All of St. Joseph....

Caesar Shim,Jennifer Yap,Muk,Ai Geok,Kenny Goh aka Janet Ho's husband & Richard Koh aka Ai Geok's husband.

Imperial Hotel in-house band entertaining the crowd.

It was a good idea to organise a gathering during the CNY hols for most Miri people would come back from afar. Here you see us, who used to be in the same class from Form 1 -Form 4.

Caesar Shim, who's currently working in Angola.( I have to go to Angola to work so as to be able to pay for my children's education overseas. What to do!! ANGOLA??? Not bad lah,money is good. Would love to work in Miri but where?)

Janet Ho is currently following her husband Kenny Goh,who has his OWN company in Dallas,Texas.

Janet: My son,Gabriel is away in college in Seattle;he's 18 yrs old now.

Ai Geok: I have 7 children & by God's grace He has provided to our every need,ko Ai Geok.

Richard does not have to go to Angola or Dallas to work. God will provide,ko iya. (sob..sob...sob...aku ninga iya nyebut nya..truly being contented with what they have...a doctor,an air stewardess,oil & gas technician & 4 more children still studying)

Muk: I'm ashamed of myself..so bladi uncontented..more..more..give me more.

Jennifer: I'm still single;happy with the status. See,it hasn't killed me,not being married.

Muk: Ya,I know what you mean Jennifer. You don't have any stress lines like us,your married friends. You are better off being single.

Half Centurians posing....Caesar & Janet have just turned 50 in January.

Ai Geok,Jennifer & I are still 49 yrs old.

Bishop Anthony Lee receiving donations from the YBs totalling RM100,000/- to start the ball rolling..

Tossing of Yee Sang

Jennifer Yap,Muk,Ai Geok

David Shim,Ida Ho,daughter & Julia Shim

Mr. & Mrs. Vincent Teo & the Shim sisters

Audrey,if you are reading this blog in Penang..this photo of Rose is specially taken for you. I know how much you miss her.

Mary Francis & Irene Chu aka Irene Cox

Raymond him & Marina Tan at the reception desk

The dinner was in aid of the new St. Joseph's Primary School which is to be relocated to an area in Lopeng.

St. Joseph's Brass Band getting ready at the lobby of Imperial Hotel

...a voice is resounding promptly respond to your duty sweet call

....Answer you all for the trumpets are calling your matters proclaiming her watch word to all
....Forward your children dear ever with heart sincere

...Render with joy to your matter her due..

If you're a Josephian you would know how to sing this song..
Love & Serve your motto's still bearing
If you used to be a student of St. Joseph's School in Miri,you are called to take that money that is in your pocket to build the new St. Joseph's Primary School which will be relocated to a site near the Miri General Hospital. And it is the hope of the building committee to see the school ready to be used by 2011.

According to Bishop Anthony Lee, the money is already there..it's just a matter of taking it out of your pocket.

If there's none in your pocket.......I don't know what to say.

enda betah...

Nico Langgie, Daphnie Maie, Erica Sudan, Gavin Man & Jill Sudan

... rindu meda bala bonding over satay enggau buah limau di malam.

Bisi urang madah bisi ninga bala enggai entu makai buah limau datai ari menua cina laban bekau earthquake suba,bangkai maioh nadai di temu.........leaving it to your imagination.

Enggi aku kada enda 20kg dah di empa,aorh manis endar.

Ni,bisi tanah runtuh baru dinga aku.......

Photos courtesy of Miri Community.Net.

Kring..kring...ring...munyi tipon. "Ni,nama gaga nuan? Nico udah pulai ke KL? Nama bisi tanah runtuh baru dinga aku. Ba depan Grand Palace..ba Kpg Lereng Bukit...bla..bla..,"ko mak aku.

"Pia mak. Meda tv aku nganti Nico tipon,bisi delay flight sida tadi."ko aku.

Nya meh pama diri ke 'connection' tudah mak aku. Bisi urang tipon asoh iya madah ke bisi tanah runtuh. Aku alu surfed net ngiga berita ba Uchukeling. Aku sigi ka nemu..tiap kali aku mansa tempat nya dia aku madah asoh apai Jill pengirau ati meda utai dia. Tumu pagi tadi tak enda ngetu ngetu ujan..naka iya ka ari ke ujan..tak penapat inat munyi ko bala. Mua ari endang nganti ke labuh..tu ujan baru malam lagi.

