Sunday, August 29, 2004
a match!
Friday, August 27, 2004
just in time for merdeka, too.
i was looking through an old stack of newspapers mum keeps in her wardrobe, and surprise surprise, what should i find?
proof of my great grandfather's bravery, and reason enough to feel very very proud of my father's father's father.
there it was, a copy of the malay mail, dated monday, december 9th, 1946:
MEN WHO HAVE DESERVED WELL OF MALAYA AND THE EMPIRE
Abundant Evidence of Outstanding Loyalty During Occupation
"We are here to do honour to men and women of Malaya who counted their lives of no account in responding to the call of pity and protection for others who were in great need and danger," declared Sir Edward Gent, the Acting Governer-General of Malaya in his speech at the presentation on the Kuala Lumpur Padang yesterday of the Supreme Allied Commander's certificates and money awards to men and women (and widows of those who died) for their outstanding loyalty in sheltering, feeding and clothing Allied servicemen during the occupation.
and there, tucked among the 28 names in the article, is the name of my great grandfather:
LEE CHIN CHENG
In January 1942, a Malay brought a British officer to Lee Chin Cheng's house. The officer stayed in the jungle nearby until Lee arranged for him to be hidden in a friend's house which was off the beaten track. After a month's stay there during which Lee fed and clothed the officer, Lee built a hut for him in a plantation where the officer stayed for a further month.
The Japanese heard about him, but before they could capture him, Lee arranged for the officer to be taken to the coast and put on a fishing boat to Sumatra.
To sum up how I feel about my Tai Kong and the 27 other people of all races who, in just one act of selflessness, unknowingly contributed indirectly to the eventual independence of our country nearly 11 years later, Gent said, and I quote:
"This steady selfless courage for which we honour them today is an example to everyone of us in Malaya. They stood against the storms of fear and panic, they kept faith with the unconquerable spirit of men: and were not intimidated by the threat and risk of brutal ill-treatment."
words to remember indeed, as we peacefully sit in the comfort of our homes or under a starry nightsky this 31st of August, and enjoy our 47th year of independence, thanks to the hardships and risks endured by our loved ones before us.
proof of my great grandfather's bravery, and reason enough to feel very very proud of my father's father's father.
there it was, a copy of the malay mail, dated monday, december 9th, 1946:
MEN WHO HAVE DESERVED WELL OF MALAYA AND THE EMPIRE
Abundant Evidence of Outstanding Loyalty During Occupation
"We are here to do honour to men and women of Malaya who counted their lives of no account in responding to the call of pity and protection for others who were in great need and danger," declared Sir Edward Gent, the Acting Governer-General of Malaya in his speech at the presentation on the Kuala Lumpur Padang yesterday of the Supreme Allied Commander's certificates and money awards to men and women (and widows of those who died) for their outstanding loyalty in sheltering, feeding and clothing Allied servicemen during the occupation.
and there, tucked among the 28 names in the article, is the name of my great grandfather:
LEE CHIN CHENG
In January 1942, a Malay brought a British officer to Lee Chin Cheng's house. The officer stayed in the jungle nearby until Lee arranged for him to be hidden in a friend's house which was off the beaten track. After a month's stay there during which Lee fed and clothed the officer, Lee built a hut for him in a plantation where the officer stayed for a further month.
The Japanese heard about him, but before they could capture him, Lee arranged for the officer to be taken to the coast and put on a fishing boat to Sumatra.
