Family time

My family has just completed a vacation in Taiwan, only the third time that we have had an overseas trip as a complete family unit. Everyone seemed to be so busy nowadays that it was almost impossible to travel together, but after some false starts we finally got some private time to ourselves. I really don't know when we can ever travel together again in the future, but I hope it won't be too long from now. For the moment though, I cherish these seven days. New memories added to the fond reflections of my daughter and son growing up, their struggles in education and their challenges in their work and personal lives.

Farewell, Wong Wai Lin

Some of my friends would have known Wong Wai Lin from our Internet days of the early 1990s. We had formed a group of Internet enthusiasts and he had come to join us at one of our meetings. We must have impressed him much because he kept coming back to attend more meetings where we shared ideas and information about Internet tools like the World Wide Web, FTP, Gopher, Telnet and IRC among other things. In fact, Wong’s son-in-law, Jeffrey Chew, another Internet enthusiast who would soon become a good personal friend, spoke of his father-in-law's commitment to our informal group. “He wasn't a very sociable person, preferring to be surrounded by his family, but he considered the Internet group worthy of becoming his friends. That was why he kept going back to them again and again," Jeffrey told me last Sunday.

For me, I had known Wong even earlier than the Internet days of the 1990s. It could have been at the end of December 1977 or in January 1978, I don't remember the date exactly, but on one of those days he walked into the Pulau Tikus branch of Ban Hin Lee Bank to open a bank account and I happened to be the one to attend to him. Everytime he came into the bank, he would seek me out until I was transferred elsewhere. As an Accountant, he already had a business bank account somewhere else, possibly at Malayan Banking, but with Ban Hin Lee Bank just days into opening their branch in Pulau Tikus, he wanted a personal current account here. So he was one of those pioneer customers with a single-digit account number. 

In the last few years of his life, Wong suffered from dementia and the condition gradually worsen with time. He passed away last Saturday after spending three years in a nursing home. Farewell and rest in peace, Wong Wai Lin.

Catching up with old friends

Had another great opportunity to catch up with my old school mates on Sunday and this time, it was at the wedding luncheon of a classmate's daughter at the Rasa Sayang Hotel in Batu Ferringhi. 

Hutchings commemoration service 2023

This morning at the Protestant Cemetery in Northam Road where the traditional annual commemorative service for Robert Sparke Hutchings was conducted before a small congregation of about 30 people representing Prefects from Penang Free School, members of The Old Frees' Association, students from Hutchings College and the parishioners of St George's Church. The solemn 20-minute service was led jointly by Rev Steven Vello from St George's Church and Rev Ho Kong Eng from Christ Church Penang in Ayer Itam.

Tan Jun Ying in Qatar

CONGRATULATIONS! Immensely happy with the performance of Tan Jun Ying at the Qatar Masters 2023 where he has turned exemplary results against a field of Grandmasters and International Masters. He has held his own against them. The ninth and final round ended with a resounding victory, and Jun Ying, with 5.5 points from nine games, easily attained an International Master norm. He finished in 30th position, what a big improvement from his initial ranking of 157th. We continue to cheer him from afar, some 5,300 kilometers away in Malaysia.

Player info

Name	Tan, Jun Ying
Title	CM
Starting rank	157
Rating national	0
Rating international	2250
Performance rating	2583
FIDE rtg +/-	75,8
Points	5,5
Rank	30
Federation	MAS
Ident-Number	0
Fide-ID	5710413
Year of birth	2003

 

Rd.	Bo.	SNo		Name	RtgI	FED	Pts.	Res.
1	33	33	GM	Parligras, Mircea-Emilian	2561	ROU	5	1
2	25	41	GM	Yilmazyerli, Mert	2533	TUR	5	0
3	48	73	IM	Nitish, Belurkar	2451	IND	4	½
4	46	71	IM	Haldorsen, Benjamin	2454	NOR	4,5	1
5	32	50	IM	Prraneeth, Vuppala	2510	IND	5	½
6	32	42	GM	Vignesh, N R	2527	IND	5,5	½
7	32	64	IM	Ohanyan, Emin	2474	ARM	4,5	½
8	35	52	GM	Bharath, Subramaniyam H	2500	IND	5	½
9	35	44	GM	Bellahcene, Bilel	2520	ALG	4	1

[Event "Qatar Masters Open 2023"]

[Site "Doha QAT"]

[Date "2023.10.11"]

[EventDate "2022.10.11"]

[Round "1.33"]

[Result "0-1"]

[White "Mircea-Emilian Parligras"]

[Black "Jun Ying Tan"]

[ECO "A77"]

[WhiteElo "2561"]

[BlackElo "2250"]

[PlyCount "66"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 c5 3. d5 e6 4. Nc3 exd5 5. cxd5 d6 6. Nf3 g6 7. Nd2 Bg7 8. e4 O-O 9. Be2 Re8 10. O-O Nbd7 11. a4 Ne5 12. Ndb1 c4 13. Na3 Bd7 14. Bf4 Qe7 15. Re1 Rac8 16. h3 Nh5 17. Bh2 Qh4 18. Nab5 Bxb5 19. axb5 Nf4 20. Bg3 Qf6 21. Bxf4 Qxf4 22. Rxa7 Nd3 23. Rf1 Bxc3 24. bxc3 Qxe4 25. Bf3 Qe5 26. Rxb7 Qxc3 27. b6 Qd4 28. Bg4 Rb8 29. Rc7 Qxb6 30. Rc6 Qd4 31. Rxd6 Rb2 32. Qf3 Nxf2 33. Kh2 Qe5+ 0-1

