A Tribute to YB Karpal Singh (1940-2014)

The voice of Justice

Opposition MP extraordinaire

The Tiger of Jelutong......

His untimely demise is a big loss to all Malaysians who believe in Justice! 
May he RIP...amen.

This is a photo of him and me taken at the American Independence Day celebration party in July 2013.
He is one person who truly deserves to be addressed as YB, Yang Berhormat.

Iceland, Land of Ice and Fire

The very picturesque Hraunfossar, NW Iceland

 For most of us, the mention of Iceland conjures up images of glaciers, aurora borealis (aka Northern Lights) and the volcano Grímsvötn, which spewed ashes creating havoc and disrupting flights all over Europe in May 2011. Other than that infamous eruption, the very little that I read about this nation in our news media had to do with its bankruptcy in 2008, and practically nothing else! However, my recent short vacation there had definitely added more colors and dimensions to these contrasting images and somewhat limited impressions.

Actually, it was my cousin Tong CW– also a Royal Lake Club member, avid nature lover and outdoor person like moi -- who prompted me to make a trip to this far-flung island in the Northern Hemisphere. He travelled there for a hiking trip with his son some years ago, and both of them were bowled over by its abundant natural beauty and pristine charm. So, I rounded up a small group of like-minded friends, including a few from the Royal Lake Club, and embarked on the trip in April 2013. Why April? Well, we had hoped to sight the aurora borealis in Iceland, as well as catch the flower parade and visit Keukenhoff Garden in the Netherlands when tulips would be in full bloom. My research indicated that going in April was about the best bet for killing these three birds with one stone! J

The following is a brief account of our travel story, which gives some inkling of why I have since labelled Iceland as the Land of Ice and Fire:  

We arrived at Keflavik Airport in Iceland in late afternoon. After checking into the hotel, our tour guide wasted no time and whisked us off straight to dinner! For foodies like us, nothing was more welcoming than a hearty meal in the very popular and famous Fish & Chips Restaurant that I have specifically requested to be included in our itinerary. We ordered the cod and ventured to try the wolffish, which we have never heard of hitherto. The cod was simply out of this world, fresh and heavenly delicious, very unlike the frozen version we get here in Malaysia. The wolffish was surprisingly tasty too, although we might have refused to try it had we known then what it really looks like! The fish is tossed in barley batter (free of white flour and refined sugar, so I was told) and fried in the all-natural canola oil for a remarkably light, crispy finish that doesn't “obstruct” the delicate flavor of the fresh catch. The fish is paired with malt vinegar or "skyronnaise," the skýr-based house sauce in eight flavors, including coriander-lime, ginger-wasabi, and mango chutney. We were also served fresh green salad, mango salad, tomato/potato salad, home fries, and onion ring….and delicious seafood soup! Oops, this is supposed to be a travel story, not food review…..

The ugly but tasty wolf fish

The following morning, eight out of ten people in the group started the day on a whale watch ship departing from the port of Grindavik, while the other two –myself included – with an acute sense of self-awareness, decided to skip this adventure to avert getting seasick. We opted to spend a more restful morning in the famous Blue Lagoon. We made the right decision, as the sea turned out to be so rough that three our friends onboard the ship did get very sick! Anyway, all of us sought respite later in the beautiful Blue Lagoon where we had a great time enjoying a soak and swim in the revitalizing mineral-rich geothermal water. (By the way, renewable sources such as geothermal and hydro power provide about 80% of the nation’s total energy. Thus, green houses which are abundant in Iceland, are mostly heated by geothermal power.)

