Photoblog: Pei's Wedding Revisited

Pei Shi, thanks for sharing the photos =)

She rocks too; though this one's a sad song of despair ~ lyrics bear significance to passing of a loved one. Could have been written for the passing of her estranged father. So much emotion put into this song that watching it gives me the chills.

I remember I went to sleep late that night feeling uneasy
And had a very sad dream
The phone started to ring in the morning, breaking the silence
And the premonition became a reality
Leaving an unfading scar on my heart
You became a star, alone

* Sayonara -- You have gone to the place where we can never meet again
I can't accept the coldness of our eternal parting
I wish I could have heard from you
That I had certainly been loved by you
Only once, even if it had been a lie

The sorrow I had thought to be endless came to an end
The season has changed, I feel bitterly cold
I will never forget that first day of summer
The sky kept on weeping instead of me this year
I feel as if I were living in the continuation of the dream
And I can't even cry now

Sayonara -- Even my last words don't reach you
It forces me to realize the coldness of our parting
I wish I could have heard from you
That you never regretted the days we had spent together
Only once, even if it had been a lie

Why did you do it this way
Leaving memories only to the very end?

Please tell me this is only the story of the continuing dream
And that I'm not yet awake

Voyage ~ Ayumi Hamasaki

I just love this performance. Incredible vocal performance, & i thought the way it blended immaculately with the musical pieces & voices of the support choir was indeed amazing. Definitely one of her best live performance i've seen; her voice really shone thru. Never mind that she messed up the first part by forgetting the lyrics; she made up for it pretty well spontaneously & did saved the song anyway. Kinda cute neh =)

On coming home ~ thanks to Marv & Ah Yun that i had a hard time contemplating on whether to extend my stay. Appreciate all your valiant effort in psycho-ing; constantly reminding me about what i'll be missing out , had i not, over supper at the Desa U mamak under the drizzling rain, the other night. Yaps, i'll definitly miss checking out the new happening place to be, Autocity in Juru; more importantly i'll be missing some lim teh session with old-time pals & acquaitances; hard time getting schedules to meet coz most are working & i'll be around only for a short day or two. Missing out on meeting her (Chuin Li) too.. =p

Damn. Should have stayed on & told my boss flight got cancelled; and get to come back later this week.

Had a couple of pleasantly suprising random encounters during those short few days. Bumped into an old friend, Adam at Queensbay mall the other day. Has always been great to meet old/long-lost friends in such manner; it's interesting to see how we've progressed on, each time =)

The other guy that i kept bumping into is THAT famous blogger from Kuching. Was on the same flight there, same flight back; just kept running into this fella at every mall i stepped into in Penang. I'm sure he did pretty well in the Penang Bridge Marathon =)

Just right before the wedding dinner, managed to sneak out with Kino for an appetizing tea-break at SP's infamous ji kai or 2nd street hawker center ~ equal of Kuching's open air market

Yet another brader who's still going solo keeping me company, haha. Till next time friend, til your wedding =)

Bumped into another brader, Choon Aun at Pei's wedding dinner. Doing very ho seh career-wise, still talks crazy: Hey brader, u kang tao boh? bo meh? an chua cho a ne? that was our standard greeting protocol 4 years back, in Kuching. 4 years on the rant has gone full cycle, & still remain the standard protocol in SP. Damn jia lat. Some people like us just don't move on.
This pic is reminiscent of those days...

L-R: Bernard, me, Adam, Davis, Nic & Choon Aun
Once upon a time 4 years ago, 3 braders from Kedah + 1 from Sabah landed on our Kuching shores to wreak havoc & steal our kang taos (scarce commodity here) =p
Still vividly remember the time we watched the Sarawak Vs Kedah football match at our state stadium ~ u guys booed when our hometeam scored! insult our Bujang Senang team like that?? mauk mati kah??!!
Ha, those were the days.... nice catching up with u again brader =)

@ E-Gate's Oldtown Kopitiam with Marv & Soo

Ex-prom night date: Soo ~ a bubbly soon to be mummy =)

Marv ~ for the good company, thanks! See ya when i see ya =)

* Pei Shi, it was nice meeting u again & thanks alot for the photos; yet to have time to browse them thru =)
* Wai Mun, thanks & nice place dude! Will catch up with u someday soon =)

