Joe's Ramblings

Teaching a bird flying skills

2010-05-02T22:04:00.000-07:00

My son, Don, spent the day at our place yesterday. After lunch, we went out to view a property at one of the nearby condos and took some pics. I was a great way for me to practice taking pics on my Nikon D40X camera.
When we arrived back at our apartment, we found a little bird on the ground slowly being attacked by ants. We all had to save the bird and my wife had to pour water on it to disperse the ants. After sweeping away the ants from the bird, Don took it in his hands to see if it was still alive and thankfully, it was except it could not fly. We all love animals, in fact, all living things (except creepy crawlies) Urghh!!! Don tried to get the bird to fly as you can see from the pics. At first it did flap its wings in an attempt to fly but being weak, I guess it could not take off to the sky. After a few attempts, we decided to take it back to our apartment and try to nurse it until it is strong again and this time, hopefully it will be able to take off and be free.

Long Lost Friends

2009-09-04T21:08:00.000-07:00

It was back in the early sixties when we knew each other. I was living in Greentown and was playing music during those carefree days. Sunny, who was from Teluk Intan studied in the same school with me at St. Michael's Institution and could play the trumpet very well. He was also a close friend of my former bandmates in the Fabulous Falcons. His wife was from Fair Park just near my house and we knew each other very well too. I still remember the days when Sunny was courting Choy Leng in Fair Park and now after all these years, we get to meet again.

Sunny Wong now known as Samuel Wong having become a Christian owns a music studio at The Summit, in Subang Jaya. Its called Gospel Keyboard Music Studio. He married his long time girlfriend Choy Leng (Joyce) and together they run the studio where Sunny teaches the 'Fast and Easy' way to play the keyboards for Gospel songs. We have not met up for decades and it was a time for catching up when we met at his studio and reminiscing about the old days when we were young. We will be meeting up again soon and hopefully get to be in touch with some of the other old friends of our time.

Our meeting was all thanks to Eugene (Wong Fee Khim) another old friend who is residing in Sabah. He is also learning to play the keyboards under the guidance of Samuel. Thanks Eugene.

Goodbye to the old Hugh Low Street Bridge of Ipoh

2009-08-31T20:20:00.000-07:00

On my last trip back to my hometown of Ipoh, I went to Hugh Low Street, one of the main roads of Ipoh City, to have a look at some of the old shops situated there. Among those still doing business there were some goldsmith shops, textile and a few coffeeshops. It was a weekday but business was slow.

I had my camera with me and took a few pics of the area when I saw the Hugh Low Street Bridge being demolished. Traffic was diverted to a temporary bridge spanning across the Kinta River. There were plans to replace the old bridge as it was more than 100 years old and unsafe. I stood at the riverbank to take a few pics of whats left of the old bridge. For the senior citizens of Ipoh, this old bridge brings back fond memories. There was a huge raintree beside the bridge where some Nepalese used to ply their trade selling gemstones in the shade just at the bridge and some used this bridge to get to 'Old Town' on the other side for their sundries or to the morning market. For some homeless people, the banks of the river under the bridge provided shelter for their tired bodies. We don't see that anymore as many have been placed in homes now.

I hope that the new bridge, when completed, will bring more activity in the area and perhaps spruce up the businesses in the vicinity. Maybe the river could be deepened to provide boat rides for tourists as Ipoh still has beautiful scenery.

Some new photos

2009-08-05T19:56:00.000-07:00

As I am in the process of learning to take better pics with my Nikon DX40x, I managed to capture some pics of places, things, happenings etc. I have uploaded some of these and I hope you like them.

I have since posted my pictures in my other blog. Please visit: A Novice's Photoblog. Thanks.

A New Hobby - Photography

2009-08-02T21:06:00.000-07:00

I have always
enjoyed looking and admiring beautiful pictures in magazines or brochures and wished that some day I could do so. I have a Sony Cyber-shot camera given to me by my son and I would take pictures at random whenever the occasion arrived.

Recently, my son got me a DSLR camera which is a Nikon D40x with a Sigma 18-200mm lens. Wow! This makes taking photos more interesting and I am now learning to use the camera with all its features. It is a learning process and I am hoping that I will be able to come up with really beautiful pictures like some of the magazines. I have posted some of the photos that I have taken recently and hope you will enjoy looking at them.

