A Belated Happy New Year 2011!

Happy new year everyone, still not too late to convey my good wishes I am sure. I have been so busy with my move to a new house and till today I still have no phone line and as such no Internet connection. Taking a breather at work to post this, and it has also been a whirlwind at the office since I returned to work on 3 January after a week's leave. Only one week's leave, five days spent on the house moving. Can't even attach a photo of the house from this office pc!

Anyway I now can claim to finally have my not-quite dream house of my own, probably too big for my need but nicely located on top of a hill looking over parts of KL in a gated community of only 46 houses and with 24-hour security. I can now leave my doors open as I like. It is also good to finally be able to unpack all my stuffs that had been in their boxes for too long, some as far back as 2003 when I moved back from Peru! The packers finally left at 7 pm on Saturday 31 December 2010 after 3 days of packing and moving and I finally slept in the new house after midnight, after a hearty new years's eve dinner with Alya and her gang, ushering 2011 in a brand new house. House-warming will be on 22 January but I will do it at the pool/clubhouse and celebrate my BIG birthday in advance on the occasion.

So HAPPY NEW YEAR  everyone, may you have a great 2011. God bless.

Mushlim's House - Desa Paku

I had a chance to catch up with my friend Mush in Malacca yesterday. We spent two pleasant hours together and had a lot to talk about. The last time I visited his house with the lush tropical garden must have been six years ago. It is still lush and fascinating though rather overgrown. I had been privileged to see the house and its garden when it was first created in 1985 and had watched how Mush lovingly turned it into a tropical paradise and along the way made it a heliconia haven; he had one of the largest variety of heliconias in the world ! He is still today an active member of the international heliconia society having hosted some members from around the world to lunch a few weeks back. The place had also been visited by countless dignitaries international and local. It was also the set for the entire Rahim Razali film ABANG 92 which starred Deanna Yusof.

These days Mush is more spiritual and does not tend to the garden with the same energy he did before. He told me he had in fact given the property away and upon his demise the property will automatically belong to his beneficiary according to the Muslim 'hibah' tradition.

Mush gave me five young trees and palms for my new house when I left. It was indeed good and warm to see him again. God bless and keep you Mush.

The little boy from Angkor Wat

After a tour of Angkor Wat in Cambodia recently, I was browsing at a nearby souvenir/food market when I came across a really cute and handsome little boy happily playing with his sister. I stopped to observe and interact and took some photos of them. Nearby their mother was calling out, "One dollar, one dollar, only one dollar sir!"

So I scooped up the little boy and said to her, "Okay, I'll take him for one dollar!"

That's when she reacted, " No, he one million dollar sir!" She was obviously offering her souvenirs for one dollar!

What a miss! Such a beautiful and happy little thing. I hope he grows up fortunate and successful (maybe as fortunate as Maddox Jolie-Pitt, Angelina and Brad's adopted Cambodian son). It was obvious that he was much loved by the sister, and mother of course.

"You are a lucky man..." and U-Wei's HANYUT

Today I had over an hour of interesting and stimulating conversation with U-wei Haji Shaari, the famous film director (Perempuan, Isteri dan Jalang, Jogho, Kaki Bakar etc) the only Malaysian film director whose movies, two of them, had been screened at the prestigious Cannes Film Festival.

Some weeks back U-wei gave me the honour of previewing his latest film HANYUT (adrift), based on Joseph's Conrad novel 'Almayer's Folly' on dvd. And what a film it was, so beautifully crafted and with an international cast and crew and an epic feel. Beautiful Sofia Jane was so engagingly menacing in her rather mad role!
U-wei  said the film was still not completed though he had already spent RM11 million on it! He still needed some RM5 million to complete it, including a specially written music score by an international (Japanese) composer. And I thought the film was already good!  I am really honoured to be one of the rare people to whom he showed his 'unfinished' film.   

We talked about many things, mainly the Malaysian art scene and of our art collections. He said something which I thought was very nice and significant, which in fact never occurred to me. He said that I was 'a lucky man', in response to me saying that I was no longer tied down or obsessed with my art collection and other material things, that I was no longer worried,  or afraid to loose anything or worried or upset if my things got damaged or accidentally lost. Yes in fact it was so liberating to feel that way without me realising it. Thank you for making me realise it U-wei.

Reminds me again of the lyrics in Kris Kristofferson's 'Me and Bobby McGee' - freedom's just another word for nothing left to lose!

I look forward to U-wei 'finished' HANYUT, which he told me he planned to submit to Cannes! Anyone wants to foot the RM5 million?      

Deepavali Open House in Sungai Patani

What an overwhelming turnout of over 10.000 people at our agency's Deepavali Open House in Sungai Patani. Indeed 1Malaysia at it's best!

I combined the occasion with two night's most pleasant stay at the Golden Sands at Batu Ferringhi in Penang. While East Malaysia was bracing for rain and floods and the upper northern part of West had just had it awful share of rain and flood, Penang was all sunny and HUMID!

