Monday, December 30, 2013

Golf revisit.

30.12.2013.

Before closing 2013, isn't it appropriate for me to come back to golf, my addictive pastime ?

My notes tell me that it's been an ok year. Early tomorrow morning I'm taking Maulud to meet our regular Thursday foursome, this time not on a Thursday nor at the club, but at Nilai Spring.  The outcome is predictable - it'll be a stroll, ha ha.

Our "kaki's" are two former Judges who now make SIGC their base but playing, in their glorious retirement, all over the place. This year somehow we bumped into each other and agreed to meet Thursdays, and we have mostly made it for the last few months. As I said, with due respect, my more frequent practice so far has made the outcome predictable. They're no slouches, but just don't play enough.

Dato' Sulaiman is the more jovial of the two and  carries a mean iron. His woods are less predictable. Dato' Azhar says he plays a number of games, but now keeps  golf as his chosen sport. He keeps on buying new clubs, new bags and new shoes.  I have even stopped buying new balls.

My partner, Maulud, at 73, is the oldest of the four, but probably hits the longest. His thin, wiry frame belies the power of his swing. I can only match him in the short game.

As usual, there'll be a little gamesmanship and a small wager to make things interesting. The only question is it's been many,many years since I played in Nilai, so I don't know how my short game will be. I'll probably irritate the opposition harder.

I told Maulud to meet me at 7 sharp, and we'll take the Lekas and that should be a quick half-hour to Nilai. But Maulud's biggest problem is his tardiness. Our tee-time is 8, and there's always a crowd at Nilai, and I can't leave Maulud behind the way I have done when we play at the club.

Wednesday Ah Meng and Bus Chong will play with me at the club. That'll be New Year and we may have a bigger-than-usual crowd, but I doubt it. Seremban must be the least crowded golf course in the  world. But that serves me just fine. It should be another good year, golf-wise.



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Ameng

30.12.2013.

Ameng started school today and promptly fell in a drain and dirtied his school uniform. That's Ameng for you.

From small he has always been contrary. When Acad does something, he'll do something else. When the kindergarten got all the children to dance, he sat back and simply refused to join in. When everyone else happily took the ice cream cones, he chose chewing gum.

Recently when we visited, he pestered me  to take him back to Seremban. When we got back to their house to pick up a change of clothes, he decided to play badminton first. The trip was off. A grandfather must stick to his guns. While he can.

Ameng didn't begin to talk early. He refused to shake my hands whenever we met until years later. Now he's ok in that department.  But earlier I was serious when I told No.2 Son to take his son to the doctor and see if he has any learning difficulty. No.2 Son of course didn't.  But we know better now. Ameng doesn't have any learning difficulty. He's just difficult.

Recently coming back from Gombak returning to Subang Jaya Ameng asked Adik to stop the car to piss. Adik knows too well what Ameng is capable of, but you can't simply stop on the DUKE and and get Ameng to  unrinte by the roadside, so we stopped at the next toll plaza, the Subang exit, and father and son jumped out. But instead of easing himself in the toilet, Ameng just did his thing into the grass outside the car. We could have done that half-an-hour ago.

When school  starts next week, I don't know the stuff  he'll do. Hopefully he'll fit in and settle down in school.  But his teachers will have their hands full. Ameng will make sure of that.



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Sunday, December 29, 2013

The last weekend for 2013

29.12.2013


We met up again after , I don't know, how long was it ? - Col. "Rimau", Tajri and Faizul, at Aik Kheow's daughter's wedding to a US domicile Korean at the One World at First Avenue One Damansara last Saturday. The wife couldn't make it with so many things happening at home this last weekend of  the year.

With the noise of the going-ons it was difficult to carry on any conversation around our no 16 table, so mostly I talked to Faizul sitting next to me. Col. Rimau as usual was carrying on with his bombastic pronouncements on what he perceived to be the current political scene (totally lopsided, as usual) and then turning to Tajri, talking to him but covering his hand on his mouth as if to be mute whatever secretive message he had. I just ignored him. Faizul and I had some catching up to do anyway, so we were engrossed. When Tajri and Col. Rimau took their early leave, Faizul and I stayed. Eventually I  left before him at about 10.

