The one about new feelings of love...

It's been as usual a busy busy fortnight since my last blog entry. Really must blog more often since in my haste to record all the activities, the quality of my writing has suffered, or so I was told! So I'm going to attempt to provide detail, clarity and entertainment within these pages. Like real.

Anyway, picking up where I left off last, Wednesday 4th October, Jo went for a movie at night - "The Banquet". I had my bowling league on, so had to miss it. Lucky me. Jo gave it a thumbs down but these arty farty chinese dramas aren't my cup of tea anyway.

Friday, 6th October was also the Chinese 15th day of the 8th month. Mid-Autumn Festival. Time for lanterns, moon cake and weddings. In the morning, driving past France & Taipei Bridal Salon, traffic was held up for a mass wedding. Strange anomaly that. We had planned that night to take Ethan to Stacy's parent's place where they were going to the Traffic Garden in front of Bodhi Avenue for a "lantern carrying" fun time.

That morning, I had noticed the return of an old enemy - the Haze. By mid afternoon, its intensity has not dissipated and although I checked with the Department of Environment website, by 5p.m. the Air Pollutant Index on the island was around 69, we decided not to take Ethan out that evening. So his mum and dad got all the necessary materials out, lanterns, candles, matches... and we had our own little fun time.


Later, after getting Ethan ready for bed, Jo and I headed off to Jinny & KH's place for our own little grown-up mid-autumn party. Having said that, Stacy & Mel did bring Naomi there. We just sat around, chatting, having moon cake and other strange traditional tit-bits. It was the first time I had ever seen the so-called "dragon's horns" - a black, decidedly evil looking nugget which revealed a white nutty centre. Nothing to die for.


The next day, Saturday, 7th October was spent at a relaxed pace. That night, Jo's dad had a dinner for her visiting aunt from KL and also Abby was back for a break. So we decided to join them for a quick dinner before adjourning to Bagan for drinks. We were meeting Celina, her new boyfriend JESÚS (that's pronounced "he-SOOS") and their friend Fran (no pun intended). Mel was to join us too and also Carolyn was going to be there with Peng Onn.

As we arrived at Bagan, it was just as well we had booked a table. The place was busy and fast filling up. Carolyn and Oon were already there having dinner, so we left them alone and took our seats in front of the band. The rest arrive in trickles and we were soon introduced to Celina and Chus' (their shortform for JESÚS) friend Fran. The two Spanish men then rattled off in their mother tongue which was pretty much drowned by the band anyway.

Mel, Jo, Onn & Carolyn

Chus, Fran & Celina

We did have a good time, with Onn puzzling Mel with his "two-cork" trick - not a bodily disfigurement but rather a sleight of hand using two wine corks. I must say here that the diva that is "Roz" the in-house singer at Bagan has built up a formidable repetoire and as such has become fairly entertaining.

Sunday, 8th October, would be a memorable one for most of us. We had lunch at the Spice Market, the brand spanking new restaurant at the newly re-opened Rasa Sayang Resort. Guess we will always remember the first time we laid eyes on the new Rasa Sayang. It has certainly gotten a face-lift and truly befitting its resort class status. However, the hotel seems to have priced itself out of the reach of the locals. We may be able to afford the odd buffet lunch at over RM70 per person, but it won't be a regular exercise. The spa there, named "Chi", had a distinctly oriental feel about it. Looking at the menu there, one can't help that the hotel had indirectly taken a no-locals policy. It's very unlikely that any local person would pay RM600 for any kind of treatment. Sadly, nearly 50 years after our independence and we still have this western elitist attitute.

The early birds at the Spice Market...

Celina & Jo...

The gang on the way to Chi Spa...

What!? Six Hundred Ringgit ah?... In Bangkok can get...

Jo and the gong...

One for keeps...

Corny as it may seem, I left the Rasa Sayang feeling no love whatsoever. The place just felt cold and untouchable. Sure hope these people know what they are doing.

The one about sickness and success...

Much has happened since my last blog. So I'm going to run thru it all quickly as the next weeks activities are going to be a lot more hectic.

23rd September (Saturday) - it was a fairly quiet weekend for us as most people seemed to be caught up in their respective activities. Jo and I decided on a nice meal at the Arirang Restaurant which was a quaint little Korean place on Gottlieb Road. We were joined by Jinny, KH and Chean Hong. Later we met up with Sue & Yan and Mel at Dome Gurney Plaza.

