#66

66 ENDS, JUST ABOUT

/ Alan Atkinson / Leave a comment

Yes, I am trying to soak in as much of 66 as I can in its last moments.

Not too long ago, I was this scrawny 10 year old, who spent most of his time dreaming of how he could change the world with his inventions…that were yet to be invented. Many of these inventions would have put thew current sci-fi movies to shame.

As time went by….and it did at such a rapid pace; this young boy is now living the last few hours, minutes, seconds and moments in the end of his 66th year.

Early morning hours were captivated having breakfast at Happy Merry Chef with my wife, Jeannie. We both had a plate of wanton (pronounced as one ton) noodles each, which came with the usual as wanton noodles usually does. We also ordered coffee (Chinese local coffee); I had the peng (iced) version.

I can’t really remember if I have had the wanton noodles served here, over my previous visits. It came neatly served – sort of a nice presentation. It had quite a bit of gravy on it, however; it was not soupy or too dry either.

Jeannie heaped praise on its noodles, being “fine noodles”, which was nice. I don’t know about the noodles being fine or otherwise. It was good, all the same.

I was back home by 8.15am, and was soon on my 10km daily walk. It took a few minutes longer than usual to complete the distance. I guess I was doing a lot of pondering – 66 years worth of it in 2 hours 😁😂. That’s quite a lot of years. I am grateful.

As I pondered…

The “artist” in me.

Left
Right

Centre…

Beret (1) to match my eye-glasses (spectacles, for some)

As I pondered…a beret…or two… Should I or should I not don one?

There were many messages on my phone, waiting to be attended to. I saw a “miss call” and a message that followed, “Are for free for lunch?” Patrick thought that it was my birthday today. I told him that it is tomorrow. But I was still available for lunch today. 😂😁I returned his call and fixed lunch at Damen. He’d come and pick me up from my house.

I showered and was ready with a bit of time to spare and go through the rest of my messages.

Patrick & Hazel Archibald, and Hazel’s father, Mr. Ong; were at my house at a quarter to one. Damen Mall is nearby. We had lunch at the food court. I had a kway teow fried (I think) loaded with black pepper sauce gravy, and telur masak (fried egg). Hazel ordered the same but without the fried egg. Patrick and Mr Ong, both had noodles, not sure what variety, they looked the same.

I got little sauces of red chili sauce ready for our meal. However, it was not necessary as the meal tasted really good on its own. The green drinks in the mini jugs was umbra juice. Superb. Hazel and Pat had lime juice.

My noodles was really good stuff. The presentation of the meal (you notice I am beginning to talk a lot more of how the meals are presented.) was good. The meal did not just look good, it tasted good, too.

Now…for a picture from this side…to show our other good side.

The food court was such a pleasant setting, lots of space between tables and was brightly lit. It was comfortable. We had a pleasant time fellowship-ping, and catching up on news in general.

My Kway teow in the black pepper sauce gravy with fried egg.

As our meal came to an end; Pat suggested a CEO coffee. ZUS Coffee was a floor up. Yes, coffee was a nice idea. We sat at one of the tables near the cafe and enjoyed our coffee. ZUS’ CEO coffee is pretty good.

I thought it was a nice touch to end the 66th year, spending some quality time with very dear and close friends like Pat & Hazel. I was soon back home, still sipping on my CEO coffee to go.

When I look back at 66 years, it seems like a very long time. Countless stories to be told. I am grateful for the 66 years – every moment of them. While I have learnt many lessons in that time, I am still learning. I believe that life is a constant teacher. We can never stop learning. One of the biggest lessons of all is that life is simply amazing.

A special mention to Su Yin. She is a super wonderful person. It is her birthday today. Happy Birthday Su Yin.

NOTES:
1. A beret is a soft, round, and flat-crowned hat, typically made from hand-knitted wool, crocheted cotton, or felt. It is known for its lack of a brim and its distinctive appearance. Berets are often associated with French and Basque culture and have been adopted by various military units worldwide. 
Berets are also a popular fashion item, worn by both men and women to add a touch of style to their outfits. 
Berets are versatile and can be styled in various ways to suit different looks. They are often seen as a stylish and practical accessory. 
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OUR FRIENDSHIP AT 10 AND NOW 56 YEARS LATER

/ Alan Atkinson / Leave a comment

“Hi Alan. Can you reserve a copy of your book, SPARKS OF JOY – SEIZE THE MOMENT for me?”, a text appeared on my phone (usually referred to as a “smartphone” [I am still trying to figure out why]). It was a message from my old (referencing “old” as in number of years ago instead of age) classmate.

“Let’s meet next week, say Monday or Tuesday”, I suggested. He said “yes”. Now, to contact the other guy.

“Duncan and I are meeting next week. Can you join us?”, I asked Eddie. A reply came a short while later.

“Sure”, replied Eddie.

Now, to text back to Duncan.