[Event "Qatar Masters Open 2023"]

[Site "Doha QAT"]

[Date "2023.10.12"]

[EventDate "2023.10.11"]

[Round "2.25"]

[Result "0-1"]

[White "Jun Ying Tan"]

[Black "Mert Yilmazyerli"]

[ECO "E46"]

[WhiteElo "2250"]

[BlackElo "2533"]

[PlyCount "158"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. e3 O-O 5. Bd2 d5 6. Nf3 b6 7. cxd5 exd5 8. Bd3 Bb7 9. Rc1 a6 10. O-O Bd6 11. Ne5 c5 12. f4 Nc6 13. Ng4 Nb4 14. Bb1 cxd4 15. exd4 Re8 16. Ne5 Rc8 17. a3 Nc6 18. Be3 Na5 19. Bf2 Nc4 20. Bh4 Rc7 21. Qc2 g6 22. Qf2 Be7 23. Bg5 Nd7 24. Bxe7 Qxe7 25. Nxc4 dxc4 26. Rce1 Qf8 27. Rxe8 Qxe8 28. f5 Nf8 29. d5 Nd7 30. Qf4 Rc8 31. h4 Qf8 32. h5 gxh5 33. f6 Kh8 34. Qf5 Qc5+ 35. Kh1 Nf8 36. Qg5 Ng6 37. Bxg6 Rg8 38. Ne4 Qf8 39. Qxh5 Rxg6 40. Kg1 h6 41. Qe5 Qc8 42. Rf4 Kh7 43. Kh2 Qg8 44. Rf2 Kh8 45. Rd2 Rg4 46. Re2 Kh7 47. Nd6 Ba8 48. Rf2 Qg6 49. Nf5 Rg5 50. Kg1 Bb7 51. Qe4 Bc8 52. Nd6 Qxe4 53. Nxe4 Rxd5 54. Nc3 Rd4 55. Kf1 Bg4 56. a4 Kg6 57. g3 h5 58. Kg2 Rd6 59. Ne4 Re6 60. Rf4 b5 61. axb5 axb5 62. Kf2 b4 63. Kf1 Bf5 64. Nd2 Bd3+ 65. Kg1 c3 66. bxc3 bxc3 67. Nb3 Rb6 68. Nc5 Bf5 69. Kf2 c2 70. Rc4 Rb1 71. g4 hxg4 72. Nd3 Bxd3 73. Rc5 c1=Q 74. Rxc1 Rxc1 75. Kg3 Kg5 76. Kf2 Kf4 77. Kg2 g3 78. Kh3 Rh1+ 79. Kg2 Be4# 0-1

[Event "Qatar Masters Open 2023"]

[Site "Doha QAT"]

[Date "2023.10.13"]

[EventDate "2023.10.11"]

[Round "3.48"]

[Result "1/2-1/2"]

[White "Belurkar Nitish"]

[Black "Jun Ying Tan"]

[ECO "B12"]

[WhiteElo "2451"]

[BlackElo "2250"]

[PlyCount "60"]

1. e4 c6 2. d4 d5 3. e5 Bf5 4. Nf3 e6 5. Be2 c5 6. O-O Nc6 7. c3 cxd4 8. Nxd4 Nxd4 9. cxd4 Ne7 10. Nc3 Nc6 11. g4 Bg6 12. f4 Qd7 13. Be3 Bb4 14. Bf3 Bxc3 15. bxc3 h5 16. f5 hxg4 17. fxg6 gxf3 18. Qxf3 O-O 19. gxf7+ Rxf7 20. Qg4 Raf8 21. Bg5 Rxf1+ 22. Rxf1 Rxf1+ 23. Kxf1 Qf7+ 24. Ke2 Qg6 25. h4 Na5 26. h5 Qc2+ 27. Kf1 Qb1+ 28. Kf2 Qc2+ 29. Kf1 Qb1+ 30. Kf2 Qc2+ 1/2-1/2

[Event "Qatar Masters Open 2023"]

[Site "Doha QAT"]

[Date "2023.10.14"]

[EventDate "2022.10.11"]

[Round "4.46"]

[Result "1-0"]

[White "Jun Ying Tan"]

[Black "Benjamin Haldorsen"]

[ECO "D58"]

[WhiteElo "2250"]

[BlackElo "2454"]

[PlyCount "102"]

1. d4 d5 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. cxd5 exd5 5. Bg5 Be7 6. e3 h6 7. Bh4 c6 8. Bd3 O-O 9. Qc2 Ne8 10. Bg3 Nd6 11. Nge2 Re8 12. O-O Bf8 13. Rae1 a5 14. Nf4 Na6 15. a3 b5 16. f3 Nc4 17. Nd1 Bb7 18. Qf2 c5 19. Bb1 Qb6 20. h4 cxd4 21. exd4 g6 22. Nd3 Bg7 23. Ne5 h5 24. f4 f5 25. Kh1 Kh7 26. Bh2 Nd6 27. Nc3 Ne4 28. Nxe4 dxe4 29. Ba2 Red8 30. Bf7 Rd6 31. Bg1 Nc7 32. Rc1 Nd5 33. Qg3 Bh6 34. Rc5 Rf8 35. a4 e3 36. Rxb5 Qc7 37. Bxg6+ Kh8 38. Qf3 Bxf4 39. Qxh5+ Kg8 40. Rxd5 Bxd5 41. Rxf4 e2 42. Qxe2 Rdf6 43. Qh5 Qg7 44. Be3 Rb8 45. Rf2 f4 46. Bxf4 Rbf8 47. Qg5 Ba8 48. h5 Kh8 49. h6 Qg8 50. Nf7+ R8xf7 51. Be5

