I was born in Binatang, a small town with a predominantly Foochow population. Anyone growing up in Binatang would almost invariably be able to speak Foochow with an acceptable level of fluency. I am no exception. I am a Hokkien but I too can speak Foochow. My birth certificate and my Malaysian identity card carry Foochow names and my wife ...

“Don’t be dismayed at good-byes. A farewell is necessary before you can meet again. And meeting again, after moments or lifetimes, is certain for those who are friends.” – Richard Bach Friendship is something we should treasure in our lives but often due to the increased demands of the ‘real world’, friendship often wanes and we slowly lose contact with ...

July 7 was D-Day for the Bintangkian Lau Peng Yu Reunion. Though I went to bed at almost 1.30 am, I was wide awake by about 6.30 am, after about 5 hours of sleep. As it was still early, I read “The Girl Who Kicked The Hornet’s Nest” for about 15 minutes before taking a quick shower. At about 7.15 ...

To join the Bintangkian Lau Peng Yu Reunion, I applied for 2 days ‘ leave from my company. I flew by MASWings from Miri to Sibu at 8.35 am on July 6 but due to oversight during my online booking, I had to transit in Bintulu and only reached Sibu at about 10 am. I wish to express my sincere ...

Pint-sized and endlessly musical Malaysian singer-songwriter, guitarist and ukulele player Zee Avi will be performing a special homecoming concert on July 7 at the Miri Indoor Stadium courtesy of the Sarawak State Government. I am a fan of hers and I would love to attend the concert. Unfortunately I will be in Bintangor on July 7 for the Bintangkian Lau ...

“Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.” – Martin Luther King Jr. A central part of the mythology of the criminal justice system is that everyone is treated equally, regardless of his or her race or class. The concept that no one is above the law is a noble one. Like many good ideas, reality usually lags far behind ...

S.H.E.’s Ella Chen and her Malaysian husband, Alvin Lai held their lavish wedding reception at the Equatorial Hotel Malacca last night amidst tight security with a dozen RELA members and 10 bodyguards just to keep pressmen and fans at bay. Their ivory white-themed wedding banquet at the extravagantly decorated Dewan Melaka was attended by around 800 close family members and ...

There is an Irish proverb that goes like this : “Ni ceart go cur le cheile” which translates into “There is no strength without unity.” The proverb tells us that “united we stand, divided we fall”. Unity refers to the condition or state of being one. Unity is powerful.  A strand of string is easily broken. A rope is strong ...

It is a fact that most passengers do not pay any heed to flight security announcements and I personally am guilty of that. But that may soon change if flight attendants follow the example of AirAsia’s Quinton Dinesh Thomas. Tired of passengers not heeding the security announcements, Quinton decided to inject some humour into his routine security announcements. And he ...

I just got back to Miri this afternoon after spending the last two days in Kuching, savouring Kuching’s good food and meeting up with a few old friends whom I have not seen for decades. My eldest brother Tian and I flew to Kuching on Friday afternoon by Air Asia and we put up at the house of my second ...