A matter of relativity

I saw this news item at about one o'clock today but I didn't want to comment anything about it then. But on second thoughts, I do have a few words to say about this big upset at this year's 100th All-England Badminton championships.

Lin Dan has always been Lee Chong Wei's biggest (favourite?) bogeyman. Our kampong hero has a glass ceiling which he finds almost impossible to break through. Every time - well, almost every time but I can't remember the last time that it wasn't a "every time" - the two met, Lin Dai has always shown his little brother who is badminton's big brother.

So now, with Big Brother out of the frame, is it time for Small Brother to assert himself? Maybe. But Lee still has to get through Peter Hoeg Gade in the semi-finals. Let's see how he fares....

[An UPDATE on the Lee Chong Wei-Peter Hoeg Gade match: yup, our kampung hero won, all right, with relative ease. So now he goes on to meet surprise and unheralded finalist Kenichi Tago.]

But this is not what I want to say about Lin Dan's upset loss to his compatriot, Bao Chunlai. No, not at all. When I was reading the news reports, what struck me was Lin's still supreme optimism about his performance. Despite the loss, his analysis of the match was that "I played quite well but Bao played better."

This remark reminds me of a colleague whilst I was still working at Ban Hin Lee Bank. For the same task, he would take longer to complete it than another fellow doing the same job. And he was never perturbed about other people commenting. He used to tell me and others - always with a wide grin on his face - that "it's not that I am slow; it's that other people are faster."

Having said all that, I am still rooting for Lee to bag this title at the All-England. After all, must support my fellow Penangite, right? So, go, Chong Wei, go go go! All of us in Penang are behind you, just like we are behind Nicol David and Ong Beng Hee.

An Earth Hour reminder

Earth Hour 2010 is just two weeks away. I hope you will remember Earth Hour and join me in switching off the lights in your office and your homes at 8.30pm on 27 Mar 2010. Let's show the world that we care for the resources that the Good Earth has bestowed on us. Here's my earlier post on Earth Hour 2010.

Incidentally, I had noticed a few days ago that the Gurney Plaza will be participating in Earth Hour by switching off the lights in their complex on that day. Presumably it will mean that all the establishments and outlets will be switching off too.

However, Gurney Plaza will be going one step further. Not only will they be switching off for one hour, they will switch off for 10 hours from 8.30pm until 6.30am on 28 Mar 2010. Will others follow suit too?

Perak chess kicks off

Just experimenting with something new. I've talked about it previously so this is an attempt to put it into practice. Here is the original unedited, uncut, unplugged, unabridged, unexpurgated, unabbreviated, unadulterated version of my chess column in the Lifestyle section on 12 Mar 2010. This is it: the whole enchilada. How do you compare it with the final version in the newspaper?

Last Sunday, I visited Ipoh to drop in at the Kinta leg of the Tan Sri Lee Loy Seng Perak chess grand prix.

Not only was this the first leg to kick off the grand prix, it was also the first time that the Perak International Chess Association had undertaken such an ambitious project within its borders. I was curious to see the response.

Impressive. Close to 200 participants, according to the proud organizers. And this number wasn’t even counting the tournament officials and helpers, some of the players’ parents and other relatives.

As I walked along the aisles looking at the serious concentration around me, I realized that save for a handful of familiar faces that I could count with the fingers on both hands, the rest of the participants were total strangers to me.

It shouldn’t be a surprise, really, because after all, this was a Perak event: organized by Perak chess officials and played mainly by Perak residents. I learnt that many of the players had been bussed down from the smaller towns of the state. They had come from all over and although they did know how to play the game, this was probably the first time that many of them were taking part in a real chess tournament. I hope they had enjoyed the experience!

Without a doubt, Bangladesh grandmaster Ziaur Rahman had probably enjoyed the experience too. You would have read two weeks ago that he is now Malaysia’s resident grandmaster. He will be staying here in Malaysia for one year and contributing his expertise to raise the level of Malaysian chess.

No sooner had he landed on our shores that he was whisked up to Ipoh for this tournament. Naturally, he took star billing in this event. He was the player that many of the participants would want to meet. This would be an opportunity to play against a chess grandmaster. Not many people would have this opportunity; only seven would get the chance.

