Burger King's controversial advertisement

There are complaints the world over about Burger King's latest risque advertisement which many think is in ... poor taste.

The fine print reads: “Fill your desire for something long, juicy and flame-grilled with the NEW BK SUPER SEVEN INCHER. Yearn for more after you taste the mind-blowing burger that comes with a single beef patty, topped with American cheese, crispy onions and the A1 Thick and Hearty Steak Sauce.”

Heritage: Pin Kung Hotel

I remember teasing readers in a blog post some time ago with three photos of the interior of a boutique hotel in Penang. Unfortunately, I couldn't find the time to follow up on the story.

Today, however, there's time for me to reveal that the photos were of the former Pin Kung Hotel & Chinese Restaurant in Hutton Lane. Of course, this hotel no longer exists. In its place stands the new Hutton Lodge: same building, different name but totally rebuilt and renovated.


It's a strikingly beautiful double storey building of brick masonry which opens out onto two roads. The front is set back from Hutton Lane with a compound in front and on both sides. Fenced in by a low brick wall with a gate on both sides, it is also flanked by commercial buildings and double-storey pre-war shophouses. The back of the building is attached to a two-storey annex with a rear door to Dickens Street.

The house originally belonged to an Indian Muslim family who sold it to a Mr Wong Ah Sam in 1925. Ownership was later transferred to Cheah Cheang Lim. The property was acquired by the present owners in 1948 and used as the Pin Kung Hotel. The house was later tenanted to many sub-tenants subjected to the Rent Control Act, resulting in rapid dilapidation of the property. After the repeal of the Act, the building was destroyed by fire on 18 Feb 2003.

The building at 17 Hutton Lane is one of a few surviving bungalow sites in George Town. A number of similar bungalows can be found in Chulia Street, all of which are now used as budget hotels. The porte cochere is supported by two poles of circular brick columns. A row of jalousies (louvred window shutters) line the upper floor facade. Due to its social history, architecture and town setting significance, its now categorised as a heritage conservation building.

Gullible

I can't imagine that there are still people in this modern age who are gullible enough to be taken in by this advertisement in one of the newspapers yesterday! My wife was telling me that it was the talk of the day among the security guards at her office. I think it ranks with Michael Jackson's ghost at Neverland. What a joke!

Level-headed sensibility

Gabriel Obertan (STG3 million), Michael Owen (free transfer) and Antonio Valencia (STG17 million) with Alex Ferguson (priceless)

"There is no need to panic. We should not panic because of one player leaving. I don't think any of the transfers – if you look at them – are realistic. We have a very good squad and some good young players. There was no need to have a knee jerk reaction of losing him.

"We are in the middle of a difficult summer and it's difficult to get value. But I think we have got good value; it's the right way to go for us. I can only placate fans in one way and that's by not being stupid. We have that wonderful sum of money from Real but we are not going to throw it away and spend it in situations when an extra zero is being placed on fees. With Benzema, the price tag was beyond his value. We had a value and didn't want to go above that. All this says is we are sensible."

An old friend visiting from BFM

Malek Ali, the boss of BFM 89.9 - The Business Station, was in Penang recently. Can we hope to hear this new radio station in the north soon? It's now broadcasting in the Klang Valley and receiving rave reviews from listeners.

Ted, Malek, myself, Eng Soon

Chess archive: Malaysian goodwill tour of China, 1-16 Apr 1978

It was not very apparent to many people that the People's Republic of China had applied to join the World Chess Federation in 1974 and their application was accepted at the FIDE Bureau Meeting in Penang. It was the Malaysian Chess Federation that sponsored the Chinese into the world chess fraternity, and it was something that the Chinese Chess Association did not forget. An invitation was soon given to the Malaysian Chess Federation to send an official delegation for a playing tour of China but it was not until 1978 that it materialised. Apart from Fang Ewe Churh who was both the vice-president of the Malaysian Chess Federation and the president of the Penang Chess Association, Penang was offered two places in the Malaysian delegation. The choice fell on me who was then the honorary secretary of the association, and Tan Bian Huat who had won the national closed championship in the previous year.Unfortunately, at the last minute, Fang Ewe Churh's place in the delegation was rejected by the Federal Government. Here is my account of the Goodwill Tour, as extracted from the Catur Magazine.

