For Unity or Bigotry

Teluk Bahang Dam, Penang, Malaysia

Here we go again. An election in Malaysia in 2 days' time. State elections in 6 states, smaller but no less important, I’d say. We should’ve had them back in 2022 with the rest of the country, but no. Brinkmanship of the then-opposition leaders proves more important. Oi, how can we have an election in monsoon flood season??? But then, Malaysia went ahead with the general election and most of the states followed, with the exception of 6 opposition-controlled states. Now, 3 of the then-opposition states are part of the new Unity government, and the other 3 stayed separate as part of the Islamic party led, Malay-based opposition called the Perikatan Nasional (or PN). Now PN, like the previous ‘government’, is playing the racial and religious card to try to get more votes. They’re going all out for votes, screw unity, peace or harmony.

The problem is that most outstation voters won’t have an inclination to head back home this time for a vote in a state election, especially as it’s less than a year from the last General Election. And the bulk of the ‘Unity’ people, ARE incidentally the people who work outstation and mingle with people of other races in their work and lives. What the heck! Will Unity lose? I hope not. I like how this new Unity government is functioning, dismantling the hatred and divisions which the previous governments have fomented all those years before.

Anyway, Penang is one of the states involved, and I hope the Unity people come out stronger than before. Here’re some mix and match photos of Penang (I love these opportunities. When else would I post these, if not?) God bless Malaysia!


From the Teluk Bahang Dam, you could see the Escape theme park (the one with the water slides) and Entopia, the Butterfly Park (on the right)


Father and sons discussing something, Teluk Bahang Dam, Penang, 2019 – I remember having a splitting headache that day, with vomiting… It was bad. Must be all the bugs I touched at Entopia (the butterfly farm) and then had lunch without washing my hands. Hey, it was before COVID, OK? Who’d known that some pesky bugs could do so much harm?!?!


And these were the kids in 2019, see how teeny they were – Jayden, Justin and Stacey. This was dinner right after our day out in Escape. Those asam (tamarind) prawns look yummy!


In 2019, we took a train from KL to Butterworth, instead of flying. The kids enjoyed it


“You have reached your destination” – 9 year+ old Justin at Butterworth Railway Station. How they’ve grown now


The old Penang ferry was still running at that time. I like these vehicle-carrying old ferries, the new ones just don’t feel the same (not that I've tried the new ones yet)


Street food extravaganza!!! One of dad and Hazel’s favourite eating place in Penang – New Lane at Jalan Macalister – this was in 2019


The famous Char Koay Teow, if you don't mind the long queue!


The same street in 2022 – Nothing much’s changed as you can see!


A catholic church at Jalan Macalister, Penang


A view from Gurney Plaza – you could see Penang Hill on the right, rising above the city


And finally, a spruced-up canal at the Sia Boey Urban Archaeological Park, with the restored old Prangin Market (that empty structure, painted in green) on the right, Penang, 2022

May Unity Prevail!

If I Were Batman

This would be my hideout! Impressive huh? (But I’d rather be Morbius, muahaha!)

OK, I am out time. Tenders, close out work and a Saudi visit (for work of course, what d’ya think?) I never imagined that I’d be that busy this time, especially at the tail-end of my Projects. I thought I’d have a lazy heat wave of a summer, sorting out photos, posting blogs, reading (and watching) nonsense, applying for jobs (that’s what you’d do when you find yourself free, don’t you? Never know when the company would get tired of you!) and so on… BUT that’s all changed and for the last 2 months, I posted only 2 miserable posts!! So here goes a photo post, just to keep the blog alive! Don’t I just love that!

My siblings have been taking turns to visit our father and youngest sister in Malaysia this summer. First Jason’s family from Singapore in June, and then Kim & kids from NZ in July. It’d be nice to visit also, but the pesky airlines don’t make it affordable for us here. So, it’s a summer spent baking in the scorching oven… (we’ve found some cheap tickets recently, to locations nearer to the Middle East, let’s hope the visa is easy to get. So, there’s still a chance we’d go somewhere, hehe). Anyway, talking about home, here’s our very own family visit to Malaysia last year - our caving adventure in the Gunung Mulu National Park with dad and Hazel!


