On Top of Malaysia

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A few weeks ago you saw the "Top of Singapore". Well ... this one definitely beats that !!!

Here's a 51-year old who made it to the top (in more ways than one :)

Approaching the peak of Mount Kinabalu ...

Everest next?

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Any more photos of the view from up there, AM ?

From a Small Island to a Smaller Island

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A few weeks ago, we drove over to the island of Sentosa (which is linked to Singapore by bridge, as well as monorail and cable car).

Sentosa has long been a kind of weekend getaway for Singaporeans and tourists, as there are various sites on the island that are worth visiting (eg. Underwater World, Musical Fountain, a huge Merlion statue, Fort Siloso, beachfronts, etc).

However over the past two years, its attraction has been considerably enhanced by the completion of the integrated resort, called Resorts World Sentosa (RWS), together with Universal Studio theme park. Several new hotels have also been opened, eg. Festive Hotel, Hotel Michael and the Hard Rock Hotel.

RWS is owned by the Genting Group of Malaysia.

This is what Resorts World Sentosa looks like ...

In there is a theatre ...

Here's the covered "main street" area, which has many shops and eateries ...

I can vouch for the food in this Irish pub ...

At one end of the street is the casino entrance. Anyone keen to try their luck?

We did not go into Universal but went near the entrance to take this photo. We plan to visit the theme park in September when my daughter comes back. More photos at that time.

With my sweet tooth, I naturally chose to patronise the candy store and bought some chocs and some popcorn ...

Well, there you have it. A nice visit to the Resorts World Sentosa.
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Lao PM receives ADB Country Director

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Here's an excerpt from an interesting news report in laovoices.com, dated 9 July 2010 ...


‎(KPL) Prime Minister Bouasone Bouphavanh, on Wednesday received at his office in Vientiane capital a courtesy visit of Mr Chong Chi Nai, new country director of the Asian Development Bank (ADB) in Laos.

The Prime Minister congratulated Mr Nai over his appointment as new country director of the ADB in Laos, and highly valued the assistance the ADB had provided to Laos in supporting the socio-economic development in the country.
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Mr Bouasone said that the Lao government was focusing on materialising the resolution of the 8th Party Congress and the government was drafting its seventh five-year socio-economic development plan for 2011-2015 period of which the objective was to reduce poverty in the country, achieve its Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and take Laos off the UN’s list of least-developed countries by 2020.

ADB has provided Laos technical assistance for projects of basic infrastructure development in the country. Since 1996, the ADB has approved US$ 1.21 billion of loans and US$415 million of grant assistance for the socio-economic development in Laos. In 2009, ADB provided US$115.2 million worth of grant aid to Laos to support the development in the areas of agriculture-forestry, education, energy, finance, industry and commerce, health and transport and communication. In 2010, ADB has approved of US$ 108 million of loans for six government projects. The bank planned to finance 10 government projects with a US$140.18-million financial assistance for the 2011-2012 fiscal year.

Source: KPL Lao News Agency
July 09, 2010

For the full news report, click on
http://laovoices.com/2010/07/09/pm-receives-adb-country-director/


This is cool, man! St Joe Class of 1976 in service of the world!

And here's a more informally attired Dr Chong at his new office ...

Congratulations CCN !
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Message from WJ

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I just thought it might be interesting to show you where the visitors to our blog have come from over the past month.

Can you find your own location?
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Asian Songbirds of the 1970s (Part 1)

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We grew up in an age of music records (or LPs as they are sometimes called) and later of cassette tapes. Not so easy to find them nowadays, although some of us still swear that the sound quality from LPs cannot be matched by most CDs. In fact just a few months ago, Pip and I went hunting for turntables in KL, in a sudden nostalgic desire to want to listen to some of our old record collections.

In today's post, I want to recall some of the popular Asian songbirds, i.e. female singers, whom we may have grown up with. In the 70s, they were young and attracted an impressive fan base. Today some of them are still performing, though they are no longer that young and their fan base may have dwindled somewhat. Others have taken up new careers and challenges.

Let me begin with my personal favourite, Agnes Chan Mei Ling from Hong Kong. She came onto the scene in the early 70s with her rendition of songs like "Circle Game", "Nobody's Child" and "Devoted to You". She also had a role in some Shaw Brothers' movies like "The Generation Gap". Later she became very popular in Japan and had a string of Japanese numbers.

Well, I hope the sweet voice of this sixteen year old will rekindle your musical memories ...

This lady was obviously an over-achiever. Not only was she a singer and television personality, she also went on to earn a PhD (in Education), became a professor at some Japanese universities, an essayist, a novelist, a wife, a mother of two boys, and ... since 1988, Agnes Chan was the UNICEF goodwill ambassador for Japan. Impressive, huh?

