Kg. Bukit Temensu.

 Thurs 25.8.2022.

This week I received two sad news: the passing of Faridah Ismail, and the passing of Manap. I think they were in their early 80's. Faridah died in Kg. Bukit Temensu itself. Manap died in Balik Pulau, Pulau Pinang. I was in Kelana Jaya when Deka called about Faridah. I couldn't go. The group posted about Manap's demise. Pulau Pinang is just too far away. Both Faridah's house and Manap's are within 200 meters from my grandmother's house in Kg. Bukit Temensu. My parents married here, and I was born here. 

Faridah finished Malay school and was active in sports even then. For a Malay girl, she was large and stood out among schoolmates. She worked in Seremban until retirement, but in what position I never knew.  She never married. Manap joined the Police, and finally ended up in Pulau Pinang and retired there. We called him Manap "Jubang Palok".One of his sons is a dental surgeon in Seremban.

Kg. Bukit Temensu is where my alma mater, TMS, built in 1930, stands. The kampong is bordered by Kg. Batu 46, Kg Dioh, Kg. Tebat Kering, and KP town. It's about 1 kilometer from town, and in the old days we thought nothing of walking to town, and TMS students thought nothing of walking to school from the bus stand in town. Many students took the short-cut to school taking the unpaved path behind my parents house, which is about 200 m. from TMS and TKS, the girls' school.

I'm proud to say that Kg. Bukit Temensu isn't short of successful sons and daughters. I'm talking about this kampong specifically, not the adjoining ones. The first woman Chief Justice is from here. Her family's large Minangkabau-style house for years stood prominently opposite the old KP general hospital until the family tore it down and built 2 one-storey bungalows. For a long time, we would see her father's sports car parked on the road-side in front of the house. There was the late Pa'Cu Kamil, a retired High Court judge. Among his nephews were Zahari, the Melaka State Secretary, and Ali, a senior civil servant who was a DO in a few places. My own extended family produced 3 medical doctors, including my younger brother, Din. Din has children who are a dentist, a pharmacist, and an IT graduate. There are 3 other medical doctors from the kampong, with one a Specialist and one married to another doctor from elsewhere. The late Karim did his PhD in Wisconsin, where my youngest brother also got his first degree. I visited them there in 1991. This brother later got his Masters locally. The late Anuar "Ang" (he called himself "Ang" speaking to friends) also got a PhD and became a university lecturer. My younger sister went to TKC and did her "A" level in Coventry, and later her degree in Sheffield, England. Later she, too, got her Masters in Education here in KL.  Another brother was a Group MD in a large national organization. His son is an MP.  As I said, Manap's son Helmy is a dentist, as is Helmy's son.  Pa' Cik Jayo was a Senator. He was from UMNO. Then there were 2 more Senators, but from MCA. Chong Foo Kin lived next to my parents house. The other guy still lives nearby. Salim Sharif, the son of a cook, is an MP. Then there were State Assemblymen, including a Speaker and an Exco Member, Lawyers (2), Chartered Accountants (2), accountants (a few), nurses (1 served the first Agong, 1 now in Dubai), Senior Police Officers (OCPD's and 1 an ACA State Director), army officers plus rank and file,  College-trained and Graduate teachers (many), an intrepid hitch-hiker, and one violin-playing Datuk Lembaga add up to the list. The hitch-hiker, a cousin, was also a self-taught guitarist playing his self-made guitar. He passed out of vocational school, JB, worked for a short stint at the MARA workshop Shah Alam, then hitch-hiked to India and ended up in Germany and stayed there for several years. He went speaking only Malay, but came back speaking passable English and German. And if you add the product of TMS and TKS ( because they're located  here in Bukit Temensu), you could add an endless string of names with remarkable accomplishments, including a living "Tun". Not least is that the first FRIM Director-General  lived here  before studying overseas, earning his doctorate.

I remember all my uncles and aunties from Bukit Temensu. The uncles moved away early in their working lives. I'd tried to maintain good physical contact with them, including Pak Lang in Butterworth, Pak Ngah in Datuk Keramat,  Pak Long  in Juasseh Kapitan,  Amok in Jempol and Acik in Batu 46.  Mak Tam remained in Bukit Temensu after being away with Pak Tam Meon in the early part of their married life. I hope they all remembered me kindly when they were still around. I was present for all their farewell journeys. They all lived fairly long, peaceful lives.

