An old friend named TA

I went for a leisurely drive with my wife to Taiping yesterday. I have not been to Taiping for quite a while so it was a welcome change of scene for us.
It was a cool day and the first place we went to was the Tai Chen restaurant which served some nice hawker food. It brought back memories of the time I spent in Taiping back in the 60s when we stayed at the late Rocky Teoh's place just above Tai Chen when we had to rehearse and do a gig in Taiping.
After lunch, I decided to hop over to the next road where the Chin Kong Optical was. This was where my old friend TA whose real name is See Kok Choo was working. His late uncle owned the shop and now he has taken over the running of the business. I walked into the shop and there he was, very surprised to see me after a few decades. The last I met up with him was way back in 1968. He still looked the same except for the balding. I used to remember him back then whenever he played the guitar, he would have a cigarette in his mouth or would stick it to the guitar head below the strings when he wanted to adlib the lead chorus. He told me that he had stopped playing the guitar and was living a very quiet life now. We had a good time reminicing about the old days, exchanged our contact numbers, and then I went on my way as I had some catching up to do visiting some places around Taiping which as usual had started to rain.
I hope to be able to meet up with him more often from now.

Eve of price hike of petrol

It was the day the government announced a price hike on petrol effective 12.00 midnight. I was in Kuala Lumpur on that day and I had already filled my tank full earlier. Anyway, it was evening when my wife and I decided to head to Shah Alam after the heavy rain stopped. Everything seemed normal as I drove on until we exited the Subang Jaya toll heading for the Federal Highway. Traffic was at a standstill heading towards Shah Alam as the underpass was waterlogged and impassable to traffic so we decided to stop for dinner in Sunway Mas. After dinner, we went on the LDP and it turned out to be a nightmare as the traffic jam was the worst I've ever seen on this road. The vehicles were hardly moving and after being in the jam for about an hour, my sparkplugs gave way due to overheating and I had to pull over to the side. We had to wait out the jam as every road out of this highway was just as jammed with people rushing to fill up their tanks with petrol which was the main cause of the crazy jam. We found that we were not the only ones with engine problem as there many others parked by the roadside and each one of them singing their woes and cursing. Thanks to a few kind souls, we were allowed to use their toilets facilities. We spent about three to four hours just parked there. Finally around midnight, the traffic began to ease and we decided to drive on running with three plugs and not using the air-conditioner. We arrived in Shah Alam past midnight. That ordeal was one hell of an experience and I hope the government will think of the consequences of the announcement of the price hike which caused most people throughout the country to panic buying of petrol and causing chaos. I am sure everyone in the country has a story to tell about this.

Ques Ut Deus

Yes, being an ex-Michaelian who left in 1964, it was a nice and nostalgic return to see the old school. My two sons were also from St. Michaels Institution so we went back there recently to relive the fond memories.
We dropped by at the La Salle house to say 'Hello' to Bro. Vincent and Bro. Matthew Beh where we chatted for a while. Bro. Vincent had just returned from a trip back to Ireland and he was still feeling a bit jetlagged so we left him to catch up on his sleep. Meanwhile, Bro. Matthew gave us a tour of the school and took some snapshots. He was personally proud of his five-star toilet and it was even featured in the Star newspapers. It was really beautiful compared to the old toilet where we, as kids, learned to smoke there without the knowledge of teachers. The school canteen is now a food court and is well run personally supervised by Bro. Matthew himself so the kids have quality food. The school recently had a new coat of paint with new roofing, thanks to the OMA (Old Michaelians Association) and a new wing behind too.
We will always cherish being from St. Michaels Institution.

Jason Castro finally gets the boot on American Idol

Yes! Finally Jason Castro is booted out of American Idol. I personally think he should have gone out a few weeks ago but somehow he managed to survive until now. The other singers who went out earlier were definitely better but as America votes, Jason Castro still survived. He sucks! I really don't know how he lasted so long. Anyway, its down to the final three, two guys and a gal. What do you think, folks? Is it going to be a guy or a gal to win American Idol this year?

Glory, Glory Man United !!!