Aik Kheow, Tajri, Col. Rimau and Faizul and I went back to 1985 when I was with Felda Angkut.  Now it's called something else. Faizul was one of my operations managers, and the others were our contractors. As I remarked to Faizul that night, I helped all three in no small way in their businesses. I pointed out that I chose Kudrat Maritime over the others for no other reason than that Osman brought Tajri to see me.  I remember the first time we played golf together (me with no handicap !) at the par 3 Saujana Golf & Country Club and I used a driver. I thought all  tee shots were  with that club !

Aik Kheow sends his annual Raya greetings, as does Tajri, but that's about it now. And this wedding invitation.  But Aik Kheow hasn't missed all four of my children's weddings, and I went to Taiping twice for his two sons' weddings. But Tajri missed my daughter's wedding. When we went to London in 1986 I remember Tajri helped carry my 2-year old daughter in the cold, walking to Oxford Street from our apartment.

I brought Faizul to MHS, I think it was 1992. He was hesitant at first. I think he expected a better offer. I told him come first, things should work out.  This is business, and I'm here. He accepted. I think he's happy he came. After I left in 1994, he also left to join Kudrat Maritime, and now he's part-owner after buying out Tajri. He couldn't have done this if he remained in Felda Angkut.

I left without telling Aik Kheow, the busy host, but told Faizul to do so. I had golf fixed on Sunday.


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Tuesday, December 17, 2013

Kulim

17.12.2013.

Din loaned his MPV for the trip Thursday - Saturday for Haffizi's wedding at Kulim. Dek Mah and Ati came with us, in fact it was Ati and Alip who brought the MPV from Bahau. Alip said the van had been recently serviced and when I checked the oil at Kulim, sure enough, it's new and clear.

This was my first Kulim trip. I've driven to Kedah scores of times but haven't been to Kulim. It took us 5 hours from Seremban, taking the highway exit Kulim-Lunas straight into the town. It's like any Malaysian town - there're the new and the old, except driving through Kedah we passed the wide padi lands, something missing before.

With the akad and the reception, we spent three days and two nights there. Nosa gave us a home-stay accomodation, a fairly large three-room brick house about 600 meters from the surau, the nikah venue. We had plenty of time to practise our Kedah dialect - "awat kalut !"

There're plenty of eating places and the fares are cheap, but my God, the flies are really bad. I think it's  the wet surroundings or something. We moved a few times to find eating places with more manageable fly situation. Even the bride's house was terribly infested. It's a wonder nobody got sick.

I'm glad we made the trip. Nosa and Acik would have been disappointed, otherwise. In fact there were about 20 of us who made it from the Pilah group. Not too bad. 

The return reception in Kuala Pilah is on Christmas Day. Wonder how many of them would make it.

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Tuesday, December 3, 2013

UMNO GA 2013

3.12.2013.

In the next few days the  local media will spread out their dutiful coverage of the 2013 UMNO General Assembly. Anyone with any pretension on Malaysian politics  would follow the deliberations. This, in terms of numbers, would be the biggest General Assembly  ever, and coming after GE 13, the most important  for the rest of the party's future. 

UMNO will have to get past the party jokers who come each year to try and outdo each other in getting the biggest laughter.  There are  serious issues here. These are no laughing matters.

First, problems must be recognized and the remedies outlined.

Second, the future leaders must be identified and their ideas sought.

Third, the committment to an agreed plan of action must be made right before the Assembly.

The issues are singularly clear - the spade has to be called a spade.
The future leaders mostly lurk in the sidelines - they have to be given a prominent place behind the retiring and to-be-retired present leaders.

The plan of action has to be spelt in black-and-white and the deadlines struck solid.

Otherwise it will be just another assembly, joking its way to UMNO's imminent demise. And that could be sooner than the delegates, poor fellows, ever expect.



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