From Bukit Temensu our family moved to Tanjung Malim and stayed there for 5 years. I moved schools many times and left the village after Form 3 and could only make Bukit Temensu friends for a limited time. But those that I made, I remember well. Ramli, Ujang, Udin (he married Ah Ting's 2nd. wife), Udin Sekayo, Amat Teleng, Ja'ih, Ita, Manap Jubang Palok, Sahak, Jano, Mai "Cut", Edek, Giman, Ambi, Enai - these are a few right off my head.  Sahak we called "Katikerk" because he mispronounced the talcum powder "Cuticura". A few have died, others have moved away, whereabouts unknown.  My parents are  no more. Only 2 younger sisters remain in the old house.  I visit the resting places of dad and mom in Melang regularly, but usually turn back home without visiting the old house. Old pictures, old furniture and old memories in the old place bring   sadness,  and I don't  want to tarry.

But Kg. Bukit Temensu cannot be erased from my life story.

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Hussin's son's wedding.

 Sat 20.8.2022.

I was confident I'd find the venue for Hussin's reception, the PKNS Sports Complex at Kelana Jaya.. After all PJ, Subang Jaya, Kelana Jaya and Damansara Utama are all in the same neighbourhood. But it turned out that the confidence was misplaced. 27 years is a long time, and things change, some quite drastically. That's how long since I moved to Seremban. I missed the turn from Seremban to the Federal Highway and found myself somewhere on the Bangsar diversion. Cursing and thumping the steering wheel with annoyance, I simply drove on until I saw some familiar sights, and looked for the road signs. I'd left the house at 9.30. I reached Hussin's kenduri at just a few minutes past 11. I promised Yoke Lin 11 sharp. So it wasn't too bad.

I surprised Hussin from behind. He was rightfully in front, receiving guests. I had to rush to the loo upon arrival, so I was from inside the hall. He pointed me to the table where Yoke Lin already was seated. The table soon filled up with Ramlee and the girls from ol' MHS. Our only regret was not more MHS staff came forward - Yoke Lin and I wanted to have an informal gathering. Sam was supposed to come. Ramlee later suggested another date to Yoke Lin. I miss Othman Abdul who left us some years now.

I had a great time, and said so to Hussin, our host. He frequents the internet, making brave commentaries on his facebook website. (Brave here means not being restrained by "political correctness" in the widest sense of the term). Once in a very long while I'd put in my briefest of comments, and apparently he follows even if not agreeing. 

Hussin was one of my personal  "First Three" at MHS, with Ramlee and Othman, right from January, 1991 at the MISC headoffice in Jalan Conlay, KL. The late Othman Abdul wasn't supposed to be with me at first, but since he was put at my disposal, I simply formalised the move, and Ariffin the MISC MD relented. Ramlee set up Operations, Hussin the opening of the eventual premises and pretty much running the whole Finance and Administrative units. Othman was the right guy at Marketing where I left him fully to his devices, and was he aggressive. I came from Felda as the Chairman's choice, but with 22 years in the Felda Group, I was quite sure how I wanted to run MHS, although the container haulage business was new to me. Letting these 3 free reins was my choice, and I believe it was the right one. Unfortunately, circumstances in 1994 with the entry of Khalid, my nemisis, threw havoc to a robust marketing enterprise built up with zero disturbance from MISC hq for 3 years. The accounts are there for forensic auditing, if you follow the recent political practice in the country. Unfortunately also, the entire MISC was later taken over by Petronas, and they have different ideas about direction and management. I don't know when MHS was finally closed down. Some of the staff were absorbed in the new company. Many of the executives moved on, as did the "First Three". But some of the managers I recruited have done very well in their new places.

The surprise menu was satay kerang from Melaka. The stall man said it was Hussin's personal choice. My favourite is satay perut. The guy said Hussin doesn't like perut. Hussin later confirmed this in his whatsapp. The satay kerang was ok. But there was no shortage of food. And I kept Yoke Lin busy, plying food to our table.

