Attended an amazing solo performance and seminar on Meditation (the art of healing) by Lee James, an Australian, and a follow-up workshop conducted by him the following morning on my birthday.

Lee James, a charismatic personality who had the audience spellbound, is a psychologist, spiritualist, actor and international speaker and counselor. Woah! The events were organized by the Brahma Kumaris World Spiritual University (082-256106 Email: kuching@my.bkwsu.org) who offers courses and conducted workshops for free.

The simple orange letterings against a plain dark background with flickering candle lights on the floor created a most serene and beautiful stage setting. While admiring and appreciating the efforts put in by the organizers I suddenly realized that the letterings were made from orange peels! How organically ('orangically?') creative!

To me the workshop was a great birthday present and to top it off – I won the ‘grand prize’ that most befit the name of this blog! Thank You BK Lee James. Be Well!

Stumble It!

Come 29th November, I'll have to update my profile as 49 going on 19 ... Shucks!

Celebrated my birthday earlier on sunday although I didn't tell my friends that it was; they presuming that the High Tea Invitation was for my house warming. It then occurred to me that they might think that this old blood does not get any less sneakier with age! It's not that folks; just that I don't want you all to go to any trouble to get me presents. I dislike imposing on or have others waiting on me. Your presence and friendship are already presents enough. Remember that "all I need is the air that I breathe" ... :)
The seriously funny thing is that I just don't feel any older but I must admit I sometimes don't like how the man in the mirror looks. I like myself but why can't he look just a little bit better, eh? This world places so much darn premium on appearances. To think that there was a time when I had a full head of hair. Sigh! Hey! It can't be me; this is NOT me! I remember a time when I could vaguely be called 'handsome'! How can I look so darn old now? Gulp! No wonder my kids affectionately call me "Grandpa"! But this 'grandpa' feels blessed with love, health, creativity and peace of mind. Make no mistake - there had been deep pains and some scars are still on the mend. A heartfelt thank you to all whom I had encountered on the road taken thus far on this wonderful journey call Life.











May I continue to love, learn, share and grow; and play my part well on this stage. Om Shanti.














I grow old . . . I grow old . . .
I shall wear the bottoms of my trousers rolled.
- - - - T. S. Eliot “The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock”

Age is a question of mind over matter. If you don’t mind, it doesn’t matter.
- - - - Satchel Paige

How old would you be if you didn't know how old you was?
- - - - Satchel Paige

Age seldom arrives smoothly or quickly. It’s more often a succession of jerks.
- - - - Jean Rhys

Old age is the most unexpected of all the things that happen to a man.
- - - - Leon Trotsky

Nobody grows old merely by living a number of years. We grow old by deserting out ideals. Years may wrinkle the skin, but to give up enthusiasm wrinkles the soul.
- - - - Samuel Ullman

The old believe everything, the middle-aged suspect everything, the young know everything.
- - - - Oscar Wilde

You are as young as your faith, as old as your doubt; as young as your self-confidence, as old as your fear; as young as your hope, as old as your despair.
- - - - Douglas MacArthur

Growing old is mandatory; growing up is optional.
- - - - Chili Davis

The years teach much which the days never knew.
- - - - Ralph Waldo Emerson

Forty is the old age of youth; fifty the youth of old age.
- - - - Victor Hugo

I will never give in to old age until I become old. And I'm not old yet!
- - - - Tina Turner

Note: If you are feeling nostalgic and want to get goosebumps (well, for me anyway as it brings back memories); click here to hear Cyndi Lauper and Sarah McLachlan's acoustic performance on TV, singing "Time After Time" at the American Music Awards.

Photo of ripple on the water surface reflecting heaven (sky) and earth (the trees) in this our endless Circle/Cycle of Life in a kaleidscope of colours (experiences).
Stumble It!

Joseph saw my blog; was intrigued and emailed me for advice on how to get started on kayaking.

“Simple; you get on to the waters!” :-)

You'll have to oblige a fellow consultant.
So I checked the tide tables and high water was 12:35 on Saturday and Joseph, expectantly, showed up early at my place. As beginner’s luck would have it, we had to choose a day when it was probably the lowest mean high tide which was a 6 ft plus drop from my jetty!