Red Fm - Shake our Hand to Win 10 Grand

2009-06-26T22:46:00.001-07:00

Red Fm Breakfast Show hosts JD and Dilly have been up and about the the Shake our Hand to Win 10 Grand and have travelled from north to south of the country to meet up with fans and to give them a chance to register and stand a chance to win 10 Grand. Listeners who are there to shake their hand and register with Red Fm also get to win special prizes of the day too.

I was at a few of the locations to watch them and it was very entertaining especially when JD and Dilly urged the people to participate in their games and win prizes of the day. Some lucky listeners who did register at their various locations were randomly picked to win extra prizes when Red Fm called them on their h/phones and some other lucky ones were chosen to attend the Finale on July 5 where they will pick the lucky winner of 10 Grand. Wow! Those will be the real lucky ones and I wonder who it will be to win the Grand Prize.

Listeners in the Klang valley can tune to 104.9 to listen to JD and Dilly from 6.00am to 10.00am for the Red Fm Breakfast Show and btw, JD is my son.

'Poppy' my playmate

2009-03-02T23:33:00.000-08:00

It was a couple of years ago when my son moved into his new apartment. My wife Liz and I would spend a few days there on our regular visits. It is a nice quaint place with lots of trees and I would take regular walks in the vicinity of the apartment.

One day, I found a young puppy(female) there and was told by some residents that she was left there by someone and has since remained there. Thankfully, some kind residents used to feed her. I love dogs and made friends with this puppy quickly. Whenever I'm there, I would also feed and play with her and she became very attached to me. The guards at the apartment used to call her 'Poppy' and hence her name. She has since grown into a nice beautiful dog. Whenever the guards go on their rounds in the apartment area, she would accompany them as if it was her duty.

There were a couple of times when a stray dog mated with her and eventually she gave birth to some pups. When the pups were about a couple of months old, some residents took them to the SPCA animal shelter. This left poor 'Poppy' very depressed and she refused to eat anything. I tried to feed her but she just wouldn't eat. One day, I decided to pat and talk to her in a consoling way and it seemed to work as she came close to me and seemed to listen when I was talking. I also tried to cheer her up by playing with her and gaining her confidence. After a few days, she began to eat again and I was happy to bring her out of her depression. I know dogs have feelings too and they need to be loved and reassured.

Whenever I come to see her, even after an absence of a week or two, she would be very happy and run over to greet me. After feeding her, she would play with me and urge me to 'Play Catching'. Seeing her this way really makes my day. I do hope that some kind souls would also give some stray dogs a home if you have the space at home. Dogs need love too.

An old friend named TA

2008-10-03T23:01:00.000-07:00

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.

Meeting old friends through music

2008-07-12T23:00:00.000-07:00

I know it may sound strange but recently I met up with an old friend who lives down the road from my place. We never got together as we were busy going about our own lives and occasionally greeting each other as we pass by. However one day, we met up through music and one thing led to another. Through him, I met up with a nice bunch of guys who play in a band called 'Stingray'. On lead guitar is Alex (a successful businessman), rythmn guitar is Dr. V.S Loo (a renowned surgeon), bass is Maurice (retired) and Frankie (also retired) and of course my friend Joe Ong who is the lead singer with the band. I do join them in a jam session as I love playing the lead guitar to the songs of The Shadows. These guys make good music and play at gigs around the city. Its a revival of 60s music and folks really enjoy listening to the band whenever they perform. My Wednesday nights are reserved now for jamming with the guys and a late night out with Joe and Alex (my buddies) and also Frankie.

Eve of price hike of petrol

2008-06-11T00:25:00.000-07:00

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

2008-05-26T22:36:00.000-07:00

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

2008-05-08T00:20:00.000-07:00

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?

2008-05-06T23:42:00.000-07:00

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

2008-05-05T07:07:00.000-07:00

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

2008-05-03T22:45:00.000-07:00

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

2008-05-03T22:14:00.000-07:00

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

2008-05-03T16:42:00.000-07:00

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?

2008-04-09T05:51:00.000-07:00

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

2008-03-16T05:39:00.001-07:00

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

2008-03-11T04:58:00.000-07:00

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

2008-03-05T05:39:00.000-08:00

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.