Wedding Day

First met this china-looking guy who speaks funny hokkien during my uni freshie year. This fella is has always been known as the typical earnest & hardworking chinaman, an overachiever who's downright meticulous about every detail in everything he does; tends to be a bit calculative at times, though not at all with his good buddies. We've been pretty good pals, ever since. Seen him thru ups & downs in relationships, til he met his Mrs. Right. That was a long way back in 1st January 2004. We were roomates doing our internship in Penang then ~ i was busy partying at downtown Gurney drive, while he always seemed busy 'bergayut' on the phone on most nights. Things got on pretty well between them & fast-forward 3 years later; here i am attending one of my buddy's blissful wedding..




No chicks, no booze, no bachelor parties... only customary rituals


This one's pretty steeped in tradition.

Nice pyjamas, dude!
It's a good thing being part of a close-knit family ~ siblings, relatives & friends alike coming together to prepare for an important joyous occasion, as such.
Being a car-freak, i've always made it a point to check out the bride & bridegroom's ride, first. The sisters gang can wait.

Not 1 but 2 black & sleek Impul 725 SV Nissan Muranos. Heck, even the plate no's are identical. I was told that they belonged to 2 friends who decided they wanted to have the same ride & went out & got one each on the same day. Cool eh?

All dressed up for the big day

Our man giving the thumbs up to start the journey

Showing some sign of wedding jitters on his big day. Now, who doesn't? Afterall, this is once in a lifetime for most of us

That's the lil' fella who's been 'fleecing' a lot of our brother ang pows

The 3-task ~ the most exciting part of the bring-the-bride-home custom. Haven't got much snapshots here, due to the fact that the fan-man (me) has got his hands full during this time. Sorry that, this brother was not of much help attempting to run down the bride's bedroom door any sooner, except for stuffing down a few mouthfuls of cili-padi stuffed meat balls & a lame rendition of lau su ai ta mi that barely saved ourlives.


Finally getting thru
The pang teh ritual follows next & lasted the next couple of hours... seemed like never-ending affair... father's brother, cousin's step-uncle, 13th auntie... the list goes on, & on... Suddenly, the thought of doing a full Penang Bridge Marathon seemed less daunting =p


Probably one of the happiest moment of being a parent


Hey, buddy it's been great being there & sharing the big & defining moments of your life. Wish you & Fong Lin all the best & eternal bliss as the both of you step into the next great chapter in life. Enjoy ya honeymoon in S'pore! =)

Penang mari...

1st post from anywhere but my desktop at home; from Wai Mun & Lydia's cozy little new place in sg. Ara, actually. Arrived here last night; a suprisingly relatively smooth & ON-TIME direct flight from Kuching. Having Lester's good company onboard made the near-2hour flight seemed a lot shorter & easier to endure. Always dreaded long flight times as i tend to get restless & can't seem to get any good rest onboard. He'll be joining a handful of crazy Kuching-kia to attempt the 42++km Penang Bridge marathon...

First thing after arriving was to head off for a good supper. Returning to Super Tanker foodcourt was never more nostalgic, afterall it was the place where i used to have most of my meals a few years back during my internship stint. Spoilt for choice, i had a tough time deciding on what to eat. Next was the customary friday night outing, hopped by E-Gate a relatively happening night spot easily accesible beside the Jelutong expressway. Nothing feels better than sitting down for a good chat with an old friend over a barrel of beer, relaxing the ambience of the chic clubs & checking out the hot eye-candies; they're greatly abundant here! For that matter alone, always makes me feel like relocating over here...

Saw a convoy of transformers lurking around the area too... hot promo girls & hot rides always come hand-in-hand ~ apparently some Digi-Transformer promo thingy. A couple highly souped-up of Skyline GTRs, EVOs, WRXs, a 350Z, an RX8 & a S15. Thankfully, they were all Autobots.

Retired relatively early for the night... i guess we're not really that young anymore... back then, fuiyyoh... go clubbing like there was no tomorrow.

