A hectic week and a working gawai

The week passed by so quickly that sometimes you wonder whether indeed the hours you spent are quality time. For the past six months i have bought few books and none of them i have finished reading:

- How Starbucks saved my life-Michael Gill

-The Age of Turbulence- Alan Greenspan

- Super crunchers- Ian Ayres

- Success Intelligence-Robert Holden

- Persuasion- Jane Austen......wow give me time , give me some free quality time!!

I vowed i must first finish reading the book by that ex Central Banker, Alan Greenspan, halfway already,real illuminating read .

In one's work one encounters either garbage issues or talk or real problems and issues that can enhance your company's performance or bottom line. I am still learning and must always remind myself to stick to real issues and avoid small talk. 

A  week as i continuously keep on realising can fly by so fast.

Gawai? Am off to Kl because our brethren there are not having any holidays so i will have opportunity to do some follow up works that are usually demanded of me ...ha, stop griping !!!

Never mind i am going to spend quality time with the family for a long planned week holiday to Sydney the week after to meet up with my eldest son,Azri. Will i stop working then? I doubt it as a flurry of sms and emails will still be sent and received, hey man that's what my Blackberry is for.(believe that, i nearly want to say i feel so lost when my Blackberry went bonkers for a few days).

What ails you Zorro???? Go  off to Talang Talang Island and finish off reading all your books!!!

A Mes(si)merised nite indeed!

Oops, i did not wake up at 2 am as earlier planned to watch the much awaited champions league final.

 I had set my alarm but somehow this ageing body just couldn't bring itself out of a deep slumber.

Then pronto i suddenly woke up as if on cue just past 4 am ,and immediately switched on the telly.

Fergie's glum face told it all!!! i knew then that a defeat awaits Manchester United in this final. 

Watching for  awhile all the slick short passing of the Barca players(looks so diminutive!!) i switched off the telly and went back to my own dreams.

I haven't watched the repeat game yet  but from what i read it was indeed a Messi night as United was Mes(si)merised!!

 Even Ferguson acknowledged that the better team won.

Congratulations to the Catalans and honestly i didn't feel upset or in the dumps over the defeat because always admired Barcelona style of football ,well the messy night for United fans seemed already written in the stars..as always you can never put down a genius in whatever field, congrats Lionel Messi for a great display will definitely watch the repeat.

Tons(or rather Toons) of despair

The final weekend of the season finally came,somehow missed all the live action because at the retreat that i was staying over the weekend,Astro football was not on offer.

Nonetheless it never miss as always its moments of tension, exhilaration and despair .
This time round though the attention at not on who shall win the English Premier league but rather who shall be condemned(is that the right word to say/) and relegated to the Coca Cola league next season.

As i watched the repeat highlight show of this final week end of the season, one image stood out and this reminisce the feelings of a real true fan.

Ya, an image of one of the black and white jersey clad fan, one of many from the Toon army(that's how they were referred to!) of Newcastle football club.

This fan as i saw was weeping incessantly as he witnessed his beloved Geordie club relegated after 16 years in the top league.
The Toon army was in total despair as they possibly trooped back to the North east from the Midlands after Aston Villa beat Newcastle 1-0.

Make no mistake, Newcastle is a big club deserving of a top 5 finish in any season, they had a big legion of fans and the loyalty they have for their club knew no bounds. So ironic and unfair that the manager in charge of the club on this relegation weekend is another Geordie legend ,Alan Shearer. He is the icon of the Toon army and am sure they will forgive him for this travesty.

The only certain fact i can say for Newcastle next season is that the Toon Army Will still be in droves watching them at St James Park,they will not and never abandon their beloved club that is for sure.

Good luck Newcastle and i hope that you will bounce back to the top flight because the Premier league needs you!!! To the Toon army, never despair i am very confident that the Magpies will be back,stronger and wiser and i hope Shearer is at the helm.

Paradise at the doorstep..

In the early days, the name Sematan conjured an image of relative remoteness, its proximity to Talang Talang island where turtles routinely come to lay eggs and of course its wonderful beach.

I remembered during my school days we used to camp out at the beach, have really rollicking fun and i vividly recalled our camp(or rather tent) being "mauled" by a wandering horse!!!

Time moves on and i just dont have the inclination to visit Sematan again ,the last trip possibly 10 years back on just a short stopover while visiting another nearby more populated place ,Lundu.

Somehow had the opportunity during the weekend to stay oveernight at a resort ,which offers the basic comfort of what to expect of a decent beach resort but spartan enough to give you a feeling of adventure.