The next day, Jo and I visited the Little Penang fair on Upper Penang Road. They had quite a few stalls selling many arty things and foodstuffs. Interesting concept this as it reminded me a little of the Victoria Street Market in Auckland. They had bands playing, demos, shows and other exhibitions were organised throughout. Eventhough it was a rainy day, the visitors weren't deterred.

26th September (Tuesday) - significant cos my Uncle William and Aunt Peggy arrived from Australia for a visit. Mum went to the airport to pick them up and sent them directly to my Aunt Florence's place.


We were to have met them the next afternoon for lunch but unfortunately we got a rude shock in the morning as we found Ethan to be suffering from high fever and he even threw up after his breakfast. So it was off to the hospital with him. The poor boy was so obviously unwell as he was not his usual self at all. At the hospital waiting room, Ethan threw up again. This was our first visit to a new paedetrician as Ethan's former doctor Dato' Dr. Para had migrated to Australia. So we decided to chose Dr. Jessica Tan. She was nice and thorough. It seems Ethan may just have a viral fever but she recommended admitting him. We turned it down; with our past experience, admitting him with high fever only meant cursory checks by the nurses while Jo and I do most everything else. So we decided to take him home and watch him there.

Ethan's fever stablised by the evening. We were paid a visit by my Uncle and Aunt later that day too. Later that night, we had to basically stay awake to continuously test Ethan's temperature. Jo had to sponge him down a few times and we really had a torrid time giving him his medication.

The next morning, his temperature improved and by breakfast, he was back to normal. Phew! The rest of the week had some semblance of normality and the week ended well for us.


29th September (Friday) - we got an invite from Carolyn for drinks again. This time we went to Bagan and met up with Carolyn's friend from Singapore. We were joined by Sue and Mel and two other friends of Carolyn - Rizal and Lai Yin. Turned out to be a great night after all.

The next day, I had to deliver a lecture to the Bar's chambering students as part of their Ethics Course. Hopefully I didn't ramble on and on! At least no one fell asleep!

That night, it was to be a very quiet night for us. We had no dinner plans as we drove to church but after mass, decided to give the buffet at Traders Hotel a try. It was good food and the famed chocolate fountain was simply amazing. After dinner, we contacted Sue & Yan and planned to meet them for coffee at Segafredo's on Upper Penang Road.

While having coffee, Yan announced that he passed his CLP exams! Congrats to him as it was a tough one to go thru. So he plans to start chambering soon. So to celebrate, Yan decided that he wants to have a stronger drink! Needless to say, Soho beckoned. The four of us then got ourselves settled upstairs of Soho and made some inroads on the bottle of Black Label we had stashed there.

There was a hen's night celebration there with a group of 5-6 girls. They obviously attracted a lot of attention and the poor bride-to-be was made to go around selling ladies panties to the guests! One of the group was a fellow lawyer and she got the bride-to-be to approach me! I didn't make it too easy for the poor girl either and tried to bargain with her. Finally, I did buy a couple from her and they went off on their merry way... and soon after, so did we. Another good night out.

Sunday, we caught a movie after months (the last movie we watched was Superman) - and it was a pretty good movie. "The Devil Wears Prada" showed Merryl Streep's versatility as an actress as she carried the role and the movie with her simple presence.

Thus ends another week. This new week started out pretty mildly but is bound to move into full gear. We just went for tea at Subaidah's with the gang - Stacy, Mel & Naomi, Yan & Sue, Carolyn were all there. It was a kinda celebration of the end of Stacy's MBA. She sat her finals last night. Also Yan had to break the news of his success to the others. Achievements all round. Hopefully more to come this week...

The one about 2 crazy weeks...

Yeah, no kidding. The two-week break from blogging was spent catching up with a whole lot of work which never seems to lessen. Besides the usual office work piling up, I had to give an seminar on IT Law and organise the Penang Bar Treasure Hunt as well.

Tuesday 5th September was Mum's birthday. It was also Jo's Dad's birthday too. We went out to the Sheraton for a dinner. Kinda low key celebration but meaningful nonetheless. On reflection, I can't help being so thankful to be able to celebrate this birthday with Mum.

Friday 8th September was the day of our IT Law talk. Lee Khai had to pull out because he had a hearing on and so it was left to Ravin and myself to carry on. Ravin spoke on the practical aspects of IT litigation while I delivered a short recourse on the role of IT law practitioners in the area of corporate IT privacy. The topic was very specialised and not popular amongst our Penang lawyers. Sad to say, it will take years before these people realise the growth potential in this area.