We departed from the Blue Lagoon to visit Krisuvik, a geothermal field where powerful jets of steam were seen escaping from deep below the earth’s crust. We were quite happy to be “steamed” standing in the snow and cold wind. Our next stop was Leif the Lucky Bridge, a small bridge over the rift between the Eurasian and North American tectonic plates that runs through Iceland. It was fascinating to see this rift as most of us have only read about tectonic plate movement in our college geology and biology textbooks. Clad in our winter coats, we all continued to brave the snow and cold, for the sheer pleasure of walking across the bridge to gaze into the fascinating depth of the rift. After this exotic experience, we headed to the picturesque village of Stokkseyri to enjoy the lobster feast at the famous Fjorubordid Restaurant, raved and highly rated by travelers on the Internet. Iceland lobsters are small, look more like crayfish, but they are deliciously juicy and firm.

After the scrumptious lobster feast, we hunted for the elusive Northern Lights en route to Reykjavik. Even though the aurora alert site website predicted high probability of sighting on that day, we were not lucky enough to see anything near spectacular. We only saw a tantalizing flicker of light for a split second in the dark of the night, not the awe-inspiring, swirling and dancing lights across the sky as depicted in the photo sent to me by a friend from the UK who visited there a few months ahead of me.

On Day 3, we left Reykjavik for the south coast, driving through villages, enjoying frequent views of snow shrouded volcanos including Hekla, the country’s most active volcano. We stopped along the way to enjoy the splendid Seljalandsfoss and Skogarfoss falls, which tumble over high rock escarpments dotted by hundreds of bird nests. It was snowing all the way, yes, in Spring! Abound with legends of trolls and elves, in the sea off the shores of Dyrholaey and Vik, are rocks 66 meters or so above sea level, with an iconic one telling the story of two legendary trolls trying to drag a three-masted ship to land.

Beautiful Jokulsarlon Glacial Lagoon

The program next day was an “expedition” to the must-visit Jokulsarlon glacial lagoon. En route, we passed through the vast Eldhraun lava field, the largest on earth since the end of the Ice Age, definitely more expansive than those I have seen on the Big Island of Hawaii. Then it was onwards to Skaftafell National Park, one of Iceland’s most outstanding areas of natural beauty.  The area is dominated by spectacular views of the mighty Vatnajökull, Europe’s largest glacier. From there, we continued our journey to the breathtakingly beautiful Jökulsárlón Glacial Lagoon where bluish huge icebergs were seen floating and grinding together in the still, deep waters of the lagoon.

The next day we departed for the very popular Golden Circle tour. First place visited was the Geysir hot spring area, to see the famous great geysir, Strokkur, a hot spring that spouts “quite punctually” every few minutes.  It is not as spectacular as Old Faithful in the Yellow Stone Park, but the wait between spouts was much shorter, and more predictable.  Following this was a visit to Gullfoss, one of Iceland’s most impressive waterfalls. En route, we spotted something worthy of a special mention: a dozen or so beautiful Icelandic horses grazing in a farm! Being animal lovers, we couldn’t resist making an unscheduled stop to take some snapshots with the friendly and docile beauties. Icelandic horses are small, almost like ponies, and they are so loved by Icelanders that their purity and bloodlines are fiercely protected. So much so that no other horses can enter the country, and once an Icelandic horse leaves, it can never return! 

We sport the same hair style!

In terms of size, Gulfoss is of course no comparison to the majestic Niagara Falls, nor is it as spectacular as Iguassu Falls. But the name Gullfoss or Golden Falls is more than well-deserved. Standing in front of the falls in bright sunlight, I was literally blinded and spell-bound by the pretty golden glitters of the cascading water. Our next stop was the must-visit Thingvellir National Park, the site of the oldest Parliament in the world which was founded in 930. There, we also saw Almannagjá – Everymans Chasm – formed about 9000 years ago of extensive layers of basalt lava which shifted apart to form a great depression about 40 km long and 10 km wide!

After taking in all the sights and a sense of Icelandic history, geological and otherwise, we headed to the Hvalfjordur area (Whale-fjord) for overnight at the Glymur Hotel, touted to be the best and most romantic hotel to experience the Northern Lights. Unfortunately, we were disappointed yet again: We did not get the much-anticipated midnight wake-up call to witness the elusive dancing lights! But I must say we were amply compensated by the serenely beautiful fjord right in front of the hotel.    