For a long while, it looked as if the fight for the first prize would be close. Because of the large number of entries, there was a real possibility that there could be two joint winners and they might not have played with one another.

But in the end, order was restored and Ziaur Rahman laid claim to his first tournament success in Malaysia. Nevertheless, his success was not without some anxiety. In the last round, the grandmaster suddenly found himself defending a very tricky position with the white pieces.

With very enterprising play, Fong Yit San found himself with an advantageous position against the Bangladesh player. People watching the game thought that he could press home the advantage but somehow, the critical moment passed and Ziaur Rahman forced off the exchange of most of the pieces. In the end, the grandmaster’s experience counted. Still, it was a very creditable game by the Kampar youngster.

The Tan Sri Lee Loy Seng Perak chess grand prix came about because of an inspired meeting that Lee’s son, Datuk Seri Lee Oi Hian, had with Datuk Tan Chin Nam, the honorary life president of the Malaysian Chess Federation. The idea was mooted and Lee was receptive to it. A series of chess tournaments would make their way around Perak, the state where the Tan Sri was born and had made his fortune. Kuala Lumpur Kepong Berhad, with its head office in Ipoh, is the legacy that he had left behind.

From this one idea, the chess grand prix became a reality. With the Kinta leg now successfully concluded, the grand prix will continue in the other districts of Perak and it will culminate with the final in December this year. The CRC Taiping will be the venue of the second leg next month.

Hospitals, hospitals, hospitals

In the past six weeks, I've been seeing the inside of hospitals for far too many times. Don't get me wrong: I'm not sick. Touch wood!

No, I've been going to the hospitals with my relatives. First, it was my aunt, the one that stays with us. She had been having eye problems since the end of January and I've been taking her to the clinics around here but since there was no improvement, I took her to the KPJ Penang Specialist Hospital on the mainland. She was warded and the hospital fed here antibiotics intravenously for two days.

However, her condition did not seem to improve and I took her for a second opinion at the LohGuanLye Specialist Centre on the island. I'm glad to say that the treatment here proved to be more acceptable and there has been a vast improvement. I'm taking her for a follow-up this afternoon and I hope to hear from the doctor that there's no reason to come back again.

I would have thought this week would be the last of my pre-occupation with the private hospitals but no, on Tuesday it was the turn of my father-in-law.

Got a call from my mother-in-law at about 6 o'clock in the afternoon telling me that my brother-in-law was rushing him to the KPJ Penang Specialist Centre. He seemed weak and disoriented, she said, and she was fearful that he could have a recurrence of some health problem suffered several years ago.

So off they went to the hospital from Simpang Ampat and I went separately from home. He was warded as a precaution but the medical officer on duty allayed our fears that it could be a stroke. But he was highly feverish and that probably contributed to his disorientation.

Anyway, he has recovered. His temperature has gone back to normal and he was duly discharged. The official diagnosis is viral infection but I think a big contributory factor was the heat. I was told that he had been out walking under the hot afternoon sun for three days. Not a very good thing to do.

Real elimination

Eat your heart out, Ronaldo!

The Roo's second

Park made it seem like a...stroll in the park?

Leave it to Fletcher to round up the rout

Beckham-mania is alive and kicking

Is this the second wave of Beckham-mania at his old hunting ground? He was beseiged by old faithfuls - press photographers and fans alike - when he arrived at Manchester Airport yesterday! (Reminded me of 2001 when the Red Devils arrived at the KLIA on their Asian tour.) Anyway this time around, Becks is on loan to AC Milan and the team from Italy are facing Manchester United in the return leg of their Champions League clash.

I had to jolt myself from thinking that this picture below was taken in 2003, his last season in the Red Devils team. No, it's now fast forwarded to 2010, but Golden Balls obviously didn't mind signing away an old Manchester United shirt that still bore his name.

Andy Gibb's After Dark

Every time I listen to Desire from Andy Gibb's last album, After Dark, I get the shivers whenever his three equally famous brothers joined in during the chorus. It was truly a Gibb family affair on this song.

