Picnic At Ulu Yam

With the popularity of air travel on low cost carriers, most Malaysians these days have been able to enjoy overseas travel to various destinations. However, as is always the case, some people who have traveled overseas may not have been to places in their own country - I have American friends who live close to Disney World in Florida, yet have not visited the theme park until I showed up to visit them!

This week-end, my friends and I decided to have a family picnic at the Ulu Yam waterfalls. To be honest, before this trip, Ulu Yam is just another name of a place as far as I am concerned. I have heard about the waterfalls and picnic spots in this popular local destination but never made any attempt to check it out.

The picnic was organized pot-luck style. Each of us brought a dish for the rest to enjoy and I was assigned the role of making gado-gado Indonesian style - what would I do without Siti, my Indonesian maid? Torah brought home-made nasi lemak, Mahani was given the task of making fried mee hoon and Audi brought her secret-recipe fried chicken.

The trip, through Kampong Nakhoda, Batu Caves, took slightly more than an hour through narrow, winding road. As we arrived around 11 a.m., the place was already crowded, and we learnt that some folks had actually camped overnight.

As with most recreational facilities in Malaysia, the place was poorly maintained, rubbish was strewn around and we were the only ones who brought a garbage bag to take care of our litter! As for the toilets and changing rooms, well, while I did not puke, they are not in a condition we can be proud of. I don't understand what it is with the Malaysian public; we keep our toilets clean at home but visit any public toilet, and you will know what I mean. It seems like the minute we step out of our homes, some of us turn into ugly, inconsiderate, dirty, monsters!

Poorly-maintained facilities aside, Mahani, Joe and Bakar were determined to have fun and they had a great time frolicking in the cool waters of the pool below the roaring waterfalls.

Mahani, Joe and Bakar Enjoying The Cool Waters!

Several youths were seen showing off their skills in riding the falls and not to be outdone, Joe and Bakar did us proud when they, too, took the plunge! Click on the video below to see Joe taking the "heart-stopping "plunge"......

Riding the falls (above) and swinging into the waters Tarzan-style (below)

Aaah...the exuberance of youth!

For the rest of us in the group who were either unable or unwilling to get into the waters, we did the next best thing - dipped our feet in the water!

To round off our outing, on the return journey, we stopped at the Indian Temple at Batu Caves so that our overseas visitor, Sandy, could snap some I've-been-there photos!

Nori, Sandy and Mahani with the Statue of Lord Murugan in the background

Batu Caves is one of the most popular Hindu shrines outside India, dedicated to Lord Murugan. It is the focal point of the Hindu festival of Thaipusam in Malaysia which attracts over 1.5 million pilgrims annually.

It is worth mentioning here that Jim's Mercedes was vandalized while we were enjoying the picnic. The window screen on the driver's side was smashed and a cell phone and some personal items that were left in the car were stolen. As can be expected, it will be a long, long, time before we would think about having another picnic!

X'mas Reunion With Sandy

I met Londoner Sandy Cahill three Christmases ago by sheer coincidence! We shared a table-for-two at Little Penang Cafe in KLCC because the place was rather full. I was working on a crossword puzzle while waiting for my order and Sandy sat across the table. My order for curry laksa arrived first and before tucking into the dish, I asked her to excuse me for not waiting for her order to arrive as I was rather hungry. From that moment, we struck a conversation and we have been friends three years now.

It turned out that Sandy is a Penangite who migrated to England more than twenty years ago and she came to Kuala Lumpur alone for her X'mas vacation. We got on so well at that first meeting that we decided to continue our chat over drinks at a hotel next door.

It was that time of the year when I really wanted to be with someone - you know, with all the festivities from X'mas to the New Year, I didn't want to be alone; and neither did Sandy! Since I had nothing to do on X'mas eve, we planned to paint the town red - just the two of us! But before that, we had to hit the shops because we had nothing to wear - you know the usual girlie excuse to shop?

However, it rained on Christmas eve so we had to forget about painting the town red. Fortunately, the band playing at the hotel lounge was quite good so we had a lovely time listening to music with other X'mas revellers. Everyone was in a festive mood and we had a great time! I spent the night with Sandy and we stayed up till the wee morning hours chatting about all kinds of things, and also to work on my unfinished crossword puzzle! For the rest of Sandy's stay, I was tour guide and it felt like we were old friends.

