Changing Highlands.....

It is now the month of November and as I understand it is a good time for weddings. Like many others, a good friend of mine joined in the band wagon. He is from Cameron Highlands and naturally his wedding was held there. Since it was on a Sunday, we decided to spend two days there. So we were headed to CH on Saturday. Hoping to have a quiet, tranquil and relaxing short break; little did we know we were in for quite a bit of a surprise.
The day kicked off with a heavy shower over Ipoh which delayed our much anticipated trip. When it finally stopped raining we left Ipoh and took the Simpang Pulai – Cameron Highlands highway and sped off hoping to make up for lost time. We were greeted by a long string of cars which gave us an idea of what was to come up there. As predicted; it seemed like the entire country had planned the weekend at Cameron’s. We shocked to find ourselves stuck in a traffic jam as we approached Berinchang! We were speechless!! I have been visiting Cameron’s since I was 3 and I have never seen traffic of that sort in Cameron’s. It took us 20-30 minutes to get to Tanah Rata from Berinchang. How crazy is that!!
There were buses parked along the most of the areas. Unfortunately they were the cause of most of the traffic hiccups there. Towns like Tringkap, Berinchang and Tanah Rata were packed with tourists. These guys ranged from school children, senior citizens, tour groups from China and India. Vegetable farms, shops, strawberry farms and shops mushrooming all over the place. Thank God for the weather though. It was still as cool and crisp as the last time I was there. Having said that there is something about Cameron’s which gives you a sense a peace and tranquility as soon as you get nestled in. It is probably due to the weather and the picturesque backdrop consisting of vegetable farms and flowers and tea gardens perfectly landscaped. It gives a sense natural serenity (minus the tourists!!).
Having arrived earlier than our expected time to check-in; we decided to have lunch. After running around to find the right lunch to compliment the whole experience of being there; we could only settle for the famous steamboat dining. The vegetables which were served for the steamboat were fresh and cheap. The hot and soupy food went well with weather, as it had just stopped raining.

Just as we thought our luck was changing for the better; we found out Lady Luck was well out of it. The hotel we checked in was a disappointment. It looked nice from the outside but seemed very old on the inside. The staff wasn’t very friendly or helpful. We don’t think it will be appropriate and professional to mention the name of the hotel here, so we shall just leave it at that for now. A half an hour shut eye refreshed us and we were up and about our mission to turn our luck around. We decided to check out the BOH Tea plantations and for a cup of tea. However that quickly turned out to be a bad idea as it was packed (with you know who!!). We made an about turn and walked about Tanah Rata instead.

In the evening we headed to the night market in Brinchang. It too was packed with tourists but I guess it was ok. We feasted our eyes on the fresh vegetables and flowers there. The batter fried mushrooms and vegetables as well as fresh honey were a delight to munch on while we walked. Well even that came to an abrupt end when it started to drizzle. Sigh!!

As it was approaching dinner time we looked high and low for a nice place to eat and found this nice place called “Jasmine Café”. It is place which we will suggest to anyone going to Cameron’s to have a meal there. It is situated in Tanah Rata right on the main road. It gave a warm and inviting look.

The shop was orange with lots Dutch football paraphernalia which would make you feel like you are sitting in football pub cum bistro in Amsterdam. They served western food with a fair amount of liquor and a modest wine collection. I guess being 1200 meters above sea level and with kinda luck we have been having all day, any wine will do. The food menu was good and tantalizing.

We ordered a beef and lamb steak and can’t thank God enough for granting us a good meal. The steaks were cooked exactly the right way and the wine complimented the steaks. If my memory serves me right there was some sort of European folk music playing in the background. So was it a good way to end the night?? Definitely!!

The next day we forced to wake up early because our friend was about to (literally) tie the knot at 9.00am. We rushed to the breakfast buffet to see what was in store for us. As usual, the disappointment didn’t come as a surprise. Gobbled up what seemed edible and got ready for the wedding. It was nice to see my wife all dressed up in a saree. I must say she is getting better in tying a saree all by herself. We headed to the temple for my friend’s wedding. The temple was decked with the usual decorations and the advantage of having a wedding in Cameron Highlands is the flowers used in the decorations are beautiful, fresh and to some extend cheaper. It is always nice to be a witness to a close friend’s marriage. The wedding ceremony went on well and as soon as he tied the knot the crowd was up on their feet getting ready to bless the newlyweds. We too stood in line and when our time came we blessed the couple and had the wedding lunch prepared there; which I must say smelled exceptionally good in the cold weather.
We bade farewell to the couple and left to our hotel which was just in time for ‘check-out’. Since we were ahead of our schedule we decided to do some shopping. I must say the vegetable vendors did well to entice us to buy the crops sold at their stalls. The goods sold there appeared fresh, cheap and delectable. As soon as filed our car with vegetables, fruits and flowers we were made our slow descend back to Ipoh.
So to summarize this trip… Let’s see… never go to Cameron’s on a weekend or during the school holidays and never completely trust pictures or reviews of hotels you see online. Though the trip had its ups and downs Cameron’s is not all bad. It still has its charm of being a lush green picturesque place. It is a place where city dwellers hope to find peace and tranquility. The very sight of acres and acres of tea plantations, flower gardens, fruit orchards and vegetable farm eases the mind and brings peace to anyone who comes there. So are we going there again after this experience? Of course we will!!!!

