Adios !

The Farewell Night

This post is for long lost students and former staff of the school... that is if you are following me.

A recollection of old faces ever since the school began and an introduction to new ones.

The bevy of beauties... Looi Chui Yean, Periachee, Tan SS, Tan Geok Siew, Fong Way Chan, Daisy Tan, Heng Sok Tiang, Goh Hooi Hong, Looi Siew Kean, Tee Lay Pin, Me, Tah Mong Ling, Chan Yook Peng.



A closer look... Mong Ling, Grace Ong, Goh Hooi Hong, Ung Lee Lan, Shanta, Sujatha, Looi Chui Yean... seated from right Tee Lay Pin ( perfect hairstyle for the Chi Pao) , Tan Geok Siew and Hong Yu Hoon.

The thorn ... Gan Kim Jin with Joyce, Aw Pek Cheng, Shanta, Sujatha, Lee Lan, Poh Chiok, Teo Lay Peng.

Except for Mr. Rahim; again the thorn, the rest are relatively new faces ; many of whom qualify to be my daughters... from the right Rapidah, Mariani, Mardalina, Suzliani, Nurhafizah, Rafidah... seated from right Norzaliza, Nurhafiza, Ruhaida...hey they are dikir barat specialists of the school...impressive. Everyday, I try and remember their faces and put them against their names.

Oh my Indian comrades... Sujatha, Jagah, Shanta, Mohana and Emily ( Sabahan descent) ; they have been in school a long while... Sujatha went off and came back...

Oh I hope that's Siti Asni ( pardon my memory) with Tan Kwee Cheng ; the quiet worker... Yeap Siew Ling...the ERT madam and Ng Shwu Ling , our budding artist.

Oh Mathematics jargons ; none can beat them ... Chuah Lay Suan and Ho Siew Hoon...tak boleh cari di dunia.

So beautiful for the evening... now that I have named them...you guess their names.

Yea more...from the right ; Wan Khairanie, Tuan Nor Hazipah, Maziha, Mrs. Wang, Saadiah, Zunaidah, Norhayati, Siti Khadijah, NorFaezah, Sharizad and the two gentlemen, Kang and Zaha.

Except for Wan , Maziha, Saadiah and Zunaidah have been pillars of the school and some of their children go through school with them. Have been invited to Zunaidah's eldest daughter (Esther's batch) wedding in Dec...our very own Seafieldian.

Rozita with the lady in red on her left. Lady in red is Norsuzana ; named best dressed of the evening.

The PIBG Boss Dato Abdul Rahman giving tokens of love to Puan Robita and Phang Sheau Yan both of whom have received official transfers out of school...PIBG Boss is generous...free dinner for us; a reward for working super hard for the school carnival.

By the way, many of the staff have stayed with the school for more than 15 years. The night saw Dato giving away certificates of appreciation for about 32 teachers for having served the school for more than 15 years...a huge part of the success story of the school.




Pibg members Christine with Jimmy an old face and Suhaily, the cheerful and loving mother of Nizar. Mother and son contributed big-labelled handbags as lucky draws for the dinner. Thank you dear Nizar.



More Pibg member putting their heads together in oneness...Amirul , Praba, Azlan, Jimmy and Yazid.

I vote this picture of the year...lady boss with male subordinates...oh I refuse to name them...

Another one for the album...cheese... Shuhada, Nurnajihar, Nagesvari, Tan She Shing, Wong Chet Thing, Norzaliza, Thilaham, Juhainirizza, Isnani... oh I hope I have their names right.

This is good for my memory... I have to constantly remember their faces for the names... Norsuzana, Nordiana, Norzaliza, Mariani, Hasmilia, Nurhafizah... right from back...Nordiana, Noridayu ( the new bride), Nurhafiza and Robita (leaving for Muar...my hometown).

Kang Wee Seng in his last gesture of respect for the boss...all good things must come to an end. And oh Mr. Kang ; I know your tricks too...

58 roses for the birthday girl. This is the boss' 58th birthday and her final day as lady boss of the school . I wrote something about her which goes like this...

Some are natural; born a leader.

Others are made; nurtured and created.

Mrs. Wang is an innate; born to lead and guide.

• While most impending retirees make plans to leave, she ploughs on as though her days are unnumbered; never short-changing her stake holders...


• Never lie is her most revered value as nothing escapes her sharp eyes...


