A Time for Babies!!!

Just a quick announcement. Little sis Kim gave birth to a beautiful baby boy yesterday, in Auckland, New Zealand – Jared Ong Mueller. I’m so happy for them!!! The photos are in whatsapp. For the time being, I’m posting a photo of the couple’s wedding, which unfortunately, we didn’t manage to attend.


Kim and Daniel

Another news that just came in, Anu’s sister, Rekha, gave birth to a baby girl today! So Justin’s suddenly got two additional cousins to play with now, …although we’re all worlds apart. And Anu’s god brother’s wife gave birth to a baby boy about 3 days back. What d’ya say to that huh?

Praise God!

An Extra Romantic Day

Atrium at the Koregaon Park Plaza, Pune, India

It’s Valentine’s Day tomorrow, so Happy Valentine’s Day everyone! This year’s Valentine’s also happens to coincide with the 15th (last) day of Chinese New Year (or Chap Goh Meh as the Hokkiens call it). I was told that in our part of the world (Malaysia, Singapore), the Chinese actually celebrate this like some sort of Chinese valentine’s. Girls will write their numbers on a mandarin orange and cast it into a river or lake. The boys will collect the mandarin oranges, get the numbers and eat them (of course, why waste food?) I don’t know how true this is, but I’ve never personally done or seen anything like this. The only thing we did on this day when we were kids, was to have a helluva lot of fun with paper lanterns and fire crackers. We’d bug the bejesus out of our parents to buy lanterns.

These lanterns were made from steel wire and transparent coloured paper. They’d come in all shapes and sizes, horses, goldfish, dinosaurs, heck, whatever’s popular at that time. We’d stick a candle in it, light ‘em up and walk around the neighbourhood at night. They’re crude and burn down easily if not handled well. But we’re absolutely nuts over it, don’t ask me why!

Nothing planned yet for Valentine’s this time round. But, here’s a bit of glamour and luxury from our days in Pune to add to the mood for romance…


Outing at Koregaon Park Plaza, June 2012 – No, these were not taken on Valentine’s day or any special day. Just some random photos to reflect the Valentine’s and CNY mood.


Food Court, Koregaon Park Plaza




Westin Hotel, Pune – our favourite Pune hideaway on special occasions, like our anniversary, New Year’s eve…


The rooms at Westin Hotel, 7000 rupees for a double, with breakfast included – that’s about the price of only a 3-star hotel if you’re in Dubai! – Friggin expensive here – can’t afford that sort of luxury now…






More views of the Westin


Anu and Amruta, a Pune friend who worked in the Westin


Swimming pool of the Four Points Hotel, another hotel we tried out in Pune


The Amanora Town Centre Mall, Pune


Our brother-in-law, Gopal at TJ’s Brew Works, a beer brewery, Amanora Mall, Pune

The Chinese State of Malaysia

The entrance of the Khoo Kongsi, (Khoo family clanhouse), Georgetown, Penang

Not a very politically correct title maybe, but what the heck, Malaysia’s ruling party and media hyped this up so much in last year’s election, that it’s sort of ingrained into the minds of us citizens now. So here’s Penang, the only opposition, Chinese ruled state in Malaysia.




More views of the Khoo Kongsi, with its elaborate ornamented roofs, walls, windows, etc. It was said to be even more extravagant when they first built it, and it offended the gods so much, that they caused it to burn down. A toned-down version was rebuilt later on (I think that was what it said in the tourist brochure, hmmm, don't really remember as I've thrown the brochure away now).

Thought I’ll put some photos of Penang’s Chinese temples. Still in the mood of Chinese New Year actually …and reminiscing about the Pai Thni-Kong festival of my childhood years. Pai Thni-Kong was grand for us then, grander than the first day of CNY. The first day was only dressing up in new clothes, collecting angpows (red packets), and visiting relatives. I was not a very sociable kid, so the visiting the relatives part was a bore, and I didn’t really like new clothes, with its prickly tags and stiff-like-cardboard nature, so the only thing working for me then was counting how much money I get from the angpows.

