My Dell laptop was attacked by virus. Did a reformat of the hard disk... and found out that my Dell Driver CD was stolen by the thieves, who took along my burned CD collection. So now, no laptop to use liao. Waiting for a friend to help me get a copy of the Dell Driver CD.
Will be going to Laos and North Thailand in early May for backpacking. Schedule is tentatively: KK - KL - Bangkok - Udon Thani - Nong Khai - Vientianne - Vang Vieng - Luang Prabang - Pak Beng - Huoy Xai - Chiang Rai - Chiang Mai - Bangkok - KK. Airasia flights la, budget travel ma.
If you have been to those places, please give us some travel tips and advise. Thank you.
Saturday, April 22, 2006
Of treasures and thieves
Am still a bit upset, because sometime late last month my house was broken in by thieves. They came in through the side door into the living room. After breaking off a padlock on the door grille, they managed to stretch their hands through an adjacent window to reach for the door knob, and the rest was easy. The thieves must have attacked in the night, while I was on-call in the hospital and leaving the house totally vulnerable. Lost some things for sure, I won't elaborate here. Idiot thieves, took even things that are useless to them but are useful to me (took cables of my CD burner and battery charger, and left the burner and charger behind, can you believe that?!). Nothing too irreplacable, but gave me quite a hassle to get things back. And to think that one day this poor government doctor might be saving their loved ones' or their own lifes. I was angry. God said pray for your enemies, I wonder if thieves are included.
To my disgust, two days ago my parent's house in Seremban was entered by thieves too! Those criminals were even more daring, entering the house in broad daylight! They must be experienced thieves, since they had tools to cut open the front door grilles.
Maybe to live a decent life nowadays is getting difficult with rising costs of living, making some people opt the easy way out by way of petty crimes.
If you think your house is safe because you have installed padlocks and grilles, I can tell you now that you are very wrong. Those things are easy to get pass, the locksmith told me. If the thieves are determined enough, they will find their way somehow. And if you think that they will spare your house and go for your rich neighbour, fat hope. I wonder when and where have the thieves lost their conscience and morality.
So, what options are we left with? Safe deposit boxes? High tech alarms? Keep a dog? Hoping for the police to do a better job? Hahaha...
How about this solution:
"Do not store up riches for yourselves here on earth, where moths and rust destroy, and robbers break in and steal. Instead, store up riches for yourselves in heaven, where moths and rust cannot destroy, and robbers cannot break in and steal. For your heart will always be where your riches are. "
And while we are talking about thieves, here's something more sobering...
"And you can be sure that if the owner of a house knew the time when the thief would come, he would not let the thief break into his house. And you, too, must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you are not expecting him."
To my disgust, two days ago my parent's house in Seremban was entered by thieves too! Those criminals were even more daring, entering the house in broad daylight! They must be experienced thieves, since they had tools to cut open the front door grilles.
Maybe to live a decent life nowadays is getting difficult with rising costs of living, making some people opt the easy way out by way of petty crimes.
If you think your house is safe because you have installed padlocks and grilles, I can tell you now that you are very wrong. Those things are easy to get pass, the locksmith told me. If the thieves are determined enough, they will find their way somehow. And if you think that they will spare your house and go for your rich neighbour, fat hope. I wonder when and where have the thieves lost their conscience and morality.
So, what options are we left with? Safe deposit boxes? High tech alarms? Keep a dog? Hoping for the police to do a better job? Hahaha...
How about this solution:
"Do not store up riches for yourselves here on earth, where moths and rust destroy, and robbers break in and steal. Instead, store up riches for yourselves in heaven, where moths and rust cannot destroy, and robbers cannot break in and steal. For your heart will always be where your riches are. "
Matt 6:19-21
And while we are talking about thieves, here's something more sobering...
"And you can be sure that if the owner of a house knew the time when the thief would come, he would not let the thief break into his house. And you, too, must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you are not expecting him."
Luke 12:39,40
Tuesday, April 04, 2006
Meet my Vee
My Vee is here finally, after a 4.5 months' wait. I booked on the first Hari Ray day in early November, and got it last Wednesday. It's a 1.3 Manual, Premium edition, in Ozzy Orange. And yes, I am eligible for the refund of lower new car pricing.
Here's how the Vee looks like:
Here's how the Vee looks like:
Why did I chose my Vee? Firstly, I decided I will never take a Proton. Secondly, have to bow to rising fuel prices. Thirdly, came to realise that car ownership is an expensive affair, and a car is a constantly depreciating asset; so better get one that is low on maintenance and sufficient for my needs. Fourthly, poor government servant like me should not be driving anything more than a Malaysian car, otherwise people will think that you are a corrupt fella. Just joking. Hehehe.