It was a quiet Saturday for Jo and I as we went out for a simple dinner with Jinny and Kian Hio and then had coffee at Island Plaza. We were joined at coffee by Sue & Yan. The next day, we had all planned for another picnic - this time at the beach just before the former Mutiara Hotel. We had originally planned to make it a kids picnic, with Stacy & Mel bringing Naomi while Sue & Yan bringing Sue's brother's son Jae Han. However, Stacy pulled out and Naomi lost out and Jae Han came down with a cold. So we decided to leave Ethan at home too as he hadn't been feeling 100% either.

The picnic was kinda fun with adequate food, drink and laughter. Dinner was early as we headed to Bayu Senja area behind the Parkroyal. We managed to catch the sunset at dinner, which really puts into perspective how lucky we are to be living in Penang.


The next week started out pretty much the same. I had work which needed to be completed last week and it just stockpiled. Stress and more stress.

The Penang Bar Treasure Hunt was coming up and we had a mere 9 entries on Monday. However, by Wednesday, we got our minimum required 15 cars. The hunt was on!

On Thursday 14th September, we had to meet to pack the Goodie Bags and the next day on Friday, was the official briefing for the hunt. That Friday night we got an invite from Carolyn to meet or drinks at Spice & Rice. She had some friends out and so we decided to go too. Mel, Jo and I joined Carolyn and her friends at around 10 pm. It turned out to be more fun that I expected.

The next day, Saturday, was my Treasure Hunt final planning day. After lunch at home, I dropped Jo at her mum's so she could feed the dog and I headed out on my trip. It took a good three hours to complete and I then picked Jo up to head home for more work. I spent the whole Saturday night typing and printing and even had to go to the office late for photcopying.

The next morning we got up at 7.00 am, leaving Ethan in bed and headed off in the ungodly hour to the Bayview Georgetown Hotel for the Hunt. There were already eager beavers waiting! After the registration process, the hunters were all flagged off and we, the organisers, had some respite.

The first team to arrive back were the "team to watch" and true to form, the amazingly got ALL the questions correct. They were the obvious outright winners. Luckily for the weaker teams, we had prizes for everyone. I was particularly proud of two teams - one was Jaishree, Simon, Kian Ming and Pam known as "For Peace" and the other was the "Angels". They were both all-lawyers teams and did remarkably well. In the end, I think everyone enjoyed themselves and the Treasures brought back by the participants were given to the Lighthouse, the charitable organisation which provides food for the poor at the St. Francis Xavier church on Penang Road.

This week started out pretty hectic too. I spent the whole of today finishing off a submission and tomorrow there's an appeal in court. Looking forward to a good weekend. I'll surely need it...

Meanwhile, I leave you with another cute pic. My budding musician...

The one about Jo's birthday...

Friday 1st September was Jo's birthday. We had dinner at the new Hardwicke Restaurant and there were ten of us that night. Our usual gang was slightly broken up with Carolyn away at Tioman for a diving holiday while Kian Hio got called away to Xiamen for business. Stacy and Mel brought Naomi along. However, we were also joined by Celina and her friend Anette who happen to be in Penang for the weekend.

The night started simple enough, with both Jo and I arriving first, meeting Yan and his gang of friends Mark, Cyril and others having some wine at Vintage next door. The others arrived later due to this being a work day, but we were all ready and dinner went underway by 8.45 p.m.

The multi course dinner was nice indeed. We had two starters, a soup, sorbet, main course, dessert and coffee to end the night. We also ordered a couple of bottles of wine to accompany our meal. Overall, the consensus was that it was a hearty dinner and well worth the cost. We didn't have a birthday cake after dinner as the restaurant was going to charge us a "corkage" to serve our cake. So we settled for Jo blowing out one candle with her dessert. Naomi presented Jo with a rendition of "Happy Birthday" which was well received to say the least.

As usual I went nuts with my camera and took a flurry of shots and here are only some:

Birthday girl and me!

Part of the group checking out the menu...

Mel having a battle of wits with an elephant puzzle... (he lost!)

Warming up...

Jo opening her presents...

Cool gift eh?