I have a sheepish confession to make..Sematan indeed is a great get away place with its pristine clear waters and a clean beach. The place is also remote enough and it is still not part of the tourist track or armoured with rowdy day trippers.

Indeed it is a paradise at the doorstep that i have missed these years regrettably and one thing for sure i will come back again to this wonderful place,this time i will also take a boat trip to Telok Melano which i was told has a Malay kampong with its beach even better than Sematan.

Will also try to do a bit of snorkeling off the Talang Talang island.

Sematan town (or is it village ?) still retain the authenticity of a laid back rural place where people just spend time idling at the various coffee shops possibly after a morning's out at sea fishing.

Hey at one stall they even still sell these unique lemonade in small bottles that i used to have in the early 60's and 70's for any Hari Raya gatherings! wow awesome ,man

Hell, Hull and Halifax....

I attended a Mother's day function at my youngest son Amirul school recently,while i enjoyed some of the mothers swaying and swinging on stage i got acquainted to a seemingly retired man who was also there to witness his young son performing.

The conversation roughly goes like this:

Me: hai sir, enjoy the show? 

Sir: yup, great ain't it? 

Me: Where are you from and hope you love Kuching...

Sir: ya, kuching is a wonderful place , I'm from Reading you known few miles from London.

Me: Hmmm.. are you originally from there?  ( You see i can recognise his accent and i know for sure he's a Northerner, let me find out more!!!)

Sir(rather sheepishly): Well i am originally from Yorkshire, rather from Hull you know. 

Somehow being a Northerner and a Yorkshire man to boot is not apparently not something one likes to shout about,that's for sure.

Ha ha ... wait till he hears i have to say next;

Me: i used to live in Yorkshire before, doing my A levels

Sir(suddenly lightening up): Really? never expect that, where exactly?

Me: Halifax sir, u know in the Pen nines, near Bradford and Leeds(even to a Yorkshire man i must take care to explain where exactly Halifax is ,to reflect its measure of remoteness)

Sir(with a loud guffaw): Ha ha nobody is from Halifax, what on earth are you doing there? 

                                            You heard of this saying?....Hell,Hull and Halifax ? Halifax is the last stop of eternal punishment with Hell being the first!!!

As Kevin Keegan (a Yorkshire man from Scunthorpe) said on telly during an uncontrolled tirade against Ferguson  " I love it, i really love it if we beat them"!!!

He he..Halifax may be a last stop on an arduous road of punishment and sufferings but hey I LOVE IT man ,I really love the place.

I spent great two years of my teenage life there. The people are friendly and the words 'cheerio" and "u all right love" are a day to day expressions that even now i found myself unwittingly uttering them without realising that nobody does that here at all!!!

Come on the Yorkshire man may not have the sophisticated airs of a Londoner or those from the South but they have gumption man yes Gumption ,beat that.

Hell, Hull and Halifax .. i have not been to Hull and as always one hopes that  particular first destination will not be an eternal place for any person with conscience to rest(or be punished) forever but Halifax? Give me anytime the place as a last stop not on a road of eternal punishment  but a road of redemption and peaceful solace.

70's retro nite....

I have actually always try to adhere to one basic rule on my blog, no posting on any work related stories but somehow the event that my colleagues organised the other night,the 70's retro night was so enjoyable and memorable that i just want to share here on my blog

Well i would categorise the event as more of rollicking fun after such hard efforts we all put in the past many months..roll on 70s

Hey hey are those two really trying to have the Alleycats impersonation or just wanting to be Gorillas for the night.

Man of the night complete with all those high heel shoes and bell bottom trousers!! Where did he get them in this day and age? 

And ya me swooning a Rano Karno song!!

A dreary game in the rain

I dragged myself tonight to watch Sarawak football game against Proton. Initially i was hesitant knowing my own character of never wanting any half measures i may find myself back in the fold of the Sarawak football circus!!!

Well, the team management asked me to join them in the dressing room , i did not intend to give a pep talk but from the players body language they were expecting me to say something.

While the team management went at great lengths and elaborations , i just asked them this.."Which team are you playing tonight?"
"Proton" , so hey show them that you are "Honda " and can beat Proton anytime !!!

The game though reflected the harsh reality of the present standard of the Sarawak team.
The team lacked obviously a compact pattern of football, while they showed good ability of closing down the spaces ,somehow movements off the ball was not evident at all.