1-0

[Event "Qatar Masters Open 2023"]

[Site "Doha QAT"]

[Date "2023.10.15"]

[EventDate "2022.10.11"]

[Round "5.32"]

[Result "1/2-1/2"]

[White "Jun Ying Tan"]

[Black "Vuppala Prraneeth"]

[ECO "E46"]

[WhiteElo "2250"]

[BlackElo "2510"]

[PlyCount "78"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. e3 O-O 5. Ne2 Re8 6. a3 Bf8 7. Ng3 d5 8. Be2 b6 9. O-O Ba6 10. b3 c5 11. dxc5 bxc5 12. cxd5 Bxe2 13. Ngxe2 exd5 14. Nf4 d4 15. exd4 cxd4 16. Nce2 Nc6 17. Bb2 Qb6 18. Rc1 Rad8 19. Nd3 Ne4 20. b4 Ne7 21. Qa4 Nf5 22. Ng3 Nfxg3 23. hxg3 g6 24. Rfe1 Qb8 25. Qc6 Rc8 26. Qd5 Rcd8 27. Qc6 Re6 28. Qc7 Bg7 29. Qxb8 Rxb8 30. Rc7 a6 31. f3 Nxg3 32. Rxe6 fxe6 33. Nc5 a5 34. Rxg7+ Kxg7 35. Bxd4+ Kf7 36. Be5 Rb6 37. Bxg3 axb4 38. axb4 Rxb4 39. Ne4 1/2-1/2

[Event "Qatar Masters Open 2023"]

[Site "Doha QAT"]

[Date "2023.10.17"]

[EventDate "2022.10.11"]

[Round "6.32"]

[Result "1/2-1/2"]

[White "N R Vignesh"]

[Black "Jun Ying Tan"]

[ECO "B11"]

[WhiteElo "2527"]

[BlackElo "2250"]

[PlyCount "96"]

1. e4 c6 2. Nc3 d5 3. Nf3 Bg4 4. h3 Bxf3 5. Qxf3 e6 6. Be2 Bc5 7. Qg3 Bd4 8. exd5 exd5 9. O-O Ne7 10. Qg4 Bf6 11. d4 Qd7 12. Qf4 Ng6 13. Qd2 O-O 14. Bg4 Qc7 15. Ne2 Nd7 16. Ng3 Nb6 17. Nh5 Be7 18. Qd3 Rfe8 19. f4 Nf8 20. f5 Nbd7 21. Bf4 Qd8 22. Qb3 Qb6 23. Rad1 Qxb3 24. axb3 Nf6 25. Nxf6+ Bxf6 26. Bf3 Rad8 27. g3 g5 28. Bc1 Nd7 29. Kg2 Kg7 30. Rd3 Nb6 31. h4 h6 32. Rh1 Rh8 33. Bd2 Nc8 34. hxg5 hxg5 35. Rxh8 Rxh8 36. g4 Nd6 37. Be1 Re8 38. Bg3 Ne4 39. Bh2 Rh8 40. c3 Rh4 41. Bb8 a6 42. c4 Rh8 43. Be5 Rd8 44. cxd5 cxd5 45. Bxf6+ Kxf6 46. Bxe4 dxe4 47. Rd1 Rd5 48. Rd3 Rd8 1/2-1/2

[Event "Qatar Masters Open 2023"]

[Site "Doha QAT"]

[Date "2023.10.18"]

[EventDate "2022.10.11"]

[Round "7.32"]

[Result "1/2-1/2"]

[White "Jun Ying Tan"]

[Black "Emin Ohanyan"]

[ECO "E46"]

[WhiteElo "2250"]

[BlackElo "2474"]

[PlyCount "62"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. e3 O-O 5. Ne2 c6 6. a3 Ba5 7. Qc2 d5 8. Ng3 Nbd7 9. Be2 e5 10. O-O exd4 11. exd4 dxc4 12. Bxc4 Nb6 13. Ba2 Nbd5 14. Bb1 h6 15. Nh5 Re8 16. Nxd5 cxd5 17. Nxf6+ Qxf6 18. Bd2 Bxd2 19. Qxd2 Bf5 20. Bxf5 Qxf5 21. Rfe1 Rxe1+ 22. Rxe1 Rc8 23. Rc1 Rc4 24. b3 Rxc1+ 25. Qxc1 Kh7 26. h3 Qd3 27. Qc8 Qxb3 28. Qf5+ Kg8 29. Qc8+ Kh7 30. Qf5+ Kg8 31. Qc8+ 1/2-1/2

[Event "Qatar Masters Open 2023"]

[Site "Doha QAT"]

[Date "2023.10.19"]

[EventDate "2022.10.11"]

[Round "8.35"]

[Result "1/2-1/2"]

[White "Subramaniyam H Bharath"]

[Black "Jun Ying Tan"]

[ECO "D00"]

[WhiteElo "2500"]

[BlackElo "2250"]

[PlyCount "284"]

