Yesterday when we were young........and rocking !

Last week an old classmate wrote an excellent article on the music scene in Kuching during the days of our youth.....the late fifties, the sixties and  the seventies. He wrote particularly about "The Blue Rebels" and "The Tornadoes".(http://stjoe-classes59-63.blogspot.com/) The article is entitled "The Blue Rebels and "The Tornadoes" rocked Kuching.


I have decided to steal his idea and write something similar but will focus more on the Brunei scene.


During the late fifties a new genre of music was evolving in America from the sound of the big bands who were whetting the appetites of the young generation then with Swing and Jazz, music to which they could jive. Then Elvis Presley, Bill Haley and his Comets, Chuck Berry, Little Richard and Fats Domino introduced their individual styles to it. These personalities were so exciting that they started the transformation of music, dance, fashion ...everything all over the world.  Rock and Roll was born.  Local musicians were inspired by this phenomenon and bands, both amateurs and professionals, began appearing everywhere.


Brunei was no exception.  Seria, the Oil Town, was where Brunei Shell Petroleum Company was based so a large percentage of it's population were expatriates. Brunei Shell ensured their staff get enough R and R by building and operating a number of clubs where social functions such as parties and dances were organised. Bands were formed for this purpose.


One of the first teenage bands to become popular then was "Les Wanderers" who hailed from Seria. They provided all the dance music for Christmas, New Year Dances and every other function at the SRC - Seria Recreation Club. Anyone who has ever lived in Seria in the sixties will have fond memories of this place. Another popular band who played here were the "Spinning Crystals" but at the time of writing I do not have enough material on them for posting.

"Les Wanderers" (The Original Members)

Top to Bottom : Johnson Pang ....Drums

Nelson Pang ........Lead Guitar

Ronnie Ng.......Bass

George Clark......Rythym Guitar/Vocals

The Pangs brothers now live in Vancouver, Canada. I am not sure where Ronnie has gone. George remains in Seria, still rocking the house down with a new band of his own, sometimes joined by brothers Reggie and Chris. Another "transition member" was the unforgetable Kris Jansen who continues to thrill music lovers with his renditions of all things John Lennon and The Beatles. He played Bass.

(Photo : Courtesy of Mr. David Chai)

Les Wanderers : Left to right : Johnson Pang (Drums), Nelson Pang (Lead Guitar). The late and great Paul Clark (Bass), Frankie Ong (Rhythm Guitar)



The Pang brothers now live in Vancouver, Canada. Frankie Ong continues to make sweet music in Brunei and Sarawak. He has the stamina of the "ENERGIZER" Bunny. He keeps going on and on and on.....and he still has time and energy for Church work, Golf and even Facebook. We shall always have fond memories of Paul Clark who left us when he was living in Canada.


Please treat this posting as "work-in-progress" subject to editing  over the next few weeks  as some facts might not be accurate. I shall be featuring other bands as and when I collect enough information and photos of them and I welcome contributions and corrections from all who have seen this blog and wish to provide more stories and pictures of  "yesterday when we were young .......and rocking" !

Merry Christmas and a very Happy New Year to Everyone

For all of you out there, here is a treat. Elvis is here singing Christmas Songs in duet with today's top female singers. Of course this is only possible through the advancement in Video and Audio technologies.  Watch this and enjoy :-



Merry Christmas and a very Happy New Year to all out there !

Benny hill wishing well

The late Benny Hill was one of the funniest comedian England ever produced. I heard the musical theme for his TV series last night but I couldnt place the catchy familiar tune until this morning. I remember this tune always accompanied a chase scene. I searched YouTube and watched all the clips posted. They were still very entertaining and brought back lots of memories of when the world was a much happier place than now.

High-Tech Car Factory

High-Tech Car Factory

See how the car you buy is being assembled ! Wouldnt you like that ? Well that's not a novelty anymore.
Take a look !