Andy Gibb could have been the fourth Bee Gees but for the huge age gap between him and his brothers. Moreover, he had a solo career which, unfortunately, was already on the decline by his late 20s. Everything ended for him when he died from an overdose days after his 30th birthday in 1988.

Incidentally, today is the 22nd anniversary of his death. I can't imagine that he would have been 52 years old today if he were still alive. If he were still alive today, he would be bouncing his nine-month-old grandson Darby Matthew Weber on his knees. Can YOU believe that he would be a grand-dad? Andy Gibb, a grandfather?


Side 1: After Dark, Desire, Whenever You Are, Warm Ride, Rest Your Love On Me
Side 2: I Can't Help It, One Love, Someone I Ain't, Falling In Love With You, Dreamin' On

Ipoh's delectable northern Indian cuisine

I took a drive down to Ipoh to have a look in at the first leg of the Tan Sri Lee Loy Seng Perak grand prix chess tournament on Sunday. Good start to the grand prix: 187 people took part. Young and old, they came from all over the state.

And as it was about lunch time, the Perak International Chess Association's former president, Dr Yee Meng Khoon, took Lee Ewe Ghee (Penang Chess Association president), Hamid Majid and I to the Pakeeza Restaurant in Ipoh's Greentown. It's a joint selling North Indian halal (kosher) food, so it's suitable for people of all major races and religions. In fact, saw Chinese families, Malay families and Indian families there, all tucking into the good stuff. The only problem with this place is that the exterior is too modest and plain. When we passed by the restaurant, we didn't know whether it was open or not. Worse, someone asked whether the restaurant had closed down. It was only when we saw a waiter opening the door that we realised it was still in business.

But for all its modest look, the food is excellent. I didn't pay much attention to the orders. I was tidying myself up when Hamid was doing the honours of ordering. But the dishes came very quickly: naan bread, some bryiani rice, chicken curry, prawn curry, a plate of spicy minced beef and palak paneer (squished and mashed spinach). Thoroughly enjoyable and fully satisfying meal. Recommended for a hearty tuck-in.

120 years of the Poh Hock Seah

Here are recent photos of the Poh Hock Seah, the resident temple of the Tua Pek Kong deity, in Armenian Street, George Town. Though the Poh Hock Seah officially celebrates its 120th anniversary this year, its history goes back even longer.

It started out as the influential Kean Teik Tong Hokkien Hoay Kuan on 30 Dec 1844 as a place where Penang's migrant community from China's southern Fukien Province could come together. However, it was also a place linked with Penang's warring clans and in the 19th century, secret societies practically carved out their little kingdoms on the island. When open street warfare erupted in 1867 (the Penang Riots), the Kean Teik Tong allied itself with the Hai San against the Ghee Hin Secret Society. After the Riots were put down, the Straits Settlements government introduced the Societies Ordinance 1889 which effectively banned the Kean Teik Tong and other similar societies.

From the ashes of the Kian Teik Tong arose the Poh Hock Seah in 1890, formed by a council of Straits-born Chinese to continue looking after the interest of the Hokkien community. The Poh Hock Seah was recognised officially on 22 April 1891.

As mentioned above, 2010 is the 120th anniversary of the Poh Hock Seah. No doubt, we should see some elaborate functions to celebrate this occasion, more so during the birthday celebrations of Tua Pek Kong which should fall on 30 Sep 2010.

 

The main altar on the ground floor of the building

The urn on the upper floor of the Poh Hock Seah

Cooling down, chilling out

I told me wife that I'm suffering more from the hot weather than her. For five days a week, she is comfortably ensconced in her office, enjoying the cool air-conditioning, whereas I only have the fans blowing warm air at me. Not one fan but two!

A respite from the heat came yesterday when I went out to the island and came back with coconut jelly. I'm sure you've heard of coconut jelly. They are not so unknown to people in Penang.

The most well-known shop selling coconut jelly is here, along Dato Kramat Road, where you are transported into another world altogether: a world of coconuts.

The place is called Joez Coconut and you can actually while away your time in the shop with a whole coconut. It's where workers expertly slice open coconuts to reveal the white inviting flesh and fresh coconut water that's guaranteed to wash away the heat.