1. d4 d5 2. Bf4 c6 3. e3 Qb6 4. Qc1 Bf5 5. Nf3 Nf6 6. Be2 Nbd7 7. O-O e6 8. c4 Be7 9. Nc3 O-O 10. c5 Qd8 11. b4 Nh5 12. Be5 Nhf6 13. Bg3 Nh5 14. Be5 Nhf6 15. a4 Bg4 16. Bg3 Nh5 17. Nd2 Nxg3 18. hxg3 Bxe2 19. Nxe2 e5 20. Qc3 Qc7 21. b5 Rfe8 22. Qd3 Bf6 23. Nb3 g6 24. Nc3 Kg7 25. a5 a6 26. bxc6 bxc6 27. Na4 e4 28. Qe2 h5 29. Nb6 Ra7 30. Nd2 Nf8 31. Rae1 Ne6 32. f4 exf3 33. Qxf3 Bg5 34. Nb1 Qd8 35. Nc3 f5 36. Qd1 Rae7 37. Qa4 Qc7 38. Rf3 Rd8 39. Na2 Bf6 40. Qd1 Rde8 41. Nb4 Nxd4 42. Rf4 Ne6 43. Rff1 Bc3 44. N6xd5 cxd5 45. Nxd5 Qxc5 46. Nxe7 Bxe1 47. Nxf5+ gxf5 48. Rxe1 Kg6 49. Qe2 Qxa5 50. e4 f4 51. e5 Qc5+ 52. Kh1 Qb4 53. Qd3+ Kh6 54. Rb1 Qe7 55. Rb6 fxg3 56. Qxg3 Qg5 57. Qc3 Kg7 58. Rxa6 Qh4+ 59. Kg1 Qd4+ 60. Qxd4 Nxd4 61. Kh2 Rxe5 62. Ra4 Re4 63. Kh3 Kg6 64. Ra6+ Kg5 65. Ra8 Rh4+ 66. Kg3 Nf5+ 67. Kf2 Rf4+ 68. Kg1 Rg4 69. Kf2 Kh4 70. Ra3 Ng3 71. Kg1 Ne4 72. Kh2 Rg3 73. Ra8 Rb3 74. Rf8 Kg4 75. Rg8+ Ng5 76. Ra8 Re3 77. Ra4+ Re4 78. Ra2 h4 79. Ra8 Re2 80. Ra4+ Ne4 81. Ra3 Ng3 82. Ra4+ Re4 83. Ra8 Nf1+ 84. Kg1 Ne3 85. Kh2 Rd4 86. Rg8+ Kh5 87. Kh3 Nf5 88. Rh8+ Kg5 89. Rg8+ Kf6 90. Ra8 Rd3+ 91. Kh2 Kg5 92. Rg8+ Kf4 93. Rf8 Rg3 94. Rh8 Ra3 95. Rf8 Ra2 96. Kh3 Ra1 97. Kh2 Rb1 98. Ra8 Rd1 99. Rf8 Rd2 100. Kh3 Rd3+ 101. Kh2 Rd5 102. Ra8 Nh6 103. Ra4+ Kg5 104. g3 Ng4+ 105. Kh3 Nf2+ 106. Kg2 hxg3 107. Kxg3 Nd3 108. Kf3 Nc5 109. Ra8 Rd3+ 110. Ke2 Rc3 111. Rf8 Ne6 112. Rf7 Nd4+ 113. Kd2 Ra3 114. Rf8 Nf5 115. Re8 Kf4 116. Kc2 Nd6 117. Rh8 Ke4 118. Rh4+ Kd5 119. Rh8 Re3 120. Ra8 Kc4 121. Ra4+ Kb5 122. Ra8 Kb4 123. Rd8 Ne4 124. Rc8 Nc5 125. Kd2 Re7 126. Rh8 Nb3+ 127. Kd3 Rd7+ 128. Ke3 Kc4 129. Rh4+ Nd4 130. Re4 Kc3 131. Re5 Rg7 132. Rc5+ Kb4 133. Rc8 Nb3 134. Kd3 Rd7+ 135. Ke3 Nc5 136. Rh8 Kc4 137. Re8 Kc3 138. Re5 Nd3 139. Re8 Nb2 140. Ke4 Rd4+ 141. Kf5 Nc4 142. Kf6 1/2-1/2

[Event "Qatar Masters Open 2023"]

[Site "Doha QAT"]

[Date "2023.10.20"]

[EventDate "2023.10.11"]

[Round "9.35"]

[Result "1-0"]

[White "Jun Ying Tan"]

[Black "Bilel Bellahcene"]

[ECO "E45"]

[WhiteElo "2250"]

[BlackElo "2520"]

[PlyCount "70"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. e3 b6 5. Ne2 Ba6 6. Qa4 c5 7. a3 Bxc3+ 8. Nxc3 O-O 9. dxc5 bxc5 10. Be2 d5 11. O-O Qb6 12. cxd5 Nxd5 13. Nxd5 exd5 14. Bxa6 Nxa6 15. Rd1 c4 16. Rxd5 Rac8 17. Qc2 Nc5 18. Bd2 Rfd8 19. Rxd8+ Rxd8 20. Bc3 Rd3 21. Bb4 Qb5 22. Rc1 Rd5 23. h3 a5 24. Bxc5 Rxc5 25. Qc3 a4 26. Qb4 Qc6 27. Qb8+ Qc8 28. Qxc8+ Rxc8 29. Kf1 Kf8 30. Ke2 Ke7 31. Kd2 Rd8+ 32. Kc2 Rd3 33. Rd1 Rb3 34. Rd4 c3 35. Rb4 1-0

Proudly inefficient

Ah, the saga of my replacement credit card from the United Overseas Bank – a tale of unparalleled efficiency and light-speed service that will undoubtedly go down in banking history!