I had to force myself to leave after 2 hours. I wanted to visit my brother-in-law at the Thomson Medical Centre in Kota Damansara. He had a heart bypass operation 10 days ago. The procedure was ok, but his slow recovery has to be endured now. The guests were still enjoying their food, and my MHS table was still occupied, but I took my leave. I said good bye to Hussin and wife at the hall's entrance. I got into my borrowed car, and braced myself as I merged into the rushing Saturday traffic towards Kota Damansara.

Sorry, Sin, we were not paying attention to your wedding address when the couple was on the Pelamin. But we had a great makan.

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Ari is 69.

 Thurs 11.8.2022.

It's exactly 7 p.m. in Seremban. Just got home from what used to be the Tropicana Medical Centre, but is now The Thomson Medical Centre in Kota Damansara, thanks to the takeover by some loaded Singaporeans, or some loaded Singaporean company. Or so I heard. But coming up the elevetor to the 4th. floor and finding the wards named "the 5th. floor", it must be true. The SEA Chinese fear the number "4" like, well, what else, the death.

Idah and I went to show support for Ari who just turned 69 last month. Wheeled into the OT at 6 this morning, the 2 Malay cardiologists successfully  carried out the by-pass on 2 heart veins from 8 a.m. to 3.30 p.m. Ari is now in ICU, recovering. But they didn't start until Thareez put in 50 of the 75 K cost asked. Nothing is cheap nowadays.  Nothing is done "pro bono" nowadays. The 4 kids are collecting the remaining  25K. Insurance apparently will not cover all. This is reality.

But family love is also reality with Ari. 

Idah cried all the way from Seremban. She paused when we stopped for tea & meehoon at the Serdang R&R. Upon entering room 16G on the fourth floor (called the fifth floor), Idah was joined by Wira in  tearful embrace. I left the room for English breakfast at "the Gossip Cafe" on the ground floor to not join the crying.

Ari is the younger of the only two remaining brothers. Bangdek is in his early 80's. He's in Terengganu now, babysitting for his youngest daughter still in Mecca for the recent Hajj. But Ari is the more lively, the joker of the family, if you will. But this operation today was no joke. The 2 daughters even fasted today, in supplication to Almighty God for a safe procedure for dear "abah". The money is no joke. More family members would have come if this was other than a heart by-pass. They will come and visit. 

Fortunately, traffic was bearable today. With the exception of missing the turn twice at the Kota Damansara junction, we arrived by car at the Thomson without sweat. I ought to have driven blindfolded. I stayed in Damansara Utama from 1978 to 1995. But the 17 years here have been oblitered by 27 years away. Large new buildings have come up, and multi-levelled new roads have definitely literally "come up". I was confused. But luckily not lost.  

When this place was "Tropicana" Bangjat was hospitalised here. But this hospital stood out like a sore thumb then. New buildings almost hide it now.  I even missed it the first turn. I had to make a u turn and come back to get into the road in front. Unlike before, there's a multi-storeyed car park built in addition to the open one they already had when Bangjat was here. In fact I managed to "lose" the car when we wanted to leave. I forgot which floor I parked, and literally search "high & low" from the 3rd floor up to the 8th, and eventually found my car on "3A". We forgot about "No 4" here !

Ari lost 2 older brothers and one younger one because of heart problems. The 2  older ones in fact had heart procedures done. The younger one was supposed to get one done at IJN but purposedly chose not to. This is not to be flippant about a sombre matter. Far from it, this is a stress on the caution for care needed when health issues creep on increasing age.

In fact Ari isn't sick but chose to have a full bodily examination by this hospital last month, to get a medical "all clear" as it were. I had said, in all seriousness, let's be careful when you send an old car for inspection. On the other hand, finding faults early could literally save lives. So I suggested that Ari look forward and do the necessary to make amends, and not succumb to any unpleasant surprises. Prevention is better than cure.

We are happy that the vital first step, the operation, has been successful. Now for the painful recovery. All the 4 children and their spouses were present. Idah was the only sibling. But others followed on smartphones and said their hopeful prayers.

Ari's only 69. Many more happy years are ahead, Insya'allah.

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Money in golf.

 Sat 6.8.2022.

With this title, you know I'm not talking about Malaysian golf (whatever that is). There's no money here. I mean, I play for money, too. Probably everybody at SIGC plays for money, except Jay (ex dental nurse Jay plays, hubby ex lecturer Mat pays). We're not talking about the 2 ringgit per hole stuff. We're talking about big money. Malaysian professional golf (whatever that is), is peanuts, and we know what that is - it's for monkeys.