Denis Dutton: A Darwinian theory of beauty | Video on TED.com

Denis Dutton: A Darwinian theory of beauty Video on TED.com

Country Strong

When I first heard "Country Strong" over the Radio I thought to myself...."Never heard this new song by Taylor Swift !" At home I searched YouTube and ....goodness gracious great balls of fire....the singer was Gwyneth Paltrow ! Is there anything this beautiful lady cannot do ? And according to the write ups covering the CMA awards her performance was critically acclaimed.  Judge for yourself. Here she is at the CMA Awards :-




Hmmmmm  will she leave Tony Stark (Iron Man) now to pursue a singing career ? Step aside Carrie Underwood... here comes Gwyneth !

The Very First Rock and Roll Song

Elvis was "The King". Little Richard was undoubtedly one of the Pioneers and so was Chuck Berry. Bill Haley and his Comets were credited with starting the Dance Craze.  Alan Freed's promotion of the music spread it all over the U.S. of A., across the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans to the rest of the world. BUT which song was the very first in this genre of music ? Who was the first artist to record a Rock and Roll song ?

It has been said that JIMMY PRESTON was the first Rock and Roll artist and I have yet to come across someone with an opposing view !



 A copy of this Vinyl record might be worth something to whoever owns one !h

The Elements Song - Tom Lehrer

I promised more early (This does not mean  "earlier than early"  but more rock and roll music from  earlier period....but you know that already ...no ? OK , rambling !) rock and roll music in my previous post. This is not Rock and Roll but it's such a fascinating song I had to share it. I have the feeling that all the nerdy people out there would know this song by heart.



I actually came across this again in an episode of NCIS in which ABBY helped solve a murder case by finding the clues from this song left by the victim in his Notebook Computer.

Something Else

What happens when a Rock and Roll Great meets one of the Queens of Country ? They bring the house down. Here's the fabulous Little Richard and the exciting Tanya Tucker with a cover of Eddie Cochran's "Something Else" !!  This is what Rock and Roll sounds like in the early days :-



There will be more "early" Rock and Roll in the coming weeks right here!

Kerabu Boneless Chicken Feet Dish

I received an article from a friend about how the Boneless Chicken Feet Dish...Kerabu...is made.  It appears that the flesh is picked from the bones, after it has been boiled, by teeth. Puzzled ? They have people employed just to separate the flesh from the bones with their teeth. I thought by now someone would have invented a machine to do that. .

I forwarded the article to several other friends and received one outstanding response from Mighty Joe Young (A nickname of course). He reminded me that if we can enjoy drinking wine without feeling squeamish, knowing how grapes are crushed, why must we shudder at the thought of eating something which has been extracted by someone else's teeth ?  A subjective notion....feet or teeth, which is less yucky ?  There are zillions of food and drink one culture or even individuals find objectionable which others find delightful. I for one, will drink wine, eat boneless chick feet (Not a big fan though), stinky tofoo, blue cheese and whatever.......even smoke pot !

Anyway that is not my story today.  I just wanted to share a fantastic website I stumbled upon whilst googling for "Crushing Grapes for Wine"....to see if they still use well endowed ladies to stomp on the fruit. The site is :-

http://www.ehow.com/  

Take a look. You might like it as much as I did.

Oh, by the way I still dont know whether they still crush grapes with feet.

T-Mobile Advert.

The Advertisement industry is improving at an immense rate. Remember those days when everyone skips away from the TV during advert breaks to grab a snack or drink, go to the washroom or simply have a stretch ? Well nowadays, the Ads are so good some might even look forward to watching them. A friend sent me a YouTube clip of a recent Advert by T-Mobile.  You know who T-Mobile are. They are one of the largest multi-national Telephone Services providers/operators in the world, owned by Deutsche Telekom so they can afford a lavish advertisement such as this :-




Can you see how effective these Ads are ? It is entertaining and that's what gets the message through to people. Moreover there are no "walls"...discremination of any kind. After seeing this and the many other similar messages by T-Mobile who do you think people would think of first when they are in the market for Telephone services ?

Sadly, the Advertisement Companies from our part of the world is lacking and are far behind in terms of imagination and artistry. Watch those on TV covering Shampoos, Milk Powder for Babies, Cologne for Men......zzzzzzzz !

Coconut Water....an elixir ?