We’ve arrived! Mulu Airport, Sarawak, Malaysia. We took a 30 mins flight from Miri. That’s the only practical way to get here. It’s either this or by road and river boats which will take you an entire freakin day from Miri (don’t believe me, Google it!)


The entrance bridge of the Mulu National Park. The little village and airport are on the other side of this river, the Sungai Melinau Paku


Checked in, and enjoying a cup o’ coffee outside our longhouse room in the National Park


The adventure begins… trekking off into the jungle


Smile everybody! Why’s everyone so gloomy! It ain’t hot actually. The rainforest’s cool and shady, and there’s the occasional drizzle and rain. But it’s damn humid!


We’ve reached the entrances of the Deer Cave (and Lang Cave). The huge cavernous hole in the middle is the Deer Cave. The Lang Cave uses the same route but is further to the right of the photo and its entrance is obscured by the jungle. This was where we’d watch Batman unleash his superpowers later on (… the bat exodus!)




The Lang Cave is full of strange rock formations… O the rock is melting!?! Duh, no better comment to make??


The route to Deer Cave


Welcome to the Batcave. No, it’s called the Deer Cave! Move over, Batman!


What’s this? It’s inside the friggin Deer Cave. See how tiny the pesky humans are! Can’t even see the roof/ ceiling of the cave in this pic


Deer Cave, Mulu National Park, Sarawak, Malaysia. It’s more than 120m wide, 4km in length and 140+m high! You could fit a friggin 45-storey high building in here! There's water falling continuously from the ceiling at a few places, creating a small stream in the cave


Hahhhh…. Bats! The exodus begins. That’s what we’ve been waiting for. Millions of bats fly out from their home in the Deer Cave in the evening for their nightly activities. (No, no sign of the caped crusader… he must be shy)


Chilling out with dad in the National Park’s cafeteria – which would you fancy beer or tuak? Cheers!

Starting Life in a New City

Whoa! Time flies. Just like that, and half of 2023 is gone. Jayden will finish Year 4 in less than a week! (And he still looks like a baby to me). And Justin’s finished half of his school year in Singapore, and is in his 3rd Term now. It felt like just yesterday, that he left.

Well, I haven’t sorted out any of the photos of Justin’s holiday break with us in June. Didn’t go anywhere except a couple of theme parks (it’s friggin summer in the UAE, and Jayden’s still at school – Where’s there to go?). Nor did we do anything during the long blissful Eid Al Adha break last week. …Oh, we did actually, trying to whip our fat asses into shape by working out at home (thanks to the missus) and stretching my body into positions which I’ve known from 40 years back that were impossible for me to do (thanks to the missus again. “My legs are too long, and they’re heavy!” “My hands are too short”), and getting muscles sore and stuff like that. (Imagine undoing 50 years of rigidity). Really nice break.

Anyway, here’s a throwback to when Justin started life in Singapore, umm 8 months back (already?). He said it's much nicer here in Dubai (duh, of course, this is home!), but we told him it’s for his own good. Hope he continues to thrive and do good.


Justin at St Joseph’s Institution (SJI) – His new school (errr, it was new in Nov 2022 when this photo was taken, ahem)


Leaving on a jet plane – transiting in Chennai, India from Dubai to Singapore. (He could transit because he was with me. Young passengers travelling alone aren’t allowed to take connecting flights on many airlines). That's why lucky Justin could fly luxurious Emirates and Etihad when he's alone, when all of us have to make do with the likes of Indigo, and Air Asia, and you know the lot...


Meeting his fellow ASEAN Malaysian scholars at Changi Airport, Singapore. They’re all going to different schools


This building is where he’s staying, St Andrew’s Hall


The nearest metro (MRT) station is Potong Pasir


From the MRT station you can either take a bus to the hostel, or walk… along this canal (the building on the extreme left in the photo above, is St Andrew’s Hall, Justin’s hostel)


There’re multiple bridges crossing the canal. Here’s Justin with his Sienchik (younger uncle), Jason, on a pedestrian bridge across the canal. It’s OK to walk when it’s cloudy. If you fancy a workout, you can walk under the friggin midday sun and sweat your brains out. If you fancy a free shower, you can walk in the rain and get yourself soaking wet. See, it’s fun! A walk for all occasions!


