Saturday, May 31, 2008

updates from Taiping to Changlun

Alor Star


Left Taiping after speeches by Dato' Ong and me in the presence of St John Taiping members and Boys and Girls and the media. Indeed memorable considering that Taiping is where I spent my holidays (I was studying In Clifford school) K. Kangsar.

After the ceremonial flag off at 9.20 we left Taiping by way of Kemunting and the old trunk road passing Kg Dew, Simpang Empat, Bagan Serai before reaching the ferry terminal at Butterworth. Bagan Serai was also a town in which I grew up from age 7-11. The railway look deserted though trains still use this line, also made a stop at Kampong Kedah mosque. My family's graves are all here- my father, mother, uncle ,cousins and other members of the family.

The ferry ride was also nostalgic the same sound & smells after all these years. in Penang i was met by St John staff, Mr Koay, Mr Iee and 3 Senior Angels & others. Dinner was at 8.00 pm hosted by state Commander Dato' Dr Yee Thiam Sun.

Left Penang the next morning in front of SJAM Penang HQ, flagged off by state comm. Dato' Dr Yee Thiam Sun. Escorted by ambulance driven by Mr Koay, Took the ferry across to Butterworth, had breakfast in B'worth then rode to Alor Star. Except for a few bends the route is almost a straight line but it was hot all the way. Reached Alor Star around 5pm. Met by Mr Chow of SJAM AStar. Put up at Hotel 3 km from town. Dinner at a shopping Mall.

Left Hotel at 8.30 After breakfast left with DR. Ch'ng Kok Heong Commander for Kedah, riding to the old mosque in town. Left with 6 riders from ST John . 2 gave up at Jitra. I stopped at the Jitra Police station where my brother in law served as OCPD in the early 70s. His name together with the others are displayed on a board hung at the stairway. The days ride continued towards Changlun, but 2 km from town I had a puncture. The tube was quickly replaced and finally we reached Changlun at12.30. The St John riders and the ambulance ended their duty here. As it was a little late to proceed to Hatyai I decided to stay the night in Changlun. I also had to buy another spare tube in case of more punctures. It is also here that Mazlan and I parted ways.
With the help of a local man, Mat Noor Osman i managed to sort out all problems. I had dinner with Mat Noor and his superior Tuan Syed Hasnan from TNB, before we part ways.

Wednesday, May 28, 2008

Wonderful Time in Ipoh and Taiping.

28-08-2008

Had breakfast with Mr. Manin Singh and wife, Rajinder Kaur PJK. and about 20 boys and girls from Yuk Choy school. We were flagged-off by Dr. Harbaksh Singh and wife. We left the SJAM PERAK headquarters around 8.45 a.m. escorted by the ambulance driven by Mr. Chia Poh Seng , the area secretary of Central Perak. We arrived in Kuala Kangsar at 11.30 a.m. and I was met by my brother- in-law Dato' Syed Abdul Rahman (EX-MCKK) at Ah Loke restaurant ( Frequented by students in the 50's - one of the best Hailam restaurants in town ) I paid a visit to my old school (Clifford) and I was met by guru kanan bahasa as the HM was not around. Saw my classrooms from 1954 to 1960. The school has expended but the old hall and Chulan hostel still stand. Rather nostalgic, I must say since i have not been back back since 1961.

After that i left K.K around 1.30 to Taiping. Passed old familiar places then stopped at Shell station for a break in Padang Rengas. The owner Mr. Goh Yew Chee (an old Cliffordian himself) was so impressed with my effort that the soya bean and 100Plus that I drank on the house. On the way up Bukit Berapit my gears gave problems but somehow managed to reach the top without pushing. It was downhill for about 3 km without pedaling. Made another stop at a "gerai" in Bukit Gantang for asam laksa. In Bukit Gantang can't help thinking of JJ and his girls from KL during his visit for the election campaign in March.

4kms before Taiping we were caught in pouring rain and had to stop at a road side stall for one hour. Finally reached Taiping around 5 p.m. to a rousing welcome by officers from St. John North Perak and about 25 students who are attending a leadership course. The welcoming party comprised Madam Woo Yee Yuen, Madam Low Mei Hoon , Mr. Chan Kwai Woh and fellow officers.