A friend sent me an e-mail which contained a list of the benefits of drinking Coconut Water. Seldom have I come across comforting words for the food/drink I love....Laksa, Kolomee, Bak Kut Teh, Nasi Lemak.....the list goes on and on.....Beer ! Usually I hear "Cholesterol", "Saturated Fat", "Trans Fat". This is followed by the statement.."Eat also die, No eat also die !"  That sounds logical BUT what if you "eat and then only HALF die ?"  You get bed-ridden and life becomes very difficult, for you and the family looking after you.

This is depressing so lets go back to Coconut Water. I found a website which provides a lot of information on Coconut Water and other things which have health benefits. The link is below :-

http://www.knowledgebase-script.com/demo/article-320.html

Dont forget EXERCISE !!!

Richard Welch and Mental Photography

Calling all "voracious" readers, insatiable information gatherers/learners, sufferers of Dyslexia.! Take a look at the following YouTube video.



Imagine being able to read a whole book within minutes and retain the information  !!
It is worthwhile going beyond this clip and doing some research into this amazing course.
Link : zoxpro.support@ebrain.com.au

Dana winning the Eurovision Song contest

In 1970, this song won the Eurovision Song contest and Dana won the hearts of fans all over the world with her pretty face and amazing voice.

I googled to see how my blog, sharing the same name with Dana's song, rated and I found it on page 13 of the search listings. Dana, of course, was listed on every page right from page one.

Watch and enjoy :-





Dana later became a Politician and even ran in the 1997 Irish Presidential election.













Dana Rosemary Scallon

Farts 'R' Fun

I got the following article from a site called fartfacts.com which publishes a treasury (some might not call it that) of fart jokes :-

A woman goes to her boyfriend's parents' house for Christmas dinner. This is to be her first time meeting the family and she is very nervous. They all sit down and begin eating a fine meal.

The woman is beginning to feel a little discomfort, thanks to her nervousness and the broccoli casserole. The gas pains she has practically make her eyes water. Left with no other choice, she decides to relieve herself a bit and every so gently lets out a very dainty fart. It wasn't loud, but everyone at the table heard the poof. Before she even had a chance to be embarrassed, her boyfriend's father looked over at the dog that had been snoozing under the woman's chair, and said in a rather stern voice, "Rover!". The woman thought, "This is great! He thinks it's the dog!". A big smile came across her face. A couple of minutes later, she was beginning to feel the pain again. This time, she didn't even hesitate. She let out a much louder and longer rrrrrip.
The father again looked at the dog and yelled, "Rover!". Once again the woman smiled and thought, "Yes! This is perfect!". A few minutes later the woman had to let another rip. This time she didn't even think about it nor did she hold back. She ripped a fart so big and so loud that it made the windows vibrate. Once again, the father looked at the dog with disgust and yelled, "Damn-it Rover get away from that woman before she shits on you!

Remember Kellie Pickler from American Idol ? Watch the following YouTube clip for some very interesting fact about her.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LwGbrvrp-rY

Memories

The year was 1968 and a new movie was the talk of the town. It was none other than Shakspear's Romeo and Juliet. After I watched this movie the song "What is a Youth" haunted me for months....years. Today YouTube brings back memories of those times.

Watch and see what I mean :-

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6UfUd03qOxE

Every now and then Nature tries to tell us something

(Meekly) Yes, I am back. A friend sent me an article about a dog and a little piglet. It is so touching I thought I must share it and what better way than to post it in a blog. This is another attempt at reviving this blog. Anyway, here is the article :-


This is so adorable and sweet.

A giant farm dog and a tiny piglet cuddle up as if they were family after the baby runt was dismissed by its own mother.
Surrogate mum Katjinga, an eight-year-old Rhodesian Ridgeback, took on motherly duties for grunter Paulinchen - a tiny pot-bellied pig - and seems to be taking the adoption in her stride.

Lonely Paulinchen was luckily discovered moments from death and placed in the care of the dog who gladly accepted it as one of her own. Thankfully for the two-week old mini porker, Katjinga fell in love with her at first sight and saved her bacon.












And the unlikely relationship has made the wrinkly piggy a genuine sausage dog. In these adorable images Paulinchen can even be seen trying to suckle from her gigantic new mum. The two animals live together on a huge 20-acre farm in Hoerstel , Germany , where Katjinga's owners Roland Adam, 54, and his wife Edit, 44, a bank worker, keep a pair of breeding Vietnamese pigs.

