Post Xmas Cheer

It was truly a family affair this xmas at A Famosa Resort in Alor Gajah. It was in a sense an escape from the mesh of the expected xmas crowd in the city although most parts of the resort was packed with families on their holiday break.

It was food galore at the rented bungalow and food hunting by night in nearby Tampin. (a quaint little town that is split between Malacca and Negeri Sembilan). There was also the Wii which everyone enjoyed...so much so that Pops or Andrew, my 80 year old dad has decided to get for himself...to play golf of course. Even had the good fortune of taking a shot of Orion's Belt....hanging in a cloudless Xmas nite.

And sleep was something the boys and kids skipped the three days we were there. Waterworld was also fun although it was packed like a sardine can. I must note that Kyra is one brave nut who coaxed me into going on a super toboggan ride...it was great and she had a blast. I was hanging on to the harness for my dear life each as it seemed as though we were going to fly off the toboggan.

It was one of the best family xmas and I thank God for life and the its simple joys. I pray that He keeps us safe and continue to shower us with His mercy and love.

To None I wish Ill But To All I Wish Peace and Love.

Merry Xmas 09

The year's almost up and its Christmas eve. The family will be spending xmas in Malacca but not entertaining anyone I guess..coz will intend to hole ourselves up in A Famosa. One is to avoid the hassle of xmas crowd in the city and the other is to get some good complete rest.

Everythng seems to be holding up good for the entire family and just pray that God will continue to bless us with His love and protection.

To None I Wish Ill But To All I Wish Peace And Love

Dedicated To My Friend, Mentor..My Father.

Some 80 years ago, on Nov 30 1929...my father Andrew Bernard Carvalho came into this world...and I thank God for that coz I would not be here enjoying life in its abundance if not for his existence.

To mark the occasion, we threw him a birthday dinner on the Saturday of Nov 28 instead as it meant that more close relatives could attend it. It was a simple yet meaningful gathering that made me appreciate the diversity of my roots and background. There was the Eurasian and Baba-Nyonya side of the family that also included Malay, Indonesian and Indian mix amongst my relatives.

'Papa' as I knew him as a child, 'Pops' when growing up as a young man and now playfully call him by his name 'Andrew'. He is not only my father but also my friend and mentor. He thought me about God, the value of life's principles and the power of positive encouragement. As a person, he had his flaws but they are greatly outweighed by his gentleness, generosity and love. I am in debt to him most of all for the love he had and still gives.

I know that Andrew will one day pass on. When that day comes, my human side will mourn dearly the loss of a friend, mentor and father. Yet, deep inside...part of me will be glad to know that Andrew had kept the faith and ran life's race as best. I only pray that he will receive the reward of everlasting life and peace that God had promised His servant.

To the man who survived the hardships of war...the man who taught me the joy of music and instilling the spirit of adventure...to the man who taught me about love and life....I dedicate this post to that man...my father.

To None I Wish Ill But To All I Wish Peace and Love.

Of Cupcakes, Kites and Glasses

Its been quite while since my last post. Been rather busy with this and that, in particular getting my old faithful in shape again...as in the 13 year old Wira that I own. Its been around and has served Karen and me well over the years...including a miraculous escape from death or serious injury along the highway. So rather than trading me car for another, I decided to give it a treat by making several major changes.

Then, there was Kyra and her cousins who spend the weekend over again. Owing to the monsoon wind, we decided to go kite flying at the Malacca Kite Festival. We also ended up getting our eyes tested and glasses for Kyra and Isabelle.

Well, work is work although the political scene for MCA has been rather chaotic.

To None I Wish Ill But To Al I Wish Peace and Love.

Abraham's Prayer

It was a tumultuous weekend for me both physically and emotionally. Had to work although suffering from a bad sinus attack. The rapid fluctuation of temperature from warm and hot to cool and damp triggers a nasty respond...sneezing and non-stop running nose.

This was coupled by the fact of me and Karen having a 'talk' of having another child. The topic came about as I had been seething over the past two months with the thought of f time passing us by yet we are still not attempting to have another kid. I do want to have more children...to love and share. We touch 42 next year and the 'clock' is no more merely biological but also one affecting 'age'...old fart in short.

Well, things seemed to be going downhill until about Saturday when a night out with my cuz..helped put things back to perspective. Like love...I shall leave it to nature to take its course (we tried IVF last year but no success). I shall have faith that all will be well. I shall strive to have Abraham's faith and hope to be rewarded as he.

To None I Wish Ill But To All I Wish Peace And Love

Two More Steps To 2010

Another month come and gone...and soon its going to be November. Its been quite a full month with work, meetings and daily chores...leaving me jaded. But I guess that's just part of life. On the whole, its been rather fruitful and satisfying.

However, was hit with the blues on a couple of occasions and a sense of aimless wandering through the humdrum motions of daily life. Seems like a lack of passion....sigh.

Well, there had been some highlights and ups....like making a new friend named Marina at the Malacca Zoo.

To None I Wish Ill But To All I Wish Peace and Love

A Festival Of Lights

The run up to the recent Deepavali festivities on 17th Oct was quite a week. It was also Umno's General Assembly that kicked off on Oct 14th before ending on the 16th. Was called up by HQ at Menara Star to assist in the coverage.

There is always the initial hesitation to be away from home for almost a week of work in an highly charged environment at Putra World Trade Centre in the heart of the nation's capital. Though it was a non election assembly, the gathering this time was significant as it involved significant changes to the party's constitution. A promise of change that Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib had to make good.

