Yesterday I was at Palm Resort for another round of golf. This time, we had seven golfers turning up. We drove in to Johor around 0730 hrs from Mandai and had breakfast along the way. Weather was good when we teed off but gets rather warm afterward.
By mid day, it was scorching hot and it did affect our game a bit.

It was really my day at hole 7 when the buggy I was driving headed down a slope and went straight into a drain. The impact was so strong that my whole body plunged forward towards the steering wheel. The other golfers came running to render assistance. I guessed, it was my day as mentioned earlier. I came out of that freak accident without any visible injury. Alhamdullillah.

The front wheel was stuck in the drain and I had to call the club to pull it out. But soon, we were on the fairway again till the 18th hole. What a day……Anyway, there’s another round this Saturday. hehehehe

Some pix to share.


"Hole in One"

Tan Chong Hee, Tan Yong Nien, Sazali, Eric Loh

Today, Singaporean mourn on the demised of one of its founding member, Dr Goh Keng Swee. Stories/ news in the papers these few days tell us how this man has played a part in shaping Singapore. He laid the foundation for industrial development, ensuring the stability of our currency’s value by eschewing deficit financing, having our own military organization etc, etc, etc….In other words he has his fingerprint on most of the important policies. Today, we can still feel the impact on some of those policies.

The policy that has impacted me most was the promulgation of National Service (NS) in 1967. It was meant to build a defense force by enlisting all male Singaporean by the time they leave school at the age of 17 ½. Regretfully, many in my community were not in the enlistment list for reasons publicly unknown. We were having hard time looking for decent jobs then as many employers preferred those who have done their NS.

The reasons for not enlisting many in my community was only made known to the public in late 1976 ten years after its promulgation during a dialogue session with an MP of T Belangah, Mr Ahmad Halim. In the early years of our independence, the armed forces were overwhelmingly comprised of Malay soldiers. To correct the racial imbalance, a ‘temporary stop’ of Malay recruitment is required. Thus many were not enlisted during this period. But why after 10 years was it then revealed????

My salutation goes to Mr Ahmad Halim. I was enlisted in 1977 at the age of 19 when many others of my age were completing their stint. But it’s never too late.

And my empathy goes to my brother, uncles, cousins, relatives, neighbors,friends and many more in the community who were not enlisted due to this policy.

Hahaha its been quite a while since my last update. "macam sibuk gitu"
Actually there's lots of activities but just don't know what to write and where to start.

Anyway, last weekend I brought my Japanese friend and his wife to Johor for a day trip. He was posted to Singapore 3 years ago and is going back to Japan for good next week and I thought it would be good for him to visit Johor and experience country milieu.

The week before, I drove in to Kota Tinggi for a site recce. But with facilities that were not properly maintained, the place was a disappointment. Thus, I decided to bring them to Desaru Fruit Farm instead.

We left his residence at Scotts Road at 8.30am and by 9.20 all checks at both CIQ were done. First destination was a sea food restaurant at Teluk Sengat for lunch. A 1 1/2 hour drive from the city. But we were too early. After some pix taking around the vicinity we decided to visit a crocodile farm nearby. No regrets. It was fun and everyone enjoyed.

After lunch we headed for the fruit farm about 1/2 hour drive from Teluk Sengat. The sweltering heat was unbearable especially for my guests. But they were very polite and very sporting couple. After spending more then an hour at the farm, we headed for Jusco Tebrau for some shopping and dinner at one of the Japanese Restaurant. By 7pm we were all done and headed home via the 2nd link. We reached his place around 9pm. Though very tired, everyone enjoyed the trip. I hope my friends, Konno san and Ai san enjoyed their 3 years stay in Singapore.



View at Teluk Sengat

Last 2 weeks was hectic. I attended the intensive physical training preparing for IPPT. Training lasted for an hour and a half….morning and evening everyday for a week. A break on Thursday allowed me for a round of golf at Sembawang Country Club with the usual kakis.