Here’s Justin in his hostel


Parents aren’t actually allowed inside, but they make exceptions when it’s the first time


This is his school ground, SJI


The chapel in SJI. SJI is a Lasallian school. LaSalle schools are our rival schools in Ipoh, coz yours truly was from ACS Ipoh! LaSalle schools are Roman Catholic while ACS is Methodist. We have chapels in our school premises coz they started out as missionary schools


This was a Welcome Tour/ induction given by SJI’s teachers to scholars and their parents. If you look closely, you can spot Jason on the right, and Garren (in mask), the only other Malaysian Sec 1 ASEAN scholar in SJI other than Justin, who's Justin's friend now, on the left


A strange sculpture in his school ground. I guess it's for when students (or teachers) are driven nuts ...they'd come out here and walk the "maze" like LightBot to lighten up


Justin with his Chik-Kong and Chim-Po (granduncle and grandaunt, actually my dad’s youngest brother and his wife). Hokkien kinship terms are kinda tedious to explain, OK? This was somewhere in the western part of Singapore, a part that Justin doesn’t often go (bcoz it’s far from where he or Jason stays). I think it’s Jurong Point near Boon Lay’s MRT Station


His uncle Jason is his guardian in Singapore. Jason, Fang and Stacey outside the Library at VivoCity, Singapore. Not a very comfortable day for a photo I’d say. You know the times when it’s just impossible to keep your eyes open?? Errghh… that type of day!

The New Old Dubai

Eid Mubarak! Wishes for a happy and blessed Eid and Hari Ray to all those celebrating.

Hello, I’m back. This will be a super-quick post. Have been busy lately, started working on some tendering at the office, and Justin came back home for a holiday!! Took some time off to be with him, went to some of the theme parks here in the UAE (there’re scores of theme parks here, but we’ve only ever been to Legoland before this, ahem – They cost a bomb, OK?!) He’s gone back to Singapore now, as school there starts TODAY! What a bummer! I’ve got tomorrow till the end of the week off because of Eid Al Adha! So here goes my super-quick Eid Al Adha post, before I go off for the 6-day long weekend! Ahhhh, bliss, in a friggin 'heatwave'…

Eid Mubarak everyone. Selamat Hari Raya! Happy Holidays! As I’ve not downloaded anything new, here’re old photos again of a place in Dubai. “Heck, we don’t really have anything old and traditional here in Dubai to show.” Fret not, we’ll just create one, and voila! Al Seef! Looks like ‘old’ is the new trend now. And so, welcome to Al Seef, the new ‘old’ town of Dubai, although it’s all created from scratch!


The kids and I at Al Seef, 2 years ago


Hey, nice swing! This was during the COVID times, May 2021


‘Old’ Dubai even comes with cracked walls, peeling plaster, exposed cables all over the place…




See what I mean?


Did they have Starbucks in the 50’s?


Believe it or not, this is a first-floor lobby of a Hilton Hotel (or more aptly the Al Seef ‘Heritage’ Hotel by Hilton). This ummm ‘heritage’ was all created a ‘long time ago’, like in 2017, ahem






The developer completely rebuilt Dubai Creek into this fantasy ‘heritage’ area. Know how it looked like before? Check out this old 2008 post


This is the real stuff, the actual old heritage area, the Bastakia quarters, which is next to Al Seef. For a 2008 comparison, check out this post


Hey Jayden, why’re you in Chinese attire? This was Chinese New Year, 2023. Justin wasn’t with us as he was in Singapore


Twinkle, twinkle, lots of lights, Al Seef, Dubai 2023


Wishing all a happy Eid and holiday! At the Arabian Tea House, Bastakiya, Dubai