• Educating from the heart, her Archilles heel is hit when you appeal from the heart; it will touch hers too...


• Passion for Excellence she lives for...


• She is her very own; not easy to emulate but you can try...
  
  

The bear hug must be a gesture of love and gratitude. Thank you for years of discipleship under your leadership. I have learnt to be what I should be under the instruction of various bosses but I am glad I have passed the test ( have I?) under you. It was a long 15 years and 9 months, 11 as colleaques and 4 as your subordinate. But I must finally say; yes I have gained much wisdom just watching your ways ; best lessons learnt.

Happy Retirement...Mrs. Wang.

A Prayer

Today, I just want to remember this :

God grant me the serenity

To accept the things I cannot change

Courage to change the things that I can

And the wisdom to know the difference

Amen.

Glorious Culinary

Thai food is out of the world.

The spicy and tangy dishes are unforgettable and the tastes linger in your buds long after the meal is over. The Thais are absolutely superb in their recipes and their preparation skills are reasons why Malaysian long for Thai cuisines.

Koh Samui is home to rich sea harvests and the catch is fresh ; so very essential for seafood galore. So we had our stints and a good share of seafood while on the island.

The siakap was steamed over charcoal and the tangy sauce could be eaten as soup. Absolutely delicious.

Another way of preparing fish; but I prefer the steamed version.

Shell fish cooked with a good combination of spices.





Hey I remember this dish well. I used to consume plenty of them as mama is skillful in the preparation. However, I also remember suffering from bouts of food poisoning when it was not prepared well especially during my varsity days when I took it with friends at Medan Selera. That evening, the cockles were done tastefully and I did not suffer from food poisoning.




Tom Yam done with coconut milk. I prefer the version without the coconut milk.




This is a typical Thai salad... lime, vinegar and sugar. The Thais like sugar a lot. Some of the noodles were added with sugar and it took a large part of me to consume them. Don't like sweet noodles.


At local side stalls, we ventured into some dishes which were a delight.





I cannot for the life of me decipher this concoction. Could be fish paste dipped into flour before being fried. Good.




This I have been told was a typical Thai dish...fish paste dipped in oil. Quite a taste.

Fishes grilled over charcoal.

Chicken wings and internals grilled over charcoal fire. Dare not try.

This is another Thai salad sold at a side stall.

All in all, we had meals after meals connected with seafood and Thai spices. Unable to forget the taste till today.

Wedding...

The sounds of the entourage...

No, it's not any of my girls ... yet.

It's the girl next door !

Whose daughter now?

The excited 'Ji Mui ' looking at the groom who had just arrived with his ' Heng Tai ' ... oh how was he going to win the bride now? The 'Ji Mui ' (girlfriends of the bride) looked too smart for his liking. They might have tricks too tough for him to handle. But he survived of course.

Yes, it's pretty Szi Szi.

Szi Szi married to Tho Wei.

Friends from secondary school days ; still friends and Grace is the leader of the bridesmaids.




Oh... Sunrise; Sunset

Is this the little girl I carried (knew) ?
...

I don't remember growing older
When did she?

When did she get to be a beauty?
...
Wasn't it yesterday
when she was small?

Sunrise, Sunset
Sunrise, Sunset
Swiftly flow the days
Seedlings turn overnight to flowers
Blossoming even as we gaze...

Oh, time surely flew.



We were in the company of this young family for the dinner. These boys may look young but they are real machos. Brother in the centre is eldest and when mummy was away talking to friends, he piled up food for her. He is a joy to observe for he took care of his mummy well.



This guy is in Standard 5 but he is so well-mannered. He might not have the opportunity to serve his mummy as his brother was doing that. So make a good guess...he served me. I was amazed at his polite ways and could not help but sing praises to the mum. She sure has her way with them . Perfect behaviour at the table. It was a joy to be in their company.





Once again. Congratulations to the bride and groom. Happy for them and it was a pleasure to hear the groom vowing that he would love and look after his lovely bride all the days of his life.

Vows are to be kept.

More...

Shopping and Seeing

Leisure shopping around the island is most popularly done in towns along the main beach fronts which include Nathon, Boh Put, Chaweng and Lamai. Chaweng seems to be the most popular and tourists make their way there for goods and shopping.

When we hired a van which took us around the main spots, it also took us to the towns mentioned above. However, some of us ladies were not satisfied with the swift visits and decided on the next day to freely roam around them ... without the men.