By Friday morning, my whole body was aching but fortunately I get to go for a movie treat in the afternoon during counsellors’ retreat. A well deserved retreat indeed.

But it’s not over yet. I need to catch a flight to the Philippines Saturday morning. Urghhhhh ….the aching is getting worst. I remembered walking with a stiff right arm the first 2 days there.
Traffic congestion was really bad in the city. It reminds me of the traffic in Jakarta where a 5km journey could take 30mins. Peak hour seems to be longer then non peak.

lunch with Maris's family



entrance to the Golden Mosque at Qiapo


posing with the tribal folks at the botanical garden.



Spanish ruin in Manila City


A trip to Bagio, a city 3000ft above sea level was a good choice to get away from the city congestion and heat. With its temperate weather, Bagio was a cool retreat.



route to Bagio City


having strawberry on the mountain


street in Bagio

Anyway, the trip was a pleasant one despite having to endure the usual “shopping wait” and the grueling traffic. Thanks to the famous “Filipino service”. We returned back to Singapore on Friday touching down at midnight with my 2 daughters and my sister’s family waiting for us at the airport. They came to fetch us.
Thanks for your concern.

I was at the Warren Golf Club this morning for the 13th JOM Golf Tournament. This was my 3rd time participating in the tournament and today there were only 10 flights. The course was tough and the weather was not with us either. It was burning hot. Nevertheless, everyone enjoyed the game and along the way, new friends were made. That’s what golf is all about. Some pix to share…..

Lunch today was at Straits Kitchen with wifey and my Japanese friends. Although they have been here for almost 3 years and met occasionally, today was the first time we had lunch together. We had a bountiful spread of food and a good conversation. I look forward to have them for lunch at my humble abode soonest. Some pix to share.

Left home at 6 am yesterday for Pulai Springs Golf Resort. Along the way, we stopped at a row of shop houses opposite Danga Mall to buy some bottles of mineral water. It was 6.30 by then and it was still dark. You know what?........we were greeted by beauties of my own kind lining the walkway. Closing 'shop' I guess. Hahaha…. what a day to start with. Fortunately, it didn’t affect our game at the course.
Some pix to share here....not the beauties but golfers on course.

A family trip was planned for the last week end. My sis suggested going to Cameron Highland as she has not been there for the past 26 years. We agreed although my family and I drove there just last December. Anticipating a traffic congestion due to the long weekend, we left Singapore on Friday night staying a night at my brother’s place in Johor.

The nest morning at 0700 hrs, we began our 600 km journey to Cameron Highland. It was quite a breeze along the NSE until we reached Nilai. We got stuck in a traffic crawl for the rest of the 150 km journey driving at a speed of 20 -30 kph. It’s a day before the Chinese New Year and many Malaysian were driving back to their hometown for the festival and many were also taking advantage of the long holiday to travel……well I don’t know where. But for sure I was stuck in the middle of nowhere.

We arrived at Cameron around 6 pm…..4 hours late. However, the frustration of getting stuck in the traffic jam was compensated by the cool whether and nice hotel room. But this did not last long, as we were again stuck in the traffic snarl whenever we drove up or down the mountain. In fact most of our time was spent on the road.



Group photo at the Equatorial Hotel room balcony.




In front of the De La Fern Hotel which we stayed on the 2nd night.

I had my 1st quarter R&R for this year last Wednesday. My department was closed for three days followed by the long week end Chinese New Year holiday. For a reason, we had to plan for the R&R in a small group of 10. My group chose to go for a short trip to Batam. It has been quite a while since we visited Batam for R&R.

We met at Harbour Front for the morning ferry to take us to Sekupang International Port. Once we were there, our tour programme were taken care by the local agent. It was a memorable trip indeed albeit a short one.



