HAVE YOU TRIED BEING YOURSELF? I MEAN JUST BEING YOU? WHEN YOU REALLY THINK OF IT, MOST PEOPLE TRY TO BE SOMEONE ELSE THEY AREN’T NOW.
PERHAPS, TO PORTRAY A BETTER VERSION OF THEMSELVES. THAT IN ITSELF IS GOOD. WE HAVE TO STRIVE TOWARDS THAT.
HOWEVER, NEVER LOSE THE PERSON YOU ARE. BE YOURSELF NO MATTER WHAT. THERE WILL BE SOME WHO ADORE YOU AND SOME WHO WILL HATE EVERYTHING ABOUT YOU. BUT WHO CARES?
ARE YOU WILLING TO TAKE THAT RISK? IT’S YOUR LIFE. MAKE THE MOST OF IT. LIVE LIFE TO THE FULLEST.
Years ago, if a person was to say that she or he had graduated from Tunku Abdul Rahman College or more popularly known as T.A.R. College; you may have guessed that the person had to be an accountant or something related to that field. Some of Malaysia’s best accountants and business management professionals were graduates from T.A.R. College.
T.A.R. College has been elevated to university status and is now T.A.R.U.M.T., or Tunku Abdul Rahman University of Management and Technology. It is located in a very pleasant and conducive part of Kuala Lumpur. When I drove in to the campus, I was immediately impressed with the uncluttered-ness of its layout. It made me feel comfortable, a place where I could think and put thought to paper (old school instead of one of those everyday screen devices that most people are strapped to).
I was here, at TARUMT (without the dots after each letter) to share a presentation to a group of young adults – the next generation of Malaysian and world leaders to be. My presentation, IF YOU THINK YOU CAN, YOU CAN; was with the hope of inspiring these leaders, yes, each and everyone of them (most of them don’t know it…yet); to move from “all’s good to wonderful” or “good to great”.
Among this future generation of leaders were two who aspire to be Prime Minister of Malaysia, of which one is a lady. This is a great start. Instead of using the “anything is possible” phrase, I believe that almost everything is possible. It won’t just happen magically. They have to have their gameplan to make it happen.
With a well thought out gameplan, Malaysia could see a mindset change in its political landscape. The current administration has already raised the bar for Malaysians to have a better Malaysia. These students can help Malaysia grow for Malaysians even further, placing Malaysia on a larger and more prominent stage for world peace.
A student, who approached me after my presentation shared her passion to be a baker of cakes. She is studying accountancy. Her family has high expectations for her to be an accountant.
However, she has a bigger love for stirring and mixing cake-mix dough than churning numbers out on computers and calculators. I suggested for her to do both, be a baker accountant or accountant baker and see where that takes her to… the next level in her future. She could start an accountant style themed cafe that would attract people of the same profession to gather over some of the most delicious cake baked by a top notch accountant, coffee or tea, and discuss financials and strategies. She was excited about the idea.
The presentation went well. It whetted the appetites of these next generation leaders from being just getting by or all’s good, to great, wonderful. It also shows that there is a lot more work needed to stimulate and create a definite mindset shift that the future depends on them – the future leaders of Malaysia…the region…the world.
This lady, said she was nervous as it was her first time being an M.C. for an event like this, for that matter; any event. I thought she did a great job.
On our way out of Port Dickson after a very brief holiday (too brief. A bit longer would have been nicer…maybe), I would have thought it would be a marvel (yes, marvel, not “marvelous”) to visit the military museum.
When Jeannie and I were relaxing in our hotel room, the late night before, after a fairly long day of gallivanting the town and coast road, soaking in all the sights, and whatever they may be; we planned our activities for the next day. After breakfast, Jeannie was going for a walk on the beach. Which meant that I was going for a walk on the beach, too.🤣
I, in the meantime, heard there was a military museum, nearby. It was on our way back home. It was a military camp, too; one which my dad was based at when he was in the army. This was somewhat visiting the past.
Many years ago, as my siblings and I were growing up, dad and mum used to talk about their time in Port Dickson.
Dad and mum were a young couple with two children at that time. Dad was a young military officer, stationed at the army base, here in Port Dickson. My late sister was 2 or 3 years of age, and I, a year 4 days (to be precise) younger than her.
Mum used to talk about us living in a house with no roof. I cannot really imagine a house with no roof. Come to think of it, I never asked her what she really meant by “house with no roof”. I thought she was joshing about it. Now, that she has moved on in age, I don’t think she will remember telling us this. I think I will ask her the next time I meet her. I think I will ask dad because his memory is still pretty sharp.
Another thing that mum used to talk about this house they lived in was that they could see the sea. I have been to Port Dickson on many occasions and tried to locate this house along the coast road that ran along the… sea (coast road…), yet I never found it.
