FRIENDSTER: 18 JAN 2006
My Mandarin class commenced yesterday at UTAR campus for Lifelong Learning.
Conversational Mandarin for beginners.
It was not what I've expected. There were lots of 'banana' like me there- yellow on the outside, white on the inside
Yeah, you're right, Chinese but are not fluent or do not know any Mandarin.
And a couple of Indians and Malays.
Varying from early twenties to retirees. Good mixture, I think.
I got myself a place right in front :P kiasu? No lah…
So that I won't fall asleep during lesson ( I am just like my JMC students: easily distracted and would start dreaming if I was sitting far away from the teacher)
A young girl sat next to me, in her early / mid-twenties.
We smiled, but didn't talk.
I broke the ice after noticing that we're wearing the same shoes from Vincci, albeit a different colour
"Hey, we're wearing the same shoes!"
and that started a conversation.
Joanne was her name, she came with her dad and bro.
Oh, a family affair! Where was her mom?
She said her mom knows Mandarin.
I see…
So, you're working in IBM?
Yeah. What about you?
and blah blah blah…
Teacher came in at 7.05pm
Introduced himself as Mr Chin.
The bespectacled nerdy type
Spent the whole evening learning about how to roll our tongues, keeping our tongues flat,
pronounce a syllable with breath coming out from the sides of our lips, etc. Saliva flying all over... :P
Hahaha… I thought I was in a speech therapy class :P
Not bad, I learned something :) good.
the four tones were like singing solfege in Yamaha
Thank God for my sense of pitch :P
If not, 'ban' would have the same sound as 'bang'
Then, someone said, "bangsai" (in hokkien, which I think could be loosely translated as "to defecate")
Hualamak!
Everyone started laughing ;P
teacher said, it's not 'bangsai' but the same pronunciation as the "bang" in that Hokkien word
A break in-between with coffee and tea provided, self-service.
I daren't touch instant coffee anymore, after some bad experiences with Nescafe which set my heart throbbing fast, palpitations, head spinning, feeling hot and nauseous…
So I just had plain water. Ah, healthy drink :)
Lesson continued with all the "shi bu shi" (yes or no)
"kan yi kan" (have a look), etc
Class dismissed at 9.15pm
We'll be continuing with this next week, we were told.
Okie, so it's not as easy as I thought, esp. the hanyu pinyin thingie.
This is only the beginning, only conversational, to cater for people without any fundamentals in Mandarin.
So where do I stand with my "semi-decent" mandarin? Good to learn from the basics :) After all, I'm learning new things during lesson, right?
Reading and writing Chinese characters will only be introduced in Level 3.
Looking forward to the second lesson.
Rewarded myself for being a good girl and not falling asleep during class with KFC with Anakin :)
Friday, April 29, 2011
FIGHT BACK TO SCHOOL 1
FRIENDSTER: 18 JAN 2006
13 JANUARY 2006
I'll be starting MANDARIN classes on 18 Jan 2006
"WHAT? learning mandarin?
I thought you hated mandarin and even stormed out of
your mandarin classes and gave your mandarin teacher a
earful of @#$%&*, or even skipped them when you were in
lower secondary!"
That's what most people would say
hahaha.. .eating my words now..
it's a beginners' course, level one
conducted by the Extended learning ctr in UTAR, sect 13 PJ
**Wink! Wink!** ;)
PETALING JAYA.... PETALING JAYA...
catered for people with no fundamentals of this
language, learning from the very beginning...
hahaha...
I could jolly well be top of the class then ;P
So cocky, huh?
Well, i could hold a "semi-decent" conversation in
mandarin and read & write some "semi-decent" sentences
plus sms-es ( not INDECENT, mind you! ;P hahah)
WHAT WERE YOU THINKING?
So, if the people there do not have any basics in it,
I could...
Oh! that's good for my ego :P
NO lah.. just kidding.
I'm serious in picking up the language so that i could
hold 'decent' conversation with mandarin-speaking
people
instead of the usual "rojak" vocabulary that i use.
True, my mandarin has improved by leaps and bounds
since my lower secondary school days, but there's
still lots of room for improvement.
Ahem... being
modest, huh?
So, it's back to school every wednesday evening now,
from 7 -9 pm,
let's hope i learn something decent there ;-P
Wish me luck! (so that i could top my class);) haha...
13 JANUARY 2006
I'll be starting MANDARIN classes on 18 Jan 2006
"WHAT? learning mandarin?
I thought you hated mandarin and even stormed out of
your mandarin classes and gave your mandarin teacher a
earful of @#$%&*, or even skipped them when you were in
lower secondary!"
That's what most people would say
hahaha.. .eating my words now..
it's a beginners' course, level one
conducted by the Extended learning ctr in UTAR, sect 13 PJ
**Wink! Wink!** ;)
PETALING JAYA.... PETALING JAYA...
catered for people with no fundamentals of this
language, learning from the very beginning...
hahaha...
I could jolly well be top of the class then ;P
So cocky, huh?
Well, i could hold a "semi-decent" conversation in
mandarin and read & write some "semi-decent" sentences
plus sms-es ( not INDECENT, mind you! ;P hahah)
WHAT WERE YOU THINKING?
So, if the people there do not have any basics in it,
I could...
Oh! that's good for my ego :P
NO lah.. just kidding.
I'm serious in picking up the language so that i could
hold 'decent' conversation with mandarin-speaking
people
instead of the usual "rojak" vocabulary that i use.
True, my mandarin has improved by leaps and bounds
since my lower secondary school days, but there's
still lots of room for improvement.
Ahem... being
modest, huh?
So, it's back to school every wednesday evening now,
from 7 -9 pm,
let's hope i learn something decent there ;-P
Wish me luck! (so that i could top my class);) haha...
Emotional Well-being or $$$ ?
FRIENDSTER: 12 FEB 2006
Yesterday night, I finally decided to call a student's mom to inform her of my decision to stop teaching her daughter, KY who was taking private lessons with me. It was the first time I'm giving up on a student. I spent countless hours contemplating if the fees were more important than my emotional well-being and came to a conclusion that it's not worth it. WHAT? "Thung cheen tau hei?" (Turning one's back to $$$?) I’m not. But the $ I’m getting isn’t worth the emotional roller-coaster that she’s put me through.
Saturday morning (11 Feb, 2006) was the last straw that broke the camel's (READ: Me) back. The camel just couldn't sit back and smile anymore. Fellow teachers told me to sit back and endure it, cause after all, it's once a week. And why give a damn if she doesn't revise or finish up her theory homework, as long as she pays her fees promptly? I did try to adopt that 'tidak apa' approach. But I just couldn't bear it when she can't even meet the minimum requirement that I set for my students!
It's fine if she doesn't have the time to practice or do her theory. During school exam periods, some of my students are like that too. At least, show me the effort and the spirit. And not just move her fingers half-heartedly for the sake of moving them! A 10-year old girl should know what she wants and should be responsible! Not this KY.
Every Saturday, she'd spoil the rest of my day. She's the first student of the day.
And waking up at 7am to prepare myself for her lesson at 8 am...
My other individual students, some who are younger, are even more responsive, responsible and hardworking compared to this KY. They’d come for their lessons smiling and when they leave, we’d both be smiling. These are the students who make my day and give me the satisfaction of being a teacher. They might not have the time to practice their pieces nor finish up their homework, but nevertheless, they are willing to try their best during lessons. This is what I want – the effort and spirit!
They even get upset with themselves for not being able to grasp a certain part in a piece and I have to offer words of consolation to them before the floodgates open! (READ: Tears)
Busy? That’s the excuse KY’s mom always cooked up for her. WHO is not busy? All school-going kids have countless activities lined-up for them. She’s not he only one with numerous tuition classes to attend. It’s mom’s fault for always giving excuses on her behalf.
Well, I know that good and bad students are all part and parcel of the job. But I've been telling myself to give her another chance countless times. Every time, I'd be soft-hearted and agree to give her another chance after chatting with her mom. But I think it's time for me to just move on.
Theory homework left undone for weeks at a stretch… Pieces sprinkled with halts and stops, even after numerous attempts and repetitions, reminders and demonstrations on the notes, note values, rhythm, etc… What the sh*t does she have in her brain?
