An Enchanted Evening at The Royal Lake Club

This musical event, co-organised by Science for Healthy Living (S4H) and the Library Subcommittee of the Royal Lake Club, was held on 27 July 2017 at the Banquet Hall. It was a sold-out dinner show, attended by enthusiastic music lovers from both the Royal Lake Club and S4H. The performance was preceded by a simple yet delicious dinner, which included a chicken curry that everyone still raved about many days later!    

Aptly titled “an Enchanted Evening”, it was indeed an enjoyable evening of enchanting classical songs and popular Broadway musicals, performed by Sonnia Chaing Yiling and her talented 15-year old student, Jared Ngoh Jie Ern. Sonnia Chaing is an international opera singer (mezzo-soprano) and a soloist/opera singer with the Malaysian Philharmonic Orchestra and Kuala Lumpur City Opera, as well as the OperaSiam. (Jared Ngoh, who is very passionate about music and the performing arts, had passed his piano grade 8 with distinction and is now preparing for his upcoming grade 8 singing examination with the Trinity College of London. He was awarded a Gold Medal from the Musa Musica Young Musician at one of their recent contests.)

Sonnia is currently also the adjunct music lecturer of UCSI, as well as the Sunway University. True to form, she managed to cleverly weave a program for the evening that was not just entertaining, but also educational for some in the audience. She introduced the theme of the evening program as “Sun, Moon and Star”, and illustrated it using anecdotes -- including a short pop quiz! -- about the three great composers Haydn, Beethoven and Mozart. Moving on to a small dose of classical music appreciation, she talked about their life stories, personalities and compositions that are associated with the Sun, the Moon and the Star respectively. This “lecture” was interspersed by snippets of  music “Sunrise Quartet (Haydn)”, “Moonlight Sonata (Beethoven)” and “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star Variation (Mozart)”. (By the way, contrary to what many believe, Mozart did not write this famous melody, but he did compose some 15 variations on it!) 

With the tone of the evening thus set, Sonnia and Jared went on to sing various classical songs, opera arias and Broadway musicals. There was also sing-along or audience participation for songs like “You are My Sunshine”,“O Sole Mio”, and the immensely popular “Yue Liang Dai Biao Wo De Xin” (“月亮代表我的心”), loosely translated as “The Moon Represents My Heart”, certainly very appropriate for the theme of the enchanted evening. However, to many in the audience, the highlight of the program had to be Sonnia’s exhilarating rendition of “L’amour est un oiseau rebelle” (Habanera or “Love is a rebellious bird”) from Bizet’s “Carmen”. Yes, no mezzo-soprano worth her salt would ever pass up a chance to perform on stage this famous aria of all time.  It was indeed a superb performance by Sonnia who literally came alive as Carmen, the vivacious man-magnet of Gypsy descent. The audience was enthralled, bowled over by her beautiful voice and singing, not to mention the impressive vocal range. Everyone craved for more, but alas, the performance came to end soon, with the duo singing the all-time classical crossover hit “Time to Say Goodbye”, made popular by none other than Sarah Brightman and Andrea Bocelli.

In a simple survey carried out after the show by S4H, 92% of the respondents rated the performance as very good, even though the music accompaniment was at times less than satisfactory.  Many of them commented that more of such musical events should be organized in the club for the enjoyment (and health?) of members. Why not? After all, the President of S4H, Tan Sri Augustine Ong did remark in his opening address that music has been proven by science to be vital for healthy living!

Please follow the link https://youtu.be/vrEBDA1ATTA  to view the interesting five-minute footage of “An Enchanted Evening”, as well as listen to “Love is a rebellious bird”. Who knows? This “seductive” aria may help you tune in to the life-affirming force of classical music, and perhaps entice you to turn up for more enchanted evenings in the club in the near future. 

  

               

Finally, there is someone whose view resonates with mine....

A Tribute to Mr Lee Kuan Yew

1923-2015

Singapore is Lee Kuan Yew and

Lee Kuan Yew is Singapore

A giant in history, a statesman of exceptional intellect,

steely resolve, relentless tenacity...