Finally, after almost a two-year wait for the opportunity to visit one of the last few inaccessible places in the world, a Malaysian chess team made an official tour of the People's Republic of China. And what a hectic tour it was for the chess team. The players were exposed to the uncomfortable onslaughts of their Chinese counterparts over the chessboards while away from the chessboards, they were exposed to the wear and tear of the weather. This will be explained later on. But first, about the team itself. Led by Wan Ahmad Radzi and Abdul Rahman Yaacob from the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sports, and Datuk Tan Chin Nam and Victor Vijiarungam, the players spent a total of 16 days inside the land of 900 million people. The choice of the players was more like a selection of King Arthur's famous round-table knights. From all over the country, the players assembled in Kuala Lumpur on March 30, the eve of their departure for Hongkong. From the south, Hu Yu Kuang came representing the Johore Chess Club, from the east came Abdul Rahman Ahmad of the Persatuan Catur Kelantan, from the Penang Chess Association came Tan Bian Huat and myself, the Chess Association of Perak sent Chan Swee Loon while the Chess Association of Selangor was represented by Christi Hon and R Subramaniam. Efforts to secure an eighth player from Negri Sembilan failed when the selected player proved more elusive than attempts to get Bobby Fischer to play in any tournament nowadays. So, it was in Kuala Lumpur that this group of players met each other. Never before had there been such a gathering of players from different states that constituted a greater strength than the group that assembled at Subang airport on March 31 morning. Tan Bian Huat was the 1977 national champion, Chan Swee Loon was the 1975 national champion, Christi Hon had been playing in New Zealand and the Philippines and seemed to be Malaysia's best chances of getting onto FIDE's rating list, Hu Yu Kuang was by far one of the most impressive student players from Johore, Abdul Rahman Akimad had consistently performed well in the national championships as well as having participated in the 1974 Asian Team Championship in Penang, R Subramaniam had always been known for his fighting spirit in local chess events although not lucky enough to win any tournament, while I had played on Board Two in the Asian team event four years ago. Apparently our group was in high spirits and, except for myself, was in brimming good health. For two weeks, I had been knocked out with a bad bout of influenza and the doctor had warned me to take things easy. But how could I take things easy when the prospect of an exciting tour of China was before me? We entered China through Hongkong and flew from Guangzhou to Shanghai. Reaching China's most populated city at about 8 pm, Yu Kuang and Subramaniam practically shivered from the moment they stepped outside the Trident jet. and before long, all our teeth were chattering in unison in the near 40F temperature. The daytime was only a wee bit better with the temperature reaching a maximum of only 60F in the sun. Our first match was against the Chinese national team. The venue was in one of Shanghai's most prominent areas, but unfortunately nothing had been done to warm up the hall. Luckily, our hosts were able to provide us with some Custom-made overcoats. But unluckily enough, the coats were heavy and by the third hour of play our shoulders began to sag as the overcoats seemed to get heavier and heavier. To escape the cold, nothing was more gratifying than to warm our hands by grasping the cups of hot tea with the palms of our hands; but tea was there to be drunk and we did drink the tea. We must have consumed more tea in 16 days than we ever did anytime in the past. By our own expectations, the team performed fairly. The Chinese had fielded one of their strongest combinations with their talented Chi Ching-hsuan on top board. By the third hour of play, Bian Huat reported that play was even but time trouble slowly crept in. By the adjournment, Chi had the upper hand. Our other players fared about just as badly, and apart from a draw each by Christi and myself, the rest lost. Our second match would be against the Shanghai team. Now was the time, most of us thought, to improve on our results. However, a surprise awaited us when we learnt that their lineup was basically unchanged. Chi Ching-hsuan was still playing first board and Hsi Hung-hsu had been promoted to second board. Further inquiries showed that the Shanghai team had won their national championship last year and it seemed that the bulk of their national players were from Shanghai. Undaunted, we plodded on but surprisingly enough found that resistance against their onslaughts was better than expected. Chi Ching-hsuan won his game easily, as did Hsi Hung-hsu, but the draws came on third and fourth boards from Christi and Yu Kuang. However, an unexpected turn of luck came on seventh board. In time pressure, the Chinese player blundered his position and allowed me to win material after a forced exchange of queens. On April 5, we boarded the train for Hangzhou. The next day, we were taken to the West Lake and following a breath-taking tour of the area, the third encounter with the Chinese began in the afternoon. We ended up with the score 2 1/2 - 4 1/2 in their favour. Only two games were decisive. Christi and myself lost on the second and fourth boards while the rest drew their games. One of the hardest fought games was on sixth board between Abdul Rahman and Wen Ken-hung. Chances favoured Abdul Rahman slightly at the adjourned position but further analysis showed that the win was not so easy for him. Yu Kuang had the other adjourned game in a difficult position but the draw was also there. By this time, the whole team was more than grateful for the Chinese hospitality. Most of the time, we would be taken on sightseeing tours of the region in the mornings and afternoons and immediately after a satisfying lunch we would be whisked to the tournament room where between the chessboard and endless cups of tea, the opponents would gradually break up our resistances as we nod sleepily over a piece of their cake. But Suzhou proved just as difficult for them as it was for us. Their 18-year-old prodigy, Liang Chin-yung, who the day before had won easily, had obtained an overwhelming position but in the critical stage of the game had missed the correct line and allowed Swee Loon to defend the position adequately. Christi came up with a head-splitting toothache but the ache was forgotten in his game with Li Chu-nein as he succeeded in pressuring his opponent almost to the point of constricting the king. The win came at an apt moment and allowed us to slowly creep up with a score of 3-4. Surely then, we thought that we must be getting better, for if you will notice, the team started out with a 1-6 score in Shanghai and gradually improved with a 2-5 result in Shanghai, a 2 1/2 - 4 1/2 in Hangzhou and a 3-4 in Suzhou. Hopes were high for an outright win in our fifth and last match. Yes, we did reach a new high in Peking but it was only as high as scaling the Great Wall, about 30 miles north of the Chinese capital. I drew my game easily and then saw Yu Kuang, Swee Loon and Abdul Rahman lose theirs. Subramaniam had a good position but it gradually turned bad before another dramatic switch of luck converted the game into a draw. Only Bian Huat and Christi had any chance of winning but by the fifth hour Christi's game was drawish and Bian Huat followed soon by agreeing to draw with his opponent. The tour therefore ended without the Malaysian team winning any match except that Christi and myself won a game each and that there were quite a number of hard-fought drawn games. But for us, it had been a very revealing opportunity to play against a nation which by Asian standards was second only to the Philippines. One only needed to know that the Chinese was second at the second Asian Team Championship in New Zealand in 1977 and that Chi Ching-hsuan performed well at the zonal tournament in Japan in February 1978, although he just missed qualifying from the preliminary group by only half a point.

