14.01.2011- 64 IS SOME THING TO BE REMBERED

 

What so important and special about that, one may ask. Well of course to those who do not know the significant - that are just numbers. Rightly so!

To me it is worth the effort and to some extent it is an achievement that I was able to make. There were many occasions that people has carefully plan and out of a thousand it would be lucky if  10 % could really score bull’s eye . I dare say this as I had planned and target the actual date but failed. Well, to others they rather have this occasion before or after as they know they could never really able to achieve the actual date. I have observed and heard lot of people said so. The reasons being either the actual date may not be appropriate, convenient to the celebrant or guests if this PERSON wants to share this occasion to as many of these “special friends”.

Some people really treat this date very special because throughout their lives it is celebrated where possible are used to mark the different stages of their lives. To some people  want to be very serious and so much so that some people may label this person crazy if he /she became too serious. 

By the way can anyone guess what occasion is this I am talking!!!  

Well, the seriousness that I am talking about is not only the exact date, day, hour or even the minute  but the second that would be taken into this precise celebration. Of course so far I have not heard anybody had done this. There is nothing wrong about this apart from people saying that you are gila!!!  I don’t think this is a bad idea. Right?  

By now I am sure everyone knows what I am talking about.

It had been quite a while that I wanted to celebrate my ex-girlfriend’s the day she was born with only the two of us, sort of to be more romantic and loving by just looking at each other and even hold hands while having lunch or dinner some where we could be lost into our own world, back to the times when we just got married!!!  Well, that was just what I had in mind. Later I changed my mind because she was not quite well since three days before that “date”. She had been complaining body pains here and there. I got my son to get her medical chit then the next day I took her to see her Doctor. She got a jab and some tabs to take. The following day she seemed to be ok.

After we had seen her Doctor we went to the place where I proposed to have lunch to celebrate her Birth Day. Made the arranged for the food and told the Captain how I wanted her birthday cake to be brought in after we had the last dish in the menu. Of course she did not suspect why I stopped there and made her waited in the car for quite a while. Then we went home. Later I went out to arrange for the Birth Day cake. Chose the design of a heart and the wording “Happy Birth Day my Love Joan CNN” I ordered cheese cake with less sugar and gave an instruction that the cake must be ready by 11 am for me to pick it up then I would sent it to Wind Bell Tg. Aru.

Cheese Cake for Joan

That night I rang up my buddy friend Anthony Lim and told him that I was inviting him & wife to have fellowship lunch with us and amongst friends. The next morning, three of my girlfriends (Amy, Tina & & Margaret) were coming to my house . I was asked to show them how to brew Snow Lotus Enzyme.

Snow Lotus Yeast Enzyme

This is an enzyme drink. It contains most, if not all of the characteristics of any enzyme drink (the sourness, alcohol taste due to fermentation, etc). The Snow Lotus plant is said to contain medicinal properties and was used for centuries by medical practitioners in China and Tibet to cure diseases and enhance health. Most of the information on the net are available in Chinese though.

Before they came I sent them sms asking them to come on time otherwise they would be penalized and those who come on time would be treated to lunch. That how I got them to make the crowd and I also sent sms to my eldest son, Alex & his wife Jasica, my daughter Joyce & hubby Alvin and my youngest son Alphonso & wife Lisa. Only my youngest son & wife with two of their children, Joshua & Moira came.  As the invitation was sent to them only that morning which came without warning the others could not come because of prior commitments. So to add to the crowd I invited my friends Christopher and Michael and his son.  

The guests...Christopher, Amy, Michael, Alphonso, Joshua, Moira, Lisa, Anthony, Margaret & Tina

It was 11.30 am when I was half way through showing the process how to prepare brewing the Snow Lotus Yeast Enzyme.I left my friends and went to pick up the cake and to send to Wind Bell. Before I left I called Margaret aside and whispered to her that I was going out to arrange for the lunch and told her not to mention it to Joan.   

While I was at the shop to pick up the cake I realized that Joan did know about the lunch so I called one of the ladies but both Margaret’s & Tina’s mobile phone were inactive. I managed to get hold of Amy and got her to listen quietly without mentioning my name when she talked to me. Told her my plan and later asked her to tell Joan to come along and told her to get ready while waiting for me to come back.    

Moira helping her dodu to the birth day candles

When I got home Amy was still persuading Joan to join them for lunch. The idea was that the ladies were the one who wanted to treat her to have lunch. Joan made all kind of excuses for refusing to go. I also tried to persuade her to come but instead she told me to go. There and then I knew I was in deep trouble because the Birth-Day Girl refused to go. Then I said a little prayer to seek for help. After that my son called  as they had been waiting for half an hour already waiting for us to arrive. It seemed my prayer was answered so I told my plan to my son and asked him to talk to his mum that he had arranged the lunch to celebrate her Birth Day. So finally we left for Wind Bell. 

Later when she put two and two together she finally realized that I was the culprit who managed to plot a conspiracy with the girls and our son. Well, the rest is history and the best was I succeeded executing my plan.

The Birth Day Girl and her family

I KNOW MY DARLING JOAN, YOU DO NOT LIKE SUPPRISES NEITHER DO YOU LIKE IF I WERE TO TELL YOU THE TRUTH THAT I WANT TO CELEBRATE YOUR BIRTH DAY. SO FORGIVE ME MY LOVE. WHAT I DID WAS MY WAY TO SAY HOW MUCH I LOVE YOU!!!

