Melaka....

21st July 2007 (Sat)
Melaka was fun. Tasha and I took the bus - instead of the normal driving we normally do. So, Caesar cldnt come with us. But I must say, we enjoyed ourselves on the bus rides - to and fro. Jam sent us to the bus station, got the 4pm bus, arrived in Melaka at about 6. Had a rest at home, before Anto and I headed to the church to have our practice. Oh yeah, Ruf'Ruf could not make it as he had a more important engagement to attend to. Anyway, practice was good. I chose a different variety of songs to do for P&W. Not the normal ones that we normally sing. I took 2 hymns - How Great Thou Art and Because He Lives and jazzed them up. I also sang a few old typical P&W slow numbers for the worship part of the P&W session. So, it was me on the vocals and the piano and Anto on the drums. On the whole it was good.

Came back, Amma was ready with dinner. During the time of practice, Tasha managed to grab a few hours of snooze time. So when we got back had dinner. AWESOME! Amma made some french beans with prawns (the ol' time favourite), and check this out LAMB CURRY - with huge chunks of ever so tender lamb meat and potatoes. With pappadams, pickles and rice. I ate 2 rounds of rice and then after a short break - 5 chappatis with the lamb curry as well. Oh yes, it was fabulous.

After dinner as we were resting and watching some tele, Anto was around as well, so I decided to have a drink. Didnt go anywhere, my friend Jay from Miri presented me with a bottle of Chivas for my engagement. So we had a few rounds of whisky and ginger ale and then retired for the day.


22nd July 2007 (Sun)
I was awake by 6am. Saw Appa going for his morning jog. Had bfast with Amma, then got ready and left for church by 7.45am. Had to prepare myself for my performance. You see I take my performances very seriously, so I have to be at the venue of performance at least 30 mins earlier, to pray, relax, ensure all the PPS slides are in order, etc. So, upon doing all that, service began. By God's grace everything went on according to plan - but I still felt that the drum beat for the 2nd song (How Great Thou Art) could have been a different beat. A beat that Anto and I decided on. Poor fellow was nervous and played another beat. But it turned out ok. I wasn't too pleased, but on the overall P&W session - I would say 6/10. I'm sorry, but I am a perfectionist. Especially if I am doing it for the Lord, I have to do it very well - there is no room for mistakes.

Well, after that we headed home for a bit of a rest, then we had lunch. Another session of eating and eating and eating...... Then Anto, Appa and Amma sent us to the bus station. Got the 3pm bus and got back to KL. Mark & Teenie came and fetched us - oh yes, thank you so much Mark for getting us - I would normally just take the LRT back, but our bag was heavy and my back didnt allow me to carry it, so I was glad Mark came.

That was Melaka. Very eventful and very good food as usual! Once again, thank you so much Appa and Amma!

Talent-Time

I was honoured to be the Chief Judge at the Talent-Time held in one of the colleges in KL. It was a two in one thing. The Committee was auditioning for talents to perform at their Orientation Ball Night in August, but at the same time this was a Talent-Time as well. There were some dances, some solo performers (both singing and dancing) and a rap group as well. It was so nice as I started reminiscing my good old days in college - How I spent hours and hours of practising before going for an audition for the Annual Dinners. It was also nice to see how enthusiastic the contestants were - they also had a lot of support from their peers. This is something one hardly sees today.

I have judged a few similar Talent-Time contests before, but somehow this one was different. Although it was a small group of people participating, it was a fun group. I enjoyed it thoroughly.

Melaka....AGAIN!

Ruf'Ruf and I will be going to Melaka again this weekend. We have been invited to perform at an Auntie's 75th Birthday celebration which will be held at CCM. This seems to be a steady trend. I am glad it is, I just hope that people don't get fed-up of the both of us. But then again, any trip to Melaka is a much expected trip. My mum's cooking, driving around the town, chilling out at Ringo's and of course the continuous jamming that Ruf'Ruf and I always get ourselves into.

I will be writing more about our trip once we get back on Sun. So, till then, have a good week ahead.

Well, something interesting will be happening tomorrow. I have been invited to be a judge in a college Talent-Time. It has been a long time since I last did something like this. So, I guess it will be fun - well it should be! More later.......

DOG-NAPPED....URGENT PLEA!

