The one about food, for sustenance and for thought...

So, after the high of the long holiday period culminating in Valentine's Day, we surprisingly had a few events to keep ourselves busy and entertained.

Firstly, on Friday 17th Feb, I had dinner at the City Bayview for Chambering Pupils partaking in the Ethics Course organised by the Bar Council. I had been asked to speak at a session which was to be at 2pm on Saturday. The dinner was kinda lame and we ended the dreadfully dull night at 9.30pm. Jo and Jinny had dinner at Waka on the first floor of the same hotel so I barged in on their gossip session and hung out with them.

The next morning, Saturday 18th Feb, we had the official opening of the newly renovated Bar Premises. I was asked to emcee the event which went on without a hitch. Lunch was at Rama's "Spice & Rice" which is fast becoming a regular lawyers' hang-out. After a good (albeit pungent) meal, I headed to the City Bayview again for my lecture. Jo waited for me at Segafredo nearby. The lecture went well, seeing that no one fell asleep and most paid attention.

We dashed home after that to prepare for little Naomi's 2nd Birthday party at the Penang Club. Since it was to be a kiddies do, we brought Ethan along and I reckon the little terror enjoyed himself. The others who went were - Nazriah, Mazri with Mikhail & Mia Sara; Hooi Lin, Kenzu with Zerlynde; Carolyn; and arriving late was KC (Sue Khoon's brother) with Jay Han.

The tastefully decorated place...

Jo & Ethan with Stacy & the Birthday Girl...

The Dads and their kids...

Mums in a row...

Ethan with Aunty Carolyn's balloon gift...


Tuesday 21st Feb was mum's first appointment for chemotherapy at the GH. We were all so clueless as to how it all works, the dosage, the procedures, the effects...
Anyway, mum was admitted and the first dose was administered at 2.30pm. The drip process would be a continuous one for the next three days. Mum seemed more lethargic and bored from the whole experience when I picked her up on Thursday night than anything else. Quite remarkable considering she had almost gallons of saline pumped into her along with the cytotoxic drugs. Heh, my medical knowledge has improved and increased considerably.

Mum'll need to keep her health up and eat right to help fight this battle. The surgery only removed the tumour and we are afraid if any cancer cells may have spread into the lymph nodes. She has a good chance to avoid re-occurence with a strict chemo regime and proper diet throughout.

Anyway, after a busy Friday, Saturday came along filled with fun. In the morning we went for the Bar Annual Bowling Tournament. This was started by me some time ago and we are in the 5th year now. Not many people came although it was heartening to see Pam & Wei Lin coming to join in the fun. Ethan made his presence felt running throughout the alley and got a little restless in the end not interested in the least that his dad ended up 6th overall. This year the winner was Guan Tong which made it 5 different champions in 5 years. That just shows there are many good bowlers out there.


Jo & I had decided to use up our E&O Hotel free stay voucher tonight. So, we brought Ethan after the tournament to the hotel and let him enjoy the amenities in the room - primarily the huge bath tub. He splashed around and made a right mess of the place but had a smile on his face worth a million bucks after that.

We dropped Ethan at Jo's mum's in the evening where he would be staying overnight. We then took our time to get to mass at the Church of the Assumption in town at 6.30pm. Dinner that night was at the Wine & Dine buffet at the Sarkies Corner which as usual was fully booked. Luckily we had the foresight to call up beforehand. We met Michael Saxon again there, the guy's been promoted to Hotel Manager. Good for him. We stuffed ourselves amidst the rowdy but cheery atmosphere. Plans were afoot to meet up with Sue & Yan and Mel & Stacy at Segafredo's at Upper Penang Road at 10pm. Later, we imbibed in our drinks accompanied by lively banter on Sue & Yan's impending wedding. Mel joined us a bit later on without Stacy as Naomi fell asleep in the car.

We adjourned to S3 (the new dance bistro) soon after and were "treated" to the sight of pole dancing girls gyrating on stage in various stages of undress. The first two minutes was interesting but after that, I was more interested in the fact that Blackburn Rovers was leading Arsenal but one solitary goal. The ambience in there was noisy and lacked the edge of a good pulsating dance club. It was fairly full but the place was large enough to allow free movements which we saw from the youngish crowd moving to the music. Pretty much a "head shaking" place, i think. We all generally felt that we could get more exciting, elctrifying atmosphere elsewhere...

