我們急匆匆地趕路，忘了路邊籬笆上的鮮花。We haste on without heed, forgetting the flowers on the roadside hedge.

Monday, December 10, 2007

2nd Day - Hop On Hop Off Kuala Lumpur

2007-12-10 MONDAY : 2nd Day - Hop On Hop Off Kuala Lumpur

The bus from Johor Bahru arrived Kuala Lumpur before dawn.
The bus assistant shouted the our whole family to get out of the bus to the road side with our luggage. It took me couple minutes to look around into darkness to figure out that we actually have arrived Kuala Lumpur and Puturay Bus station is a 5 minutes walk down the road.
The bus assistant is certainly is of low quality. But we are contended as long as the journey is safe, I do not expect more. For we do not come for a luxury tour.
We are not alone. There are many traveller like us from different long distances buses. Being too early and too dark to walk to Chine Town where Swiss Inn is, we took refugee in the bus station till sun rise. It was an hour wait and seem a long time for me as I also nervous of bus terminals in Malaysia because of pass experiences of being extorted during bus journeys. (Once in Miri and once at the boarder with Thailand)
When the sky was bright enough, we walked from bus terminal toward Chin Town and finely found Swiss Inn. The sky was still dark. We seated outside on a bench at the hotel entrance and wait for the hotel counter to open.
It is a long wait. Finally the counter has someone, we entered and request for our luggage to be left behind and return later of the day to check into the room. The check in time is 2:00 PM in the afternoon. Its a whole morning time.
So for the mean time we have a whole morning to explore China Town.

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8:20AM Kwong Siew Temple

A Chinese Taoist temple of deity Kwan Ti (God of War and Literature). Two stone lions guard the entrance to this colourful building.
At the lobby, the altar on the right is to Man Cheung (God of Examinations and Fate), and on the left, to the God for the Elderly. In the main hall at the rear, the central altar is devoted to Kwan Ti.
Worshippers bring offerings of flowers and fruits, and light joss sticks incense for the gods. Its only 8:00am early morning and the smoke from incenses already polluted the whole temple inner court. As a result we didn't stay long in this temple for the simple reason of air pollution. So thick the pollution that the contaminated air could be photographed by an ordinary digital camera. See photo on left the greyish colour polluted air flowing out from the main hall. See also photo on the right look through the main entrance to see the air inside so dusty thick in gray colour.
We walked to a Hindu Temple nearby accross the road. And the tranquil atmosphere in this Hindu Temple is just different from here. Free pigeons fly to this Hindu Temple.

--------------------------

8:48AM Sri Mahamariamman Hindu Temple

Sri Mahamariamman Hindu Temple (1873)

This temple Built in 1873 is the most elaborate Hindu temple in Malaysia.

Its gate tower is embellished with ornate sculptures of Hindu deities and its floors and walls marbled with Italian and Spanish tiles.

Clean and peaceful, we sit in the temple courtyard for a long time appreciating the beauty of the colorful sculptures and submerged in tranquillity of this Holy place.

This Malaysia's oldest temple occupies an important place in Hindu religious life. During Thaipusam, this temple is the main venue of worship attracting thousands of pilgrims and visitors from all over Malaysia.

On the day of Thaipusam, the silver chariot of Lord Murugan will set off on it's journey to Batu Caves. The caves we will visit tomorrow.

STORY OF A NEW PAIR OF SHOES

I bought a new pair of good walking shoes (good means expensive) last night in Johor Bahru. Like every one else entering a Hindu Temple, we left our shoes outside at the main entrance. This main door is beside the bussy road where public passes by. During the hour inside this Hindu Temple, I was completely had not thought of that leaving a pair of less then 1 day old new shoes by the public road side means easily attract attention of petty thievs.

We came out of the temple an hour later. My new shoes were still there at the exact location. Only then I realize my carelessness but the shoes are still there made me realize how wonderful amazing thing in a good society.

