The Old Home Town No More!

The last time I was there in my old home-town was about a year back. It was 2005 and we were there on the occasion of All Souls’ Day.

We cleaned my grandfather and grandmother’s graves as well as that of Donny’s and Jeffrey’s little boy’s. We then sprayed water over their graves and said our prayers for the salvation of their souls. Completing our obligations, we then drove in the direction of our old home-town; a place which was familiar as I practically grew up there.

However, the town has changed. My mind could still make out what the original town was like. This town was not unlike other towns. Small population-almost everyone knew each other and their families. The shops served the needs of the town-folks and the population of the nearby villages and plantations.

It was a three-road town, with a main round-about marking the center of town. In the center of the round-about, was a signpost indicating the directions to adjacent towns and villages. The road on the left leads to another round-about which will then lead you to Malacca and Tangkak. While the road going south will lead you to Asahan and the fabled serene-looking Mount Ophir or Gunung Ledang, the road on the right will lead you to Kesang and its abandoned tin mining pools of crystal blue water.

South of the main round-about is a concrete bridge. The town folks will sit on the bridge span in the evening to chat. Adjacent the bridge was the bus cum taxi station and just beyond the bridge is a zinc-roofed food-court. Behind the bus station were padi fields and the meandering muddy Kesang River.

The church still stood there. I took my wedding vows at this church. How time flew! Some nostalgia here. It needed a new coat of paint,though.

I remembered between the shop-blocks were hawkers plying their trade. Meon’s satay was heavenly. Tao Loh’s mee-soup and fried noodles were the best. The Kan Loh Mee was second to no-one. Bo Jeng’s curry in a dilapidated restaurant was just unforgettable! Gu Chap’s beef soup noodles is beyond comparison.

The roads are still there but the hawkers-they have all gone now. They can live only in my memory.

Today, a nondescript bazaar sits atop the old bus station site. The bus station has taken over the padi fields and the old food court is now supplanted by a row of modern double-storey shops and offices.

I felt like a stranger. I was a stranger. No one knew me. The place was no longer familiar. I did not belong anymore.

Except for the church, there was just no nostalgia or attachment left to feel emotional or sentimental about my old hometown. Time and development has changed my hometown. The new hometown was my hometown no more…

I brought my family to a chicken rice shop. They knew we were not from these parts. Quickly we had our lunch and left the place.

Quote of the Day:

“When you finally go back to your old hometown, you find it wasn't the old home you missed but your childhood” Sam Ewing

Heartsong

Awesome Aishwarya to Wed……

Speculate no more. The world’s darling is getting hitched. At 33, Aishwarya Rai, one of the world’s most beautiful women has decided to leave singlehood. She was formally engaged to Abishek Bachchan in New York on January 14^th and is expected to tie the knot on February 19^th.

A former 1994 Miss World, Aishwarya who goes by the nickname Ash, has been on every one’s list of the most eligible girls yet to be married. Was she choosy? There were so many reported romantic trysts amongst the Mumbai gossip columnists but nothing came to pass. Then she got engaged to Abishek, scion of the Bachchan family; the first family of Bollywood.

Acting-wise, many are overtly critical of Ash’s acting capability - some saying that it continues to be wooden. Seriously, she can act. Watched how she acted with complete confidence in Bride and Prejudice. Then in Mistress of Spices, see how she lights up the screen literary with her incredible beauty and grace. In these two films, you may not see a vibrant Ash but in the Hindi movies she acted in, she had proven to the world that she can dance, lip-sing and tease with absolute ease. For those of you who have seen Hum Kisi Se Kum Nahin, see how she danced ever so gracefully in front of Palace of the Golden Horse and The Mines and then cavorts enticingly around the tourist spots on Langkawi Island. What a sight to behold!

Ash is the most beautiful Hindi star to date. We hope she will enjoy a happily married life with Abishek. All our best wishes to the lucky couple!

Quote of the Day:

“To keep your marriage brimming, with love in the wedding cup, whenever you're wrong, admit it; whenever you're right, shut up.” Ogden Nash

Heartsong

She May Just Charm The Pants Off You!

Alyssa Milano was a promising starlet. She started off with being saccharine sweet and girl-next-door nice. Then she grew naughty - very naughty, much to our delight and pleasure.