Well, although jaded from work, the experience is one that I will cherish. It is not merely an occasion of the who's who is Malaysian and Umno politics to gather, rub shoulders with and catch up on with one another. It is also a time where comradeship is forged among the journalistic fraternity and an official reunion of old friendships.

On the whole, the assembly went on smoothly in a very united and friendly atmosphere. There were also the somewhat upmarket version of a city pasar-malam with the hundreds of tents and stalls set up offering a myriad of goods. The delegates and their supporters were out in numbers and for a brief moment PWTC became the focus of the year's most glitzy political affair akin to the Oscars.

I suppose having the opportunity of being a part of the gathering and witnessing history in the making outweighed whatever tiredness as a result of work.

So there you go...my week of work in the Big Town and a run up to Deepavali.

To None I Ill But To All I Wish Peace And Love.

Back To The Pool Again

Its been almost three months since Kyra and me spend our usual bonding time at the pool following surgery to her ears. Well, the opportunity came to do so and bought a swimming cap for Kyra to keep her putty in place to prevent water from getting into her ears.

The Hari Raya holidays were here and I thought I'd give Kyra a go at the pool again to see if she still remembered how to swim. (She had just learned to swim when the surgery took place end of June).

In fact it was a bonus for Kyra as she was recently introduced three of her half Baba-Nyonya second cousins Isabell, Idallyne and Ashely who also loved swimming.

So it was a fun day at the pool (a much cleaner pool thanks to a repaired pump) with Kyra and her cousins having a blast. Even took the kids out to the nite safari at Malacca Zoo to cap off a perfect holiday. The bonding helped as Kyra will be starting Standard One next year and she will have her two cousins as friends to keep her company in school.

To None I Wish Ill But To All I Wish Peace and Love.

Blue Skies & Moon Over Malacca

It was a hectic week again with the unexpected both at work and at home. Had the opportunity on 9.09.09 to witness a mass wedding of 99 Chinese couples, with the number 9 seen as an auspicious number it also sounds similar to the word 'eternity' in Mandarin.

Thought I managed to get some good shots but did not expect what happened two days later on Friday. It was about 9.30am and it was a cloudless and sunny day. Hanging above a picture perfect blue sky was a transparent gibbous Moon faintly lost in its background.

It was a once in a while moment with conditions for a possible good shot with my G9. My mind was racing to position myself at of the many historical monuments dotting the city of Malacca, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It was the day Malex mentioned he wanted to take a photo of the 17th Century Kampung Keling Mosque located along Jalan Tukang Besi.

What better monument than that, I thought. I sped to get a parking and walked along the narrow streets to take as many shots as I could within 30mins before rushing off to a function elsewhere.

The Sun was blazing with clouds seen forming over the horizon. So I had little time to think of the angle of Mosque and sky to capture the moment. It was when I was thinking about a shot involving the Mosque's intricate iron lighting rod and its metal ball with the Gibbous Moon against a blue sky, I spotted a twin engine plane approaching my angle of that I was about to take. Bang....sweet...manage to get two decent shots which turned out even better than expected.

p/s - Jalan Tukang Besi (Goldsmith Street) is located parallel to Jonker Street in the heart of the old city next to the Malacca River. The street runs about 100 meters and located on its left row of 17th Century buildings are the mid 1700s Hindu Sri Poothayya Temple, Kampung Keling Mosque built in 1748 and the Cheng Hoon Teng Temple built in the mid 1600s. The three houses of worship continue to serve the local Muslim, Chinese and Hindu communities with the street also known as 'Harmony Street'.

To None I Wish Ill But To All I Wish Peace and Love

Moon Over Malacca

It was a long day at work that carried on with a management committee meeting to sort out some major teething problems later after work. The meeting was held at the condominium where I live and I noticed the almost full Moon accompanied by a bright little Jupiter as I made my way for the meeting. Told myself to try and take some photographs of the Moon later but the meeting lasted till 11pm.

Later, at home, I decided to wind down by playing some mindless game on the computer before hitting the sack. It was almost 3am when I looked out the window and saw an awesome sight.

There was the Moon and Jupiter but this time round the bright moonlight scattering to through the clouds created a tunnel like view of the Moon. The scene lasted only about 10 minutes but I managed to get in some shots with my G9.

Awesome sight and a testament to God's beautiful creation.

To None I Wish Ill But To All I Wish Peace And Love.

The Weather's A Changing

Its been more than a week since my last post. Been rather hectic with work, Malaysia's 52 birthday and my sisters who were down during the school break. Was hoping for the opportunity for some nice pix when several occasions did present themselves unexpectedly.

Well, one thing is for sure..the weather has been kinda of cold lately..with the rain and what not. Based on my peeve observation of the weather satellite images..the cloud build up around the globe along the equatorial zones has been massive. I expect more rain and a dip in the temperature soon.

Just hope the change in the temperature does not spark a mutation in the H1N1 virus to a more deadly strain Cest la vie...sigh. So..here to life and all it beauty and joys.

To None I Wish Ill But To All I Wish Peace And Love

In Memory Of...

Just thought I'd pen a few lines about someone whom I got acquainted with in 2004 during the General Elections. His name was Raja Omar....a short guy with glasses and slightly long wavy hair. A nice man whom I worked with together for a brief moment. Just got the news that he passed away a couple of weeks ago. Though I did not know him well enough but still feel sad at his passing.

To those who I have known that are gone...I pray that they will rise to enjoy everlasting life and peace. For those whom I know that are still around...enjoy every bit and moment of life.....

To None I Wish Ill But To All I Wish Peace and Love.