So, it was a pleasant surprise when Sandy contacted me earlier this year with the news that she plans to visit during X'mas again. This time, I could not spend X'mas eve with her as planned as I am recovering from surgery but we did meet for tea at the hotel where she is staying.

Audi and Mahani accompanied me and as I had expected, they got on very well with Sandy. By the way, Audi has been driving me around (including trips to the physiotherapist) since I am not able to drive and I can never be grateful enough for her help.

We had earlier planned a family picnic this weekend and Sandy will be joining us.....more about that later!

Ode To My Friends

I still remember the following poetry that I had memorised in primary school. I cannot remember the author but the words still resonate today:

Friendship is a gift of beauty
Of wealth, love and loyalty
To meet, to greet and then to part
Is the saddest thing in a true friend's heart

Friendship knows no curve or bend
A helping hand on which to depend
And friends love to see you smile
Happy, cheerful, all the while

I am very blessed to have friends that I can count on both in good and bad times. Words can never sufficiently describe how grateful I am that in times such as this, when I am incapacitated due to my recent surgery, my friends have rallied to my side, providing much-needed support.

The photos in this posting is a graphic presentation of how much my friends mean to me. Thank you all for making life a little easier with your care and understanding!

Year-End Gift From Selangor State Government

The announcement hitting the front pages of the local dailies recently was a year-end gift that many homeowners can do without. The Selangor Menteri Besar had announced that fourteen hillside housing areas, in addition to Bukit Antarabangsa, have been identified as being at risk of landslides.

It was stated that local councils have been instructed to continuously monitor the situation and homeowners are also advised to be responsible for maintaining hill slopes that are part of their land. What is surprising about this announcement is that these housing estates have existed for more than a decade and only now the Government realises that they are in the landslide risk zone. Surely, this could not have happened overnight.

The landslide that occurred on December 6, 2008 was the second after the famed Highland Tower landslide in December 1993 - yet, after each incident, the Government had made a similar commitment that local councils will monitor the situation. Except that this time, instead of claiming that areas in the vicinity are not affected by the landslides, they dropped the bombshell.

I believe it is only fair that the state government provides supporting evidence as to how they came to this conclusion for homeowners have the right to such information. In particular, homeowners would be very interested to know what methodology was used to come to this conclusion. Also, we are interested to know why, in previous years, the government kept insisting the areas in the vicinity are safe - thus providing us a false sense of security all these years!

In spite of the potential dangers of unsupervised hillside developments, we continue to see glossy advertisements of homes for sale in these areas. At one time, a group of concerned citizens in one of the affected housing estates even held demonstrations against the project that were reported in the press - but as expected, the project is happily chugging along!

While consumers are also to blame for continuing to purchase homes in the landslide risk zone, I believe the onus is on the state government NOT to approve any such projects in the first place. Malaysians have very short memories - there will be a huge hue and cry after each incident, but time will slowly erase the memories and these developments will continue until the next incident occurs. So, who is to be blamed?

Wind Out Of My Sail.....(Part III)

It's been 11 days since I had surgery for torn rotator cuff and today, I visited with the Orthopaedic Surgeon (OS) to remove the sutures and have the wounds cleaned. The following are pictures before and after the sutures are removed and as can be seen, the shoulder is still fairly swollen.

The shoulder no longer hurts but it is stiff and the only movements allowed are forward/backward and sideways. I cannot reach behind to scratch my back, for example, and I also have to wear front-buttoned shirts as I cannot raise my arm to get into my clothes.

Today, I also had my third physiotherapy session to get the arms moving and the most painful is when I have to push my arm sideways against the wall - the muscles must have gone to sleep and I felt like someone just hammered my injured arm! My Therapist, Jeffrey, advised me that for the first 6 weeks of therapy, my movements are limited and I can only do other "less boring" movements after the sixth week. I will be allowed to do similar exercises in the swimming pool one week from today - not to swim, mind you, but just to move my arms in the water!

But the best news I've heard so far is that after 6 weeks, I can try putting - in fact, one of the movements I do during therapy is to move the arms sideways like a pendulum - just like putting! Come to think of it, it should improve my putting as I cannot move my arm any other way except sideways - didn't they say in every cloud there is a silver lining? Oh well.....four more weeks to go!