Please Help! One of our good friend's in the doggie world have lost 2 of their babies. Rafiq and Nadia have lost their 2 precious babies, Stella, a German Shepherd and Myra / Oreo, a Syberian Husky. By the way, the pair was stolen from their house in Saujana Puchong. He had just stepped out to buy some take-away and he locked the front gate. Upon getting back, the gate was bent and broken and the doggies were missing. A small boy who lives nearby said that a red colour car came and took both of them away. Upon confirming this with the security guard in the front, he was informed that it was a red colour Honda Jazz. The guards were not suspicious of any foul-play because he thought that the guys in the car were Rafiq's friends as there was a child in the back seat with the 2 doggies, but no commotion of any sort in the car. To all pet lovers, please be on the look out - remember that Stella and Myra could be our dogs. Always lock your gates properly and always alert a neighbour before you leave the house. The details are shown below:-

Answers to: STELLA
Breed: German Shepherd
Sex: Female
Age: 2.5-year-old
Microchip No.: 458096100002395




Answers to: MYRA / OREO
Breed: Siberian Husky
Sex: Female
Age: 7-month-old
Microchip No.: 458098500132314

For further info, kindly view the page below:
http://www.mypethuskyclub.com/dognapped.html

Good One....

Our performance at night was good. In fact it was really good. When I walked off the stage, I realised that we had nailed it. It was one of those moments where you feel, “yes man!” I spoke to Dham @ the lunch and told him that I will be singing at the dinner. He had requested for it earlier, so when we realised that we could do it, I confirmed it with him. We got there late, cocktail party started at 7.00pm. Shobie Shobs was there calling me continuously asking me to come as soon as possible. But we were in the Church practicing and perfecting the songs. Once we knew we had to leave, we left. Anto drove us to Rennaisance Hotel. We arrived at the hotel at 8.00pm. Had the first course, then it was charging time. I was so tired from the previous night of not having enough sleep and the long practices. So, I made sure this time I was getting myself as relaxed as possible. We were priviledged to have a waiter who more or less became our personal waiter. He kept bringing to us (just Ruf’Ruf and me) 2 jugs at a time, everytime! So we drank the night at a private bar that we made just outside the ballroom. Anto was our sound engineer and P.A. He kept watch on the programme, to make sure we were ready for our queue.

Two other people sang as well. Our slot was the last one. Our first song was Can You Feel The Love Tonight by Elton John, second one was When You Say Nothing At All by Ronan Keating and as I was about to end the performance, Ruf’Ruf looked up to me and said, ‘one more’. So, we did Change The World by Eric Clapton. While we were singing When You Say Nothing At All, it was very moving when our singing actually managed to get couples to come up and dance. I’ve never had that happen to me while I was singing. It was indeed a moving experience.

We had very good reviews from almost everyone. Everyone loved it and when I hear that they loved it, it drives me to further improve my singing and of course Ruf’Rufs’ guitar playing. So we hope to keep doing this as long as we can. We have a few more weddings to play for, so I hope we can keep improving. A lot of pics were taken, but it will take a while before I get them though. Arvind (the brother of Dham) took some as well. I have told him to send em’ to me. So when I get it, I will upload them.

We will be leaving Melaka in about an hour. Hope to beat the evening rush from Melaka to Seremban. More when I get back.

Awful....

As far as I was concerned that was the standard of our performance during the P&W that Ruf'Ruf and I did. While I started singing and playing the piano, some other guy takes a mic and starts singing. It bloody clashes with my voice. I am telling the guy who handles the PA system to turn off that guy's mic, he wonderfully turns off my mic. I couldn't hear myself. I shouted at him, telling him that I can't hear shit and to make matters worse, I can even hear myself - mind you, all this is happening while I am leading the congregation in the first song of the P&W. Finally, he turns back the volume on my mic and just slightly lowers down the other fellow's mic. Yeah, like that will solve the problem. That champion of a guy, realising that his mic is not as loud as it was, starts singing even louder than how he was singing earlier. Damn it! I was so pissed off, but I couldn't do jack. Just went on with it. Somehow it turned out ok. I am a perfectionist. I don't do ok. Ok for me is equivalent to bad, but not really bad. It really hurt, because Ruf'Ruf and I practised for about 5 hours the night before, just to perfect the 4 songs and our pitches. We got home at 6am, slept for 3 hours, got up and came to perform. So, you should be able to realise how pissed I was. Anyway, I kept my head up and told myself that I will not allow a glitch in our earlier performance to screw up our entire morning. I told Ruf'Ruf that we will nail the Special Item song - I Could Not Ask For More (Edwin McCain).