She was given all the cheeky rebuts against Tony Danza, the main protagonist of the hit TV series, “Who’s the Boss?" However, grew out of that character she did and today, she is on her own, continuing her ascent and shining ever brilliantly in show business. The hit TV series, “Charmed” is sufficient testimony.

Beautiful she was, beautiful she is. God has indeed endowed upon this lady all the best attributes a human can have. Firstly, she has such a beautiful face that they practically mould Ariel, the little mermaid in the Disney animated movie after her face, looks and expressions. Then, watch out for that break-all-resistance smile - it will melt the strongest and the fiercest of male hearts. To boot, she has a body - so svelte, voluptuous, curvaceous and toned – fabulously exquisite to behold and sensuously adoring to hold. (I have yet to see where the seven tattoos are.) Above all, she wields the adroit skills of a consummate actress to sustain herself firmly in Hollywood.

Whether she's chilling out in jeans and a T-shirt or doing the red carpet in a sexy evening gown, Alyssa can go from formal to casual in a heartbeat and look awesome. A real hottie!

Alyssa flaunts her sexy assets in many films. She was sexy and seductive in Melrose Place and erotic in Fear and Poison Ivy. Then, she stripped down next-to-nothing for those infamous provocative advertisements for Candie’s perfumes. Believe me. She did confess that she has so much energy daily and love having sex just to drain away those unspent energy. I like her honesty and her guts!

Alyssa is 35 today, sultry and captivating. And oh yes, she can surely sing. In fact, five of her song albums have gone platinum in Japan.

The best is yet to come. Love her or lust after her, the sky is the limit for lovely Alyssa.

Quote of the Day:

“Opportunity is a bird that never perches.” Claude McDonald

Heartsong

A Harem Holiday With Sarah Brightman

Transport yourself into the exotic world of the middle-east. Watch the unbelievably spectacular golden sunsets as you relax your weary body and mind in the shadows and coolness of the enticing verdant oases. Then, join fabulous Sarah Brightman as she traipses through the vast sandy dunes. See how she spins her magic with songs and dance with a harem of a long by-gone era.

The songs and the background music are indeed beguiling and catchy, and can cast a deep trance on you as you immersed yourself in an hour long of mystical escapism. Such tracks as “Beautiful, It’s a Beautiful Day, Nessun Dorma, Free, Stranger in Paradise, The War is Over, The Journey Home and Mysterious Days” are spell-binding and memorable.

Sarah Brightman, known as the Angel of Music is unique - her mesmerizing vocal prowess, her penetrative looks, her cat like-actions, her seductive movements, stage charisma and her magnetism. She is just unbeatable!

Do not miss out on this outing. Enjoy!

Quote of the Day:

“When love is not madness, it is not love.” Pedro Calderon de la Barca

Heartsong

I Remembered….

Let us look back. Many things have happened to us. Let us list these milestones.

.…singing and performing publicly on the grounds of Rim Padang with Mr. Kessler on his trusty accordion in Standard 1.

….crying at the bus-station in Std 1 when my school bus left without me.

….the bullying at the end of school term when bigger boys punched their enemies as they got out from the school gate.

….swinging like Tarzan from a riverside tree into the muddy waters at the bend of the Kesang River.

….coming late for school and have to be paraded during school assembly in our laterite-soaked school shoes.

....how my canvas school bag stank when a bottle of coffee spilled all over it.

….being caned publicly for joining a bunch of truants playing at the Henry Gurney Park during school hours.

….being infatuated with my class teacher in Standard 4.

….camping in a haunted house at the base of Mount Ophir in Form 2.

....plucking and feasting on langsats on the tree while my friends waited impatiently on the ground for me to throw them bunches of the fruits.

….seeing my first Japanese X movie, “ Seduction Ninja Style”.

….seeing my first blue movie on a bed-sheet on campus

….having my first motorbike, a Honda C-70

….buying my first car, a Mazda 808

….my first disaster date!

….buying my first share on th KLSE

…. losing big time on the KLSE

....becoming a husband.

....becoming a father.

There are more milestone incidents which I will blog in the coming months.

