Contributed by Sumitha Shaanthinni, Executive Officer, with photos by Ezane Mansor Obaid, IT Officer, and Ambran Abu Bakar, Administrative Officer, Bar Council
The ominous clouds threatened to dampen the spirits of the Bar Council Secretariat, Disciplinary Board and Legal Aid Centre (KL and Selangor) (“LAC”) staff on a trip to Port Dickson, but we were not cowed. We started our bus journey to Casa Rachado Resort, Port Dickson, with much excitement. It was the morning of 7 Aug 2010, the week after the Presidents of Law Associations in Asia and Malaysian Law Conferences, and indeed the trip was a well–earned break for many of us who had toiled day and night to ensure the success of the back–to–back Conferences.
The resort was gaily coloured with cozy air–conditioned apartments. Some of the apartments were even equipped with Astro reception on television. The 65 staff who joined the trip were housed in 14 apartments overlooking the gorgeous swimming pool and the sea beyond.
The ominous clouds threatened to dampen the spirits of the Bar Council Secretariat, Disciplinary Board and Legal Aid Centre (KL and Selangor) (“LAC”) staff on a trip to Port Dickson, but we were not cowed. We started our bus journey to Casa Rachado Resort, Port Dickson, with much excitement. It was the morning of 7 Aug 2010, the week after the Presidents of Law Associations in Asia and Malaysian Law Conferences, and indeed the trip was a well–earned break for many of us who had toiled day and night to ensure the success of the back–to–back Conferences.
The resort was gaily coloured with cozy air–conditioned apartments. Some of the apartments were even equipped with Astro reception on television. The 65 staff who joined the trip were housed in 14 apartments overlooking the gorgeous swimming pool and the sea beyond.
Upon arrival, we were treated to a buffet lunch of chicken sambal and mutton dhall. With full bellies and high spirits, most of us made a beeline for the pool. Others slipped back to their apartments for an afternoon siesta.
As tea time approached, the clouds began to clear and the sun shone brightly. The resort looked more cheerful than ever. Everyone enjoyed a light meal of roti jala and chicken curry.
An hour later, we found ourselves listening intensely to the resort’s games coordinator. We grouped ourselves into five teams of seven members each. Others appointed themselves for the roles of sports managers, umpires, cheerleaders, critics, etc! Needless to say we had plenty of fun outdoing one another.
The game was won by teams “Bong”, “Popular” and “Robo” in 1st, 2nd and 3rd places, respectively. The members of each team were as follows:
Bong | Popular | Robo |
Adilah Ariffin | Chandramalar K Muhtu | Francis Xavier |
Alawiyah Mohd Yusof | Cheryl Foo | Hussein Thajudeen |
Ambran Abu Bakar | Janet Nathan | Manimaran Sinnakanoo (LAC) |
Ezane Mansor Obaid | Magenthiran Maniam | Marlina Motto Nor |
Faizal Mahat | Siti Rokiah Morshid | Saidanafisa Setu |
Zakhiri Abdullah | Sumitha Shaanthinni | Taneshkumar Nagarajan |
The members of the other two teams were:
Panic Attack | Tiger |
Jeevanathan Angappan (LAC) | Kwan Yin Cheng |
Nik Waheeda Nik Kamarulzaman | Letchumi Thamboo |
Rachel Tan | Navaneethan Balakrishnan |
Sheena Manicam (LAC) | Pavitra Muniandy |
Suleka Dharmasena | Satha Selvan Subramiam |
Tony Haryadi Irman | Suvitha Marimuthu |
The games finished at 6:00 pm and those involved in the performances for the BBQ night by the poolside hurried to prepare themselves. Again, there were no complaints about the array of food before us. Satay, lamb chops, baked fish, mamak mee, cendol, corn on the cob and mushroom soup were some of the many mouth–watering dishes.
All the ladies turned up in their bright and colourful pareos, while the guys wore their Bermuda shorts. Both the pareos and the Bermuda shorts were door gifts distributed earlier in the day.
The highlight of the night was, without a doubt, the performances. As Rajen Devaraj (Chief Executive Officer) stated in his speech, he was amazed with the many hidden talents of the staff and it was tough choosing the winner.