So, we calmed ourselves down and we got back for the Special Item. It turned out much better than the P&W. I am still very sad. In fact, whenever a screw-up like this happens, it bothers me for an entire week. It hurts even more that we did our very best, but people had to **** it up for us. Well, shit happens. That is the only consolation I have - shit happens. But when it happens after spending the entire night rehearsing, I don't know man!

Dham and Pearly have asked us to do a song during the dinner as well. I hope and pray it turns out well.

More to be reported tonight after the performance. We're thinking of doing either More Than Words by Extreme or Faith by George Michael.

Melaka....

I will be leaving for Melaka trow. You see I would normally go back on Sat and return on Sun. But this weekend, I am going back to attend my friends' Dham's & Pearly's wedding on Sat (morning). He has graciously asked me to sing him a song during the wedding, which I gladly agreed to. Well, normally it is me alone on the piano. But this time, I am taking along with me my lead guitarist (Ruf'Ruf). So, it will be a minor VofW gig. Hopefully we get to do a number in the reception at night in Rennaisance as well.

I hope to take a lot of pics and upload them when I get back. So till then, adios!

To Dham and Pearly CONGRATULATIONS and may God shower His richest blessings upon the both of you always.

Don't Faint....

Thank you for the tag-line Akka and Belinda....

This weekend has been rather eventful. My boy Rufus (Rufus is my cousin with a VW as well, he also happens to be the lead guitarist in our band - VW [Vessel of Worship]) came by the house for a convoy trip that was scheduled to be held on Saturday night @ 9pm from PJ through Bangsar, KL and back. I had just got back from dinner, his car was parked at my house, I called him to come out anc chill. When he got out, he said that he wanted to go for the convoy. I said, I had other plans, but I promised him to join him later. As he was talking, he just blacked out and fell down on the grass outside my house. The black out lasted for about 10 seconds and he got up and started talking again. So, the people who were there (Sir, Akka and Belinda) thought that he was pulling a fast one. Upon getting up, he walked into the house compound and this time he fell flat on the ground - hurting the back of his head and his elbow. I knew this was no fooling around. Sir and I carried him into the house. Akka immediately made him a sweet drink. Both the sisters, Akka and Belinda were really good. I presume they must have had some first-aid-training of some sort. Anyway, they brought him back to consciousness. Then, I rushed him to the clinic. His BP had dropped to 80/50 (BP is supposed to be120/80). The doctor opined that he be sent to the hospital to get a thorough check up.

The boys who were supposed to come on the convoy, were already at my house. So, we convoyed him to Assunta Hospital. All the VWs parked in a row in the car park of the hospital. It was really cool! Anyway, got him 'checked-in' then I got back. I am still awaiting the report of the labs on his condition. He had been having fever for the past 4 days before the black-out episode. So that could have been a contributing factor. I just got back after visiting him, I have been seeing him everyday and I can see that he is making progress. He is extremely under weight and he needs to improve on his eating habits. Glad to know that his BP has become normal.

Well, we hope and pray Rufus recovers soon. The both of us have a gig at Dham & Pearly's wedding this Saturday in Melaka. I pray that the doctors will be able to diagnose his problem and cure him completely.

Please pray for my boy Rufus Aston Bexel. God bless!

Pick-Up Lines....

While I was surfing yesterday, I came across this site with all the most unique pick-up lines. Interesting, how people come up with such lines just to get into the sack.

Enjoy.....
1. Do I know you from somewhere, because I don't recognize you with your clothes on?

2. Do you believe in love at first sight, or should I walk by again?

3. I'd like to name a multiple orgasm after you.

4. I'm betting that you cannot wait until tomorrow, because I bet that you get more and more beautiful every day.

4. Why don't you come over here, sit on my lap and we'll talk about the first thing that pops up?

5. I'm trying to determine after years of therapy and lots of testing, whether or not I'm allergic to sex.

6. Please help the homeless. Take me home with you...

7. You are a 9.999. Well, you'd be a perfect 10 if you were with me.

8. Your Daddy must have been a Baker, cos you got the nicest set of buns I've ever saw.

9. I'm good at math, U+I=69

10. Save a horse, ride a cowboy.

Cheers!

Chiropractor....