Off-weather

I've been floored today with an upset tummy. Have been feeling colicky since the middle of the night. I thought it happens only to babies but apparently, it can happen to adults too. Anyway, it's not a nice feeling....bloated, a little nauseous, perhaps feeling a bit empty inside and light-headed. Stepping out of the house today, I see that the Tacoma trees along the road are blooming again. Wonderful flowers but not wonderful news for my aunt.

When BAD means Excellent

It's very seldom that I happen to come across a jumble sale but I passed by one just the other day. Curiosity got the better of me so I stopped to wander around. Sorry, no photos as I had left my camera at home. So I'll have to be contented with showing this picture that I took at home later. After a good clean, I gave the LP record a spin. Although there were scratches on the surface, the record was still playable.


I'm enjoying it now although I still don't understand all the fuss about the singer. So what if Michael Jackson is dead and gone? Like all celebrities, he led a celebrity life and he paid the price with a celebrity death....full of excesses and loss of privacy. But that's showbiz life...no anonymity. Anyway, I paid only RM20 to rescue this album and it's really still good value despite the surface condition. However, what I was most impressed with was the sharpness of the cover photograph. It really stood out and was impactful.

It is really true that nothing beats the record cover as a quality art form. For compact discs, artwork becomes a secondary matter because it claims only a small 5x5 area whereas, album covers measure 12x12. There's lots more space for artistic creativity.