Here's another classic one from her ...

The next singer I'd like to feature is Frances Yip. Remember her? I still have her "Discovery" album, the one where she sings a selection of songs from different Asian countries.

Another musical talent from Hong Kong, Frances Yip was especially well known for singing this Cantonese theme song "Shanghai Beach" from a popular TVB series "The Bund". This was also the series that catapulted Chow Yun Fatt to fame. In a recent interview, Yip reckons she has sung this signature song more than 10,000 times. But she still brings down the house whenever she belts it out.

Frances Yip came into the music scene through winning a Hong Kong television singing contest in 1969 with her rendition of Dusty Springfield's "You Don't Have to Say You Love Me". Her career has spanned 35 years and more than 80 albums.

Here's me and my albums ...

I think I'll stop here for this posting. However this is only the first part. In subsequent parts of this posting, we can have glimpses of your other favourite Asian songbirds. So do put in your comments and recommendations ...
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Satok Suspension Bridge Revisited

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In July last year, I put up a little posting about the old Satok Suspension Bridge. The address for that, if you want to refresh your memory, is

http://stjoe-form5in1976.blogspot.com/2009/07/remember-satok-suspension-bridge.html

Well, I thought I'd briefly touch on this topic again today. No, the structure isn't going to be rebuilt by the state government, as far as I know. And no, they didn't find any skulls in the excavated foundations either :)

The reason for this new item is a photograph (sent to me by Leo, thanks man!) which clears up a little debate we had last year about what the bridge could actually support during its time.

See boys ... I knew what the elders told me about the bridge was true.

The moral of this story is: Don't under-estimate old erections. Until the very end, their performance is usually better than people think".
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Scenes of Hanoi, Vietnam

This week I'm back in Hanoi for workshops and meetings. Thought I'd just post some random shots from this charming capital city of Vietnam, taken over the space of many trips.

Mind you, June and July aren't the best months to visit Hanoi. The temperature can go up to 45 degrees C. Fortunately I am going between one air-con building and another, so don't have to bear the full brunt of the heat. Can really get "chau tah", man!

On 10th Oct 2010, the city (Thang Long-Hanoi) will be celebrating its 1000th year as the key capital. It was founded in 1010 as a city called Thang Long (Flying Dragon).  In fact, throughout its dramatic history, Hanoi has borne many names: Giao Chi (Remote Land), Tong Binh (Proper Home), An Nam (Peaceful South), Dai La (Great Belt, as in the dyke surrounding the city), Dong Do and Dong Quan (both meaning Capital), Dong Kinh (Eastern Capital) - which the French priests later interpreted as Tongkin. The name Hanoi, or more strictly Ha Noi, only appeared after the Nguyen Dynasty attained power in 1802, shifted the capital to Hue and renamed the city in 1831. Ha Noi literally translates to City in the River, City Surrounded by Rivers, City in the Bend of the River, or more romantically City in the Embrace of the Rivers. Despite the name change, even well into the 20th century, people still like to call the city Thang Long.

Sunset scene on Hoan Kiem lake in the centre of Hanoi

The Opera House, Hanoi

Want a "Mona Lisa" or "Sunflowers" painting in your living room? Want yourself standing next to the Mona Lisa? All can be done through the talents of these copy artists in the streets of Hanoi.

A candid shot into an alley way

Outside a souvenir shop near the Old Quarter of Hanoi.

A street in the Old Quarters

This photo by Jemima Yong (jemimayong@hotmail.com) captures the spirit of community living in the Old Quarters of Hanoi. If you look carefully at the individual characters, you can almost make up a story of what's happening.

A roadside fruit seller arranges her ware

The unique art form of Water Puppetry in Hanoi

Ok, more photos on Hanoi later. I now have a plane to catch ...


NEW ADDITIONS

For those who are asking for pictures of the Vietnamese lasses, this is for you ...

Sorry guys, I can't help it if they're shy lah!

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World Cup Final (continued)

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Here are a few more photos from our representative in Johannesburg ...

Not sure what our friend is doing with the Coke people.  Hmmmm, I thought the Three Degrees disbanded a long time ago. Maybe they are going for a reunion ...

On the photo above, he speaks of a spectacular show at the WC Finals.

Who's that masked man? Nah, it's just AM again, apparently freezing from the cold. I never thought of South Africa as being cold.
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World Cup Final : Holland vs Spain

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So far I have resisted posting anything on football on the blog, but I noticed there's already been some healthy football  discussion happening on the Chat Box. Well, since we are about five hours to the Final match between HOLLAND and SPAIN, I've decided to succomb and mark the momentous event with a posting.