Well meaning people have been telling me that in Sabah, a 4WD is THE way to get around, especially suited for the lousy roads, hilly terrains and occasional off-roading. Very useful for church ministry in more interior areas. However, my previous experience with the Pajero have been an unpleasant one, one that I have yet come to terms with.
Done with the first tank of fuel. Fuel consumption? About 16.7 km/liter, or RM 1.14/10km. Sounds quite OK. The impressive thing about the Vee is that it's so spacious, and everybody sits comfortably. Other than that, it's just a car.
If you want a ride, don't shy shy to ask. If you make some money from the car number, don't shy shy to share.
Cheers!
Friday, March 31, 2006
Tuesday, March 28, 2006
The answer
By the way, if you have read the earlier post and is still scratching your head for the answer... which portion of the pig is best meat?
Click HERE.
Click HERE.
Sunday, March 26, 2006
Thank you
You know who you are. We know who you are (some of you la).
If you are reading this...
Thank you for keeping us in your prayers.
Thank you for your valuable inputs.
Thank you for helping us make our wedding a wonderful and memorable occasion.
Thank you for coming over from near and afar to share in our joy.
Thank you for your lovely gifts and generous angpows.
Thank you for coming to read this blog and see the photos. Hope you enjoyed them.
Thank you for being friends to Mr and Mrs Hoong (tak biasa la panggilan ini macam).
Do continue to keep in touch.
Click HERE for a summary of the photo albums taken during the wedding week.
Have a nice day and God bless.
Cheers!
If you are reading this...
Thank you for keeping us in your prayers.
Thank you for your valuable inputs.
Thank you for helping us make our wedding a wonderful and memorable occasion.
Thank you for coming over from near and afar to share in our joy.
Thank you for your lovely gifts and generous angpows.
Thank you for coming to read this blog and see the photos. Hope you enjoyed them.
Thank you for being friends to Mr and Mrs Hoong (tak biasa la panggilan ini macam).
Do continue to keep in touch.
Click HERE for a summary of the photo albums taken during the wedding week.
Have a nice day and God bless.
Cheers!
Honeymoon
Do you know how the words 'honey' and 'moon' got linked together into this one beautiful word? I am still wondering. Bringing your 'honey' for a walk under 'moon'light? Hmmm.
With much thanks to Auntie Liz of SIB Likas KK for her valuable input, Irene and I decided to head to the Kinabalu Mountains and Kundasang for cool air, relax and unwind.
With much thanks to Auntie Liz of SIB Likas KK for her valuable input, Irene and I decided to head to the Kinabalu Mountains and Kundasang for cool air, relax and unwind.
It was raining all day from when we left Sapong till we reached Kundasang. Spent a night in Zen Garden Resort (last resort since the other decent hotels were fully booked) which had quite nice surroundings, but so-so food. 
The next day we visited Mount Kinabalu Park, then drove up to Mesilau Park, and back to Kundasang. Click HERE for the photos. Spent the night in Hotel Perkasa Kundasang, which was a real splendid place. At night it was chilling cold and mist enveloped the hotel. Really nice atmosphere. Highly recommended :-) Did some outdoor shots at Hotel Perkasa. Click HERE to see more photos.
Left the mountains and came back to hot and humid Kota Kinabalu. Since we still had the bridal costumes with us, we headed to Tanjung Aru Beach Resort to take some outdoor bridal shots, before returning the costumes. Click HERE for photos.
Then it was back to Keningau, and then Tenom for a friend's Lundayeh wedding on Saturday.
It's wedding day!
My sleep was interupted early by loud voices and sounds of clobbering. The men had started their day before dawn, cutting up the huge chunks of pork into smaller portions for the cooking pot. You would have thought I would wake up to take photos... nah, I was too sleepy.
When the sun was out, the meat was all done up. Click HERE to see more photos. Pork is the essential dish for every Lundayeh wedding. Of course there would be consideration of dishes for Muslim guests. In a typical Lundayeh wedding in the village, usually 5 to 6 pigs would be slaughtered, and the meat dominates the menu. As for us, Irene's family got 3 pigs for the feast, and the rest being non-pork dishes, since our guests were more varied. Want to know which portion of the pig is best meat? Look at the pics for clues. Hint: the best portion is reserved for distinguished guests.
Was hoping that my Vi would arrive in time to be used as the wedding car. But the shipment was late. Thankfully, Irene's auntie loaned us her new Toyota Spacio, which was really spacious inside true to its name.
