audit Clerk" by an anonymous firm. I had missed that advertisement. I wrote in mechanically without expecting a reply.

Imagine my surprise, when I received an interview letter from M/s Ahmad Abdullah & Goh. On 19th Jan 1978, wearing a pink shirt and a maroon pants (it was the fashion then...), I went to Bangunan Elceetee and as I was going up the stairs, I met a gentleman with a tie who was staring at me. So as a 20 year, I stared back. I was met by a Miss Linda Choy and asked to take a seat. Guess what ? I was shocked when the interviewer, Mr. Michael Goh turned out to be the very same chap whom I was starrring back ! At that time, I was thinking to myself...Game Over !

The interview wasn't that bad ... At that point of time, I was crazy about getting a goverment job and I knew the scale very well. For example, a HSC holder would start at $485.00; MCE $405.00 and LCE $235.00. The interview went pretty well and Mr. Goh asked about my expectations. I said that since I'm a HSC holder with no experience and absolutely no accounting background, I was prepared to accept a LCE pay ie $235.00. I was stunned when he said that the pay was only $ 125.00 !

On accepting the offer, he said that I could start straightaway and before I could say anything, he introduced me to the staff ( at that time less than 9 staff) and asked me to start work !
I went home at lunch-time and told my mum that I'm going back to work. She was shocked and said "but.. you just went for the interview this morning..." Sadly, my mum passed way on 16 Feb 1978 but I was able to give her some money from my first meagre pay of $95. BTW, Mr. Goh forgot to tell me that $30 was to be retained for 3 months. I can still remember my sister, Alice laughing at me for getting such a low pay for HSC holder compared to the $ 300 which she was getting as a MCE holder.

Sadhu... Sahdhu ... Sahdhu [1996]

2006-04-06T23:23:00.000-07:00

Born as a BuddhistI was born as a buddhist...so says my birth certificate !

However, I don't know much about buddhism except the concept of karma, action & reaction, living in moderation etc. To be honest, what little I know are from my Form 1-3 history books !

Linking to Buddhist Sites

Anyway, a client who I consider to be a friend, C.H. Lee suggests a link to the YBAM home page.

The other link is from a vistor to this home page, Tan Kian Khoon

As suggested by TS Lai in his comments on my guest book, I am adding as many links as possible to other buddhist related sites.. If you know of a buddhist related site particularly in Malaysia, please don't hesitate to let me know by e-mail or by signing my guestbook
Just received an e-mail from C.H. Lee that Mr. TS Lai is currently an Economics Lecturer in Universiti Utara Malaysia, YBAM Vice President and the Chairman of YBAM Kedah State Liaison Committee.

Mr. Lee Chin Soo wrote on 14 April 1997 as follows :
"Just to let you know I have created a homepage called Singapore DharmaNet at http://www.cyberway.com.sg/~chinsoo/dharma.htm . It has all the information you want to know about Buddhism . It has a fantastic homepage by Tan Chade-Meng ( under email address of Buddhist friends ) on Buddhism too . Check it out .
Regards
Chin Soo"

Francis Phoon
By the way, my brother-in-law, Francis Phoon helped in the selection of the sites listed below. Francis is pretty knowledgeable in buddhism and you may see some of buddhism related writings here in the near future.

Saddhu Saddhu Saddhu...With Metta

I notice that most buddhists use the terms Saddhu Saddhu Saddhu & With Metta as part of their greetings. Again, C.H. Lee came to my rescue and explained that :
Saddhu, Saddhu, Saddhu are Sanskrit / Pali words literally translated as " Excellence, Excellence, Excellence" and are uttered when the person learnt something good and benefit himself and others from a teacher. It shows the joy /happiness of the person as well, when he heard somethings good has happened.
Metta means compassion, loving-kindness.

Wheel of Dharma
The turning wheel of Dharma ( also known as Dhammachakka in Pali) is the animated graphic image that I have chosen to represent buddhism. The eight pillars in the wheel represent the Noble Eight Fold Path (The Middle Path) as taught by the Buddha The Noble Eight Fold Path are, in sequence :
Right Understanding
Right Thoughts
Right Speech
Right Action
Right Livelihood
Right Effort
Right Mindfulness
Right Concentration

Jayanto, IndonesiaJayanto, a visitor on 8 July 1996 to this home page, was invited by me to contribute his buddhism based articles which were published by Indonesian magazines. Click here to view his Guestbook entry.
His first contribution ( and I hope not his last) is in Indonesian and is called Idola
Let's get started...

Astronomy : Seeing Stars [1996]

2006-04-06T23:21:00.000-07:00

I am a backyard astronomer who :

owns a 8-inch Schimdt-Cassegrain telescope
owns a 2 inch refractor telescope
owns a poweful binoculars
have witness the total eclipse of the sun in 1995 at USM, Penang
have actually seen Comet Hayakute on 25/3/96 at Telok Bahang at 2.00 am & in front of my house in Prai at 4.00am
have seen a number of Messiers objects including the Great Orion nebula
reads monthly astronomy magazines like Astronomy, Sky & Telescope
surfs the Internet for astronomy related sites have wriiten a software called the Celestial Tracker to track the Moon, Comets, Asrteriods, Planets & Star constellations