I've got a chiro session AGAIN, tomorrow! Damn, I have to go through another 2 more days of a back sore after that. You see that is the thing with these chiro sessions. What happened before was that, my body adjusted itself to the injury. This means to say that, although I was suffering, my body adjusted itself to the injury. My right leg was shorter than my left leg by about an inch. Following the treatment and the exercises, I am on my way to recovery - but a very long way back. I have to be patient and careful about whatever I do. For any over-exertion may result in another injury on the back.

More reports on my treatment on Thurs. Till then, please be careful. Do not do anything that may put you at risk of any back injury.

Cheers!

Orang Kurang Upaya....

When I hurt my back, sometime ago, the first time - June 2006, I was called 'Orang Kurang Upaya (OKU)' by one of my colleagues in the office. Well, I used to just take it as a joke, because I knew he didn't mean it as an insult, but he was merely having fun, fooling around with me with such names. But do you realise that in our midst, we come into contact with a lot of people (whether known or unknown to us) who are handicapped. What I am suffering is merely an injury, which will get better (God-willing!), provided I do everything necessary to take care of it (i.e. chiro sessions, physios, proper sitting posture and so on). But some people are born with disabilities. Some very serious, others not as bad. This story that I read below, opened my eyes in a very sad way. Whether we realise it or not, the handicapped are in some way or the other discriminated. This discrimination does not necessarily come from the schools, offices they work in and so on, but by us - individuals. When was the last time you gave up your seat on the LRT or buses for a handicapped person?

So, please read the story below and realise that these people who are handicapped did not chose to be handicapped. THEY HAVE TO BE TREATED EQUALLY! There should be no further talk on this issue. Imagine if you have a handicapped one of your family? How would you feel if that person is discriminated?


Someone Who Understand

A boy noted a sign “Puppies For Sale” got off his bike and said to the owner, “How much are the pups, mister?” “Twenty five dollars, son.” The boy’s face dropped. “Well, sir, could I at least see them anyway?” The man whistled, and in a moment the mother dog came bounding around the corner of the house tagged by 4 cute puppies, wagging their tails and yipping happily. At last, another pup came straggling around the house, dragging one hind leg. “What’s the matter with that puppy, mister?” the boy asked. “Well, son, that puppy is crippled. We took her to the vet and the doctor took an x-ray. The pup doesn’t have a hip joint and that leg will never be right.” The boy dropped the bike, took out a fifty-cent piece, and pleaded, “Please, I want to buy that pup. I’ll pay you fifty cents every week until the twenty five dollars is paid.” The man replied, “But, son, you don’t seem to understand. That pup will never be able to run or jump. That pup is going to be crippled forever. Why would you want such a useless pup as that?” The boy paused for a moment, then reached down and pulled up his pant leg, exposing an iron brace and leather knee-strap holding a poor twisted leg. The boy answered, “Mister, that pup is going to need someone who understands him to help him in life.”

God bless!

Good Food with Good People....

Surin & Brenda (affectionately known from now on as Sir & Akka) - called me on Sunday. We met up for lunch and they took me to this awesome place for banana leaf. Ok, before that, I have not expressed my gratitude in meeting this absolutely amazing couple.

We go way back to my days in Ipoh. I was doing my A Levels in ILTI Ipoh in 1996 and that was when I met Mr. Surin (my Law lecturer) and Ms. Brenda (now Mrs). Akka was a final year Law student. We were on the same debating team which made it to the KL National Finals as well. Anyway, to cut long story short, we used to be so close in Ipoh. We met up for makans, tanni sessions, occasional jamming sessions and so on. We also had another partner in crime, well, actually my partner in crime a close friend of mine from Taiping - Ranjit Singh Randhawa. The 4 of us were very close then. As we all moved our separate ways due to work and study commitment, we lost contact for an amazing 8 years.

Now, Akka with her FBI locater skills managed to track me down about 2 months ago. And ever since then it has been the best 2 months I have ever had in KL. For those of you who have not met these people, you won't have the slightest clue how cool and how amazing they are they are. Anyway, from then on, we kept meeting for food and drinks and even just hanging out. Akka (FBI, remember) even managed to get a hold of Ranjit who is currently running Hard Rock Cafe in Makati (Philippines). I knew he was running the Singapore one for a while, but now he is in the Philippines. So, we are glad to keep in contact with him. He will be down soon, so I hope to get a group picture of all of us and post it. So, that is about Sir and Akka. I will be referring to them as Sir and Akka in some of my posts' - so you know who they are now.