Quote of the Day:

“Gold cannot be pure, and people cannot be perfect.” Chinese proverb

Heartsong

A Death on Campus

He was a Sarawakian Assistant District Officer from Bau. He had been ambushed by communists before, was shot but he survived. He still had the bullet slug in his body as a grim reminder. So he decided to take a break and go to university. He was boisterous and convivial. We somehow clicked during orientation week in Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) in 1972.

We became fast friends. We were always looking for each other and looking out for each other's interests. He had a ‘fat’ Sarawak Foundation Scholarship but poor me had to be supported by a State Government loan. Since he had savings, he could flaunt a bit on campus. As he was a matured student, he had his way with the girls on campus. I was just his docile Tonto. He was also my SOS bank when I need some money to tide over until my loan installment arrived.

We did many things together. Having lunch and dinner together was a daily affair. Together on my motorcycle,we went for midnight shows in town; to the occasional dance at the Penang Nurses Hostel, had beer at the nearby army mess and shared many joyous moments clowning around.

During the term holidays he would go traveling especially to Haadyai, Thailand; coming back with many expensive looking bush-jackets to show off in the lecture rooms. On one occasion, he came back with a pipe and smoked in quiet elegance at the back of the lecture theatre.

Romance-wise, he has left his sweetheart, a nurse in Sarawak for someone else. Somehow things did not work out between them and there were many misgivings.

One day, somehow, he suddenly got sick and had to be warded in the Penang General Hospital. The doctors could not diagnose him precisely because his symptoms kept on changing. I visited him daily and he was most interested in completing his assignments in hospital. I would take back these completed assignments and hand them over to the respective lecturers or tutors.

One evening, after coming back from hospital, someone informed me that my friend has passed on. He had severe internal hemorrhage and virtually bled to death. I rushed back to the hospital with my friend, Param. Then I went into the morgue. He was covered in a white sheet from head to toe. On his big toe was a card stating that he was “Bukan Umat Islam.” I said my prayers with the fervent hope that God will resurrect him on Judgment Day and left.

His body was brought back to the new Central Facilities and laid in state. All the students then filed past the coffin to pay their respects before the body was flown back to Sarawak for burial. Before they shut the coffin lid, I put his copy of the Second Malaysia Plan, his favourite book, into it. He must have loved that book that much being an administrator in heart and soul. I was one of the pallbearers that carried his coffin to a waiting van that whisked his body to Bayan Lepas Airport.

In the ensuing weeks, rumours and theories abound. This was the story from the Sarawakian quarter. It seemed he had left his girlfriend for another girl and the ex-girlfriend was incensed and had put a charm on him. As the charm could not cross the sea, someone was commissioned to bring it over to Penang and when the carrier finally arrived in Penang, the charm worked to the detriment of my friend and brought his eventual demise.

So when the communist could not get him, his ex-girlfriend did. How sad and disturbing!

On hindsight, I think he died from dengue hemorrhagic fever. Dengue was not a big thing then.

Quote of the Day:

“A friend is the one who comes in when the whole world has gone out.” Grace Pulpit

Heartsong

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Love and Lust – Enjoy and Lose!

Mention Sylvia Kristel and one immediately associate her with Emmanuelle, the sex addict in the controversial soft-core Emmanuelle trilogy of the mid-1970s. The sexy image created in this trilogy was so over-powering and enduring that Sylvia Kristel, was forever type-casted to act in similar roles throughout her film career. She played Lady Chatterley’s Lover, the biopic, Matahari and the sex comedy, Private Lessons.

In 1974, Sylvia first exploded onto the silver screen as Emmanuelle, the sex naiveté turned sex personified. It was grossly successful and had critical cinematic appeal. It gave birth to a sequel a year later called Emmanuelle-the Anti Virgin. The trilogy ended in 1977 with Goodbye Emmanuelle.

In the first Emmanuelle, we find Emmanuelle, living in Bangkok together with her husband Jean, several years older than her. She likes him because he was her sex guru and awakened in her bizarre sexual cravings and was tolerant of extra-marital affairs in the pursuit of sexual happiness. The lusty offering in a darkened plane in flight was a super turn-on and most memorable. It will appeal to many who are interested in the perverted side of sex. The tender way that the story was presented as well as the French style gives it a very erotic feel throughout.