Pai Thni-Kong (Prayers to the Sky God) was completely different. It’s a day of complete freedom, for us kids I mean. No bitching on going to bed early from the adults. We could gamble, heck, even drink, a little (we’re kids OK?), play firecrackers, do as we like basically. And because the altar and stuff used to be set up at my home, where granny stayed, we didn’t need to go anywhere. The relatives (plus all my cousins) came instead. And we had to put on new clothes only just before the prayers, which happened exactly at midnight, at the start of the 9th day of CNY.

I used to like the mysticism that goes with it, the pink pagodas, the joss paper which we folded to resemble Chinese gold ingots, the red strung firecrackers, the makeshift altar with its urn for joss sticks, the myriad types of weird Chinese cakes (none of which I like honestly, I just like their looks hehe). The pineapples, pomelos and sugarcane. The roast pig at the centre, or roast chicken sometimes, all decorated with red paper pattern cut-outs.

We’ve been chatting about Pai Thni-Kong these past few days (on whatsapp), yours truly and the cousins. It’s like a journey to the past, in the days when we were pseudo-Christians. We had to do a lot to prepare for it, spent days folding paper gold, sorting thru rice (to separate glutinous rice from normal rice), etc. There were no idols in our house, and we prayed only on that night, once per year. So I don’t really know who this god, Thni-Kong (Heaven God literally) is. (OK, now I know it’s actually the Jade Emperor, thanks to my cousin, niece hehe). It’s essentially a Hokkien festival. The Cantonese and Hakka in Ipoh don’t celebrate it, but for us Hokkiens, this is one big day.

I’ve never celebrated Pai Thni-Kong in Penang but it must be a grand affair there, being a primarily Hokkien state. Heck, Hokkien’s like the state language of Penang! That’s the language they speak to you when you arrive at Penang Airport, as long as you look Chinese.

OK, written too much. Now for the pictures. And for those who still celebrate this, Happy Pai Thni-Kong everyone!




The interior of Khoo Kongsi, with its ancestral altars. Also check out my old 2006 post of Khoo Kongsi




Two of the many other Chinese clanhouses in the area, no, I don't remember for what clans they are, and not being able to read Chinese doesn't help




The Kek Lok Si Buddhist Temple, Ayer Itam, Penang. We arrived just before closing time, so we only wondered around the unlocked areas (mainly for fear of being accidentally locked inside the temple, scary...)


The multi-cultural pagoda of the Kek Lok Si Temple - bottom tiers Chinese, middle tiers Thai, and pinnacle Burmese


A mosque for a change, the Acheh Street Mosque near Khoo Kongsi - built by Arab merchants from Acheh in Sumatra

Welcoming the Horse Year

Dubai Skyline from the Meydan Racecourse

Happy Chinese New Year fellas!! May you and your families be blessed with everything good, may you be successful in your ventures, may all your wishes come true, may you go higher and higher, may you be as healthy as the horse and the dragon! Alright, my translation sucks, but they’re popular traditional Chinese greetings OK??

I dunno, but I just feel that CNY’s lost that spirit since granny passed away. I like the times when we were small, when we were all living close together in a big extended family in Ipoh. When we could meet all our cousins and friends during New Year, when granny, mom and our aunts made cookies, when we ate (and drank) together, when we had our annual gambling sessions… Oh, and the New Year parties when we grew up!!

I miss Pai Thni-Kong. It’s uniquely Hokkien, with its sugarcanes, pink pagodas, angkus, red paper cut-outs and firecrackers, and I loved folding that err… paper-gold for burning, all varieties of it, the origami of New Years past.

Big families are good in that way. Now, with everyone grown up and having their own families, CNY’s just not the same as it used to be. Sometimes I wish someone would create a Christian version of Pai Thni-Kong, or something like that. After all there’re no idols involved. We pray to the sky, or the God of Heaven as thanksgiving for saving Hokkien folk in a sugarcane plantation (that’s what I’ve been told by someone a long time ago, I dunno how true that is!)

Anyway, I’ll be stuck in Arab lands this coming CNY. It’s not a public holiday here, but since I’m working for a Chinese company, we’re getting a three-day weekend break this time, yippee!!