I'm talking about the rising furore between the PGA of America and LIV golf backed by Saudi money. I'm talking serious money here. It's USD vs Saudi oil money. The proud Americans won't let it go by. Limitless Saudi oil money will stand by.

Hitherto, the PGA has been the premier tour in world golf. All pro golfers aspire to  that tour. You've  arrived if you earn your PGA tour card. Once in, you make 10 cuts a year, and you have USD 1 million in the kitty.  If you're Malaysian, you work your way from the Malaysian Tour (whatever that is), to the Asian Tour, then to the European Tour and gain sufficient success there ( one win would help ), and you're into the rich PGA tour. Like Vijay Singh.  Though he's Fijian,  he started here in Malaysia, mainly Johore and Sabah. He went to the Safari Tour after that, before joining the European Tour, where he notched a few wins, and was accepted into the PGA tour. The remarkable thing was, he had a Malaysian wife and could have played for Malaysia. He wanted to, but Malaysian officials as usual had no imagination and ignored that request. Vijay eventually rose to No 1.  Although he held that ranking for only a brief period, he did it when Tiger was around, just coming into his prime.

Unlike Malaysia, Japan, Thailand, South Korea, Taiwan and India made incredible progress on the world golf scene, with Phillipines and Indonesia trailing back. All are like us in size, all eat rice, but all not like us in golf tours. Our Asian neighbours show us how they do it.  There have been world-class golfers, including world no. 1, from Japan, Thailand and South Korea, especially now, and they're from both sexes. All have had Major winners, and  from both sexes.

Greg Norman became world no. 1 years before Tiger Woods. He benifitted from the PGA Tour. Even as long  as 20 years ago, Norman had made known his idea for an alternative world class tour. It failed to get support and attention. Probably the Tiger effect on world golf in the last 10 years reignited the idea in Norman's head. That there is no good relations with Tiger must have helped.

PGA Tour money was nothing before Tiger Woods. He made USD 120 million on the course. LIV Golf offered almost as much to Tiger to just switch camp.

Not everybody made the same money that Tiger did. So a tenth of that was enough to induce about a dozen of past PGA Tour winners to abondon ship and join LIV Golf. Very few of them could possibly make as much even if they  stay on but cannot finish in the top 10 bracket.

Naturally, PGA Tour has risen to the LIV challange, and increased the prize money. What now ? Number 1, can PGA sustain it ? Number 2, can LIV push the cash harder ?

I make these notes when I saw the next step taken by the PGA deserters. They've gone to court.

Vijay Singh also once took the PGA Tour to court. I've not followed that and don't know what the outcome was. Since Vijay is still playing, he couldn't have lost. It might have been some sort of settlement, somewhere.

These 2 cases meant a lot of money was involved, not just about  the prize money, but also in the whole litigation process. 

More earth shattering issues have been hauled to court, which golf isn't. Most people wouldn't lose sleep on it. The courts of law always find a way to wriggle out of the moral issues, which are the real human burden borne through history. There are technical questions that can be the escape route for these wily judges.

The tussle can grow intense, because it can easily become a proxy fight between US and Saudi Arabia, between West and East, or God Forbid, between Islam and Christianity !

For the moment, it's all about money. Lots of it.

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FMC PD 1952 - 1961 Group.

 Wed 3.8.22

Yesterday was the meeting for the group  FMC  PD  1952 - 1961, for the intakes of those years.

At this late stage of the formation of this group, and the later still stage of the ages of its members, the meeting yesterday in one of the seminar rooms of the Wisma Pahlawan, ATM, still couldn't get 100% agreement on the date of birth of the college. In the meantime the OPA has fixed its 50th. annual dinner for 17th September at a whopping RM 360 per pax.(Is it the Sheila Majid effect ?).

There were differences on terms used, and understanding conceived, on statutes passed, and actual physical developments made, in the lively exchange that took place yesterday. The date of birth of the college is still in contest. And I almost missed the whole debate. 

As Hank later remarked, I gave myself enough time to make it to the meeting's venue on schedule. The infamous PLUS traffic didn't cooperate. I was in sight of the Sg. Besi toll plaza just before 10 a.m. But I was still 200 meters, and already caught in the hardly moving rows of vehicles. It finally took 70 minutes to move out of the deadlock, and I opened the door into the meeting room at 12 sharp. That made it 3 1/2 hours from Seremban ! At least I made it. Rizal sms'd he'd given up fighting the jam and turned back home.