On Day 6, we headed north to the Borgarfjörður district, visited the Settlement Center and a museum in Borgarnes to imbibe bits and pieces of interesting Icelandic history. We also stopped to visit  Deildartunguhver, the most powerful hot spring in Europe, then past Reykholt to the very picturesque waterfalls Hraunfossar, where spring water flows from down under the lava. After this, we headed towards the Snaefellsnes peninsula to Gerðuberg, where we enjoyed a snowball fight by the very unique columnar basalt cliff. In the evening, we arrived at the quaint and picturesque fishing village of Stykkisholmur for overnight. To me, it is the most beautiful fishing village that I have ever seen! It even has a pretty church with a unique architecture to boot!

The following morning, we continued around the peninsula along the north side, going through the villages of Grundarfjordur, Olafsvik and Hellissandur and then through the National Park, where we found many beaches with abundant signs of ancient eruptions with various lava formations and craters. (BTW, Iceland is one of the most geologically active spots on Earth, with 130 volcanos, about 40 of which have erupted in the last 1000 years, and on average, a volcano erupts every 5 years. An eruption will certainly paint Iceland as a land of ice and fire! ) Snæfellsjökull glacier is a dormant volcano which attracts thousands of people each summer there to enjoy the energy radiation, as they believe it to be one of earth's seven energy spots. In fact, I did feel the “qi” when I tried to tap the energy around there! Perhaps the RLC qigong exponents should go there on a special pilgrimage? J  Next, we stopped at Arnarstapi to enjoy its extraordinary beautiful shores and scenery. Being nature lovers, we savored sights of the spectacular landscapes, not to mention the refreshing short hike in the park, and leisurely bird watching along the precipitous shoreline.

Seagull colonies on the shore

In the late afternoon, we headed back to Reykjavik -- via a tunnel under the fjord -- for a city tour which included the uniquely beautiful Hallgrímskirkja church where the world’s largest pipe organ is housed. We concluded the tour with a visit to Perlan (The Pearl) to enjoy a panoramic view of the city. Since it was our last evening in Iceland, the foodies in the group decided to try the famous hotdogs (made of real meat, usually lamb, NOT factory-made frankfurters of dubious  quality) , supposedly the best in Europe, and  “endorsed” by no other than President Clinton himself! I tucked in two yummy hotdogs as my pre-dinner appetizers, and this speaks volumes, because I am one who scoffs at hotdogs as the lowly “emergency food”. After the hotdogs, we still had space in our stomachs for a delicious barbeque dinner at a local restaurant, where amongst a variety of fresh seafood, we got to try the whale meat! Tough and non-descript is all I can say of this special treat. L

In summary, Iceland is small, but abundant in natural beauty. It is only roughly 39,000 square miles (about ¾ the size of peninisular Malaysia), with 11% of the country covered with glaciers, another 30% of the land is lava fields. What one doesn’t see there is lots of tall trees. Thus goes the old Icelandic joke that if you ever get lost in a forest in Iceland, all you need to do is stand up! Only about 320,000 people live in Iceland, where they enjoy an excellent quality of life. Yes, they went bankrupt in 2008, but they have experienced a strong economic recovery since. Iceland is said to have one of the longest life expectancies and the highest literacy rate in the world. And, it is one of the most technologically advanced nations with the highest number of broadband internet connections per capita in the world. Impressed? But I bet what most Malaysians may like about Iceland is perhaps the fact that crime rate is very low there. Even the president’s residence is NOT fenced up! Their police don’t even carry guns -- guns are illegal, except those for hunting -- they only carry batons and pepper spray. 

Click on http://youtu.be/A-l9xGh3LFQ

for a more complete, vivid and visual presentation of my Iceland travel story.   