Two months later, this pair of new shoes was stolen from door stapes of my own house in bright daylight by suspected young students in my own neighbourhood.

Sunday, December 9, 2007

1st Day - From Tawau to Johor Bahru to Kuala Lumpur

Christmas Trip to Kuala Lumpur 2007

2007-12-09 SUNDAY - 1st Day - From Tawau to Johor Bahru to Kuala Lumpur

2007-12-09 Air Asia AK5633
1st Day - From Tawau to Johor Bahru to Kuala Lumpur

Leaving Tawau in the afternoon

Our Air Asia Flight AK5633 Depart Tawau at 4:05 pm arriving Johor Bahru at 6:50 pm. Departure gate No: 3.
The reason of flying to Johor Bahru instead of directly to Kuala Lumpur is that KL flight is fully booked during this school holiday seasons.
From Johor Bahru we took a taxi from the Senai airport to downtown Johor Bahru where we ask the taxi driver to drop us at Compact Hotel. We were not putting up at this hotel to-night yet. We only came to check up this hotel to confirm our booking on 18th Night which we book online month ago. We left our luggage at this hotel for an hour so that we could go for a dinner just behind this hotel.
Taxi from the airport to downtown is easy. (Do not just walk out and catch a taxi) Go to the Taxi Counter on the left hand side when you exit the terminal and purchase a voucher.
Bring the voucher to the taxi line where an officer will locate you a taxi.

We had some simple foods at Jalan Wong Ah Fook. Jalan Wong Ah Fook is a major one-way road in Johor Bahru, located in Johor Bahru's central business district and is also one of the busiest roads in the city.
Wong Ah Fook is a Chinese man who came to Singapore in 1854 and established himself in building construction and other businesses. The town of Johor Bahru was founded in 1855 by Wong Ah Fook and Temenggung Daeng Ibrahim.

After dinner we enquire the Compact Hotel staff where to get a bus to Kuala Lumpur. We early though there were buses available for boarding just beside this hotel and travel direct to KL, but this was wrong information.
The hotel staff directed us to Marine Building which is a 10 minutes walk where we will 'find bus to KL'.
After finding the Marine building we realize this is not place to board a bus but the place of several BUS agents who get passengers for bus companies and sells 'Bus Tickets' at a higher price for a few ringgits (Malaysian Dollars) as their commission.
We paid Rm30.00 per person. (Actual fare is Rm24.00) But in return this bus agent provide free transport from their counter to the bus terminal which is several kilometers away.
Our family of 4 were this bus agent's only passengers that night.

Leaving Johor Bahru Larkin Bus Terminal for KL at midnight

The bus left Johor Bahru Larkin Bus Terminal at 12:00 midnight. There are several bus companies plying between JB and KL. The bus we used was S.E. Ekspres. S.E. Ekspres bus company is good for local Malaysian. But for foreign tourist who are unfamiliar with Malaysian, the bus may not have the much needed polite and helpful staff to provide you a smooth journey.
This was our first time to Johor Bahru and we are not familiar on how to get around in the city.
Merlin Tower is opposite the Train Station. At the ground floor of Merlin Tower are several counters that provides booking services for bus to all over Peninsula Malaysia and Thailand. From here these agencies arrange transport to bring you to Larkin Bus Station to board the bus.
Incase you do not know where the train station is , Merlin Tower is also opposite the CITY SQUARE shopping mall.
CITY SQUARE was where we spend the time when waiting for the midnight bus.

Reaching Kuala Lumpur Bus Station at dawn time

The bus arrived Kuala Lumpur bus terminal early morning when the sky was still dark and all four of us were sleeping without knowing of arriving. The bus attendant shouted at us to get down. And the location the bus stopped was at the main road side and not inside the bus terminal. In the dark and by the road side of a big city I had to figure out where the bus terminal is. Fortunately it is a few minutes walking distance.

My wife and young daughter first time to visit a big city in Malaysia. I do not feel comfortable to take an express bus company like this the next time we come to Kuala Lumpur.