You see, I had the audacity to report my original card as misplaced on the 2nd of October. Foolishly, I thought that I'd soon be reunited with a shiny new card. I mean, Citibank once replaced my card within three days of me reporting it lost, but I obviously had unrealistically high expectations that the United Overseas Bank would inherit such efficiency.

But oh, how they surprised me. After a whole week of waiting for the doorbell to chime with the arrival of my new card, I decided to call the United Overseas Bank on the 8th of October. I asked the lovely lady on the other end, "What's the status of my replacement card?" To my shock, her response was, "It hasn't been approved yet."

Naturally, I explained that their "it'll take a couple of weeks" timeline was entirely unacceptable – I needed my card urgently! She then matter-of-factly mentioned, "Oh no, sir, it typically takes about two weeks to approve and process a new card, and then another week for it to be delivered."

Such nonsense! What a splendid display of efficiency from a bank that is nothing short of world-class. Only three weeks to get a replacement card to their valued customers? But wait, there's more – the call centre lady went on to say, "You know, if we use Pos Malaysia, it will take two weeks to deliver your card." Well, aren't we lucky to have a bank that uses a delivery service twice as fast as Pos Malaysia?

Absolutely riveting.

My replacement card finally arrived on the 18th of October, a mere 16 days after reporting it misplaced. And the cherry on top? The delivery company they used was Pos Laju – yes, you guessed it, from Pos Malaysia! What on earth is this bank even talking about?

But, hold on, there's an epilogue. My dear wife, who also reported her credit card lost to the United Overseas Bank at the same time as me, had quite a different experience. The reason was that I had the "honour" of safeguarding her card with mine. So, naturally, both our cards vanished into the void together. We reported them separately but simultaneously. The twist? I raised my voice in complaint and received my new card via Pos Laju on the 18th. She, on the other hand, stayed silent and received her card today, the 20th, by ordinary mail.

Truly, no words can encapsulate this astonishing experience. Bravo, United Overseas Bank – your impeccable service has left me utterly speechless!

#UnitedOverseasBank #UOB #CreditCardReplacement #BankingIssues #EfficiencyConcerns #CustomerService #CreditCardDelivery #Complaints #BankingExperience

Switchover

In recent weeks, my Unifi home broadband received a complimentary speed boost, leaping from 300Mbps to 500Mbps. Remarkably, this enhanced service comes at no additional cost. While my subscription rate remains at RM159 per month, it typically tallies up to RM168.55 due to service taxes and other associated fees. Notably, Maxis has recently reduced its monthly fee for the 500Mbps package to RM149, directly competing with Unifi. This situation takes on a somewhat amusing dimension, as Maxis is essentially piggybacking on Unifi's infrastructure. However, despite the lower cost, I don't anticipate switching back to Maxis anytime soon, as I had canceled that subscription a full year ago.

Now, onto the subject of mobile service providers. I've officially severed my contract with Maxis and transitioned to Unifi5G for my mobile services, all while retaining my current mobile number. The choice to switch was deliberate, and it wasn't long after terminating my Maxis contract that I received a call from a Maxis representative offering me a new, "improved" mobile plan. 

The sales pitch was convincing, and I was almost swayed until I decided to explore their website and discovered that their supposedly superior plan was still tied to their 4G network, while Unifi5G operated on their 5G network. This revelation solidified my decision to stick with Unifi5G, and there was no longer any question of returning to Maxis. The representative admitted defeat, and our conversation came to an end.

This experience underscores the nature of sales pitches. There's often pertinent information they omit until you probe deeper. My diligence in this case meant that I could enjoy the benefits of my new Unifi5G plan, rather than remaining tied to Maxis.

Farewell, Choo Min Wang

Well, here I go again to reflect on the life of yet another chess friend who passed away yesterday at the age of 84 (born 1939). This time, it is Choo Min Wang, the first national champion in the era of the Malaysian Chess Federation. That would be in 1974. But he had been involved with chess much earlier. In the days before the MCF, there was the Chess Association of Malaysia, and Choo had won the national chess championship in 1958 as a schoolboy and again in 1971. 

The first time I got to know Choo Min Wang was in 1972. The year had hardly begun when news went round the secondary schools that a chess champion would be giving a simultaneous display to some 20 players. Four schools - Chung Ling High School, Methodist Boys School, Penang Free School and St Xavier's Institution - were requested to send representatives to the Penang Library which, at that time, was still located on the top floor of the Penang courthouse building. The display generated some interest and the Straits Echo newspaper gave generous coverage on 11 January 1972:

MR CHOO (back towards camera) concentrating on the chess board of Quah Seng Sun, 17, from the Penang Free School, during his chess demonstration yesterday. Seated in the centre is Mr Teoh Kim Leng, a teacher from the St Xavier's Institution (Primary). - ECHOpic 
(Standing behind Teoh is Ooi Gim Eng from St Xavier's Institution)

PENANG, Sun - Malaysia's chess champion, Mr Choo Min Wang, gave a fine display of the game when he took on 18 opponents at the same time at the Penang Library, this morning.

Mr Choo, who is also the Vice-President of the Chess Association of Malaysia, is a statistician with the Federal Agriculture Marketing Authority in Kuala Lumpur.