Now, getting back to the issue at hand. They took me to this superb restaurant in Hartamas - Yathras. It is an Indian restaurant. Till today, I am very sure that this is the best place I have ever eaten 'yellai sappadu' - a.k.a. banana leaf. There is a good variety of meat and vegetables and the taste...yummy! This is the closest I have eaten to Amma's cooking. Well, till today, no shop has beaten Amma - to be fair, I have eaten in a lot of South Indian or Chettinad eateries. But this one came close. I had chicken parattel, 2 types of veges, appalam, pickles, tairu (yogurt) and rice. Superb! In fact, Appa and Amma will be down this weekend as Appa has a meeting in St. James, Jalan Ipoh on Sat and is conducting the service at St. Mary's Cathedral, KL on Sun. So I will be taking them there for dinner on Sat.

So for those of you who would like to experience one of the best south Indian cuisines there are in town, try Yathras. It is in Hartamas, behind the row of shops where BullDog is located. Or rather on the same row of shops as Backyard.

That is all for now. I will take some pictures of what I am talking about and post it soon.

Cheers!

Back Ache....

May this be a lesson to all of you. Take care of your back. This is the whole reason why I have not blogged for a while. I have been on medical leave for the past week. I injured my back during one of my futsal sessions. Now, this happened way back in 2006 (in June, if I can remember correctly). I was admitted in SMC for treatment and physio, followed by bed rest. But I did not follow up on treatment and continuous exercise. So, this 'tidak-apa attitude' had aggravated the injury - unknown to me.

On my last trip to Melaka, which was last weekend, on my way back we stopped by at Tasha's parents' place. I was holding Caesar by his collar when he suddenly lunged forward. I should have let him go, but I held on to him and my entire back was forced forward and backward. Ouch!!! Ever since that happened, I just knew I had somehow screwed my lumbar again. Well, we got back to KL and I could not stand the pain, so I visited my chiropractor. With a lot of exercise and traction, I am on my way to recovery. But as I did not take good care of it before, it may take longer than it usually takes. I have been given approximately 6 weeks from today for complete recovery. Now, this is provided I go for my chiro sessions twice a week and follow the exercise regime that my chiropractor has given me.

Well, I am not going to fool around anymore. I may not walk again if this injury worsens, as the affected bone on my back bone is very near to the spine. So, I will be going for rehabilitation.

That's all for now. I will be reporting more soon. I've got an appointment with my chiropractor on Wed.

So, the most important lesson for this week is - BE VERY CAREFUL OF YOUR BACKBONE. Never injure it, for if you do, the road to recovery is freaking long and irritating.

Melaka...

Well, it was the weekend of the month again. It has been quite a while since I last went back to Melaka to visit my folks. This time, I had to come earlier than usual as I was helping out in the P&W and music for the Thanksgiving Service of the late Mrs. Cecilia Chung. We (Tasha, Caesar and myself) left KL at about 9.30am and we reached Melaka at sharp 11.00am. I was in a rush, so Tasha dropped me at the Church for the practice and went to visit Auntie Rani. After practice, I headed back home to enjoy some gastronomical delights prepared by Amma. I gave Amma the menu 2 days ago. The food waiting for me were : White rice, fish curry, potato sambal, french beans cooked with prawns, pappadam and some pickles. Oh boy, I ate and ate and ate - till I was so full, that I had to rest for a while before going to sleep.

Had a short snooze then Tasha came back and woke me up. I had another practice session in the Church at 4.00pm. So she dropped me off and went to get some canned food for Caesar. By the time, she came back to fetch me, I was done with practice. Went back home, got dressed and rushed back to the Church for the Thanksgiving Service. Everything went well. The songs went well. I was rather suprised when I got there as I had to accompany another singer on the piano as well. But as I said, it all went well, thanks be to God.