All the ladies turned up in their bright and colourful pareos, while the guys wore their Bermuda shorts. Both the pareos and the Bermuda shorts were door gifts distributed earlier in the day.
The highlight of the night was, without a doubt, the performances. As Rajen Devaraj (Chief Executive Officer) stated in his speech, he was amazed with the many hidden talents of the staff and it was tough choosing the winner.
The star of the night was Cheong Chee Kien, our visually–impaired receptionist, who danced to the hit song of “Mama Mia” in a skirt with the rest of the team of “Chi–chi and the Girls”. The guys in the team had sportingly adorned women’s clothing and accessories and daringly strutted their stuff on stage. “Unity in Trinity” displayed the 1Malaysia theme with a fashion show depicting various national costumes and a group song on 1Malaysia. The “Pareo Girls”, who kick–started the night, dazzled us with their innovative rendition of Cindy Lauper’s “Girls just Wanna have Fun” with a broom as a guitar and a pail as a drum.
Accompanied by loud cheers and generous clapping, “Chi–chi and the Girls” were announced as the winner. The staff who participated in the performances were:
1st
prize Chi–chi and the Girls |
2nd
prize Unity in Trinity |
3rd
prize Pareo Girls |
Alawiyah
Mohd Yusof Adilah Ariffin Cheong Chee Kein Chua Ai Lin Ezane Mansor Obaid Faizal Mahat Hussein Thajudeen Mazni Ibrahim Satha Selvan Subramaniam Sumitha Shaanthinni Suvitha Marimuthu Tony Haryadi Irman |
Aishah
Sulaiman Anpanadan Kathavarayan Cheryl Foo Francis Xavier Gayathri Chidambara Iyer Hemalatha Subramaniam Kirushnaveni Subramaniam Kwan Yin Cheng Letchumi Thamboo Lilian Chong Magenthiran Maniam Mohd Hafiz Hamzah Navaneethan Balakrishnan Pavitra Muniandy Saiful Rizal Mohd Karim Siti Nurshuhada Ismail Su See Mun |
Nik
Waheeda Nik Kamarulzaman Rachel Tan Suleka Dharmasena |
Thereafter, Rajen, Stephanie Bastian (Executive Director of LAC (KL)) and Lau Chern Loong gave out the lucky draw prizes. Sheena and Ezane won the 1st and 2nd prizes, respectively.
The night continued with a karaoke session, courtesy of Aishah, Hafiz, Saiful Rizal, Ambran, Siti Rokiah and Rachel. As the notes soared, we took to the dance floor with bangra beats and the latest hits. A more adventurous group displayed energetic dance moves in the swimming pool right beside the stage!
The night continued with a karaoke session, courtesy of Aishah, Hafiz, Saiful Rizal, Ambran, Siti Rokiah and Rachel. As the notes soared, we took to the dance floor with bangra beats and the latest hits. A more adventurous group displayed energetic dance moves in the swimming pool right beside the stage!
It was past 1:00 am by the time the deejay packed up for the night. As others slept peacefully, some of us adjourned to the food court nearby the resort for its famous chicken porridge, char kuey teow and fresh tender coconuts.
The next morning, a group of enthusiastic holiday–makers woke up early, hoping to catch the sunrise. To their disappointment, dark clouds loomed and heavy rain pelted down. Fortunately, they were cheered up by the breakfast menu of porridge, mee and kuey teow. Although the rain continued to descent, some of us spent the rest of the morning at the seaside. The breathtaking view was a perfect background for photo shoots.
It was with heavy hearts that we left the resort at 2:00 pm for our journey back to Kuala Lumpur.
The next morning, a group of enthusiastic holiday–makers woke up early, hoping to catch the sunrise. To their disappointment, dark clouds loomed and heavy rain pelted down. Fortunately, they were cheered up by the breakfast menu of porridge, mee and kuey teow. Although the rain continued to descent, some of us spent the rest of the morning at the seaside. The breathtaking view was a perfect background for photo shoots.
It was with heavy hearts that we left the resort at 2:00 pm for our journey back to Kuala Lumpur.
The staff trip was organised by the
Fun Club of Bar Council Secretariat comprising Chern Loong
(Chairperson), Saliha Hassan, Ezane, Cheryl, Anne Andrews and Sumitha.