Liverpool fans looking away

Exactly what I opined about a week ago. I had never thought that I'd see it happen and yet, it did! And England's Daily Mail really rubbing it in!

Will we see Michael Owen in Kuala Lumpur this Saturday? As Liverpool fans look away, I'm looking forward to seeing him and the rest of the team too, although sans those two who chose to run away earlier. They are arriving at KLIA Friday morning.

Captain Marvel will be at the clubhouse in Petaling Jaya, as well as Paddy Crerand, on Saturday at 11.30am.

The lying down craze

I know it is only going to be a matter of time before this Lying Down craze hits Malaysia as well. The world is already crazy enough with all sorts of people wanting to show off their individualism or herd instinct by attempting all sorts of weird acts. Add this Lying Down to the list!

They'll lie rigidly face-down on almost everywhere - on rooftops, postboxes, luggage racks and even in the engine of a jumbo jet. It's the latest and perhaps the most bizarre Internet phenomenon yet to sweep the globe.

No location is out of bounds. There are people lying down on roofs, in the middle of the road, in front of tanks, across bars in pubs and on table football games. There are only two aims to the challenge: that the lying down should be as public as possible and that as many people as possible should be involved. They must have their palms flat against their sides with the tips of their toes touching the ground.

There's even a Facebook group for Lying Down! Go search for it and see for yourself the thousands of preposterous poses, posts and positions.

Are you ready for Manchester United?

I'm ready! Bring them on!

Chess archive: First Asian junior championship, Bagiuo 1977

The reward awaiting Goh Yoon Wah for winning the national closed championship in 1976 was a trip to the Philippines where he was to take part in the first Asian junior chess championship in Baguio, Philippines on 8-21 Aug 1977. Here is his account of the event and his experience, taken from Catur Magazine.

The Malaysian delegation, comprising MCF president Dato Tan Chin Nam, MCF honorary secretary Victor Vijiarungum and myself as player, arrived at Manila International Airport on the afternoon of August 5. After a warm welcome by the president of the Philippines Chess Federation, Justice Federico Moreno, veteran player Rudolfo Cardoso and several other officials, we were taken for a ride through Greater Manila to Quezon City where we put up at a cosy hotel. One unique and eye-catching mode of public transport in Manila is by gaily coloured and decorated jeeps.

Later in the day several other players arrived, among them the talented international master, Bachar Kouatly of Lebanon, a heavy favourite to win the tournament. By August 6, every player except Murray Chandler of New Zealand had arrived and we were all set to leave for Baguio City the morning after. Chandler apparently had some problems with his flight.

We travelled to Baguio City by bus, seeing a lot of countryside along the way. The four-hour trip ended with a long and winding climb up the summer mountain resort (in the bus, of course!). Cool, serene and even misty, Baguio is indeed an ideal spot for chess playing. Karpov and Korchnoi seemed to agree too - they played their 1978 world championship match there. Our arrival at the plush Pines Hotel was welcomed by a group of gaily dressed native dancers - another expression of the reputable Filipino hospitality. The players and delegates settled down to rest and prepare for what were to come the next day.

The opening ceremonies were held in the Banquet Hall of the hotel, also the tournament hall. The guest of honour was no other than the daughter of President Marcos, Imee Marcos. Also present were Baguio City Mayor Luis Lardizabal, Justice Moreno, Dr Abdul Hussein Navabi and Prof Lim Kok Aun, presidents of FIDE Zones IX and X respectively, and FIDE Deputy President Florencio Campomanes. The occasion concluded with a ceremonial game between Kouatly and Ms Marcos which, of course, ended in a 'draw' after a few moves.

By noon, the participants had been confirmed. They were IM Bachar Kouatly (Lebanon), Pravin M. Thipsay (India), Dan Fardell (Australia), Sassan Rabii (Iran), Lim Chye Seng (Singapore), Anton FL Tobing (Indonesia), Phillip Goodings (Hong Kong), Adrian Pacis and Andronica Yap (of the host country, Philippines), Murray Chandler (of New Zealand, who has yet to arrive) and myself. Stephen Knoll of Papua New Guinea withdrew at the last moment.

The first round started off aspiringly for me with a win against Goodings (Who was to know he would come out last?). This was followed by two free days as a result of a bye and my game with Chandler being postponed to a later free day. It was no great help since it meant I would have to play on the next eight consecutive days.

