Thursday, July 31, 2008

I've Been Thinking

Takeno Sensei & Nakagawa Sensei


The other day after class, Alex posed a question to me as to whether I've given up Aikido totally or whether there might be a possibility of my going back for aikido classes.

To be honest the thought of going back to Aikido is there but after training in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, I don't know if I could go back to the strict formality and/or protocol associated with Aikido (or with most other Japanese martial arts, for that matter).

Of course there are many detractors out there who say Aikido 'does not work' in real life self-defence situations. Ultimately it's up to the individual concerned I suppose, on what he or she is looking to get out of Aikido.

Oh well, when there's a will there's a way I suppose and here's to hoping that that day won't take too long to arrive


Thursday, July 24, 2008

Final Class Of Brutal BJJ Malaysia



Here it is guys, final class of the Brutal BJJ Malaysia team. Good to see everyone giving their best in tonight's class

Tuesday, July 22, 2008

Early Morning Greeting

This is the greeting nearly every KLite gets each morning. No wonder we are tired before work even starts. This video was taken at 10 am (don't ask me what I was doing home at 10am on a working day). But I did say this affected NEARLY every KLite didn't I?

I know, I'll shut up now.

Monday, July 21, 2008

Fun Roll

This video has Jay and Mike having a go at each other at the end of today's class


Thursday, July 17, 2008

Mersing Rest House (R.I.P.) - This Kinda Sucks





When it first appeared to me that I would be in Mersing for a day for work, the first thing that came to mind was the Mersing Rest House. As a kid on our way to Singapore in the 1970s, the Mersing Rest House was our midway point.

I can't remember much of the Rest House but what I do remember was the restaurant which had Hainanese cooks. Now if you are unfamiliar with hainanese cooks, these are the guys who can whip up fried beehoon, friend noodles, chicken chops and a host of other Malaysian staples which only the hainanese can. Silly me! I thought I could actually find the place and have some makan there. Well, 1 out of 2 isn't that bad.

However as you can see from the pictures sadly the Mersing Rest House has been abandoned and is no longer in operation. Sad because like many things in Malaysia, times have changed and things are not like what they used to be. Rapid growth in Malaysia and prevalent industrialisation have changed Malaysia and sometimes there will be collateral damage.

The picture of the sea is taken from the first floor of the 'ruins'. When the restaurant was still in operation back in the day, this would have been the view from the dining area

Rest in peace old girl. You are not forgotten.


Wednesday, July 16, 2008

Nenas at Nenasi


If you are by any chance in Nenasi, on the Pahang side of the border with Johore during the months of June, July & August be sure to stop by one of the many Pineapple stands manned by the locals. The fruits are extremely fresh and are not plucked too early. And the best part is that the fruits are cheap. Prices may vary but you should be able to get about 4 fruits for about RM10 depending on the season.

Of course be sure to also check out the fresh sea produce, Nenasi being a fishing village. The boats should come back in the early evenings weather permitting.

Johore Beaches








On my way back from Mersing, I decided to take a detour from the Kuantan-Mersing East Coast trunk Road. Several miles out of Mersing after passing through Kampung Tenglu Laut but before Endau, there is a small off-road on your right. Turn into it and drive for several miles and you should see a whole lot of beach and the best thing is that the beaches are deserted. Yep, I kid you not.

From the pictures, the ones with the blue sky (picture 4 & 5) are of Pantai Tanjung Resang and pictures 1, 2 & 3 are of Teluk Gorek. No doubt the blue sky and white sands are tantalising, but personally I prefer Teluk Gorek which is isolated from the other stretches of beach and somewhat protected (it being a teluk).

Since I was technically 'working' at that hour, I only managed to spend about one and a half hours there. All in all, not a bad day

Wednesday, July 9, 2008

It Doesn't Get Fresher Than This



I just got back from Temerloh today and on the way back I met this gentleman but the name of Reduan Bin Abdul Muis and he sells freshwater fish mainly tilapia and patin which he farms in the nearby Sungai Semantan. From the pics the white fish is the tilapia and the black ones are patin.

Encik Reduan's stall is several meters from Sungai Semantan in Kampung Raja Songsang which is about 13 kilometers outside Temerloh. Next time I am back in Temerloh, I'm bringing an icebox with me and taking home some fish for dinner

Tuesday, July 8, 2008

Here We Go Again : Return of the Body Snatchers

Here we go again :

The Associated Press

An Islamic court has declared a dead man a Muslim, preventing his Hindu family from cremating his body, in the latest dispute over religious conversions in Muslim-majority Malaysia, their lawyer said Monday. A Shariah court in northern Penang state ruled Friday that B. Elangesvaran, 34, who committed suicide last month, was a Muslim and his body should be released from the hospital for Muslim burial, lawyer R. Nethaji Rayer said.

In handing down the ruling, the Shariah court upheld the local Islamic Religious Affairs Department's claim that Elangesvaran had converted to Islam before his death. A civil court — the Penang High Court — dismissed the application by Elangesvaran's family Friday to have him declared a Hindu, Nethaji said. The court later Monday also refused to grant an injunction to stop the Islamic department from taking possession of Elangesvaran's body, Nethaji said.

"The body will be buried according to Muslim rites," Nethaji said. It was not immediately clear when the department would conduct the burial.

Religious conversion disputes often erupt in Malaysia, where Muslim Malays make up 60 percent of the population and mostly non-Muslim ethnic Chinese and Indians account for a third. The cases have put pressure on the government to guarantee the rights of religious minorities who increasingly complain they lose out in disputes involving Islam.

"This is not proper at all," said Nethaji. "Generally (the civil courts) always take the stand that they cannot interfere with the Shariah court."

Malaysia has a dual court system. While Shariah courts handle civil matters for Muslims, civil courts rule on the same for non-Muslims. It is unclear which court has the final word in conversion disputes.

Ghazali Saad, an official with the Penang Islamic department, said his office had proof that Elangesvaran had converted before his death. "We have the document that he converted to Islam," he said, but declined to comment further, pending the outcome of the case.

Nethaji said the purported proof was only a scribbled note allegedly written by Elangesvaran. The note was not signed, he said. He said the family was "distraught, very disappointed, completely broken down ... They are unable to go on with their lives. It's all hanging in the balance."

Personally I don't know why this country insists on mixing religion with politics. Islam (I've been told) is pure and politics is dirty. And of course politicians are a dirty lot and we are letting them set the tone on Islam in this country? That is symptomatic of what's wrong in this country.


Mr. Gracie



Last night saw the graduation of one of our better fighters to blue belt by Master Quico. If anyone deserves it, it is Alex. Ask him about any fight scenes from any martial arts or action movies and chances are that he will know it and oh..by the way he fights in underground tournaments too when he is back in the Philippines. A tough nut (with the emphasis on nut...lol)

Of course he also knows that with his blue belt he has a bullseye painted on his back but then again we don't call him Mr. Gracie for nothing. Well done Alex and here's to having many more hours on the mats