Nose place like home: The baby piglet nuzzles up to its new mum. Property developer Roland found the weak and struggling piglet after she was abandoned by the rest of her family one evening after she was born. He said: "The pigs run wild on our land and the sow had given birth to a litter of five in our forest. "I found Paulinchen all alone and when I lifted her up she was really cold "I felt sure some local foxes would have taken the little pig that very night so I took it into my house and gave her to Katjinga. "She had just finished with a litter of her own, who are now 10 months, so I thought there was a chance she might take on the duties of looking after her. "Katjinga is the best mother you can imagine. She immediately fell in love with the piggy. Straight away she started to clean it like it was one of her own puppies. "Days later she started lactating again and giving milk for the piggy. She obviously regards it now as her own baby.

"Mum of the year? Quite possibly.

Oh, one last thing : The photos of the Dog and Piglet are by ANIMAL PRESS/BAR CROFT MEDIA. Narative :Unknown.

Why Food ?

Last Sunday, the 17th of January 2010, a clique of ladies who are responsible for the Environment and Arts Decor for the Church of Our Lady of the Assumption (COLA) gathered together for their customary annual dinner at Clare Ouilet's house. They of course invited their BETTER halves to attend to help finish the food......and before that to carry the food......and before that to taste the food for saltiness, sweetness, texture, flavour....so that when it is laid out on the dining table, it is perfect. The men were also there to act as sounding boards for their discussions, and comic relief.


Please allow me to digress a little. Why is it that when humans get together to celebrate or discuss something, there always has to be food? This brings to mind the meetings of people in charge of institutions, Government included. There always is food at the end of each assembly. I am convinced that the getting together is an excuse to eat. Anyway, I have no complaints. I just wondered.

The spread of food that night was fit to grace the banquet table of an Emperor or Monarch.

I could write about each dish using exotic adjectives to describe them but I shall refrain from doing so and let pictures do the talking.





Agnes' Honey Roasted Ham.










Judy's Mango Pudding with Passion Fruit Jelly.









Judy's Scallops sprinkled with Bacon










Clare's Baked Shitake Mushrooms and Salsa on Garlic Bread

James and Susie's Turkey.....The Gravy was exquisite.

Clare's Salmon Pate....The men began the assault with Rice

Bisquites but they had no chance once the ladies discovered how good this was.

Agnes' Brownies.

Clare's Spiced Chickpeas, Parsnips and Kumara

Margaret's Roast Beef.

Clare's Black Bean Vegetable Pilaf

There were a few more dishes not featured but they were just as tantalising. Special mention must be made for Margaret's dessert... The Tiramisu ! By the time people realised that a photo had not been taken it was all gone ! My attempt at getting a second helping was met with great laughter and shouts of "Mana u lagi ! Ho lang chiak liao lo ! Loo aneh ban eh !"

The evening, as usual was very enjoyable. The conversation covered a variety of topics including eccentric behaviours of people we know which stimulated much laughter. Of course we had help from 2 bottles of French Wine by courtesy of Gaston Ouilet.

I think once a year is too long to wait for these sort of sharing. They say that 2012 will see the end of the world as it is so maybe we should try for 4 times i.e. every quarter.

There's a New Kid in Town

Yes, I am back ! This Blog is revived, resurrected, born again. Why have I been silent for so long ? Where have I been ? Nobody's asking. These are just "fillers" to overcome writer's block which I am acutely afflicted with. Apart from the block, I was away because I was having so much fun with facebook....yes, facebook. Yup, that and I was getting lazy. Anyway, let's get back to that later. I am here right now because I am excited about a "New Kid in Town".

By now most will have heard of a new restaurant opened at Gadong. See picture of the Signboard :-

The Rooster's Crow / Restoran Kokokan Ayam is owned by an enterprising young chef, Mr. Young Ted Wee and his partner Mr. Ong Jin Huat. Kokokan is situated at No: 12, Block B, Abdul Razak Complex, Gadong which is across the road from The Centerpoint Hotel and opposite La Mee at the adjacent block C.