To sum up how I feel about my Tai Kong and the 27 other people of all races who, in just one act of selflessness, unknowingly contributed indirectly to the eventual independence of our country nearly 11 years later, Gent said, and I quote:
"This steady selfless courage for which we honour them today is an example to everyone of us in Malaya. They stood against the storms of fear and panic, they kept faith with the unconquerable spirit of men: and were not intimidated by the threat and risk of brutal ill-treatment."
words to remember indeed, as we peacefully sit in the comfort of our homes or under a starry nightsky this 31st of August, and enjoy our 47th year of independence, thanks to the hardships and risks endured by our loved ones before us.
drama at the lee household.
yep, things have been getting rather dramatic at the lee household lately... complete with all the necessary elements needed for such drama like guns, police cars, flashing lights, panicked neighbours and the like.
you catch my drift.
some two weeks ago, an unidentified man turned up in our cul-de-sac, and decided to stand outside our house, brandishing a gun.
our maid, alerted to his presence by our very edgy cats dashing into the house at lightning speed, looked outside and saw 'a dark man in shorts and t-shirt' aiming the gun at either the dogs belonging to the doctor next door, or at the house adjacent to ours.
now this dear lady definitely knew it was a gun the man was holding; after all in cambodia it's not altogether uncommon for people to carry guns around apparently.
when she heard him cock the gun, she quickly closed the door, ran for her dear life upstairs and called my mum.
now, the lee family as it turns out, was at great grandma's house. she's 104 this year, and we like to spend as much time with her as we can.
when mum got chin's frantic call, all hell broke loose. let me just put it this way, dad doesnt handle panic well ;)
i called our friendly neighbourhood policemen, and told them we'd be home in 10 minutes.
and so the lee family collectively jumped into our 20 year old volvo, and drove that tank home like it's never been driven before.
im happy to say, those cops were quick.
when we got home, there was the police car, lights all aflashing, very impressively i must say, in front of our gate. two coppers with AK's leaped out of the car, torchlights in hand, and did a quick once over of the area. checking behind every bush, plantpot and tree... and determining that the gunman was nowhere around, we managed to coax a very frightened maid out of the house to tell us more.
by this time, every neighbour within a 500 meter radius had already gathered in our normally peaceful cul-de-sac, wanting to know in a very typical malaysian way, just was was going on.
with the crowd of people outside our gate, all talking in hokkien at the top of their voices, the typical way hokkiens do, the cops pointed out that it was strange that the two german shepherds in the fenced-up compound outside our house were quiet as mice.
sure enough, these dogs, the ones which scared my postman so bad he refused to deliver mail to our house, were listless, and in some sort of dazed stupor.
"kena santau", one of the cops offered.
ive never seen a case of santau before, but if that was it, then hell, that was scary.
how anyone can transform two massive snarling dogs into whimpering, pee-ing, barely awake creatures is beyond me.
anyway, to cut a long story short, our maid, mum and i spent the night at the police station giving statements. mum and the maid telling what they knew, yours truly acting as interpreter.
we never saw the gunman again.
til last night.
there he was once more, outside our gate, in the same spot, crouching this time, and facing either the dogs' compound or the adjacent house.
there was no gun to be seen, but sure enough, it was him.
dad was home this time, and dashed to grab his meter-long parang.
by the time he came back, the man had been scared off by the neighbour rushing out, and proceeded to squat in front of another neighbour's house further down the road.
our doctor next door called the cops, and yet again, they came speeding over, lights aflashing.
once more, the man had by this time disappeared.
i dont know what's scarier, knowing this man seems to particularly like coming back to our area, and not knowing when he'll be back...
or, not knowing why he's there, and wondering what he has to do with us.
as far as i know, we're all good people and have no enemies, business rivals or shady dealings.
all this drama, exciting as it sounds, is worrying me sick.
as if i dont have enough drama in my life to worry about already.
geez.
you catch my drift.
some two weeks ago, an unidentified man turned up in our cul-de-sac, and decided to stand outside our house, brandishing a gun.
our maid, alerted to his presence by our very edgy cats dashing into the house at lightning speed, looked outside and saw 'a dark man in shorts and t-shirt' aiming the gun at either the dogs belonging to the doctor next door, or at the house adjacent to ours.
now this dear lady definitely knew it was a gun the man was holding; after all in cambodia it's not altogether uncommon for people to carry guns around apparently.
when she heard him cock the gun, she quickly closed the door, ran for her dear life upstairs and called my mum.
