Keris

Family heirloom got a new meaning for us recently. This keris was handed to the family after much research has led us back to our roots in Sumatera. Apparently it belonged to our forefathers who made the journey across the Malacca Straits nearly 300 years ago.

The casing is new but the blade and the 'ulu' (handle) is original and purportedly made 900 years ago.
I have half a mind to send it for carbon dating but why destroy the magic? Apparently our ancestor left it behind and the keris was kept by another family. Once it was ascertained that we were the rightful heirs, my dad received the keris during a handover ceremony in Padang.

Unfortunately I couldn't go along. It was a whole village affair and I could just imagine the fanfare. Lo and behold, I am the 7th generation since Dato' Jannaton decided to set sail for Penang.

Bandung Beautiful

This was my first overseas golf holiday. It turns out to be more of a shopping holiday than golfing. Nevertheless, the golf courses we played were breathtaking to say the least. Many thanks to Pak Budi (our faithful guide and friend) for enduring the adhoc schedule we came up with. Mind you, our itinerary changed every 7 minutes! Here are some photos of Bandung and her people...

The many faces of Josh

Kids make you better people. Never knew how to handle being a parent before but nature takes its course and you just... know. Call it instinct, call it whatever but the bond is real! Of course mothers have the added advantage of biology. Us dads have to earn it!

Heritage in a concrete jungle...

Only a few weeks ago KL was plagued with a bad case of haze courtesy of our friendly neighbour. Below you see before and after shots from my office. It's nice to be able to see the mountain range in the back again to remind us what the phrase 'Klang Valley' really means.


Working in the oldest part of KL where the city literally began, I get to see the remnants of the past everyday. It is quite disheartening to see no great effort is taken to protect and conserve these majestic shophouses from ruin. Singapore for all its metropolitan lifestyle has whole areas in the city refurbished by the government preserving the buildings of old.

Here, it is up to building owners to conserve but not everyone has deep coffers to do a good job of it. With the rent control still in effect, the owners have no impetus to revive their buildings to meet current building codes. Sad!
Having said that, a rich entrepreneur may still be able to swoop in on a few spots in KL that has great potential. If you are one, get in touch with me for some ideas. We can do the whole nine yards of luxury city dwellings, to vogue eateries, to haute couture shopping. If you think YTL has done that, the good Tan Sri missed out a few spots. Email me, Mr. Trump!

Did you know that KL is the only city with a natural tropical rainforest right smack in the middle? It also houses my alma mater which can be seen here. There used to be cable cars going up Bukit Nanas when we first moved to KL. Now, that would have been one novelty worth preserving for this city. One of these days, I'll walk along her streets with my camera and try to capture the essence that is KL. Watch this space!