Monday, June 4, 2007

Basel Church Jesselton

Rev. Lee Wok Sing 1948-1960

3 June 2007 Morning I came to Basel Church on Signal Hill. It seem that my last visit to this church and attended the service was a Sunday in 1972. Memory is fading now.

35 years has changed so much the environment that only the old wooden church building remain for me to identify. With out this old remain of wooden church, I might think that I came to a wrong location.

1952 My parent married in this church (photo above). Of course he has his ceremony in this church because, we, the Wong family and many other Hakka families transfer the Basel Mission to North Borneo and reestablish the Church here. This is the church of the Wong family.

1 year later I was baptized here. Later I studied here. Attended Sunday school here.

Today I came back to see the place where I came from. I found the old church, a part of our family history is gone. This is the church of my grand parents.

The church building is now converted into an office. The wooden cross on the roof tome is now one made of steel.

But the main body of the church remain - the wooden wall, wooden doors, the pillars. All these are still the same original during my time 35 years ago or even of those 50 years ago in 1952.

Basel Church, as the Wong family always called it, but they called it BCCM, has been moved to Likas with a bigger modern building. In 1980 the old location here in signal hill is Bible Training Center in Kota Kinabalu (Pusat Latihan Alkitab Kota Kinabalu or PLAKK)

Friday, June 1, 2007

Grand Old Lady

Tuesday, May 29, 2007

Kota Kinabalu Town and Kota Kinabalu City

All women tell one same truth, that they were more beautiful 30 years ago. So as my home town – the town I was born.

In 1978, I walked the hill up to observatory. It was a mere wooden shade at that time. This was the best location to view Kota Kinabalu Town. I came here just to have a last view of Kota Kinabalu Town and take a snap shot as remembrance.

One month later I left Kota Kinabalu. Since then I am a traveler passing by Kota Kinabalu several times and never remain to stay.

Today, 30 years later, I am passing by Kota Kinabaly again but with a family. And I made a point to come as a family. This is their first time to this observatory. They view a beautiful city. But none of them have a more beautiful vision of the city then I have.

Kota Kinabalu City is beautiful, but she was more beautiful 30 years ago.

Tuesday, November 28, 2006

Genting Highland

Wednesday, April 26, 2006

4th Birthday

Sunday, April 9, 2006

Malay Marriage

Tuesday, January 31, 2006

Chinese New Year

Monday, January 30, 2006

Chinese New Year

Wednesday, November 30, 2005

Myth of The Big Rock in Kuching

They told me that my grand father has a piece of farm land beside The Big Rock. So I came to the rock to search and found beside the rock is Temple of Maha Sri Maha Mariamman.

In “Wong Family History”, Christopher Wong mentioned about a “big rock” :

“……a “pony-tailed” son from China landed in Kuching by ship via Singapore and under the White Rajah’s program was allocated a large block of virgin land near a natural big rocky outcrop which is now a landmark along Rock Road, Kuching.”

Pang Lien Yin, my grand mother, also mentioned to me a few times between 1964-1966 that “…… your grandfather’s land was beside a huge rock along the Rock Road….”

This “Huge Rock” has since become the oldest earliest landmark of the Wong Shin Tshing, my grandfather, living location.

And Wong Syak Kee, my father, and his family members have been living just opposite this huge rock in the Batu Lintang Government Quarters area for decades.

While my father has never shown any interest in this huge rock, I came a couple of times in 1971 while still staying at quarter no: 66. It just 5 minutes walk.

Not quite understand why my father did not shown interest in his father’s (my grand father) history, but the verbal history of the Wong family was mainly passed down from the female : Grandmother and Aunties

After 1971, I cam back again only in 2005. 34 years later.