now, the lee family as it turns out, was at great grandma's house. she's 104 this year, and we like to spend as much time with her as we can.
when mum got chin's frantic call, all hell broke loose. let me just put it this way, dad doesnt handle panic well ;)
i called our friendly neighbourhood policemen, and told them we'd be home in 10 minutes.
and so the lee family collectively jumped into our 20 year old volvo, and drove that tank home like it's never been driven before.
im happy to say, those cops were quick.
when we got home, there was the police car, lights all aflashing, very impressively i must say, in front of our gate. two coppers with AK's leaped out of the car, torchlights in hand, and did a quick once over of the area. checking behind every bush, plantpot and tree... and determining that the gunman was nowhere around, we managed to coax a very frightened maid out of the house to tell us more.
by this time, every neighbour within a 500 meter radius had already gathered in our normally peaceful cul-de-sac, wanting to know in a very typical malaysian way, just was was going on.
with the crowd of people outside our gate, all talking in hokkien at the top of their voices, the typical way hokkiens do, the cops pointed out that it was strange that the two german shepherds in the fenced-up compound outside our house were quiet as mice.
sure enough, these dogs, the ones which scared my postman so bad he refused to deliver mail to our house, were listless, and in some sort of dazed stupor.
"kena santau", one of the cops offered.
ive never seen a case of santau before, but if that was it, then hell, that was scary.
how anyone can transform two massive snarling dogs into whimpering, pee-ing, barely awake creatures is beyond me.
anyway, to cut a long story short, our maid, mum and i spent the night at the police station giving statements. mum and the maid telling what they knew, yours truly acting as interpreter.
we never saw the gunman again.
til last night.
there he was once more, outside our gate, in the same spot, crouching this time, and facing either the dogs' compound or the adjacent house.
there was no gun to be seen, but sure enough, it was him.
dad was home this time, and dashed to grab his meter-long parang.
by the time he came back, the man had been scared off by the neighbour rushing out, and proceeded to squat in front of another neighbour's house further down the road.
our doctor next door called the cops, and yet again, they came speeding over, lights aflashing.
once more, the man had by this time disappeared.
i dont know what's scarier, knowing this man seems to particularly like coming back to our area, and not knowing when he'll be back...
or, not knowing why he's there, and wondering what he has to do with us.
as far as i know, we're all good people and have no enemies, business rivals or shady dealings.
all this drama, exciting as it sounds, is worrying me sick.
as if i dont have enough drama in my life to worry about already.
geez.
Monday, August 23, 2004
on a jetplane.
my boy left on a jetplane tonight, back to new york, where he will steadily plod on with his economics degree for another year and a half.
i havent stopped crying since.
i know he must go, and that the sooner he goes, the sooner he'll return, degree in hand, and maybe... just maybe... with dreams of a future with me.
im going to wait for him, regardless of the outcome, with a tiny little seed of hope.
im going to put my fears aside and believe, really believe, that maybe there can be true love for me.
and if there isnt... at the very least, ill have believed myself worthy.
when kai looked at me for the very last time, before finally walking away, i felt more love, more sincerity, more warmth, more hope, more heartbreak... than id ever felt before.
he'd gone through the departure gate, down the escalator, never taking his eyes off me... then passed through immigration, blew me a kiss and slowly walked on.
then he came back, squatted down behind the immigration counter, peered up at me on the departure floor over 100 metres away, and waved.
whatever strength i could muster not to sob left me. and i didnt care what people around me thought. i didnt give a damn.
that was my boy leaving me. the great love of my life. for god knows how long.
i told you i hate goodbyes.
but none have been so hard as this.
i havent stopped crying since.
i know he must go, and that the sooner he goes, the sooner he'll return, degree in hand, and maybe... just maybe... with dreams of a future with me.
im going to wait for him, regardless of the outcome, with a tiny little seed of hope.
im going to put my fears aside and believe, really believe, that maybe there can be true love for me.
and if there isnt... at the very least, ill have believed myself worthy.
when kai looked at me for the very last time, before finally walking away, i felt more love, more sincerity, more warmth, more hope, more heartbreak... than id ever felt before.
he'd gone through the departure gate, down the escalator, never taking his eyes off me... then passed through immigration, blew me a kiss and slowly walked on.
then he came back, squatted down behind the immigration counter, peered up at me on the departure floor over 100 metres away, and waved.
whatever strength i could muster not to sob left me. and i didnt care what people around me thought. i didnt give a damn.
that was my boy leaving me. the great love of my life. for god knows how long.
i told you i hate goodbyes.
but none have been so hard as this.
