Merry Christmas!

As the title suggests, Merry Christmas everyone!

This year, I celebrated Christmas in a very humble manner. To start with, I missed Christmas eve dinner with my family. I was with my swim team; coaching, teaching, solving problems, working.

Luckily, my family was forgiving and left some Christmas eve dinner for me.

I had chicken, turkey, lamb, potato wedges, cranberry sauce for the turkey, and salad. The turkey was quite good this year, but the lamb was a bit tough and the chicken a bit dry. But then again, who am I to complain?

Christmas lunch was even more scaled down ... I had fish broth, and for Christmas dinner, my Mum and I had duck broth with mee and koay teow.

A humble Christmas for a humble year. Things can only get better.

MASUM 2012 in Sarawak

From the 9th to 16th April, I accompanied the Universiti Sains Malaysia Pusat Kecermerlangan Sukan (USM-PKS) Swim Team to Kuching, Sarawak for the National University Games, or more commonly known as MASUM.

My stay in Kuching was not a comfortable one. My room at MyGalleria in Kota Samarahan was very dirty and dusty and the apartment itself didn't have any running water. I learned later that some of the athlete's apartments didn't even have mattresses.

The moment I checked into my room, I developed an allergy problem due to the dust. As a result, I ended up in the UNIMAS Hospital Emergency Room on my very first night in Kuching!

Fortunately, the USM Secretariat went into action and found everyone better accommodations the next day. But I swear, I was prepared to buy a plane ticket home after my dusty experience at MyGalleria.

The MASUM meet was similar to all other meets that I had attended countless times. But during this meet, I felt like a fish out of water; I didn't notice any other coaches with stop watches taking splits and stroke rates on the deck.

The team officials didn't seem interested in how well their swimmers performed, but rather, how many gold medals their team won. This got me thinking.

Overall, the USM swim team won 4 gold, 9 silver and 11 bronze medals as well as broke 3 meet records. This is an admirable achievement and credit must be given to the Team Captains / Coaches Lim Ben and Mandy Yeap for this success.

To be honest, the meet itself was boring for me. Each day's events ended by 1:30 PM and personally, I just couldn't wait till lunch where I could enjoy a good meal and a good shower and return to my bed.

When the MASUM meet ended, the USM team had to stay an extra two days in Kuching. This meant we had two days of nothing to do and we had to come up with our own forms of entertainment. Luckily, being in the company of resourceful young adults, we managed to rent a few cars and even had a short tour of Kuching.

We visited malls, notably The Spring and Boulevard, and even watched the movie "Battleship" at MBO Theatres at The Spring Megamall.

The movie was loud and full of CGI. The storyline was not realistic and not something you would remember in 6 months' time. But it was entertaining nonetheless, and something needed to pass the time.

We also visited the Cat Museum and the Kuching waterfront.

We made trips to Kueh Lapis shops where everyone feasted and enjoyed themselves on the free samples.

We also had an excellent seafood dinner at TopSpot Kuching. There, we sampled the paku pakis dish - a Kuching speciality.

This vegetable dish looked very much like the paku pakis fern leaf that you'd commonly find anywhere in the rain forest. Cooked with belacan, this vege dish was very delicious.

Towards the end of our stay, we visited numerous souvenir shops and undoubtedly boosted the Kuching economy with our many purchases.

Honestly speaking, the best experience that I had during my stay in Kuching is the food. Most notably, Kueh Chap from Chinatown. This dish was introduced to me by Lim Ben, the Captain and Coach of the USM Swim Team.

Kueh Chap is strictly non-halal and is made up of a broth with oversized kueh teow (hence the kueh in the dish), pork fat, pork innards and pork bits. Not something for the weak-hearted but very tasty and had me coming back for more.

Another of Kuching's favourite dishes that I enjoyed is Kolok Mee:

The above is the halal mixed seafood Kolok Mee bought at the food court in The Spring Megamall.