These are recent photos in 2005 :

The Rock Road is named after a rock crystal known by its Malay name Batu Kinyang. It has a myth. The outcrop of rock is supposed to be a keramat, graveyard of a holy man, often visited by believers seeking divine help or just giving thanks for help already rendered. People began losing interest in the place, however, when an abattoir was built nearby.
Read more:
http://www.theborneopost.com/2011/12/11/road-names-in-kuching/

Sri Maha Mariamman Temple at Batu Lintang is one of the three Hindu temples in Kuching City.

On the north side of The Rock is the newly completed Sri Maha Mariammar Temple. This Hindu temple is another myth in the history of Sarawak.

Sri Maha Mariammar Temple was originally built 100 years ago on Matang Mountain kilometers from Kuching City. The temple was built by Indian and Ceylonese workers recruited by the second White Rajah Charles Brooke to tend his tea and coffee plantation on the slope of the mountain.

The unsuccessful tea plantation was closed down in 1912 and the workers were given a choice to move down to Kuching or go back to India.

About 50 Indian families decided to stay back in Kuching. When they left the plantation they took the bronze statue of the deity Maha Sri Maha Mariamman. Later they moved it to a small temple built along Batu Lintang Road. The old original Bilian wood temple on top of Matang Mountain eventually forgotten by the young Indian generation till 1962.

This second temple beside Batu Lintang Road was familiar to me. In 1960s I stayed in Batu Lintang Government Quarters No: 117 and No: 66. Each time I passed this small wooden temple I would be attracted by the ringing bell, or the colorful flowers hanging at the entry gate or by the Indian worshipper.

On the right hand side of this temple were a wooden barber shop and a wooden sundry shop both were frequent by me and family members. I came here for hair cut and family members came for sundry goods like rice, and sugar.

I left Kuching for too long and tings have changed much since then. The wooden temple was not more there but a much bigger concrete big temple dedicated to the deity was built near by at Jalan Rock in 1991. The 100 years old bronze statue of the deity Maha Sri Maha Mariamman originally from the forgotten Matang Mountain is now finally rest and remains in the new Temple to be Re-declare open soon.

Photo above : Mount Matang Sri Maha Mariamman Temple rediscovered in 1967 http://www.facebook.com/pages/Mount-Matang-Sri-Maha-Mariamman-Temple-Kuching-Sarawak/200262026677821?sk=photos

Sri Maha Mariamman - The Lost Temple of Matang : http://worshipdevotion.blogspot.com/2010/11/sri-maha-mariamman-lost-temple-of.html

Japanese in Batu Lintang

http://www.far-eastern-heroes.org.uk/Life_of_Riley/html/batu-lintang_camp.htm

The Japanese during the Second World War established an internment camp in Borneo Island.

This Batu Lintang camp (Lintang Barracks and Kuching POW camp) housed both Allied prisoners of war (POWs) and civilian internees.

This camp operated from March 1942 until the liberation of the camp in September 1945.

Before the Japanese conqueror came to this place was originally British Indian Army barracks. The Japanese extended the area to 50 acres (20 hectares).

The camp population fluctuated, due to movement of prisoners between camps in Borneo, and as a result of the deaths of the prisoners.

It had a maximum population of some 3,000 prisoners.

Batu Lintang camp : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Batu_Lintang_camp

Our house was just 1 Km to this location of Japanese camp. We lived in Batu Lintang Government Quarters Area 10 minute walk to Batu Lintang Teacher College where the POW Camp was located during the war time.

Monday, November 28, 2005

Little oil lamp over The Big Rock

Photo above: From top of The Big Rock looking toward South.

At the right side is housing build in 1971.

At the background is Government Quarter Area where my family lived in Quarter 117 (1959 to 1961) and Quarter 66 (1966 to 1972). A row of wooden quarters could be seen in the photos. The windows were all closed indicating the houses were not being occupied. All these quarters have been demolish by 2010 making way for a mega commercial multi purposes area that include hotels and a water park.

In front is the Shell petrol station original location at the corner of traffic light. The station shifted 100 meters further up the Rock Road to give way to expansion of the highway junction.