Monday, August 16, 2004
the malaysian ceo.
i got off a plane from penang last night, airasia as a matter of fact, and who should i bump into at the exit?
the airasia man himself, tony fernandes.
i walked right past him at first, then realised, waitaminute... that man in that daggy old tshirt, faded jeans, crazy hair and tired smiley face looks wayyy too familiar.
and so it was.
i turned back, tapped him on the shoulder and said 'hey tony, how nice to see you here!'
tony is just one of those enigmatic ceo's who are a living example of the way a company should be run.
with passion.
in the course of my life these days, i happen to meet a great many people running businesses who inspire me to believe that a malaysian corporation can indeed be run with sincerity.
there is a story about tony.
word has it there was a day a short-staffed crew on a full airasia flight found it hard to cope with the sheer number of passengers.
so happened tony was on the flight, saw the problem his staff were having, jumped up from his own squishy seat, rolled up his sleeves and chipped into help.
there he was... the ceo of airasia, in daggy shirt, and faded jeans... serving passengers on an airasia flight.
truth or fiction?
either way, i believe it.
tony's the type of ceo who believes enough in his own product to be willing to experience the way its run at all levels, either as a member of staff, or as a customer.
there's another beautiful example in pos malaysia.
you've undoubtedly heard of the deranged postman who thought it would be funny to dump 21,000 letters in an abandoned apartment over the space of four years.
harhar...har.
until it happened to me.
except my mail was being dumped in the clinic down the road about once a month, bundled with a nice little green rubber band.
the poor doctor had to singlehandedly deliver all the mail to me and the other neighbours on my road, all because the postman was too scared of a couple of dogs caged up in a compound facing my house.
when i got a court summonse one month after the date i was supposed to appear in court (!), i figured enough was enough.
at the press conference where pos malaysia announced the folly of the deranged letter-hoarding postman, i pulled the hapless ceo aside and told him my sob story.
within a day, the selangor delivery manager had called me at the office, wanting to know the full facts of my case.
within two days, the klang delivery manager himself took a personal trip to my house for a look at the situation.
within three days, i had a new postman.
perhaps i got the extra special attention because i'm a journalist, and we all know how scared people in publicly accountable positions are of us.
but somehow, from the way in which pos malaysia's dato' ikmal speaks about wanting to 'reform' pos malaysia, "with passion", i know he's sincere about his job.
let's look at proton then.
proton ceo tengku mahaleel has taken a lot of crap in recent years, especially for proton's declining sales and the relative slow introduction of new models.
i can't neglect to mention the quality and safety issues connected to proton cars.
still, we forget that proton is a national car company which has many interested parties deciding its future.
vendors who are to blame for poor quality and second-grade manufacturing are kept alive by proton's business, and its not the CEO, but the NEP that keeps them there.
tengku mahaleel has survived attempted boardroom coups, greedy parties trying to sell proton and strip it of its assets, public criticism and a hefty workload i dont envy one bit.
this kelantan prince gave up a cushy well-paying future at shell, and a lifelong passion racing rally cars, to do what he calls his 'national service' at proton, for far less comfort and a lot more flak.
ive heard stories of tengku mahaleel test-driving the proton arena himself in oil palm plantations.
wanna know how the arena apparently came about?
it was while walking in a wet market that tengku mahaleel realised there was potential for a car that did more than a sedan, and less than a stationwagon.