But the secret of the shop is more than the coconut water, It lies with the coconut jelly. Coconut water is mixed and set into jelly and this imparts a whole new experience to your taste buds.  One gulp of the jelly will have you yearning for more.

So, do go and discover the shop for yourself. As Dato Kramat Road is a traffic nightmare, the best place to park the car would be along Kajang Road.

Danger of collapse

Went up the BM Hill at Ceruk Tokun this morning at 7.20am. Inner car park at the foothill was all occupied. Had to drive out and park closer to the entrance. Nothing extraordinary about today's climb. I went up the dirt track, exited at the steps and came down via the tar road. Of course, temperature was noticeably cooler at the hill but I still don't remember the air being this warm so early in the morning.

Before I collected the car, I noticed that this part of the pavement near the outer car park was in real danger of total collapse. Strange that although there is upgrade work presently being carried out in this forest park, the authorities have not seen this as potentially dangerous. Something must be done fast to reinforce the ground before everything collapses. Don't need to have an accident here later on....

The deity's return

Two days ago, I wrote about the Tua Pek Kong prediction for Penang's economy in the next 12 months. Tua Pek Kong is, of course, the God Of Prosperity, a local deity in Penang that is much revered by the Chinese business community. The main Tua Pek Kong temple in Penang is the Poh Hock Seah in Armenian Street, George Town and I discovered on Sunday that the Poh Hock Seah is celebrating its 120th anniversary this year.

The entrance to this Poh Hock Seah is through a small but brightly decorated alleyway from Armenian Street.

The above is a painting, not a photograph. I found it in this very coffee shop at the junction of Armenian Street and Cannon Street. Beside it is the entrance to the Poh Hock Seah. Anyway, the alley opens out into a big compound with the temple at one end and a stage at the other end. The temple is a double-storey building with most of the activities centred on the ground floor. The upper floor is less visited but it houses some of the most ornate Chinese-style decorations in Penang.

I did not plan to be at the Poh Hock Seah on Sunday. It was all truly by chance that I found myself there. Maybe there was an inner voice that asked me to go there, but I don't know. Anyway, I found myself at the coffee shop when all of a sudden, the sounds of clashing cymbals and burning firecrackers filled the air. Yes, Tua Pek Kong was returning to his residence at the Poh Hock Seah.

You see, he had been away the day before. The deity had been invited to the Hai Choo Soo Temple in Tanjung Tokong for the Chniah Hoay ceremony and now, he was being brought back. It was just a simple ceremony with only a handful of people, including a Taoist priest leading the way. After the firecrackers stopped, there was a short and simple parade around the junction and everybody went back through the alleyway. That's that. Hardly two or three minutes. Blink, and you might just miss the occasion.

Reviving my "dead" USB port

I just wasted a good many hours last night sweating over a hardware problem on my home desktop computer. 

For no reason, my USB port went dead. It refused to acknowledge any peripheral that I tried to attach to it. My camera could not be detected, my thumbdrives could not be detected, my SD cards could not be detected.

I entered the Device Manager to see whether there was anything out of the ordinary there. Yes, under this Universal Serial Bus controller, there was an item saying "Unknown Device". Now, why did my USB port suddenly become an unknown device? I tried removing it but the computer kept adding it back again. My only hope then was to do a systematic disabling of some of the USB controllers one by one and then crossed my fingers. Yes, finally, after disabling this item -- the SiS PCI to USB Enhanced Host Controller -- the USB port sprang back to life.

I have a strange euphoria of achieving something but I still don't know the reason behind all this. Nevertheless, this simple solution worked for me.

Tobey and Bobby

Who needs spiders when we have chess? Who needs Spiderman when we have Bobby Fischer? 

I heard that a biopic on the legendary American chess grandmaster is in the works and the Great Man himself may be played by none other than Tobey Maguire. Potential title of the film? Pawn Sacrifice.

The film should be centred around 1972 when Fischermania hit the world. It would cover the run up to his match with Boris Spassky in Reykjavik, the drama that went into the 21 games and the events that unfolded later. But it is unlikely that the film will touch on Fischer's latter years when his reclusiveness, eccentricities, anti-Semitism .... and, what else? .... really overshadowed his brilliance.