Emmanuelle 2 released a year later really takes the cherry! It was the erotic masterpiece of all time! It was so naughty that it inadvertently spawned a barrage of sleazy sequels. A drama with sex, Emmanuelle 2 went oriental once more, coupling the ancient art of acupuncture with sex, showcasing erotic body massage, an orgy with sailors on shore leave; a tryst in a changing room with a tattooed polo player and a truly ‘see-feel’ voyeuristic encounter in a ballet school.

Artfully rendered, beautifully photographed, the sex scenes really pushed the limits on just how far a film could go in screen erotica. The music by Francis Lai was spot-on. Beautiful and haunting! A very good classy sequel.

In Goodbye, Emmanuelle, Emmanuelle and her architect husband continued their amoral lifestyle in the Seychelles. But when a casual dalliance between her and a film director started to turn serious her husband shows the very traditional signs of jealousy.

When all is said and done, once all the lust in your loins is gone, where do you go? It is the classic love versus lust discourse! Love will be destroyed by lust as one goes on a never-ending addictive sex adventure. It is sexual gratification, pure and simple. And then there is Emmanuelle!

Quote of the Day:

“You can't wrap love in a box, but you can wrap a person in a hug.” Unknown

Heartsong

Maiden Speech- Adult English Class

It was almost 2 p.m. when I got to Lot 10 at Taman Mayang. Fortunately, there was no traffic. I quickly unlocked the entrance and switched on the main. The lights came on. However, I could not get the air-conditioner in my classroom to work.

Thank God, my students have not arrived. Quickly, I switched to another class room where the air-conditioner worked. The students then trooped in. It seemed they were ferried from Kampung Chempaka by the two adult lady students. There was an additional two students. One was a First Year Quantity Surveying student from UTAR and the other a Form 3 girl.

So as not to make the class- a really assorted one - a dull graveyard shift, I involved them in class activities. I started with an activity called the Student Biography Exchange. In this activity, students interviewed one another, got the details required and then introduced one of the students to the class. For many, this was the first time they stood before a class to speak in English.

Then we had a grammar lesson to get them to know the building blocks of English-the parts of speech. Subsequently, they were engrossed in group work to pair work and finally individual task. We had reading next followed by oral comprehension and vocabulary building. I ended my first class at 4.15 p.m. I was happy, tired but certainly relieved that my first day of teaching the class was over.

I intend to start drills in my next class to help them to recognize sentence structure patterns and to learn word and sentence stress. Bet your bottom dollar that I will also be throwing in a few tongue twisters to help enliven the classroom atmosphere!

Quote of the Day:

“Success is a ladder you cannot climb with your hands in your pockets.” American proverb

Heartsong

Malaysian Pull Tea and Territoriality!

Time log: 20 January 2007; 7.00 pm.

The place: Medan Selera in Section 14, Petaling Jaya

We were having the best satay in town. Succulent chicken and beef pieces skewed and roasted on a grill above the ambers of a hot charcoal fire. The peanut gravy was heavenly and we begged an additional bowl each. We then supplemented our meal with Pak Chik Panjang’s tantalizing nasi padang. The patin fish in coconut milk curry was beyond words. It was a good dinner. Everything went on well.

Then my wife had to order a glass of teh tarik!

A man was serving two delicious looking teh tarik to customers at the next table. They looked delicious, the milky tea frothing at the brim of the oversized glasses! Teh tarik is milky tea expertly tossed into the air using two big metal containers and the outcome is a frothy looking tea. My wife was visibly tempted. “Can I have one of those?” she hollered to the man. The man looked at my wife with apprehension and then quickly signaled a second stall to provide the tea. “No,” my wife replied, “I want yours.” He turned, looked ashen and went off.

I told my wife that she won’t get the tea she wanted because there could be an issue of territoriality here. In many food courts, with the spirit and fervour of the Code of Bushido in place, only certain stalls can serve drinks to designated rows of tables.

I least expected it .But stranger than fiction, the self-same man appeared with the teh tarik for my wife. I told my wife I wouldn’t be surprised if she gets a dressing down now from the second stall ‘that had the rights’ to our table.

