fishes in the stream

Where Papa went (near Gunung Besar Hantu) , up the reaches of the river (name already forgotten), the water was crystal clear and not much more than a stream. Lots of fish playing under the dappled shade of the trees overhanging the brook. A gunny sack of Kelah was sitting in the waters, must have been caught by the campers nearby. Loads of bees and a lone black butterfly sitting on the salt licks of the gravel stones on the riverbank . All very friendly , Papa could get within inches of the single butterfly and the bees.

Papa hasn't figured out whether Gunung Besar Hantu means Big Ghost Mountain or Loads of Ghosts Mountain. But at close to 5000 feet, Papa does not intend to climb it. This is a beautiful place, maybe because it is little known and barely accessible, you have to use a 4x4. to get to this area. Papa may return to this place, but in the meanwhile Papa has a ship to catch next week.

Yik Kee x2

Papa was working yesterday. Got up not too early, left at 7am, no traffic for once (Sunday and eve of another public holiday.) Reached Karak at 830, and had dim sum at Yik Kee before going into the jungles of Telemung, off the main road 12km from Karak.

Got in on a metalled road about 10km long I think, before Papa had to turn into an unpaved laterite road. Another 12 km of uneven road. "Very bouncy" as Summergirl would say. Papa and the other people in the pickup was tossed and bounced around. Not a car in sight, although we passed by maybe two motorcycles parked by the trail, probably by the Asli who had gone into the jungle.



The trail was unpassable in parts as bits of the trail had been washed away, so we had to do some minor repairs. Papa fell into one of this little holes in the road, but managed to climb out , albeit with some bruises....

Eventually we reached a bend by the river. Voila! Surreal...There were people camped on the bank, they were still busy sleeping in at 10 am. Breakfast was cooking in the camp, but Papa had gone in to see 1500 acres of jungle. No time to lose, we scouted around, and moved on.

After a couple more kilometers of bouncing around in the pickup, Papa reached the edge of the Pahang-Negeri Sembilan border by 1pm, 2 km from a mountain- Gunung Besar Hantu. Big Ghosts Mountain. Probably a descriptive name from long gone times. Papa has no idea.

A little bit of look see look see, then we turned back to Karak. Reached Yik Kee and had a late lunch at 3pm.

volcano in Ipoh

Papa zoomed into Ipoh on Monday and in between things, decided to have lunch. Chicken rice in Ipoh, an old-timer shop, how to go wrong? Well Papa was wrong! Papa had to order an extra glass of chinese tea upon the second bite. So, we won't mention the name of the shop

Too much, much too much MSG. Three hours later Papa still couldn't shake off the effects of the MSG, Papa had to pull off the road on the way back. Papa got crossed-eyed, watching the wipers flicking across the screen instead of watching the road. Rain was heavy heavy, Papa couldn't see anything. MSG overload on a cold rainy evening.

So. On Wednesday morning, Papa was in Ipoh again. Not being the type of person who learns from his mistakes , Papa decided to try another old establishment. And Papa decided to have dim-sum, which comes with a risk of MSG. No less than at the volcano of Ipoh, Fohsan ....

Now in a spanking new building (which opened just last month).



Photo of Papa's colleague across the table.

Short verdict: Actually, pretty good. New dim sum recipes (new to Papa at least). and surprise! Very little MSG.

On the way back from one of Papa's trips.

shoes for summer

Papa came to your school today, bearing a new pair of shoes, complete with the box. Papa saw your shoes the last few times, and Papa feels the pain of seeing tattered shoes on your feet. The shoes you wear now to school were shiny and glittery once. They were never suitable nor meant for you to wear as school shoes. Mama hasn't gotten you new shoes at all, so Papa went the day before and bought you a pair. Papa hopes they will fit you and that you will like them.

hornbill food

Papa has a brilliant idea. Papa will set up a bird table near Lake Summer so that the hornbills nearby will come to eat and hang around the lake. The request has been made to staff to build and put up the table, with fruits that they eat. Papa has no idea what they eat, so Papa will have to jog the memory of the most destructive man that Papa knows. We will keep his idntity secret, but for now, lets call him "the Shark".