So if Maguire plays Fischer, don't expect to see him fully bearded like the Wild Man that was caged up in Tokyo's Narita Airport while fighting extradiction to the United States.

Rockwills turns 15

KUALA LUMPUR, March 2 (Bernama) -- Rockwills International Group, celebrated its 15th anniersary this year by adding another feather to its cap, a record 100,000 wills written.

Managing Director Saw Leong Aun said Rockwills had to overcome many hurdles before successfully emerging as the country's leading estate planning specialist, while playing a crucial role in helping Malaysians tackle wealth distribution.

"We were the first professional will-writing and will custody company in Malaysia and the pioneer in offering Chinese will-writing services in 2000. "Rockwills was also the first Malaysian will-writing company to record 100,000 wills," he said at a luncheon held in conjunction with Rockwills' anniversary here on Tuesday.

With more than 3,000 franchisees and over 100,000 clients at present, Rockwills' services cover will-writing, will custody, trust, offshore and other estate and financial planning support services, under a franchise system.

Saw said the company would continue to heighten awareness of comprehensive estate planning by organising activities such as talks and contributing informative articles to the media as well educate the public on the importance of wills and trusts.

"We are optimistic that with a growing awareness of the importance of estate planning, Rockwills will be able to continue the momentum and record a more dynamic growth. "This is not only for will-writing but also in comprehensive estate planning related services, making us the complete and independent professional estate planning group, " he added.

Tua Pek Kong's 2010 prediction

How could I have missed this story about the annual Chniah Hoay ceremony at the Hai Choo Soo (Sea Pearl) Temple in Tanjung Tokong on Saturday night? This is about the biggest event of Chinese New Year for the Chinese business community in Penang. Businessmen look forward to the predictions by Grand Uncle Tua Pek Kong "God of Prosperity" on the economy's performance for the next 12 months.

The prediction this year? The country's economy will peak in mid-May and the recovery will last until early September. After that, the economy will only be average.

Many devotees believe that the predictions come from observing the flames during the Chniah Hoay ceremony. The Hai Choo Soo overlooks the sea and the ceremony starts at high tide when the waters come in to cover a certain rock off the shore. At this point, the temple committee members start fanning an urn containing some 60 burning joss sticks. The height and intensity of the flames and the speed with which the embers flare up are then taken as the predictions of Tua Pek Kong. This year, the embers were fanned at 11.38pm, 11.42pm and 11.44pm, once each for every four months of the lunar year.

Appreciation for Penang's senior folks

When the RM100 Senior Citizens Appreciation scheme was announced by the Penang government last year, I had always wanted to register my aged aunt into the scheme. She's well over 70, unmarried and had been taking care of my two children ever since they were born. And she had been staying with me since I was small too. However, there had been one delay after another in the past year, and I hadn't been able to go to the DAP service centre in Bukit Mertajam even though the place is so near the Kampung Baru market where we usually go for our morning marketing.

During the state open house in Bukit Mertajam about 10 days ago, I was reminded by the friendly master of ceremony that it was still possible to register anyone over 60 years old until the 8 Mar 2010 deadline. I'm glad to mention here that I've finally managed to register my aunt in the programme last Saturday.

As the deadline approaches, there has been a flurry of newspaper reports in the past few days. Firstly, on 24 Feb, the state executive councillor in charge of the health, welfare, caring society and environment committee, Phee Boon Poh, said that the programme was open to all regardless of race, religion or political affiliation. It was introduced to recognise the sacrifices and contributions by senior citizens to society. Charity, he said, would only succeed when it was done with sincerity and love from the heart. "The state government will continue to reach out to ensure that the contributions of senior citizens are appreciated,” he added. Under the programme, those aged 60 and above can register at any constituency service centre to obtain RM100 per year in recognition for their contributions to society.

And today, Phee said that the Penang government would still accept applications after the 8 Mar 2010 deadline but the payment to these folks would be made at a much later date as all their details must be verified. "For those that registered with us earlier, we hope the money can handed out beginning of April. I will confirm the date later," he added.