A Night To Remember....

There will come a time where boys will leave their youth behind and step into the world of adulthood. One of the milestones of adulthood is marriage and I too like many of my friends am living in the "continent" of married life. One by one; the dudes in my circle of brothers got married. Most of us were given the ever famous " Oh no!! Another one bites the dust". There was even one #@** who said " Marriage is a sentence... A Life Sentence!!" Boy, I cant wait for that one to get married!! Of all those who had their own version of being married, the best came from one of the country's top surgeon. When I told him I was about to get married, his response was short, simple, sweet and assuring. He said " Good to hear that. Marriage will bring stability to your life." A year and half later I am glad to testify that what he said is true.

Ok... getting back to my brothers... The first to get married was Daniel, then came David, followed by another David. After that came yours truly and the last was Raymond. We all became witnesses to his wedding when we celebrated his marriage last night. He actually got married on the 7th of May 2011 in the Philippines but due reasons of our own, most of us could not attend his wedding over there and were eagerly awaiting his reception over here.

For some reason; we always reunite at weddings. I guess when everyone is scattered all over the country it is rather hard to find time to meet. The reception was held in Royal China Tropicana; Ipoh. It was a nice place. Cozy and new. The event was beautiful. I was seated at table 19 along with my wife, my mom and dad, my sister. The others who made the numbers at my table were David, his wife and his mom and not forgetting his little Ian. David Pang, Janice and Oswin were also seated with us. Meeting up with old mates made the night very meaningful. Our parents were invited too so it was basically a very big family reunion coz we are all "brothers from different mothers". I'm sure you know what I mean right!!

You know when you leave one generation and enter the next when you see your buddies bring their kids and babies. Only then it hits you that you are getting old... oops .. sorry... getting OLDER. Then again one might argue that age is just a number.

We all had a jolly good time. We ate, drank and were definitely merry. It was funny watching Raymond progressively getting sloshed as he moved from table to table performing the 'Yum Seng' ritual. If my memory serves me correctly , I think our table gave the longest and loudest 'Yuuuuummm Senggg'!. As usual, I had to take some evidence of the reception through my trusted Canon 450D.

One by one the dishes numbered itself down to the last one and when dessert was up, we came to realize that the night was coming to its halt. We all gathered up, sucked in our tummies for some final snaps. After that we reluctantly bid our farewells and left with contented bodies, mind and souls.

Well before i sign off, this is for you Raymond, welcome to the club and I would like to quote my mentor's wise words and I hope what he said holds true to you too. "Marriage will bring stability to Your Life" Congrats my brother!!!

Fruitful Year of 2010/2011...

Wow... I can't believe it has been 3 to 4 months since i last updated my blog. Well the reason for my absence will have to be that I had a lot of studying to do; in preparation for my 1st year Masters examination. The first 6 moths in the program I was kept busy by work in a new hospital and by missing my dear wife. Yes Baby!!! I was missing you a lot. The second half of the year crept up upon me so slowly that I had barely enough time to study for my exams when i finally took notice of it.

When I finally sat my ass down to begin my studies, I saw the magnitude of what I was about to undertake. No amount of advise or personal experiences of seniors can ever prepare you for the exams. Well, better late than never!! I put in my share of hard work in that short period of time. With my Father's blessings and help, I passed the exams. I never expected to clear this hurdle on my own and I realized that anything and everything is possible in His name. " Ask and Ye Shall Receive".

Now that i have got that out of the way, I feel relieved and I am ready for the next phase of my carrier and life... Like I said before... Anything and everything is possible in His name.

* THANK YOU FATHER AND PRAISE & GLORY TO MY LORD JESUS CHRIST *

Enough Is Enough!!

This season is turning out to be disaster for Liverpool. It is becoming a nightmare for us Liverpool supporters. This cannot be happening! You see guys, I have always been an ardent fan of Liverpool FC. I have been a loyal supporter since I was 11. The inspirational and tactical plays by Ian Rush, Peter Beardsley and John Barnes won me over. The team we see now is far from what Liverpool is all about. If my memory serves me right, Liverpool is about young local talent who has got heart and soul for playing for their dream club and the club they grew up loving.

