L-R: (Front): ???, Zuraimi, Adibah L-R (Back): Nik Nariman, Napsiah, Nani, andie, Noraliza

It has been a while..

I have not written any "sojourns" on my blog for a long while, no excuse really except that the urge to write as your mood demands is not there coming , heavy workload is not the reason actually as well.

My days and nights routine remains largely as it used to be, days filled with work demands,nights just savouring the idleness the home can offer(sometimes..).

What has been the significant events for the last few months?

I had to admit this, sometimes we do miss our 2 children, azri and diyana,,,they may feel otherwise though as they experience the freedom of teenage life.

We fret whether they take care of themselves well in the foreign lands.

The twins(sabrina and faizul) are now 16 years of age and soon they will leave home as well to further their studies wherever it may take them...cant time stand till?

As one aged, this passage of life is to be expected and as a friend says this has to be handled well, you have done your best for your children,you can only hope that we have provided them the right upbringing for them to face life with the fortitude and well balanced character that we will be proud of.

Amirul the youngest is still 9 years of age,thank goodness !!!

A true core(Koh..) Malaysian

Two weekends ago there was some form of roadshow by the Government on their "NKRAs" programme....

I went to the roadshow cum exhibition on that Saturday, had a chat with an old friend who is the driving force behind the whole process (Dato Seri Idris Jala).

Dato Seri has not lost any of his enthusiasm, charm and high octane energy as i can see that ever since i knew him more than an 20 years ago and always trust an ex oil and gas man to present his speech with the aid of view graphs!!!

He is indeed a Sarawakian that we all feel proud of , a man humble in his ways but effective in his mode of actions

.A day earlier i attended the opening ceremony and honestly the person that has also impressed me is Tan Seri Dato Koh Tsu Koon.

His speech in perfect Malay without any need of text , delivered in a strong, confident and immaculate manner was great. He did not ramble, and as a Chinese Malaysian , his command of Bahasa Malaysia even put the likes of me to shame.

Here indeed is a true core Malaysian where one does not have to abandon the traditions and language of one own's race but still can embrace the mainstream culture of the country with no inhibitions at all.

I believe another person of that nature is YB fadillah, have seen him on TV speaking immaculately as a Malaysian and that one cant tell that he's a Sarawakian. That's what it should be and can be, we can still can keep our own manners and lingo of our own dialects but will be at ease in the mainstream as we portray ourselves as a true Malaysian that thrives in our diversity of culture but with one common goal: building a country that the future generations can be proud of.

Tan Seri Dato Koh..how i wish i can have the same confidence and command of our National language as you are!!

Avatar..a glimpse of a future?

Finally last weekend we managed to drag ourselves to watch the movie, "Avatar".

Being dog tired , was expecting to doze off throughout the movie for from some scant feedback from friends who had watched the movie , i was also expecting that it is just another far fetched science fiction tale with all its gadgetry to please the audience.

How wrong i was? the movie was AWESOME...

Enjoyed every single minute, the lead actor (Sam Worthington..))with his cool demeanour did not let the movie down with his portrayal as the handicapped ex marine but also as an avatar learning the ways of the "blue people".

Sigourney Weaver has always been a favourite of mine but has has she aged!

The story line may seem melodramatic but the message none less that Cameron tried to relay is a strong powerful one...the need for us mankind to be in symbiosis with our natural surroundings and the bonding one needs with each other must be felt with the intensity of a shared need for survival and well being.Ya in our own context we need to embrace each other more irrespective of race, creed and colour.

When the director James Cameron accepted his Best Picture trophy for Avatar at the Golden Globe awards on Sunday night, he had a very specific message to sell. “Avatar asks us to see that everything is connected,” he began, explaining to the packed ballroom of the Beverly Hilton Hotel the true meaning of a film that’s set almost exclusively in the hyper-real jungle world of Pandora. “And if you have to go four and a half light years to another made-up planet to appreciate the miracle of a world we have right here, well, ya know what, that’s the wonder of cinema right there. That’s the magic.”