Welcome to a study tour on Hudud‧歡迎參加伊刑法觀摩團

The following is a translation of an article by Mr  鄭丁賢,  Deputy Editor-in-Chief of Sin Chew, published on Sunday, 11 May 2014: 

Malaysian government and political parties are generally very enthusiastic about study tours to investigate, and/or observe whatever…. For example, a study tour to Antarctica to visit penguins. Ooops, I mean to study climate change. Thus, there has been a constant stream of visits to Europe, the U.S., China, Japan, and Australia. Such investigation is almost a routine, must go on…..

Curiously, we rarely hear of such visits to certain Middle East and North African countries. If we want to implement Islamic criminal law, how can we not visit these countries? Somalia, Pakistan, Nigeria, Iran, Saudi Arabia , or Indonesia's Aceh, each and everyone should be worth a study tour.

Hadi Awang is so passionate and confident about Islamic criminal law, keeps urging people to believe and to accept it. For real action, why not organize tours to learn about Islamic criminal law in Islamic States? Lead us to the Middle East and North Africa to see how the implementation of Islamic criminal law has brought about a peaceful society, developed economy, and purity of minds.

Are there readers interested to participate? It will certainly be very exciting.

For example, going to Aceh in Indonesia, one can examine woman- caning. Recently, a local woman accused of having an affair was raped by eight men as a punishment for violation of her religion. Later, she will also have to face the punishment of caning.

Going to Pakistan, one can visit the women's prison, where one thousand women accused of adultery are imprisoned. Curiously, only two men were accused of adultery. Could it be that only two men committed adultery with a thousand women?

Similarly, in the Taliban -controlled areas in Pakistan where women are prohibited to pursue education, a disobedient girl like Malala was even shot! Today, fundamentalists are still threatening her.

In Nigeria, the militant Islamic group "Boko Haram" kidnapped 200 female students, barred them from schools, and threatened to sell them into slavery. But their leaders claimed possession of two girls, a 9 -year-old and a 12- year-old, all these are done in the name of religion.

If you go to Somalia, be sure to visit the "Somali Youth Party" controlled central and southern regions, where you can witness the implementation of Islamic criminal law, including the amputation of hands and stoning. From terrorist attacks in Uganda to explosion in the malls, all these are worth “observing”.

If the Islamic criminal law can solve our many problems in Malaysia as claimed -- such as putting an end to the crime of corruption -- then go to these countries mentioned above to see if they have indeed become a paradise, or hell on earth .

Someone said that if hudud law doesn’t work, we can always go back to the civil law.  

In the 1970s, during the era of Iran's Pahlavi Dynasty, this country promoted modernization based on Western model, adopting capitalism. However, its relatively closed political system and government resisted democratic reforms. Wealth was under the control and monopoly of capitalism, resulting in huge growing gap between the rich and poor.

Iranian people’s discontent rose, they were bent on overthrowing the Pahlavi regime. However, they did not use the means of modifying capitalism and promoting democracy and freedom, but chose to align themselves with radical religious forces, with the elders of Ayatollah Khomeini as co- leaders.

Finally, under a series of demonstrations and protests, the Iranian government was paralysed, the King became a common enemy, and ultimately the Pahlavi regime was overthrown. Led by Ayatollah Khomeini, theocratic politics came into power, and the world's first Islamic republic was founded.

Soon, Iran's economy began to decline, and political freedom was further curtailed. Even though Iran has one of the largest oil reserves on earth, and despite the good foundation laid down by the economic modernization policy during the Pahlavi era, Iran degenerated into an even more impoverished and corrupt country, all within a very short time.

A theocratic utopia thus built, was based on mere ideal that was never verified. Nor was there ever any successful precedent of such a system. It lacked effectiveness in terms of actual operation.

For decades, many Iranians wanted to change, to revert, and wrest back power from the hands of the theocratic government. Through election, they managed to elect a relatively liberal president. However, from Rafsanjani to Khatami, they have failed to change the system of theocratic supremacy. The most powerful in Iran is not the elected president, but the supreme religious leader of the country. The supreme leader controls the executive, legislative, judicial and military sectors, including tight control over all civilians in Iranian society. There is no turning back again in today’s Iran.

Many naïve people gamble with luck when they think that temporarily accepting theocratic rule is a way of using its power to change the status of their discontent. Once their purpose is achieved, they think election can be deployed to oust theocratic power. This article hopes to provide a history lesson for them. 

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: