Georgette Tan

Category: events

Pelikan Hub Kuching 2023

[Planted: 20 August 2023 | Last tended: 20 October 2023]

Click for changelog

Added 2023 report to the bottom.

I agreed to take on the role of Hub Master for this year’s Pelikan Hub.

If this event is unfamiliar to you, it is an annual international meet-up organised by Pelikan every 22 September, and facilitated by Hub Masters in participating cities. You need 7 sign-ups before a city is confirmed. This is the third or fourth year Kuching is a hub, and my first time as Hub Master.

Sign-ups this year kicked of really early. There was a “save the date” aka pre-sign-up, followed by the actual sign-up that was only available to those who registered interest early. There were some unhappy noises from those who missed the “save the date”. Given that 2022’s participation was through the roof, I think this is a way of crowd control.

When spreading the word, we’ve always had to explain a number of things to other fountain pen users.

No, you don’t have to be a Pelikan user. But you inevidebly end up being one because they usually give out their Ink of the Year during these hubs and you end up using it if that’s your first pot of Pelikan ink.

No, you don’t have to be a massive fountain pen nerd. There certainly are regulars in our group who know their fountain pens and own very fancy ones, but I’m happy with my small collection of affordable pens. Gets the job done. Never mind I barely use them because I’m on the computer most of the time.

Is it too late to join? No. You don’t get the goodies that Pelikan sent (it has arrived for our 15 registered hubbers), but you’re still welcome to join an evening of fellowship with other fountain pen users. We are always happy to get your fingers inky.

The best way to reach us is either through our Facebook group Fountain Pen Kuching, or my email in the main sidebar. I probably won’t book a place until early next month, so there’s time.

Here’s to a great Hub!

Pelikan Hub 2022

Pelikan Hub Kuching 2023 Report

This year’s Pelikan Hub had 15 registrations. Three were absent – two were travelling and one forgot. The goods were handed out. The big table broke out all the pens and inks and paper after dinner, while the little table engaged in conversation. It was a situation that happened organically, and it was nice. Everybody took care of themselves and each other. My social batteries were low so I was at the small table. A bunch of new people joined us, so that was nice. I hope to see them during our regular meets.

As a Hub Master, my role went smoothly. My aim was to leave without the mailing box I came with, and I succeeded. The banner went home with the previous Hub Master. I drew the cat outline on it at home and that took forever; the group helped fill it in with the provided black markers. The Hub Master’s gift was claimed, so were the spare name labels and markers. The smaller boxes were reused to pack their goodies.

The stint as Hub Master exposed me to the world of international Hub Masters, where I learned of potential drama that may arise when your group gets too big. We are currently a comfortably small group that can be overseen by one distracted person making only the barest minimum effort (ie book a venue, be the parcel recipient for your city, some basic admin and speaking skills).

Bigger groups, my estimate is any group bigger than 20, may not have the luxury of booking a few tables at a local cafe for the price of dinner. Some cities run these as literal events – with extra door gifts, lucky draws, activities, etc. One hub sent out a form asking participants to RSVP with a small fee to help with booking a venue, which a hubber indignantly took to the FB group. Another Hub Master told me that yes, she paid to book the venue but left a donation box to let anyone help with defraying the cost, which works well if your participants are considerate or you can afford not to get your money back.

It’s rather upsetting to think that some people expect the Hub Master to foot any venue booking fee, and it’s definitely not a burden I expect a future Hub Master to bear alone. For the moment, it helps that we’re a small group that meets up periodically through the year, and will likely communicate any problems.

We ended the night by launching a WhatsApp group to facilite communication.
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August 20, 2023
Good Dog, Bad Dog

Good

Good Dog, Bad Dog
Georgette Tan

Dog, Bad Dog

Georgette Tan

(Note: The article that got published in thesundaypost was completely rewritten. It was just as well that I didn’t get a byline because that wasn’t the article I wrote. This is.)