"Bisi balat begoyang bilun kita tadi,'co,ko aku nanya Nico". "Nadai mi,ko Nico."

Puji Tuhan. (Anak aku Nico baru mulai kediri ke Melaka;1 semester ba Miri ditu training ba law firm. Nya meh munyi ko indai Maie,enda betah endar di tinggal ke anak sekula ba alai bukai. taja pan enda jauh ba menua tasik) Ka "renga" laban....

Had it not been....

Lawyers of the same feathers flocking together......
Osart,Dulles,John Trang,Edward & Angking.


Edward's neighbours

Edward's wife in pink (partly hidden) getting the food ready.

Food was good;catering done by the aunties of his staff.

Money do indeed grow on trees..well at least at Edward's house. His wife plants many pots of the above plants. Some friends swear that the healthy state of the plants(plenty of green leaves/leafy) indicates the 'health' of one's bank account. My plants of that kind dah lama layu & mati. Looking at the way Edward & wife handed out the angpows to the kids just now more or less said/confirmed it all......that every leaf on all the pots(countless pots..I kid you not) is $$$$$$. ....ka ching!!!

....if it had not been for the flood in Kanowit,Edward & family would still be in Kanowit & CNY gathering at their place would be a week later. Edward aka cina kanowit as he always calls himself is very much a kampung boy not only at heart. He goes back to Kanowit whenever he can especially during CNY but this year he decided to give it a miss in view of the flood. Since it's the 3rd day of CNY & also a good day to share the "plentiful harvest"/untung of 2008, he & his wife invited their friends,neighbours & staff to their home. His friends,staff & neighbours juga untung dapat free makan. My..I had so much food...

Dani pagi.....

Di beri fund manager ba counter tutu buah limau with numbers..6 numbers.

Nasi Lemak ba kedai kopi melayu enda jauh ari S'pore Furniture.

...rendang daging & masak hitam. Nyamai sepi aku...semina sambal bisi ka pedas mimit.

.

..ari panas udah nya tebubuh ga ujan. Gari di jembi pan nyau basah baru.

...ngiga alai makai. Biasalah enda nyamai breakfast ba rumah. Nyamai agi kopi ba kedai kopi.

....nama utai di empa? Makai nasi lemak?? makai roti canai??

....makai nasi lemak aja. Asi bedau mansau...2nd round berapi... asi enda cukup,maioh urang take away.

...kenyang. (* *)..window shopping ngagai Parkson.

....maioh urang nuchi mata kia. Kedai bisi diri udah buka.

Lemai tu tadi benong nganti seduai apai Jill & Nico ke jogging, aku bisi nerima text ari Mang madah ke iya,Nangku,Tim & Wawa baru pansut ari medical centre udah bekau ke di tan 5 malam due to high fever. Puji Tuhan nadai apa nama. Aku semina nemu Mang bisi high fever,endu nemu nyau ke semua sida menyanak di warded. Pedis sakit ko iya tang bisi ga aku macha blog nuan pasal Mr. ATM,ko iya. Nuan enda madah diri masuk spital ti enda rajin agi aku update blog ambi bisi di bacha nuan,ko aku. Kada enda high fever bekau kita ke raun haun ke Las Vegas,ko aku. nya meh,Puji Tuhan nadai apa nama. Have a good rest.

Pengidup....

..penuh enggau penguji.
Ba wayang Korea ke siti: Nya kenu,seduai melaki bini tu went about ngiga cara ngidup kediri enggau kena ngidup ke bala anak. Enda mukai mukai di tan ke urang menua sepiak seduai. Laki iya di tan ke urang din,nyadi iya ke indu di release urang ngambi ke pulai ngagai menua iya empu ngiga uang kena ngelepas ke laki iya ke kena tan. Ba iya,udah ga labuh,di tinggang kayu....Nasib bala kawan bini iya tegumpul ke uang kena ngelepas ke iya. Tudah bini iya duie duie meh nyabak,enda nemu chara ngiga duit. Ka nyual tanah nadai ga urang ka meli. Bala bukai ka nulong nadai chara nulong,same same nadai. Maia seduai ke tuntong penusah tu,bala anak nyau tekapa nadai urang ngintu taja pan udah besai tuai. Bala kawan bini iya ke nulong nganjong bala anak ke sekula,bebeli ke utai di empa bala anak. Sekali dua ulih meh bala kawan beranjung enggau bebeli utai ke di empa tang bisi maia ga ka leju ngereja pengawa nya.