My boys have played 20 games so far and lost a total of 9 games and managed to scrap through with a mere 7 wins, as opposed to The Devils where they have successfully kept a very impressive zero defeats so far.
Now! Now! Don’t get me wrong guys. I’m not switching sides. Always have been and will always be a Kop. The only one so far keeping the team glued together is Stevie G. It’s a little scary to ponder on how long our team captain can hold on after increasing number defeats. Bringing this team back to life is going to be a rigmarole one and many are losing faith on uncle Hodgson. I too feel Hodgson is incapable of handling and managing a big club like Liverpool. Maybe John Henry and Tom Werner should seriously consider K. Rajagopal. I mean if he could a bunch of **** to victory he probably could do some good to LFC :p . And they can get him at a fraction of the price of a European coach.

How a team fares in the league plays an important role to their supporters. Players get paid in millions but not the fans. We stick to our club through thick and thin. Players get paid even if they lose but fans get taunted, mocked and derided. In spite of having ridiculed, teased and forced to walk with our tails snugly tucked between our legs we still loyally stick to our teams.
I can only hope and pray for our boys to get their groove back. So come all ye loyal advocates of LFC let’s in one accord and unison pray for our beloved football team to find its form and start proving critics wrong and live up to its name.

“YOU’LL NEVER WALK ALONE”

Fresh Start…. Trees of Hope…

A new year and a new beginning. It probably holds true for most of us. While going through previous articles I stumbled upon one which I feel appropriate to get me in the mood of starting the New Year (other than orbital’s Halcyon and on and on). It is actually a pretty old article my mom found in the newspapers and compiled it. She got me to read it and I was pretty baffled wondering how an article like this found its way to our local papers. Nevertheless it made a very strong and lasting impression on me. Well, let me not waste your time and get straight to the point guys. Ladies and Gentlemen I present to you; “Trees of Hope”

“ Once there were trees on a hill in the woods. They were discussing their hopes and dreams when the first tree said, “Someday I hope to be a treasure chest. I could be filled with gold, silver and precious gems. I could be decorated with intricate carving and everyone would see the beauty.”
Then the second tree said, “Someday I will be a mighty ship. I will take kings and queens across the waters and sail to the corners of the world. Everyone will feel safe I me because of the strength of my hull.”
Finally the third tree said, “I want to grow to be the tallest and straightest tree in the forest. People will see me on top of the hill and look up to my branches, and think of the heavens and God and how close to them I am reaching.
I will be the greatest tree of all time and people will always remember me.” After a few years of praying that their dreams would come true, a group of woodsmen came upon the trees. When one came to the first tree he said, “This looks like a strong tree, I think I should be able to sell the wood to a carpenter.” … and he began cutting it down. The tree was happy because he knew that the carpenter would make him into a treasure chest.
At the second tree a woodsman said, “This looks like a strong tree, I should be able to sell it to the shipyard.” The second tree was happy because he knew he was on his way to becoming a mighty ship. When the woodsman came upon the third tree, the tree was frightened because he knew that if they cut him down his dreams would not come true. One of the woodsmen said, “I don’t need anything special from my tree so I’ll take this one,” and he cut it down.
When the first tree arrived at the carpenters, he was made into a feed box for animals. He was then placed I a barn and filled it with hay. This was not at all what he had prayed for. The second tree was cut and made into a small fishing boat. His dreams of being a mighty ship carrying kings and queens came to an end. The third tree was cut into large pieces and left alone in the dark. The years went by, and the trees forgot about their dreams.
Then one day, a man and a woman came to the barn. She gave birth and they placed the baby in the hay in the feed box that was made from the first tree. The man wished that he could have made a crib for the baby, but this manger would have to do. The tree could feel the importance of this event and knew that it had held the greatest treasure of all time. Years later, a group of men got in the fishing bat made from the second tree. One of them was tired and went to sleep.
While they were out on the water, a great storm arose and the tree didn’t think it was strong enough to keep the men safe. The men woke the sleeping man, and he stood and said “Peace” and the storm stopped. At this time, the tree knew that it had carried the King of Kings in its boat.
Finally, someone came and got the third tree. It was carried through the streets as the people mocked the man who was carrying it. When they came to a stop, the man was nailed to the tree and raised in the air t die at the top of a hill.
The moral of this story is when things don’t seem to be going your way, always know God has a plan for you. If you place your trust in Him, He will give you great gifts. Each f the trees got what they wanted, just not in the way they had imagined.
We don’t always know what God’s plans are for us. We just know that His ways are not our ways, but His ways are always best. ”