About 25 years ago, just before our daughter, Laura, was born; Jeannie and I brought my dad and mum to P.D. for a short holiday. Their last trip to P.D. was nearly 28 years before that. While we were in P.D. on that trip, I thought it would be a capital idea for them to visit the houses on the army base where we lived for a short period of time about 40 years before that. We were going to try and locate them because I did not know how exactly to find them. So, we had to rely on dad’s and mum’s memory. Then again, P.D. had changed quite a lot since then, with highways and many new buildings. There were no Waze, Google maps or other devices back then. We did not come equipped with a map, as this house finding expedition was a spur-of-the-moment decision.
Standing near the entrance of the Armed Forces museum in Port Dickson.One of the planes (aeroplanes), the De Havilland Caribou; that greets visitors.
Surprisingly, dad directed us to the army base, first the one on the left (as the base was split in the middle by the main highway road); where they lived in a semi-detached double storey house. It seems Uncle Al (Albert Atkinson, dad’s brother) stayed in this house with us, there. His mode of transport then was a Lambretta scooter. He must have been very hip then (still is) , riding on his Italian scooter, with the wind rushing past his hair, along the coastal roads, along the Straits of Malacca coast line. There was a Chinese family living there at the time of our visit.
The Caribou does not look that imposing as it usually did when it flew in the skies.
I think the plane behind could be one of the Italian Aermacchi MB-339 trainers.
We, then went to the second house which we lived in a later period, from where the sea could be seen. Again, dad directed us to house with sureness as though it was their everyday route. Again, I am reminded that dad & mum last stayed in this area over 40 years ago, and that the landscape must have changed quite dramatically (I think) since then.
This house, a single-storey bungalow, was at the far end of the base, on a hill. It was fenced up with a sign in Malay, indicating it was occupied as a sort of office now. Tall trees had grown towards what would have been the view of the sea.
The renovated / refurbished house that dad & mum and Jennifer & I stayed in when dad was an army officer towards the end of the 1950s.
We could only imagine what it was like 40 years before then. The house, the furthest tucked away (more like literally) on top of the hill. I can imagine ( I am trying to imagine) a house with no roof…maybe, partially roofless for a short period. Come to think of it, I must ask dad and mum about this, to get more details…if they still remember.
The house, as we see it today, 60 years and more; has been refurbished and looks like a nice place to stay, what with its lush-like, slope(y)-hilly, neatly manicured lawns, with tall trees lined along the parameter of the base, providing a shaded sort of fencing. The downside to this is that you can’t see the straits of Malacca now.
We thought it was a great idea to promote my book, SPARKS OF JOY – SEIZE THE MOMENT; here, showing a picture of dad when he was a young military officer. It is in the first chapter of the book. Get your copy of the book and read all about it. I think it was here, in this house; that dad bestowed the title “foghorn” on me – because I was a wailer (most likely influenced by Bob Marley’s music).
When we first came here in perhaps the early part of the year 2000, the house was rundown, old and sort of neglected. Many parts of the fence was rusting – everything was old. Now, it is on well maintained grounds, a pleasant looking place to stay.
If, I, at the age I am at now; would I live in these parts? I am not too sure. The quiet, the calm, the slow lifestyle, no distractions from any kind of screen (including television – not available in Malaysia back then), screaming “watch me” or “look at me”; it would be a challenge. Days would seem longer, nights longer still; if compared to the days of today. It definitely would be an interesting idea.
Picture taken 25 years ago: Mum and dad in front of the house that was renovated then.Note the chimney at the back of the house.
Though we had visited a military facility (I wondered if I was ever going to use the word “facility” in reference with the military – “military facility” quite commonly used in American movies) – the military museum, I am always one to be a proponent of peace.
As we took one final look, calmed down to a silent calm…we can hear the waves from the ocean rushing quietly up and washing on the beach of Port Dickson / shores of Peninsular Malaysia; then, disappearing quickly… some of it remaining on the shore, the rest going back out to sea, and seconds later; the whole process repeats itself, again and again.
An armored personnel troop carrier known as an “armoured car”. I remember these vehicles when in my younger days.
The Malaysian known “Nuri” or Sikorsky S-61 helicopter. A familiar sight in Malaysian air space.
Latest! Latest! Latest!
As I had just completed putting pen to paper or keyboard typing to computer on this article; I stumbled on some old photographs while looking for some photographs for another article I am going to write about.
The Sikorsky S-61 variant, full view.
I had to have this picture taken with the train. It looks like the one on the cover of my book, SPARKS OF JOY – SEIZE THE MOMENT.
Part of the museum.
With vehicles from yester years of the Malaysian Armed Forces.At first thought, I was going to word-frame this picture in typical Malaysian fashion, or how it would have been described with colloquial frankness, but it would not be too nice. Colourful though.😉
At the Malaysian Armed Forces museum.