Wind Out of My Sail....(Part II)

I have been through many surgeries before and I thought this time, it would be different - but I was wrong! Each time before a surgery, I have knots in my stomach dreading the thought of anaesthesia, getting into induced sleep and waking up feeling nauseated and disoriented. But I have made up my mind to do it and I just had to get on with it. On the day prior to surgery, I went through blood tests and chest x-ray to ensure that I was fit for surgery. The anaesthetist then visited with me and explained what was going to happen - since I already knew what was going to take place, I was really feeling anxious and I guess it must have showed on my face! The anaesthetist must have noticed this and suggested that I take a sleeping pill the night before to help me sleep.

I woke up early on surgery day, had a bath and dressed in hospital gown. Before leaving the room, I was given a pill to calm my nerves after which I was wheeled into the operating theatre. The doctor had not arrived and the waiting was pure agony! I tried not to think about what's ahead - but it was so diffcult to think of anything else as I lay on the operating table in a cold, sterile, environment with bright, blinding lights shining into my eyes. I have always been a brave person - I had to be brave to jump out of a plane - but this was different. At this moment, I wondered whether I would have preferred to jump out of a plane instead!

Then came the most dreaded moment - the anaesthetist arrived, patted by hand and asked me to take a deep breath. From past experience, this was the most difficult moment. I have very fine veins that are difficult to locate and once the needle is inserted, the veins tend to burst, making it difficult to inject anaesthesia. The process had to be repeated several times and I tend to resist, making it more stressful and painful. During my last surgery, I woke up to find that I had needle puncture marks on both hands, both feet and a needle was stuck into my neck. This time, it was not too bad; the prick was not too painful and then I was given oxygen to help my breathing. At this moment, I repeatedly recited the kalimah syahadah. The kalimah syahadah is the first pillar of Islam and it is an affirmation of one's faith - it is also recited before one's death. I do this every time before surgery as every surgery carries an element of risk and I don't know if I would make it. Almost immediately, I drifted off into oblivion!

The next thing I knew were some far-away voices calling my name, like in a dream, someone gently slapping my cheeks, asking me to open my eyes. As I opened my eyes and became aware of my surroundings, the after-effects of anaesthesia started to set in - I did not throw up but my vision was blurred and my world was spinning! I tried to speak but could not; I could hear the doctor asking me if I was okay; I weakly tried to say yes, then he asked me to move my fingers and I did.

I was returned to my room and drifted off into morphine-induced sleep again - everything is okay for now and the next phase would be rehabilitation!

With Orthopaedic Surgeon, Dr Charanjeet Singh

High End Victims of the Economic Crunch

First, it was AIG and soccer, next was General Motors and golf and most recently, Honda and F1 racing. One by one, big-time sponsors are reassessing their financial positions in view of the credit crunch and are forced to make tough decisions. Hence, luxury spending would be the first to go during times when companies are struggling to keep afloat.

AIG has been bailed out by the US government, GM's boss is still on Capitol Hill begging for a lifeline and Honda recently announced that US car sales in the last quarter have plunged more than 30% year to year.

There are two schools of thought about brand marketing (this is what sponsorship is all about) during recession. One believes that sponsors should not pull out but adapt as marketing generates business. The other believes that continued sponsorship is not sustainable and would be insensitive to the plight of workers who have lost jobs, especially if a company had to be bailed out with taxpayers' money ala AIG. In the case of AIG, the company is forced to come up with a business plan to turn itself around and, it is not surprising that luxury spending must go.

The impact of the pullout would spill over not only to those directly involved such as employees; but others providing associated services as well, and eventually, the sport itself. With reduced sponsorship, it would be difficult to attract big names that are crowd pullers. Countries like Malaysia that depend on the F1 to draw tourists would also feel the impact and this, in turn, would impact the service industry like hotels and restaurants....and the list could go on and on!

As for the Average Joe for whom these spectator sports provide entertainment on TV, they probably would not care anyway, as there are other more serious things to worry about such as trying to make ends meet or if the paycheck would continue to come in....the stark reality of life for some today!

Cheating Cheap!

I could not believe my ears when I first heard it! The news presenter on CNN was actually reeling off statistics about how men and women who cheat in their marriages are coping with the current economic downturn.

Apparently, a number of men and women who cheat on their spouses in the USA were surveyed on what kinds of changes they had to make in regards to their dalliances in view of the current economic downturn. For men with "kept" women, some had cut down on their mistresses' allowances, bought less expensive gifts and - get this - some even dumped their women!

Women with "kept" men (the exact words used in the report!) on the other hand, actually continued their relationships and although some cut down on expensive holidays and wining/dining, none dumped their lovers. Most of these women were women of means for whom money could buy everything - including love, at least until the cash runs out!