I am indeed impressed with the set up of the headquarters which is made u a nursing home and a St. John headquarters itself. The home has 32 inmates ( 18 females and 14 males ). The nursing charges are very much cheaper than those of the Klang Valley. The charges are RM800 for nursing care for patients with mobility restricted problems and RM750 for those who can move on their own and there are also free patients made up of those with no next of kin or referred by surgeon who knows the background. Bachelors or spinters are charged half rate. I had a pleasant chat with an inmate who is 94 years old, Madam Teo Siew Mooi. It was an unique experience as she is still alert and sharp. I must say that the St. John Association of Malaysia is doing a very commendable service to the nation.

We had dinner at the Taiping New Club hosted by Dato' Ong Chin Choon who is the President of St. John Ambulance of North Perak. Also present were Mr. Ang Lye Hong (area commander),
Mr.Robertson Lim Ah Ong , Madam Low Mei Hoon , Mr Loh Boon Ken and Mr. Muthusamy. It was a wonderful dinner with fried veal, curry ikan patin, lemon chicken and vegetables. Taiping is actually my hometown and this home coming is indeed meaningful meeting all the wonderful people. How I wish I could share this wonderful experience with my friends from "Warong Rus" in PJ old town. I am already missing you guys : Datuk Johan Jaaffar, Ahmad Mahmud, Mr Lee, Jimbo, Pak Agos, Dato' Jafar, Haji Kamaruddin, Wak Nordin, Basha, Stanley's loud voice, JJ, Razif, Major RTD Yusof and of course Kamariah's cooking especially her specialty "the apam"-She can drive some people crazy with that. I shall post pictures for my next blog, if possible. Till next time. Regards to all.

Adnan

Tuesday, May 27, 2008

Flag off

Hello all,

Today was the big day, was flagged off at 5 a.m from the St John HQ by Dato' Dr Low, Commander-in-Chief of St. John Ambulance Malaysia together with my wife & sons, rode off with Mazlan & also my ex RMC boy, Azly(thank you Azly for sending us off). The ride was hot after Tanjung Malim, we arrived at Kampar at around 1+, had our lunch and then proceeded to visit the St Johns Dialysis center, we arrived at Ipoh at 6 p.m, had our dinner at the old Anderson club, met up with Raja Harun & ex RMC boy Adis, had a few drinks with them, Raja Harun was my classmate from year 56, so it was really memorable meeting up with them, i guess that is all for today, will be leaving for Taiping at 8.30 a.m tomorrow.

I would like to send my warmest regards to my friends at Warung Rus & also to the readers of my blog.

Adnan

with Dato' Dr Low

Tuesday, May 20, 2008

Meet the Minister

Hi,
Today is an exciting day. As arranged, I went to Parliament House to meet the Minister Of Youth and Sports and I must say the YB is really a pleasant gentleman . After the usual formalities I handed him the letter regarding my cycling proposal and without delay he glanced through it and immediately was on the phone talking to the KSU. He then turned to me and said that the Ministry would support my endeavor and give a cash sponsorship sufficient for my needs. Well, that I must say is a man of action. Thank you Datuk.

Here I must register my thanks to Datuk Johan Jaaffar who right from the start has played a big role in getting things moving . He can have all the teh tarik and the apam he likes the next time I see him at Warung Rus.

I still have many things to do before the official flag off from KBS on the 26th of May. The bicycle needs to be properly checked and serviced , spares to to acquire and other necessities to be checked to ensure that nothing is left out.

Tomorrow will be another hectic day to plan the schedule of the ride from Putrajaya to Bukit Kayu Hitam. This will be done with the collaboration of St John Ambulance Malaysia under Mr Burnard Yeo And the Ministry Of Youth and Sports. Hope all will turn out well.

That's all for now.

Regards,
Adnan

Monday, May 19, 2008

Vesak Day meeting

With Warung Rus closed I had to join Cikgu Ahmad at the Kedai Mamak 18 jam for his breakfast. We were then by Cikgu Lee and later still by Jombo and his wife Betty. We talked about old times as all of us were together at one time or another during the last 40 over years. Another Brinsfordian passed away yesterday and we can't help but lament the fact that our numbers are fast decreasing. For those who are still around some are not so lucky and have to cope with problems like blood pressure ,gout, diabetes ,arthritis, osteoporosis and other health complications. For those who are lucky enough to enjoy good health let us thank God and pray that we continue to be so for the rest of our lives.

Jimbo and Betty will be leaving for Auckland at the end of the month to join their daughter who is expecting her first child. Both are looking forward to be a grandmother and grandfather for the first time. Bon voyage and all the best to them.