A collection of my paintings themed Poetic Mood Artistic Expressions, most of which have been exhibited and/or donated to charity for fundraising: 

幽情 Listening to the rain:

晨曦 Rhapsody at dawn:

晨露 Morning dew:

出浴 Solitaire:

温柔的耳语 Tender whisper:

秋雨的节奏 Rhythm of the rain: 

Please Support Fund-raising Cantonese Opera Performance in KL

 

粤剧演出-筹款单位 - 吉隆坡中国小学 和 狮子会洗肾中心
Cantonese Opera Performances - Fund raising for Chung Kwo Chinese Primary School & Renal Centre Foundation of Lions Club

 

Yik Sang Amateur Musical Society, 54th Anniversary & Charity Performance

Sunday 18 August 2013, Buffet 12 noon; Performance 1.30 pm - 6 pm

Temple of Fine Arts, Brickfields (beside the Buddhist Temple)

Tickets RM 50 & RM 100

Charity for SJK(C) Chung Kwo and Renal of Lion's Club

Ticket Booking:  Lim 016-2988410

 

Program as follows:
 

粤剧折子戏 - 红菱巧破无头案之对花鞋（娇俏，调情戏），凤阁恩仇未了情之投亲骗婚与读番书（诙谐爆笑剧），梨花罪子（大锣大鼓古腔粤剧传统戏），娱乐昇平 （大团圆喜剧）
折子戏演出时附有中文和英文字幕

粤曲妙韵 - 天涯合璧庆月圆，火网梵宫十四年之庵堂诉情，楚江情之西楼错梦，胭脂巷口故人来之孤雁再还巢，火凤凰


Cantonese Opera Performances Excerpts - Matching the Embroidered Shoes, Endless Love-Marriage Cheat & Translating the Foreign Letter, Li Hua's Punishment of Her Son, Celebration of Happiness
Both Chinese and English subtitles are available for during the excerpts' performances

Cantonese Opera Songs - Reunion Under the Full Moon, Love Recount at the Temple, The Dream of West Chamber, Returning to the Yanzhi Alley, The Sacrificing Lovely Couple

 

 

The Magical Power of a Flying Carpet

The following is what I translated from an article by the Deputy Editor-in-Chief of Sin Chew Daily, published on 8 January 2012:  

I am not sure if Deepak is a carpet merchant, or a businessman who flies in on a carpet. (Gan SL: Maybe a carpetbagger from somewhere?) 

On the surface, he appears to be a carpet merchant, involved with the import and sale of carpets from the Middle East, nothing unusual.

However, his “experiences” are quite extraordinary, as manifested by exceptional maneuvering achievable only if one rides on a flying carpet!  

He admitted to his involvement in the Mongolian woman case, even claimed to have influenced investigator Bala in his second statutory affidavit, with the latter overthrowing his own first affidavit. To date, the exact whereabouts of Bala is still unknown.  

Deepak claimed to have close ties with certain "powerful people", enjoying and maintaining such contacts because of some mutual business interests.   

He also said he wanted to publish a book to expose BIG secrets. The result was an e-book titled "The Black Rose". (Gan SL: Ask me and I shall send an e-copy to you.)  

This eBook did not live up to expectations, as there is no real big expose or insider story. (Gan SL: At least not stuff that most people don’t already know). Perhaps he lacks the skill of a writer? But the more likely reason is: He only wanted to create a smoke screen, holding back something with the intention of just conveying a veiled message, a cliffhanger of sorts, for better and bigger show to come…..

Deepak’s efforts so far have not been in vain. He gained fame (Gan SL: Or infamy?) overnight, enough to hog the Malaysia New Year's Eve spotlight for a while.  

In fact, his words and actions have been well-planned. Letting go and withdrawing them at will, just like maneuvering a flying carpet: He disappeared after throwing a shocker, waited for the message to “ferment”; then he re-appeared to throw another shocker, creating another fresh topic for more speculations.  

Media were all drawn to him, with no shortage of online publications keen to co-operate with and support him. In addition, he also attracted the interest of the opposition parties, all in hot pursuit of him. Yes, Deepak is certainly useful to all of them!   

Of course, they are all being used by Deepak, too.   