In a striking contrast to her, some of my students even take the initiative to learn up a piece by themselves or even request for more homework! (especially Tammy, who's taking private lessons with me and is also in my JXC class, an 8-year old girl who’s really a sweetie and has a cute little doggie called Yoko, who loved to put its paws on my lap) She’s my second student on Saturday and praise the Lord, she (plus Yoko) never fail to cheer me up after KY’s lesson.
I’ve had enough of sacrificing my sleep for someone who does not have the heart to learn. Enough of putting on a sweet and cheerful demeanor for someone who refuses to co-operate. I’d rather save my smiles and encouraging words for those who really deserve them - the sweet little angels who really want to learn and are willing to put in the effort. It doesn’t matter if the child is not musically inclined (Yamaha philosophy: Music is for everyone). Ian (he’s in Paris now, his mom has been transferred there) wasn’t really musical, but he doubled the effort and he was willing to work extra hard. Not KY. I don’t want my emotions to be ruffled by her every Saturday morning. I want my day to start off with a smile, and end with a smile.
Yesterday night, I finally decided to call a student's mom to inform her of my decision to stop teaching her daughter, KY who was taking private lessons with me. It was the first time I'm giving up on a student. I spent countless hours contemplating if the fees were more important than my emotional well-being and came to a conclusion that it's not worth it. WHAT? "Thung cheen tau hei?" (Turning one's back to $$$?) I’m not. But the $ I’m getting isn’t worth the emotional roller-coaster that she’s put me through.
Saturday morning (11 Feb, 2006) was the last straw that broke the camel's (READ: Me) back. The camel just couldn't sit back and smile anymore. Fellow teachers told me to sit back and endure it, cause after all, it's once a week. And why give a damn if she doesn't revise or finish up her theory homework, as long as she pays her fees promptly? I did try to adopt that 'tidak apa' approach. But I just couldn't bear it when she can't even meet the minimum requirement that I set for my students!
It's fine if she doesn't have the time to practice or do her theory. During school exam periods, some of my students are like that too. At least, show me the effort and the spirit. And not just move her fingers half-heartedly for the sake of moving them! A 10-year old girl should know what she wants and should be responsible! Not this KY.
Every Saturday, she'd spoil the rest of my day. She's the first student of the day.
And waking up at 7am to prepare myself for her lesson at 8 am...
My other individual students, some who are younger, are even more responsive, responsible and hardworking compared to this KY. They’d come for their lessons smiling and when they leave, we’d both be smiling. These are the students who make my day and give me the satisfaction of being a teacher. They might not have the time to practice their pieces nor finish up their homework, but nevertheless, they are willing to try their best during lessons. This is what I want – the effort and spirit!
They even get upset with themselves for not being able to grasp a certain part in a piece and I have to offer words of consolation to them before the floodgates open! (READ: Tears)
Busy? That’s the excuse KY’s mom always cooked up for her. WHO is not busy? All school-going kids have countless activities lined-up for them. She’s not he only one with numerous tuition classes to attend. It’s mom’s fault for always giving excuses on her behalf.
Well, I know that good and bad students are all part and parcel of the job. But I've been telling myself to give her another chance countless times. Every time, I'd be soft-hearted and agree to give her another chance after chatting with her mom. But I think it's time for me to just move on.
Theory homework left undone for weeks at a stretch… Pieces sprinkled with halts and stops, even after numerous attempts and repetitions, reminders and demonstrations on the notes, note values, rhythm, etc… What the sh*t does she have in her brain?
In a striking contrast to her, some of my students even take the initiative to learn up a piece by themselves or even request for more homework! (especially Tammy, who's taking private lessons with me and is also in my JXC class, an 8-year old girl who’s really a sweetie and has a cute little doggie called Yoko, who loved to put its paws on my lap) She’s my second student on Saturday and praise the Lord, she (plus Yoko) never fail to cheer me up after KY’s lesson.
I’ve had enough of sacrificing my sleep for someone who does not have the heart to learn. Enough of putting on a sweet and cheerful demeanor for someone who refuses to co-operate. I’d rather save my smiles and encouraging words for those who really deserve them - the sweet little angels who really want to learn and are willing to put in the effort. It doesn’t matter if the child is not musically inclined (Yamaha philosophy: Music is for everyone). Ian (he’s in Paris now, his mom has been transferred there) wasn’t really musical, but he doubled the effort and he was willing to work extra hard. Not KY. I don’t want my emotions to be ruffled by her every Saturday morning. I want my day to start off with a smile, and end with a smile.
WHEN YOU WISH UPON A STAR
FRIENDSTER: 03 APR 2006
Ah... Finally, after much anticipation and waiting, we visited Disneyland in Hong Kong :)
It was a five-day trip to the former British colony. We didn't know what to expect. But we were anxious and excited, weeks before the big day!
DAY ONE
Departed to Hong Kong from KLIA, China Airlines at 8.30 am. Tsang Wai Kuen (TVB actor) was on the same plane as us! My friends stooped my from asking for his autograph and picture... AW! S*cks... Now they regret it :P Bleh...
Breakfast on plane.
Small plane, not much leg room for my rheumatic legs.
But it only took us 3 1/2 hours, so no complaints here, except for the toilet which was over-flowing and we had to "hold on" till we arrived. Thank God we managed to relieve ourselves before the announcement was made. Been told that China Airlines was not amongst the best in the aviation industry but it never crossed my mind that they never had the common-sense to empty the sewerage system before take off!
Arrived in HK at exactly 12 noon.
Didn't experience any pain in my ears during landing (I always have this problem with MAS during landing). Praise the Lord for alleviating my discomfort :)
The agent was waiting there for us and we’re taken to the bus stand to wait for our transport to the hotel.
Ahh.. nice cooling weather!
After unpacking and refreshing (not to mention, relieving) ourselves, we went to a nearby coffee-shop for wantan noodles. Tasted rather bland. But the wantans were almost twice the size of our Malaysian sui-kow! Lotsa prawn! Yuck… I had to dissect the prawns from the pork and wantan skin :P
Y.A. brought us around town - see goldfish, Fah Yuen Street, take the MTR to Central (Chung Wan) and the tram to the Peak. Was quite misty though, so we couldn’t see much of Hong Kong’s night view.
Had pork burger at McDonalds :P
Quite cold up the peak.
Souvenirs were reasonably priced.
Took a bus to the harbour and a ferry back to Kowloon, where we walked along the harbour and Avenue of Stars.
The cold wind blew straight through our thin jackets!
Lots of photos and chattering (from the cold).
Then, we took the MTR back to the hotel to retire for the night.
EXHAUSTED!
Wow! We took so many different modes of transport – plane, tour bus, MTR, tram, bus, ferry and jalan kaki :P
DAY TWO
Dim-sum breakfast arranged by the agent. Then, to Jackie Chan’s jewellery shop and to some medicine hall and jade outlet. Bought a dragon pendant for HKD 280. Then, it was makan time again. Lunch was yummy! Nice food!
Guide was a nice chatty fella.
1/2 day city tour – mid-level of the Peak, Aberdeen fishing village and Jumbo restaurant ( for pictures lah…) and Repulse Bay. Nice boat lady at Aberdeen. She speaks loudly and clearly.
Ocean Park was next on the itinerary. We only had 3 1/2 hours to scale that huge place! Everything was rushed. PANDA! I saw 2 pandas! Alive and Kicking! My dream of seing real pandas has finally come true! How adorable! Could I hug them, please? PLEASE?
Sharks! My camera’s battery went dead! In the panda house! So was G.M.’s camera. Luckily, Y.A. lent us his camera for the snapshots! THANKS
Souvenir shop. Expensive. Bought a name card holder as a souvenir for Anakin.
Nice cashier there. Friendly aunty
Pictures taken hastily, everything seemed to just flash by. Rested at the kiddies’ section for a while. Sweating, man!
Visited the dolphins ( no dolphin show, pool was under renovation)
Could I hug them too? Please?
Saw a gigantic sea lion with a huge roar on our way out! ~ROAR~
All of us swarmed towards the cable car in a mad rush to get to the other side of the park.
Rushed through the underwater world. No time for sharks.
Started drizzling. Walked all the way down to the waiting destination. Missed out on the Chinese section and all the rides. AW! What a waste!
A decade ago, I could still manage to try out a couple of rides there. But this time round… I say…
The guide adviced us to get extra jackets cause the North wind will be blowing towards Hong Kong and temperatures will drop to 11 degrees (in town) tomorrow, probably will be down to 9 or 8 in Disneyland.