So we adjourned for lunch; after which I took my son, Tim to the PC show and I invited Joseph to come along so that we can talk about kayaking on the way. After collecting the price lists and brochures for comparisons we went home to let Tim figure out the configuration for his dream gamer’s PC. The weather was good and I could read the grin on Joseph’s face – “Now. Let’s go kayaking!”

We put in at Satok Bridge’s old ferry point and after helping an excited but nervous neophyte get on my Perception Squirt; I got on my Swing and we paddled off. As I took a snap of him, Joseph beamed and said, “You can put this down as ‘New Blood On The Water’”. Hmmm. Next time, they’ll want to write the story too.

All beginners tend to paddle too fast, probably due to excitement or the dislike/fear to be left behind; so I told him to take it easy and relax when he complained of a slight pain in the shoulder. I was happy and carefree just taking it easy on the waters.

We saw some kampong kids playing in the waters across the river in the distance and Joseph read my mind and asked if I would like to paddle across to take photos. Would I?

There were about half a dozen of them swimming and taking a dive from the tree and riverbanks; and when they saw me swam towards my kayak and tried to mount it! I didn’t mind though risking a capsize as I was grateful for their genuine smiles, exuberance and excitement of being photographed by this stranger on a kayak on a Saturday afternoon. Waving goodbye to these jubilant and carefree kids; I reflected on how much they had despite their humble background and how lucky they were compared to kids who became bored quickly and do not know how to entertain themselves the minute they are away from the TV and online gaming.

As we get off the water onto the ramp I noticed that the new blood on the water was grinning from cheek to ear just like the young bloods!

• Note: As I paddled away with my mind’s eye of those kids on the water, I smiled quietly as I thought of some of my fellow kayakers with their phobia of crocodiles on the Sarawak River. Hi you folks, the crocs would make an easy meal of those kids and yours truly first ok? :-)

Stumble It!

BoBB - Booted Out Before Breakfast

An Aborted Paddle Upstream

After ‘breakfast’, Huey announced that we were to watch out for a river on the right, which would lead us to the Ob Luang National Park, where we would be able to take in the sights of a waterfall and other wonders of nature. He left out one vital piece of information – we would be paddling upstream against the currents! Great! JP spotted the river and as we turned towards it we realized that this was not going to be easy as we could see as well as hear the water rushing towards us! Above the roar of the river, Huey yelled for us to follow him closely and stick as close to the riverbanks where the currents would be the easiest, relatively speaking. We struggled for about half an hour before JP pulled up to Huey and between abated breath told him that Miriam is trailing badly behind us. Her beamier but more stable kayak is a beast to paddle upstream. I gladly concurred with JP that a change of plans would be in order. We turned our kayaks around and as we headed back towards the Ping River we were surprised at how much grounds we have actually covered.

Floating and Rafting down a Sudsy River

Due to the change in plan, we would have more time to cover the rest of the distance, so we decided to take it easy and float instead of paddling down the river. The scenery changes as we saw mountain ranges in the distance and we noticed more and more orange-brown suds on the river. I was repulsed but Huey assured us that this was a natural phenomena but I nonetheless tried to avoid touching them wherever possible even with my paddles. We floated past Wang Lung which was located on high grounds above the river but was unable to spot an eating place where we could have lunch. We finally settled on a patch of grass in a cow field near to the river banks. JP heated up some food and we ate lunch under the overcast sky while listening to the rhythmic clanging of bells hung from the necks of the cows. After lunch we got back on the waters and rafted together down the river taking in the scenery and taking it easy in the cool breeze.

We drifted for a while taking naps and snapshots in between with not a care in the world. What could be better than this? Floating along with Miss Chiangmai in one’s arms I suppose.