Photo above : On top of The Big Rock, an ordinary oil lamp housed in special created lamp housing. Showing the determination of the worshipper who place it there has a determination to keep on the lamp burning.

“Give me oil in my lamp keep it burning, burning …..I prayed”

This is a favorite song of my Christian friends. But the real determination to keep a lamp burning and burning I found in this little Hindu oil lamp.

An ordinary oil lamp placed on The Big Rock by a worshipper most likely Hindu because of the Hindu style clay lamp.

Keeping an oil lamp in the wide open space to keep on burning and burning is impossible every knows. A breeze blew over and the fire is easily extinguish. A shower of raindrop not only put off the fire but also replace the oil in the clay with water. (Water is heaver then oil).

But wind and rain do not deter a Hindu devotee to keep his oil lamp burning burning till he return again to give it some more oil.

A genuinely created lamp housing I never seen earlier. Hand made and unlikely made in Carpenter Street which is well known for skilled iron works.

The square glass housing protects the fire from blowing wind. The chimney on top keeps ventilation of flow of air and smoke necessary for the fire to keep on burning. The slanting corn shape keeps the rain water flow to the side. And an umbrella like shade on top keep heavy rain drops away. A big ring handles on top for comfortable and firm gripping and carrying.

Wish upon a rock in Batu Lintang

By CHOONG MEK ZHIN

http://election.thestar.com.my/sarawak/news/story.asp?file=/2011/4/16/sarawakpolls/8493165&sec=sarawakpolls

KUCHING: Though the city has grown in the name of development, there is still room for the mystical and it exists right here in Batu Lintang where there is a rock that is said to have mystical properties to grant wishes.

The dark-coloured rock is located beside a Hindu temple along the aptly named Jalan Rock and is hard to miss due to its size.

“Oh yes, the locals know about the rock. My grandmother made a wish on it once and it was fulfilled,” Manjeet Kaur Sidhu, 42, a businesswoman said though she had never made a wish there.

Monday, August 1, 2005

Birthday of Priya

8th January 2005 Birthday of Priya and Yisal

Sunday, April 25, 2004

2nd Birthday

Monday, November 17, 2003

THE ROYAL LONDON CIRCUS

Owner Paul L.B. Lee and wife Doris Lee, Royal London Circus has 40 performers from 14 countries, the majority of whom are Mexicans.

After the show, instead of following the crowd stream toward the exit, we look around the compound for interesting things. We saw a corner where the small horses/ponies are so we walked to the horses. There are the small cute horses. I aimed my camera to snap a photo for souvenir but suddenly at the dark corner another side, a voice shouted to me. It was the worker who looks after the animal. I understand it means ".. no photo allowed, go out, it’s late and we are closing our gate..."

There were 3 elephants the circus has. But today we saw only 1 performing.

4 years ago in December 1999 two of the three elephants died from the sudden cold hit in Shanghai, China. Veterinarians from Shanghai Zoo rushed to the circus immediately after they heard the elephants were ill.

The Malaysian elephants are used to living in a tropical environment and can't bear the cold winds .

The elephant we saw performing tonight name Aidi age 11. The only survivor of the 3.

Source : http://www.elephant.se/database2.php?elephant_id=4622

The same night these 2 young elephant of the circus die, a baby boy (human) of the circus was born.

“Shanghai”, name of the baby boy, was born to 19-year-old Greek mother, Sofia Fateka, who joined the circus the previous year 1998 in Athens, and acts as a teeter board player. The baby's father, Bautista Armando from Mexico, also performs on a teeter board.

The baby, weighing 3.9 kilograms, was born at the Shanghai International Peace Maternity and Child Health Hospital.

"We have nicknamed the baby Shanghai to mark its extraordinary birth," Sofia Fateka the mother said.