Moral of the story ba aku empu:Bala anak mesti di padah,di ajar dalam semua cara idup di dunia tu. Utai ke patut di padah/di temu bala anak ti kitai ke apai indai bisi penusah. Kadang kadang bai kitai ke sayau ke bala anak, kitai enggai mai sida tusah enggau kitai,enggai sida irau ke masaalah kitai ke apai-indai. At times it is not good to keep them in the dark.

Ujan meow & ukui....

One of the many stray cats which finds comfort & solace in my compound...away from the rain.

As biasa ari maia iya ka ujan, iya ujan,maia ini andan ka kentut iya kentut.... Yesterday was no exception..it rained intermittently. So I went to my back door & took some shots of my neighbour's gutters which I intend to show to them so they can see the damage that they had caused to my backyard. The heavy rain caused a big hole in the ground & if left unattended the hole might get bigger. I have to watch for them when they next visit the house. The neighbours are hardly there. They could be away in Brunei.

Lion Dance

The DAP Lion Dance Troupe came to my mum's place this afternoon. Like in previous years without fail at least one Lion Dance Troupe came to perform at my mum's place. Pelaba ke aku mak aku bisi meri ang pow maioh agi nya sida lama agi performed tadi. Udah sida badu "be-tong chay" sekali peda sida mak aku bala anak Iban ke maioh agi enggau dia and one of them ianya anak cousin aku. Ha..ha.. gaji sida RM30/- seari. Pia meh,barang chara ngiga duit asal enda enchuri tau ke nipu urang.

Bisi ngabang nuan,ko urang nanya? Nadai ko aku..nadai entu be-open house urang menua peda aku. Tak sida iya ke penuh ba supermarket lemai mari when they were supposed to be having reunion dinner. Baka lemai tadi ba Bulatan Park,penuh sida jogging. Engka being realistic tudah,utai mar,duit pedis di giga........

Sunflower

A friend was not pleased with this friend of hers when this friend went to her house and upon seeing Vincent van Gogh's "Sunflower" painting on the wall,she said in jest," No wonder your house is small. You've got a van Gogh painting." Ever since we set our eyes,more like D set his eyes on the "Sunflower",he wanted one himself. During the recent CNY Bazaar at High Street,we entered one of the stalls & there stood the above painting. Since we like it so much so we beli lah. If we cannot have the real thing,a 'fake'/reprint/drawing will do.

Mr. ATM

Ha..ha..ha..aku ketawa macha text ari siko kawan ke madah pemisi urang siko. Iya madah"Amat kaya raya sanu. Gaji iya besai,enggi bala anak iya ke kerja pan besai gaji,enda alah di kena duit...beratus ribu ulih sida menyanak sebulan. Kira ke millionaire meh iya diatu ko iya. Millionaire nya tadi ka pulai diau ba menua tu tang bini iya enggai sekali-kali. Kebuah bini iya enggai diau ba menua kitai ditu laban millionaire nya alu nyadi Mr. ATM sida sebilik. Bala menyadi alu bumai bepinta ke duit ari millionaire."
Ko aku nyaut," Engka amat...enda patut ka mula ke pemisi diri ti iya nadai duit."
Nampong cerita nya baru kawan aku: "Nadai salah ga iya nyadi ATM sida sebilik,nulong bala menyadi ke kurang agi datai pemisi ti duit amat enda alah di kena munyi ko iya."

Munyi ko Eileen,"Money would just be some worthless pieces of paper if one does not make use of it/them." (something like that...)

Ngerepair rumah....