MIMOSA GARDEN

UNHELPFUL (Politically Correct Word for ArseHoles!) FISHERMEN

After a while trying to maneuver our way around the mimosa garden we realized that it would be easier to find out way to the lake if we ask the fishermen who ply these waters for help. That way one of them pointed this-a-way to Huey. Hmmm seems contrary to what the GPS is showing but local knowledge should be more reliable right? How naïve of us to think that all rural folks are kind and helpful. To be sure Huey asked another fisherman and he pointed that-a-way. We seemed to be going around in circles in the mimosa garden. Finally JP had enough and after conferring with Huey and borrowing my compass he pushed ahead while I took up the rear guard. The pathway narrowed and I heard screams and shouts ahead of me and the reason soon became obvious – we were suddenly pushed by strong currents through this narrow opening, so narrow that our double blade paddle cannot be used. We had to dismantle our two-piece into one piece using it like a canoe paddle. Miriam was distressed as she had never used a single blade paddle before and she lost control of her kayak and was slammed broadside into a thicket of mimosa. Ouch! Since I was watching the drama from behind, I was able to take evasive actions. Finally we cleared the mimosa garden and the huge expanse of the lake loomed majestically before us. It was an awesome vista after the claustophobic mimosa garden.

MAD DASH IN THE DARKNESS

We have found the lake but not our accommodation for the night. Huey enticed us that we would be staying at a floating hotel. Cool! If we can find it that is; as the vastness of the lake resembled a sea and we really could not see beyond the horizon. There were fishermen around and despite our apprehension; we had to ask them for directions to the floating hotel as it was getting dark. Surely they cannot be that mean – but unfortunately they were; sending us in the wrong directions again. Those $*#!% bastards! But by a process of elimination, we had only one last direction left to go. As JP sprinted ahead to make sure, Miriam realizing that it would be another inevitable paddle in the dark asked me not to leave her behind and I reassured her. The wind picked up from behind us whipping up foot high following waves. This would aid our progress but I worried that Miriam not having experienced such conditions before maybe unduly nervous. We paddled in the dark with the sound of the wind and waves and at last long last we saw some lights in the distance. Soon we saw JP and floating buildings anchored to the shore. A man on one of them put on more lights and waved to us. Huey pulled his kayak alongside and as he got up, he knocked his head on a rafter and he nearly fell into the choppy waters; but somehow he managed to hang on to a railing with one hand. Hanging precariously like this for a while he managed to recover and much to our relief pulled himself onboard. We were all watching hapless bopping about in the darkness. One by one we eventually got out of the water, tired but relieved that we had made it to our floating hotel. Another dark landing – this is getting to be a habit; a bad one! Moonlight kayaking anyone?

Stumble It!

Frank, taking up a new promotion posting, and with Patricia, Kiko & Marina would be moving on to Montreal, Canada by the end of the month. It would be a new challenge for him looking after an airport hotel but knowing Frank, he would rise to the occasion.

Frank has been the General Manager for Kuching Hilton for the past 2 years during which time he has initiated and successfully implemented various programs and projects to improve the hotel; most recently the lobby, bar and lounge. Regulars to the hotel had noticed the marked improvements.

Their friendship, vivaciousness and warmth would be missed by all their friends in Kuching. I know that Frances would miss Patricia terribly and would treasure the memories of the times they had shared.

We wished them all the very best and we know that they would make a success of their time in Montreal in all aspects of their lives.

Stumble It!

Small KID

So how was it?
From the look on his face, it had been “Barry Good!”

BIG Kid

On Saturday evening; Robin, my friend from Singapore, dropped by and he “also want” to go kayaking. Since he was “on the school kayaking team” in days yonder; I let him get on a single by himself. My children teased him that he was getting into a ‘kiddy’s kayak’ and that there are crocs in the river; but a lawyer is not easily intimidated. Like a kid he was fascinated (I shall not use the word ‘swa-ku’ here) by the sights of overhanging tree canopies, football size fruits and wooden fishing boats. He was however less impressed by the dumping of rubbish which he tried to shield from view with his dainty hand!

Didn’t the title say big and small kids?

Stumble It!

On the first day God created the dog. God said, "Sit all day by the door of your house and bark at anyone who comes in or walks past. I will give you a life span of twenty years."

The dog said, "That's too long to be barking. Give me ten years and I'll give you back the other ten." So God agreed.

On the second day God created the monkey. God said, "Entertain people, do monkey tricks, make them laugh. I'll give you a twenty-year life span."