tengku mahaleel may have his faults, given. but no one can deny his passion for the company and the gargantuan responsibility that was entrusted to him.
finally, there's the little known ceo of southern steel. this tough unassuming man runs a steel company in prai that's been pitted against giants like perwaja, malayawata and maruichi (now mycron steel), and yet, he's survived competition, buy-outs, the asian economic crisis, unrealistic ceiling prices for steel and eric chia.
any analyst will tell you that the southern steel of today is a lean mean steel machine. it's a stable, sturdy stock with long-term earning potential.
yet, the man behind this company is someone who shies from the limelight, prefers to be quoted as 'the company spokesman' in the press, and gave up a passion for economics and a sterling career in bank negara to save the family business.
this MIT-harvard graduate and economics doctorate holder also devotes significant effort to balancing a crazy work schedule with his family, and has made countless personal sacrifices for the company.
yet, during the economic crisis, he was adamant that whatever the outcome, his workers would not, under any circumstances, be let go.
all these stories of good people running major companies are the things that keep the hopes of a journalist alive.
and if the malaysian ceo can deviate from the oft-painted stereotype of a greedy man out to make his own money, to become a person passionate... NOT "mildly interested"... in his job, his company, his product, his people and most of all, his customers... then i certainly think there's a reason to have some faith in malaysian businesses.
the airasia man himself, tony fernandes.
i walked right past him at first, then realised, waitaminute... that man in that daggy old tshirt, faded jeans, crazy hair and tired smiley face looks wayyy too familiar.
and so it was.
i turned back, tapped him on the shoulder and said 'hey tony, how nice to see you here!'
tony is just one of those enigmatic ceo's who are a living example of the way a company should be run.
with passion.
in the course of my life these days, i happen to meet a great many people running businesses who inspire me to believe that a malaysian corporation can indeed be run with sincerity.
there is a story about tony.
word has it there was a day a short-staffed crew on a full airasia flight found it hard to cope with the sheer number of passengers.
so happened tony was on the flight, saw the problem his staff were having, jumped up from his own squishy seat, rolled up his sleeves and chipped into help.
there he was... the ceo of airasia, in daggy shirt, and faded jeans... serving passengers on an airasia flight.
truth or fiction?
either way, i believe it.
tony's the type of ceo who believes enough in his own product to be willing to experience the way its run at all levels, either as a member of staff, or as a customer.
there's another beautiful example in pos malaysia.
you've undoubtedly heard of the deranged postman who thought it would be funny to dump 21,000 letters in an abandoned apartment over the space of four years.
harhar...har.
until it happened to me.
except my mail was being dumped in the clinic down the road about once a month, bundled with a nice little green rubber band.
the poor doctor had to singlehandedly deliver all the mail to me and the other neighbours on my road, all because the postman was too scared of a couple of dogs caged up in a compound facing my house.
when i got a court summonse one month after the date i was supposed to appear in court (!), i figured enough was enough.
at the press conference where pos malaysia announced the folly of the deranged letter-hoarding postman, i pulled the hapless ceo aside and told him my sob story.
within a day, the selangor delivery manager had called me at the office, wanting to know the full facts of my case.
within two days, the klang delivery manager himself took a personal trip to my house for a look at the situation.
within three days, i had a new postman.
perhaps i got the extra special attention because i'm a journalist, and we all know how scared people in publicly accountable positions are of us.
but somehow, from the way in which pos malaysia's dato' ikmal speaks about wanting to 'reform' pos malaysia, "with passion", i know he's sincere about his job.
let's look at proton then.
proton ceo tengku mahaleel has taken a lot of crap in recent years, especially for proton's declining sales and the relative slow introduction of new models.
i can't neglect to mention the quality and safety issues connected to proton cars.
still, we forget that proton is a national car company which has many interested parties deciding its future.
vendors who are to blame for poor quality and second-grade manufacturing are kept alive by proton's business, and its not the CEO, but the NEP that keeps them there.