We then proceeded to Soho for drinks. Stacy and little Naomi left us and we were joined by Ruengsak, another friend of Celina's who was out here for a working holiday from Thailand. The scene at Soho wasn't as busy as a Saturday night but the usual chatter and banter had us all occupied. The night ended fairly early by our standards but I believe it was a very nice night indeed, given that many of our friends who would have come were away for the long weekend. Next year, it'll be another long weekend for Jo's birthday, so maybe we should have it somewhere overseas or at least out of Penang. With adequate notice and preparations, it'll be interesting to see if we can fit into everyone's timetable.

Jo enjoying herself at Soho...

Celina, Mel & Yan sharing a funny moment...

The girls urging Sue on?

Yan up to his antics - teasing Jinny mercilessly!

The next day was Saturday but it felt more like Sunday. We took it easy and left the house only at 11.30 a.m. to take Ethan to Tumbletots. We spent the afternoon at Gurney Plaza taking Ethan for his kiddie rides and got home to catch up on some much needed rest. Later after sunset mass, we spent the evening just the two of us at a new Japanese Restaurant in Pulau Tikus (there must be at least a dozen of them there) called Kushihiro which serves deep fried skewered bites of many varieties. The food was good but just a little too expensive for what it was. We left hungry although having spent RM56 on whatever we had. We then spent the night at Coffee Bean Gurney Plaza just chatting away and people watching. Somehow after all the hustle and bustle of the past few weeks culminating in the party the night before, this was a good change and very pleasant for us.

Sunday, was as usual for us except that we had already brought Ethan to Tumbletots and gave that a miss. Leaving the little fellow in the hands of his Grandma, we set out on our first "recky" trip for the Treasure Hunt which is two Sundays away! That took a good two and a half hours and we rested at the Old Town cafe in E-Gate, doing a bit of shopping at Tesco before returning home.

Its going to be another busy week at work next week. I also will be giving a short talk on IT Law this coming Friday to the members of the Bar. Will need to get some materials prepared very soon, amidst the usual work to complete.

Sigh...

But I leave with a note that it was a great birthday we had for Jo and I know she enjoyed herself immensely. I have had the pleasure of spending many birthdays with Jo and I just want to say that each year its been more poignant and I feel more close to her. Jo, I just want to say thanks for everything and I love you...

The one about the start of "Birthday Season"...

Yep, after a lull on the "birthdays" front, the month of September will usher in a whole series of parties over the next few months.

Last weekend was all about eating. On Saturday evening, we brought little Ethan to Zerlynde's birthday party. Hooi Lin and Kenzu had quite a few guests over to the Lone Pine Hotel poolside for the "Elmo" themed party complete with a "fishing" pool, large Elmo cut-out and the works.

Needless to say, Ethan enjoyed himself immensely and it took all my strength to keep him from diving into the hotel swimming pool! The party ended early for us as we had dinner that night.






Dinner was to have been somewhere in Bayan Baru but ended up even further at a Malay seafood place called Ilyana or something like that, way away at Gertak Sanggul, which is at the edge of the island. Food wasn't anything to shout about, service was slow and the ambience, well, its a "kedai kopi" style place in the middle of nowhere. What was really amazing was that the food was incredibly inexpensive, setting us back RM14 each only!

After dinner, we decided to have coffee and chat at the new "hot spot" in Penang - which is E-Gate. Half the island's free trade zone employees had the same idea and the place was packed. Every eating, drinking and entertainment outlet there was chock-a-block. There's life in the south after all.

Jo sitting at a very busy Starbucks, E-Gate...

During coffee, Yan suggested we have a picnic the next day at a beach just behind the Bayview Beach Hotel. There was a quaint little hut there selling food and drinks and a nice quiet stretch of sand for some relaxation.

So, on Sunday, we headed to the beach after dropping Ethan off at my mum-in-laws. It was his nap time so we couldn't bring him along. The beach was fairly easy to find, as we arrived a little late after picking Mel up on the way. The place wasn't exactly secluded or private but it was fairly quiet. The beach boys park their boats nearby making a part of the sand rather dirty.




We did have a pretty relaxed time, mainly sipping iced lemon juice and staying out of the scorching sun. Sue & Yan brought little Jae Han (Sue's nephew) and he really had a great time in the water. Our afternoon was brought to an abrupt halt as a sudden storm hit the shores and we had to scurry about under the shed while some of us rush to the car to get umbrellas. Far cry from the scene earlier...