The survey was conducted to prove the point that the economic downturn had affected every aspect of people's lives - including cheating on spouses. One would think that there are other more important aspects of life that they could focus on, but as the saying goes, only in America!

Reminiscing Mumbai

The Taj Hotel - in all its glory....then

Smoke billowing from the Taj Hotel during the siege

Watching the massacre of Mumbai unfolding on TV in real time recently, I was overcome by nostalgia about the city that I had visited several times in the late '90s on business trips.

The Gateway of India was built to commemorate the arrival in India, on 2 December 1911, of King George V and Queen Mary and was completed on 4 December, 1924

The Taj Hotel with the Gateway of India in the foreground - this was allegedly the entry point for millitant gunmen who arrived via the Arabian Sea

Mumbai is a city of contradictions - modern yet ancient, fabulously opulent yet achingly poor. I had stayed at both the Taj and Oberoi Hotels where gunmen held hostages and engaged in a shootout with military forces - which left about 170 people dead and more than 300 injured. The contrast between the opulence of the hotels and the poverty on the streets is like night and day. As one steps out of the grandeur of these hotels, one is hit by the poverty that many of its citizens live in - families sleeping on sidewalks and begging children tugging at your hand, refusing to go away until you give them something. But to give anything is equally dangerous - for one could be inviting a riot when scores of others would suddenly appear.

Seeing on TV the various familiar sites that were attacked - Victoria Terminus, Nariman House and Leopold Cafe - I felt a tinge of sadness about the human capacity to inflict such destruction and suffering upon fellow human beings, whose only crime was being at the wrong place at the wrong time.

The resilient human spirit would of course prevail - just like after 9/11 - and life has already returned to normal for Mumbaikers.

The Chatrapati Shivaji Terminus, formerly known as Victoria Terminus or VT for short, headquarters of the Central Railway, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site

Fashion Street, a huddle of little shops on Mahatma Gandhi Road - Mumbai is an exporter of ready-made garments and surpluses end up here. This place is a favorite haunt for fashion-conscious college students

Dhobi Ghat at Saat Rasta near Mahalaxmi Station. "Ghats" are "laundries" - row upon row of concrete wash pens, each fitted with its own flogging stone. The clothes are soaked in sudsy water, thrashed on the flogging stones, then tossed into huge vats of boiling starch and hung out to dry.

Marine Drive, a windswept promenade flanked by the sea and a row of art deco buildings. Marine Drive is looped between the concrete jungle of Nariman Point, Mumbai's Manhattan, and the leafy green slopes of Malabar Hill.

Wind Out of My Sail (Part I)....

It started as a nagging pain and I thought it could be due to too much golf. Maybe a little rest was all I needed. But when my left arm started to throb at night and painkillers did not provide enough relief, I suspected something was amiss, as the pain was familiar. It started in the upper arm and radiated towards the shoulder and it was intense when I lay down!

A visit to the orthopaedic surgeon (OS) and an MRI later confirmed what I thought...that I had a torn rotator cuff in my left shoulder. The OS advised it was a full tear that will not heal on its own and I should have it repaired. I decided to seek second and third opinions before making that final decision. The second OS advised that I should have a steroid injection as the pain appeared to affect the tendon more than the cuff. He advised that I should wait 2-3 weeks after the injection before deciding on the next course of action.

The third OS, who specializes in sports injury of the shoulders and knees, did a thorough examination of the shoulder and noted a popping sound which was caused by a spur that had developed as well. He advised against injection as it would only treat the pain and not the underlying cause. In fact, when a tear is involved, he'd rather that nothing be done instead of taking an injection because when there is no pain, the patient may continue doing whatever it is that caused the pain, resulting in further damage, thus complicating the repair.

My options are (a) do nothing and live with the pain and a weakened shoulder, which may degenerate beyond repair with age, even if I give up golf, or (b) have the shoulder repaired. There are two options for repair - open surgery or arthroscopy. It was not very difficult for me to make a decision. I had done my research on the Internet and I am not one to agonize over things that I know will not work...and, by the way, this includes relationships as well!

After discussing the pros and cons of open surgery versus arthroscopy with the doctor, I have decided to go for arthroscopy and will have the procedure done soon - this will be the subject of another post when it is done.

The Butchery of English.......