When I went there this morning I was greeted by Ted Wee's father, Mr. Andrew Young who obviously lent his business know-how and experience in the setting up of the place. I had already tasted Ted Wee's signature dish, Fried Kway Tiao before so I was not there as a new customer testing the waters. I was actually there because I knew I was in for a treat to one of the best Fried Kway Tiao in Brunei. This is my first blog since April 2009 so I shall not bore you with details. Go there and try the Kway Tiao for yourself. You will not regret it.

I was pleasantly awed by the decor of the place and even more so when Andrew told me that they did not engage any Professional Interior Designer to help them. The colors are exquisitely blended. Maybe it is intended to psychologically produce this feeling but I felt warmly welcome in the ambience of it all. The booth seats, which are notoriously uncomfortable ELSEWHERE, are surprisingly very ergonomically designed. My bad back did not present any problems here. I put away the Fried Kway Tiao ala Ted Wee in 10 minutes flat. Then I had to wait for a friend who was accustomed to being late ALWAYS but I was unusually calm and collected. It must have been the seat.

Whilst waiting, the gluton in me emerged. The second specialty of Ted Wee is the Chicken Rice so I ordered one to the amazement of the waitress who gave me a quizical astonished look. In body language she was saying "Wah , this Uncle must be really hungry !" As she wrote the order down she asked "Only one more Uncle ?" I said "Yes, unless it's on the house !" Another shocked look ! I shall not describe the Chicken Rice except that Thien Thien can now be said to be very "last decade". Again, go and try it for yourself.

Kokokan will definitely capture a particular niche in the eateries market. That niche is the level in between the traditional Coffeeshop and Food Court clientelle and that of the up-market 5 star establishments. A pleasant, clean, well decorated and, most importantly, Value -For- Money place to enjoy a meal. Mark my words.

Garbage Enzyme

The name sounds like a Supervillain in a Superhero comic book or TV series. I, for one, thought so when I saw the article in an e-mail from a friend. It turned out to be something really good which, if everyone does his/her part, could contribute to improving the environment.....well at least prevent more depletion of the ozone.

Being very much handicapped in the realm of science I shall refrain from explaining the details and instead guide you to a most interesting Blogger's site from which you will be able to get links to more sites for more information....that is if this article interests you at all. Here it is :-


http://www.fh2o.kuchingkayak.com/2008/07/04/garbage-to-save-the-world-on-garbage-enzyme/


and this one :


http://www.free2consult.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=65


I hope you will find this useful.


Since my last update I have travelled to Singapore, Kota Kinabalu and Miri. Yes, in spite of the H1N1 crisis. I am aware that it is a foolhardy thing to do and some people would even label it selfish. When you expose yourself unnecessarily you run the risk of bringing back the virus to spread it amongst your close friends and relatives who are in constant contact with you. Having said that, I have to state that my excursions were neccessary and I stayed away from crowded places and practised the highest standards of hygiene. So far no one, touch wood, has been infected and I am fine.


I was going to relate some stories of the travels but this time I am going to let the maxim "A picture is worth a thousand words" do the talking.













This is where I go to for a night of Aromatic Coffee and good Jazz music in Singapore ! Their Brownies are fantastic as well.













The IR Hotel and Casino looming above the skyline across the marina in Singapore. Expected to be ready end of this year! Durty Nelly's at Marina Square is the place to go for great Pies and Ales.







This is at the Best Western Cafe at the Grand Palace Hotel in Miri. I didnt take a photo of the actual Rib Eye Steak I had because I forgot that I had my Camera with me until I had finished the exquisite dish. May I add that it was V.F.M. If you dont know what that is, shame on you. It is Value For Money !!!







A cool classy Cat. Reminds me of a friend of mine who is always well groomed and dressed immaculately.






Some senior guy we met at the Boardwalk along the Waterfront of Kota Kinabalu. He said he was there to watch the Sunset, the Moonrise and then the Moonset and the Sunrise beyond the beautiful Sutera Harbour. The Tsunami predicted to happen that day did not !




To sign off here's another link to an "Ultimate Wedding Dance."

http://www.parkwayreststop.com/archives/2937



Cheers !