Question is: Why is Deepak doing all this? Obviously, he is NOT advertising to sell carpets, neither is he aspiring to become a writer.   

The real story is gradually emerging…….  

Deepak and Wanita Umno Selangor Chairman Raja Ropiaah are business partners. Ropiaah’s company Awan Megah and the Department of Defense has a privatization deal. Awan Megah is responsible for the construction of a defense research center in Putrajaya, in exchange for 200 acres of land in Klang owned by the Ministry of Defence. (Gan SL: FYI, her mentor is said to be none other than the Cowgate scandal ex-minsiter.)

Deepak and Ropiaah had an agreement: Deepak’s company Astacanggih will develop this piece of land.     

For some reasons, this agreement later “turned sour”. Awan Megah did not give the development project to Astacanggih, but instead, sold the land to the listed company Boustead; whose major shareholder is the Armed Forces Fund Board (LTAT).  

With this turn of event, Deepak saw the appetizing roast duck flying away! He threatened Ropiaah and her company with legal action for breach of contract. At the same time, he started blowing whistle on various political inside stories.  

So, the flying carpet magic comes from both political and economic connections.  

After some hullabaloo, Boustead proposed a business scheme: The company will pay 130 million ringgit to Awan Megah for the acquisition of that piece of land, and another 30 million ringgit for a 80% stake of Deepak’s Astacanggih share. 

If the three parties are all satisfied with the deal, Deepak will no longer blow the whistle or break BIG news. (Gan SL: So, not all whistle-blowers are selfless, public-spirited beings.)  

I am thinking aloud: Deepak has made use of the media and the opposition, but has he really achieved his original goal?   

Sharp observers, however, will ask: Where now is the much talked about National Defense Research Center? Will it still be built? If yes, it will be funded by whom?  

How come the government's privatization policy can be at the beck and call of the fairy tale flying carpet? And, obscured by so many clouds?  

Our bewilderment aside, shouldn’t the truth be told?  

More update here: http://www.mysinchew.com/node/81776?tid=12

DAP Fund-raising Dinner

Ooops! Sorry, I made a slip in my previous posting "Winnable Candidate": The three "frogs" which were won over by money politics to party-hop and change the Perak state government are ADUN's, not MP's.

Here's the info about the upocoming event:

Date: 19 January 2013

Time: 7.30pm

Venue: MBPJ Hockey Stadium, Jalan Selangor, Seksyen 3 Petaling Jaya 

The distinguished speakers at this fund-raising dinner will feature Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng, Parliamentary Opposition Leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim and PAS Deputy President Mat Sabu. 

Other speakers include Tony Pua, Lau Weng San, Kasthuri Patto and Yeo Bee Yin. 

Silver tickets are available at RM60 each or RM600 per table. Gold and Platinum tables are also available at RM1,500 and RM3,000 respectively.

For tickets, please email dapdinner@gmail.com or call Chew (016-8782472).  

 

Alternatively, if you are not able to make the dinner but would like to donate to the cause, you may write the cheque to “DAP Damansara Branch” or deposit to “Maybank a/c: 514196342008”

 

Winnable Candidate?

What is a winnable candidate in Malaysia?

According to the New Straits Times, “The catch-phrase "winnable candidates" is gaining a lot of currency since it was first bandied about over a year ago by Umno leaders.” Frankly, I am not sure if I should be amused or annoyed by this strange usage of the adjective “winnable”. My hunch is that Simon Winchester may actually frown upon this new meaning UMNO politicians have assigned to "winnable".

In my humble opinion, it’s something of a misnomer to refer to someone as a “winnable candidate”. Winnable refers to something that can be won, not someone who can win. A war or a battle is winnable, an election or a parliamentary seat may be winnable, but a candidate who can win is not “winnable”, unless he is like the infamous three Perak MP’s: can be won over by money politics to change the government! J  

So, back to semantics, does UMNO want to field “winnable” candidates (who can be won over by money politics or even PKR?) or candidates who can win?