In a Belgrade hotel elevator: To move the cabin, push button for wishing floor. If the cabin should enter more persons, each one should press number of wishing floor. Driving is then going alphabetically by national order.

In a Paris hotel elevator: Please leave your values at the front desk.

In a hotel in Athens: Visitors are expected to complain at the office between the hours of 9 and 11 A.M. daily.

In a Yugoslavian hotel: The flattening of underwear with pleasure is the job of the chambermaid.

In a Japanese hotel: You are invited to take advantage of the chambermaid.

In the lobby of a Moscow hotel across from a Russian Orthodox monastery: You are welcome to visit the cemetry where famous Russian and Soviet composers, artists, and writers are buried daily except Thursday.

In an Austrian hotel catering to skiers: Not to parambulate the corridors in the hours of repose in the boots of ascension.

On the menu of a Swiss restaurant: Our wines leave nothing to hope for.

In a Hong Kong supermarket: For your convenience, we recommend courteous, efficient self-service.

Outside a Hong Kong tailor shop: Ladies may have a fit upstairs.

In a Bangkok dry cleaner's: Drop your trousers here for best results.

Outside a Paris dress shop: Dresses for street walking.

In a Rhodes tailor shop: Order your summer suits. Because is a big rush we will execute customers in strict rotation.

From the Soviet Weekly: There will be a Moscow Exhibition of Arts by 15,000 Soviet Republic painters and sculptors. These were executed over the past two years.

In an East African newspaper: A new swimming pool is rapidly taking shape since the contractors have thrown in the bulk of their workers.

In a Vienna hotel: In case of fire, do your utmost to alarm the hotel porter.

A sign posted in Germany's Black Forest: It is strictly forbidden on our black forest camping site that people of different sex, for instance, men and women, live together in one tent unless they are married with each other for that purpose.

In a Zurich hotel: Because of the impropriety of entertaining guests of the opposite sex in the bedroom, it is suggested that the lobby be used for this purpose.

In an advertisement by a Hong Kong dentist: Teeth extracted by latest Methodists.

In a Rome laundry: Ladies, leave your clothes here and spend the afternoon having a good time.

In a Czechoslovakian tourist agency: Take one of our horse-driven city tours we guarantee no miscarriages.

Advertisement for donkey rides in Thailand: Would you like to ride on your own ass?

In a Bangkok temple: It is forbidden to enter a woman even a foreigner if dressed as a man.

In a Tokyo bar: Special cocktails for ladies with nuts.

In a Copenhagen airline ticket office: We take your bags and send them in all directions.

In a Norwegian cocktail lounge: Ladies are requested not to have children in the bar.

At a Budapest zoo: Please do not feed the animals. If you have any suitable food, give it to the guard on duty.

In the office of a Roman doctor: Specialist in women and other diseases.

In an Acapulco hotel: The manager has personally passed all the water served here.

Sign outside a Bangkok ladies hair salon "Best blow job in town"

Ladies Night Out.....

(L to R) : Nori, Audi, Torah, Cherry [Restaurant Manager], Mahani, Irene

This was an outing we had planned for a while but had to be postponed due to conflicting schedules - a "ladies-in-black-night-out"! We finally made it this weekend and we all turned out, as agreed, in our little (not-so-little for some) black dresses, except for dear Torah who simply had to show-off her recently purchased l'il brown dress.

We learnt that trying to get 5 ladies to agree on what to eat was no easy task. The main criteria was the place must be easy to get to, especially with every road in KL choked with traffic on a Saturday night. We finally settled on Gaucho at Chulan Square.

What recession? Saturday night traffic along Jalan Ampang

This joint serves western food, the usual soup, salad, steaks, fish, etc. and the food was good. The Chilean white wine was good too - not too strong. I think it's called Inis, but I'm not sure now. That's what happens when you are past 50, even a good time lasts only overnight in your memory....sad!

While we ate, the owner of the joint, Zack (who is, by the way, Bosnian) came by to chat with us since we made quite a spectacle when we entered the rather quiet place - almost like Men in Black making an appearance! He was very proud to rattle off the list of joints he owns in town and obviously, he seems well-connected. As evidence, photographs of the owner with Tun Mahathir and Datuk Seri Hishamuddin graced the walls.

With Bosnian owner, Zack

After a satisfying meal, we decided to check out Pulse, a hot nightspot for the young at the Grand Millenium Hotel where, we were told, an all-black band was playing. However, being a Saturday night, the place had a cover charge of RM50 per head for patrons. We were indignant...No! we were not going to pay RM50 for a miserable drink just to get our ear drums blasted by loud music, and the musicians were not black! And the thought of jostling our way into that happening crowd did not appeal to us.