The next morning, we met up with Jinny & KH, Raphael, Chris & Eva with little Danielle for brunch at the Sri Bahari Road corner coffeeshop. We then went to Jo's mum's for lunch and later on home again.

The coming week will be another busy one. I suppose its a good sign for the office that I'm swamped with things to do lately. However this Thursday 2nd March, we will be headed to KL for some matters for a couple of days. Sadly its the Penang Bar AGM on Friday and we are likely to miss it cos I doubt we will make it back in time. The Bar AGM is turning into an interesting one with Darshan Singh throwing his hat into the ring. The straight battle between Lalitha Menon & Darshan is still too close to call. I will be stepping out from the Bar Committee this year after six (6) years. Its about time to put some new faces in there. Jo has indicated she would be ready to serve on the committee so I can concentrate on the business. Let's see how the drama unfolds...

The one about Valentine's...

A lot has been said about how commercialised Valentine's Day has become. I just wanna defend it a little.

First a tad of boring history on who this bloke Valentine was...

One legend contends that Valentine was a priest who served during the third century in Rome. When Emperor Claudius II decided that single men made better soldiers than those with wives and families, he outlawed marriage for young men -- his crop of potential soldiers. Valentine, realizing the injustice of the decree, defied Claudius and continued to perform marriages for young lovers in secret. When Valentine's actions were discovered, Claudius ordered that he be put to death.

His memory is celebrated every February 14th by "lovers" all over the world. Many allege that businesses (florists, chocolatiers, giftshops and restaurants to name a few) take advantage of this need to express one's love and make a killing on sale of their sought-after goods or services.

If we just take a step back and see the simple romantism of the day; we can see that the significance is symbolic but the logic is inescapable. With most men still unable to outwardly express themselves to their women, its the one chance in a year that the girls get to "force" some kind of emotional projection from their significant other. True, the age of the metrosexual male is upon us and we do see many emulating the suave sensitivity of present day gentlemen but there exists in the very corners of our concrete jungles, the "real man". The guy who knows what he wants, is assured and ruthless in nature yet crumble like hot apple pie when confronted with the prospect of a mushy moment with someone he desires.

So we have Valentine's Day - the time when I see tough, no nonsense guys clutching life-size teddy bears and pretty bow-tied boxes stuffed into "Lovely Lace" paper bags; the regular clueless straight guy dressed (albeit a little "jinjang"ly) to the nines, holding his companion's arm walking along the most happening places in town and even some who are so hopelessly in love that would even consent to the idea of wearing matching clothes or T-shirts! And why not! if there's even the slightest reason to celebrate the whole concept of love, then so be it. Victor Hugo said, "What a grand thing, to be loved! What a grander thing still, to love!".

We celebrated our Valentine's at Rama's new "Spice & Rice" Restaurant along with Jinny & KH. We met Pam & Wei Lin there too with some other friends. It was a good good meal which we enjoyed thoroughly. Later we braved the jam to get to Gurney Plaza and met up with the others - Stacy, Mel & Naomi and Sue Khoon & Yan too.

Jo & I


Jinny & KH

The one about still catching up...

So Chinese New Year came and went. Nothing major happened, so I'll just let the photos tell the story...

First day lunch at Jo's parents' place




At Yan's place on 2nd day for Hockkein Mee...

Ethan enjoying Yan's dogs...

4th day lunch at the Swimming Club


Dinner at Jhen Hean's place on Friday 3rd Feb... Ethan with Aiden (Alex & Sharon's)


Quite a few events went unrecorded as I had taken a hiatus from being the regular photographer. On Jan 31st (3rd day of CNY), we had a gathering for old schoolmates at Soho's which was poorly attended. We thought at least 20 people would turn up but the number was less even including spouses. Anyway, the roll call for that night:

Kian Hio & Jinny, Raphael, Henry & wife, Woei Der & Helen, Peter Sithamparam, Mei Lee, Sureswaran, Jimmy, Tze Meng, Jo & me!

Then on Monday Feb 6th, May Ling & her hubby Francis came up to Penang and asked us all out. Unfortunately, I had a prior bowling engagement and so Jo went to join Yan, Sue Khoon & Mel as they enjoyed themselves at the new outlet "Opera".