Dropped us off at Mong Kok. It was drizzling. Temperature was plummeting. Had dinner – roasted goose, pork and BBQ pork and steamed egg for dessert. Yummy!
The wind that was blowing seemed to chill us to the bones.
Went to a factory outlet shop to get our jackets. It was really a bargain! Less than HKD 50! That would mean, less than RM 25!
Got gloves too, from a baby shop! Haha! We could even fit into the gloves there!
Hmmm.. The shops close pretty late here!
S.Y and Y.A decided to go back to the hotel as it’s been a long day for Mi Shan. The rest of us decided to walk on. Bought umbrellas (to prepare for the expected showers tomorrow), mineral water and some preserved fruits before taking the MTR back to the hotel.
Ah.. transportation is so convenient in HK!
Nice, friendly policemen too!
DAY THREE
Breakfast at nearby coffee-shop. Cheung-fun, yau-char-kwei and porridge, washed down with soy milk.Yau-char-kwei was twice the size of what could be bought in KL.
Reasonably priced too!
DISNEYLAND, here we come!
Some a**-h*les were late and caused us to be delayed. Sh*t them…
Upon alighting from the bus, we were greeted by super cold winds! Hualamak… Even the extra jacket on top of my cardigan, on top of my t-shirt, on top of my camisole, on top of my br*… could not keep me warm! Holy Macaroni! Super cold, man!
Wei! The manholes also had Mickey’s logo lah…
Picture time!
Went passed the entrance and VOILA!
We’re transported into a world of fantasy and imagination!
I’m a child again! Marveling at the wonders of Disneyland!
Taking in every sights and sounds and smell.
I’ve been dreaming all along to go to Disneyland as a child, and it’s finally been realized now!
Click! Click! Photos…
Nice washrooms :P
Photo with Tarzan’s monkey friend.
Huddled up while waiting for the short performance of “Festival of the Lion King”.
Hmm… no one queued up, especially those Mainlanders! There were pushing and shoving. It’s worse than going up a mini bus in KL (back then in the 90s).
I was overwhelmed with emotion while we’re in the hall. I can’t believe I’m finally here! Ah… A sentimental fool, am I! Wiped away tears. I can’t tell you exactly what I felt. It was a mixture of emotions that clogged up my nostrils and moisten my eyes. Next was more pix and boat ride around Tarzan’s place.
Cool…
3D show- Philharmickey.
Lunch was so-so, but the price was… WHOA…Expected at a place like this.
Took pix of lunch set and jellies and plastic cup for remembrance.
Just like a frog out of a well :P
Then, it was time to shop for souvenirs while the kids had a ride on Jumbo.
Magnets! Magnets! Playing cards! Magnets!
Time for parade along US Main Street. Nice and smiley performers
Pretty floats.
Three guys banging dustbins, performing their garbage item. Good choreography and co-ordination! APPLAUSE!
Time for a rest. Mi Shan needs a nap. So, I syiok sendiri on the space adventure ride, sitting with a stranger, yelling myself hoarse for the sake of yelling just to syiok sendiri :P
Pix with Buzz Lightyear!
It was drizzling now! We found Cinderella and the mice, and Snow White.
Queued up for pix with cuddly POOH! I love POOH!
Donald was next! I LOVE DONALD!
Minnie, Chip and Dale, Mickey…
Mad rush to watch Golden Mickeys. Pushing and shoving again… Mainlanders!!!
Could see all my favourite characters on stage – Donald, Lilo & Stitch, Ariel, Belle and the Beast… But, where’s Pooh?
Nightfall arrived early.
We’re all cold, hungry and tired. Could hardly drag our feet along.
Getting too cold for us.
Had some food at coffee shop – MICKEY WAFFLE
Then, mad rush for the fireworks at 8pm at Sleeping Beauty’s castle. What a sight to behold! Click! Click! Went my camera. Too bad, it was raining! And super cold too! Thank God for the Pink Panther brolly we bought from Watson’s the night before.
Then, rushed back to meet up with friends (who watched the fireworks from the coffee-shop). Souvenir shop again – t-shirt for myself (HKD 110! Mahal!)
Mad rush to the bus station cause our bus was supposed to wait for us there, managed to take a few snapshots on our way out.
We’re supposed to take the bus at Lane 10 at 8.45pm.
But it wasn’t there! Oh, no! It was supposed to wait for us! It’s not even 8.45 yet!
Damn! Where is it? We searched frantically. Y.A. called the agent!
D*mn it! The bus was at another lane, they even changed the bus and the guide! Stupid people! Leaving us waiting in the cold rain! Why don’t they adhere to the earlier arrangement? The poor kids were really cold!
Water seeped into my shoes. Eek…
Returned to hotel to refresh ourselves and to dry my shoes with hair-dryer.
S.Y. didn’t join us for dinner cause Mi Shan needed to rest. Y.A. took us around for dinner and for a bit of sight-seeing. Hong Kong-style rice and tea.
DAY FOUR
The guide brought us to the train station and briefed us on the procedures before we took a train to the border. S.Y, Y.A. and Mi Shan didn’t join us. They had to visit Y.A’s cousin and it’s not a good idea to bring a toddler to Shenzhen.
Train ride was efficient and fast.
We noticed that most public transport in Hong Kong is equipped with TV. Cool!
Took us 45 minutes to reach the border.
Had our passports stamped.
Crossed the border (river) and we’re in the Mainland.
Guide was waiting for us. Mr. Lai’s his name.
The custom officers there quite serious-looking and unfriendly. Hmmph!
Walked to the van.
We’re taken to the mineral museum where we were shown jade, crystal, etc.
Nothing caught my eye.
Sh*t! The pendant I bought at Jackie Chan’s jewellery shop in HK was selling for RMB 250 here, and if we’re to buy 5, it’d only cost us RMB 200 each! We’re fleeced by the HK outlet! So, that left me with no mood to buy anything else.
Then, it was time for lunch.
Yummy… Food was nice!
Off we went to Window of the World. In the van, I told Mr. Lai that we’re not interested in jades, crystals, Chinese herbs or what-so-ever. We’re only interested in tiny souvenirs like key-chains, magnets, etc.
Urged us to go to Splendid China and Cultural Village for a fee. And, we’ll only return to HK after 9pm.
We actually wanted to cancel this Shenzhen trip cause RM 130 for only Window of the World was not worth it. But Y.A. said, booking’s been made, so we had to go, albeit a little reluctantly. I’ve actually been there a decade ago, but I went again to accompany some friends and to see the changes that have taken place. We wanted to go shopping in HK instead but since booking’s been made…
The guide’s expression changed and he seemed less energetic.
At Window of the World, his colleague took pix for us, but we all didn’t buy from him, after we experienced the same thing in HK on 14 March. A silly plate with our pictures pasted on it, plus 3 other pictures costs us HKD 300! No way this time!
The guide was not good at explaining to us the various miniature buildings. We walked and took pix on our own, trying to chat with the guide instead of the other way round. How unprofessional!
Only the 5 of us in this tour (4 adults and a kid).
Took us about 2 hours to walk through the park. We had to miss the evening performance as it was still early when we’re done. We wanted to return to HK earlier, but they took us to a ‘slaughter house’ instead. A Chinese herbs shop. It really felt as if we’re a flock of sheep being led to be slaughtered!
G.M. was scared out of her wits when she thought Joshua was missing! Thank goodness, he was with his daddy!
We didn’t purchase anything there either. It was exorbitant!
That guide was getting more quiet. He was expecting commission from the shops but we didn’t buy anything, except G.M and her hubby who bought some tea and a moon crystal.
I kiam-siap. Don’t want to buy a packet of lychee red tea for RM25 when I could get it for RM 10! :P Am turning into Ebenezer Scrooge now!
Guide’s very disappointed, I guess. So were we...
Brought us to a Lotus Park with no lotus in sight.
God, we have lots of such parks in Malaysia, for God’s sake!
Spent less than 15 minutes there.
Off we went to the border. Van driver seemed upset with us too. Drove recklessly and was speeding.
Crossed the border. What a vast difference! The HK people are friendlier compared to those Mainlanders!
This trip really took away the wool that covered my eyes regarding the impression of the Mainlanders!