In the evening after my usual cycling around Jalan Tanjung /EPF area I joined Datuk Johan at the warung by the lake at Taman Jaya,PJ for drinks and continued our usual borak kosong . Datuk Johan is a regular hiker at Bukit Gasing ,either alone or with his aide Nan and after the hike we often meet up at Raju or Taman Jaya. Today Cikgu Mat and Lee joined us and today's hot topic is about Tun Mahatir's resignation from UMNO. One thing for sure there's never a dull day in Malaysia since the political tsunami of March 8th. I'd rather leave the political discussions and debates to others.

Tomorrow morning I have an appointment with the Minister of Youth and Sports at Parliament house . Due to some administrative bungling at the Ministry ,the Minister has yet to receive the letter I personally handed over to his staff on the 17 floor on the 5th May.The letter is regarding my cycling marathon to China. Through Datuk Johan's article that appeared in theNSTP on 3rd May the Minister wants to personally look into it. My only hope is that something favorable will come out of the meeting as many changes have taken place since my first letter to the Ministry in January that was under a different minister. To tell you the truth ,if not for Datuk Johan I would not bother to go and meet the Minister. Wish me luck.

Look out for my next blog.

Regards

Adnan

Sunday, May 18, 2008

Sunday chat


Hi Guys,

Nothing much happened since my first posting yesterday but a regular at Warung Rus called me to express his disappointment because I didn't mention his name with the group at the Warung. Of course I apologise for the omission. How could I not remember Cikgu Lee who's been one of those feeding me with lots of facts about China.He himself has been to China some years back and in fact gave me two books on China for reference. He is insistent that I locate a certain village that he missed while there. The village is ruled by women .The women do not marry but free to choose any man they fancy to fulfill their physical needs besides ensuring the continued existence of the species. The off springs are then cared for by the whole community. Being the 'macho' that he is I have been tasked to locate the village and do the needful. If things turn out to be favourable I am to immediately inform him and he'd catch the first flight out to this so called 'Miao" village - he is confident that he'd be able to persuade them to make him their leader. Apparently this system have been in place for many generations. I have located this village on the map and although is a little way off my route I promised Lee that I'd be happy to do him a favour and check it out for him. His worry however is, that this could be my final destination and that he's not going to ever hear another word from me. He, he

Warung Rus is closed for Wesak Day so there won't be the usual noise and activity in the vicinity. For some the closure means that they have to go without Kamariah' s apam for two days in a row. How they'll manage is anybody's guess.

Until next time , take care.

Adnan

Saturday, May 17, 2008

My First Blog on KL-Beijing Cycling Marathon

Welcome to my blog.
This blog is created to facilitate updates of my cycling trip to Beijing and for those who are interested to keep track of my progress when the actual cycling begins on the 26th of May 2008.
I'd like to record my thanks to the following for making the trip possible: Datuk Johan Jaaffar for highlighting my intentions to various people including the media albeit with hardly any positive response; St John Ambulance Malaysia for the assistance given from conducting instructions in first aid, providing first aid necessities,and agreeing to provide escort service from KL to Bukit Kayu Hitam during the ride in Malaysia;Dato' Dr Low Bin Tick; Dhyana Low, Burnard K.T.Yeo, and staff of SJAM Kawasan Pantai Selangor.
En Ahmad Mahmud, Shamsuddin Hassan, Datuk Jaafar Lajis, JJ, Hj Kamaruddin ,Alam, Wak Sudin,Pak Agos, Dr Azlan , Basha and many others at Warung Rus.
Datuk Syed Abdul Rahman, Datin Noorlia, Noorain, Sham Boy, Kak Besah, Dr. Amir Lee ,Tuan Haji Goh Eng Chaye , V.Giri, Daniel, Jimbo and many others for their support and encouragement. Also my ex students of RMC esp DR Sham, Kam Kasturi, and Anis Yusal who made me feel young again.
From the USA I would like to thank Dr Kweethai and Dr Steve Stork for their assistance and advice pertaining to training and health considerations.
Mazlan Rahmad for providing the bicycle and introducing me to the cycling group during my first ride to Cameron Highlands.
For the moment, the location of the official flag off of the ride and the time have not been confirmed and I will be announcing it through this blog when all is decided.
I welcome cyclists who would like to join me during my ride from KL to Bukit Kayu Hitam but please be sure to call me so that arrangement can be made to accomodate all the needs. You need not ride all the way ,e.g. you may just want to ride up to Rawang or Tanjung Malim. Some may want to join from Ipoh to Taiping or from Penang to Alor Star or Bukit Kayu Hitam.

That will be all for today and to know more please call me at 6012 6369227. or email: adnan1942@hotmail.com

Best Regards,

Adnan Osman