Not surprisingly, there were people who tried to run down the programme. The chief minister commented that certain parties had been making slanderous comments. "They said this was a plot to increase DAP’s membership. We don’t need to increase our membership this way. The state has extra money and we want to share it with the people no matter what their political views are, that is the meaning of a caring and sharing state government."

RM100 is not much for a single applicant but of course, if all the senior citizens in Penang do register, it's going to cost the government a fair bit of money, possibly close to RM12 million per year  Personally, I think it is well-meant and a very noble effort. I would like to see the other states in the country emulate it.

Magically uplifting!

Do you feel sagged down by worldly problems? National problems? Home problems? Personal problems? You need not worry about them anymore! If you are feeling downright deflated for whatever reason, here's the right solution to uplift you. Spotted this banner in Bukit Mertajam yesterday:

Kek Lok Si's Kuan Yin pavilion

Ahh...the Temple Of Supreme Bliss. That's the Kek Lok Si Temple in Ayer Itam, Penang. I'm greatly awed by the sheer size of the gigantic statue of Kuan Yin there.  

Went there on Friday evening and saw for myself the magnificence of this statue, lit up in all its splendour together with the rest of the temple complex. The statue used to be unsheltered from the elements until the temple trustees decided to build a pavilion over it. If I thought the Kuan Yin statue was big enough, I wasn't prepared for the gargantuan size of the pavilion. It's immense, rising some 270 feet from the base to its tip. That's even over-shadowing the Kuan Yin statue. Three layers of roof rest on 16 carved columns. Dragon pillars, I believe they are called. An immense engineering feat that calls for the columns to support the weight of the roof which I hope can do its job to shelter the statue from nature's elements. The pavilion was finished last year and consecrated on 8 Dec 2009 amidst a lot of chanting ceremonies.

So there I was, joining a very queue of cars patiently driving along Ayer Itam from the direction of the city. Obviously, a lot of people had the same idea in mind: to visit Kek Lok Si. Therefore, even though it was already more than three weeks since the lights at the temple complex had been switched on for Chinese New Year, throngs of people are still arriving to visit the place.

From as far as the Chung Ling High School, I noticed the pavilion lights for the first time. This was even before we reached the Ayer Itam roundabout. This says a lot for the statue and its pavilion's strategic location on the hill slopes of Penang Hill.

Needless to say, the Ayer Itam village was jammed and traffic on the road leading up to the Kek Lok Si moved along so very slowly. Basically, it was a stop and go all the way. The first car park was full and we had to divert to the second car park. But I was really surprised by the road's steep inclination. It wasn't that apparent to us when we drove up but when we were coming down, we saw how steep the incline was.

Parking the car here was actually a god send because that was where the Kuan Yin statue was located. We didn't have to enter from the front and fight with the crowd to take the temple's short inclined lift ride. We stepped out of the car and there it was, a 120-foot tall bronze Kuan Yin towering above us, reputedly the tallest suxh statue in the world. Ironically, after enduring a two-hour drive up to the temple, it took us only about an hour to appreciate the place. No, we did not queue up to take the temple's lift down to the lower level to visit the pagoda or gape at the lanterns and lights.Had already done that last year. This year, we only wanted to visit the Kuan Yin statue. Now, it's done.

As to be expected, the sheer size of the statue means that even the tallest people are dwarfed by comparison. When we were at the pavilion, a group of visitors were going around the base of the Kuan Yin Statue, dropping a 10 cent coin into every one of the alms bowls. I was told that there are 108 of them.

To this lady, it was insufficient to just walk around the base. At every alms bowl, she would prostrate herself and only then, drop a coin into it. She did it 108 times. That's devotion for you, that's complete surrender to the Kuan Yin.

Snip snip: lost in the editing

There are subtle differences between what's written originally and what eventually gets into print.

Sometimes the edited versions make better reading but sometimes too, a lot of meaning gets lost in a sub-editor's need to cut stories short to fit the space. So what people read of my stories in the newspaper need not necessarily be the full story.

I'm already reproducing many of the newspaper's version of my stories in my other blog, It's All In The Planning!, but I'm seriously contmplating about posting my original versions here. If nothing else, it's just to fulfil a need to document "SSQuah Uncut" on the Net.

Should I or shouldn't I?