Jo's birthday is this Friday (1st September) and we will be celebrating with her over dinner and drinks. Unfortunately Kian Hio won't be there as he is due to fly off to Xiamen (China) for business tomorrow morning (Thursday). He and Jinny decided to make it up to Jo with a dinner this evening at Scarlet Restaurant in Pulau Tikus.

Dinner was nice and we had a good bottle of wine to wash it down. After that, we dropped by Coffee Bean across the road at Bellisa Row for a late night cuppa and were joined by Mel and Raphael. Ralph had just gone to Greece and Turkey and gave us a dose of anecdotes from his travels.

Its actually 31st August now and tomorrow morning the parades and celebrations for our National Day will be in full blast. While there's much to be thankful for living in this country of ours, one can't help but feel a bit empty when reflecting on the recent events and the trends facing us all. We have a former Prime Minister critisising our present PM, a worrying slant towards Islamisation of our way of lives, freedoms treaded upon, rights violated, standards falling and justice denied. It all stems from ignorance. I've blogged on this before so i won't go into it again but ignorance is NOT bliss.

What I want is simply a plausible future for my son. That he may be able to grow up amidst understanding and sensibility. That he may have a chance in life free of prejudice and hatred. Is that a lot to ask for?

The one about another Bar Dinner...

Last night we had our Bar Dinner. This time around, I had the distinct pleasure of enjoying myself void of the responsibility of organising the event. However Jo was still very much involved as she had to liaise with the banquet staff and the hotel management to ensure the night went along smoothly.

It was the 20th Annual Dinner & Dance and this time around the lawyers showed up filling the Equatorial Matahari Ballroom with 530 happy people. Happy indeed considering 5 barrels of beer were all consumed by 10p.m. On our table we confined ourselves to Single Malt whiskeys brought by Yan & Sue Khoon.

The food itself was far from good but the ambience surrounding the few strategically located tables around us was fun-filled and contagious. Needless to say, by the time the desert bowls were cleared and the comedy show began, most people were tipsy enough to laugh at the slightest hint of humour. Anyway, Alan & Indy did a decent job with their socio-political satire. The laughs worked out well as a pre-cursor to the gyrating sounds of the band. Surprisingly, many stayed back and thronged the dance floor. It was indeed a heart-warming sight.

All in all, we had a great night and even proceeded to Kassim Mustaffa in Pulau Tikus for a "teh tarik" nightcap with Jinny, KH, Sue Khoon, Yan & Mel.

Here are some photos of the night:

Its the 20th Bar Dinner...

Selvi & Jo putting some finishing touches to the Main Table, while Taryna shows our VIP guest to her seat...

Our Madam Chairman Lalitha Menon mingling with the guests...

Yan, Sue, Nazu, Jo & I all posing...

Tucking in to the mediocre fare...

Jo, Sue & Jinny...

The famed Makcik Gang together again...help!

The girls heating up the dance floor...

Wifey & me...


Today, it was back to routine as we brought Ethan to Tumbletots. Later, we had lunch at Jo's parents and as Ethan slept, Jo and I went to Tesco's for some grocery shopping and then to Old Town cafe for a quick cuppa. Its bound to be a hectic week ahead as there will be loads of work to finish. Sigh...

The one about going away for the weekend...

Gosh, has it really been over two weeks since my last blog entry? Time has just whizzed on by as major events have filled both my own days and the world at large.

Most predominantly, we have war in the Middle East. Sure, its never really been peaceful there but the Israeli Military and the "Hezbollah" (hizbu-llāh) have been trying to eliminate each other from the face of this earth. On its own, this may sound like a good idea except that innocent by-standers have been made to pay in the form of collateral damage. The tragedy at the ancient city of Qana was prime example. Jesus Christ turned wine to water there a long time ago but the Israeli Military tried to one-up him and turned buildings into rubble, stone into sand, life into ashes. I guess it may be hard for me to understand what with me sitting here comfortably so many miles away; although, the concept of war has never failed to confuse me. Not that I'm some peace-loving hippie who holds dearly the idea of flower-power and free-love.

American singer/songwriter and anti-war activist Holly Near wrote a song entitled "Foolish Notion" which I first heard while studying in New Zealand. The simple lyrics have always stuck with me and I will reproduce it in part here:

Foolish Notion
Why do we kill people who are killing people
To show that killing people is wrong?
What a foolish notion, that war is called devotion
When the greatest warriors
Are the ones who stand for peace

Yes, why indeed....