Standing in the centre of a 'U' shaped table, he took to task the 18 opponents made up of students and teachers of various schools. The match was more of a demonstration than a challenge.

Mr Choo, who began his chess career while studying at the Victoria Institute in Kuala Lumpur, became the national champion in 1958 while attending the Higher School Certificate class.

He took part in other championships but was not placed and in 1971 he captured the championships again.

While in the University of Malaya, he was sponsored by the University Chess Club to participate in the East Asian Zone championships in Sydney.

In 1963, Mr Choo took part in Jakarta, but could not make it to New Zealand due to lack of funds. However, he played in Singapore in 1969.

In all his matches abroad he did not fair very well but as he puts it, "gained plenty of experience," which has put him in good stead for future competitions.

The next Zone championship will be in Hong Kong, some time this year and he hopes to participate in it.

Asked about the standard of the participants who played against him today, Mr Choo said, "The players are of good standard, and will certainly give the schoolboys in Kuala Lumpur, who have been at the game for a longer period, a hard fight."

Mr Choo also said he was happy that the Malaysian Schools Sports Council had included chess as another item in its sports programme.

That was how our paths first crossed. Two of the PFS players, Khaw Teik Kooi and I, drew our games with him and we were selected to play against Dr Max Euwe, then the President of the World Chess Federation (FIDE), when he briefly visited Kuala Lumpur in April that year.

The Malaysian Chess Federation organised the first national closed championship in October 1974 and Choo Min Wang won it handily ahead of another chess luminary, Dr Foo Lum Choon. Both of them were offered places in the Malaysian team that would compete in the first Asian team chess championship in Penang two months later but they declined to play, citing work obligations.

Choo left government service later to work for one of Tan Chin Nam's companies. For a long time, he was posted to Papua New Guinea. He continued working for Chin Nam after returning, but he was also then a part-time tutor of chess at the Multimedia University in Malacca and Cyberjaya.

Despite being certified as partially blind due to a chronic eye condition, Choo continued to navigate the streets of Kuala Lumpur behind the wheel. There's an instance from about a decade ago when he offered to drop me off at the railway station after the closing ceremony of the Malaysia Chess Festival. The ceremony had wrapped up dangerously close to my train's departure time, and I was anxious about finding a taxi quickly. With unwavering confidence, Choo reassured me, saying, "Don't worry; I can still see." So with little choice and some hesitation, I decided to take him up on his offer. Throughout the journey as he navigated his way through, I found myself gripping the car's interior while anxiously observing the bustling traffic on both sides of us. Obviously, he made it to the station and I am still here today to tell the tale.

Choo's certification as partially blind hardly posed a significant disadvantage to him. It fact, it proved an advantage to him in many ways. If he could still maintain sufficient vision to drive safely, he was more than capable of seeing the chess board and continuing his passion for the game. Year after year, he continued playing in the Merdeka team chess tournaments. Even more impressively, his condition opened up new opportunities as a legally blind chess player. Choo actively competed in various tournaments at the ASEAN Paralympics Games and achieved significant success, including three gold and three silver medals in events held in Manila, Korat and Kuala Lumpur.

Richard Rivalee

The Richard Rivalee Restaurant in MacAlister Lane is expanding right across the road to new premises. We went there today with the monks from Nandaka Vihara Meditation Centre who were invited by the owner, Richard, to perform chanting at the soft launch of his business there. 

Like the present outlet along the road, this new restaurant is very tastefully decorated. We were thrilled to explore the place which had such exquisite dining areas on the top floor. Each room is lavishly designed and diners can feel the warmth of the space. The room alloted to us made us feel completely at ease, quite at home in such surroundings. 

I can't wait before he opens this extension of his business to the public. In the coming months there will be more additions to Richard's establishment. He is also leasing three other shophouses adjoining this one and once renovation is completed next year, his restaurant should boast of a grand facade to go with his delicious nyonya fare.  

But first, here are some sneak peeks into the place. PS The food was fantabulous. 

The monks from Nandaka Vihara with Richard, some of the restaurant staff and a few guests

70 is the new 21

My "young" classmate celebrated his latest coming of age at the beginning of this month and I was invited to his private dinner together with a few other old mates. Seventy is the new 21, remarked one of them to us through social media chat yesterday. Today's story looks back on that joyous occasion and on behalf of my mates at the dinner, let me wish Leng Kooi a Happy 70th birthday. (PS. We were born a year apart. I'm actually still 68-plus as my 69th birthday is only next month. We were both at Westlands Primary School but our paths only crossed in Penang Free School.)

Leng Hock (left) is one of Leng Kooi's brothers. He was also from Ban Hin Lee Bank, having joined in 1980. I think he was a bit surprised to see me at his brother's birthday bash.

Who's getting fat on war?

This old cartoon from America came into my reckoning this week. I'm told that it is a Jules Feiffer cartoon from 1965. That would just be about the time of the Vietnam War. It was a social commentary on the Vietnam War, when the United States government poured money to support the war cause. The more I looked at this cartoon, the more I see its relevance to the problems that this world faces today. The situation hasn't changed in half a century.

There's the war in the Ukraine to start with, a long protracted war effectively fought between Russia and the United States and Europe. Nobody's winning by a large margin after about 600 days. And, only a few days ago, fighting erupted in the Middle East between Hamas and Israel. I told some friends that Hamas is stupid, committing suicide. Why start a war which they'll never win? Israel will pound them to kingdom come. They'll be wiped off this earth. 