At the Singapore Harbour Front




Lunch at the Golden Prawn






Dinner at the Sundanese Restaurant

I was down with fever that incapacitated me for a week and have not been experiencing for quite a long while. I was ok the day before and was attending a counseling workshop on addiction based on Cognitive Behavioral Therapy. But the next morning I was running temperature.
Two days later Monday, I went to my GP and was prescribed with some medication and by then I was coughing as well. Not feeling better the next day, I applied for 2 days of Casual Leave to rest at home. Five days after the onset, my fever still has not subsided by now I was getting a little worried.
With much trepidation I went to the A&E for further medical check up. A blood test and chest x-ray revealed that I had bronchitis. Aaaaaahh….finally.
Today, another weekend has passed but feeling better now accept for the occasional cough.. This will take another week or two to full recovery. Anyway, I am looking forward to be back to the office tomorrow.

Kehidupan

Anda yang budiman
tua muda lelaki perempuan
dengar lah ini keluhan
dan bersama kita renungkan

Doa di pinta
lapangkan jiwa
supaya hidup penuh tabah
tapi kerumitan sentiasa ada
kerja, rumah, keluarga,
segala yang ada
meledak marah
jiwa parah

Doa di pinta
lapangkan minda
supaya akal dapat membeza
antara hayal dan nyata
tapi bergolak juga si minda
bak di himpit raksasa
hayal di anggap nyata
maka tergambar di depan mata
walau itu bukan sebenar nya
meledak marah
jiwa parah

Doa di pinta
lembutkan lidah
supaya bijak bicara
yang dengar pasti ceria
tapi bukan itu jadi nya
bibir kerepot luahkan kata
menuduh mengata
tinggi suara
meledak marah
jiwa parah

Dimana khilaf nya
hingga terjadi sekian rupa
doa sudah di pinta
tapi masih belum berubah
mungkin ada hikmah
tuhan maha esa.

Last Saturday was the 2nd day of Eidul Adha and we planned to visit some relatives in the late afternoon. With some time to spare after lunch, we thought it would be good to be tourist for a day in down town Singapore.

We drove to SICEC and took the “hippo tour”, a topless double-decker bus. As this is our first time being local tourist, we took 2 rides, the heritage and the city tour which lasted almost 2 hours.

It was drizzling once along the heritage tour and me and wifey hurried to the lower deck leaving my 2 girls and the “real tourists” enjoying the view from above.

Before long, we were on the upper deck again…….cos riding the lower deck make you feel as if you are in an SBS bus.,,,,lol. Anyway it was a nice experience indeed.

Last Friday was the 10th day of Dzul Hidjah, the last month of the Islamic Calendar and it’s the day where 1.3 billion Muslims all over the world celebrated the festival of Eid-ul-Adha aka the day of sacrifice.

Eid-ul-Adha is a day of remembrance. Even in the most joyful times, the Muslim makes a fresh start of the day by a session of congregational prayers to Allah in an open space. Muslims use the occasion to pray to Allah and to glorify His name to demonstrate the remembrance of His grace and favours.

Every mosque in Singapore were packed with muslims in the early morning for the Eid prayer and since it’s a Friday, the crowd would gather again later for the Friday prayer. The mosque I attended was so packed that people were praying along part of the road without prayer mats and what not. That’s manifestation of faith in God.
Allahu Akbar, Allahu Akbar, Allahu Akbar.

Some pics to share.

The 1st day of Shawal falls on a Sun 20 Sept. That’s the day of victory for all muslims after a month of fasting from morning till dawn. This is the festival of Eid aka Hari Raya Aidilfitri in this region. It’s a time for celebration with feasting and visiting relatives and friends. This is also the time when people would have "open house" for friends and relatives.

We would usually visit the elders on the first day after the Eid prayer. The visiting and feasting continues for the whole month of Shawal. Here are some pics of happy faces to share.

A cake bought by Maris




home on the 1st day of Shawal.

1st day of Shawal with my siblings and their families.