The ‘fun’ then started. The old lady manning that second stall came by and within ear shot, blurted out these teasing words “I thought Chinese do not drink teh tarik.” A few minutes later, as an afterthought, she then came to our table and rudely took away a chair which she has offered us earlier to put our shopping bags and our umbrella signaling in her way, her angst and demonstrating her vehement protest for our failing to order that pull tea from her!!

I told my wife, “Let’s vamoose!” and out we went from the food court thankfully with our dignity intact.

Talk about the adage “The customer is always right!" It is not valid in Medan Selera, Section 14. So you better watch out when ordering drinks when you go there for your meals! You might just ruffle the feathers of that brazen woman again.

"Hell hath no fury like a female stall owner scorned !"

Do that and heaven help you!

Quote of the Day:

“Beauty is power; a smile is its sword.” Charles Reade

Heartsong

Salma Hayek – Brazen and Beautiful

I have seen many movies where Salma acted. However, she was merely eye candy in those shows. Sheer bimbo roles. Oftentimes, she will be casted in roles that call for a Latina. Some of the shows are Desperado, Once upon a Time a Mexico and Bandidas. At other times, she will play the love interest in light hearted movies like in Fools Rush In and Wild, Wild West.

Believe me; it was only in Frida that she was given the chance to shine. Yes, it was still a Latina role. This time you will see the real Salma Hayek in action. In this film, you can see the strength of her acting and the range of emotions she is capable of exhibiting. It was her “heart and soul movie.” – a coming of age as a star.

She acted as Frida Kahlo, the Mexican surrealist painter with gusto, portraying the intense physical sufferings of that woman as well as the heartaches of being married to a womanizing husband. She also showed the bisexual nature of Frida with such authentic display of lustful abandon. Apparently Frida committed suicide. An entry in her diary attested to this: "I hope the exit is joyful; and I hope never to return."

Salma Hayek is one of the Latino divas of Hollywood. The others are obviously the showy Jennifer Lopez, sultry Paz Vega and va va voom Penelope Cruz. Compared to Cruz, Salma has a lot of catching up to do to enter the A League! And age is showing.

I wish her well.

Quote of the Day:

“Pleasure is the bait of sin.” Plato

Heartsong

Greed, Gullibility and Guilt

Fancy me, at this late stage in life, getting conned by a scratch-and-win game.

I was definitely not the first to fell for it; nor will I be the last.

I knew that it has been happening through the papers. You will never know until it confronts you and hits you right smack in the face.

An innocent phone call brought about a train of events. The aftermath of the events still reverberates till this day.

“Are you Mr. X?” I replied in the affirmative. I was told my name was selected by Telekoms Malaysia at a “white goods” fair held at Bukit Jalil Stadium. I had won a prize in absentia. Could I collect it at their office in Klang? This Sunday at 3.00 p.m.? I said it was a date.

So with my wife, I drove to Klang; got lost a couple of times but I finally found the shop. And then they started the con.

You have won a multipurpose cleaner. It is worth RM40.00. By the way, today is the last day of our lucky draw. Would you like to try your luck? So they gave me 5 scratch-and-win cards to choose from. I chose and scratched one.

Lo and behold! I won RM3, 500 worth of prizes. These include a microwave oven, a high grade American steel wok, a Juice and Food Processing System and a foot massager. However to get the free gifts, I must first purchase an item from the store. So they introduced me to an exercise machine. It was called the Blood Circulation Machine. All you need is to stand on the machine and vibrate for 15 minutes and the derivative benefit will be the equivalent of a 5 mile run on your heart. The machine is made in Korea and costs RM2, 500. That is where the greed came in. Pay that amount and get a bonanza in prizes. Okay. So I paid up with my credit card.

Con No. 2 was then laid out.

A shop assistant then came by as if by design and said that purchasers are entitled to another contest as well. So out came another set of cards. I chose one again and scratched! Holy cow! I scored again. I have won five more prizes. They valued it at RM4, 500. This time the prizes include a “Diamond’ type reverse osmosis water filter system, a massage mat and a Fuji instant camera. However, I was then told that this package of prizes has been discontinued. Would I be contented with another set of prizes?