Anyway, after the service we all headed to Hi-King Restaurant in Melaka Raya. It was hosted by Mr. & Mrs Ong Kim Cheng and Mr. Chung. It was a nice dinner. We had good company. Our table was strictly reserved for youths and young adults - by Clarice (grand-daughter of the late Mrs. Cecilia). She made sure no parents sat on our table. So, it was fun, reminiscing some of our old school days experiences. She had a lot to tell, so we were her ardent audience. It was interesting. Anyway, after that we headed home as we had to visit Auntie Rani. We went there for a while. Caesar was the one having the most fun - running all over the neighbourhood and playing with Sheeba and Snowy (Auntie Rani's doggies). As it was getting late and since I was not feeling too well (the heat in Melaka is unbearable - I got this massive head-ache, still having it actually). So, upon getting back, had a cold shower, had some more of those fish curry and bread, took them paracetamols and I am heading for the sack in a while. So just as I am about to end this day, I thought of penning down how it went.

I have posted some pictures taken @ the dinner. More to be added tomorrow.

Myself, Tasha, Pearly and Dham (we are also known to be twins, he being the better looking one, of course!)

Shobie Shobs & Balla

Anto' ever so jovial

Nancy, Clarice & Richmond

And yet some more pics....

Pictures courtesy of Ming Yan...

Jam, myself and Dan

Myself, Ming Yan & Jam (please don't ask why my eyes were shut)

And since it was shut, another shot was taken. Didn't make much of a difference though!

A group shot of Jam, Alicia (Ming Yan's friend), Dan, Ming Yan & me

More Pics From Miri....

This was taken while we were flying over the South China Sea

Our tickets for the Festival

KCP4 doing their stuff!

This was 'THE' Lluis Coloma CD that we were so lucky to get - and as you can see it is autographed by the man himself {With a lot of Boogie Woogie from Spain - Lluis}

I'm getting an autograph from Mandolas, the conga player from the Habana Sax Quintet

Me'self at the Parkcity Everly Beach as the sun is setting

Charlie and Eugene having a light moment......hehehe!

The Dirty Dozen Brass Band strutting their stuff!

The scene at the hotel as the sun has set on the background. Check out those clouds - how the rays of the sunlight amplifies it

Myself and Jay - this was taken at the Tanjung Beach

Wembley Here We Come....

Man Utd v Chelsea! What a game it will be. For the Red Army it will be the highlight of the entire season (although we have already won the Premiership), because this is the first game that we are playing against Chelsea for an honour (FA Cup). It will be an interesting game. I have this gut feeling that the Reds will just edge this. It will be close, possibly by 1 goal.

Can't wait to see Christiano Ronaldo (winner of 4 accolades this season namely, PFA Player of the Year, PFA Young Player of the Year, Sir Matt Busby Player of the Year and Fans' Player of the Year) & Wayne Rooney, tear down the defence of Chelsea in the pursuit of beautiful goals.

Will be watching it with my fellow Red Devil fanatic - Sir'Surins.

Glory Glory Man Utd!

Greetings...

To all my fellow ladies & gentlemen, boys & girls, kudikarens & kudikarees....greetings!

The past week has been a very interesting. Lots of eating and drinking, meeting a lot of new people (or rather characters!), exploring new lands, hehehe, etc. Anyway, it has been fun. Sad that it all had to end. Now it is back to work and getting ready for a whole new year. It is strange, but I just feel that the year has begun for me. I know that it has been almost half a year, but for me, 2007 has only begun. I've got a lot more to do this year. I'll have to achieve something more than just a Law degree.

As always, I have a new story to post. This article was written by an anonymous writer. The story below should always remind us that whenever we see someone in need, never ever do you walk away from them. For they may not only return the favour to you one day, but someone more important or precious in your life may reap the benefits of your earlier done good deed - if you did not understand it, just read it again. So the message this week is, HELP! Help whenever you can help. Do not expect anything in return. For when you do, and when it does not come, you will be hurt and you will be hurt for a long time. So, just help.

Sowing A Good Example

His name was Fleming, and he was a poor Scottish farmer. One day, while trying to make a living for his family, he heard a cry for help coming from a nearby bog (slimy river bed). He dropped his tools and ran to the bog. There, mired to his waist in black muck (quick sand), was a terrified boy, screaming and struggling to free himself. Farmer Fleming saved the boy from what could have been a slow and terrifying death.

The next day, a fancy carriage pulled up to the Scotman’s sparse surroundings. An elegantly dressed nobleman stepped out and introduced himself as the father of the boy Farmer Fleming had saved. “I want to repay you,” said the nobleman. “You saved my son’s life.”

“No, I can’t accept payment for what I did,” the Farmer Fleming replied, waving off the offer. At that moment, the farmer’s own son came to the door of the family shack.