Met up Marv, for a faboulous dim sum breakfast at Taman Pekaka ~ it's so good i'd say almost rivals Ipoh's best. Ah, this sunny island is always well known for it's abundance of cheap & good food, not forgetting pretty gals too. =p

Managed to squeeze time to catch an afternoon movie at Queensbay GSC ~ Fantastic 4: The Rise of the Silver Surfer. Quite an entertaining one (just a couple of yawns, but did not fell asleep), but rather short though. Finally got to meet up an old friend from my training days: Mei Yee a.k.a the tallest girl i've ever known... had a good chat over great food at Paddington's ~ house of pancakes.... just like the old times...

Will be heading off to SP soon. I'm sure i've got plenty of work to do overthere... will be joining a buddy's, Ah Pei's gang of 'brothers'; that lucky bloke is getting married tomorrow =)

*congrats Ivy, sorry that i got to miss out your wedding dinner last night.. sudden flight change; hope u have a blasting celebration1

*Lester, Alfonso & gang ~ good luck for the marathon tomorrow..

*Kino, u too... hope u finish the marathon & still manage make it to Pei's dinner tomorrow.. even if u'd have to crawl on all fours.. hehe

*Sue & Howie ~ congrats! u guys are expecting twins! now that's something to shout about...

Got to go meet Pei's bro a downtown Gurney now... tata


A Super Tanker ~ of a mammoth foodcourt

Paddington @ Queensbay Mall. This place serves up the best pancakes i've tasted & reasonably priced too.. ho chak!

Me & Mei Yee, an ex-colleague during my internship stint here. It's been great to be meeting u again. Now, i know u've been trying very hard to not make me look too vertically challenged in this photo here. Thanks, yah! =p

With buddy, Wai Mun. This crazy fella i knew from a couple of years back had gradually evolving into the perfect husband candidate. U & Lydia will be next in line, eh... =p

An interesting sharing by one of my unfortunate colleague. This should be helpful for those with a knack for breaking bending the little traffic rules...

Kepada Sesiapa Yang Kena Saman,

Itu hari saya terlambat bangun tidur, dan tergesa-gesa datang kerja. Dalam perjalanan, saya ditahan oleh 2 budak Polis. Dia terus datang suruh saya turun tingkap, tanya apa pasal takla safety belt. Saya tak rasa apa-apa takut, biasa saya. Saya nampak dia pakai (ANTI RASUAH), tapi saya tanya juga, Tuan, boleh tolong ka? Dia cakap, boleh tulis surat dan bayar di balai. Saya reply, OK lo, tolong cepat sikit…kejar masa ini. Nanti dia cakap pula tinted window saya terlalu gelap, suruh saya tangkal…saya reply pula, bila beli sudah ada, apa boleh buat…ok kali ini, saya saman takla safety belt saja. Jangan lain kali,…dalam hati saya ok lo…begitulah cerita saya disaman polis.

Nasihat kepada Sesiapa Yang Kena Saman,

Kalau duit kopi > RM50 lebih baik saman saja. Just edit sikit dan print the contoh surat rayuan (itu betul betul punya alasan saya print kasi polis, cuba tengok). Anda dapat diskaun RM20 dan just bayar RM50 di Pejabat Polis Trafik.

No XXXX

Lorong XXXX

Tabuan Height II

93350 Kuching

Tarikh : 06/06/07

Rujukan Saman No : AC 0XXXX0

Ketua Trafik,

Ibu Pejabat Polis Trafik Daerah Kuching,

Kuching, Sarawak.

PENGURANGAN KADAR KOMPAUN SAMAN TRAFIK NO: AC 0XXXX0 ATAS KESALAHAN TIDAK MEMAKAI TALI PINGGANG KESELAMATAN.

Merujuk kepada perkara diatas.

2. Saya memohon kepada pihak tuan supaya dapat mengurangkan kadar kompaun kes ini memandangkan saya ada bebanan keluarga, tidak berkerja dan kurang mampu untuk membayar kadar kompaun yang tinggi.

3. Saya berharap tuan dapat mepertimbangkan rayuan ini dan saya berjanji tidak akan mengulangi kesalahan ini.

Terima kasih.

Yang Dipaksa,

( XXXXXXXX)

Yang Disaman,
Buruh Kasar

Ada bebanan keluarga? Tiada *kerja*? my ass... but spicing it up a little does help. Luckily only got booked for failing to buckle up, coz a tint violation fine is gonna cost u a freaking 300 bucks. I abide by the general rule of thumb when driving: always keeping an eye out for those mobile booby-traps & steer clear of roadblocks whenever possible.