For the time being, I’m leaving some pictures of horses for the New Horse Year. The UAE loves horses (and camels) so there’re no shortage of horses here. The King of Dubai himself, is an accomplished rider, and a major figure in international thoroughbred horse racing/ breeding.

Here’re pictures of a …party we sort of crashed, unknowingly. It was some bank’s family day at the Meydan Racecourse, and we happened to be there to check out the place. It’s a new place after all, OK? Before we knew it, we were guided to the free pony rides for kids, and free pony painting event, given door gifts, and welcome drinks, etc. We quietly left after realising what it was, but not before we sampled the food and Justin had a helluva time. Hehehe.


Pony Rides at the Meydan Racecourse, Dubai


Justin trying his hand at horse decoration




Meydan Racecourse, Dubai


Anu at the top deck of the Meydan Racecourse complex


Laid out dining tables and stage for the family day


The curvy bridge at Meydan Racecourse


Some private road near the racecourse, flanked by pyramid hedges

Tree Tunnels

Somewhere between Baramati and Nira, Maharashtra, India

Some tree tunnels for the time being. This feature is common on the roads in rural Maharashtra. But only on the roads where developers and contractors like us haven't gone in, and widened the hell out of 'em. See them while you still can.


Baramati to Nira Road, Maharashtra

A Princely State of India

New Palace, Kolhapur, Maharashtra

First blog entry of 2014. 2014 so far has been mmm.. pretty shitty, to be frank.

Worked non-stop except for the breaks, with some days extending till 2am! Getting tired… Maybe because age is catching up. The writing creativity’s gone for sure. Not only that, the English’s going down the drain fast! Can’t come up with the words that I need. And I hate my sentences. But what to do? I gotta deliver. It’s the quantity and deadlines that count nowadays, not the quality of the writing. That kind of attitude has rubbed off on my blogging, but I only have …this little time. Anything’s better than nothing.

Haven’t wished anyone a Happy New Year except thru whatsapp. As a matter of fact, haven’t even checked my personal emails since the end of last year. So to anyone who still reads this blog (I doubt there’s any), here’s to wishing you a great grand 2014! Hope this year, and every year after that, will be better than the one before. God bless all of you. May your wishes come true, and may the force be with you.

For the time being, here’s how we spent the New Year last year, in 2013. With a visit to Kolhapur, a former princely state of India. There’re hundreds of princely states in India once upon a time. They have their own kings (Rajas, Sultans, Nizams, Nawabs, you name em, etc.), own territory, own flags, own palaces, ministers, etc. Before India gained independence from Britain, Kolhapur was ruled by a Maharaja who is a direct descendant of the kings of the Maratha Empire. Kolhapur is in southern Maharashtra, near the Karnataka border. It’s about 270km from Daund, and took us 5 to 6 hours to reach (this is India after all, …5 to 6 hours is considered pretty good for a 270 km journey, OK? It'll probably take 10 hours if it's Assam)


A roundabout in front of the New Palace at Kolhapur (doesn’t look very New to me now)


Mahalakshmi Temple, Kolhapur – a famous temple in the region, dedicated to the Hindu goddess of wealth, and is supposed to bring good luck. If my Malaysian Chinese empat-ekor friends know about this, I’m sure there’ll be a throng of ‘em here.


Flowers and fruits for the temple – at the gate to the Mahalakshmi Temple, Kolhapur


Street leading to the gate of the Mahalakshmi Temple, flanked with shops selling religious stuff


Finally managed to catch a picture of Justin, running all over the compounds of the temple


Bhavani Mandap, used to be a palace court or something, and now a temple


A Jain Temple (I presume), near the Mahalakshmi Temple – this is only my guess ok, coz Jain Temples all look like this, intricately carved white marble structures


Rankala Lake, Kolhapur


A mosque of some sort, near the bridge crossing Panchganga River – no names so don’t really know what it is


A group of temples beside (or more like inside) the Panchganga River – again no names in English, so dunno what they are. Kinda bumped into it while driving around Kolhapur






More views of the Panchganga River Ghat