Wedding Day Moments - 23 October 2010

Image Credit for above: Mr Yong Chung Shen

Image credits for above and below:  Miss Adelyn Yong

 

There Are Places

There are places I remember.....

Above: The Harbour at Ulladulla, NSW South Coast.


All my life

Above: A corner of Sydney's emerald Harbour.

Above: Mollymook's enchanting and panoramic views.

All these places have their moments, I still can recall......

                       Above:  A placid change to Manly Beach, north of Sydney,on a week day.

I've loved them all........

                           Above:  Rosie,who dropped by every morning at the Henley Point townhouse.



Lyric Credits from the composition "All My Life" by Chantal Kreviazuk and inspired by the singing of Jose Feliciano

Long Ago and Far Away

I glanced at beyond the ornate glass door to the left of my dining table.  The heavy rains had created a misty effect showering the hills lined up on the coast. I was reminded of Somerset Maugham and perhaps this was his inspiration for his novel entitled 'Rain".  At the same time, it dawned on me on how hilly the island is, a fact not brought out before in the way how the skyscrapers now contrasted with the natural steep slopes.  I thought of isles in the South Pacific which revealed their underwater mountain peaks as jagged piercings into the humid tropical swirling atmosphere.  The inter-monsoon rains had come down on this particular isle - my home island - for the past few days, and it showed in the heady moist air and cooling breezes that offered comfort to the swaying palms and colonial age stone ramparts protecting the hotel from the sea.

Behind May, the sea did however look placid and calm. The swimming pool deck was absolutely damp but there were some guests who still could not resist from sitting out there doing literally nothing - but actually relishing the views and soaking in the timeliness of this corner of Earth so far away from their homes and routine. In the washrooms, elegantly tiled floors matched the old fashioned set up, complete with potted plants and high ceilings. One could walk through vistas of architecture from another age, another time - and still get all the modern comforts of pampered service, relaxing drinks at the bar and delicately prepared locally inpsired cuisine.  It was initially strange that May and I took hotel prepared street hawker food, and they were dished up tasty and well - but then such food are becomong more of a rarity and hardly served in such comfortable surrounds.

Sarkis Bar has shades of the Raffles Bar located an hour by plane flying  south, but was obviously started in the same spirit and desire for both. In the late afternoon, before Happy Hours, there was a potential connundrum in that there were very few locals, only the varying Euro voices of visitors jabbing the lazy ambience.  There were groups of Indians at some tables and most of the staff were behind the counter. May and I chatted about the recently restored Suffolk House, the very first official residence of the island's founder, Captain Francis Light. The timing could not have been a coincidence, as Georgetown was declared a joint UNESCO heritage site only a few years ago. Sentiment and longing cannot bring into reality something which should have been completed long ago - in today's world, as in the past for human societies, funding and political backing are important.  It must be acknowledged that for whatever reason, Suffolk House was allowed to literally rot for a few generations until now. 

Down Gurney Drive, a new set of commercial hotels have sprung up, but also beside the bay. These were part of the skyscrapers that I had a glimpse of whilst sipping my coffee and consuming my plate of char koay teow (Penang-styled stir fried rice noodles).  The new fangled hotels may look the same all over the world, but they are in their prime and currency. How does one embrace the new while ensuring one's uniqueness?  This may precisely be the challenge and opportunity for Penang's Eastern & Oriental Hotel, which has to be relevant not just for tourists with greater purchasing power,  but also ensure its continued place in the soul of Penangites.

On  the day I re-visited, the E & O hosted a sizeable buffet lunch for the employees of the island's US multinational business called Intel.  Although it was  a weekday, the wholesome sized and round  shaped lobby had greeters adding to the bositerous liveliness of the publicly accessible areas. In contrast, the compulsory gift shop was empty, although beautifully decorated with aretfacts and souvenirs of the various influences that have shaped my home island - from Thai masks, Indian fabric and Straits Chinese books to Royal Selangor pewter.  What was Suffolk House like in its heyday?  Could we have seen the young Colonel William Light, son of Francis, cavorting with a maiden amongst its pillars?  Today, chamber music have returned to Suffolk House, but we need more than that.   

On The Wing of a Bird, or Tail of a Roo

On flight SQ221, I noticed a  child who is unusually tall for her age and demeanour.  She reminded one of  a budding Singapore Girl, the iconic enduring symbol for what Singapore Airlines has stood for in all these past forty or so years. I then wondered about where the original Singapore Girls- like those from the eighties and even before the new Millennium - have landed up today. Every new SQ flight seems to have an endless supply of the slim and cheek-boned female crew that the airline projects - and delivers. How are the incumbent Singapore Girls managing their career - and more importantly,  life?

Whilst Qantas continues its ever apparent consistent  recent pattern of delivering the occasional aircraft performance incident, and budget airlines in South-east Asia persist with late arrivals of aircraft and the inevitable flying delays, Singapore Airlines offers  no more irritation than provide the incorrect economy class menu on board and/or misplace checked -in bags at certain busy transfers. This may have been echoed in their current retiring CEO's remark on CNBC that despite economic downturns and volatility, there are still market segments who choose to and can pay more for their experience with SIA.

Sydney International Airport terminals have finally refurbished their retail outlets in an obvious move to catch up with the major airports up north like Seoul, Chep Lap Kok and Changi. Creating a pleasant shopping mall is one thing - charging sky high vehicle parking fees and not streamlining passenger arrivals with the Australian customs checking imperatives are natters that need to be seriously resolved..  Sydney offers ridiculous ten or fifteen minute complimentary parking arrangements for vehicles picking up arriving passengers, knowing that these are never practical. The insincerity of such management directives will surely lead to how airlines and passengers vote with their choice of flights. Holding customers in monopolistic captivity is never a viable free market strategy.  Again, one reflects on the sudden strikes around Christmas, Easter and when the air travel  customer is most vulnerable. And Sydney is the primary base for Qantas.

Whilst both Singapore Air and Qantas do in their own way to keep their operating margins and travel reputation, each airline takes a different approach. One can overwhelm with attention and care for details, whilst the other can underwhelm with chosen attitude and minimalism. One shows hunger coming from an island with little natural resources, and the other also comes from an island, but one  with so much natural wealth. Both are continuing pioneers in their selected business - one sits at the trade and travel cross hubs of the world, and another  seems to be sitting on the corner of the Earth.  Most of the original Singapore Girls no longer fly the globe as cabin crew, whilst one can bet that you can still spot the odd  veteran Qantas stewardess from a few decades ago. One airline represents the Lucky Country, whilst the other comes from a nation that was not even supposed to actually survive on the cusp of its political independence.  Both serve ice cream and fruits on board.  One has more choice of wines to reflect its desired cosmopolitan image, whilst another strongly supports its home grown vino culture. Both have invested in new aircraft for the future - but what about relative confidence in the hearts of its paying clients?

The Art of Making Eenh

Eenh, the Fujian term for round rice flour balls served in syrup, significes wholesomeness,

fertility and promise. Hence this is a simple but much appreciated concoction

used to herald spring; celebrate marriages and births; and substitute for eggs as symbolic

icons in the middlke of winter.

Often coloured for festivity or left pure elegant white, the act of hand crafting these balls have

become acts of family ritual. The dough is usually started off by someone who has achieved much in life, to ensure

an auspicious beginning to the process. One cannot partake much of these cooked dough balls, but one must, to share in the abundance, joy and hope.

All image credits above - Miss Adelyn Yong of Auckland, New Zealand. 22 October 2010