The team badly needs a good goal poacher and a very dominant midfield general ....pity Joseph Kallang, obviously he worked his guts out for the team but just no support .
They lost 2-1 to an average Proton side.
Indeed sad to see such debacle and the heavy downpour did not help either.

The empty stadium adds to the hopeless feeling as the rain incessantly made the field wet and slippery.
The unthinkable may be happening IE relegation to the FAM league,God forbids.

To Joseph Kallang, you are still an embodiment of the true Sarawak spirit, a never say die attitude but as always in a competitive world that is not enough.

Good luck to my beloved Sarawak in the following games ,you need it badly!

Damai golf

After a long absence(i prefer the word ,hiatus..) i finally played a round of golf at the Damai Golf resort. Enjoyed the game though bit tiring coming to the last few holes,took some shots from my blackberry just to remind myself this is still the best golf course in Kuching with the majestic Mount Santubong in the background.

Salt or vinegar?.. a great week end

I read recently that the British most favourite dish or now the national dish is the Chicken Masala, Wow how times have moved on, the English is not renown for their food and mockery was made of their culinary skills by the Continentals particularly the French.

Somehow i got taken in by that basic of the English dish or "takeaway", the Fish n Chips in the newspaper wrapper. Ha beat that!!

Such simplicity ,just deep fry the fish and those big cuts of potato slices which they call Chips.
French fries must be a way for the English to take a swipe at the French for French fries as we know are more of smaller cuts or sizes as compared to the real British Chips!!

I love my Fish n chips with lots of vinegar and a bit generous helping of salt. The routine whenever one buys a helping of Fish n Chips at a take away counter will be a standard question being asked.."Salt or Vinegar?"...

So what does one do if on occasions a sudden craving for fish n chips suddenly comes to mind?

I normally have my dish of Fish n Chips at the Secret Recipe outlet, not bad actually though it cant beat the real thing.

I will normally order a plate of Fish n Chips with a cup of a Long Black coffee. The mushroom soup with its fresh bun is a good starter for the sumptuous meal(to me anyway).

So how do i end a perfect weekend? i have my dinner at Secret Recipe located at the Spring Mall I had this opportunity when i have to accompany my daughter Sabrina on some errands tonight to the Spring Mall.

Sigh...no vinegar to spice up my fish n chips dish but hey the lemon slices can do ,no problem.
Yes a perfect way to celebrate a great weekend, Manchester United winning the league , Hafiz the Sarawakian winning the AF reality show.

Pass the vinegar please!!!

Be a GEM

The government has recently launched A Graduate Employability Management Scheme (GEMS)aims at reducing the current rate of unemployment among fresh graduates.

An initiative that has evolved from the Graduate Employability Enhancement Programme (Green) that was started in 2006 by Khazanah Nasional, it will now be undertaken by some 38 government-linked companies that fall under the Putrajaya Committee for GLC High Performance (PCG).

With the support of the Finance Ministry as a project under its stimulus package, Gems will see 5,000 graduates undergoing a two-and-a-half month training programme before being placed in a GLC for six months with a view towards full employment.

The government had promised to create 163,000 training or job opportunities under its RM60 billion second stimulus plan that was announced on Tuesday.

The GREEN progamme  had managed a 97 per cent rate of fulltime employment out of 690 who had gone through the programme with another 504 still undergoing training.

Gems is open to those under the age of 27 and who have obtained a CGPA of over 2.5 or an equivalent score in an undergraduate programme.

The above programme  in short  known as GEMS in my view is app laudable and i was honoured to be asked as well to give a talk on this programme here in Kuching recently.

 I was asked to give a talk entitled  "Personal qualities of a First Class executive " from a CEO's perspective.

Hmmm tall order indeed but i did not  hesitate  at all and said yes i will . Only a day for me to prepare the presentation materials and with the help of my Human Resource manager came out with some View graphs that hopefully will give some insight to these young men and women about a working life.

I enjoyed actually the session and two hours went by without me noticing it and great to see these young men and women listening attentively to an old work(war) horse like me.

Trying to give my 2 cents worth of experience to impart to these eager graduates.

I started by asking them ,"what's the difference between me and you(the fresh graduates) if we are both unemployed?"

Some answered it would be easier for me to find another job because of my experience, some said i have worked long enough to have already a nest egg so no worry on money .

My answer is and hopefully will motivate them ...i told them the key difference was that if i am unemployed i will be looking for a job because at this "tail end" of a working life that's what it will be .