The Shark in his life shot many of these birds. For no reason other than..."there were lots of them around, and they are easy to shoot..." I suspect also they are good eating, just like the Indian hornbill. Very tasty maybe??? Papa thinks he would rather not ask the Shark. DO not ask so you do not know...Papa wants to feed the hornbills, not feed on them.

travelling papa

Papa was caught in a very heavy storm on the way back to KL the other day.One could hardly see anything in the driving rain. Travelling on the twisty bits of the Karak highway was no fun in a pickup truck. Things, including pickups, can and do slide around.....

As we forgive

Papa is reading a book. "As we forgive" by Catherine Claire Larson, which is a book about the Rwandan genocide. The books makes for painful reading, but not because it is badly written. As the preface to the book states:

"...But this is not a path, nor a book, for the faint of heart."

In a hundred days of slaughter, an estimated 800,000 to a million Tutsis and moderate Hutus were killed, some 300,000 of them were thought to be children, while another 95,000 children lost one or both parents. Subsequently many of the men who murdered their neighbours were later released back into their neighbourhoods. Some 60,000 men now live amidst their victims and family of their victims.

The road taken

The road taken.

Forest, road, everything but the sky, built from bare sand by Dr Ang Lai Hoe of FRIM in a labour of love by one man. He has been here, nursing the seedling and saplings as they transform and grow into trees for the last 12 years. I call him "the man who talks to the trees". Actually, I suspect the trees talk back to him, and they engage in friendly conversations and discourses....

TMWTTTT has turned once barren land into fertile land, which in fact is morphing into primary jungle. The sand will always be there, but where the trees are, things are slowly changing. Life and nature comes back to sterile land. As a consequence there is a herd of 15-25 wild boar who have migrated from the neighbouring palm oil plantations.

They dig all over for grub. Since they don't eat palm oil fruit anymore, its brilliant!! Dr Ang is a genius! Papa thinks (which is not so often), finally!!! Wild pig that tastes like wild pig!! This is a rare find .

However
there
is
a
catch.

A big catch.

The alpha male is the size of a water buffalo, so if you see him, well.....Hunting idea on hold....I'll be bach!

Quelqu'un M'a Dit

Gratuitous picture shamelessly stolen from the net

"On me dit que nos vies ne valent pas grand chose,
Elles passent en un instant comme fanent les roses....

meaning..

I am told that our lives are not worth very much,
They pass in an instant as the roses fade... '

"On me dit que le destin se moque bien de nous
Qu'il ne nous donne rien et qu'il nous promet tout..."

It tells me that destiny mocks us well
It gives us nothing and it promises us all...

Mrs First lady of France can't really sing [not as well as a soprano-but for some people that should read not as badly a soprano), but she whispers those word in a wistful and gentle way which belies a host of emotions -playful and sad at the same time,. The lyrics become an underlayer to the melody line at times. You can listen to it when Papa is done with the installation of some proper speakers in car.

Papa is looking to see if Papa is going for non-allergenic cones or hyper-allergenic cones. More than hyper-allergenic, poisonous in fact, because the cone material comes from outer space. (just like Mama). Papa kids you not-at least, Papa does not kid you about the cones. SoPapa will probably settle for something from mother earth.

That is, if Papa manages to get you into the car....

Papa wants to post another pict of Ms Bruni.

Papa had a photo of Mama looking a bit like Carla Bruni (without the guitar, of course). Back in those days, all the nice looking women looked like Mama to Papa....

Papa and mama

Papa has asked Mama to be at the school to talk.

To talk a bit about you, but mostly to set what needs to be set for a divorce. Papa has unfortunately just wasted too much time waiting for Mama to change, even if only for just a little bit. From Mama's tone, Papa knows she will teach you to hate me, it's Mama's style. She says "We hate you...but its only her mouth. Because of so many reasons, she has no room and no ability to move to any goodness or to a better position for you. Or for anyone, including herself.

Mama won't take any risk to improve things, she only wants to continue on a spiral down. The more Papa tries to get her out from her self-imposed purgatory/hell, the more she fights back. Papa has waited many years for Mama to wake up, but perhaps its time to really move on. For Papa, it really is past time to move on, as Papa had stopped a part of his life, just waiting for Mama

So Papa will be at the school next week to see you, and to talk to Mama also.