A lot has been said about whether Manchester United can capture both the EPL Championship as well as the Champs League. Their only stumbling block now is Chelsea. It was quite an achievement for Chelsea to climb back to 2nd place in the EPL and be on equal points as the defending champions except for the superior goal average of ManU. Barring any upsets, ManU will definitely retain the title in the EPL unless ol' Steve Bruce has something up his sleeve. Well, for certain, I'll say if ManU loses the title, I'll eat my shoes (so to say!)
I'm not too sure about the Champs League where these two teams will meet in Moscow in an all English final. Its a fifty-fifty thing for these two teams so my guess will be that Chelsea will win it judging from the way they have been performing lately. Well, I'm just being realistic so I won't be disappointed if ManU can't make a double this time round. Whatever, I'll still be wearing my ManU Jersey to watch the games. Glory, Glory Man United!!!!!

Fish Head Curry - Off the beaten track

Everyone has his own favourite place to have fish head curry especially in the cities or major towns in Malaysia. However, may I recommend one that is quite unheard of but tastes superb.
This stall is just off Kampar in a place called Mambang Di Awan. This stall is situated by the road just opposite the Kacang Ngan Yin Factory. You won't miss it. Lots of people who know, head there for lunch and I must say, the fish head curry is " Drool " superb. You can even order their mutton curry which is also very popular. Well, in case you miss it, just ask the folks around that area and they will point you to this stall. Give it a try and you won't regret it.

Capati - Off the beaten track

Fancy taking a drive on the old trunk road (Federal Road) from Ipoh to Kuala Lumpur in search for good food? Yes, as the title says, 'Capati - off the beaten track'. Drive along from Kampar until you reach a junction turning to Chenderiang. Just facing the junction is a stall that sell really good capati. I was told that it is run by folks of Pakistani origin. The capati is really nice and the gravy that goes with it is superb too. The kachang dhall is not mashed as most places serve. I bet once you've got the first taste, you'll be asking for more. The stall opens everyday except Sunday.

Curry Mee

Everyone has his or her personal best of where and what to eat especially on the subject of Curry Mee. All their preferred stalls that sell this delicious curry noodles are the more renowned ones whose prices have risen over time.
Now, I would like to mention one humble stall in Ipoh, in a housing estate called Taman Cempaka. This stall is run by a couple and they serve really good curry mee c/w shredded chicken, roast pork, prawns and cockles. Pork skin can be added on upon request. While every other stall sells it for around RM4.00 or RM4.50 per bowl, this stall only charges RM3.00. Surprised? Well, give this humble stall a try. If you're heading there, look for the corner shop facing Caltex in Taman Cempaka. Its called Eastern Up Restoran. This stall opens for breakfast and also at night from 7.00pm. You won't be disappointed.

Bathroom Singing

Why do some people sing in the bathroom? This is something that baffles me.
When I was a kid, I used to hear some of my neighbours sing while having a bath to the tunes of Mario Lanza or Slim Whitman. I thought maybe it was a way to exercise their lungs, or perhaps to distract their mind of the cold water. But now, even with hot water shower, I still hear people sing. My current neighbour sings every time he has a bath and so do all his children. Maybe it runs in the family, I don't know. I still haven't found an answer to my curiousity.

MAN. UNITED -Can they make it this time?

As it is now, Man.United seem to be looking good this season. Tonight's the night when they face the Romans on home ground which should be good. Hopefully, Pique will be able to fill the void in defence with the absence of Rio and Vidic. They can also rely on ol' Sylvester who has been warming the bench for quite a while. Lets hope the weather's good cos' if the pitch is slippery with ice and rain, Van Der Sar can fumble as he did the other day.
As for midfield, I hope Scholes is left out because he is not impressive just like Fletcher (the Scott). They have a reliable midfield without these guys. Upfront, I think they are ok but I hope Ronaldo will feed his fellow strikers with the ball instead of going for it himself.
Personally, I think Fergie will rest a few regulars tonight. He needs to win all the games in the EPL to retain the championship. Can't afford any more slip-ups. Remember, Chelsea are right behind with three points separating them. As for tonight, a one-all draw will do, thats my prediction.