However for them they are and must be looking for a CAREER not a job, there is still a long span of time for them to make good of their lives and building up an enriched and rewarding career..it is a marathon race not a 100 meter dash. Failures and disappointments will come in its usual measures .

The personal qualities of a first class executive?  I presented them the 7C s ...the values that we have learnt and believed to be desired attributes of our employees. This was not taken out as a leaf out of  a book but from my  own experiences and observations..ha ha want to know what's the 7 Cs?

I concluded my talk by saying that ultimately be a GEM to your employee and hopefully the course or programme as appropriately entitled GEMS will achieve this.

Good luck young men and women on your journey to have a wonderful and rewarding career.

The 2 AF shows

I have all the peanuts ready and definitely a pot of tea will be brewed for tonight's 2 big events.

  

While i have not been following that TV reality show, Akademi Fantasia i cant help being engrossed as well with the present euphoria.

The euphoria is understandable because this is the first time since the Akademi fantasia show's inception almost 7 years ago that a Sarawakian stands a real chance of being crowned 'Juara Akademi Fantasia(AF) " . 

The boy Hafiz has all Sarawakians swooning and to add an extra spice, we do know the mother quite well.

I can certainly bet many Sarawakians will be rooting to their television and all will be cheering for Hafiz, well i do sincerely hope Hafiz will win not because he's a Sarawakian but i believed from one show that i watched previously this boy got talent, yes real talent!!!

Excuse me however i will not be watching this AF final on TV tonight because i will be watching another AF show which somehow is during the same air time as the Akademi fantasia final.

Yup, i will be watching the Alex Ferguson (AF) show instead. Tonite is the night as the song goes...

A point against the Gunners will be sufficient for Manchester United to clinch its 3rd consecutive league title and a total of 18 titles thus equalling Liverpool's records.

 

I remembered during the late 70s and early 80's i was dismayed watching Liverpool always galloping away with the league titles and as they amassed a total of 18 i cant ever imagine another team can equal or surpass that record.

So this AF show i am going to watch  ya the Alex Ferguson 's show and nothing will stop me from doing that even if i miss another historic moment ,the crowning of a Sarawakian as the new AF champion, sorry Hafiz don't worry i will definitely watch the repeat!

Wigan undone by a well done plan(Phelan)

Normally i will not wake up to watch those early morning matches. 

Somehow this morning i woke up at 4 am and of course the anxiety for such a prompted early rise must be to watch the outcome of the United-Wigan match.

I woke up to the fact that United was trailing 1-0 at half time to a well executed goal by a Wigan forward(cant remember his name)...

While all were observing Ferguson's expressions and figuring out what shall be his tactical moves in the second half, i was focusing to that one man, the man who was always at Fergie's side in all matches.

That man with a pensive and stoic look is Fergie's deputy or his No 2, Michael Phelan.

In all these years , Fergie's No 2 was always  another celebrity with equal attention given to that man. Ya remember Brian Kidd, Steve McLaren and the present Portugal national team Manager, Carlos Queroz.

Phelan? He was hardly mentioned and possibly his dour looks add to his too ordinariness .

However , Michael Phelan was  no ordinary football player in his playing days,that i can tell you.

His outstanding displays as a midfielder at Norwich City earned him a move to Manchester United in 1989 and earned him England Caps as well.

Well, after Tevez petulant back heeled equaliser in that Wigan game and Carrick's "passing" goal winner, everyone celebrated with unbounded joy , hey Rooney you nearly broke your arm! 

I though wished to salute Phelan, for a well plan(Phelan) tactics that undone Wigan in the second half.

13th May, a date to remember

All Malaysians knew fully well that the date 13th May has a bad and tragic connotation for it was a date in the year 1969 that was forever viewed as the darkest day in Malaysia's relatively young history.

To be fair and in all honesty, that "baby' Malaysia has though have come of age and the 40 years since that tragic day has seen the country progressing leaps and bounds.

No doubt any cynics will say that Malaysia has failed in certain aspects but taking within its stride all its weaknesses and failings Malaysia has though journeyed throughout those years with greater prosperity and improved quality of life for its populace.

We,maybe taking cue from our past colonial masters, always being harsh on ourselves and never intended to celebrate the good things that has come out from our unique , diverse and multicultural society.

I believe it is our uniqueness that has been the embodiment of strength for the nation and one day within my own lifetime  i fervently hope that our OneMalaysia will indeed be a practical reality.

To me though 13th May is always a special date for me and the family. 

It was on that date in the year 1987 our first child was born. We named him Azri, which i believe in Arabic meant "strength".