About 10.30 am, we all went to the SIB Sapong Church for the wedding ceremony. It was a bumpy 10-minute ride on gravel from Irene's house.
The ceremony was a simple one. Started with opening prayers, then a few songs, followed by the exchange of vows and rings. Follow the earlier link to see more photos. Ended with photo session and shake-hand session. We had Pastor Sim from Tomani (very interior Sabah) to be our marriage registrar.
After that we headed back to Irene's house for lunch. The guests had already started makan makan. I'll let the pics do the talking. The luncheon was mainly for folks around Sapong and friends and relatives who attended the church ceremony.
Towards the end, Irene's relatives beat the bronze gongs and we had a brief round of dancing (and playing the fool). My relatives arranged a Chinese tea-serving ceremony, while Irene's relatives handed over colourful hand-woven rattan baskets and a sack of home-grown rice as gifts. An exchange of two cultures; a merging of two extended families across the South China Sea. A special moment in national integration.
Whew. Finally got some rest. Thank God that the day had gone well with no major hiccups. Weather was perfect, far from the preceding rainy days.
In the night, we had another round of feast. The dinner was mainly for invited guests from near and afar. Makan time again! We had a live band from nearby Kg CintaMata to provide entertainment. Forgot the group's name... Band Boys or Bad Boys or Naughty Boys something like that. They were good and really livened up the occasion. There was the cake cutting ceremony, traditional dances, solo performances... and the Poco-poco crowd dance. The Poco-poco was a difficult one for me. Ended up pening kepala. Everybody else seemed to catch on fast and had a good time, especially my dad.
My relatives left for Keningau before midnight. They would be leaving for Kota Kinabalu early the next day to catch Gaya Street Sunday Market. As for those who stayed on... it was Saturday Night Fever all night long. All night long...
Pre-wedding preparations
The timeline up to the wedding day...
On the 7th of March, village folks from Kg Baru Jumpa, about 20km away, came over to Irene's house to put up the zinc canopy for the wedding feast. Those men were pro. The whole canopy was up by noon. Irene's dad figured that the canopy was not big enough, so he arranged for an extension of a canvas canopy at the side, where traditional Lundayeh wedding food (read on) would be served. There was also a smaller zinc canopy beside the house, built for the folks who would be preparing Muslim food. Non-Muslim food would be prepared at the adjacent neighbour's house. I wasn't on scene; was shopping for tech stuffs in LowYat and SungaiWang KL.
On the 10th of March, Irene's parent's relatives and friends from nearby villages of Kg Baru Jumpa, Sapong, Kongsi Lundayeh and Tenom came over in the morning. God bless those helpful souls. First thing was they made nasi bungkus (fragrant rice wrapped in leaves) and some dishes, which will be their meals for the rest of the day as they work on the wedding preparations. Click HERE to view the photos.
On the 7th of March, village folks from Kg Baru Jumpa, about 20km away, came over to Irene's house to put up the zinc canopy for the wedding feast. Those men were pro. The whole canopy was up by noon. Irene's dad figured that the canopy was not big enough, so he arranged for an extension of a canvas canopy at the side, where traditional Lundayeh wedding food (read on) would be served. There was also a smaller zinc canopy beside the house, built for the folks who would be preparing Muslim food. Non-Muslim food would be prepared at the adjacent neighbour's house. I wasn't on scene; was shopping for tech stuffs in LowYat and SungaiWang KL.
On the 10th of March, Irene's parent's relatives and friends from nearby villages of Kg Baru Jumpa, Sapong, Kongsi Lundayeh and Tenom came over in the morning. God bless those helpful souls. First thing was they made nasi bungkus (fragrant rice wrapped in leaves) and some dishes, which will be their meals for the rest of the day as they work on the wedding preparations. Click HERE to view the photos.
There was much camaraderie. They prepared coconut milk from real coconuts (no no... instant powder packets from the supermarkets were unacceptable). That was for the cooking of kuih kelupis (glutinous rice cooked in coconut milk and then wrapped in leaves), the must-have delicacy in every Lundayeh feast. The cooked kuih kelupis were then tied together in rows like fire-crackers, and were hung overnight.
Meanwhile, I went back to Keningau to receive my relatives who were coming from West Malaysia. After arranging for their meals and lodging, rushed back to SIB Sapong Church for a brief rehearsal.
When we got home, the workers had already hung up huge chunks of the pigs which were slaughtered a bit earlier. The men then stayed up all night and chatted away, while keeping watch on the meat. I stayed up late too, to complete the PowerPoint presentation.
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