SANTUBONG: The sound of a dog’s wet snarling with a human arm clenched between its teeth is something that will turn most people’s blood cold. That nightmarish sound came from the car park of Santubong Resort yesterday, where a man and a dog were locked in a tug-of-war with the man’s arm.

That canine is Leo Pui’s definition of a good dog.

“A bad dog will bite anywhere. A good dog will bite what you offer,” he said, cracking a smile that both reassured and teased.

The bear-like man who won’t break into sweat among the big security dogs at this year’s Rainforest World Music Festival (RWMF), but then again, he was the one who trained them.

MGuardian Security K9 Services brought in a security team of 63 people and nine dogs this year, doubling the manpower since their initial involvement in the 9th RWMF.

“We had 32 men and six or eight dogs. The reason we doubled our manpower is because we are now on duty from morning, mostly on wristband control. Previously, we only worked at night.” said Pui, who is the Operation Manager of MGuardian and Head of Security at RWMF.

Pui and his team forms the security team that does crowd control during the concerts and monitor the entrances and exits, both legal and illegal ones, to the Sarawak Cultural Village where RWMF is held in July every year. The festival kicked off yesterday and will end tomorrow.

The handler have since gone to rescue their decoy. He had to haul the dog up nearly off its hind legs before it’d let go of the decoy’s well-padded arm.

“There are several ways to remove a dog from an arm, but that’s how we do it. The dog will not let go unless the handler is there and has the culprit under custody.” Pui explained.

The security dogs, made up mostly of German Shepherds, have one objective when they are let off the leash and pointed at a troublemaker. Get the man down.

“One bite takes up a lot of energy.”

The handler had his dog back on a leash and was talking to it while its eyed the decoy eagerly. Its breath was coming in loud huffs.

“To these dogs, getting to bite is a reward,” said Pui. He flashed that smile again.

Since 2007, Pui has a special treat for gatecrashers and troublemakers that they catch.

“I created a special detention area for them and put them there until the show is over.”

In their first year, the security team caught and tossed out an average of 30 people, mostly teenagers, who were found without wrist bands.

“They’d sneak in through the jungle or staff area.” he said.

MGuardian is still performing their normal duties this year.

“After talks with the police, they are sending 60 personnel, including plain clothes policemen, the special branch and for the first time, a bomb unit.”

Pui didn’t explain why there is a bomb unit this year, but added that the Police Commissioner will be evaluating their narcotic detection dog.

This dog have out-performed drug-sniffing dogs from the Dog Unit in Kuala Lumpur and the CP wanted to see this for himself.

“Maybe he was a little sarcastic about the need to get security personnel from Miri.” Pui said. “They want to see how good we are.”

The team from Miri have been on duty at RWMF and Miri International Jazz Festival since 2006.

“The Sarawak Tourism Board (STB) always had issues with gate-crashing. When they saw us at work in Miri, they were impressed and brought us in for RWMF.”

Pui also breed their own dogs and mentioned that there is a new litter of puppies sired by the drug-sniffer. He also let drop another fact about breeding working dogs.

“We don’t really look after the puppies,” he said. “We can only use the ones with a strong survival instinct.”

July 15, 2009
PWMF 2008 – Day 3

May 19, 2008
PWMF 2008 – Day 2 (photos)

May 11, 2008
Tapping Feet

May 3, 2008
PWMF 2008 – Day 1 (Photos)

May 3, 2008
PWMF 2008 – Day 1 (Videos)

Because I’m not sure if I’ll have time for a proper update today, here are videos from last night’s performance.

May 3, 2008
PWMF 2008 – The Welcome Dinner @ Khoo Kongsi

The Welcome Dinner for the Penang World Music Festival was held last night at the Khoo Kongsi, which won a UNESCO Asia-Pacific Heritage Conservation Award in 2006. I’ve not heard of it before, but Peggy said that I should go see it.

The building sits inside a maze of other buildings. The entrance didn’t look like much.