The sensation of the second round came when Thipsay defeated Kourtly in a well-earned win, reducing the latter's chances for first place. Kouatly paid dearly for his speculative style of play. He sacrificed a pawn early in the game, hoping to catch Thipsay in an attack. Thipsay defended calmly and when all was under control, went out for a crushing attack against Kouatly's king. The Lebanese resigned on the 36th move.

The First Asian Chess Federations Presidents' Conference was held side by side with the tournament on August 10. Justice Moreno who chaired the conference read the message from President Marcos, "... the various chess federations of Asia now have the unique opportunity to link up their efforts and to exchange ideas in tackling the problems facing the sport." An important result of this conference was the initiation of the Asian Grandmasters' Circuit which would, without doubt, prove to be a great step in the advance of chess standards in the region.

August 11 saw the arrival of Chandler who would play his first game in the fourth round - with Kouatly, of all people! Kouatly had met and defeated Chandler before and he expressed great confidence in beating the New Zealander again. Here is the game between the two top contenders, the comments being based on Kouatly's during the post-mortem.

Chandler (New Zealand) - Kouatly (Iran), Baguio 1977
1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 e5 (Kouatly's pet variation in the Sicilian Defence. He had employed it very frequently in tournament games and obtained excellent results with it. Black gets dynamic play in compensation for his backward but not necessarily weak d-pawn) 6. Ndb5 d6 7. Bg5 a6 8. Na3 b5 9. Nd5 Be7 10. Bxf6 Bxf6 (Up to now it's all book...) 11. h4 (...but Kouatly did not expect this move. Chandler must be trying to steer clear of charted waters as Kouafly is familiar with the usual lines. However the innovation may be doubtful). 11...Bxh4 12. Rxh4 Qxh4 13. Nc7+ Ke7 14. Nxa8 Qxe4+ 15. Qe2 Qb4+ 16. c3 QaS (If White thought that the N on a8 could escape, he had been mistaken) 17. Qe3 Be6 18. Nb6 Rb8 19. Qg5+ Kf8 20. Rd1 Qxb6 21. Rxd6. b4 22. Nbl Bxa2 23. Nd2 bxc3 (Black is now two pawns up but he has no quick win yet) 24. bxc3 Be6 25. Bd3 h6 26. Qh4 Qc7 27. Ne4 a5 28. g4 (White must do something before it is too late). 28.Ne7 29. Qg3 Ng6 30. Bc2 Nf4 31. g5 h5 32. Rd2 Rb2 33. g6 f6 34. f3 Qb6 (Now it seems that Black is ready to bring down the axe. Chandler's reaction?) 35. Nxf6 (A desperate try, but...) 35...gxf6) (.... it did pay off! Surely there are other clear ways of winning, eg 35...Qe3+ 36. Kdl Rxc2, etc) 36. g7+ Kg8?? (This is suicide. Kouatly had more than an hour on his clock while Chandler had less than ten minutes.) 37. Bh7+ Kxh7 38. g8=Q+ Kouatly resigned. The mate was not hard to see. Why then? Kouatly's explanation: "I lost my game and I lost my date"!!)

Dato and Datin Tan and Mr Vijiarungum left Baguio on August 12 morning. That saved me some awkward moments when I lost dramatically to Kouatly that afternoon. Chandler's swindle must have brought the tiger out of the Lebanese. This was followed by another dramatic loss to Chandler on 13th August, a free day. This time I was not myself. Never known to sacrifice speculatively, I was amazed when I found myself sacrificing a pawn on the 11th move and then the exchange three moves later!