“Hi Duncan, can we meet Monday at 9.30am for breakfast? Eddie Lim is joining us. Let’s meet at the coffee shop next to the pasar pagi (1)”. Duncan agreed.

“Hi Eddie, Duncan is on for Monday, 9.30am at the coffee shop next to the pasar pagi.”

Eddie replied, “OK, I will join you guys on Monday morning”.

It was Friday night, March 20th; when the last message was received. Our meeting plan was set. The three of us – our first get together in over 10 years.

The weekend went as fast (maybe faster) than it came, and I was cruising down the Federal Highway after having dropped my wife, Jeannie at work.

I was an hour away from our 9.30am appointment. I expected to be early into Klang and had made plans to drop in on my folks to see how they were doing. It was one of those rare occasions when my visit to them was an early morning one.

They were having their breakfast when I arrived at their home. Mum was with a bit of a flu, otherwise; both were well. Dad was back to reading the newspaper, from cover to cover. Good for him as he wanted to be up to speed with the going-ons in the world.

It was a good “whirlwind” visit, yes a whirlwind visit as before long, the time crossed over past 9.30am. Both Duncan and Eddie presumably were punctual people and I did not want to keep them waiting. Just as I thought this thought up, I received a call on my smartphone from Eddie. I told him to hang on (to?😂. These English sayings…keeps you wondering at times…😉😇), I would be there in 5 minutes (including factoring parking-the-car time).

As I parked my car in a lot by the field (there is a field around the area), I spotted Eddie and he, me. Or was it the other way round?

As we got to walking to the coffee shop, we spotted Duncan. The three of us meeting together for the first time after over 10 years. The coffee shop was crowded. Notice that throughout this essay, I referred to this eatery as “coffee shop”, and not restaurant? The reason is quite simple. This is Klang. People here tell it as it is. “Restaurant” indeed! (Supposed to look like I’m mumbling under my breath. Haha)

Eddie led us to a couple more, “restaurants”, however they were crowded, too. Next time, we will have to make reservations… at “restaurants like these😉😂🤔THen, Eddie took us to a slightly off the beat, Indian shop. Here, Eddie and I went for capati, Duncan settled for a drink only.

We sat at the shop for a couple of hours, reminiscing old times, school days, what we’ve been doing with ourselves over the years. Eddie then suggested we adjourn to his house nearby. Both Duncan and I agreed.

The walls of Eddie’s house were adorned with all his beautiful paintings that he painted over time. Eddie was simply great at art since as long as I can remember, even when we were in primary school. Testimony to his talent hung on the walls all over his house. An amazing artist he is, even today.

Eddie has three sons, Duncan has two daughters, and I, one daughter. Our children are all doing well in their lives.

As we talked about our lives during school; we never envisioned that we were going to be the age that we are now, looking back at our school years. We were not all that ambitious when we were 10, 11 or 12 years. We did the things normal kids do, I think. During our secondary school years, we were split and went to different classes / streams.

As I personalised Eddie’s copy and Duncan’s copy of SPARKS OF JOY – SEIZE THE MOMENT, I was looking forward to the next 25 years of our friendship growing even stronger than ever before. We had a good time at our first meet up after 10 years.

Our meeting was so good, that we finally said our goodbyes at 3.30pm, not without going through the stations of the cross. What one would expect starting at 9.30am, to end at 11.00am; ended at 3.30pm. Really good times. We intend to meet on a more regular basis. Perhaps the big one as our other classmate / schoolmate Mak Weng Kit suggested – our 50th year alumni gathering.

NOTES:

  1. “Pasar pagi” is Bahasa Malaysia for “morning market”.

ON ROUTE 66, EN ROUTE 67

/ Alan Atkinson / Leave a comment

This schoolgirl, very popular with many friends. (Pic.1)
A young military officer, in London, England; on his way home to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. (Pic. 2)

And so the story goes…This young man originally from Ipoh “mari”, had come back from England to his family now staying at Lorong Hicks; next door to some of the Lorong Hicks Road kids. It seems that he’d be in his army uniform whenever he was back from the army. And this is how this young army officer (Pic. 2), attracted attention. Whether he had attracted the young girl (Pic. 1) first, who also used to come home everyday in uniform – school uniform, that is; or she attracted him; the jury is out on that one.

Dating

“Oh, you sing? I can sing, too”, said he, the army officer named Eustace; to the talented singing schoolgirl, Philomena. That’s how he won the hearts of the musically talented Gomes family. “Figaro, Figaro, Figaro” sang Eustace…. ..no ..not really. I’m not sure what song he sang first to gain the attention of the Gomes family.

Serious stuff took place not long after….they were engaged on April 1st, 1956. Seriously.

Then, more serious stuff took place. They got married on June 16th, 1956. There’s a proof copy (above) to prove it.

The young wedded couple with their first born, Jennifer.