Closer to home, I am in the process of organising a Treasure Hunt for the Penang Bar. This time I will be assisted by the Young Lawyers' sub-committee which is of course headed by none other than Jo herself. The Hunt will be on 17th September. More later.

After quite a long while, Jo and I tore ourselves reluctantly away from Ethan, to go on a trip to KL on Friday 11th August till Sunday. Although it was a short trip to a place not so far away, we found it quite difficult to leave the little guy behind. Funny thing this parenthood thing...

While in KL, we managed to assure ourselves that he was ok in the hands over his over-cautious Granny (my mum) and later in the care of both his Gramps (Jo's mum) and his Grandpa (Jo's dad). Never mind the new maid. Pretty useless.

So with that assurance, we went about our business. I had arrange for some business meetings to make the most of the trip, so Friday afternoon was spent meeting with some KL lawyers who were looking for a firm in Penang to work together in handling a variety of work for their clients here. I had intended to meet up with Alvin, an old friend and also client, to work out further details of his new venture but he had to return to Singapore on short notice.

We had driven down with Mel while Jinny and KH were to arrive that night, leaving Penang only after 7 p.m. So that night, Mel, Jo & I went for dinner at a recommended Spanish Restaurant located at Tengkat Tong Shin. Its called "El Cerdo" which in Spanish literally means "The Pig". No halal meals served there! The meal was a refreshing change and certainly thoroughly enjoyed. Our host was very friendly too. Werner was previously the General Manager of the Penang Mutiara. So we bantered on Penang stories and Penang people. He made a valid point about how Penang people aren't really a stingy lot. They are merely stingy IN PENANG! He has seen many a Penangite spending lavishly in London, Paris and KL!

Our after meal drinks was suppose to be firstly at "Luna Bar", then changed to "No Black Tie" but finally we got lazy and settled at "Hemmingways" which was a short walk away. As we were all a little tired out, we called it a night earlier than usual, arriving back at our accommodation (The Zon Suites) just in time to greet Jinny & KH! They started out late and Jinny apparently took over the wheel from a sleepy KH only to find themselves in Sungai Buloh somewhere!

The next morning, we got an early start and headed to Ikea where we spent the whole of the morning. Then it was off to The Curve, the mall across the street. We met up with Abby and Warren at Starbucks as they were helping to organise the DiGi Starbucks MusicSeries. We were off to 1-Utama in double quick time and spent the rest of the afternoon there leaving for the hotel around 5 p.m. Our evening plans as organised by Jo's friends Shireen & Jason, were for dinner at "La Bodega" in Bangsar where we were meeting up with Abby & Warren and Jimmy & Angela, an old friend of mine from school and his wife.

We had a great night, and it was great to be able to loosen up in front of good friends. Unfortunately my friends Aarolyn & Chin Seng were not able to join us as we couldn't change our booking. Hopefully, I will be able to make it up to them next time.



The next morning, a little weary from the night before, we skipped breakfast in favour of a hefty lunch at the famed Jogoya - Japanese Buffet Supreme! We did a quick round at KLCC and proceeded for lunch. It was bye to KL after lunch and we were more than glad to see the island of Penang looming ahead as I drove towards the bridge. Both Jo & I were missing Ethan terribly and were thrilled to hear his trademark cheers whenever he saw us.

It's back to work for this week but the Bar Dinner will be this coming Saturday 19th August. Hopefully more photos and stories then. Ta!

The one about law and peace...

Since my last blog entry a lot has happened. Thursday 27th July, Jo attended a Bar Committee meeting. From what I'm allowed to know, they discussed mainly the new amendments to our Legal Profession Act. These were new provisions on the powers of the Legal Disciplinary Board which many felt were a little overboard. The new enactments allows the Board to force lawyers to produce documents and in default to imprison the errant ones.

Its not enough that clients nowadays have little respect for lawyers, now even our peers want to have greater powers to compel us. The worth of a lawyer is now much less than it used to be. Clients feel that by paying us their fees, it buys them our obedience to be at their beck and call. Even highly educated, high positioned individuals act that way. There is indeed a distinct lack of professionalism in the corporate world.

Anyway, it looks like a few members of the Bar will attempt to convene an EGM to discuss this rather draconian new law. Most likely it'll be a futile act. The quorum to hold the EGM is too high, in light of the fact that the new reduced quorum provisions have yet to be passed as law. They'll need some 2,500 lawyers to be present. C'est la vie...