This was a large Match Schedule/Score poster I saw at the Resorts World Sentosa, the other IR which I visited this weekend. I'll tell you more about the visit in a future posting, but for now, let's just use this post to discuss anything related to the World Cup or soccer in general ...

You can share your views, your favoured team, why you think they will win, any comments on the World Cup competition so far .... anything except try to blow the vuvuzela !


LIVE UPDATE

Seems that one lucky chap from our gang made it to Johannesburg for the finals. Enjoy yourself, man! But I don't agree with your choice of shirt colour.

Viva Espana !!! Woooooo !!!!!!
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On Top of Singapore

Recently we decided to explore the newly opened Marina Bay Sands integrated resort (IR) facilities in Singapore. This was the second IR to open on the island state, the first one being the Resorts World Sentosa, which opened its doors on the Lunar New Year.

The MBS buildings are certainly impressive structures, and for the past year we had been observing the three towers growing higher and higher, and finally the horizontal boat-shaped structure was put on top. I have no doubt it was quite an engineering challenge.

Well, here are some photos from that day ...

The above was on Level 1 of the mall & casino building, where a canal had been constructed to give short rides to the visitors.

Next we bought tickets to take the elevator to the Sky Park, as they call it. It cost S$20 per adult, with discounts for children and senior citizens.

The picture above shows the two orbs making up the Esplanade theatres, while on the right, you can see the seating and performing areas that will be used for the annual National Day celebrations.

I must admit the view from the Sky Park was much better than from the Singapore Flyer, the big wheel that we visited about 1.5 years ago. You can get a sense of the relative size of the Flyer as compared to the MBS tower in the photo above.

This view above is overlooking Clifford Pier and the Financial district.

And this one shows the Marina Barrage in the background.

The other section which was interesting was the swimming pool.  As you can see, the pool goes almost to the edge of the building, and gives the impression that if one is not careful, it's a long drop down to earth. Looks scary but it doesn't seem to bother the swimmers and sunbathers.

Anyway, enjoy the scenery ...
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A Meeting in Vientiane

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Yesterday I received an email from Alfred KK Wong sharing that he had just met with another of our old classmates Dr Chong Chi Nai in Vientiane, Laos. The last time they met was 34 years ago, probably back in the Form 5Sc class at St Joe. CCN works for the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and has been based in Manila prior to his recent move to Vientiane.

Here's an excerpt from AW's note

"I was on a short break in town and managed to catch up with him at a nice restaurant fronting the Mekong River and overlooking Thailand on the other side of the mighty river. We caught up on the good old times and must really say that time has been good to him as he really looked well and fit. He even offered to give me a tour of the city by driving around personally even though he has only been posted to Vientiane for a month.

Thank you , Dr Chong and hope to catch up with you real soon.

Also thanks for your pledge for the school desks. I will pass your pledge to BC when I fly home next week.

Alfred Wong, Form 5 Science 76"


Many thanks to Alfred for sharing about this reunion. Best wishes to both gentlemen and their families.
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Musical Humorous Interlude

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I just came back from a hectic, stressful one-week business trip, and to relax, I felt that music alone won't do it. I felt in the mood for somewhat frivolous entertainment ... a little bit of sillyness ...

Back in the 70s and 80s, I loved the music of the group Queen (especially when Freddy Mercury was the lead singer). Some of Queen's classics include "We are the champions", "Crazy little thing called love", "We will rock you" and of course "Bohemian Rhapsody" (which in my view is probably the best rock/pop song of all time).

Back then, I also enjoyed various humorous shows on TV, like the Muppets (created by the late Jim Henson). Ok, ok ... I did enjoy a bit of "Sesame Street" when no one was watching too.

So for this post, I decided to combine the two genres and let you enjoy the following two videoclips. Do remember to turn up the speaker volume ...




Now wasn't that just brilliant?

What about this other number, which i'm sure you've also heard before?

Don't knock it. This went to number #1 on the UK Pop charts in 1977.

Ahhhhhh .... I feel much better now ....

Enjoy.
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Giving Back to St Joe (continued)

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On 1st July 2010, some of the guys had breakfast at Kwong Hup Cafe on Jalan Keretapi, Kuching.

A cheque of RM 1,500 was presented by Datuk JJ to Bob Chew, for the St Joe donation.

THANK YOU, Datuk JJ for your generosity!

Datuk JJ presents cheque to Bob, while Norbert, Mark and Sinos look on

Sorry guys, for general security reasons I think it's better not to show the other close-up picture of the cheque that you sent to me.

Thanks all for giving back to your alma mater.
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