Laban ari ke selalu ujan & ribut, nadai enda sebana/serabana bala kawan ke diau ba rumah ke 'agak lama' dan yang baru juga. Along with the rain & ribut,rumah bisi tuduh sini sana;keda nyu penuh bisin dalam rumah kena nambun ai ujan laban tuduh. Ti maia ari enda ujan kitai endang enda nemu nama penyalah rumah kitai.

Nya meh kami dua laki aku alu ngeruboh rumah lama kami duai,alu ngaga baru sekali,ko Linda.

Terok endar laban rumah lama,tuduh kin kitu,ko iya. Ngena ga seduai ngaga rumah baru,manah endar style tu,ko aku.

Mar endar ungkus ngerepair rumah diatu,ko siko. Enggi aku,ngadu rewiring,repair & ngecat datai RM100,000 ko kawan aku siko da agi. Amat utai diatu,nadai rega duit diatu.

Enggi aku pupuk aku,maia ke bisi duit,section by section ngadu ke rumah. Taun siti ngaga pagar,taun siti ngecat,taun baru ngerepair dapur enggau bilik mandi,ko siko.

Kami dua apai iya udah meli rumah barang ko bala anak ngerepair/renovate rumah ko siko.

Alu bedau bedau rumah aku di repair,kenu ko siko,udah bulih EPF ngerepair rumah,tak enda enda aku ngerepair rumah,nyu kena nyekul ke anak,ko kawan siko.

Ni nuan deh Muk? Section by section..ka ngerepair ceiling bilik tindok enda alah soft board ceiling labuh ninggang aku. Enda sinu kita ninga ti aku kena tinggang soft board ceiling bilik tindok. ha..ha..ha...

Cara mupuk pupuk meh ngerepair rumah....

Project Buang Sayang....

Aku ketawa ninga/macha text ari kawan madah ke iya ngadu /buang- sayang utai ba store. Sebedau Xmas tu tadi penuh kereta pick-up cousin aku alai aku buang-sayang bala books anak,baju,mags..macam-macam utai. Lama utai nya udah di tepu aku ba the big black garbage bags. Bulan siti nganti bulan siti,taun pan dah abis bedau ga utai ke ka di buang nya di buai,agi sayau..ni nemu bisi agi guna enggau iya,ko aku. Alu enda meh nya di buai..tu tadi tutup mata aja aku alu ngasoh bala ngambi bags nya. Nama agi,sida mags ke selalu di beli aku ba tamu di tunu kena nepuk nyamuk,baju baju ke agi ulih di kena di bagi bala. Gap endar indai sanu ngena baju kebaya nuan wai,ko bala. Manah meh nya..bisi tau agi di guna/kena.
Agi on going meh project buang sayang aku tu. Bala sida tableclothes,cushion covers & curtains ke udah faded tang sayau ka muai,baju seluar linen ke kena beberapa kali carik mimit,sayau ka muai,t shirts ke carik ka di buai tang agi ulih kena maia tinduk penuh ba cupboard tang sayau ka muai.
Wai,wai,ko cousin aku...kami ke diau ba rumah panjai nadai ngena t shirts carik baka kita ke di nengri. Kasih..kasih..kena kami ngelap kaki gari kain ke udah carik luyak.
OK..OK..buai aja..

gambar ba BPost

Aku ti aku beganjuh ke pasar Miri aku jarang ngena jalai Miri/Pujut Rd;selalu agi aku nengah jalai Desa Seri/Boulevard. Tu pagi tadi kami menyanak bisi mansa petrol station ke kena tanah runtuh. Balat endar gamal utai dia,engka made worst by bala excavation/rescue team begiga pekerja 2 iko nya .Aroh nadai jalai tudah ngelari kediri. Tu 2 iti gambar sempat di kacit ke Nico,pulai kami sembiang tadi. May they rest in peace.

Lunch @ Pete's Deli

roast chicken,,chicken pies/meat pies,etc.,

Lasagna

Oxtail stew @RM28/-per plate with rice. Nyamai....

ATTACK!!!Apa tunggu lagi.........jangan segan jangan malu,buatlah macam sendiri yang bayar.