They played on your emotions. They wanted me to beg. Where can, one? When they saw my unhappiness, they told me they will check with their boss in Kajang whether they can release this package of prizes. The boss replied,” “okay.”

Yes, there it was again. Buy another product. So I chose a water-based vacuum cleaner costing another RM2, 500.

At 4.00 pm, I left the shop with a car-load of so-called free electric goods and a huge dent of RM5, 000 on my credit card.

When I reached home, I knew I was conned. I was now saddled with products I did not need. I was greedy and gullible. That was why I fall for the con!

My wife did suggest that I return all the goods to the shop the next day. However, since I needed the vacuum cleaner to replace the old worn-out one as well as the Blood Circulation Machine, I decided to keep all the prizes instead.

Within the next few months, we became a relative of Santa Claus and started giving away some of the prizes. The Reverse Osmosis Water System became our house warming gift for my brother-in-law. The microwave was given to my wife’s sister in law. I gave away the foot massage machine to my brother. The Juice and Food Processing System became our wedding gift to my nephew.

So, the next time when someone calls up and said you have just won a prize in a competition or what not, just hang up. There is no such thing as a free lunch!

Quote of the Day:

“Excellence is not a skill. It is an attitude.” Ralph Marston

Heartsong

Jack in the Box!

The last few weeks, I revisited Jack Nicholson movies.

First I saw Easy Rider, Jack’s first big break into the movies, to get the bohemian feel of the late 1960s. Then, I watched The Departed, the latest offering showcasing a nasty Jack as a mafia boss. What a contrast! I followed up with the melodramatic Reds, the beautiful all-time great Chinatown and the cranky One Flew over the Cuckoo’s Nest.

Yes, I have seen As Good As It Gets, A Few Good Men, Prizzi’s Honour. The Postman Always Rings Twice and About Schmidt. I have yet to see his famous outings in The Shining, Terms of Endearment and Something Gotta Give.

This three-time Academy Award winner is extremely versatile despite his unique trademark ways. He won the golden statute for Best Actor in the manic-depressive One Flew over the Cuckoo’s Nest and the feel-good As Good As It Gets; and the Best Supporting Actor in Terms of Endearment.

A product of a quickie bigamous marriage, this Italian-Irish actor was raised by his mother’s parents and never knew who his father was. How sad! He had a bad start in movies and had to contend with writing for the big screen for a long while. When he came onto the silver screen, he made movie history!

Today in tinsel town, Jack is a consummate actor. He is a pillar of Hollywood society and he has become a living legend and icon. He brings with him that special brand of acting into whatever role he plays and he plays them in full realism. Watch how he raped Jessica Lange with such savage gusto in Postman and the senseless killings he made in The Departed. He was the mean Colonel Nathan Jessep at Guantanamo Bay in A Few Good Men! I am sure you can remember how he hollered at Tom Cruise and Demi Moore - "You can’t handle the truth!” in that giant of a movie.

He sublimely played that arty-farty Eugene O’Neill, the erstwhile spurned lover in Reds. Then, he played the wacky Joker in Batman. On the flip-side, he can also be the comedian. Watch his skills in As Good as It Gets, Anger Management and the Witches of Eastwick and have yourself a good laugh!.

I look forward to watching more of Jack’s movies that I have missed as a kid. Not many are in the local DVD stores. It would be good to get my hands on Five Easy Pieces, Something Gotta Give and Ironweed.

Quote of the Day:

"Some things have to be believed to be seen." Ralph Hodgson

Heartsong

Such a Pity!

Through a friend I got to know him in varsity. Not close but we did say our hellos whenever we met.

Then we graduated and he went to work in a big Malaysian conglomerate. A sports person, he excels in table-tennis and was virtually the company’s perennial sports club president. You would have loved him if you knew him. A happy person; he was always on the go!

He married his varsity sweetheart who is a teacher. They had a son and a daughter. I was a bachelor then and so being footloose and fancy free, I would drop by his home whenever I had the time to catch up on old times. I visited him a couple of times when he rented a house in Sri Petaling. Believe me, in those days, no one wanted to live in Sri Petaling with the awful stench coming from the big rubbish dump-site in the vicinity. Today, those cracking houses are worth a bundle! If only, I knew, I would have bought me a couple. Anyway let me not digress.