Kolok Mee is similar to Penang's Wan Tan Mee, but without the wan tan or dark gravy but with different seasoning. It can be dry to some, but when stirred and mixed thoroughly, it is very tasty. The above picture shows Kolok Mee with pork and pork satay.

Another memorable experience that I had was our visit to Jong's Crocodile Farm. The crocodile farm has hundreds, if not thousands of crocodiles either captured from the wild or bred from captivity. We were lucky to reach the farm in time to see their "crocodile feeding time" or "jumping crocodile show":

These crocs reminded me of the one in the movie "Hook".

Some other pics of the residents of the crocodile farm:

This guy was in a bad mood and was ready to lunge at us. Note those beady eyes staring at me ...

Looking at this picture, I can't remember getting so close to this monster. If he had lunged or snapped at me, I would probably had screamed and ran away like a girl!

All the crocs in the farm appear well-fed. They spent most of the time basking in the sun.

Cooling off. Either that, or waiting for his lunch with the camera (me!) to come closer.

One of the oldest and largest crocs in the farm. I was told that some of the crocs here were man-eaters. I'm not sure if this is one of them.

Some non-reptile residents of the farm.

I left Kuching with some mixed feelings. I can't exactly say that I haven't enjoyed my time there, but I still feel that the 8 days spent there was too long.

One thing that I will miss from Kuching is the Kueh Chap. I also didn't get to try their famous Sarawak Laksa or the Kuching Tomato Noodles. Maybe on the next trip ...

But meanwhile, it's good to be home.

Jealousy

 

... or too old ... 

The ancient Greek dramatist Aeschylus wrote: "It is in the character of very few men to honor without envy a friend who has prospered."

Today, I experienced this first-hand and from a least-expected "friend".

Another memorable team outing

We held another team outing today and watched Dr. Seuss' The Lorax. At first I thought it was going to be another kiddy movie, but the quote at the end of the movie did prove meaningful to me:

“Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot,
Nothing is going to get better.
It's not. -- Dr. Seuss”

Ironic that this quote applies to my current predicament.

Some pics:

Arielle multi-tasking: 1) trying to block my shot, 2) texting, and 3) eating.

Sean and John at Sushi King.

The rest of the group at Sushi King.

Team photo before we departed for home (Arielle had left already).

This will be our last team outing for a very, very long time. But I had an awesome time with everyone today.

Puff the Magic Dragon

When I started coaching, I never thought it would be a full-time career for me. But today it is. I initially started off as a music teacher. But circumstances forced me to abandon that field.

Two things that both my music and swimming careers share in common are teaching and children. I enjoy teaching kids, and I enjoy imparting my knowledge to children.

I have coached many swimmers in my 12+ years career in swimming. I started off with the SRK Batu Lanchang school team in year 2000 with Cikgu Lee Sim, then joined Chinese Swimming Club as an assistant coach in 2001, then coached the swimmers of Kristal Golf Resort at PISA, before forming my own swimming team at PISA in 2004.

In 2009, I was sent to Perth, Australia on a coaching attachment program with the City of Perth Swim Team. When I returned from Perth in 2010, I reached the pinnacle of my career when I was appointed National Coach and posted at Bukit Jalil. Family matters forced me to resign and today, I am the coach for Trident Swim Team based at Permata Sports Complex. Trident is a new team, but we have already made our presence felt during our recent participation in the 2012 PASA Meet.

I have been the coach of many swimmers and many teams. I've even worked with the National Squad and coached national swimmers. I have even worked with foreign coaches and international swimmers. So what have I learned? I have learned many things, amd the experiences that I've gained during these years have been invaluable.

But one thing I've seen that most coaches don't want to acknowledge is that swimmers come, and swimmers go.

Nobody will stay with your coaching program forever. Swimmers move on -- on to better programs, on to better prospects, and regretfully, on to better offers.

It's interesting to note that to date, only a handful of swimmers from my original PISA team remain. None remain from the original 2004 group. The most senior to date joined in 2006, while the others have moved on to other teams, sports, hobbies and interests.

So has it come time for me to move on?