The magic of Avatar, however, has been so potent that some film fans have felt it linger long after the closing credits.

I cant agree more with the above statement..indeed Avatar is a transformational experience particularly if we watched it on 3-D.

You will possibly begin to appreciate what mother nature has endowed us and the wonders of God's creation is beyond human's instinct to be an all dominant specie.

Will i want to watch this movie again? i will once it's on Bluray!!!

22B Baker Street

Last weekend i brought my Twins to watch the movie,"Sherlock Holmes".

I did read earlier its preview that it is a fast paced action packed detective thriller possibly to meet the needs of the general movie goers palate..and not adhering to the original philosophy of a great Conan Doyle book on this pipe smoking detective.

The cast seemed to offer a great movie with Robert Downey Jr and Judd Law as the movie's main lead.

Honestly enduring the 2 hours in the cinema it was a real let down(to me anyway!!).

It is too one dimensional in its portrayal, i cant even visualise the fact that Downey fits the bill as that great detective....the only saving grace is the grim realistic image of London in those days which makes the movie a bit more authentic as the minutes ticked away, just cant wait for it to end.

I am though now trying to find time to watch "Avatar", possibly am looking forward to see "blue people" as Blue is my favourite colour , you never know i may enjoy that movie much more than that dismal Downey portrayal of Holmes.

Please , please don't have any sequel as they suggest with Professor Moriarty Sherlock Holmes arch enemy still lurking !!

Where are thou?

As i travelled to the far corners of Sarawak, savouring the peace and tranquility of the places one cant help appreciated the fact that indeed Sarawak and Malaysia for that matter is a blessed place on Earth.

Devouring the scenery from the window of the Twin Otter plane that i was travelling on, there is no undeniable fact that Sarawak has developed beyond recognition as compared to 30 years ago.

But then one can say so has been other places..

From the economic perspective, "pump priming" Ala Keynesian concept is maybe still the prime driver of this development drive.

There are though glimpses of self generating, self sustaining economic activities and while unappreciated at times in view of its small scale , the undoubted fact is still obvious: this kind of economic activities are the ones that the average populace will be engaged in and the Government to an extent has realised this.

I spoke to a colleague on this trip and asked the question," where shall the country be in 50 years?"

Are we having and nurturing an ample pool of leaders in all strata that will exhibit stellar qualities to further propel the Nation and State forward?

Expediency thinking while applauded shall not be the only mantra or philosophy ......

Yes we wonder among the 30's somethings will there arise a leader that is visionary and has all the attributes that will propel the State and country 30 years from now?

Where are thou?

Barcelona..not a Messi(y) city indeed

Like Manchester, one always equate Barcelona to be a footballing city . partly indeed it seems to be the case as one always observe an endless array of Barcelona FC jerseys and other memorabilia being sold at every single souvenir shop.

However as one "unravels" the wonder of this city it is obviously not a Messi(y) city (pardon the pun) but it is a city built on the architectural brilliance of Antonio Gaudi.

His ultimate masterpiece was indisputably the Sagrada Familia .Awesome is the only word to describe this Gaudi's masterpiece of an Architectural marvel.

Barcelona is a real modern city and i read somewhere it's the best city to live in after Chicago.

Am not surprised easily, one can walk and enjoys what the city offers on its famous La Ramblas street.

The metro system is modern and connects the city well, its park up the hill at the monjuic is beautiful.Things area bit expensive though as one can expect from a city that can offer many tourist attractions.

What did i buy in Barcelona?

Ha..not a Barcelona FC shirt and not a Gaudi's trinket but an original Espanyol FC jersey with its nice blue stripes !!!

Ya it's indeed a Gaudi and to an extent a Picasso's city but in contemporary times Lionel Messi reigns supreme especially after his winning goal in the world club championship as fans celebrated wildly at the La Ramblas chanting his name..A Messi(y) city indeed that day!