The monkey said, "How boring, monkey tricks for twenty years? I don't think so. Dog gave you back ten, so that's what I'll do too, okay?" And God agreed.

On the third day God created the cow. God said, "You must go to the field with the farmer all day long and suffer under the sun, have calves and give milk to support the farmer. I will give you a life span of sixty years."

The cow said, "That's kind of a tough life you want me to live for sixty years. Let me have twenty and I'll give back the other forty." And God agreed again.

On the fourth day God created man. God said, "Eat, sleep, play, marry and enjoy your life. I'll give you twenty years."

Man said, "What? Only twenty years! Tell you what, I'll take my twenty, and, the forty the cow gave back and the ten the monkey gave back and the ten the dog gave back, that makes eighty, okay?"

"Okay," said God, "You've got a deal."

So that is why the first twenty years we eat, sleep, play, and enjoy ourselves; for the next forty years we slave in the sun to support our family; for the next ten years we do monkey tricks to entertain the grandchildren; and for the last ten years we sit on the front porch and bark at everyone.

Life has now been explained to you!

(This was emailed to me. It's hilarious, so I thought I'll share it with you all here. Have a Nice Weekend! See u on the waters!)

Stumble It!

Stumble It!

Stumble It!

May your soul rest in peace, Raymond.

Stumble It!

When I came back from my Chiangmai Expedition I gleefully remarked to my other half that I could now happily stay home every weekend without kayaking for at least an entire month! I spoke too soon as Guan called me and asked if I could take them kayaking this weekend. Uh oh! Since he and Law went kayaking at my place for the first time, this adventurous duo had been out kayaking on their own every weekend since. They had even done an overnight kayaking trip at Batang Air on the long weekend. However these two trips had been plagued with ‘scary’ incidents. Since they already had their mishaps and I my fair share of misadventures at Chiangmai – and with an ‘experienced’ kayaker like me to show them the ropes surely what else can go wrong, right? Wrong!

They were free on Saturday afternoon and it so happened that my other half was also not too keen to attend a lunch function which I could now skip (!); I suggested Santubong as I know of an easy put-in with sheltered waters and this would also be a nice introduction of sea conditions to them.

Guan and Law brought along a Stearns “Back Country” tandem inflatable recreational canoe/kayak. They did their customary easing of themselves before getting into their kayak. The sun was shining, the sky was blue and the sea was calm with a nice breeze as we paddled away from the boat ramp towards “Monkey Island”. Guan took out his camera and started clicking away. “I took a picture of you Francis!” Just a short while out I noticed that they were not following me; so I turned back to check on them.

Guan was making futile efforts to pump the foot-pump with his hands! One of the 3 air chambers must be leaking as the right side tube was getting soft. I suggested that perhaps I could pump it from the foot rest of my sit-on-top. As I stepped on the pump with Law holding it I inadvertently kicked my water bottle into the water. Just then the winds picked up and the sky turned dark. Even though we had started to notice dark clouds in the distant horizon; we were still startled by this sudden change in weather. We headed back to shore with the wind trying to ‘snatch’ the paddles from us and blowing our kayaks every which way but inland. The seas turned choppy and sky turned dark making monkeys out of us as we paddled frantically. Luckily we were only a short distance from shore and we breathed sighs of relief on terra-firma the sky opened up on us. We were drenched. They then mentioned between grimacing smiles that this is the second time this had happened!

We adjoined to Buntal Village for a simple lunch to wait out the rain; thereafter as we head back to our cars we noticed that the air chamber of the Stearns had completely deflated! The next time should I ever get on an inflatable – I’ll remember Guan and Law’s Law!

Stumble It!

1977 An Epic Movie
A historic telling of the failed attempt to capture several bridges to Germany in World War II in a campaign called Operation Market-Garden

2005 An Epic Adventure
A comical telling of the failed attempt to reach a bridge on the Ping River in an adventure called Operation IWRTBD (I-Wanna-Reach-There-Before-Darkness)

LEAVING AN EERIER PLACE

After a delicious “choc-banana-toast” breakfast by JP, we were eager to get going away from the eerier place we had put up for the night; shoving off fr