They seem to take us as "gold mines"... EEE... Scary
They are maybe the few black sheep that we've encountered.
I guess there are nice Mainlanders too - esp Zhao :)
HK-ies are better. They may be curt, but they don’t give a damn if you don’t buy anything.
Some HK-ies whom we met were really nice and chatty and friendly.
Some spoke to us in Mandarin and were pleasantly surprised when we answered them in Cantonese :P
So, we took the train back to Mongkok. Ventured around. Checked out the shopping mall next o the train station. Bought some t-shirts and a turtle-neck blouse for Marie. Asked for directions to Tong Choi Street (Women’s Street). Whoa! It was a super-long night market! So many things, but I’m being Scrooge again :P Had Che-zhai-mee (cart-noodles) nearby. HKD 48! Sakit hati aku! Anyway, never mindlah… Experience ma… Then, managed to find the pure mango juice and mango pudding which I’ve been craving for a decade (which I’ve once tried). Yummy!
We could hardly make our way back to the hotel. After taking my shower, I collapsed from exhaustion.
DAY FIVE
Finished up all the food that I brought – I’m such an “auntie” lah! Always bringing more than enough, even brought Dettol to clean the bathroom and doorknobs :P "Cleanatic"... Haha…No, I didn’t finish the Dettol though ;) The rest had breakfast at a coffeeshop. Waited for them at the lobby at 11.30 am. Meanwhile, walked around the surrounding area. S.Y. and G.M were so thoughtful; they bought me a “polo-pau".
We were free till 3.15pm, where we’ll be taken to the airport.
So, Y.A. brought us to Whampoa, we took the double-decker bus there. Naturally, all of us sat on the top deck! A whole lot of frogs who came out of the well on an adventure! Hahaha…
Walked around, more snapshots. Bought a pair of pants at a bargain at U*! Less than HKD 50! Quality’s good too! Hmm… Not bad!
Egg tarts… We always watch those TVB movies portraying egg tarts as a tea-time snack. So, we bought some. I still prefer our local Tong Kee egg tarts.
Fish ball noodles for lunch. Rushed back to the hotel for the transfer to the airport.
How fast time flies! Somehow, fun times seem to breeze by!
I can’t believe it’s time to go back to the hot and humid KL.
Everyone was quite in the van.
Checked-in at the airport. More pix.
Eh… HONG KONG Cop! Let’s take a pix with him!
He obligingly agreed! How friendly! What a contrast to those Mainland Gong-An!
Walked around, more shopping. Some Disney stuffs going for a bargain too
Alas! It’s time for boarding…
Small China Airlines plane again…
Some a** behind me took of his shoes! Eek! Damn stinky!
Uncivilized moron!
3 1/2 hours later, we touched down at KLIA.
Had to wait a good 45 minutes to collect our luggage!
In Hong Kong… we could collect it almost immediately after landing!
Talk about efficiency! Somehow, Malaysians are always with their ‘tidak-apa’ attitude.
Sigh…
VERDICT Overall, I think I don’t mind going to Hong Kong again. For the food and shopping. There’re still many places which we didn’t have the chance to go. And, we could blend in with the people there – the language, food, traditions and lifestyles, albeit the cold weather. Are the people there rude? Not exactly. Quite helpful at times too! Also the restaurant workers are quite a friendly lot. Probably we had two adorable kids with us – Mi Shan and Joshua.
Some are quite curt, but we encounter the same thing in Malaysia too. No big deal, right? No problem with any cultural shock or what-so-ever, except for those brazen young couples by the harbour (Avenue of Stars) smooching away, with no regards to our gaping and staring at them for a good 5 minutes! O_O
HongKies have a weird fashion sense, especially the younger generation. Imagine, a dark purple top, with a short denim skirt, black leotards(or is it stokings?) and electric blue flats... Some dressed up in the 80s fashion - big hairdo, with electric green highlights, chewing gum, big shoulder pads and high-waisted jeans (carrot-cut?) and yellow flats... Hmmm... back to the 80s... Fan of Anita Mui and Cyndi Lauper, perhaps? Masya-Allah... What a shock for our eyes!
Nevertheless, it's a nice place and I would really love to make it my travel destination once again!
***SPECIAL THANKS TO GM and SY
without them, we'd never go on this trip :P ***
***THANKS TO THE GUYS - SC, YA and KK for being our photographer, video-man, coolie, body guard (and not to mention, financial controller.. .BLEH! ) :) ***
***EXTRA THANKS TO MR Y.A.TAN
for securing this trip for us
for being our guide in HK
for bringing along darling Mi Shan
for being our TaiKor in HK :) ***
Ah... Finally, after much anticipation and waiting, we visited Disneyland in Hong Kong :)
It was a five-day trip to the former British colony. We didn't know what to expect. But we were anxious and excited, weeks before the big day!
DAY ONE
Departed to Hong Kong from KLIA, China Airlines at 8.30 am. Tsang Wai Kuen (TVB actor) was on the same plane as us! My friends stooped my from asking for his autograph and picture... AW! S*cks... Now they regret it :P Bleh...
Breakfast on plane.
Small plane, not much leg room for my rheumatic legs.
But it only took us 3 1/2 hours, so no complaints here, except for the toilet which was over-flowing and we had to "hold on" till we arrived. Thank God we managed to relieve ourselves before the announcement was made. Been told that China Airlines was not amongst the best in the aviation industry but it never crossed my mind that they never had the common-sense to empty the sewerage system before take off!
Arrived in HK at exactly 12 noon.
Didn't experience any pain in my ears during landing (I always have this problem with MAS during landing). Praise the Lord for alleviating my discomfort :)
The agent was waiting there for us and we’re taken to the bus stand to wait for our transport to the hotel.
Ahh.. nice cooling weather!
After unpacking and refreshing (not to mention, relieving) ourselves, we went to a nearby coffee-shop for wantan noodles. Tasted rather bland. But the wantans were almost twice the size of our Malaysian sui-kow! Lotsa prawn! Yuck… I had to dissect the prawns from the pork and wantan skin :P
Y.A. brought us around town - see goldfish, Fah Yuen Street, take the MTR to Central (Chung Wan) and the tram to the Peak. Was quite misty though, so we couldn’t see much of Hong Kong’s night view.
Had pork burger at McDonalds :P
Quite cold up the peak.
Souvenirs were reasonably priced.
Took a bus to the harbour and a ferry back to Kowloon, where we walked along the harbour and Avenue of Stars.
The cold wind blew straight through our thin jackets!
Lots of photos and chattering (from the cold).
Then, we took the MTR back to the hotel to retire for the night.
EXHAUSTED!
Wow! We took so many different modes of transport – plane, tour bus, MTR, tram, bus, ferry and jalan kaki :P
DAY TWO
Dim-sum breakfast arranged by the agent. Then, to Jackie Chan’s jewellery shop and to some medicine hall and jade outlet. Bought a dragon pendant for HKD 280. Then, it was makan time again. Lunch was yummy! Nice food!
Guide was a nice chatty fella.
1/2 day city tour – mid-level of the Peak, Aberdeen fishing village and Jumbo restaurant ( for pictures lah…) and Repulse Bay. Nice boat lady at Aberdeen. She speaks loudly and clearly.
Ocean Park was next on the itinerary. We only had 3 1/2 hours to scale that huge place! Everything was rushed. PANDA! I saw 2 pandas! Alive and Kicking! My dream of seing real pandas has finally come true! How adorable! Could I hug them, please? PLEASE?
Sharks! My camera’s battery went dead! In the panda house! So was G.M.’s camera. Luckily, Y.A. lent us his camera for the snapshots! THANKS
Souvenir shop. Expensive. Bought a name card holder as a souvenir for Anakin.
Nice cashier there. Friendly aunty
Pictures taken hastily, everything seemed to just flash by. Rested at the kiddies’ section for a while. Sweating, man!
Visited the dolphins ( no dolphin show, pool was under renovation)
Could I hug them too? Please?
Saw a gigantic sea lion with a huge roar on our way out! ~ROAR~
All of us swarmed towards the cable car in a mad rush to get to the other side of the park.
Rushed through the underwater world. No time for sharks.
Started drizzling. Walked all the way down to the waiting destination. Missed out on the Chinese section and all the rides. AW! What a waste!