Happy PAPA’s Day 2 u.

~ received 17-Jun-07 8:45am. ?? Oh, I’m a daddy now! Heck, I haven’t even got a steady for years. But I’m sure it’ll be heart warming for the dads to be receiving appreciation notes from their lil’ ones.

So happy father’s day to all daddies out there, to my friends who are & those who’ve recently become. Hope not too many of u became one this way...

Bundles of joy do come in a 'suprising' way sometimes... =p

2007 NBA Finals ~ This year’s has been generally uninspiring, with very few memorable moments, watching the San Antonio Spurs’ sweep of the overmatched Cleveland Cavaliers. In fact Game4 of the finals is the only game I’ve watched for a full length, but not without flipping between channels like every 5 mins. It’s one of those oh-so-predictable series & rather boring to put it at best. I guess the playoff peaked in the 1^st round when the underdogs Chicago Bulls & Golden State Warriors staged major upset against the defending champion, Miami Heat & western powerhouse, Dallas Mavericks, sending them home early for the summer. Into the advancing rounds, the excitement gradually mellowed down, but at least the drama spilled over on to the conference finals, when Lebron’s spectacular one-man show dismantled the steady & sturdy Detroit Pistons in 6, in the East & the West featured a nail-bitingly intense & somewhat controversial battle between San Antonio Spurs, the league’s fundamentally best (but boring) team versus the high-flying & explosive Phoenix Suns. All the excitement ended after that & the finals turned out to be a no contest yawn from the start.

Though, the best team won in the end. The Spurs have always been fundamentally superb, consistently proving their worth season after season. Playing the conservative tempo-controlled, defense-first & back-to-basics methodological type of game ~ I’ve got to admit that they’re not that fun to watch; ugly game but nevertheless EFFECTIVE & always delivers when it mattered.

Photos from Yahoo Sports

4^th championship title in 9 years has cemented their dynasty to one of the best this decade; past Shaq & Kobe’s Showtime Lakers of 00’ – 03’ & now chasing the legacy of Jordan led Bulls’ 6 title run in 90s ~ that’s the best ever dynasty for me. It has always been a magical experience watching His Airness deliver legendary championship clutch performance & he’s done it 6 times!

Finals MVP, Tony Parker with his soon-to-be wife, Eva Longoria. This guys’ on the top of the world, savoring the ultimate professional satisfaction & personal bliss; a championship ring & MVP title this month, a wedding ring next. What more could a man ask for? He’s having the greatest year of his life, at 25.

I’m 26. Have yet to achieve any milestone worth mentioning… but am on my way.

random shots

how the inside of a longhouse look like. no kidding.

& the merry making goes on…

They were all smiles =)

That’s about the ONLY presentable photo of me, & Barbara. After drinking by the bucket loads, it felt like my face was red to the brink of exploding…

Me, in less photogenic mode. Boy, was I smashed…

It was only about 3 in the afternoon & we’re just slightly past halfway of the visiting schedule. That longhouse was probably the longest by far…the greeting protocol? Warm greetings from the kind folks as you enter communal ruai, lining the whole length of the longhouse (which may run the length of 1/2 an airstrip), eagerly offering shots of the Gawai official drink.

30 households = 30 shots of tuak on-the-rock. Even before you get to get to your seat. That was one heck of a drinking marathon, glad that it never turned into a puking one =p

Spent the later afternoon recharging & leveling-up our tuak-drinking-competency in preparation for the main fiesta that night back in Rumah Panjang Gensurai.

Finally, some familiar faces from workplace…

Getting a handful over a tuak-serving lesson

~ It does require a lot of effort & mastery, more than it looks

Nostalgic shots eh..

The party’s just getting started…

But some of us have already passed out…

Had lotsa fun doing the Para-Para (or was it called Poco-Poco?) dance thingy… even the rhythm-dead feet of mine found its groove =)

2^nd June ’07 ~ Parting shots

It's been a wonderful experience to be able to sample traditional harvest festival celebration, the authentic way. Truly enjoyed exotic feasts & the hospitality of the people.

*Thanks to Barbara & family, really appreciate it. Brandon, Colina & Chris, u guys have been real good company! Gabriel, i still owe u that 27 shots; & also to friends who were part of the experience, hope u guys enjoyed it as much as i did. =)