Besides all the fireworks & firecrackers, another sound I hear is my Arab neighbours’ kids crying. Poor buggers, must sound like a war zone. #
What a bunch of morons. BBC News - Car bomb explodes at Newry courthouse http://bit.ly/d14aFl #
Oh, and speaking of morons: CBC News - Nova Scotia - N.S. couple shaken by cross [...]
Categories: Miscellaneous
In 1943, when the Second World War was in full swing, Duncan MacLeod decided he was going to go and fight the Germans. He went to the local recruiting office with visions of charging into battle, but the recruiters had a different vision: before them was a short, scrawny young man who didn’t even look [...]
Categories: Heritage
Tagged: Canada, Cape Breton, Duncan MacLeod, family, genealogy, history, names, Sydney, war
Of all the characters Papa has told me about, the one I find the most interesting is Hughie MacLeod. Not Papa’s younger brother, but his uncle. His real name was John Hugh MacLeod. Everyone called him Hughie; sometimes people called him ‘the dummy’.
Hughie was born in September 1907, the seventh son of Angus and [...]
Categories: Heritage
I’ve already mentioned that the MacLeods of Upper South West Mabou made moonshine. My grandfather was introduced to it during the summer of 1937. In fact, that summer and the next, Duncan MacLeod and his brother Hughie didn’t just take the occasional swig of it. They helped make it.
Every year when the weather was just [...]
Categories: Heritage
Spent the whole day cleaning. Haha look at me, I’m nesting. #
Holy sweet lord THE HEAT. #
You know you’re a history buff when you’re on the can reading a 75-yr-old newspaper. #
Not only does this country still cane people, it does so for stupid reasons. #
Canada’s last WW I veteran dies http://bit.ly/dAv6U1 #
If you’re an [...]
Categories: Miscellaneous
When compiling a family history, one basically has two sources of information: documents and oral history. They complement each other quite nicely, in most cases. Sometimes they contradict each other. Sometimes they do both.
Some of the things I’ve learned while researching the history of my mother’s family have contradicted what Papa told me. As impressive [...]
Categories: Heritage
RHB finally replied. They basically said 1) It doesn’t concern me; 2) They ‘empathize’ w/ Leen; but 3) The repo man meant no harm. WTF? #
1) Technically correct; 2) Empathize? Not apologize? 3) Can you carjack someone without expecting them to be traumatized? Again: WTF? #
During Black History Month we can learn abt all sorts [...]
Categories: Miscellaneous
For Duncan and Hughie MacLeod, summers in Glencoe weren’t all about play. One day they were sent to help old Mr. MacDonald down the road. The old man was part of a large family known locally as the Bornish MacDonalds, to distinguish them from all the other MacDonalds, who were (and still are) legion in [...]
Categories: Heritage
Tagged: Canada, Cape Breton, Duncan MacLeod, family, Gaelic, genealogy, history, language, names, Nova Scotia, Scotland
My great-granduncle Dan MacLeod (whose real name was Donald Ignecious MacLeod) was born around 1892 in Upper Southwest Mabou, in the part of Cape Breton generally referred to as Glencoe. In the summer of 1937, my grandfather Duncan MacLeod and his younger brother Hughie were staying with Dan and his wife Maggie in their small [...]
Categories: Heritage
Tagged: Canada, Cape Breton, Duncan MacLeod, family, history, Nova Scotia
I finally received an official response from RHB Bank today (for background read this, and this, and this). Here’s what they said:
We thank you on highlighting the above incident to our En Mohamad Zaihan on 29 January 2009.
We took note that your wife as a passenger had an unpleasant encounter in the above incident. [...]
Categories: Commentary, Life
Tagged: Malaysia
Not long after their walk up over River Denys Mountain, nine-year-old Duncan MacLeod and his eight-year-old brother Hughie went to church with their uncle Dan and the other MacLeods. Saint Margaret of Scotland Church in Glencoe had been completed in 1841 and had literally grown with the community: it had actually been split in half [...]
Categories: Heritage
Tagged: Canada, Cape Breton, Duncan MacLeod, family, Gaelic, genealogy, history, language, MacLeod, Nova Scotia
I’m not a big fan of the Royal Malaysian Police. As far as I know, none of the police reports I’ve made since coming to Malaysia have resulted in anything resembling a thorough investigation; no one I’ve ever made a report against has ever been held accountable for whatever it was they had done. I’ve [...]
Categories: Commentary
Tagged: Canada, Cape Breton, family, links, MacVay, Malaysia, Nova Scotia, photos, police, Sydney
Glad to see news today that Msian cops will be paid more. Not surprised they ask for bribes, since they’re paid so little now. #
Saw a woman’s ass-crack in The Star today. There’s a sliver (teehee) of hope yet for those of us who loathe Msia’s censorship of the press. #
It was so hot today [...]
Categories: Miscellaneous
I was kind of hoping this case would be resolved by now, considering it’s been just about a week since I first contacted RHB Bank. But there’s been no official word from them beyond messages from their Corporate Comms guy that he hasn’t heard back from HQ yet, and assurances that he’s on the case. [...]
Categories: Commentary, Life
Tagged: Malaysia
Celcom Fail: The Brickberry 1
In January, Celcom invited me to a “media sneak preview” of the Blackberry Bold 9700, aka the Bold 2. The best part of the event, other than the awesome food (it was at GSix on the top floor of the Gardens), was the fact that I was given a Bold 9700 to use for a [...]
Categories: Commentary