A decade ago, I could still manage to try out a couple of rides there. But this time round… I say…
The guide adviced us to get extra jackets cause the North wind will be blowing towards Hong Kong and temperatures will drop to 11 degrees (in town) tomorrow, probably will be down to 9 or 8 in Disneyland.
Dropped us off at Mong Kok. It was drizzling. Temperature was plummeting. Had dinner – roasted goose, pork and BBQ pork and steamed egg for dessert. Yummy!
The wind that was blowing seemed to chill us to the bones.
Went to a factory outlet shop to get our jackets. It was really a bargain! Less than HKD 50! That would mean, less than RM 25!
Got gloves too, from a baby shop! Haha! We could even fit into the gloves there!
Hmmm.. The shops close pretty late here!
S.Y and Y.A decided to go back to the hotel as it’s been a long day for Mi Shan. The rest of us decided to walk on. Bought umbrellas (to prepare for the expected showers tomorrow), mineral water and some preserved fruits before taking the MTR back to the hotel.
Ah.. transportation is so convenient in HK!
Nice, friendly policemen too!
DAY THREE
Breakfast at nearby coffee-shop. Cheung-fun, yau-char-kwei and porridge, washed down with soy milk.Yau-char-kwei was twice the size of what could be bought in KL.
Reasonably priced too!
DISNEYLAND, here we come!
Some a**-h*les were late and caused us to be delayed. Sh*t them…
Upon alighting from the bus, we were greeted by super cold winds! Hualamak… Even the extra jacket on top of my cardigan, on top of my t-shirt, on top of my camisole, on top of my br*… could not keep me warm! Holy Macaroni! Super cold, man!
Wei! The manholes also had Mickey’s logo lah…
Picture time!
Went passed the entrance and VOILA!
We’re transported into a world of fantasy and imagination!
I’m a child again! Marveling at the wonders of Disneyland!
Taking in every sights and sounds and smell.
I’ve been dreaming all along to go to Disneyland as a child, and it’s finally been realized now!
Click! Click! Photos…
Nice washrooms :P
Photo with Tarzan’s monkey friend.
Huddled up while waiting for the short performance of “Festival of the Lion King”.
Hmm… no one queued up, especially those Mainlanders! There were pushing and shoving. It’s worse than going up a mini bus in KL (back then in the 90s).
I was overwhelmed with emotion while we’re in the hall. I can’t believe I’m finally here! Ah… A sentimental fool, am I! Wiped away tears. I can’t tell you exactly what I felt. It was a mixture of emotions that clogged up my nostrils and moisten my eyes. Next was more pix and boat ride around Tarzan’s place.
Cool…
3D show- Philharmickey.
Lunch was so-so, but the price was… WHOA…Expected at a place like this.
Took pix of lunch set and jellies and plastic cup for remembrance.
Just like a frog out of a well :P
Then, it was time to shop for souvenirs while the kids had a ride on Jumbo.
Magnets! Magnets! Playing cards! Magnets!
Time for parade along US Main Street. Nice and smiley performers
Pretty floats.
Three guys banging dustbins, performing their garbage item. Good choreography and co-ordination! APPLAUSE!
Time for a rest. Mi Shan needs a nap. So, I syiok sendiri on the space adventure ride, sitting with a stranger, yelling myself hoarse for the sake of yelling just to syiok sendiri :P
Pix with Buzz Lightyear!
It was drizzling now! We found Cinderella and the mice, and Snow White.
Queued up for pix with cuddly POOH! I love POOH!
Donald was next! I LOVE DONALD!
Minnie, Chip and Dale, Mickey…
Mad rush to watch Golden Mickeys. Pushing and shoving again… Mainlanders!!!
Could see all my favourite characters on stage – Donald, Lilo & Stitch, Ariel, Belle and the Beast… But, where’s Pooh?
Nightfall arrived early.
We’re all cold, hungry and tired. Could hardly drag our feet along.
Getting too cold for us.
Had some food at coffee shop – MICKEY WAFFLE
Then, mad rush for the fireworks at 8pm at Sleeping Beauty’s castle. What a sight to behold! Click! Click! Went my camera. Too bad, it was raining! And super cold too! Thank God for the Pink Panther brolly we bought from Watson’s the night before.
Then, rushed back to meet up with friends (who watched the fireworks from the coffee-shop). Souvenir shop again – t-shirt for myself (HKD 110! Mahal!)
Mad rush to the bus station cause our bus was supposed to wait for us there, managed to take a few snapshots on our way out.
We’re supposed to take the bus at Lane 10 at 8.45pm.
But it wasn’t there! Oh, no! It was supposed to wait for us! It’s not even 8.45 yet!
Damn! Where is it? We searched frantically. Y.A. called the agent!
D*mn it! The bus was at another lane, they even changed the bus and the guide! Stupid people! Leaving us waiting in the cold rain! Why don’t they adhere to the earlier arrangement? The poor kids were really cold!
Water seeped into my shoes. Eek…
Returned to hotel to refresh ourselves and to dry my shoes with hair-dryer.
S.Y. didn’t join us for dinner cause Mi Shan needed to rest. Y.A. took us around for dinner and for a bit of sight-seeing. Hong Kong-style rice and tea.
DAY FOUR
The guide brought us to the train station and briefed us on the procedures before we took a train to the border. S.Y, Y.A. and Mi Shan didn’t join us. They had to visit Y.A’s cousin and it’s not a good idea to bring a toddler to Shenzhen.
Train ride was efficient and fast.
We noticed that most public transport in Hong Kong is equipped with TV. Cool!
Took us 45 minutes to reach the border.
Had our passports stamped.
Crossed the border (river) and we’re in the Mainland.
Guide was waiting for us. Mr. Lai’s his name.
The custom officers there quite serious-looking and unfriendly. Hmmph!
Walked to the van.
We’re taken to the mineral museum where we were shown jade, crystal, etc.
Nothing caught my eye.
Sh*t! The pendant I bought at Jackie Chan’s jewellery shop in HK was selling for RMB 250 here, and if we’re to buy 5, it’d only cost us RMB 200 each! We’re fleeced by the HK outlet! So, that left me with no mood to buy anything else.
Then, it was time for lunch.
Yummy… Food was nice!
Off we went to Window of the World. In the van, I told Mr. Lai that we’re not interested in jades, crystals, Chinese herbs or what-so-ever. We’re only interested in tiny souvenirs like key-chains, magnets, etc.
Urged us to go to Splendid China and Cultural Village for a fee. And, we’ll only return to HK after 9pm.
We actually wanted to cancel this Shenzhen trip cause RM 130 for only Window of the World was not worth it. But Y.A. said, booking’s been made, so we had to go, albeit a little reluctantly. I’ve actually been there a decade ago, but I went again to accompany some friends and to see the changes that have taken place. We wanted to go shopping in HK instead but since booking’s been made…
The guide’s expression changed and he seemed less energetic.
At Window of the World, his colleague took pix for us, but we all didn’t buy from him, after we experienced the same thing in HK on 14 March. A silly plate with our pictures pasted on it, plus 3 other pictures costs us HKD 300! No way this time!
The guide was not good at explaining to us the various miniature buildings. We walked and took pix on our own, trying to chat with the guide instead of the other way round. How unprofessional!
Only the 5 of us in this tour (4 adults and a kid).
Took us about 2 hours to walk through the park. We had to miss the evening performance as it was still early when we’re done. We wanted to return to HK earlier, but they took us to a ‘slaughter house’ instead. A Chinese herbs shop. It really felt as if we’re a flock of sheep being led to be slaughtered!
G.M. was scared out of her wits when she thought Joshua was missing! Thank goodness, he was with his daddy!
We didn’t purchase anything there either. It was exorbitant!
That guide was getting more quiet. He was expecting commission from the shops but we didn’t buy anything, except G.M and her hubby who bought some tea and a moon crystal.
I kiam-siap. Don’t want to buy a packet of lychee red tea for RM25 when I could get it for RM 10! :P Am turning into Ebenezer Scrooge now!
Guide’s very disappointed, I guess. So were we...
Brought us to a Lotus Park with no lotus in sight.
God, we have lots of such parks in Malaysia, for God’s sake!
Spent less than 15 minutes there.
Off we went to the border. Van driver seemed upset with us too. Drove recklessly and was speeding.