Then my friend bought himself a house in Subang Jaya. This was definitely nearer to his place of work. He was also promoted. But life is such. Some people are never satisfied with what they get. They failed to count their blessings. They covet. They desired riches overnight.

So, he decided to do some side-business. With some friends, he got involved in the business of refurbishing used pianos imported from Japan. Initially business was good, so he told me.

When I went to his house, what I saw was a hall full of dusty used pianos. It was more a warehouse! I reckon that maybe that was the price one has to pay to get into a new business. You and your family members would have to forgo pleasure and all things nice until the day the business brings in the needed prosperity, success and luxury for the house to revert into a home.

But tragedy struck. A single folly – one fell swoop and it was fatal.

One evening he came to my house. He then confided to me that in his folly, he had refurbished a Japanese piano and passed it off as a superior Austrian brand. As it turned out, the not - so - gullible buyer found that out when a free-lancer who serviced the piano told him so. He complained to the shop he bought it from and the shop looked for my unfortunate friend! How sad! Then, the piano manufacturer from Vienna sued.

All this was too much for my friend. He could not take it.

He now wanted someone to take the rap-a lackey . So he decided to look for a bachelor friend to own up for his undoing. The patsy must put in a court appearance;admit the guilt; pay the fine and if need be, spend the required years in jail on his behalf. He will be fully compensated. The bachelor friend of course refused. Then he sought his aging father who turned him down flat.

He could not think straight. His wife was not well and he has just bought her a dialysis machine. The children were still young. What would happen to them if he should be convicted and lose his job; or worse if he should go into the slammer?

He had no one to turn to. The court hearing will be on soon. Could he stand up to it, especially if this comes to the public knowledge of his boss and company?

So he decided to end it all. One day at noon, someone saw him alone in a Chinese restaurant. He was gulping down a whole bottle of cognac. Apparently, I was told, he went home after that, took an overdose of sleeping pills and to ensure he “really went”, hung himself from the ceiling fan in his bedroom. His wife found him in that shocking state when she came home from school.

The sad thing is I did not know that he has died until I ran into my sister and she told me that this chap has just passed on. I rushed to his house where the wake was supposed to be held. I was late .His father was sweeping the compound and told us that the cortege has just left for Muar.

A sad ending. Adios, compadre; good-bye, my friend. If only he was contented with his job, his position and his pay….

Quote of the Day:

“The world bruises us all, but some heal faster than others-and some bleed to death.” D.H.Mondfleur

Heartsong

The Real McCoy! The Real Mc Coy The Real Mc Coy

A flaming natural beauty, she beckons with her soulful eyes for you to come hither. She oozes sex as she stretched her body like a sleek panther,in total abandonment. She virtually had sex on screen with her ex-husband, Alec Baldwin on the set of The Getaway and she wowed world audience with her exotic display of foreplay on 9 ½ Weeks.

Kim Basinger first burst onto the silver screen as a James Bond femme fatale, Domino Petachi in Never Say Never Again, that cheeky title teasing Sean Connery who capitulated by donning OO7 credentials after vehemently saying NO! after Diamonds are Forever. She was adorable as Vicky Vale in Batman. Then, she clinched the Academy Award in L.A. Confidential for Best Supporting Actress. Not bad for a Ford model turned actress..

Love her or hate her, Kim Basinger is an actress to reckon with. Yes, the years have caught up with her and she has lost her youth. The Door in the Floor and Cellular attest to that. But that soft, wide-eyed look remains there, still as captivating and softening every man’s heart as you look at her.

Kim Basinger is still fun to watch. Recall 9 ½ Weeks... Watch her as she cavorts on the floor and seductively savour milk, honey and a strawberry. I am sure you can remember the projector scene? I bet my bottom ringgit, you will surely get horny. After all, Kim is the real thing - The Real McCoy!

Quote of the Day:

“It’s nice to be important, but it’s more important to be nice!” Unknown

Heartsong

My Year of Ministry

I must admit I have been lying low for many years. There was so much inactivity; so much indecision. The years are passing fast and I have yet to make any commitment to serve. It was excuses galore not to commit all the time.

