Ola Bola the musical

Spent a wonderful afternoon at the old Majestic cinema in Jalan Khoo Sian Ewe to watch Ola Bola the Musical.

Based on the locally-produced football-themed film, Ola Bola, which thrilled the nation three years ago, the musical version brought a feel good feeling to everyone on this Merdeka Day.

What could be more spine-tingling than to sing Negaraku in the cinema hall at the start of the show? All around me - in front, at the back and on both sides - people were singing the national anthem with so much gusto and pride. Today was well and truly a day for all Malaysians.

I was told about this musical last week by my daughter. She had seen the musical not once but twice when it made its first run in Kuala Lumpur last year, and then when she learnt that it would be staged in Penang this weekend, she insisted that I should go and watch it.

It was a lucky thing that I happened to be on the island on the 28th because I collected the tickets then. Today as my wife and I joined the queue to get into the Majestic, many people without tickets were turned away because the hall was full. Full House not only for the two o'clock show but also the five o'clock and eight o'clock ones, the only three shows that Enfiniti Productions would have in Penang. And it was a rich mix of Malaysians of all races watching the performance. All brothers and sisters cheering on the stage performers through their highs and their lows.

5th PFS student leadership workshop

I posted this picture (below) on facebook last night just to tell the Old Frees community that we have concluded the latest student leadership workshop at Penang Free School.

This was the fifth workshop in three years -- my friends and I have been conducting them since 2017 -- and it was aimed mainly at the Sixth Formers in the school. Holding the workshop for students of that level can be pretty exhilarating as it also exposes us, the coaches, to the thought processes of the future leaders of this country. Of course, nobody was perfect and amidst the imperfections, there was the opportunity for us to help mould their thinking and channel their energies into the right direction. Hopefully, we have succeeded to an extent because the hard work for them has just begun, and they have to do it by themselves. As coaches, we can only remain on the sidelines and cheer them on.

Soon after I had posted the picture, someone -- obviously an armchair critic -- commented, "Leadership from PFS, what a joke is not the sixties or seventies!" which prompted me to reply: "Today is not like the 60s or 70s, and the 60s and 70s are not like the 30s. Each generation is different. We all know what's happening to education in this country. The bigger concern is what are you personally going to do about it? Are you prepared to do your small part to help the present Frees, whatever way you can?"

One cannot make comparisons. One's own generation was always the "best", the "best" in everything, including education. Later generations are always treated as sub-standard, to be shown disdain. But is it the fault of the present Frees? My friends and I believe that the best solution is to help them in whatever way we can. We devised this student leadership workshop which was conducted over two full weekends, four days in total, from 8.30 in the morning till 6.30 in the evening.

Over five workshops, we have had about 100 students that participated: a hundred students who were handpicked by the teachers and then interviewed or vetted by us before they were accepted into the programme. For almost all of them, the workshops were their first exposures to learning outside the classroom. If anyone were shy initially, they came away totally changed after four days.

We believe that if we manage to touch the life of even one present-day Free School student, it would be ample enough reward for us. More Old Frees should step forward to do their little bit. Together, we can help our alma mater move forward.

On a bicycle built for two

And so ends another edition of the Malaysia Chess Festival; the first one without Dato Tan Chin Nam who passed away on 21 October 2018. He left behind a huge void in Malaysian chess and this year's chess festival was aptly described as A Tribute to Dato Tan Chin Nam.

Last Sunday was the closing ceremony of the 10-day festival. One week ago, Hamid Majid had asked me whether I wanted to say something in public. I hesitated at first, but then decided that there was at least one more story I could tell. One that I consciously couldn't put on paper previously or in the future.

In the past week since agreeing to speak, I have been in agony because my speaking voice is not the best in the world, let alone my singing voice. Would I be struggling on stage? You bet! But having gotten myself cornered because of my own foolhardiness, I had to proceed as planned. Thus, I found myself seated at dinner and being called by Hamid to the stage. It's now or never, so here goes my three minutes of fame....

Datin and the family of Dato Tan, good evening.

In this world there are many stories, and there are stories about Dato Tan as you have heard. (As a note in passing, Hamid and Ignatius Leong spoke before me. After me were Chew Soon Keong and Hilton Bennett.) Some can be put on paper, written about him - and I think I've done my fair share of that - but there are also some stories about him which cannot be put down on paper; not because of some controversy or anything, but the thing is, putting them down on paper wouldn't do justice to Dato Tan. 

So I'm here to say something, to verbalise a story, about Dato Tan. Please indulge me if I were to say something wrong. 

Everybody, I think, in this room has some favourite tunes or songs you would like to hear, and I would like to believe too that Dato Tan may have had his fair share of favourite tunes. I did have the opportunity of hearing him sing once and I would just like to keep his memory alive by singing a short chorus from this song. Some of you will recognise the tune. Excuse me.