Crossed the border. What a vast difference! The HK people are friendlier compared to those Mainlanders!
This trip really took away the wool that covered my eyes regarding the impression of the Mainlanders!
They seem to take us as "gold mines"... EEE... Scary
They are maybe the few black sheep that we've encountered.
I guess there are nice Mainlanders too - esp Zhao :)
HK-ies are better. They may be curt, but they don’t give a damn if you don’t buy anything.
Some HK-ies whom we met were really nice and chatty and friendly.
Some spoke to us in Mandarin and were pleasantly surprised when we answered them in Cantonese :P
So, we took the train back to Mongkok. Ventured around. Checked out the shopping mall next o the train station. Bought some t-shirts and a turtle-neck blouse for Marie. Asked for directions to Tong Choi Street (Women’s Street). Whoa! It was a super-long night market! So many things, but I’m being Scrooge again :P Had Che-zhai-mee (cart-noodles) nearby. HKD 48! Sakit hati aku! Anyway, never mindlah… Experience ma… Then, managed to find the pure mango juice and mango pudding which I’ve been craving for a decade (which I’ve once tried). Yummy!
We could hardly make our way back to the hotel. After taking my shower, I collapsed from exhaustion.
DAY FIVE
Finished up all the food that I brought – I’m such an “auntie” lah! Always bringing more than enough, even brought Dettol to clean the bathroom and doorknobs :P "Cleanatic"... Haha…No, I didn’t finish the Dettol though ;) The rest had breakfast at a coffeeshop. Waited for them at the lobby at 11.30 am. Meanwhile, walked around the surrounding area. S.Y. and G.M were so thoughtful; they bought me a “polo-pau".
We were free till 3.15pm, where we’ll be taken to the airport.
So, Y.A. brought us to Whampoa, we took the double-decker bus there. Naturally, all of us sat on the top deck! A whole lot of frogs who came out of the well on an adventure! Hahaha…
Walked around, more snapshots. Bought a pair of pants at a bargain at U*! Less than HKD 50! Quality’s good too! Hmm… Not bad!
Egg tarts… We always watch those TVB movies portraying egg tarts as a tea-time snack. So, we bought some. I still prefer our local Tong Kee egg tarts.
Fish ball noodles for lunch. Rushed back to the hotel for the transfer to the airport.
How fast time flies! Somehow, fun times seem to breeze by!
I can’t believe it’s time to go back to the hot and humid KL.
Everyone was quite in the van.
Checked-in at the airport. More pix.
Eh… HONG KONG Cop! Let’s take a pix with him!
He obligingly agreed! How friendly! What a contrast to those Mainland Gong-An!
Walked around, more shopping. Some Disney stuffs going for a bargain too
Alas! It’s time for boarding…
Small China Airlines plane again…
Some a** behind me took of his shoes! Eek! Damn stinky!
Uncivilized moron!
3 1/2 hours later, we touched down at KLIA.
Had to wait a good 45 minutes to collect our luggage!
In Hong Kong… we could collect it almost immediately after landing!
Talk about efficiency! Somehow, Malaysians are always with their ‘tidak-apa’ attitude.
Sigh…
VERDICT Overall, I think I don’t mind going to Hong Kong again. For the food and shopping. There’re still many places which we didn’t have the chance to go. And, we could blend in with the people there – the language, food, traditions and lifestyles, albeit the cold weather. Are the people there rude? Not exactly. Quite helpful at times too! Also the restaurant workers are quite a friendly lot. Probably we had two adorable kids with us – Mi Shan and Joshua.
Some are quite curt, but we encounter the same thing in Malaysia too. No big deal, right? No problem with any cultural shock or what-so-ever, except for those brazen young couples by the harbour (Avenue of Stars) smooching away, with no regards to our gaping and staring at them for a good 5 minutes! O_O
HongKies have a weird fashion sense, especially the younger generation. Imagine, a dark purple top, with a short denim skirt, black leotards(or is it stokings?) and electric blue flats... Some dressed up in the 80s fashion - big hairdo, with electric green highlights, chewing gum, big shoulder pads and high-waisted jeans (carrot-cut?) and yellow flats... Hmmm... back to the 80s... Fan of Anita Mui and Cyndi Lauper, perhaps? Masya-Allah... What a shock for our eyes!
Nevertheless, it's a nice place and I would really love to make it my travel destination once again!
***SPECIAL THANKS TO GM and SY
without them, we'd never go on this trip :P ***
***THANKS TO THE GUYS - SC, YA and KK for being our photographer, video-man, coolie, body guard (and not to mention, financial controller.. .BLEH! ) :) ***
***EXTRA THANKS TO MR Y.A.TAN
for securing this trip for us
for being our guide in HK
for bringing along darling Mi Shan
for being our TaiKor in HK :) ***
ALAN TAM, 25 YRS OLD FOREVER!
FRIENDSTER: 09 SEPT 2006
WoW! I can't believe it! I saw ALAN TAM today at his 'meet-the-fans' session at Cheras Leisure Mall today. Can see but cannot touch :( So close to him, got his autograph, but was ushered off the stage as quickly as I was allowed up. They didn't even allow me to shake hands with him nor give him my other posters to autograph. Hmmph!
But the man himself was FANTASTIC! He's looking good. Still as youthful as ever. Still as good-looking as his 'Lorelei' days :) Very friendly indeed. Always smiling and looking relaxed.
I could hardly believe my eyes, he was so near me! I tried to take a close up shot of him, but my stupid camera didn't capture it cause the stupid card / camera had some errors. Darn! At such a crucial moment too!
I was speechless! I cracked my brain the whole afternoon thinking of what I would like to say to him. But my tongue froze at the last moment. Silly woman! I wanted to blurt out,"You have a song called 'Mary-Anne' but my name is Carrie Anne"
Hahaha... So "leung" of me! But I just stood there and smiled at him while he autographed me a poster. He smiled back, with eye contact and I was dumb-struck!
When he left, about 20 minutes later, I rushed to follow him. I can't explain why. Aiyo, 30 years old but still acting like a teenager. Heck! I was listening to his songs when I was still in primary school ler! Followed him to his van, waiting outside McDonald's. Smiled at him like a silly school girl, and HE SMILED BACK! (He was in the van, number 9282)
My GOD! I can't wait for his concert on 7th October 2006. I might not be able to sing his songs, but I can appreciate good music (ALAN TAM ROCKS) and brilliant showmanship. No one else is comparable to him in terms of stage-presence (only Anita Mui and Leslie Cheung are as good as him). Singers nowadays are not even close to their standards :)
ALAN TAM, I love your teeth!!! :-D
WoW! I can't believe it! I saw ALAN TAM today at his 'meet-the-fans' session at Cheras Leisure Mall today. Can see but cannot touch :( So close to him, got his autograph, but was ushered off the stage as quickly as I was allowed up. They didn't even allow me to shake hands with him nor give him my other posters to autograph. Hmmph!
But the man himself was FANTASTIC! He's looking good. Still as youthful as ever. Still as good-looking as his 'Lorelei' days :) Very friendly indeed. Always smiling and looking relaxed.
I could hardly believe my eyes, he was so near me! I tried to take a close up shot of him, but my stupid camera didn't capture it cause the stupid card / camera had some errors. Darn! At such a crucial moment too!
I was speechless! I cracked my brain the whole afternoon thinking of what I would like to say to him. But my tongue froze at the last moment. Silly woman! I wanted to blurt out,"You have a song called 'Mary-Anne' but my name is Carrie Anne"
Hahaha... So "leung" of me! But I just stood there and smiled at him while he autographed me a poster. He smiled back, with eye contact and I was dumb-struck!
When he left, about 20 minutes later, I rushed to follow him. I can't explain why. Aiyo, 30 years old but still acting like a teenager. Heck! I was listening to his songs when I was still in primary school ler! Followed him to his van, waiting outside McDonald's. Smiled at him like a silly school girl, and HE SMILED BACK! (He was in the van, number 9282)
My GOD! I can't wait for his concert on 7th October 2006. I might not be able to sing his songs, but I can appreciate good music (ALAN TAM ROCKS) and brilliant showmanship. No one else is comparable to him in terms of stage-presence (only Anita Mui and Leslie Cheung are as good as him). Singers nowadays are not even close to their standards :)
ALAN TAM, I love your teeth!!! :-D
ALAN TAM - Forever 25!