“Is this your son?” the nobleman asked. “Yes,” the farmer replied proudly. “I’ll make you a deal. Let me take him and give him a good education. If the boy is anything like his father, he’ll grow up to be a man you can be proud of.”

And that he did. Fleming’s son graduated from St. Mary’s Hospital Medical School in London, and went on to become known throughout the world as the noted Sir Alexander Fleming, the discoverer of Penicillin. Years afterward, the nobleman’s son was stricken with pneumonia. What saved him? Yes, you guessed it, Penicillin. The name of the nobleman? Lord Randolph Churchill. His son’s name? Sir Winston Churchill.

Miri International Jazz Festival....

Absolutely AWESOME! That is all I have to say about the entire trip.

11th May 2007 (Friday) - We (Jam & I) arrived in Miri@ 10am. Took a cab to our hotel - Park Hotel. We were rather sceptical about the hotel as it seemed rather old. But when we got in, it was everything we hoped for. It had all the basic amenities, all shops were nearby (within walking distances), banks were around the corner and even our pick-up point for the Shuttle Service to the Jazz Festival was nearby. So, upon arrival and checking in, we took a walk around town. Bought some Coke and bites, got back to the hotel for a drink. Oh yeah, by the way, CHIVAS followed us as well. So, we kept 'her' company. Hehehe!

Anyway, after a few drinks, we rested for a while, got ready and headed to our pick-up point for the Shuttle Service. Bus was there on time, and we headed to the Jazz Festival - Parkcity Everly Hotel. The picture below was taken upon arrival at the Hotel. Ready to partyyyyyy!

Upon arrival at the hotel, we got our tickets checked and got our passes. Then it was off to the festival. There were so many stalls, souvenir booths, hustling and bustling with people talking, jazz music playing on the background and a beautiful sky falling on the sun as it set on the beach. The ambiance was absolutely beautiful. The picture below was taken just as the sun had set, before the festival began.

Anyway, as the Jazz Festival started, we had to move between the Pavilion (Indoor Arena) and the 2nd Stage (On the beach). We had the priviledge to meet some of the best jazz musicians in the world. We managed to get their autographs and even take a few pictures with them. It was absolutely amazing. Right from the David Gomez Jazz Sextet, the KCP4 (now, this was unique and very good - imagine a combination of Classical Indian music with a flav of Contemporary Jazz). So very good, that's all I have to say. I was waiting for my favourite of it all, Lluis Coloma - the Boogie Woogie genius from Spain. I was in awe. As I play the piano, this was my main attraction. He was burning the keys on the piano. And when I say burning, he was literally doing that. People were dancing and enjoying the boogie woogie that he was giving. While it was going on, I had to run out of the Pavilion to the souvenir booth to get his CD. Thankfully, it was the last copy. I ran back in to get it signed by the maestro. Such an amazing musician, but so very humble. He obliged for autographs from anyone who went up to him. Now, after Lluis Coloma, came the Dirty Dozen Brass Band from New Orleans. They were fantastic. They played songs like 'When The Saints Go Marching In'. So everyone was singing, dancing and clapping their hearts out.

We thought the night would end young - as we were on our way out of the hotel, I saw my old time friend from Ipoh, Jay. What a suprise it was. I had been trying to get in touch with him for so long. Anyway, we met up and the rest was history. He took us to so many places in Miri. Started our at Cheerie Berries a local Miri pub located in the heart of Miri, where all the famous pubs and bars are located. Then for some food and we headed back to our hotel.

12th May 2007 (Sat) - Had a good nights' rest and upon waking up at about 12 noon, Jay called me. He wanted to take me to his house and to drive around the coastal roads of Miri. So, we went to his house. It was beautiful. The guys (Capt. Harry and First Officer Charlie - both pilots with Air FAX, the local airline in Borneo and Jay) stay together in this huge bungalow, located at Luak Bay. This bungalow is situated about 300m from the sea. So as we open the balcony doors, you can see the views of the sunrise and the sunsets. Amazing sight. Anyway, we left early as we had to get ready for the 2nd night of the Jazz Festival. Headed back to the hotel, got ready, charged a bit of the CHIVAS and left for Parkcity Hotel. Upon arriving, this time, we had all the guys over. They had a certain connection at the hotel so, they brought in about 4 bottles of Jack Daniels. So, the night was a night of bourbon.