Sekali sekala kami menyanak nganjung diri makai ngagai Pete's Deli (opposite SMK Chung Hua,BrightonRoad),kedai makai nyendia ke sida pies,oxtail stew & maioh agi macam utai di jual sida dia. Enda tentu tau suah kia,balat pangkong rega utai tang ti makai oxtail stew,enda lebu mayar ngemar nya..satisfaction guaranteed! semina enda entu ulih teraie udah makai laban bedau ulih ngasoh kenyang. Tang ti udah makai 2 plates of that,nya baru bisi bekesan..al-ham_ _ _ __ _!!!

Here comes the sun....ta da da da

The sun..the sun..the sun....

Magazines....

If you like shoes that glitter.......

Nice pairs of flat shoes @RM40/-

The sun came out yesterday forcing & fighting its way out of the thick clouds. It was 'alive' & 'smiling' the whole day shinning as if nothing happened several hours ago. I am sure most of you except for some heard about the landslide that occurred at a shell petrol station opposite Bintang Plaza.The landslide claimed 2 lives,that of the workers working there. As usual while we were on our way to 2020,I saw cars crawling along Pujut Road after the Pujut Flyover. I thought it was just another accident because lately,it's jam sini sana because of the CNY shopping. I saw Joey,aling Uchuku directing traffic & it was only when my cousin phoned from Pakut that we knew what happened. He said he heard it over the radio.

After breakfast we went to E-mart as my mum & Nel wanted to buy ikan keli..so off we went. They went to buy ikan keli,I went to see the shops & stores/stall. There must be 'hundreds' of phone shops in E-mart alone. Some friends claim that the handphones there are cheaper than those for sale in the various shopping malls. The place was packed;saw 2 Brunei buses at the parking lots. The buses have become the mode of transportation for the Bruneians when they come to Miri because their cars have always been the targets for car thieves to make a fast buck.

Like most Fridays,the tamu at Sarberkas came alive yesterday. While some friends headed to the FOS to get baju, I went to the magazine stall & bought some Home magazines.

One or two glasses of ice lemon tea is a must after 'inspecting' the stalls & where else to have it if not at Aseanika Coffeeshop & some satay....

Bisi urang ari KL tipon nanya nama aku nadai upload gambar TERKINI..utai ke happening di Miri. Enggai nyadi post gambar ba blog laban nadai ulih ngambar & drive at the same time.Maioh meh utai terjadi di Miri,utai ke di pansa aku ba jalai tang enggai nyadi ngetu alu ngambar.Ti gambar ke beparty..yahoo..yahoo,kawin..bedau bisi lah. Taun tu alu nadai bala kawan invite ngagai anak kawin..engka bedau kawin meh bala anak.
Maioh bala meri comment madah ke rindu meda gambar ke di upload aku. Ari gambarnya bala ngelala sapa bagi sapa;sapa nama sida. Kadang kadang kitai semina nemu nama pangan tang enda kala bepeda tau ke kala bepeda tang enda nemu nama.

Kami menyanak tadi baru pulai ari Kedai Wong;bendar tudah waitress Wong madah ke sida kena bah. Ai maia malam ari minggu datai ba kaki 5 kedai. Balat amat bah dia ko iya...kaki 5 tu enggai nyadi alai bejalai,ko iya. Nasib alai kami nadai bah.

Kini kitai raun taun tu,Ni,ko bala nanya? Taun nyin suba kami ke Bali so taun tu kami bisi ka ngagai tempat ke........................................................Ti kita bala kaban ka enggau kami raun,anang malu madah ka enggau.
Nama agi cerita? Nadai agi modal tu...enggai ke nyu bula pengujung iya ti amat nadai cerita di tusoi.

www.endunbelalai.blogspot.com

...ngagai Endun Belalai ke lama udah belalai ngelama tu,time to stop belalai. Pansut meh Endun. Ha..ha..ketawa aku ninga nuan ngaga nama blog nuan baka tu. Ha..bacha dia meh cerita.