Chandler (New Zealand) - Goh (Malaysia), Baguio 1977
1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. e5 c5 4. c3 Nc6 5. Nf3 Bd7 (More usual is 5 ...Qb6. However, I was inspired by the game Kupreichik-Gulko in which Black won brilliantly). 6. dxc5 Qc7 7. Bf4 Bxc5 8. b4 Bb6 9. Bd3 Nge7 10. Bg3 h5 11. 0-0 g5 12.Nxg5 h4 13. Bf4 f6 14. Nh7 Rxh7 15. Bxh7 0-0-0 16. a4 a5 (Much stronger was 16...fxe5 followed by 17...Qd6 as pointed out by Kouatly just after the game) 17. Na3 fxe5 18. Nb5 Qb8 (I got my Queen onto the same square in a later game against Lim of Singapore. b8 is not a bad square for a Queen after all!) 19; Bg5 Rh8 20. Bd3 e4 21. Bxe4 Qe5 (21...dxe4 22. Nd6+ Kc7 23. b5 is not too appetizing) 22. Bxe7 Nxe7 23 Bd3 Bxb5 (A weak move. This bishop could obtain some prospects on the h1-a8 diagonal; its exchange makes things easy for White) 24. axb5 h3 25. g3 Nf5 26. Qe2 Qd6 27. Bxf5 exf5 28. bxa5 Bc5 29. Rael I stopped my clock.

After these setbacks, I pulled myself together and managed to extract 1 1/2 points from the next two rounds (1 from Pads and 1/2 from Tobing) and seemed set to place high since my losses so far were to the top contenders. Let's stop for a while to look at the situation after Round Seven. Although Thipsay was leading with 5 1/2 points (+5=1-1) he had only three games left to play. Chandler with a clean score of five points out of five games looked more like the prospective champion. Kouatly and Rabii came next with four points each and four games to go. I had 2 1/2 points with four games to go and was placed seventh at the moment. By this time most of the players had loosened up and started to enjoy themselves at the Sadiwan discotheque in the hotel.

Round Eight saw Chandler finally being stopped - by Lim Chye Seng of Singapore. Lim defended well against Chandler's Vienna Opening to hold him to a draw in 52 moves. Kouatly and Thipsay couldn't have been more delighted. Round Nine passed without much incident, the top three leaders all winning their games. Round 10 brought Chandler and Thipsay to the opposite sides of the board. It was a dry game with Chandler employing a Ponziani opening, exchanging pieces early. They agreed to halve the point on the 24th move. Now Chandler only needed 1 1/2 points from his next two games with Fardell (a postponed game from the second round) and Goodings to clinch first place.

Just before the last round we had a free day on the 19th. The day was spent at a beautiful Bauang beach where the players let themselves go by swimming and motorboat rides. We returned in the late afternoon to allow Chandler and Fardell play their postponed game. It turned out to be the shortest game of the tournament. Both were happy to shake hands after the 12th move in a position where only a pair of minor pieces were exchanged. Chandler knew he was going to win his last game against the luckless Goodings, and the crown along with it.

It was over in 27 moves. Goodings couldn't cope with the complications arising from the ...e5 variation of the Sicilian and fell into a mating net. Lim-Kouatly was another...e5 Sicilian in which the Lebanese won in 44 moves to come out second ahead of Thipsay on tie-break. This final round was a truly exciting round, not only because of the climax of tension but also because of two black-outs during play. Kerosene lamps had to be brought into the hall and the players were asked to leave their tables until the power failure was corrected. It was a great coincidence that years back a similar incident happened during a tournament there.

Chandler is now International Master Murray Chandler. Besides the IM title, he won a US$200 cash prize, a trophy donated by Ms Imee Marcos, the Presidents' Award which guaranteed his transportation to the World Junior Championship 1977 at Ipswich, Austria (a resolution of the Federation Presidents' Conference) and a free tour of the Philippines. What else could one ask for?

Going DOWNHILL

The federal government succumbs to short-sightedness and anti-English pressure despite measured opinions and an independent poll showing that the majority of Malaysians want the teaching of mathematics and science in English to continue.

According to The Malaysian Insider, the poll by the Merdeka Centre also showed that a whopping 69 percent of Malaysians backed the recent proposal by Muhyiddin Yassin to make a pass in English compulsory in the SPM examination. Only 26 per cent of those polled disagreed, while five per cent were undecided.

Despite the very vocal protest by some educationists and politicians, the poll suggested many ordinary Malaysians did not agree with their nationalistic views and concerns that rural and Malay students would not be able to cope.

Asked about the teaching of science and mathematics in English, 58 percent of Malaysians polled wanted the policy to be maintained. Only 32 per cent of those polled wanted the English policy to be reversed, while nine per cent were undecided.