Daisy, Daisy give me your heart to do

I'm half crazy, hopeful in love with you

It won't be a stylish marriage

I can't afford the carriage

But you look sweet upon the street

On a bicycle built for two

That, ladies and gentlemen, is what I think was his favourite song. And I hope in future years when we have this event, perhaps the organisers can organise a group of people to sing the song in Dato Tan's memory. Thank you.

I was quite oblivious to the applause from the audience but I was very relieved that my personal ordeal was over.

Coming down from the stage, I had to pass by the table occupied traditionally by the family of Dato Tan. His daughter, Lei Cheng, was the first to speak to me. "Thank you," she said. "Was that his favourite tune?" I had to ask her, just to be sure of it. "Yes," she replied. I couldn't remember the rest of our brief conversation.

I also had to walk by Datin Choy. She grabbed my hand firmly and smiled. Without saying much, I think I understood how much the song meant to her.

Final words on Mulu

When we arrived at the Mulu airport, we were picked up by a lady who drove us to the national park headquarters where we checked in into their very comfortable Rainforest Lodge. Other than the national park accommodation, there's also the Marriott Mulu Resort if visitors want even more comfort, but in my opinion, the national park lodges and hostels are good enough. Clean and comfortable. At first it did not strike me how she managed to get her 4WD vehicle to Mulu or even how she got the petrol for her car. But later, I realised that it was a 4WD after all and it could have made the overland journey from wherever in Sarawak. And the petrol was brought in by boat from Marudi.

Another thing to mention is that there is no electrical supply from the national grid. Because Mulu is so cut off, all electrical power comes from generator sets. Twice a day when the park headquarters switch generators, there'll be a few seconds of blackouts. But you can hardly tell because otherwise, the electricity is supplied round-the-clock. As for the water supply, it comes from the river or collected rainwater but is filtered by the time it comes out from the taps. The water is very slightly yellow if one looks closely enough but should be safe for consumption if boiled, which we did.

As I related previously, Mulu is practically cut off from the rest of the world by design. Only the Melinau River and the four daily flights physically link Mulu to the rest of the world. Communication with the outside world is thus a problem. Not a big problem but still a problem. At the national park headquarters, visitors can still stay connected by WiFi, but the range is limited to the area around the headquarters building, which includes the cafe. Naturally, the Wifi signal drops off as you wander away from the building but I managed to find a very weak one-bar signal from the Lodge I was in. A one-bar signal that still allowed me to use Whatsapp but not for anything else. Oh yes, I had to buy usage from the headquarters office. A RM5 usage for 24 hours, after which you have to buy another coupon.

National park headquarters

All visitors have to register themselves when they set foot into the Mulu national park. Everyone will have to wear a plastic wristband. The counter staff are all very helpful. Inside the headquarters building, there is also the Mulu Discovery Centre which is very informative and educational. Everything you need to know about the caves in Mulu is covered.

Around the national park headquarters

Even if a visitor is not on one of the guided or self-guided tours in the national park, there are always places to wander around within the vicinity of the park headquarters. A keen eye can uncover those small fauna that tend to hide themselves so well during the day or night, but there's nothing like the experience of a guide who can point out things that would otherwise be missed.

During both nights at the national park, we could hear the place come alive with loud sounds all around us. Basically, the croaking of frogs, and they do make a lot of noise! Of course, to walk around at night would require torches as the boardwalks were very poorly lit. There's also a Night Walk guided tour which we did not sign up for, and thus we missed it. Now regretting it, of course!

Rainforest lodge

We stayed at one of the two buildings that made up the Rainforest Lodge within the national park headquarters. Very nice and private accommodation, but the most expensive at the national park. We were booked into the Lodge by the tour agency that we had used to arrange this trip. There are other cheaper lodgings but perhaps with less privacy, such as the two Longhouses and also the hostel.

Food

Food is no problem. There's a cafe there. Don't expect anything top-end and you will be fine. Just order from the menu at the counter, get your number and the food will be delivered to you when ready. Choice of sitting at the tables or at the riverside bar which looks over the Melinau River. Recommended is the bar. We saw the hustle and bustle of daily life along the river when partaking our breakfast. The cafe is open till about nine o'clock at night. I must also mention that there is the obligatory souvenir shop attached to the cafe.

Outside the national park

Is there life outside the Mulu national park? Definitely. There's a straight road that leads directly to the national park and on both sides, there are hostels for people who do not wish to stay at the park headquarters or the Marriott Mulu Resort. In addition, there are also cafes that offer alternatives equivalent to the food in the Mulu Cafe. These hostels and cafes line the road till the park's drop-off/pick-up point is reached. By the way, to get into the park, it would be necessary to cross the bridge that straddles the Melinau River. That in itself is already quite an experience.