Sad Movie.....

a Korean movie seen on tv......Not too long ago,Ujin had everything good going for her & her family. You just name it baby,munyi ko apai ema (ko indai Hon) she had everything. At one time she even had 2 maids to take care of her children & to clean the house. Money was the least of her problem when business was damn good. So along with good living the children got spoilt too. What they wanted was always granted;breakfast,brunch,lunch,tea,dinner & supper were taken at the various restaurants,fastfood outlets..munyi ko apai ema tadi,you name it baby...
Then business failed..it failed so badly.
Ujin's children who were so used to good living still wanted to live the good life. They were so used to having the maids done everything for them that they did not know what & how to do most things. Who got to to pick the pieces? Ujin lah. Who was to blame? Ujin lah..Who suffered?All in the family suffered but Ujin suffered more. Each time Ujin met her friend for makan,she would shed a bucketful of tears thinking about the misfortune. She talked of the good times when she received JUTA,munyi ko Abau. How about the children?Still thinking that they still had the means to go on living the good life because Ujin did not want her children to worry.When Ujin's friends asked her to tell off her children,she felt hurt. Instead of being grateful for the so called advice she pulak said that her friends' children were no better than her children.
Munyi ko Jinet,"Let you lie there.."
The sad movie just ended like that......

Success story...

Not too long ago when my children were at school,just before I fetched them home I usually spent time with a friend at her shop. Sometimes the two of us sat at Sau Pau or some other kopi tiam discussing the 'facts of life'. I found her views to be interesting though at times a bit 'communistic' if there is such a word to describe her views on life. Since she's always a busy lady doing her business raising 3 boys & her husband being away at work,she taught her children from a very tender age to be on their own. She taught them to do their own cleaning of the house,washing & ironing their own clothes,their school shoes,just about everything was left for them to do on their own. At first I thought that was very 'un-motherly' to have the children do everything for themselves. Back to the present day,I have been wrong to judge my friend for she has trained her children to be responsible & the part about not wasting be it food or money unnecessarily, also benefits her children. When they went away to study in the various universities I hardly heard my friend complaining that her sons always asked her to send money to them. Now, her 3 sons are engineers... whenever I meet her,she is always seen smiling,having breakfast with one of her sons or with her grandson & her husband.
"My children very good one...they give me money,pay the household bills,the house assesement,give me pocket money,pay for myinsurance,etc.,.They give their father,too even though he's got his pencen/pension."
Wah your sons very good lah......................lucky you.

What would 2009 hold/have for us?

Now that we are into the 2nd week of the new year,reality begins to set in. We could be forgiven to even believe that 2009 would be better than 2008 when we started bombarding friends & relatives with all the best wishes for the new year through the sms. I managed to let my Miri Xmas tree rest nicely or more like roughly in that big black garbage bag until December when the carollers come-a-carolling again. Hey,blink..blink blink and it will be ching ching ching again. From past records,Xmas mood started in October so that's only less than 10 months to go.

To borrow from Endu in her text to me last Thursday,she said after putting the xmas tree away,it's now time for 'cheng cheng cheng',referring to the sound of the lion dance's tong tong cheng. Dhinese New Year is only a few days away.

If we were to use the various festivals to count our days in 2009,then the year would go as quickly as it came. As I was reading the first page of a 'daily bread' book,the questions that the writer wrote were quite something for me to think about. Questions like:Will our health, including our loved ones,hold for the rest of the year? Will we have food on our table,roof over our head?Will we get to see the end of the year? So many questions..will the economy improve? Will the prices of rubber,oil palm,pepper & others go up? Will this..will that???? Questions after questions. As of now,the rain has brought disasters in most area;padi fields are flooded,people can't go out to tap rubber because of the rain.

However after reading this verse"Do not be discouraged,for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go." Joshua 1:9 ,I feel encouraged to face the days ahead for I believe that God will be with us as He has always been during our difficult times.

Amen to that.

That brings to mind about what happened during the 1997 economic downturn,how the churches in S'pore reported a big jump in church attendance and some other places. It's true when we do not have a care in the world,we tend to forget Our Heavenly Father. Maybe this global recession which usually happens every 10 years or less, happens for a reason..to keep our feet firmly on the ground while we try to reach for the stars. For all we know,the building of the new church would finally take off..more people go to church,more people give,more money comes in...bla..bla..bla. Okay lah ti sentence udah bla..bla..bla..nadai agi utai di kejako lah nya.

Ciao!!!