Indeed being a father for the first time has brought bigger responsibilities to a young man then .

How time flies, Azri is now a fledgling 22 year old teenager. 

We may have our usual disagreements and sometimes as loving parents we despair at their behaviour but we are proud to say that he has turn out all right.

I view him more as a best friend now and our unconditional love for our children will certainly not ebb even with the passing years.

 His birthday today also reminds me of life's continuing journey, a journey of growing old hopefully with grace, a journey as you look back that you have done your best for your children and as our own love for our beloved nation, we take in our children as they are, warts and all.

To Azri in Sydney, we wish you a happy birthday.

Uncle Ho's city, Saigon

Tried to write a bit of places that i had been to,though at times it has been a while since that trip.

The same is said of a trip i took a while back, to the city we knew before as Saigon but now named as Ho chin Minh City.

Honestly i was a bit disappointed of the place, maybe i expected too much being a city of such anguish history.
So i was half expecting a sense of melancholy within the air.

What was my impression? It was just another bustling place, people all rushing around, traffic buzzing and the market just selling the usual trinkets.

The only saving grace about the place was the trip we took to the Cu Ci tunnels area, infamous during the Vietnam war as a place where the VC( read..Vietcong) hid themselves in an endless array of tunnels with all the amenities as hospital, dining room, meeting room part of the tunnels community infrastructure!!!

Listening to the tour guide, you cant help grimacing and imagining the horrors of the Vietnam war, how the simple ingenuity of the "primitive" folks can outwit a superpower as the Americans.
You cant help a feeling of irony as the tour guide related stories of how "they" cheat and outmanoeuvre the enemies (the Americans) and some American tourists just listening to this story with very grave faces indeed.Wonder what's in their mind,definitely not Rambo and his brandishing gun.

Saigon was renamed Ho Chin Minh after Uncle HO, apparently all Vietnamese now refer him as that , the architect and master strategist of the communist North during those tragic Vietnamese War years. You can see his monument and images everywhere .

It was certainly hard to imagine that it was only 30 odd years ago that the war ended and certainly there will still be significant number of living folks still remembering that war well.

The country has really been transformed and one can sense the energy of dynamic commercialism in the city as people all busy with their hand phone conversations and always in a hurry.

Maybe i should not be in a hurry as well if i were to savour the place more,i should have visited their war museum and other places of interest.

Nonetheless the 3 hours visit to the Cu Ci tunnels has given me ample impression on the travesties and the immoralities of that war, a war that has displaced many Vietnamese and i believed few millions died as well during that war.

Incidentally i have been to Hanoi, the city in the North few years back, i enjoyed that place still sustaining an aura of authenticity and a scene that will always be forever etched in my mind was a buffalo being tied up and carried on a motorcycle!!!!
That's the Vietnam that i envisaged, a country who will always have the ingenuity and smartness to cope with anything!

Football thots and all roads lead to Rome

The anguish felt by Chelsea fans were to say the least understandable. Such travesty and in the last minute of injury time!!

But then the final that everyone wants (except for the Gunners and Chelsea fans) is to be a reality in Rome.

Manchester United got the tactics right i believed when playing Wenger's team.

By putting in three midfielders really suffocated the creativity of the Arsenal's much touted midfield strength. 

Fabregas, the pivotal man within that midfield was not allowed to do any damages. 

Enter Barcelona and its highly rated midfield, Messi, Xavi and Innesta ,can Fergie's men repeat the same act as against Arsenal? 

I can now understand Fergie's great dismay at Fletcher's red card offence, he is the key in that United midfield. 

He allowed Carrick to play his usual unhurried role with ease and Fletcher's hard running also complemented and bring the best out of Park Ji Sung.

Ha..here i am again trying to be a couch potato football strategist and specialist. 

I am sure if United has lost to Arsenal i will be saying a different tune!!! 

There then goes the beauty of football and why it is the no 1 sports in the world. 

For all its simplicity with 22 adults chasing a ball (just to coin a cynic!!) it makes us all experts and we will not hesitate to vent our anger and despair if our team lost and will be also off the mark to give "expert' opinion for reasons if your favourite team won.

Despite all its simplicity the Malaysian football authorities somehow still do not get it right and we still struggled to defeat "minnows" such  as Myanmmar.

I remembered having a chat with one of Sarawak's football team import players, the  South African Junaid Hartley few years back.

He cant fathom why Malaysia is not out there among the top Asian footballing nations with all the infrastructure and development being evident as compared to even his own country,South Africa.

