MAXIS Mobile Sdn Bhd - Just Horseing around

On 16th and 17th April 2011 we played host to Maxis Mobile Sdn Bhd for a 2 day Horse Camp at Uluhati. About 40 people came for each day with a fair spread of parents and children.

Events for the first day was slightly marred by rain in the late morning. Nevertheless we managed to finish the morning riding session before the rain got too heavy for us to continue. Activities then shifted to the Coffee House and tents where the guests had their authentic kampong lunch continued with some indoor games for the children. Notwithstanding the rain the children seemed to have a good time and on that score most parents seemed satisfied with how things turned out. Our local helper assured us that the next day would be dry as there would be a wedding nearby and that the local bomoh (shaman) would drive the rain away. We feverishly hope so.

True to his promise the next day was bright and sunny. We were then able to execute our full plan for the day which included a tour of the farm, the horse clinic and riding sessions in the morning. At 11.00 am we broke of for tea in the midst of which there was a huge cry. From the other end of the farm came a lost pirate (Captain Penguin) calling for his mate to bring him his treasure chest. The erstwhile mate however failed to bring the treasure and ended up as a human kebab at the end of the Captain's sabre. The children were then enlisted immediately as replacement pirates and instructed in no uncertain terms to find the Captain's treasure or risk being fed to the sharks, opps!, sorry Talapia. So off they went running around the farm following clues which led them to the treasure. A whole chest of gold was their reward, much to the relief of the parents, who were royally exhausted following after their little pirates.

After lunch the children were introduced to several games long forgotten in today's world of i-pads and PSP's. Very low tech but they had great time running the sack race, blowing flour to get to sweets and busting the balloons. The Papa's and Mama's were not to escape. They were called for a volley ball match with a difference and you wouldn't belief how the fought for the points. At one point the umpire, yours truly, feared for his life. No wonder Maxis is the leading Telco in the country, they must be as determined at their work. 

After the volley ball match, whilst the volley ballers were catching their breath under the shady trees, the rest of the guest split up to two groups. One group had their afternoon riding session whist the other went off to pond to impress the fishes with their fishing skills. The fishes told me later that there is a lot of room for improvement.

They round up at about 3.00 pm totally spent, but from where I stood totally unwound. One guest however couldn't help lamenting that next day was a Monday. No worries, Uluhati is always there to refresh your spirits.

We had a great time with our guests. A great bunch of folks who knew how to have fun. Maxis, it was our greatest pleasure to have you over the weekend. All the very best to all of you and keep the Maxis flag flying high.

Salam From ULUHATI

AIMAN'S BIRTHDAY

Sunday 3 April 2011 was a big day for Aiman, so big that he decided, well actually his Mummy did, to do something different for a change. Let's go to the farm and celebrate his birthday with the animals!. So went they did to Uluhati with Dad and Mom, Datuk Shalimin and Datin Nazlina, Grandpa, aunties and uncles and close family friends.

Upon arrival they were given the customary tour of Uluhati, with special instructions to the children to pay particular attention for their test in the latter part of the day. They saw everything, all the way to the fish ponds which involved a short hike through the neighboring farm.

 Our latest addition our Kedai Kopi Uluhati

   

Stop horsing around Prince, you've got guests

 

Back again at Uluhati it was time for the birthday cake, followed by a traditional kampong brunch. After that there was a short moment of confusion as some wanted to go fishing straight away and some wanted to ride the pony. The middle path saved the day as it was time for the treasure hunt. This is where the children were tested if they had remembered some facts during the tour. And they did after a series of clue found the treasure. Once the treasure was divided the now familiar questions came up again, "now can we go fishing?", "now can we ride the pony?".

So they divided themselves into two groups, one for the pony ride and the other for the fishing. Mary, the pony behaved rather well with the children and all those interested had their share of rides. The fishermen though were not so lucky. It being almost midday, most fish were in the deeper cooler depths, whilst those swimming near the surface observed the baits from afar with clear disdain on their faces. Nevertheless, the children seemed to enjoy it.

 Uncle Azman teaching the young ones how to fish with the traditional bemban joran (what happened to the Penn tackle?)

 

 Mummy calling for some cooperation from the fish (Hooi!!),

daughter wondering what's wrong with mom.

 

Grandpa reminiscing the good old carefree days under the banana grove (under the hot sun)

Grandpa passing down family fishing secrets to grandson,

grandson politely listening (yeah...sure)

Dad lamenting the fate of a former politician, UMNO and MCA in session

Around about mid-afternoon everyone was back again at Uluhati. The not so adventurous ones seemed totally engrossed with their carrom game whilst a couple tried their hand at table tennis. The party ended at about 2 p.m. They may have enjoyed their stay but I think some already missed their air-conditioning.

We thank Datuk Shalimin and Datin Nazlina for gracing Uluhati with their presence, which incidentally was the first official function held at our recently completed coffee house. Due for completion soon is our Longhouse chalet. We hope their short time with us has been a good one, for we certainly enjoyed their company.

 Salam Datuk and Datin. Once again thank you.

Jungle Trek

Friday 14, January 2011, 8.45 a.m., courtroom No 4, Federal Courts. The gallery is empty save for my wife, her client (the defendant) and a few court officials. I guess the criminals are still recovering from their year-end revelry. Very boring. What seemed to be a potentially fiery pre-trial discussion with the DPP fizzled out like a damp fire-cracker. Disappointing, time to put to good use the valuable time. Afterall, we farmers do not really have that much free time.