Lots of western tourists and surprisingly Arabs too when one thought the invasin from the Middle East would have ended by October. All well for our tourism industry! The hotel was full that we were reminded ever so politely to check out on time!!! Must return again and spend a more leisurely time there. Penang is so traffic-infested these days!

The enchanting Malaysian East Coast

Just back from a week's most pleasant holiday in the Malaysian East Coast with my loyal travelling companion HP. Set off with no agenda and hotel bookings and made three stops, first at the pleasant Impiana beach hotel in Chendor, then onwards to Kuala Trengganu staying two nights at the Pantai Primula. I always liked Kuala Trengganu and it has developed so well and pretty and there are lots of eating places serving food freshly cooked upon order and so cheap too. Visited the majestic State Museum on a very rainy afternoon and went into countless batik shops, as well as stalls at the scenic Pasar Payang. Left Kuala Trengganu with some 35 pieces of batik sarong (a most under-appreciated piece of craft in Malaysia), 20 0f which will be shipped to Switzerland! Kuala Trengganu seemed such a safe place and though people did not seem friendly at first, would always warm up if you chat them up.

We had a sneak at the rustically opulent Tanjung Jara Beach Resort where I had stayed twice before (before it became so horrendously expensive today). Must take up Dato Yeoh's invitation for a weekend stay sometime!

Our last stop at the Hyatt Kuantan (I always liked the place since my first stay there in 1976 and it has expanded and improved into a fine total holiday complex it is today). Arrived on Thursday afternoon to a relatively empty hotel and the next day it was full house with the Deepavali long-weekend holiday makers' arrival. Stayed two nights and had a most pleasant and relaxed time. Weather was mild throughout and just as well it was downright downcast on the day of my departure. Can't imagine all that flood in the West coast....

Drove from Kuantan to Temerloh by the old country road (which by the way had better road surface than the present highways!). Passed through some of the most beautiful, pristine and lush tropical greens to the soothing accompaniment of of beautiful music by Rossini and Donizetti from my car cd player. Heavenly divine!

At a small village near Lanchang stopped to visit my dear cucu Kuca. She is so adorable at just over a year and it was a nice and warm feeling watching her run around the garden wearing that cute pair of squeaking shoes and the sweet pretty dress I bought her in Shanghai. And when she smiles for her atok....

Back to the office grind tomorrow....

Here's a video I made from photos of this trip.
See video : http://youtu.be/thXhnLtwGWk

Wan Zaharah Ahmad in memory

Wan Zaharah binti Ahmad passed away last night and was buried at the Kota Damansara Muslim cemetery after Zohor prayer today. She underwent four surgeries over a period of one month and succumbed to the last one. During my last visit in her hospital she was in a state of panic as one of her surgical wounds had apparently burst and she kept asking me to get the doctor to attend to her and that I should not leave until the doctor came. Alas it was the last time I was to see her alive.

Wan was a relative by virtue of of her being married to my cousin Wan Talib. But more than that she was a dear friend, someone who had always been caring, supportive and very kind and generous to me. She was a warm, generous, happy person - always with a friendly smile and laughter and a positive outlook. Wan was an exceptionally good cook and cake-maker and with her husband had built a very successful and lucrative cake-making cottage industry supplying good quality cakes to a wide range of clients, from royalties, to five-star hotels and a huge stable of regular clients. She has now left a legacy of that and it is left to be seen whether the family can maintain that legacy.

I remember the glittering wedding of Wan Zaharah and Wan Talib (which the MC dubbed the Wan and Wan event) in Klang way back in 1975 when my uncle, Wan Talib's father was serving as grand chamberlain to the late Almarhum Sultan Selangor. Wan Zaharah was thereafter 'groomed' by her mother-in-law in the finer aspects of domestic matters which I believed made her the great cook she was till her expiry.

I introduced Wan's cakes and other food to many of my friends and colleaques, many of whom remained her loyal clients till today and who would take her cakes to as far as the US and Japan. We shall all miss her delicious fare and her ever smiling welcome.

Wan came to visit me in Switzerland in Summer of 2008 and together with my brother Wes and sister in law Anis who were visiting me as well we travelled around Switzerland and went as far as Florence, Rome and Venice in Italy. Wan loved to shop and was generously buying presents for her family everywhere we went. She bought so much that she had to leave some behind when she left onwards for England. She taught my cook Hafiz to make her famous nasi dagang, having brought the cooking utensils all the way from KL. The four of us really had a wonderful time in Switzerland and I remember the the pleasant, cheerful and warm conversations we would have everyday at mealtimes. Wan never ever missed her prayers throughout her stay in Switzerland.

Wan Talib gave me the honour to sprinkle the last petals of flowers a pour the last drops of rose water over her grave today. I will not forget the sight of their son Yus clinging to the tombstone reciting a prayer while tears streamed down his cheeks.

Wan Zaharah was a truly wonderful human being, an devoted wife, a loving mother, a good relative and a most dear and loyal friend to many. I will always pray that Allah SWT will bestow upon her all His blessings and place her among the chosen and blessed people, amin.