Just before we got the bourbon started, we had a round of beers. On the picture, from left to right: Eugene (from Lithuania), Charlie, Harry, Jam and Jay

The 2nd night was even better. We had lots to eat and drink. But I was not missing out on the JAZZ. Music was awesome. As I said earlier, the bands that came were very very good. Their performances were flawless. On the 2nd night we had the oppurtunity to watch the George WashingMachine Quartet, Habana Sax and again the Dirty Dozen Brass Band. Their performances were absolutely amazing - and yet, very humble - hanged out with us and with everyone at the Festival. This was a tiring night as we were singing and dancing 'like mad'. So, after the night had ended at the Parkcity, we headed to the 'Mini-Bangsar' of Miri. Chilled there for a few hours, drank some more, played a lot of pool and headed back to the hotel to rest.

13th May 2007 (Sun) - After 2 nights of good music, we thought today we would give it a rest. So, we rested for a while longer at our hotel. But not for too long, Jay called us for a drink. So, we headed out for a while. Ate one of the best satays I have ever eaten. Drank at the beach. Now, picture this - sitting by the beach, beautiful sunset, sea breeze blowing, with a glass of Jack Daniels. If that is not good enough, I don't know what is, hehehehe!

After that, we headed back to the house, chilled with the other guys, drank a bit more and headed for some food. But we had to come back early as Harry and Charlie were flying the next morning. They had an early flight. So, we came back and slept.

14th May 2007 (Mon) - I've never felt this pissed off ever. I was about to leave Miri. Miri was absolutely awesome. Met a lot of good friends, enjoyed the music thoroughly, good and cheap food, cheap beers - oh yeah, I almost missed it - On the 1st day, Jam and I went to this chinese shop for some food. So, I thought of having a beer. I asked the waiter, how much is a can of Tiger, she said, "We don't sell by singular cans, if you want, we have 3 cans for RM11". Now, for a guy from KL, 3 cans for RM11 is 'freakin' cheap. So, for those of you beer drinkers, you will enjoy Miri, hehehe! And by the way, it is the same price for any beer - Heineken, Tiger, Carlsberg, Stella Artois, etc. So, if you're going to Miri - Chinese shop la, apa lagi!

Anyway, we woke up early on Mon, got ready, Jay picked us up for lunch. Then, we went back to the hotel, packed our bags and checked out. Upon doing so, we went to his house. Chilled there. Till about 4.30pm, then we left for the airport. @ the airport we met Harry and Charlie who were just back from their flights - we had a drink with them and they left, poor guys were so tired from their hours and hours of flying. Anyway, our flight was scheduled to depart early. We were in the plane by 6.45pm (supposed to be 7.00pm) and we reached KL by 8.50pm. It was a smooth flight. We took the SkyBus from the LCCT to KL Sentral and then our PUTRA back home.

Upon reaching home, we were still missing Miri. But we have decided to go again. So, Miri, till then, take care and WE WILL BE BACK!

Here are some of the pictures taken :

Jam and myself - picture taken from the beach of Parkcity Everly Hotel

David Gomes and the Jazz Sextet mesmirising the crowd

David Gomes, myself and Junji Delphino

The sunset on the 2nd day @ Parkcity

Jay and myself at the Tanjung beach

A sight to be reckoned with. Taken at the Tanjung Beach.

Well, that is all for now. I will be posting more pictures soon, so please be patient. Cheers!

Miri....Here We Come!

Wow! I can't wait for our Miri trip. Jam and I have been talking about it for the past 2 months. It is not so much the trip to Miri, but we're more excited about the many jazz artistes' we will be meeting at the Miri International Jazz Festival. Among the stars that will grace the festival are : The Dirty Dozen Brass Band from New Orleans, Havana Sax Quintet from Cuba and my all time favourite Lluis Coloma the genius of a boogie-woogie pianist from Spain.

Jam being Jam, is so fussy that everything is done properly. He has printed out all the details, travel schedules and everything to its very detail - to ensure that nothing goes wrong. I hope and pray everything goes according to plan. We will be leaving KL on the 11th of May and returning on the 14th. In fact the festival is only for the first 2 days. We thought, since we are going so far, might as well, go around a bit and explore the town. I'll be posting after the trip with pictures. So, do look forward to posting next week.

For those of you who want to know about this event, kindly click the URL below. Cheers!

http://www.mirijazzfestival.com/2007/en/about_miri_jazz_festival.htm