Someone said at lunch that going back to Seremban should be ok. He appeared to be prophetic, except for the last 4 km to the Seremban toll plaza. Except that in the Sg. Besi case, I saw no reason for the mayhem - no accident, no breakdown, no enforcement unit blunder. In the Seremban case there were flashing lights and 3 - 4 vehicles idle on the left lane - obviously the result of some bang-up. So there was explanation for the jam.

Some sort of accident occurred in the meeting room, apparently, before I came. Halim fell off his chair. Fortunately there were no apparent injuries. Maybe when he got home some bruises would appear. I know that from experience. He did intimate to me though that there's a new-found coffee shop in PD where he has a weekend retreat, and recommended me to try it. I shall try it with Hank, I said.

The meeting proper started from 11.15, according to Halim (the other Halim). Since we broke up at about 1.45 p.m. it was a 2 1/2 hour meeting. Pretty useful, considering a whole lot of topics were shown on screen, and Nawawi, as usual, made sure each one was dealt with, no interruptions allowed, including my phone playing the Zohor azan. The question of enlarging the group to include the Sg. Besi intakes up to 1966 was left to be weighed, an another meeting is sure to come for that. Md. Sham made cursory remarks on the accounts displayed, assuring everyone that he knows what to do, since he's an accountant. That reminded me of Yazid Baba (no BB) in our Mubarak group, forever reminding people that he knows stuff because he's a lawyer. Well, everyone out of college has gone on to do "ok" in his chosen field, and we're proud of everybody's success.  We don't expect less, anyway.  But Md. Sham is ok, generous to a fault, in fact.

On the unresolved question of enlarging this present group to include the 1962 -66 intakes, the fact that their representatives were present yesterday indicated where we are going with this. If we're talking about FMC before RMC, this is it. And that should also address the concern about dwindling numbers. But then, why should it be a concern ? In 35 years those from 1961, that original group would be 112 years old !

We broke up for lunch, served in the dining room on the ground floor. We joined the serving officers who were already tucked in. There was sufficient choice of dishes, local and Western. Hank and another BB went to an empty third table because the two reserved were filled up. But not before the customary photo session. I'm glad I got my copy to show to Tok Sleman, my golf partner for Tuesday, as proof of my genuine excuse for abondonment of our fixed game.

Hank had beaten me to the meeting because he drove from Tropicana, in the Damansara area, instead of coming with me. I thought he wanted to go to IJN. Midway in the meeting he left. I thought he went to the loo. But my phone rang just as the meeting was ending. I was surprised that it was Hank. He didn't go to the loo. He went to IJN. Now he wanted to know if lunch had started - he'd like to join. "Not yet. Come. I'll hold a place for you" was my answer. He returned just as Nawawi was rearranging the chairs for the photo shoot. So if you see the photo, you can see Hank leaning to his right, catching his breath, his white hair dishevelled, having rushed from the car park, for lunch.

Nor Shaari and Mui were already waiting at the lunch table. They came for the lunch, not the meeting. Mui and I were both from B Company, intake 1961, but though I remember him, he doesn't seem to remember me. Nor Shaari and I know each other well. We played golf together many times, though it has been a long while.  I don't even know if he still plays. Hank has given it up. I still play in Seremban. Nor Shaari and I are also "besans". My No. 3 Son is married to his niece, Suhaili's daughter. Suhaili is, you guess it, Suhaila's sister. Suhaila was Nor Shaari's wife. Small world.

My drive from Seremban was at about 8.45 a.m. I reached the Sg. Besi toll area about 9.45. That's 1 hour. I was stuck for 70 minutes. I entered the meeting room at 12 sharp. That's 3 hours 15 minutes. I left ATM for Seremban at 2.55 p.m. and reached home just as the Asr call to prayers were heard outside my car. That's a total of 7 hours 31 minutes.  Travel and related delays were a total of 5 hours and 5 minutes. That's 67.63% of the total time.  As Md. Sham said, now "all time accounted for". But what of it ? Not really that much time left to account for, for the  FMC PD 1952 - 1961 Group.

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