The annual feast of St.Anne's came upon us last week. Mum and my aunt Florence went on Wednesday - which was the actual feast day - and attended mass. Jo & I paid our annual pilgrimage during the day - to avoid the massive crowds - on Friday. There's always a sense of peace and tranquillity when we enter the church, with the soothing music playing in the background. Something just magical about the ambience. Jo & I have our very own special reason to visit the church this time every year. It was on one of our visits about three years back when we prayed hard to be blessed with a baby; this after over two years trying. A month later, Jo was pregnant.

Jo and our little blessing at the new St Anne's fountain...

That Friday night, Jo's parents hosted a dinner for Jo's uncle and aunt from KL who were up here for the St Anne's feast too. We had a simple but delicious dinner at the YMCA restaurant and we brought Ethan along. He had a great time, meeting up with distant cousin Aidan - son of Kenny & Karina Gregory. We've noticed that Ethan takes well to other kids and interacts more recently. Since we don't get to meet many kids, its quite fun to see him that way.

Aidan giving Ethan a hug...

On Saturday, we had a meeting of the Catholic Lawyers' Society. This is a society which has been in existence in KL for over 12 years dedicated to the promotion of justice and peace. They have now decided to spread their wings and turn into a national society. It hasn't been approved yet but once it is, we will be forming a chapter here in Penang. Its something long awaited seeing that there are many issues facing us currently. One of the main events which warrant our concern is the Lina Joy case. Lina is a Malay lady, brought up as a christian but when she asked that her religion be stated as such in her Identification, it was refused. She challenged the decision in court but the High Court and the Court of Appeal held that issues regarding the religion of Islam is to be dealt with in the Syariah Court. If she leaves the religion, she's considered an apostate and there are laws and punishment to be metted out. She appealed to our highest court - the Federal Court. The decision is pending but Lina's arguments centers around Article 11 of the Malaysian Constitution which "guarantees" the freedom of religion to all Malaysians. Seems now they are saying, this freedom doesn't extend to Malays. Malays must be Muslims, no exceptions. Seems harsh but thats also arguable. Many differing views have been put forth. Enough said.

Sunday, 30th July, Jo & I dropped Ethan off at his grandparents' while we headed to Ipoh for the Penang-Perak Bar Games. This is an annual event which is held this year at Perak. I was part of the bowling team. Sadly, Perak turned out a great performance and defeated us for the first time. We'll get them next year!

On Monday, mum went in to the hospital for her 12th and final cycle of chemotherapy. We have to wait and see what she would have to do after that once we see the oncologist sometime next week. Keeping my fingers crossed.

This coming week will be no less hectic. Jo and I are planning to take a break in KL sometime in this two weeks. That'll be something to look forward to....

The one about lucky pots and poison pens...

The week of 18th July went by pretty fast. Mum came home from chemo on Wednesday night and I started again on my bowling league. That night we had a good match, beating our opponents comprehensively. My own performance was fairly dismal but I still managed to beat the other guy as he had a real bad night!

On Saturday, we had planned a potluck dinner at Yan & Sue Khoon's which was all about finger food and tit bits. Jo & I decided to make a platter of tapas/antipasto which had Sausage & Cheese puffs, Grilled Eggplant & Capsicums, Butter fried Mushrooms, Sauteed Cocktail sausages amongst others. The rest of the gang contributed other bits and pieces which, in the end, made up quite a hefty meal! Even with Yan's parents and sister joining us, there was plenty to go around.

The feast is on...

After the meal, we sat around enjoying drinks and idle chatter before adjourning to Yan's hideaway. His "Music Room" tucked away in a corner of his place which was strangely ethereal and had that very 60's hippie ambience to it all, complete with disco ball (which was more 70's) and lazy world music playing.

A cosy bunch...

Peering over the wedding pics...

We "chilled" while viewing recent wedding photos and ended up playing a few rounds of "Taboo" - the hotly contested board game. For the record, it ended in a draw between the boys and the girls which brought a good night to a fine end.