Back to the European Cup Final, i just cant wait for the day and i am sure it will be  a great spectacle.

My guess on the first 11? Fergie will possibly play his proven and tested formation 4-4-2, possibly made easier with Fletcher's absence.

Team sheet: VanDer Sar, O'shea, Vidic, Ferdinand, Evra, Carrick, Anderson, Giggs, Ronaldo, Rooney, Berbatov.

Wow, awesome man and one thing for sure it will be  close game. 

Wish i am in Rome that day!!! 

Snapshots from my blackberry

As a habit now, i tried to take snapshots from my blackberry if what i saw intrigued,amused or fascinated yours truly.

Is that a fortress? Or rather a UFO?

Yup.. i saw a reptile(biawak) while playing golf over the weekend.

And yes, the authorities really up the ante in their fight to discourage people from smoking.i wonder whether they have really gone over board.

A rainbow to savour!!!

Fancy a real sports car?

Jane Austen..a regret?

There have been a few movies lately depicting a common theme on that great English writer, Jane Austen.

I did finish watching one a while back " Becoming Jane", a real delightful drama with witty dialogue and of course great English narrations, the Jane Austen style.

"A woman especially if she has the misfortune of knowing anything, should conceal it as well as she can." -Jane Austen

Don't really understand the above comment but then coming from Jane Austen am sure is a classic line.

While the movie "Becoming Jane" is indeed a real treat with Anne Hathaway giving quite a Stirling performance , i preferred an earlier depiction of Jane Austen life ,"Miss Austen regrets".

I watched that DVD a year ago and the storyline was more tragic and reflected possibly the anguish of a genius(aren't they all like that?) in her last years as she tried to give advice to her niece on man and love(what else?)

"The more I know of the world, the more I am convinced that I shall never see a man whom I can really love."
— Jane Austen in Sense and Sensibility

Yes, vintage Austen!!!

Movie adaptation of her novels i have not really watched all.I remembered the Colin Firth"s movie, "Pride and Prejudice" .

Over the weekend i managed to watch another of Austen related movie "The Jane Austen Book Club", a contemporary drama , the DVD that i bought almost a year ago and only got around to watch it now!!!

In all honesty i never read a Jane Austen book, i have wrongly(to my own consternation) viewed her books as too "girly". The nearest book that i read of similar nature in my youth was "Rebecca" by Daphne De Maurier, a real classic.

For those who really want to savour the elegance of the English language, read "Rebecca".

I have mistakenly categorised Jane Austen books in same vein as the Mills and Boons book series!!

Any one recalled those Mills and Boons book series? The theme is always the same , poor girl suffered first then met the man of her life(normally with dark brooding looks) and lived happily ever after.

Sorry Jane i promise i will buy one of your books next i am at a bookstore, Is "Persuasion" a good read?

Diana,the people's Princess

I did something over the weekend that i thought i would not have done or enjoyed. I was watching on TV a Concert for Diana,the late Princess.

The only word to describe the show is AWESOME , a great treat with a mix of old and new stars.

The "old" stars on show included Bryan Ferry(heard of him?), Rod Stewart,Elton John and the ever green Tom Jones.

The show have as its interludes video clips of Diana doing all her charity works and also some tributes from those that knew her including Tony Blair(surely we all have heard of him!!!)

The interlude showing her work on the call for the ban of land mines was poignant and applaudable.

Diana was of my age if she was still alive ,just a year younger.

I could vividly remember her wedding to that man, a big happening indeed as we were all glued as young University students in Birmingham to the television watching the unveiling of the future Queen of England.

The common remark that we made as we watched with awe was simply,"what a mismatch!!"

Her sudden demise evoked such anguish and unprecedented emotions not only in Britain but the whole world was a bit surprising but to me understandable.

Here was a simple woman trying to be her own amidst a rigid and frigid atmosphere within the royal fraternity and maybe she was scorned for being a simpleton and lack of "intellectual vigour".

Also the manner that she fought back against possibly such prejudices strike a chord among the common folks and yes indeed she was a people's Princess.

I named my elder daughter Diyana maybe to an extent influenced by this contemporary woman of my generation whose interests include just listening to the music of Duran Duran and Wham

The concert show as i said was phenomenal and just to watch Roger Hodgson of the group Supertramps singing one of my all time favourite songs ,"The logical song" brought back great memories of watching and admiring that damsel of a Princess who at 19 years of age married that man in the wedding of the century.

Yes, the memories of Diana the People's Princess will live on....