FRIENDSTER: 08 OCT 2006
I love Alan Tam.
Who doesn’t?
I promised myself that I would go for his concert at least once in my lifetime :) I did – twice :) And hoping to go for more.
I remembered listening to his songs and watching his concert on VHS tapes when I was still a kid. I really enjoyed his performances (and Leslie’s performances too) though I couldn’t really understand what the lyrics meant back then.
I CAN’T say that I’m a mega fan of his – I don’t even know the names of some of his songs (some of my friends don’t even know I like his songs! Haha…) nor do I know anything about his personal life (heck, his personal life is none of my business. I’m only interested in his songs). And being “almost” / “partially” illiterate in Chinese, I don’t know the lyrics to most of his songs (well, except some of the choruses or those that I’ve painstakingly memorized by writing down the hanyu pinyin). But somehow, his voice, the tunes and melodies appealed to me.
He’s a professional performer with superb showmanship in a class of his own, just like Leslie and Anita. No one in the HK showbiz can be on par with them.
7 OCT 2006, the concert kicked off at 8.30 pm.
He looked good, just like during his peak in the late 80s and early 90s. Cheers erupted when he asked, “Who, amongst the whole lot of you, are forever 25 years old?”
The more popular Cantonese songs were embraced warmly by the audience. But when he belted out his Mandarin songs (which seemed so unfamiliar to most of us), the audience made a beeline for the washroom.
The sound system was bad for the first half of the concert.
But he looked comfortable on stage (of course, after more than 30 years in the entertainment industry!) and has good rapport with the audience.
Sexy Amy Wong showed off her curvy figure in a striking red outfit. She had the curves and sashayed on stage sultrily, but her voice was nothing to shout about.
When Alan asked if we’re screaming his nickname, “Leng Zai Lun” , the screams crescendo-ed hundreds of decibels higher. Yes, he’s still as good-looking as ever. Who cares if he goes for Botox or whatever… He’s still as boyish-looking and his smile was mesmerizing :P
The climax of the whole concert should be the encore which lasted more than half an hour. It was then that the audience truly came alive. He serenaded us with his popular hits one after another
He said that his songs will bring back memories to us, especially those who grew up with his songs. It truly did I still remember, my first crush (at the age of 13) was because of his song – my electone classmate used his song, “Mirage” (Wan Yeng) as his exam arrangement for our Lower Grade exam. Then “Don’t Say Goodbye” and “Flower in the Water” (Sui Zhong Fa), etc followed suit too. Because of the song… Hahaha… Silly me! But it sure did bring back my silly teenage years! And, my pen-pal, Alan (a co-incidence, perhaps, Mr. Thoo?) would send me music scores of his songs and I’d eagerly try them out on my electone :P Ah… those were indeed the days… Also, I received several music boxes which played ‘Mirage” from my SMTC students before I left them after my short teaching stint there, just because I told them I like music and Alan’s songs. So my cabinet is now filled with music boxes which play the same songs, but in different keys! :P
The concert ended 10 minutes to midnight.
We had to run to catch the last LRT back to Pudu where I parked my car. Brainless LRT management. They should extend the service hours when they know for sure that there’s a concert going on. This is the second time we had to rush for the LRT. D*mn!
But the concert was worth everything.
If he holds another concert, will I go again?
A definite “YES!”
I love Alan Tam :)
Do you?
I love Alan Tam.
Who doesn’t?
I promised myself that I would go for his concert at least once in my lifetime :) I did – twice :) And hoping to go for more.
I remembered listening to his songs and watching his concert on VHS tapes when I was still a kid. I really enjoyed his performances (and Leslie’s performances too) though I couldn’t really understand what the lyrics meant back then.
I CAN’T say that I’m a mega fan of his – I don’t even know the names of some of his songs (some of my friends don’t even know I like his songs! Haha…) nor do I know anything about his personal life (heck, his personal life is none of my business. I’m only interested in his songs). And being “almost” / “partially” illiterate in Chinese, I don’t know the lyrics to most of his songs (well, except some of the choruses or those that I’ve painstakingly memorized by writing down the hanyu pinyin). But somehow, his voice, the tunes and melodies appealed to me.
He’s a professional performer with superb showmanship in a class of his own, just like Leslie and Anita. No one in the HK showbiz can be on par with them.
7 OCT 2006, the concert kicked off at 8.30 pm.
He looked good, just like during his peak in the late 80s and early 90s. Cheers erupted when he asked, “Who, amongst the whole lot of you, are forever 25 years old?”
The more popular Cantonese songs were embraced warmly by the audience. But when he belted out his Mandarin songs (which seemed so unfamiliar to most of us), the audience made a beeline for the washroom.
The sound system was bad for the first half of the concert.
But he looked comfortable on stage (of course, after more than 30 years in the entertainment industry!) and has good rapport with the audience.
Sexy Amy Wong showed off her curvy figure in a striking red outfit. She had the curves and sashayed on stage sultrily, but her voice was nothing to shout about.
When Alan asked if we’re screaming his nickname, “Leng Zai Lun” , the screams crescendo-ed hundreds of decibels higher. Yes, he’s still as good-looking as ever. Who cares if he goes for Botox or whatever… He’s still as boyish-looking and his smile was mesmerizing :P
The climax of the whole concert should be the encore which lasted more than half an hour. It was then that the audience truly came alive. He serenaded us with his popular hits one after another
He said that his songs will bring back memories to us, especially those who grew up with his songs. It truly did I still remember, my first crush (at the age of 13) was because of his song – my electone classmate used his song, “Mirage” (Wan Yeng) as his exam arrangement for our Lower Grade exam. Then “Don’t Say Goodbye” and “Flower in the Water” (Sui Zhong Fa), etc followed suit too. Because of the song… Hahaha… Silly me! But it sure did bring back my silly teenage years! And, my pen-pal, Alan (a co-incidence, perhaps, Mr. Thoo?) would send me music scores of his songs and I’d eagerly try them out on my electone :P Ah… those were indeed the days… Also, I received several music boxes which played ‘Mirage” from my SMTC students before I left them after my short teaching stint there, just because I told them I like music and Alan’s songs. So my cabinet is now filled with music boxes which play the same songs, but in different keys! :P
The concert ended 10 minutes to midnight.
We had to run to catch the last LRT back to Pudu where I parked my car. Brainless LRT management. They should extend the service hours when they know for sure that there’s a concert going on. This is the second time we had to rush for the LRT. D*mn!
But the concert was worth everything.
If he holds another concert, will I go again?
A definite “YES!”
I love Alan Tam :)
Do you?
God, please save my Por-Por!
FRIENDSTER: 10 JAN 2007
Dear All,
I bring bad news.
My dear por-por is in a critical condition. Her organs are failing one by one. She was admitted to the Ampang Hospital yesterday evening (5 minutes' drive from my house) - Opposite Pandan Mewah McDonald's.
The nursing home called my mom and informed her that my granny refused to eat nor drink anything for the past two days. Aunty Jill and Uncle Ivan went in the evening and bought her 'wantan', which she gobbled and washed down with Brand's Essence of Chicken. We were told that her stool were black and they suspected it was blood. the dr came and advised us to send her to the hospital. She was ghastly pale when i saw her. Dr said that her kidneys are failing fast (previously, her kidneys still had 60% function a year after her stroke). And her lungs were hazy, she din have enuf oxygen. to much potassium in her blood & it might cause heart failure. She was nervous and afraid, refused to let go of my hand. Mom accompanied her last night.
Today, dr gave us two options to help reduce the toxin in her blood (as a result of her reduced kidney function) i.e. A) operate on her and attach a tube to her, draining her blood and replenishing new blood. Might only help for two days. B) dialysis - how could a frail old lady like my por-por stand the dialysis?! she's weak enough now. we dun think tht she could endure it! And , the dr said that even so, the chances are lass than 50%
God... I really dunno what to do... I dont want to see her leave me. I wont allow that! I wont, not even if i've exhausted all the medical avenues! But my family have othr thoughts. I just cant bear it.I dun wan her to suffer, yet i dont want her to leave me. I cant think now... I dont want to know that she's gonna leave me.
Please pray for her, my dear friends. If God really loves her, dun let her suffer. She doesnt deserve to suffer. If God really loves me, dun take her away from me.
I havent said my goodbye yet.