The tank sure looks awesome. My first experience of seeing a real tank was somewhere back in 1978 on the roads of Port Klang (formerly known as Port Swettenham…and a host of other names).
The author rescues the plane…from solitude? …loneliness? …boredom?Notice the decals peeling off? I wonder if they are Airfix, Revell, Tamiya…or some other model kit brand quality.
I could hardly believe my eyes that I came up close to this once, quite famous A4 Skyhawk, when it served the U.S. Air Force and Navy; and then, Malaysian Air Force. It was an aircraft to be reckoned with in its hay day.
The first time I came up close with this helicopter, the Aérospatiale Alouette III, was around 1971. I was 13 years old then.
When I first saw this up close when I was about 13 years old, I was wowed by it. The wow factor was mainly that I came up close, and even sat in one of these flying machines (while it was stationary). To think these flying machines were the kings of Malaysian skies once before…a long, long time ago.
There was some controversy some years ago, where a couple of engines similar to this, snucked off an airbase, and sneaked out of the country to another country to power a couple of strangely fast vehicles… Turbo the Snail?…Lovebug…
Entrance ticket
Pictures of Yester-year
I was just about piecing this essay together, and I went through, rummaging some old stuff for a new article I had in mind, when I stumbled across these photos, the ones below.
They were taken on our first visit there with dad and mum when on a trip down memory lane for them. These were pictures of the quarters we lived in, as per my little story above. In those days, way back (and I mean way back) when smart camera phones were not the rage… not even invented yet (I think), in the year 2000; we had to use thing-a-ma-jig cameras, the actual ones to take photographs.
At that time when Uncle Al was staying with us, his mode of transportation was a Lambretta scooter, a white one, with light blue side cowlings. When we visited the first house, which was a double-storey, semi-detached house, one of the first things dad and mum remembered was that Uncle Al (this was a prominent statement) used to park his Lambretta in the garage, which was a separate building at the side of the house. Who knows… Uncle Al and Uncle Ronnie (dad’s youngest brother, who also had a Lambretta or a Vespa [they were both quite similar scooters]) may have been inspired by P. Ramlee (1) and Saloma (2) movies.
Dad and mum, posing in front of their first house we stayed on the base towards the end of the 1950s. I must have been a few months – to just over a year old at that time.This picture was taken over 25 years ago, on our first visit to the army base.
The garage at the side of the house is where Uncle Al (Albert Atkinson), dad’s brother; used to park his Lambretta. He may have had that same scooter for some years because I could remember him riding it when I was about 3, 4 or 5 years old.
The picture below, with mum and dad at the bungalow, which looked refurbished, but was showing signs that it must have been quite a while ago.
The fashion icons.
NOTES: 1. Port Dickson is a town, with long beaches, in the state of Negri Sembilan, Malaysia. 2. Teuku Zakaria bin Teuku Nyak Puteh, better known by his stage name P. Ramlee, was a Malaysian actor, filmmaker, musician, and composer. Born in Penang, Malaya, he is regarded as a prominent icon in Southeast Asia. P. Ramlee’s career in the entertainment industry spanned from the late 1940s until his death in 1973. google 3. Saloma (Salmah binti Ismail, 1935–1983) was a legendary Singaporea-Malaysian singer, actress and fashion icon, celebrated as the “First National Songbird”. Known for her sweet, “lemak merdu” voice, she was the wife of legendary artist P. Ramlee and a major star in 1950s/60s Malay cinema. She is also honored by the Saloma Link bridge in Kuala Lumpur.
My growing up years in the 1960s and 1970s on Christmas Eve morning, as I now look back were really special. It is now that I realise they were special years. My sister, brothers, parents and I were together – that has to account for the meaning “Special“. We were making sure our new clothes would be perfect for Christmas eve midnight mass, ensuring that the presents under the tree were just right, meaning that we were getting presents 😁, mum was busy in the kitchen frantically cooking a feast that could (and did) feed the whole neighbourhood and dad was always busy tinseling the whole house with tinsels (it was very popular back then).
Today, things have become modern. However, the sparkle of love at Christmas is as radiant as ever.
Hark! Now, hear the angels sing, “A new King is about to be born today!”
Arriba, arriba! (meaning up, up! Come on, come on! Let’s get going! in Mexican), associated with that famed Speedy Gonzales.
We thought – Mexican food, no walls, probably some Mexican music, Christmas decorations.
Sombrero-clad, we had a quiet, but not-so-quiet (There was a gathering of muchacho and muchacha amigos at a table nearby us who were having a noisily good time) dinner at Las Carretas. It looks like this is the come-to restaurant for our wedding anniversaries – we have had several wedding anniversary dinners here, in the past, already.
It was a great day – filled with multiple, countless numbers of well / wedding anniversary wishes and blessings from family and friends – it has been an amazing day which we know has given our next 30 years that extra happiness.