The adventurous us took the local tuk tuk truck and haggled smartly for right fares before we hopped into them and tour the island again. This time we had more time to scour the streets and bought whatever our hearts desired.

Generally, I find the prices of the goods reasonable and cheaper than her other counterparts in other parts of Thailand.

However, the goods mainly revolve around crafts, local jewellery, tit bits and souveniers.

A night scene along Lamai, where we stayed.

Local crafts, bags and clothes in Nathon...

Not only along Chaweng but also in Lamai are boutiques and tailors ready to get the attire ready for her customers in less than 24 hours.

This young lass is pretty, sharp and has fierce business acumen. She does her sales professionally and I have yet to see one of this kind along the streets of Kuala Lumpur. Even Kwai Lin and I gave in to her hot pursuits...we bought things from her because we could not beat her skills of negotiations. She is a Nepalese and has siblings on the island too. I asked why the need to be here and she said it was difficult to find a job back home. Next, she told me she needed to get a boyfriend by next year and get married. High ambitions...hope she will find one soon. Incidentally I met her sister selling clothes in one of the local stores too.

Yea, she sells leather goods and she mans the most expensive products on the island... and yet the goods have designs that are not easily found anywhere else in the world. So, I became one of her victims. I bought a leather pair.

Shell products harvested from the seas around the island.

The lights are creatively crafted and quite a sight but the thought of carting them home was too much for us. We decided not to get them.

The handmade soap carvings are found all over the island and are similar to the ones in Bali.

The clothes are for the slim and young...nothing for the old girls. But we did manage to grab some of the white cotton tops sold all over the malls in Malaysia for a very good price. 3 white cotton tops for RM100.00 ; quite a bargain. We get them in Malaysia for at least RM49.90 each and in fact before I left terimal 3 of Subang, I saw an exact replica which was priced at RM79.90. I bought it on the isalnd at RM35.00. So go Koh Samui to get them.

This particular top costs RM79.90 at Subang Terminal 3 but a mere one third on the island.

Perhaps the place that took our hearts is this quaint little village in Bophut. Once renowned for her rich harvest from the seas, the place boasts of serenity and laid back style of living. A perfect getaway for many who seek rest and recuperations from challenges of life.

Fisherman's Village reminded me of a counterpart in Taiwan - "Chiu Fen" also a quaint little township up in the hills of Taipei; so very pretty.

The streets of Fisherman's Village is a lure for many caucasians.

This is a real museum piece...so old the jetty that it should not suffice for the demands of the day.

Eating outlets are a many here and choices are varied but the calling price may not be as desired.

Frogs for the table ; the locals must have a fantastic way of presenting them for their guests.




Like most hinterland South East Asian countries, gasoline is sold in bottles here ; a sight that is so common but strange to us.

Like Phuket and Bali, the adhoc wiring system is reason to worry at times... you wonder at the safety gadgets.

A typical front of a lot.

I find these stairs interesting ; so steep and yet mysterious. What's behind the door?

The Caucasians favour this place I can see. All over the island we notice French influence and perhaps many more which I could not decipher.

But one thing I sure have observed was the presence of some Caucasians serving at food outlets here. I tend to concur that they are here for work and leisure. To work and gain pleasure ; win - win situation. This attitude is strange to Asians. We are such a 'kiasi' people that we need security and permanency in life. We cannot take uncalculated risks... how to relax la.

Incidentally, on one of our tuk-tuk rides to Chaweng, we met a young couple ; don't know if they were married - from the UK who lamented that the job situation in their motherland is so bad that they had to go off shores to earn a living. The female counterpart related that she had been all over Australia for the last 16 months on a work and tour visa and loved Australia. So before going back to the UK she decided to give South East Asia a good roundup ; including a visit to Pulau Langkawi and then to Kuala Lumpur and finally fly home through ...aha...Now Everyone can Fly plane. Air Asia is revolutionary.

I envy their carefree style. That's a skill to behold. Not to be bogged down by the cares of the world and to take life in good strides. I keep telling myself to do that ; not to worry about matters beyond my control.

Some more local looks... quite tastefully done.

In fact, we were not able to cover as much as we wanted; not with such a short span of time. I believe there is much more to explore.

For those who are retiring and the retirees ; how about accommodating here for a month and savour in all that is local and keep them for memories while looking for the next destination?

A good stay.