Last weekend we took time off to scout some new trails in the nearby hills. After a ten minutes drive we arrived at the jungle fringe and started the hike at 5.00 pm. The terrain was fairly hilly with the vegetation ranging from overgrown clearing to secondary jungle. As we get deeper however, it gave way to primary jungle. We arrived at the campsite after about forty minutes trekking, round about 6 pm. Just nice, it gets dark much earlier in the jungle, what with the overhanging canopy. Further its been raining heavily the past few days. Don't feel like slushing around in the mud too much tonight.

Time to set-up camp and get dinner ready before we start the real activity, fishing!!!. There was no need to bring out the tents. The locals, maybe aboriginals, have taken the trouble to put up a two story jungle hut. Not the Hilton but certainly a welcomed sight. Food was a simple affair, especially after we threw out half of the kitchen which my wife prepared for us. Her idea of camping was what she saw of the safari camp in Africa, with the whole house in tow. Fine if she is caring half the load, not bl***y likely. After all its only an overnight trip.

Dinner done we settled down for the fishing, whilst our guide decided to disappear into the pitch black to try his luck with the landlocked animals. Adib and I exchanged glances. No, no,  not that we are afraid, of course not. Its just that I kept remembering Snoopy's opening line..."it was a dark and stormy night...". It better not storm tonight.

Now this location is said to be a fishing secret. The legendary Kelah (Malaysian mahsere a.k.a. the Malaysian anglers Holy Grail) and the Tengas weighing upto 2 to 3 kilos are said to be the happy local residents of the rivers and streams. Hearts in our throats, trembling like virgins on their wedding night, we set up gear, bait and everything else and waited... and waited. The night bore on uneventfully, with a few intermitten nibbles. Our hearts gradually settled in their rightful places, whilst the virgins trembled no more as the bridegrooms seemed to have got the dates mix-up.

1.00 a.m. Sunday morning. Still no meaningful bite, whilst our last biscuit has been bitten off. Our guide has since returned with a some luck. Good for him. We settled down for the night, not entirely disappointed as the location is as original and beautiful as one can get within an hour or two from KLCC. Just to be here itself is a privilege. Never mind the fish. We have been fishing long enough to know that on some days they just don't feel like playing ball. Could be the weather (promise of storm) or just normal everyday reasons like pesky neighbors or mother-in-laws.

We broke camp early and by the time we got back to the farm my brother had just finished taking King for his morning ride.

Well, well what do you know, the Magistrate called in sick. Postponed again. The last time my wife was sick.

ULUHATI: Loui's Puppies

ULUHATI: Loui's Puppies: "Now, you may know that Loui is the Head of our Security Dept. Hailing from the faraway place called Belgium, Loui is known by his official b..."

Loui's Puppies

Now, you may know that Loui is the Head of our Security Dept. Hailing from the faraway place called Belgium, Loui is known by his official breed as the Malinois (short hair), otherwise simply known as the Belgian Shepherd Dog.

Loui's came to us slightly over two years ago, a young exuberant pup then, who got himself totally bewildered with the expanse of his playground and the variety of playmates around. He soon learned  that whilst some are willing friends, others with like the billy goat  and the male deer have long, sharp pointed sticks on their forehead which can bring about some serious grief. To his credit though, he stood his ground when threatened by a full grown male deer. A slight to behold, a 3 month old pup, hackles raised, canines bared, snarling down a full antlered deer. Others like the chickens are great fun. They are fun to chase until one of them accidentally ran into his open mouth. It was not his fault, he seemed to say, with his mouth full of feathers. He has since learned they are off limits. Now he is more concerned in making sure that our four cats too observe the prohibition. One withering look from Loui and they would give that "what chicken?" look. Horses tails are also great fun, especially if you can get a mouthful between your teeth. The only problem is their hind legs which can send you flying up the durian tree if you are not careful. So far he has not got his flying colors yet. By the way, Loui and his pack love durians, which can be duty distracting when the fruit is in season. Nights are often spent sniffing out fallen fruits and opening them instead of guard duty.

Yes, Loui is a fast learner, typical of his breed. Teaching him how to round up goats took only two lessons. Very methodological, he would round up the main herd and then go back to the bushes for the straggles. The only problem was, when we decided the goat should now feed in the compound, he rounded them up the moment they leave the goat house and herd them up the goat house again. A wailing protest from the now hungry goats alerted us that Loui needed retraining. Again easily done.

As Head of Security, Loui is cut out for the role, totally fearless and alert. A strict disciplinarian, his understated authority is enormous. No bite or threatening bark is required to keep his squad of eight guards in check. One cold stare is enough to get the offender whimpering and grovelling. One erstwhile guard actually whimpered for 15 minutes whilst Loui gave her that cold stare.The other members of the Guard Detail are Siti (also our resident GRO "guest relation officer"), Fifi, Suede, Paco, Midnite, Socks and Lucky (Loui's earlier daughter).

Evenso, Loui loses his marbles to children. The sight of children playing would see him somersaulting in the air like a foolish pup and he would stick by their side until playtime is over. Very reassuring.

Now, Loui's mate is Lucy, also a Belgian dame. Before the arrival of Loui, Lucy was the Alpha Female. Now that Loui is fully grown she gladly passed on the Alpha baton to Loui, and devoted her life to raising beautiful pups, though when duty calls you could see her charging with the rest of the pack. Some two months ago, Lucy gave birth to 5 beautiful puppies, 2 males (Duke and Baron) and 3 females (Duchess, Lady and Countess).

Since we already have 9 dogs in the security detail, it is our intention to sell of one of the male and all of the females. If there is anyone out there looking for a highly intelligent, devoted and fearless dog do call us for further details. Our only request is that you must really be a dog person who would take these puppies as your lifelong loyal companion apart from your spouse, of course. Do call either Din (012-2716262) or Eliza (012-2787722)