On Feb 8th, the chinese members of the Penang Bar Committee treated the others to a dinner at the Tze Chu-Lin Vegetarian Restaurant. It was a night of talk, talk and more talk. All the planning and scheming for the upcoming AGM.

Feb 10th, we had snuck in the compulsory mahjong night at Jinny & KH's place. So Sue Khoon, KH, Jinny & I tickled the tiles till late while my poor wife sat restlessly alone watching TV!!

The next night Feb 11th, we made up to Jo for her boring night before with a fun and intriguing drinking night out on Upper Penang Road. Yan, Sue Khoon, Jo & I chatted away while the alcohol flowed freely. Mel joined us later on to round up an interesting night indeed.

Feb 12th (Chap Goh Meh) - we all had dinner to mark the end of the Chinese New Year season at the Zhong Hua Restaurant at 1-Stop Midlands. It happened to be Thaipusam time as well and amidst the hustle bustle we sat down to a fairly mediocre meal but great company. All eight of us were there (Raphael & Carolyn missing).




That brought the Chinese New Year holiday break to an end. Have managed to catch up with the posts with just Valentine's day and events after that still to go. Will truly catch up soon! Till then...

The one about playing catch up...

Gosh! I'm so far behind in this blog that I have to just start listing activities and posting photos. So here goes:

Jan 4th - Mum's appointment at GH for her scan results. The specialist said things seem quite ok with the other organs unaffected. Looks like it'll be a fairly good operation - simple. Thank God. The doctor scheduled her operation for Jan 11th.

Jan 10th - Its Hari Raya Haji but more significantly, mum was admitted for her operation today. She seems in pretty good spirits after the meeting with the specialist. The operation's tomorrow.

Jan 11th - The day of mum's operation. I was in hospital early and saw mum before they wheeled her in at around 9.20am. Aunt Florence was there and stayed outside to wait. I left to do some errands and was back at 1.00pm. Still no sign of mum. It wasn't till 2.40pm before I caught sight of mum being wheeled out of the OT. She looked pretty good and was aware of her surroundings. Felt very happy about that. She was put into the HDA (High Dependency) ward - I decided not to spend too much time with her so as to let her have her rest.

Jan 14th - With mum recovering well in hospital, Jo & I could finally relax and look forward to a good party tonight. It's Melvin & KH's birthday function. Mel's birthday is on the 15th and KH's on the 16th but we decided to celebrate on a Saturday at the newly formatted Brasil 68 Restaurant. We had a great time with plenty of protein (predominantly meat buffet) and the alcohol flowed freely at dinner. We were serenaded by "Bruno" a Cuban who it seemed was skilled in Salsa and other Latin American dances.

The music plays on...

Naomi's starting a Brasilian Wave...

The two birthday boys...

The guys...

The girls...

Opening their pressies...

Not to let a good night die out, we progressed to a Karaoke session at the Swimming Club. Needless to say, the alcohol poured, the rhythms got us, the vocals were inhibited and the juices flowed. It was a memorable night for us all indeed!

At the Swimming Club, just warming up...

Hey, there's too many candles!!

Yan crooning away... help!

Discussion amidst the soothing voices...


Jan 16th - We met up at our house to have a much lower key and small celebration for KH's birthday. Since it was his BIG 40th, we thought a simple gathering of good pals on his real birthday was the way to go.

All cosy on the carpet...

Sue posing by our brand new bar!

Jo & Jinny

KH turns 40...life begins!

One for the album...


Jan 18th - My bowling league starts again. We have a new member Roger Foong. So its Simon Tan, Jimmy Gay, Chirt Kye, Andrew Lim, Roger & myself who make up "Priority Lane".

Jan 22nd - After a quiet Saturday with the Tans (KH & Jinny), Sunday was significant cos mum was to be discharged today! After making sure mum was comfortable at home, Jo and I headed off to Brasil 68 for our...you guessed it...Salsa dance class. It was kinda fun. Wished I had taken some photos but then they may have been embarassing too! Still, Jo was picked by Bruno to be the best dancer. Always knew my sweetie had the rhythm and style! We ended with Bruno and his girlfriend Kelly giving us a demo of some Latin moves.

Jan 28th - The week leading to Chinese New Year had been hectic to say the least. That had made the holiday break all the more desirable. So as that sense of urgency hightened and slowly subsided, and as the roads emptied, we got ready for our annual steamboat dinner. Perhaps I'll leave it to the next post to tell more...