Papa loves you.

Glow in the dark Papa

Papa has decided not to go down the Sg Lembing mine. This is after going over the old records and documents , where to Papa's alarm, the words "urania" and "thoria" popped up. Exposure to "urania" in the tin of 0.9% and "thoria" at 0.5% would probably make Papa glow in the dark.

It would probably make an amusing sight to you, but Papa most definitely does not want to glow this way, nor to set off geiger counters...\\Beep beep....

no summer on saturday

Well, Papa doesn't get to see you today. Mama is somewhere in lalaland, bonkers.

So,
Papa
today
will post
a pointless post

Anna Netrebko. Soprano. mother. sings well. Image lifted from elsewhere.

Silly ideas

Papa is looking to see if Papa can name a lake after you. Mama took your name away from you, so Papa will compensate you (if he can) by having a lake named after you. There are only 90 or so officially recognised and named lakes in Malaysia. What Mama has done, if Papa cannot undo, Papa will give you something back instead. If on balance there is still some good then Papa will be a little satisfied.

Papa is not sure though if he can do it. Its not a pond, its big, but as a lake, Papa's pool may not be big enough to qualify. A bit borderline, and Papa has first got to hire surveyors to measure its size.

How does Lake Summer sound? Or Tasik Summer?
Easier to remember than....
Lake Chargoggagoggmanchauggauggagoggchaubunagungamaugg, huh?

Or perhaps Lake Papalovesyou...?

lunch. pointless post

Had lunch yesterday with the usual group. This time we had another joining us, the CFO of LV Asia. Papa discovered how much haute fashion is actually business. And discovered the ambition of LV (as well as the depth of Chinese consumer pockets). LV will open shops in EVERY province in China.
Now there are more than 100 provinces in the Middle Kingdom. So from HKSAR to Tibet we will see LV shops.......What is the point of Papa's post? Dunno

papa terriorista

Papa has discovered he is a closet, subversive ...uhm can't say it.... dirrrty word......

Take two: Papa has discovered he is a closet raving environmentalist. Which in Papa's line of work is rather unacceptable......One normally does not rape the earth and be a member of Greenpeace simultaneously. Not done.

So to reconcile this dichotomy, Papa has decided to still stay in the closet, and be a....terroirista. Green the earth and scare the greenies at the same time. At the last forum Papa attended, the question was asked, "Why do you have to do this [thing]?? Why can't you do something else, like build a resort instead??...."

This question has been taken to heart, such that Papa has got plans (evil megalomaniac laughter plus tom-toms in the background) to actually do something else beside degreen the earth. Papa will recondition some lands as a terriorista.

The master plan is to regreen what was ungreened. Drawing inspiration from the secret research lab Papa visited, Papa will try (with help from the government and other parties) to recreate what was lost on the lands Papa has a hand in. Forest reengineeering, or replanting of a primary forest with proper human intervention. Papa's un-evil masterplan envisions the return of lotus to the Lake Chini area, the building of a bird paradise for hornbills which cureently already fly around Papa's site (which is mostly barren ground now), and the re-creation of a primary forest on barren ground. Also Papa will try to find some proper jobs on Papa's lands for the orang asli .

Papa spoke too soon

Well, toda is Thursday. Guess what, Papa misunderestimated Mama again. In reply to Papa's sms for confirmation that Mama would in fact bring you out on Saturday, Mama replied that she wouldn't. For Mama, the prmise to let you see me would take 48 hours to become another lie.

Mama is one crazy woman.

edit: Yes Mama is one crazy woman but Papa will try to figure out the clockworks in her head, and reassemble the screws that are loose, or more likely in this case, missing.

Mama said she was afraid of me kidnapping you and wanted assurance she would be treated better..(aside from the point that Mama has de facto kidnapped you and held you away from me, Papa would never take you away from Mama, unless maybe for your own protection). So the kidnapping yarn is just a guilt trip, a transference or projection of her own ego.