Source : http://app1.chinadaily.com.cn/star/history/00-01-14/c04-cold.html

Aidi, the young elephant, survived a sudden cold in Shanghai while his 2 partners died 4 years ago. But Aidi himself carelessly cause his trainer dead recently.

The circus was in Sandakan in October last month before arriving Tawau this month November.

On 22 October 2003, during a routine practice session on the circus ground at Sandakan’s Sibuga Sports Complex, Aidi carelessly swing a powerful lash of the trunk to his trainer, 40 year-old Amanat, who had 20 years experiences in animal training in Indonesia.

The trainer Amanat sustained serious abdominal and head injuries after hurled against a container before falling onto the ground. The unconscious Amanat was warded at the intensive care unit (ICU) of Duchess of Kent Hospital.

The following day hospital staff removed the life support system after Amanat showed signs of recuperating. Amanat could talk 2 days later but he develops high fever, low blood pressure and irregular heart beat and died a few hours later.

This is the first dead incident case in the history of Royal London Circus.

Source : http://www.dailyexpress.com.my/news.cfm?NewsID=22522

The remains of the Indonesian elephant trainer Amanat flown back to his hometown in Jawa Tengah for burial. While the circus continue the carnival to Tawau where we are watching tonight.

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I bought the tickets weeks earlier. The lowest price among the three seating classes. My family of 4 plus Munium who is a Baha'i friend from Sarawak. Xing is less then 1 meter height the ticket price is Rm10.00. Yin is a baby occupy no seat so no ticket needed.

For the 3 adult tickets Rm21.00x3, I was also given 3 free drink coupons to exchange for 3 cups of cold drinks from SugarBan fast-food restaurant. (The SugarBan Tawau branch was closed down sometime in 2005.)

Though a father of two kids now, I still love circus as much as a child. My first circus show was in 1965 in Jesselton Town (now Kota Kinabalu City). The circus name was something like “New World”. The circus tent was raise at an empty ground beside the Medaka Padang and behind the old railway station where the location of Dreamtel (Dream Hotel) is now today.

That first circus I went to had as many as 4 elephants. During the days when not on show, the elephants care taker brought the elephants further down to the hill slop where the elephants were free to roam for leaves for foods. The location was behind today’s Hotel Shangri-La. I was Primary 6 in Chung Hua Primary School. After my afternoon extra tuition classes, I would walk a short cut home up the hill behind today Hotel Shangri-La. And there I saw the circus elephants around the hill side pulling up all types of green leaves for foods.

The elephant lifting up a trainer.

Royal London Circus

Elephant Show

2003-11-16 Tawau Town

After the show

After the show, as we follow the crowd going out. We passed by the place where the few mini ponies (miniature horses?) are kept. We saw such short ponies in

Paraguay

in 1997 when I was working there. Xing had a picture taken there. They are cute creatures.

We stopped to have a close encounter with the mini-horse. The crowd flow fast and soon we became the last batch remain inside the circus compound. This was the time a keeper came and shouted at us to leave. He shouted instead of telling because he can’t speak Malay. So apparently he is a foreign worker.

I was curious on this. This is definitely not a proper way in handling customers in business. Circus is an entertainment business relying on the support of happy customers. When a customer take the trouble to come to a circus and found amusement in things. This is a positive sign of success in entertainment business. But suing visitors away as soon as possible signalling a declining entertain spirit. How can a circus survive long with no more curiosity to attract new visitors?

We did nor argue or persist but left.

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Related Posts:

We enjoyed this circus in Paraguay in 1997
Power Ranger in Paraguay 1997

Tuesday, September 24, 2002

Xinirthday

We have our telephone after 2 years

Finally FUMA technician came to install a telephone for our house. It took the telekom company 2 years to give us a telephone line. We move in this new housing estate in September 2000. An application for a phone was immediately submitted to Telekom. Then we waited.....waited.....and waited.............

......waited till today finally, 24 September 2002, we had our phone. Why an technology advance company like Telekom Malaysia need 2 years to do a simple job ?