The song's lyrics:

Puff, the magic dragon lived by the sea
  And frolicked in the autumn mist in a land called Honah Lee

Little Jackie Paper loved that rascal Puff,
and brought him strings and sealing wax and other fancy stuff. Oh!

  Puff, the magic dragon lived by the sea
  And frolicked in the autumn mist in a land called Honah Lee
  Puff, the magic dragon lived by the sea
  And frolicked in the autumn mist in a land called Honah Lee

Together they would travel on a boat with billowed sail
Jackie kept a lookout perched on Puff's gigantic tail,
Noble kings and princes would bow whene'er they came,
Pirate ships would lower their flags when Puff roared out his name. Oh!

  Puff, the magic dragon lived by the sea
  And frolicked in the autumn mist in a land called Honah Lee
  Puff, the magic dragon lived by the sea
  And frolicked in the autumn mist in a land called Honah Lee

A dragon lives forever but not so little boys
Painted wings and giant rings make way for other toys.
One grey night it happened, Jackie Paper came no more
And Puff that mighty dragon, he ceased his fearless roar.

His head was bent in sorrow, green scales fell like rain,
Puff no longer went to play along the cherry lane.
Without his life-long friend, Puff could not be brave,
So Puff that mighty dragon sadly slipped into his cave. Oh!

  Puff, the magic dragon lived by the sea
  And frolicked in the autumn mist in a land called Honah Lee
  Puff, the magic dragon lived by the sea
  And frolicked in the autumn mist in a land called Honah Lee

This song hauntingly reminds me that little boys and little girls eventually grow up and move on to other interests and hobbies. I feel like "Puff" in this instance, and "Jackie Paper" represents my swimmers.

When little Jackie moves on to other interests and hobbies, where will I be when that happens? It has happened before; so many of my swimmers have moved on to other interests and hobbies. Has the time come for me to move on or consider other options and its possibilities?

A busy day

Yesterday, 10th March was a busy day for some of us at Trident Swim Team.

We started the day off at Tanjung Bungah Beach Hotel to attend the PASA Annual Awards Luncheon. It was a proud moment for the team when one of our swimmers, 8-year-old Jess Lee, won the award for Best Girl in the Group 5 category.

 

Jess (front row, second from left) with her trophy.

Apparently, one of us was more interested in other things rather than the day's proceedings:

At the end of the luncheon, we took a group photo:

Then we adjourned to Gurney Plaza for a walk about and some Starbucks.

We then watched "John Carter" before having our dinner at Nando's. Of course, the day's outing couldn't end with some arcade games:

Or supper:

We set for home after 11 PM, with some of us reaching home at nearly 12 AM. I'd say the day had been seized!

A first for us

Trident Swim Team made its competitive debut from 24th to 26th February at the Universiti Sains Malaysia Aquatics Complex during the 2012 PASA Meet.

The team banner.

Our swimmers doing their stretching before the day's events.

Our "Powerpuff Girls".

We ended the meet in 5th placing with 12 golds, 10 silvers and 16 bronzes. Two of our Group 5 girls even broke Meet and Penang State Age Group records.

Overall, I think we did quite well considering that the team had only been under my coaching for 8 months. We also didn't have to rely on "mercenaries" or "imports" to win us medals. I'm proud to say that all of the team's medal winners were home-grown.

Pull up your pants

We could sure use some of these signs here in Malaysia:

Silly things that I did when I was in Perth

I had the privilege of being selected to be part of a coaching attachment program to Australia from 29th November 2010 to 7th January 2011 in Perth, Western Australia.

My stay there was an unforgettable one. The people were so friendly and accommodating, that to this day, I miss them deeply.

But I would like to share some incredibly silly things that I did during my stay in Perth:


1) Taking photos of the customs area

 

Apparently, this was a big no-no and cameras were not allowed in the area. I only saw the no-photography notice after I took the shot. But this was not as bad as what I did next ...