Some 1,060 selected registered voters were surveyed between 19 June and 1 July. According to the methodology of the survey, 44 per cent of the respondents were classified in the rural demographic while 56 per cent were from urban areas. The margin of error is about +/- 3 per cent. The survey was jointly commissioned by Merdeka Centre and a research house.

George Town UNESCO world heritage day

On the occasion of our Silver wedding anniversary on 7 July next year, my dear wife and I have only a very simple wish: that the Penang government will mark our wedded milestone by declaring a public holiday.

Golly gee......our wish has come true!
Ha ha ha ha .....

Heritage: Penang's early years

Over lunch yesterday, my colleague and I were discussing my earlier post on David Brown and we were asking ourselves who exactly was David Brown (1776-1825)? He might have owned large tracts of land on Penang island (known as the Prince of Wales Island in those days) but how did he get his hands on so much land?

I saw a hint in the Penang Travel Tips website where the writer, Timothy Tye, said that "David Brown went into business with his fellow Scotsman, James Scott, who was Francis Light's trading partner. After James Scott died, David Brown took over his business, and eventually became the largest landowner on Penang Island."

However, there is still no inkling about how Brown accumulated his land. Did he inherit it or did he forcibly take it from someone else?

This time, I turned to Timothy's other Asia Explorers website to extract this interesting passage: "When Francis Light passed away in 1794, his business partners James Scott and William Fairlie were the executors of his will. Light had willed his estate to Martina Rozells, the woman he lived with for 22 year but never officially married. The union produced five children, three girls, Sarah, Mary and Ann, and two sons, William and Francis Lanoon. In an age when women have little or no say, Scott and Fairlie swiftly transferred Light's properties to their own names, including his estate Suffolk. Martina went to court seeking justice, but it eluded this unfortunate woman who was one part Portuguese, one part Siamese, and no part British. She was, after all, just someone's common-law wife - a.k.a mistress - and in all likelihood, illiterate. To keep her mouth shut, they gave her a pension. Surely the British East India Company would rather have this very important piece of real estate safe in British hands than to see justice served."

Some of the jigsaw puzzle now falls into place. From the disjointed information on two web sources, I gathered that James Scott (1746-1808) and William Fairlie (1752-1834) claimed Light's properties as theirs and later on, Brown took over the land from Scott when the latter died. Francis Light (1740-1794), the founder of the British settlement on the island for the British East India Company, was apparently no angel himself. He might have negotiated control of Penang from the then Sultan of Kedah but he himself wasn't above claiming large parts of the sparsely populated island as his own. Of course in those days, the land was worth almost nothing and the ignorant natives had little rights. For the natives - and the island was already inhabited then - survival was the order of their day.

These were the early British settlers and traders that came with Light to Penang soon afterwards: people like James Scott, William Fairlie and David Brown. There were many others and they were the ones who took control over most of the island and divided the resources among themselves. For better or for worse, they were the ones who initially shaped Penang and gave the island its direction and heritage.

I never thought I'd see this happen ...

... Michael Owen in a Manchester United shirt!

"Manchester United ... you automatically think winners, you think trophies, you think the stadium, the massive fan base. So many top players here. They are obviously a fantastic team with fantastic players. That's why they've all won so much throughout their careers. Hopefully I can jump on the bandwagon, score a few goals and help us to further success. I probably won't sleep thinking about all the top players I'm going to be playing alongside. There's a lot to think about and a lot to get excited about."

The Fed delivered

Hail the champion!

"It was a crazy match and my head is still spinning," said Roger Federer, minutes after defeating Andy Roddick in an epic 5-7, 7-6, 7-6, 3-6, 16-14 match to win his 15th grand slam title and make tennis history at Wimbledon.

Wimbledon 2009 final tonight

Will five-time Wimbledon champion Roger Federer be able to tame Andy Roddick's zinger serves in tonight's Final beginning 9pm local time?

David Brown, who?

I went to change the tyres on my car yesterday. Went to this tyre shop called LITA in Dato Kramat Road. It's right across from the Esso and Shell stations, and located smack between the CIMB Bank and Public Bank. Nobody can miss this prominent shop. While I left the car at the shop, I walked to the hawker centre at the corner of Perak Road and Anson Road.