Papa thinks Mama just wants to keep fighting and keep creating excuses to fight. Why? Because when you stop fighting you will eventually see the damage you cause. The beserker cannot stop...

school daze

Papa went to your kindyschool on Monday, and saw you for a while. Seems Mama left instructions that Papa cannot take you out from school. Papa spoke to the teacher and told her about some of the things Mama did. Just a teensy bit.

Papa got an sms from Mama yesterday, out of the blue. Mama had totally disappeared for more than a month. Seems the teacher had spoken to her, because Mama suddenly agreed to let you see me on Saturdays again. Mama probably doesn't want the school to find out more unsavory details about the things Mama has done.

Anyway, Papa was outstation yesterday, at an experimental research station. This place is restricted to the public and most probably radio-active....Papa saw the most beautiful lake in the middle of what was formerly waste-land ten year ago. This lake beats out many of those you would find in public parks hands down. However, this being a top-secret research facility, its not open to the public. Papa would tell people where it is, but then Papa would have to sink them down into the lake, which at 300 feet deep, would ensure ...secrecy.....300 acres of man-made jungle with less than ten people in it, deserves secrecy.
There were egrets and hornbills flying over when Papa came there in the afternoon. Unfortunately Papa missed out on the pair of birds of paradise. There is in fact a pair of thses birds here, Papa kids you not. Along with other exotics, and by which Papa means exotics. As in aliens to Malaysia.

There is a electric fence around the lake perimeter. You can just about see the fence in the photo. Why the fence , you would ask? Well, There are grass carp as big as Papa in the lake. 200kg monsters.

"No fishing" is enforced strictly, this keeps the poachers away. Nobody wants to get zapped.

Birds in the distance, perched on some trees. Hornbills and egrets (or storks, I forget) . But you can't really see them in the photo, they are just specks in the distance.

Small pond nearby. No fish here. Water is contaminated with heavy metals.

Walk in the jungle in the afternoon. Blazing sun, Papa and everyone else got dehydrated...It was a hot, hot day.

ultralight

Papa had a choice yesterday. Go up on an ultra-light (no its not a ciggie). Or wait to see if Mama has a bit of a sanity check and lets us meet.

No prizes. Papa waited, Mama's sanity check bounced, so no show. Good weather yesterday too.

5 weeks now

Papa has not seen you for five weeks now. Mama has gone underground, she has not replied to Papa at all since Papa made the accusation that she was having an affair and that you were forgotten by her.

Looking back, for Papa, it really seems that Mama has had forgotten you for a long time. Maybe Mama is ashamed of being caught red handed, but believe me, she has done so many other crazy cruel things, Papa doesn't find it a big deal. Its not important. Papa is still trying to find a way to protect and love yoo. At the same time Papa has to find a way also to help Mama be a better , err, mama and person. Papa is still looking for the way.

Papa misses you.

mount kina balu

This will be a really short post.

Historically....Mt kinabalu.

Once there were chinese traders who traded and lived along the coast (and inland) of what is now Sabah. Some of them married the local women. No surprises.

However, one of these traders died one day. The wife of this trader, grieving, went back to the mountain.

Widow.
Mountain.
Chinese.

So, Mt balu china. Corrupted to Mt Kinabalu. Attributed to Tan Sri Ani Arope.

more stories on tin mining (pccl)

From the District Memoirs of F.H. Fitch (Price :Six Strait Dollars)

excerpted

"The disposal of mining land in Ulu Kuantan was entirely in the hands of H.H. the Sultan of Pahang,and, on his marriage with the daughter of Lim Assam (or Ah Sam), known as Captain China of Billiton, he gave his wife the area as a wedding present;she passed on the mining rights to her father. By a concession dated 8th



hang on...the Sultan gave as dowry a piece of land more than 1 million acres to his bride! Seems the Sultan was marrying someone important. (in the context of royalty marriages then, and even now, perhaps he thought he was marrying up...)

blahblah..



(to be cont.)

PRC in Malaysia

They work pretty hard...These are engineers at a mine site.

Just as a 100 years ago, the chinese have been coming, first to the Straits Settlements, then Malaya, and now Malaysia to earn a living.

(Actually, its more like a thousand years ago, when the state of Kelantan was known as "Tan-tan" in some little known chinese archive records.)
Same people , same country [sounds like a political slogan of some sort]