To complete my memoir of your birth day celebration darling,  I have chosen this song “The Power of Love” by Celine Dion,  dedicated to you for the occasion. 

 

1st SCC WARGA EMAS XMAS PARTY 2010

Tan Sri Simon & Datuk Thomas were amongst them

I am sure everyone who attended this 1^st Sabah Credit Corporation (SCC) Warga Emas Xmas Party will agree with me that we all had wonderful time and lots of fun. This was my first time to see and listen to the SCC Choir, entertaining us with their harmonious and powerful voices singing the Xmas songs with the full participation of Warga Emas joining in the singing.

We had line dance, poco-poco dance and the Twist Dance completion - some displaying their styles and skill of twisting their hips, knees and as well as their feet. 

Suddenly many were seen that they are still physically alright when come to twisting. 

Sabah Credit Corporation's Choir

 There were plenty of foods too as everyone brought different dishes by way of potluck. The SCC modern tall, handsome Santa, although did not get to see his face because of the long white beard – I know from his body build and what more he has no bulging tommy that how I know. He came to distributes small present to everyone. We were showered with small presents because all the Warga Emas participated in the twit dance too got present and then the exchange of Xmas gifts by everyone.   

Datuk Vincent Pung

Datuk Vincent Pung, the CEO of Sabah Credit Corporation, came to meet us and shook hands to everyone wishing Merry Xmas and Happy New Year. He gave a very meaningful speech where he traced back how the Warga Emas was formed two years ago. He gave tribute to Datuk Thomas Majanil and his retired friends who helped getting the retirees to be members of SCC Warga Emas and now has grown into a bigger family. According to Datuk Vincent one of the Warga Emas pointed to him that SCC Mini Hall seems smaller as the number of retirees getting more and more to join this family of varied and great immense of experiences when added together that in one way or another are able to contribute to the corporation. 

The exchange presents that every one are looking forward to receive

Datuk Vincent gave us the good news as that there is nothing to worry about Mini Hall because soon that hall is going to be expanded as there is already in the pipe line that the wall on the left side is to be taken down making the Mini Hall into a bigger Hall. Therefore he told us to keep bringing our friends to the SCC Warga Emas family. Thank you Datuk and God blesses you your good heart.    

The timing was perfect because the event came to the end just around 12 noon as scheduled in the programme. Just before everyone went back the MC requested us to be the judge which floor has got the most beautiful decoration. There were 4 floors to be judged and the marks to be given were in the range of 1 – 5. I took my time to really look at the decoration and particular attention to the creativity of the layout, design, the choice of colours and materials which I was made to understand they were all recycle ones and the last thing that I wanted to know was the combined effort and team works carried out by every member in putting up the decoration. This I was able to know through the way I interviewed those who manned the respective decorated floor.

Josephine & Sylvester briefed the Decoration TEAM

Both Josephine & Sylvester had satisfied me in the areas of my own criteria of judgment to give my marks. I was very fortunate that both of them were still around and I was impressed the willingness they displayed to draw my attention to the one important aspect of their creation of the decoration, which was the TEAM…. “The gift of giving”. Sylvester was very enthusiastic when he explained the important meaning of the TEAM and the disclosure of the recycled materials they used into making their decoration very environmentally friendly and cost savvy.

 

Both Josephine & Sylvester had satisfied me in the areas of my own criteria of judgment to give my marks. I was very fortunate that both of them were still around and I was impressed the willingness they displayed to draw my attention to the one important aspect of their creation of the decoration, which was the TEAM…. “The gift of giving”. Sylvester was very enthusiastic when he explained the important meaning of the TEAM and the disclosure of the recycled materials they used into making their decoration very environmentally friendly and cost savvy. 

That approach was very good because the moment I step into their compound both of them approached me in a very friendly manner, volunteering information about the creation of their decoration with enthusiastic and confident. To me that is the kind of approach should be applied to every customer when they come to enquire or do their business and it does not matter whether they buy your product or not. The key word is to make your customer feels satisfied and pleased but most importantly they feel comfortably.

I must take my hat off to them both for a well job done. I have no hesitation to give that floor the full mark that I am allowed otherwise it would be more.

Second Floor Decoration

Decoration at the First Floor

After having seen all the decorations at every floor they were all of the same standard and very imaginative, cost savvy and also environmentally friendly because of the recycled materials used. However, very unfortunate I was late to come round to look at the 2^nd, 1^st and the ground floor because those people who manned them had already gone to lunch.

I can vouch strongly that lots of worked and effort had to be done on the ground floor because that floor is the most visited by public. The colours used were very bright and well blended with materials used and heavily decorated floor. 

Ground Floor Decoration

I have noticed that the Sabah Credit Corporations is very dedicated to decorate all the same floors for every festivity occasion such as Christmas, Chinese New Year, Harvest Festival and Hari Raya Puasa. I do not if Depavali  or other festive  sessions are also included in this manner of decoration too.

Here again I would like to know how many other corporate body would take such trouble to celebrate the multicultural festival that are found in our country through decoration like what the Sabah Credit Corporation is doing. Well done! You are the role model and I am proud to be associated with this corporation through its Warga Emas programme.