Then you see the United States promising the moon to Israel. "I shall support you, I shall give you weapons, but you don't bring this fighting to my home country." Same story with Ukraine. They are sending their armaments and munitions to the Middle East while back home, sooner or later, the US Government will restock their supplies with even more sophisticated weapons. Gleefully, more money - billions, trillions - going to their Defence Department and the war industries. The Generals will be very happy with their new toys, indeed.

So back to this old cartoon. The fat Maitre d'hotel and the slightly slimer waiters - but still fat enough -  eagerly pandering to the character labelled as War, impatiently waiting to pour the billions and trillions at War, while in the background, the impoverished Healthcare, Education, the Sciences and the Arts characters can only look at the greediness before their eyes. Of course, there is little or nothing on their plates....

Looking at this cartoon again, I am also reminded of a (very long) poem that Anwar Fazal wrote back in 1986. The poem was read during his presentation at a consumerism talk in the United States. One part struck me with its relevance and here it is:

Saying
NO
NO
NO
to the madness that wastes
trillions on armaments
and gives only a fraction for basic needs,
for eliminating poverty.

- Anwar Fazal, 27 May 1986 -

Helping your own school

Bear with me today. My musings here constitutes the message that I had sent to all my contactable friends and acquaintances through social media. It has since been expanded to include my wider plea for people to support their own schools, and I thought that the whole message should be reproduced here in my own blog as a documentation of my thoughts and nothing more.

We had a very satisfactory launch of the Free School Guide before the whole of Penang Free School on Monday last. The launch was even officiated by the Penang North-East District Education Officer. The Head Boy spoke at this special sitting of the School Assembly, followed by the Headmaster and finally, the Education Officer took the stage. At this official launch, the School Band came marching into the Pinhorn Hall and playing the School Rally to everyone's surprise. Everyone stood up to sing. 

I am gratified that Penang Free School saw it fit to truly recognise the work that my friends and myself had put in since 2017. I only wish that many more Old Frees will contribute something back to their education roots, their alma mater.

We often speak about how the standards of our schools today are no longer what it was in our days. While it is true that we often lament the changing educational landscape and the perceived decline in standards, it's crucial to remember that these shifts are a result of evolving government policies. Educational institutions themselves often have limited or no influence over these changes, as they must tow government regulations. Especially so if they are full government schools and not government-assisted schools. And most certainly, please do not vent your displeasure on the present generation of students. They should not bear the brunt of these transformations, mostly because they are there not by choice but often due to circumstances. They deserve our support and guidance, regardless of their race, colour or creed.

By the way, I have finished documenting Monday's launch on this blog, which you can read here:

https://ssquah.blogspot.com/2023/10/free-school-guide-launched.html

Finally, do explore the interactive Free School Guide in PDF format. Just scan the QR code to access the system. Please forward this message to people who may be interested in Penang Free School. Happy exploring!

The missing me, but life moves on

What a bummer start to a new week yesterday. I missed attending an event which was very close to my heart: a special sitting of the Penang Free School Assembly where the new Free School Guide would be formally launched. I had been one of two persons instrumental in setting up this Free School Guide and I had been looking forward to this occasion. But life can be unpredictable and a little pill - nay, a quarter of a little pill - prevented me from attending.

To put it mildly, the spirit was willing but the flesh was not. My sleep cycle is sort of screwed up somewhat. There would be four or five days of reasonably good sleep followed by three or four days of restless nights. It's a predictable cycle and I really dread having to drive around when I'm in that lousy mood. 

On Sunday night I decided to break the cycle as I hadn't been sleeping well for the past few nights. I wanted an early and good night's rest or otherwise, driving across the Penang Bridge and the roads would be a nightmare for me in a sleep deprived condition. And it gets worse with age.

I set the alarm for 5am and took a very small dose of tranquilising pill. Very small dose. Only a quarter of a full tablet. Unfortunately, it worked just too well at a most inappropriate time. The alarm duly went off at 5am but in my drowsiness, I missed reacting to it. Not once but several times because as everyone knows, the alarms in the mobile phone usually goes off several times every few minutes.

I continued sleeping through the alarm ringing until 7.15am when a friend's call finally woke me up. By then it was too late for me to even leave the house. The Assembly would have been over by the time I reached the School. It is unbearable to miss this very special school function which I had looked forward to. My frustration is beyond description, but that is life....

Fact is, this is the second time that such a thing has happened to me, and all within the same year. In February when I was supposed to pick up my brother-in-law's family before going to the airport, my wife and I woke up too late. No time to detour to Simpang Ampat to pick them up. We had to go straight to the airport, and they straight from their house too.

I believe the lesson to learn from these two incidents is that life is too unpredictable. The unexpected happens all the time and often, it is outside our control. But we mustn't spend too much time moping over the unexpected and unpredictability. Life goes on and we must too. Therefore, I must learn to put aside this disappointment and move on to the next challenge.

Free School Guide launched

I applaud my alma mater, Penang Free School, for the launch of the Free School Guide at a special School Assembly this morning. By a quirk of fate, I was unable to be present for the launch despite having prepped myself up for days and looking forward to it but my co-convenor, Lim Siang Jin, was there to save the day together with Loh Lean Kang, Andrew Lim Tatt Keong (Executive Chairman of Gama Group), Andrew Lim Chong Huat (President of The Old Frees' Association) and Hoe Kek Fei. The Guest of Honour at the launch was Mohamad Zawawi bin Ahmad, the Penang North-East District Education Officer. The Parent-Teacher Association chairman was also around.

