For the good times…

My first posting as a qualified teacher was to this little town called Kanowit in 1978 and in December that year, I went on a holiday to visit some of my friends in Kuala Lumpur as well as Singapore. That was the time when I bought my very first radio-cassette player in the island republic – my SHARP GF9191…

*My SHARP GF9191, 2012*

It was my constant companion all my five years in that small and somewhat isolated town and to entertain myself, I would play my cassette tapes on it and listen to my favourite songs all through the day and night…

*My SHARP GF9191 and me, 1981*

It was also my means of communication with the outside world as I would listen to the news and all the programmes of my choice on the radio. We did not have any FM then so I had to listen to the local Sarawak station on the medium wave (MW) band and to the stations of other countries on short wave (SW).

We were the pioneers of that secondary school in the little rural town, the founding fathers, and temporarily, we had to share the premises of a Chinese primary school in the town. Thus, we had to make do without many things and the school did not have much when it came to audio-visual equipment. School assemblies were held in the open and the principal had to use a portable loud hailer to speak to the kids.

But thanks to my SHARP GF9191, I was able to use it in my English lessons whenever I had the opportunity to use songs to teach the language in the classroom. Needless to say, the students enjoyed its high fidelity stereo sound reproduction a lot and were all ears and very interested throughout.

It certainly came in useful as well during school functions like Teachers’ Day when we would hold concerts and I would play the music on my SHARP GF9191…

*Teachers’ Day, 1980*

…while my students performed the dances that I taught them…

*National Day (Hari Kebangsaan), 1979*

…and we also used it for talks and forums like this one which we, the teachers, conducted at the town community hall to share with the students our views on the importance of reading…

*Forum on Reading, 1979*

One advantage of the SHARP GF9191 was the fact that it was portable and it could run on batteries. Thus, I could bring it along whenever I went on picnics…

*November, 1979*

…with my friends and students…

*At the Kanowit sandbank, 1980*

…at strategic scenic spots along the Kanowit or  Rejang River.

It has been over 30 years now but the beautiful memories of those wonderful times, all the joy and the laughter that we shared. remain crystal clear in my mind to be treasured and cherished forever.

Thank you so very much, SHARP, and congratulations on your 100th Anniversary…

Mix it up…

Gee! How time flies! It has been way over a week since Father’s Day and since Melissa left home after her holidays ended. She insisted on celebrating the occasion two days earlier as she would be flying off the next day, Saturday and since she wanted shabu-shabu for  a change, we went to this place…

…where I would usually go in the morning for the dim sum.

I don’t know if there are any options as they never asked and just gave us a pot of broth which they probably had brewed using this combination of herbs…

We ordered the mixed meat set…

…and the seafood set…

…as well as the vegetable set…

…and as soon as the soup had started boiling, we put everything in and mixed it all up…

I must say that it was very nice, the soup especially – after everything had cooked…

It became very much sweeter and I enjoyed it a lot. I must add here also that the blended chili sauce was simply out of this world and I dipped everything so very generously in it that I had to get a second helping and then, a third – it was that good, I tell you.

However, despite the fact that there was quite a lot  to eat and everybody was very full after we had finished everything, I did feel that there could be much more than what came in the sets especially in view of the fact that the bill came up to over RM60 for three persons. With that kind of money, we could have much nicer stuff and a lot more too if we were to have our own steamboat at home…or if we were to go to this eat-all-you-can BBQ steamboat place instead…but of course the latter isn’t air-conditioned (and the place isn’t very nice) and for this reason alone, I certainly would think twice about going there as the weather had not been very kind lately – so dry and so very hot that my fat was melting in the heat… LOL!!!

Anyway, at least it was a nice enough dinner for everybody and most of all, we had the chance to spend some family time together while celebrating the auspicious day that comes only once a year.