Lata Kinjang

If you're driving on the North-South Highway heading north near Tapah, you will notice a beautiful waterfall on the mountain. This is Lata Kinjang. In order to get a closer look at this place, you will have to exit at Tapah, get on to the Federal Road due north for about 7km. Turn into Chenderiang and follow the road signs which will lead you to Lata Kinjang.

My wife and I took a drive there this morning as it was a beautiful day. It was just a ten minute drive from Chenderiang town, with rubber estates on both sides of the road. Upon reaching the place, we saw lots of people having a good time in the cool water. We got closer to take a few snapshots of the waterfall. The photo above shows the foot of the waterfall which flows into a river. I must say it was beautiful and cool with lots of butterflies. Its a good place to spend a few hours and enjoy nature.

The Sixties

I started to get interested in the guitar way back in the sixties when I was in my teens. Things were way different then. The tape recorder wasn't even invented I think. The only gadget available to record anything was the big monstrous tape with two big reels. You can imagine trying to pick up the chords or the lyrics of a song ......we had to replay the track on the vinyl record on the turntable over and over again. Many a time the record will get stuck on the track where the needle has literally made an indentation so deep that the delicate vinyl record is damaged. We did the same thing when we needed to copy the lyrics of the songs as there wasn't the internet like now where we could just google any song lyrics that we want or just listen to the tune on Youtube.

The Grundig turntable at my parents' home was a console type . I had to sit very close to it on the floor and with my ears literally pinned to the speakers to pick up the chords to the songs. I started to learn the guitar by gathering at friends' house and we will just sort of teach each other. It was considered cool to be guitarist then and it was a good way to attract girls too and our teenage ego need the boost. We formed a small four piece band and started playing for functions like weddings and at tea dances too. Tea dances were popular in the sixties and as the name suggest was at tea time on weekends usually. The Venue was the night clubs that were not being used in the afternoons. That was the pop scene then. Most of my friends led very carefree lives and we loved congregating at each other's homes, jamming and planning parties. We used to perform at shows too sometimes in halls and other times in Cinemas.

In Malaysia in that era, we were more exposed to the British pop scene so names like Cliff Richard and the Shadows, the Beatles, Hermans Hermits and many others influenced us. Later I joined a local band called The Fabulous Falcons playing the lead guitar. We played songs by the Shadows. When we toured Thailand, we found that they were influenced by the American Music scene. This helped in our future performances back home.

The group split up after a few years and I took up employment in the civil service. I quit the music scene for many years and got married. After the birth of my second son, I had the urge to get back into music. I went solo playing the guitar and keyboards as well as singing. I've been doing this all this while and I still perform at Dinner functions. I guess music still rules in my blood.

Ipoh - our food haven

For those of us who lived in Ipoh and have migrated overseas or perhaps moved to another state, there is always a feeling of wanting to Balek Kampung whenever we can. I grew up in Ipoh and lived in Greentown which has changed into a commercial centre. Gone are the govt. quarters and trees. Spiderman, famous for his fried kuay teow, used to pedal his stall everyday along the main roads of Greentown before heading to Cowan Street (as it was formerly known) and back to his home in Fair Park. You could identify his house in Fair Park as his frontage had lots of cockle shells. Another stall would be the Indian man selling Nyonya kueh. He would carry his kandar with a hot pot of laksa gravy and not forgetting Mr. Choong, the famous popiah man. I used to cycle out to Cowan St. at night to buy Apong from the stall in front of the bakeries namely French, Noor Jahan and Paris Bakery. That was way back then.

Of course, Ipoh is famous for its Hor Fun and Nga Choy Kai. Head over to Leech Street and you will find a food haven there. Mention Ipoh, and folks all over will drool when the topic of food comes up. Everyone will have something to say about their favourite food and where they can be found. A friend of mine who now lives in Chicago can attest to that and says that when he's back, he will be on a food trail. Hmmm! Watch those calories. There are lots of yummies that I have not mentioned yet but will do so in my next blog.