Tonight, we had a dinner organised by the Bar Committee in honour of the visiting Federal Court Judges. It was well attended with over 80 lawyers present. Was kinda fun overall but the strangest thing was when we found out that Jo & my names were mentioned in the latest "Poison Pen" letter to make its rounds amongst the lawyers! In recent times, there has been a few poison pen letters circulated. Very recently, they have been mainly about one of our High Court Judges. The latest one which was sent out just today mentioned names (albeit spelt horribly wrong) of several lawyers said to be "favoured" by this particular High Court Judge. Jo and I were mentioned among those lawyers - our names spelled as "Joann" and 'Eugin". We had a good laugh over the issue as it was so completely ludicris that it should not be justified with any other reaction. I mean, Jo doesn't even go to court at all! Still, letters like these can be hurtful and misunderstood. Can't imagine why anyone would want to pull childish pranks like that. Sigh...

On a more happy or worrying note (depends on how you look at it), yesterday, there was a screening of the new reality show called "The Ultimate Fighter" which was a competition between budding "fighters" contesting to gain the reward of a lucrative contract with the UFC (Ultimate Fighting Championship) franchise. This event involves mixed-martial arts fighting - which is a kinda "no holds barred" fight between the two contestants over two 5-minute rounds. Its both confusing yet intriguing to the knowledgeable audience but ...somehow.... little Ethan took a liking to the show and watched entralled for a good 10 minutes as the fighters grappled, boxed and kicked at each other. Help!

Hey, I can do that...

The one about a fresh new start...

Yes, World Cup season is over. Imagine this. The next time we lose sleep over grown men chasing a ball all over a field in order to win a gold trophy, it'll be four years time. Ethan will almost be ready for school! That does seem like a long way off...

It was great that Italy won - since I predicted in a pool that they would win, I took the first prize in that pool. Not bad, since this is the first time I've actually won something like that. Glad.

So, as I was saying... World Cup season is over. There will be some who will feel the effects of post-World Cup syndrome. Apart from slowly easing back into our usual routines, some will feel a sense of emptiness - as if there's nothing to look forward to. Sad.

For the World Champions Italy, it was a reprive from the scandal that was looming in the back of their minds. Several officials from some of their biggest teams had been involved in match fixing. If found guilty, 13 members of the World Cup winning squad will find themselves playing in the Serie B. Sad.

Well, the announcement came last week. Juventus, Florentina & Lazio will be playing in Serie B while AC Milan get to remain in the Serie A but have lost their Champions League spot. What it all translates to is a huge loss in terms of earnings. Well known players may leave their respective teams sparking what many have called, "The Sale of the Century". I was chatting with Phee Boon Leng this afternoon and he made an interesting point. If any of these stars should decide to stay with their present teams, they would earn a place in Italian football folklore. Imagine being the selfless hero who stuck loyally with his team to help bring back the glory days. Stuff of legends. Wow.

So, final word on football. Liverpool will start the new Premier League with a trio of new faces in their midst. Bad boy Craig Bellamy, Brazilian Fabio Aurelio and Argentinian Youth Gabriel Paletta. Looks like Welsh angst will shake it with South American flair at Anfield. Should be interesting. Glad.

Still on the issue of fresh starts, we got ourselves a brand spanking new digital camera - the Canon Ixus 65. 6-megapixel of vibrant colours on a 3-inch LCD display. NICE.

Here's a pic from the new toy...


Last Monday, July 10th was our 7th wedding anniversary. We spend it in a decidedly low key way, keeping to routine and work except for a nice dinner at the new Asian restaurant at E-Gate called "Tao". The restaurant is one of those "eat-all-you-can" places which allows one to order from the menu unlimitedly for the one price of RM45. The food is predominantly Japanese and its quality is fairly good overall. It was great that we could get away, just the two of us for a quiet night out. Glad.

Strange enough, that very Thursday, we both took the folks to dinner to celebrate Jo's Dad's award. Guess where we had dinner? Yep, at "Tao" again. It was simply the best choice as our folks had never been there and it was also affordable! Glad.

Last weekend was a quiet one. Ethan had to catch up on his Tumbletots classes, so we brought him on Saturday and Sunday. As usual, the little fellow had a ball making a nuisance of himself and giving his parents much needed exercise. Pooped.

Tonight, Jo and I went for the Bar Dinner food tasting at the Equatorial Hotel. We tasted the food, we didn't like. Sad.

Looking forward to the rest of the week. Mum is now in hospital for her 11th cycle of chemotherapy. She seemed in good spirits today as Uncle Gilbert, Aunt Sooi See and Aunt Florence dropped by to see her there. As her chemo sessions come to and end, we look forward to a fresh start for her. Glad.