2) Petting the customs dog

As a dog lover, I couldn't help petting the cute doggie on the head and going, "Hey there boy, how are you? Are you a good dog?"

The stern-faced customs lady was kind enough to tell me off politely, "Excuse me sir, but that's not allowed. Kindly refrain from stroking the customs dog."

Fortunately, I didn't create an international incident on my first day in Perth.

3) Taking baths using hand washing lotion

  

Everything in Perth was incredibly expensive, especially to a Malaysian earning Ringgit Malaysia. So, the natural thing to do was to get the cheapest in everything available.

Since liquids were not allowed on Malaysia Airlines international flights, I had to buy my toothpaste, soap and everything else liquid upon my arrival in Perth. So, I bought what I thought was a cheap body soap.

For the record, I've never been very good at buying groceries as I've been known to not pay attention to the labels. It was only after two weeks that I discovered that the body soap that I had been using was actually hand washing lotion.


4) Sleeping without locking the door

  

My serviced apartment in Perth was located in Outram Street. It's a nice apartment in the upper class business district of West Perth. Although it's located in a business area, during weekends the neighbours can get rather rowdy and noisy.

For three weeks during my stay in Perth, I had turned the key in the lock anti-clockwise thinking that this would lock the door. It wasn't until the maintenance man came one day on opened the door without the use of a key when I learned that the proper way of locking the door was by turning the key clockwise.

Fortunately, nothing untoward happened during those three weeks.

5) Speeding

The speed limit on most roads in West Perth is 60 km/h. When I picked up my rental car on the second day of my stay in Perth, I was delighted of my new ride and as to how clear the roads were. So, I decided to floor the pedal of my 5-door Holden Barina when I came across a stretch of clear road.

But just as I reached 70 km/h, I saw an unusual figure squatting in the bushes along the side of the road. Too late I realized it was a traffic policeman with a speed camera.

Fortunately, I escaped a speeding ticket, but I still had much more to learn about driving in Australia ...


6) Taking photos while driving

 

Some things that we take for granted back home are not exactly the norm or acceptable in Australia. One such example is the use of mobile phones or mobile phone cameras while driving.

I wasn't aware of the seriousness of this matter until a swimmer in the City Of Perth Swim Team told me of the penalties of using my mobile phone or mobile phone camera while driving. Luckily, I didn't get a ticket or worse, get arrested.


7) Driving against traffic

For at least two weeks, I returned to my serviced apartment via a stretch of road that seemed free of traffic. The weird thing was, the few motorists that passed me would flash their lights at me repeatedly as they passed me. Some would wave, and I would wave back.

It wasn't until two weeks into my stay at Perth that a neighbour told me that I had been driving against traffic on a one-way street!

All this time, none of the motorists horned or showed me the finger. Everyone avoided me and regarded me as a "noob" driver. I avoided a ticket, and more importantly, I avoided getting into an accident.


My stay in Perth has been an unforgettable experience. Looking back at my blunders, I feel I'm truly fortunate that nothing untoward happened despite my silliness. I hope to return to this wonderful city and country someday. I miss the friendliness and the hospitality of the people there.

CNY potluck dinner

Trident Swim Team held its CNY Potluck Dinner last evening. This was our first event for the year, and the first for Trident:

 

Group photo of the swimmers before dinner.

 

The kids digging in.

  

More than enough food to go around.

 

The swimmers' parents helping themselves to the food.

 

Everyone enjoying themselves.

 

We also held a belated birthday-do for Coach Esta.

The dinner was a complete success. We had fried bee hoon, cakes, fried chicken, KFC, chicken nuggets, keropok, pizza, curry chicken, sushi, more fried bee hoon, spaghetti, franks, new year kuih, nasi lemak, fruits, sandwiches, more cakes, cheese tarts, cream puffs, candy, soft drinks and ang pows.

The turn-out was far better than what I had expected. The food was fantastic and we had more than enough to go around. Swimmers, their parents and all those present mingled and enjoyed themselves. Everyone had a great time. I did too.

We should hold similar functions more often.