The cousins in front of my auntie's house in Johor. 26 Sept



The cousins at another cousin's house in Johor. 26 Sept



The loving sisters of my dad. Johor 26 Sept


26 Sept at my cousin's place in Johor



4th Oct. 15 days of Shawal. The boy who visited us twice because of this piano. hehe


More pics later

Khayalan

Degupan jantung yang pantas
Laksana gelegak nya air di kawah
Mencuri pandangan di sudut mata
Cantik, jelas

Terukir senyuman
Di balik jelingan
Expresi ketenangan
Menambah keayuan

Gerangan di sudut sana
Siapa yang di nantikan?
Entah apa yang di fikirkan?
Hingga terukir senyuman
Membuat jantung ku berdegup pantas
Membuat ku mencuri pandangan
Cantik, jelas
Hahahaha ……..aku dalam khayalan.

Everyone is busy preparing for the day of victory, Idulfitri which falls this weekend.
The sight of friends buying goodies and the aroma of cookies excite me.
One thing missing though is the sound of fire crackers.

When I was a kid, lighting fire crackers was the norm during this period. Kids in the village would challenge one another on who dare to have the biggest cracker explode on their palm. This could be dangerous as it may cause injury. But..that's the fun of it cos only this season that we were allowed to play with crackers.

Anyway, firecrackers were banned after the last factory producing it caught fire in 1970. In fact I was partly involved in the manufacturing of it. As my house was near to the factory, we used to collect a few stacks of bundled unfinished fire crackers. We would knock to close the bottom end of each cracker and be paid 10 cents for each stack of hundred crackers. In one day I can finish between 4 and 5 stacks in between school time just to earn some pocket money. These were than sent back to the factory and gun powder would be filled through the other end.

It was a blessing in disguised that the factory caught fire and fire crackers was banned since then. Otherwise, many of us would end up as bomb maker.

Today....no more sound of fire crackers blasting, no more 'rocket fireworks' ala the battlefield of Afghanistan....(hehehehe, just kidding lah) but the spirit still remain.

So...to one and all....."Selamat Hari Raya Maaf Zahir Batin.

RAMADHAN KU

Hampir sebulan aku berpuasa
Manahan lapar dan dahaga
Bicara yang perlu di jaga
Juga pandangan mata
Kerana ini ada lah perintah Nya
Supaya bersama kita merasa
Kemiskinan mereka yang tidak berada
Semuga insaf lah hendaknya

Tak akan aku bertahan
Melakukan ini semua
Tanpa didikan dan bimbingan
Ayah ibu yang tercinta
Walau getir hidup mereka
Perintah agama tetap di jaga

Ayah ibu yang tercinta
Kau adalah cahaya
Menerangi kegelapan
Kau adalah pendita
Membentuk keperibadian
Hidupku, kau sempurnakan

Ayah ibu yang tercinta
Satiap kali Ramadhan tiba
Ketiadaan mu amat terasa
Sahur ataupun berbuka
Ketiadaan mu amat ketara
Sebak rasanya di dada
Teringat ayah dan ibu yang tiada
Maka berbuka lah
Dengan adik dan keluarga
Tapi wajah mu tetap di ruang mata

Ayah dan ibu
Kesyahduan Ramadhan akan berlalu
Keriangan Shawal semua menunggu
Tapi yang pasti bagi ku
Ramadhan dan Shawal ku tak sa indah dulu
Kerana ayah dan ibu tiada di sisi ku
Maaf ku pohon,
Tanpa kau, siapa lah aku

We were at the course again last week 5 Aug with the same kakis. It was a crazy outing, leaving home in the darkness of dawn and returning home in the darkness of night fall. Only golfers would understand its logic.

We started our 1st 18 at Palm Villa under light drizzling around 0800 hrs. What a beautiful weather to start with and ended around 1215 hrs. After a quick shower, we drove to Palm Resort for lunch and continued with the 2nd 18 which ended at 1800 hrs. Playing 36 holes is the norm for us now. A little crazy to some but anyway, it was a good game.


AM at Palm Villa



PM at Palm Resort