Jennifer, the first of five children; came on July 6th, 1957; after over a year of them getting married. Then, yours truly (me) on July 10th, 1958; Nigel (April 24th, 1960); Terence (November 27th, 1961) and Malcolm (October 2nd, 1966).

In Penang, just after Christmas; a few years back.

We move several chapters (years) of this story to 1981, their 25th Wedding Anniversary.

25th Wedding anniversary. It was a time when I used to sport a brush (moustache).

Well, that’s what mum used to call it. “When are you going to shave that brush off?” was a pretty common question. And when I did, “I see the light!”

Celebrating their 57th wedding anniversary at the Majestic Hotel Kuala Lumpur – the hotel where they held their wedding reception.

And then, moved forward by more chapters….to their 60th Wedding anniversary.

Dad & Mum with Jeannie, Laura and I. This picture was taken on their 60th wedding anniversary. Venue – a restaurant called the “Old Malaya”, which is situated in a renovated row of houses converted to a row of restaurants. One of those houses was where mum’s family used to live in from 1910 to around 2000, and the unit next door was where dad’s family lived in.

In the photo above, we have the whole family in it, including Jennifer and Nigel who are no longer with us; but sure are changing the scene in heaven almost on a daily basis. God keeps saying, “Oh My Gosh (he can’t use the letter “d” here, because he is that with a “d”), I can’t recognise this place heaven; anymore. Where are all the harps? And the white clouds…what happened to them?” asked God; with “Achy Breaky Heart” blaring over the speakers and a bunch of angels doing line dancing.

Fast forward to June 16th, 2022. Mum and dad have added another chapter and milestone in their lives – 66th Wedding Anniversary. Now, both of them are training to race each other in their wheelchairs. Mum has just acquired the Ferrari red sports model. Don’t let this fool you. Dad still walks quite a bit, with or without his walking stick, and gets in his car and drives to the shops for little grocery errands. Mum is still making the world’s best buttercake with her trademark icing, too.

Something to celebrate their 66th Wedding Anniversary: “Route 66” by Nat King Cole and another version sung by his daughter, Natalie.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

As I wrote this article, I often got up from my workstation (that is almost anywhere)…as I often got away from the computer or my Fold 3 or my S7; I would do something different, even for a few minutes. I do this when I write all my articles; just to pause and refresh my thought process. In this article, I did one of the two (the two pictures below): play our (Jeannie’s and my) folderable piano with renditions of “Devil’s March”(no idea why the tune was named that), “Boogie Woogie” in slow tempo…very slow tempo; and “Auld Lang Syne”. I learnt to play Auld Lang Syne on my little musical note Casio calculator in the early 1980s. I was sold on the calculator with the idea that it could play musical notes, and record your played music to boot. How cool is that?

Or (remember, I said I did one of the two), I ate those durian cream filled cookies. Yummy. With all the talk of inflation going around; my 6 pack has become 12. Which do you think I did?

Nat King Cole, ROUTE 66 (anneesvinyl)

The awesome run of the bassist keeps up with Natalie Cole, Nat King Cole’s daughter. ROUTE 66 (martyprod2)

NOTES

U.S. Route 66

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Length 2448 miles ( 3940km)

Existed: Nov 26 1926 to June 26 1985

Tourist Routes: Historic Route 66

U.S. Route 66 or U.S. Highway 66 (US 66 or Route 66) was one of the original highways in the United States Numbered Highway System. US 66 was established on November 11, 1926, with road signs erected the following year.[4] The highway, which became one of the most famous roads in the United States, originally ran from Chicago, Illinois, through Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona before terminating in Santa Monica in Los Angeles County, California, covering a total of 2,448 miles (3,940 km).[5] It was recognized in popular culture by both the 1946 hit song “(Get Your Kicks on) Route 66” and the Route 66 television series, which aired on CBS from 1960 to 1964. In John Steinbeck‘s novel, The Grapes of Wrath (1939), the road “Highway 66” symbolized escape and loss. Other designations and nicknames for the highway include the Will Rogers Highway, the Main Street of America and the Mother Road.

US 66 served as a primary route for those who migrated west, especially during the Dust Bowl of the 1930s, and the road supported the economies of the communities through which it passed. People doing business along the route became prosperous due to the growing popularity of the highway, and those same people later fought to keep the highway alive in the face of the growing threat of being bypassed by the new Interstate Highway System.

US 66 underwent many improvements and realignments over its lifetime, but was officially removed from the United States Highway System in 1985 after it had been replaced in its entirety by segments of the Interstate Highway System. Portions of the road that passed through Illinois, Missouri, New Mexico, and Arizona have been communally designated a National Scenic Byway by the name “Historic Route 66“, returning the name to some maps. Several states have adopted significant bypassed sections of the former US 66 into their state road networks as State Route 66. The corridor is also being redeveloped into U.S. Bicycle Route 66, a part of the United States Bicycle Route System that was developed in the 2010s.

minons FIGARO FIGARO FIGARO (Dragon Daily)