The one about new beginnings... (Part Two)

New Year's Eve (31 Dec)
The gang had planned to meet at Mel's uncle's apartment for a "house" party. However, on the day itself, Carolyn called up with an invite to her place for dinner. As Stacy & Mel were bringing Naomi, we thought staying indoors was best. We all then decided to accept Carolyn's invite but would adjourn to the apartment as planned later on. After all, it was just across the road. Sue & Yan were joining us for dinner but have another party to go to after. So it would just be the few of us at the apartment.

We arrived at Carolyn's then the guys (read Mel, KH and me) went over to the apartment to drop our stuff (read drinks, chips, dip and board games). We got there easily enough and after locking up, we waited for the lift. When one arrived, we walked in but it was unfortunately, then that Mel drop the keys. You guessed it, the keys fell right down the elevator shaft! With no keys, there would be no party after! This was like, one heck of an unlucky thing to happen.


Well, to cut a long story short, we called a locksmith, he came, took him nearly 40 mins to get it unlocked - blood, sweat and nearly tears flowed. The three guys then stumbled across the road, tired and hungry only to find our women kinda high on "pre-dinner" drinks. The food was heated up for us, we ate more out of necessity than desire and finally had the opportunity to catch our breath.

Soon, we were on our way, plodding across the road and into the apartment. No plans for any entertainment but what was important really was spending these key moments with good friends.



And, so it arrived... the new year of 2006. So much for us all to be thankful and so much more for us to look forward to.

The one about new beginnings...(Part One)

Hello there! This is my first entry since we welcomed the new year 2006. In fact today its the first day of Chinese New Year. For the more astute among you, you will see a changed template giving this blog a fresher and more vibrant look. I wanted things to look new for the new year... Yes, the Year of the Dog is upon us. What will this new year bring? We always hear this question, mostly rhetorically asked than otherwise. Still there's such a need to know what the future holds.

Since its been so long since my last entry, I suppose a quick summary of events would be good. I take it up from the last entry and begin with our trip to S'pore for Christmas...

Christmas in Singapore (22 Dec - 27 Dec)
Christmas in Singapore brought about a mixture of emotions. We had fun, doing the high life style shopping and meeting Jo's relatives again. It was a decidedly traditional Christmas set amidst the backdrop of a distinctly modern setting. Jo's cousin Francisca and her husband Bill built a brand new home and had just moved in some two days before we invaded their space. Everything felt rather new and Bill's penchant for technology prevailed as a theme throughout the luxurious abode.

Shopping was good, we managed to pick up gifts for friends and a few things which were not available back home. Not much sight seeing was done but we figured that Ethan's probably too young to appreciate it anyway. Maybe next time we are down.

Ethan adapted well and was making a pain of himself as usual. Still, he was cute sitting on the dinner table for Christmas supper. Made me wish then that my mum could have been there to see him. More on that later.

Jo & Ethan on Orchard Road

At the dinner table

The Family

On the plane...

Ethan back home and posing with his presents!


The day we were to go home was the 27th December. I remember it vividly cos a few weeks back, my mum had gone for a medical check-up and the results were to be out on the 27th. I had wished there was someone to go with mum to the hospital, knowing full well that she didn't take to these things easily. I called her from Singapore after the scheduled appointment but her silence and refusal to say the results meant it was not good news. The trip back was pure horror. I felt all sorts of emotions churning around in my stomach. Ethan causing a commotion didn't help at all.

When we arrived, we decided to just go about our tasks normally until I could speak to mum later. After dinner, she sat down with Jo and I and told us. They had found a growth in her colon and it was cancerous. They did not know how bad it is yet but she would have to be admitted the next day for a CT Scan. After that, they will be able to determine the extent and the next step.

There's really no way to describe how i felt then nor the rollercoaster of emotions which I went through. The worst thoughts filled my mind and I had sleepless nights since. Thats the one word that brings out the worse in people. The fear, the insecurities, the disappointments... it was Cancer.

Post Christmas (28 Dec - 31 Dec)
The next morning we got to the hospital and mum was admitted. The whole thing was surreal,like its not happening to us but rather watching a movie... Anyway, to cut a long narrative short, mum had her scan and tests all done and was sitting in the hospital bed doing nothing all day. The results would be out only on 4th January and the new year was coming up. I decided to bring mum home from the hospital. No point in her staying there throughout the New Years celebrations.

