Scribe For Chinese New Year Run 08
Scribe by Drug Buster
on 19th February 2008 at Butterfly Farm, Air Keroh.
Date: 23-02-2008
Rehashed Run No: 1730; Hare/Occasion: Chinese Connection /Chinese New Year Run; Date: 19th February, 2008; Venue: Butterfly Farm, Air Keroh.
Chinese New Year Run, like other festival runs such as Deepavali and Christmas Runs, is celebrated grandly once a year by MH3. It was of no exception this year which is the year of the rat. It was held on the sunny and windy afternoon of 19th February, 2008 at the Butterfly Farm beside the Air Keroh Toll Plaza. As expected, it had attracted a big turnout.
As usual, as retirees and full-time hashers, my partner and I arrived at the run-site early. Only Killer Tony’s car and 2 motorcycles were seen there. Understandably their owners must have left early to set the run in the nearby plantations as hares led by Killer Tony. Hopefully it would not be a balls-breaking run as Killer Tony is well known of setting.
As oldies and slow runners, we did not take chances by starting the run as early birds at 5.05 pm by following the paper along a tarred road which led southward towards a new highway. It then led into a bush on a laterite road after crossing the said highway a short distance away. Hardly some 400 meters away, it hit the first and only simple false trail down slope into another bush. Its connecting paper was found on the said laterite road some 100 meters on the right of the back trail. As usual, as early birds, we did not join the paper.
The paper then led into an oil palm plantation. A short while later, it zigzagged into a bushy and undulating rubber plantation across 2 ditches for some 20 minutes before hitting the first simple check on a path. Its connecting paper was found on the right of a wide laterite road a short distance away after getting some tips from 2 rubber tapers.
The paper continued to zigzag through the bushy and undulating terrains of rubber plantation for another some 20 minutes before hitting the second and last complicated check full of old papers laid by other hashing chapter at a T-junction. A spread-out search led to my partner finding its connecting paper on a laterite road on the right southward. It then continued to lead southward and westward for a short distance before arriving at the fringe of Tiara Golf Course where a group of golfers were seen gathering around a green to put the ball. They appeared amaze to see us crazy oldies chasing after the paper on the bushy track for no apparent reason. It was then that I was reminded of my backpacking trip with Websitekang, Garfield and the late Vincent Wong to St. Andrew, Scotland where golfing was born some 9 centuries ago after attending the 14th Interhash in Cardiff in July, 2004. I was told that the word GOLF stands for ‘Game Of Lazy F_ _kers’ who spent too much time hitting the ball on the field. As such, it was banned by its King then and was only lifted some years later. Let us hope that it will not happen to hashing. Otherwise without hashing it will drive us crazy and land us in Tanjong Rambutan Mental Hospital!
From then on, it was another some 30 minutes trudge zigzagging left, right and centre through the bushy rubber plantation, an abandoned housing estate, a vast patch of thick bushes, 2 ditches, up across the said new highway and on a short stretch of tarred road before arriving back at the run-site at 6.40 pm where the hares Killer Tony and Sexy Chan, some non runners and the beer wagon were waiting. We were among the first 3 runners to come back. The other one was scheduled energetic guest runner Tom from England. We were being followed closely by a few other scheduled energetic runners led by Anpalagan. The last runner was back at 7.30 pm when the sky was still bright. He is none other than Laughing Buddha who had just recovered from dengue fever.
It was a medium run of some 6 km zigzagging left, right and centre through the bushy and undulating terrains set by the said hares who were suspected to be drunk after a few drinks. However, credits should be given to them for the change of run pattern which caught everyone of us by surprise. For remembrance, each of us was given a beautiful yellow shirt sponsored by generous Orang Kaya NKS.
For the first time, a short and sweet hash circle was conducted by GM Cocker. It saw a few sinners being on-downed.
And for another first time, On On was held at the Bamboo Hut Rooftop Barbeque in downtown Malacca City. It was well-attended by some 70 hashers who included a few guests from MSH4 led by its GM Alibaba and On Sec. Mary. A buffet dinner with varieties of delicious Western and local food was served with free-flowing beer. Yee Sang was tossed for prosperity. In attendance was a live band with a number of high hashers taking the floor to dance wildly. A floor-show was performed by a sexy singer cum dancer to the applause of the attendance. Lucky draws with many hampers and gifts were held. Each of us was also given an Ang Pow (red packet) enclosed with a lottery ticket. Hopefully one of us will strike it and become an instant millionaire! The hares, the Chinese connection and all the sinners were then on-downed. In appreciation of his untiring effort in serving us drinks during the weekly run come rain or shine, another Ang Pow was presented by GM Cocker to our ever-industrious barman Mah.
It was good Chinese New Year run and memorable night. The crowd had only started to disperse at around midnight. Credits should be given to its organizing committee headed by GM Cocker assisted by JM Killer Tony and On Sec. Chickadee.
Happy Chinese New Year!
On! On!
Scribe: Drug Buster
Date: 23rd February, 2008.