We were in the mood to listen to music so it was off to Crossroads at the Concorde Hotel Lobby. This place features 3 different live bands that play non-stop through the night. The music, although just as loud, is more suitable for matured (you will notice I did not say old) folks like us....the bands dish out pop, R&B, local, oldies, etc.

The ever-popular Hard Rock Cafe on a Saturday night

Because it was a Saturday night, the place had standing-room only so we finally settled for a quiet cup of coffee at a cigar place in the hotel. By midnight, eyes started to droop and yawns became more frequent . Since Irene had a flight to catch at 12 noon, we decided to call it a night.

Since it's been quite a while that we had a ladies-night-out, it was enjoyable, albeit, tiring. Thank you girls...yawn! I am still nursing a hangover from too much of a good thing! We'll do it again, maybe for my next birthday?

Safety Tips for Taxi Passengers

The following is a real-life incident that happened to a friend of a friend recently. The details are rather sketchy but suffice to say that there are lessons to be learnt from the incident.

A young expatriate lady hailed a taxi one night and upon reaching her house (in front of the gate), the driver locked all doors and tried to molest her. I don't have details about what he tried to do...but she somehow managed to open the door and as she jumped out, the driver sped away, dragging her for a few meters. She was too shocked to note the registration number of the taxi and the police could not do anything without this information. All she could recall was the driver was a Malay.

As a safety measure, it would be good practice to have an understanding with a friend or family member that anytime you board a taxi, you will text details of the taxi registration number for identification purposes in the event of an incident. It is also a good idea to carry pepper spray for protection and one lady I know keeps hers in her cleavage for easy access in case her handbag is snatched!

This advice applies to guys as well - minus the cleavage bit, of course!

Christmas Carol for 2008

These are difficult times indeed for economies around the world...markets are pointing south, retailers report dismal pre-holiday sales and the CEOs of the US auto industry's Big Three (GM, Chrysler and Ford) are currently on Capitol Hill begging the US Congress for a bail-out to save the US auto industry from total collapse. In keeping with the economic turmoil, the lyrics of a familiar carol have been given a fresh, realistic, update (depending on which country you are from, you can replace "Recession " with "IMF")!

Recession (or IMF) Is Coming To Town

You'd better watch out

You'd better not cry

You'd better keep cash

I'm telling you why

Recession is coming to town.

It's hitting you once,

It's hitting you twice

It doesn't care if you've been careful and wise

Recession is coming to town

It's worthless if you've got shares

It's worthless if you've got bonds

It's safe when you've got cash in hand

So keep cash for goodness sake, HEY

You'd better watch out

You'd better not cry

You'd better keep cash

I'm telling you why

Recession is coming to town!

Finance products are confusing

Finance products are so vague

The banks make you bear the cost of risk

So keep out for goodness sake, OH

You'd better watch out

You'd better not cry

You'd better keep cash

I'm telling you why

Recession is coming to town.

Going by what's happening now, even cash may not be a safe bet...gold is probably the answer...have a Merry Christmas everyone!

James Bond Through The Ages ....The Villians

A James Bond adventure will not be complete without adversaries, including femme fatales. "Goodbye Mr Bond!"....is a line often used by villians when Bond is trapped in a life-and-death situation. Against all odds, however, Agent 007 will somehow manage to extricate himself out of precarious situations. Some of these villians and femme fatales are featured below:

Dr. No

Agent Spalko - From Russia With Love

Goldfinger

Emilio Largo - Thunderball

Ernst Blofeld - You Only Live Twice/Diamonds are Forever/Never Say Never Again/On Her Majestey's Secret Service

Mr Big - Live And Let Die

Francisco Scaramange - The Man With The Golden Gun

Karl Stromberg - The Spy Who Loved Me

Sir Hugo Drax - Moonraker

Aristotle Kritstos - For Your Eyes Only

Octopussy

May Day - A View To A Kill

Gen KosKoz - The Living Daylights

Franz Sanchez - Licence To Kill

Alec Trevelyan - Golden Eye

Elliot Carver - Tomorrow Never Dies

Elektra King - The World Is Not Enough

Gustav Graves - Die Another Day

Le Chiffre - Casino Royale

Dominic Greene - Quantum of Solace