tengku mahaleel has survived attempted boardroom coups, greedy parties trying to sell proton and strip it of its assets, public criticism and a hefty workload i dont envy one bit.
this kelantan prince gave up a cushy well-paying future at shell, and a lifelong passion racing rally cars, to do what he calls his 'national service' at proton, for far less comfort and a lot more flak.
ive heard stories of tengku mahaleel test-driving the proton arena himself in oil palm plantations.
wanna know how the arena apparently came about?
it was while walking in a wet market that tengku mahaleel realised there was potential for a car that did more than a sedan, and less than a stationwagon.
tengku mahaleel may have his faults, given. but no one can deny his passion for the company and the gargantuan responsibility that was entrusted to him.
finally, there's the little known ceo of southern steel. this tough unassuming man runs a steel company in prai that's been pitted against giants like perwaja, malayawata and maruichi (now mycron steel), and yet, he's survived competition, buy-outs, the asian economic crisis, unrealistic ceiling prices for steel and eric chia.
any analyst will tell you that the southern steel of today is a lean mean steel machine. it's a stable, sturdy stock with long-term earning potential.
yet, the man behind this company is someone who shies from the limelight, prefers to be quoted as 'the company spokesman' in the press, and gave up a passion for economics and a sterling career in bank negara to save the family business.
this MIT-harvard graduate and economics doctorate holder also devotes significant effort to balancing a crazy work schedule with his family, and has made countless personal sacrifices for the company.
yet, during the economic crisis, he was adamant that whatever the outcome, his workers would not, under any circumstances, be let go.
all these stories of good people running major companies are the things that keep the hopes of a journalist alive.
and if the malaysian ceo can deviate from the oft-painted stereotype of a greedy man out to make his own money, to become a person passionate... NOT "mildly interested"... in his job, his company, his product, his people and most of all, his customers... then i certainly think there's a reason to have some faith in malaysian businesses.
Thursday, August 05, 2004
a cop-out by any standard, but still...
...a post, nevertheless!
in response to the many, many, MANY requests to divulge the identity of the said 'smooth-talking politician', i'm going to be utterly shamelessly lazy and just post a reply i wrote to a reader who goes by the mysterious name of 'the little professor':
hello lp,
much as i know you and other readers are dying to know who this creep is, im afraid all i can tell you is that he's not as prominent these days as he used to be. i hope you understand that i can't divulge more... the last thing i need is to be sued for slander.
i must add though,that this phenomenon is not unique... and he is not the only sleazy politician in our government. i can assure you they exist on both sides of the political divide and it isnt fair to pinpoint just one as a creep. unfortunately, we are the ones who put them there, whether by default when we dont vote, or when we vote without paying attention.
my advice? vote wisely, research backgrounds, speak to his/her family, friends, associates... and never EVER attend ceramahs of either party. their promises are the worst indicator of their character. go for the quiet, hardworking, humble 'non-politician' who speaks only through his actions.
the best adage in relation to this? why,empty vessels make the most noise, and are the biggest creeps.
regards,
S.
in response to the many, many, MANY requests to divulge the identity of the said 'smooth-talking politician', i'm going to be utterly shamelessly lazy and just post a reply i wrote to a reader who goes by the mysterious name of 'the little professor':
much as i know you and other readers are dying to know who this creep is, im afraid all i can tell you is that he's not as prominent these days as he used to be. i hope you understand that i can't divulge more... the last thing i need is to be sued for slander.
i must add though,that this phenomenon is not unique... and he is not the only sleazy politician in our government. i can assure you they exist on both sides of the political divide and it isnt fair to pinpoint just one as a creep. unfortunately, we are the ones who put them there, whether by default when we dont vote, or when we vote without paying attention.
my advice? vote wisely, research backgrounds, speak to his/her family, friends, associates... and never EVER attend ceramahs of either party. their promises are the worst indicator of their character. go for the quiet, hardworking, humble 'non-politician' who speaks only through his actions.
the best adage in relation to this? why,empty vessels make the most noise, and are the biggest creeps.
regards,
S.
