My Golf Course is Attacked by Wild Boars

This is Hole No. 4, par 5 with Maxwell Hills in the background. The Detention Camp is on the right of the fairway.

These are the daily sights and conditions that we see

everyday on the golf course.

The wild boars come by the dozens at night to bulldoze the fairways and even the greens of KEM TAHANAN GOLF CLUB (KEMTA) in Kamunting, Taiping, Perak, in search of earthworms. It is a 9-hole golf course maintained by the detainees. Based on the entrance fee of RM200 and a monthly subscription of RM20 it could be one of the most affordable in the world and most friendly in this time of economic difficulty.

If you want to exercise, this is the place because there are no caddies nor buggies. You have to carry or pull your own golf bags.

There is no need to fix a flight in order to play. Just come to the club at about 7.30 a.m and wait for other golfers to arrive and fix a flight insitu.

During rainy days, the fairways can be very soggy and be prepared to lose a lot of balls, even on the the fairway itself.

The management have tried its best to stop the wild boars from coming in but apparently, they are fighting a losing battle. The Chinese here are not keen in wild boar meat. The Ibans from Sarawak said wild boars in Semenanjung don't taste as good as Sarawak's. No wonder, the Chinese here are not keen to hunt them. So with no dangers from hunters, their population grew and grew! I even spotted a few going along by my fence early in the morning!

Poetry: The Passing of a Teacher and a Friend

Poetry: The Passing of a Teacher and a Friend Mr James Foh was my woodwork teacher in Tanjong Lobang School, Miri, Sarawak from 1962 to 1967. He himself was one of the earliest students of TLS, when the school was set up in 1957. I met Mr James Foh once in Kuching in 1973. I was then serving in the Army and was doing operational duties in Serian District. Towards the end of the year, I contracted Malaria and was admitted to Sarawak General Hospital for about 3/4 days. That was when I met Mr James Foh. He was visiting his mother in the same hospital. He saw me and we chatted for a while. The next day he came again and brought me a hot flask of ginger juice. It was a kind gesture I always remembered. Thank you James Foh. Then on January 22, 2009, I heard the sad news that he had passed away in the same hospital, after being admitted to the ICU for a month. He was 73 years old. I wrote a poem, an eulogy, for him and it was passed to his children. They were grateful and thanked me for it. Here's the poem: The Passing of a Friend It seemed yesterday we were talking and laughing. The echoes in my ears are still ringing. The tears and glint in your eyes said it all. Tanjong Lobang imprisoned us all Tanjong Lobang is a bygone era. The memories, however, are still crystal clear. What magic? What power has Tanjong over us? Even after an eternity, we still have the crush? Today we received the sad news of James Foh’s passing. Seemingly, a page from our book is torn and missing. He was a teacher and a friend. Sad, it is a loss we could never regain. Dear friends all. Let’s wish him a happy journey. May he find the eternal peace and happiness, That we find so elusive on this Earth. For the rest of us all, Life must continue to roll. A given path we must follow, To complete and fill the hollow.