But a stroll and a few turns in the alleyways brought us to this:

Cue me standing there for about two minutes looking like this -> :O

The detail they injected into this temple is nothing short of staggering. There is something interesting to look at every direction you turn. What an amazing place to hold a welcome dinner for international delegates.

The temple faced a theatre which is located on the other end of the courtyard. That was where the speeches were given and entertainment was performed. The left and right sides between the temple and the theatre were lined with food stalls. Tables filled the middle.

But it was almost enough to stand there and drink in the opulence.

The two statues above and below flank the foot of the stairs up to the temple. It’s two versions of the same man (or god?) but with different expressions. The happy/sad is to represent the two states of humanity.

Inside, the walls are more muted compared to the distracting glare of colours outside. It struck a necessary balance and gave the main room a slightly sedated feel, with detailed trims in the nooks and crannies most people don’t pay any attention to.

Everything is a work of art. It’ll take hours to fully explore and photograph the Khoo Kongsi.

When we finally extricated ourselves from the interiors, the dinner and show was in full swing. Here’s the theatre on the other side of the courtyard.

And here’s us sitting at the steps of the temple, people watching after dinner.

Irene, me & Peggy

The Festival kicks off tonight. I’ll be back tomorrow with a report, photos and hopefully some videos.

May 2, 2008
PWMF 2008 – Press Conference Snippets

Thursday was full of rushing around for most of the volunteers involved. There are significantly less volunteers for PWMF than the hundreds you normally see for RWMF. Most of these people have had years of experience, but I still feel sorry for folks like the schelppers, who have to handle more instruments than they have limbs.

So the bands have arrived, spot promotion have been performed, and everyone gears up for the show.

The press conference on Thursday afternoon saw a representative of each band facing the media at the press centre of the hotel. This media preview is designed to give the press a taste of what music to expect in the next three nights. They also take questions, but the Penang media proved to be a rather quiet lot. Reminds me a lot of home.

There were also significantly fewer foreign media.

The performers stated various reason for being here, including a very dry “Because we were invited” from the red-haired lady.

Kumpulan Dendang Anak (Terengganu) gave the cultural preservation reason. Their members are young and they work towards inculcating interest. Given that some of their songs date as far back as 600-700 years old, it would be very interesting to hear how it sounds.

Kenge Kenge (Kenya) pointed out that playing at a festival is different from playing at a concert.

“You meet different musicians, and get psyched about the traditional aspects of it.” said their leader. “There is an exchange of knowledge.”

Mojmir Novakovic of Kries (Croatia) agreed. “It’s important for musicians to come and experience a festival like this. You learn.”

Like most musicians where large groups of musicians are gathered, he also hopes to get to jam with the other bands.

Another band I’m interested in is Techung (Tibet). His songs are described as “freedom songs” and the political angle of it was brought up at the press conference.

“I sing them for my community.” said Techung simply. “For everyone else, it will be an introduction.”

Penang World Music Festival kicks off tonight at the Botanic Gardens, Penang.

May 2, 2008
Mister International 2007 – National Costume

I’m an easy-going bum when it comes to updating my blog, which is exactly how I like it because my life is full of distractions. Not great if you’re easily distracted. With the Mister International 2007 series of posts, I feel committed. :-P And I’m ignoring most other things, like answering emails.

So here’s the last item from the programme for the Main Event , or technically it’s the first, but I’m playing it in reverse. This is when all the contestants first stepped out on stage.

National Costume is never strictly “national costume”. It’s more of a creative interpretation of the country’s traditional costume, thrown into a blender with icons and symbols that is unique to them. Or none of the above. I don’t know. I don’t pay enough attention to beauty pageants.

Lawron â€˜Lawrenceâ€™ Leung of Canada: I’m not sure when latex pants became the national costume of Canada, but then again, a tuque and parka (or so says this page) is equally “eh?”

(more…)

January 7, 2008