Yes,there has been much trepidation on my part; chiefly because of the fear of failing to live up to the responsibility and expectation of ministry. I must equip myself if I am to serve well. I have to read the Bible more faithfully, be able to quote fluently and correctly and also to be more prayerful. I do attend church regularly but lately my CG attendance has fallen.

On equipping myself, I have attended only one course in church way back possibly in 2002. I have been lying fallow ever since. I may have to think seriously of attending some of the Level 1 courses of the School of Leadership this year.

When there was a notice in the celebration leaflet seeking the services of a co-teacher for an English Adult class, my wife suggested that I volunteer for this. So I believe this could be the Lord’s calling to me - to use my gifting. And so the next day, I rang up Ivy and spoke to her about this opportunity to teach. She put me to Moo Meng and Moo Meng put me to Hong Looi. Both briefed me on the Adult English Class programme, its status and its issues.

As the 2007 class was to start on 7^th January, I decided to sit in and observe Moo Meng. She was agreeable to my suggestion and so on that day; I and my wife went to Lot 10 in Taman Mayang. Thank God, there was an additional 3 students. So, it is now a mixed class with two adults and 3 children; the youngest being a Form 1 student. I was most thankful to the Lord for this development because I can now use group work and pair work tasks to flush boredom out of the classroom.

I have signed the volunteer form to teach for a year. My first class will be on 14 January and I am looking forward to be of service to these 5 souls, DUMC and God.

Quote of the Day:

“Teaching is the profession that teaches all the other professions.” Unknown

Heartsong

Renewing old Ties

Texting SMS to friends on festive occasions has become a norm these days. So I text Cheng Hong to wish her Happy New Year on 31 December 2006. She texted back, “We should meet.” Save for a few, I have not seen the old gang for 25 years!

So I gathered all my old diaries to scour out outdated telephone numbers in a desperate attempt to contact the old gang who worked together way back in 1982. I then texted them on the idea of a dinner meeting. For those who did not respond, I knew they had change hand-phone numbers or shifted houses. I then tapped into the buddy network to trace the missing friends. Except for a lawyer whom I failed to locate and another whom I plain forgot existed, I managed to get the rest.

As usual, expect the absentees. Mrs. Chen fractured her backbone on Christmas Day and could not come. Alex, who is now domiciled in Ipoh sent his regrets while Leana had to attend an inopportune wedding dinner. Then we have Cheng who was indisposed as she had to play ‘transport manager’ for her children’s tuition as the husband has gone outstation. Concerned Amarjit could not make it as she had to accompany a daughter to Kelantan for her National Service stint.

On the afternoon of 7^th January 2007, I received 2 text messages. One of the positive responses was now uncertain of coming as he had a sore throat and was on medication while another was definitely not coming because her father suddenly took ill.

At 5pm, Chee, the one with the sore-throat indicated he could now attend. So at 7.30 pm he came by to pick me up and together, pregnant with expectation, we went to the Summer Palace Restaurant in Damansara Utama.

Two persons were already there when we came into the restaurant. Peng Seng and Kooi Meng. Except for a receding hairline, Peng Seng looks hale and hearty. Kooi Meng is really “hocksiong”. Then came Cheng Hong- not married but still as pretty as ever. San Peng soon appeared in with his usual style-a loud booming one. Then came Joyce, a bit thin but as beautiful as before. She is a mother of two;one-13 years old and the other-11 years old. The last ones to come in was Loi-a corporate trainer, See, our CEO buddy and Francis who has just retired from the Postal Service.

After the usual greetings and rediscovery, the smiles and the jokes, the taunts and the compliments, dinner was served. See bought along an XO Brandy and we toasted a round to good health for all our friends. We reminisced on the good old days; about the old bosses - some good and some nasty, wondering where are they now and who had passed on.

At 10 pm, we bade farewell and promised to keep in touch. We agreed in unison to meet up for Chinese New Year. With that, we all drove home, some drunk with 40% alcohol in their blood, desperately seeking the comfort of our pillows.

Quote of the Day:

“Every parting is a form of death, as every reunion is a type of heaven.” Tyron Edwards

Heartsong