The School Captain, Nicholas Lew, led the Headmaster and his guests
into the Pinhorn Hall at the start of the School Assembly
(Photo by Teh Yun Zhern)

With the Free School Guide (FSG) formally accepted as a fabric of Penang Free School, everyone can now learn about the school's illustrious history which goes back more than 200 years. We, that is, Siang Jin and I, had been working on the FSG for almost two years and some months ago, we trained some students to be the first batch of FSG Ambassadors. They shall be the people who will explain the Free School to visitors and show them how to scan the QR codes and open up the Free School Guide wayfinding system. 

The Headmaster and his guests took centre stage before the start
of the morning's proceedings

I also extend a big shout-out to my friend and Old Free schoolmate, Cheah Cheng Hye (Co-Chairman and Chief Investment Officer of Value Partners, Hong Kong), for his faith in us carrying this project through till its fitting conclusion. He assisted us with kind sponsorship of the wide range of collaterals which include posters, leaflets, buntings, portable display kits and other information and publicity materials.

The Headmaster, Syed Sultan bin Shaik Oothuman, regarded today as a special day. In his address to the Assembly, he said: "Today we are launching a one-of-a-kind system that would give easy access, for the first time, to the rich history and traditions of our illustrious institution. Called the Free School Guide, it is also described as a cyber museum."

The Headmaster, Syed Sultan bin Shaikh Oothuman, made an
excellent job to provide details about the Free School Guide
(Photo by Teh Yun Zhern)

Explaining the Free School Guide, he elaborated: "It is made up of two parts. First, a wayfinder that portrays our history, built heritage, traditions, people of importance and even stories. The second part comprises 10 videos on the history of the school from its founding in 1816 to the Bicentenary in 2016. The videos are based on the 352-page book, Let the Aisles Proclaim: The First Two Hundred Years of the Penang Free School (1816-2016)." 

Zawawi scanned the QR code to play the School Rally
from his mobile phone (Photo by Teh Yun Zhern)

He hoped to strengthen the school spirit by letting the stakeholders, especially the students, know how much the school has gone through to become what it is. "I am sure our school staff, Old Frees and the education fraternity will also find it useful and fascinating," he said, "The system will definitely underscore the uniqueness of Penang Free School and make knowledge about it far more widespread." 

The advantages of the system are many. It can be accessed at any time from anywhere through the Internet. With a hard copy like a leaflet or poster, one only need to scan the QR code. If it is a soft copy like a PDF, one just click on the headings to be taken to the Guide. 

...and the School Band marched in to continue playing the School
Rally and stirred everyone to sing (Photo by Teh Yun Zhern)

Moreover, its high portability means the FSG can be taken everywhere if the school needs to introduce itself to others. For example, at events and roadshows. On top of that, it is economical to reproduce and has little impact on the physical structure of the school — we don’t have to renovate any room to put the system in place.  

"The school did not spend a single cent to build the system," Syed Sultan emphasised to the assembled guests, teachers and students. "It is built and funded entirely by a group of Old Frees." 

A tribute was paid to Siang Jin for his conceptualisation and for putting everything together. 

The Headmaster also acknowledged my role in the project: "Another important contributor in terms of content is Mr Quah Seng Sun, author of the mammoth Let the Aisles Proclaim." Thank you, thank you very much. I am very happy to receive this personal recognition!  

Let us march on to fame, let the aisles proclaim 
(Photo by Teh Yun Zhern)

Moving on, the Headmaster said that both co-convenors did not want to leave the system as standalone physical additions to the walls of the school; that we wanted to make it part of the school’s living traditions. "To this end, they trained a group of student guides whose aim is to promote the system and the school. A one-day workshop was held in August to train about 15 students," he continued. "The school is committed to growing and strengthening the system. We appointed Cikgu Nur Zahidah binti Zainol to be the advisor. We also enlisted the help of our Senior Assistant, Leonard Selva."  

Certificates were awarded to the students who completed the Free
School Guide workshop (Photo by Teh Yun Zhern)

The final point that Syed Sultan made should serve the overall education community very well: "Finally, I hope other schools will emulate our footsteps to make information about their histories and traditions more readily available online, thus giving all Malaysians a greater appreciation of the wealth and diversity within our education system."

Siang Jin paid fitting tributes to Headmaster Syed Sultan, teacher
Nur Zahidah, Senior Assistant Leonard Selva and myself at a tea
reception after the FSG launch

FOOTNOTE: The Free School Guide is the culmination of a long process which began even before the Penang Free School Bicentenary celebrations in 2016. Its humble beginnings were the Board of Prefects' 150th anniversary celebrations the year before. From there, it snowballed to Lean Kang and Siang Jin devising the PFS Student Leadership Workshop: Developing a Pool of Talent from 2017 onwards, and a decision to produce 10 videos on the history of Penang Free School in the following year. The 10 videos were a labour of love by Siang Jin and myself, and we were ably supported by classmates from the Class of 1970/72, notably Jim Lim Teik Wah who provided the voiceovers on all 10 videos, Quah Chei Jin who sang the School Rally at the start of each video and Kumaravello Thangiah who was our film consultant. The Free School Guide, like the other projects mentioned here, is our paying back to Society and what better way is there than to contribute to our alma mater, Penang Free School, where everything began for us more than 50 years ago. Fortis atque Fidelis.