This hawker centre must have been around for at least 50 or 60 years, or maybe even longer. It's appearance hasn't changed at all, though. On one side was the Chinese section and on the other side were the Malay stalls. My favourite Chinese food here are the popiah and the yong tau foo. The yong tau foo is quite unique and you won't find any other stall that's close to it in terms of quality and variety. And the popiah, well, it's differently delicious too.

For a long while already, I've noticed this monument in the middle of the hawker centre but never really paid any close attention to it. Nobody does. However, something made me walk up to it on that Friday.


This is the monument to David Brown. He was one of the early British settlers here. A qualified lawyer, he became one of the biggest landowners in 19th Century Penang. Brown and his descendents donated large tracts of land to the people. Among some of his notable donations included the Snake Temple grounds, the land that is Brown Garden today and of course, the 4.8-hectare field which is today known as the Padang Brown or the Dato Kramat Padang.


It's still being used mainly as a football field although a night market can be found here occasionally. The hawker centre sits in one of the far corners of this field together with the monument. I have no idea when exactly this monument was erected but on one of its sides was this inscription:


It reads: "This monument was erected by public subscription by the European and native inhabitants of Penang: To the memory of the late David Brown Esquire in testimony of their esteem and approbation of his character and for his unwearied zeal and usefulness as a member of the community during the long period of 25 years which he was a resident on the island. His death took place on the 12th September 1825 in the 49th year of his age on board the H.C.S. Windsor Castle on her passage to Malacca."

So it seemed that David Brown was quite an active and participative member of the community in those days. Among his large tracts of land was the Glugor Estate which was planted with nutmeg and other spices. He brought in Tamil workers from India to work his estate and in return, alienated some land for them to build their village, rear cows and goats and plant fruit trees. This was supposedly some 200 years ago.

The land was later vested in the Crown as the Helen Brown Housing Trust under the Housing Trust Act, 1950, named after their owner and then current employer, Helen Margaret Brown. Shortly after the British left Malaya in 1957, the Penang government took over the village in the capacity of ‘trustee’ and began collecting annual Temporary Occupation Licence (TOL) rents. This village of coconut trees and about 300 residents staying in 24 houses is today known as Kampung Buah Pala. It's still one of the largest Indian communities in Penang. However, the Indians here are now immersed in deep controversy.

Tennis: how to handle a one-trick pony

I don't watch much tennis on televsion. In fact, i very seldom plonk myself in front of the idiot box to watch ANYTHING. Part of the reason is because my family lords over the television set 90 percent of the evening and by the time they retire, well, it's too late for me as well.

But I do know Roger FEDERER from David FERRER, Juan Carlos FERRERO or a FERRARI because I read quite a lot. I make up for the lost opportunities in front of the television by reading a lot on the Internet and the newspapers. Nevertheless on Wednesday evening, I managed to catch about 30 minutes on the Wimbledon quarter-finals on television because I successfully hijacked the idiot box from my aunt who happened to fall asleep on the couch.

Federer and Ivo Karlovic were playing on Centre Court and they were in the third set already. Ivo Karlovic. The tallest player in the tennis circuit. Checking in at six foot ten inches. Must be a rarified atmosphere where he stalks all other professional tennis players. Breathing a different kind of air at that height.

Karlovic. Curiously enough, my memory of the only other time I've seen him on television was at about this same time way back in 2003. It was also the Wimbledon then and Karlovic was in the process of blowing away the defending champion, Leyton Hewitt, in the very first round with an eventual 1-6 7-6 6-3 6-4 scoreline. Hewitt just couldn't handle all the power serves that came at him in that match. Left, right and centre. A very poignant image was the difference in height between the two players. When they came together at the end, my first thought was that a man was toying at tennis with a small boy. Hewitt was a sorry sight. At five foot 11 inches, he looked like a small boy as compared with his lanky opponent.

So back to the Federer and Karlovic match. Could Federer handle Karlovic's big serves? Apparently, yes, because he had already won the first two sets when I sat to watch the rest of the game. And it was more than that because once Federer neutralised Karlovic of his serves, the tall guy had nothing left. "He's only a one-trick pony," my friend Eric described him. Yes, quite rightly so.