I woke up the morning of the 29th December with cold sweat, having had vague dreams of the worst kind about mum's illness. It was then that I decided that there was no use being miserable about something we do not know about yet. It was in God's hands and He has always been there for me. I shrugged off the heaviness within me and stepped out of the bathroom a very different person.

We were planning to have a gathering the evening of the 29th December at our place. The gang was coming over for a Christmas event and we spent the day getting ready for it. That night they all came over, presents were exchanged and there was fun and frivolity all round. Did mum some good too to have laughter in the house. We managed to take a complete group photo for my collection. Was planning to do a CD for everyone and maybe even a calender for 2006. We'll see...

The one about wishing you all a Merry Christmas...

Feliz Navidad. Selamat Hari Natal. Merry Christmas.

It had been a hectic and sometimes stressful lead-up to the big day. Now, Christmas Day is over. Boxing Day beckons though there's no real explanation yet why its called "Boxing". Maybe I'll go do more research...

Anyway, I'm blogging from Singapore here. The actual celebrations have been busy and a little chaotic but I have enjoyed the opportunity to wind down and release the pressures of the last few weeks. A real rollercoaster of emotions and its come to a rest. I won't go on and on and I won't post any photos as yet. There's a lot of activities coming up in the next week. Am really looking forward to it!

So meantime... I'll have a Singapore Sling on your behalves! Compliments of the Season to one and all...

The one with the spirit of Christmas...

Yes, its almost upon us - the season to be jolly and other icky semantics.

Now, now, I'm no Scrooge and I do love Christmas. Not really into the gifts and the constant eating though. Hate to sound cliche and a tad sappy but its really the simple things which imbues me with that special spirit. That cool soft breeze we get this time of the year which I can feel whenever I stand outside my house at night; the strains of carol singing in the distance and that sense of urgency we get when we realise its coming to the end of another year. To me, Christmas isn't about the traditions cos we make our own traditions. It isn't about giving or receiving; many have none to give nor anyone from whom to get. What then, you may ask, does Christmas mean to me?

Well, its been a hectic few weeks. At work, there's the usual rush to clear things before the new year beckons. Then there're travel arrangements to sort out - with us heading to Singapore for Ethan's first Christmas outside of Penang. There's my Mum's health matters and her deciding to spend Christmas alone at home. Now that hurts.

Things seem to happen when you least expect and problems seems to occur when you least need them. Such is the story of the last week or so. Still, the inevitability of Christmas looms. Often we get caught up in the intent to celebrate that we forget to actually celebrate. Sometimes I wish I could just stop and smell that Christmas breeze. The memories that'll bring back...

We've had carollers come to the house. A neat group of youths who tried hard to inject the festive mood into our home albeit 10 days early. Ethan was a little curious at first as to why there were so many people suddenly singing in our porch. He embarked on his usual runs up and down doing his level best to "sing along" in the manner only he knows.


So far the little fellow's coming along just fine. Doesn't really talk yet but makes hell of a lot of noise. Also has taken to screaming lately. A right little terror he is. I must say, he's improved a lot at his play gym sessions with Tumbletots. We take him most Sundays and he loves it; sometimes too much!




Last Sunday, a few of us had afternoon tea at the E&O Hotel's 1885 Restaurant. Sounds posh eh? It was a nice change to the fast paced meals we've been having of late and what with Jo's voucher, we got it at 50% off! Nice selections and thoroughly enjoyable.


After tea, we decided to hang on to the "lifestyles of the rich & famous" mode - as we ventured to the Marine Show at the new Church Street Pier Marina. Sleek and playful looking boats for sale along with the exhibition of other indulgent opulent vices. We soaked in the atmosphere and tried to blend in...


We're off to Singapore this Thursday. I'll be dragging along my trusty laptop although I don't know how much blogging can be done there. Pretty sure we'll be soaking in the sights and probably a bit of shopping too.

So... the more astute of you out there will still have that lingering question in mind - what DOES Christmas mean to me? Well, Christmas is about sharing. Its about family and its about love. I thank God that I have all that this Christmas. I wish you all the same...



God Bless!