I dont want to say my goodbye at all...
Dear All,
I bring bad news.
My dear por-por is in a critical condition. Her organs are failing one by one. She was admitted to the Ampang Hospital yesterday evening (5 minutes' drive from my house) - Opposite Pandan Mewah McDonald's.
The nursing home called my mom and informed her that my granny refused to eat nor drink anything for the past two days. Aunty Jill and Uncle Ivan went in the evening and bought her 'wantan', which she gobbled and washed down with Brand's Essence of Chicken. We were told that her stool were black and they suspected it was blood. the dr came and advised us to send her to the hospital. She was ghastly pale when i saw her. Dr said that her kidneys are failing fast (previously, her kidneys still had 60% function a year after her stroke). And her lungs were hazy, she din have enuf oxygen. to much potassium in her blood & it might cause heart failure. She was nervous and afraid, refused to let go of my hand. Mom accompanied her last night.
Today, dr gave us two options to help reduce the toxin in her blood (as a result of her reduced kidney function) i.e. A) operate on her and attach a tube to her, draining her blood and replenishing new blood. Might only help for two days. B) dialysis - how could a frail old lady like my por-por stand the dialysis?! she's weak enough now. we dun think tht she could endure it! And , the dr said that even so, the chances are lass than 50%
God... I really dunno what to do... I dont want to see her leave me. I wont allow that! I wont, not even if i've exhausted all the medical avenues! But my family have othr thoughts. I just cant bear it.I dun wan her to suffer, yet i dont want her to leave me. I cant think now... I dont want to know that she's gonna leave me.
Please pray for her, my dear friends. If God really loves her, dun let her suffer. She doesnt deserve to suffer. If God really loves me, dun take her away from me.
I havent said my goodbye yet.
I dont want to say my goodbye at all...
Cruel
FRIENDSTER: 14 JAN 2007
Who are we to play God?
Who are we do decide on ending a life?
I just can’t comprehend.
End her suffering? Or continue to let her suffer?
Who are we to decide the definition of “suffering”?
Send her for dialysis so that she could have a chance at life, but the risk of suffering another stroke is looming over her?
Just let her lives the rest of her twilight days in peace, and let the toxins in her blood slowly take her away?
What a true scenario of the devil and the deep blue sea!
How can I bear to see her suffer?
How can I bear to see her leave me when I love her so much?
Who are we to play God?
Who are we do decide on ending a life?
I just can’t comprehend.
End her suffering? Or continue to let her suffer?
Who are we to decide the definition of “suffering”?
Send her for dialysis so that she could have a chance at life, but the risk of suffering another stroke is looming over her?
Just let her lives the rest of her twilight days in peace, and let the toxins in her blood slowly take her away?
What a true scenario of the devil and the deep blue sea!
How can I bear to see her suffer?
How can I bear to see her leave me when I love her so much?
Heartbroken...
FRIENDSTER: 20 FEB 2007
Valentine's Day... A day for all the lovey-dovey, gazing dreamily into each other's eyes. Yet, a day filled with sadness, leaving an empty space in my heart that can never heal.
I tried to post this earlier, but as soon as I started writing, my eyes welled up, just as they are moist right now. My whole life seemed to pass right in front of my eyes.
My heart was broken into zillions of pieces at 3.45pm by one single phone call. I sat down, dazed, my heart pumping hard, my throat dry. My life will never be the same again.
I couldn't utter anything for fear that if I did speak, tears would stream endlessly down my cheek. I gathered my things, cleared my table and switched off my PC. Picked up the phone, dialled a number and started crying.
Turned around and asked for leave from my superior, MK. I couldn't stop the tears from streaming down when I said in a halting voice, trying to maintain a calm composure, but failing badly, "MK, I have to go now. My granny just passed away."
TK was shocked to see me in tears and handed me a piece of tissue after tissue. I was weeping as I tried to pull myself together and walked towards ML's place to ask for leave.
They were shocked, and agreed immediately.
ML was so kind as to call me to see if I could drive home. She advised me to hail a cab and leave the car at the office, saying that she'll drive it home for me, but I knew I'll need my little mousedeer to run errands or buy stuffs for the funeral.
Could barely contol my tears. Sped to the nursing home. It was raining. And my heart was raining too!
Mom, Auntie Jill and Uncle Ivan were already there. I rushed in, minus the brolly. I wanted to see my beloved Por-Por one more time, one last time and to whisper my goodbye. But they've already 'ta-pao' her in white linen and placed her in the ambulance. Tears were streaming down and I started sobbing. The Indon helper in the nursing home passed me some tissues and patted my back. But the more she did, the more I wept. I couldn't even say my goodbye! I never wanted to say goodbye!
We went home and I took down the Chinese New Year decos from the door and our Xmas+CNY tree. With each ornament I took down, a tear fell down too. The people from the funeral parlour arrived soon after. We decided to have a Taoist funeral for por-por even though we're all Christians because she was always praying to the deities and asking them to bless her in her mahjong :P
It was the last thing we could do for her. Give her a dignified funeral, send her on her final journey.
Everything seemed like a dream. They brought her back in the evening, she was clad in yellow brocade, surrounded by dry ice. They told us what we should do. We bought some of the food that she used to like and placed them on the altar.
Cheoon Wah came with his mom, his wife waited in the car because she's 2 months pregnant - pantang
Cousin Melwin and I took turns to take care of the candle and joss stick - let them burn continuously and replace the burnt ones. We slept on the couch in my living room - he, on the 3-seater and I, on the 2-seater. I stayed up till 2am before succumbing to a deep sleep, too exhausted to cry. He took his turn at 3am. Johnny Boy and the dogs in the neighbourhood barking fiercely in the middle of the night. I slept on. Cousin Melwin went out and saw nothing. Did Por-Por just drop by to see us???
Thursday, 15/2/07 - Woke up and neighbour David plus a couple of elderly neighbours who were friends with my granny dropped by. Washed up and shared kopi-O with Por-por. Was calm and composed most of the time. Mary and Angela from the Cheras Cell group (Tmn Tenaga) dropped by in the afternoon. So did mom's colleagues and Cousin Marie's bro-in-law. It was pouring late in the afternoon, as if the Heavens is crying for my granny.
She brought the three of us up (cousins Marie & Melwin & I) and really pampered us, giving us a sheltered childhood and all the way up to adulthood. All our daily needs were met, she showered us with love and cared for all of us selflessly. True enough, the rain stopped to allow us to proceed with the rituals and to allow well-wishers to drop by, on this cool night (and the weather would have been hot and humid if it hadn't rained). Could it be Por-por?
They said Por-por is very considerate to leave us 3 days before our reunion dinner. They said that she left us because she didn't want to trouble us and didn't want the funeral caretakers to charge us double should she leave during Chinese New Year. Maybe she left to celebrate Valentine's Day with Ah Gung (grandpa). Maybe she wanted to have reunion dinner with Ah Gung.
But I don't want that! I want her to sit next to me during reunion dinner, just like last CNY so that I can feed her and peel prawns for her (even though I don't eat prawns). I want to peel Mandarin oranges for her and take out the seeds for her and let her see Johnny Boy and pat him. I want to greet her on the first day of CNY. I knew it might be our last CNY together and I turned down friends' invitation for a trip to Bangkok. I wanted to do everything for her, to ensure that she knows that she is the queen of my heart, of my life! But she never even wait for us, she never even said goodbye. She left us without even saying goodbye... :'(
The rain stopped in the evening. I went to buy some paper mahjong to be burnt with all the other offerings. Also bought some cakes for the well-wishers who will be coming to pay their last respects. And ice-cresm plus Sarsi for my granny. Anakin came after work. Next were Serena and Eileen.
I can' recall the last time I cried so openly and so shamelessly. And I never bothered to hide my sorrow this time.
The rites started and I couldn't help crying again. Kak Ida (auntie Jill's maid) passed me some tissue and patted my back. I couldn't help thinking that my Por-por and I would never meet again.
Auntie Sarimah (Por-por's daughter-in-law, uncle Yusof's wife) came and hugged me, I burst into tears again, "Auntie, Carrie sakit hati. Carrie tak sanggup, auntie. Tak sanggup". She was crying too. My Malay cousins came too, as well as other well-wishers. Mien Tse and Siew Ye came after Serena and Eileen left.
Kheng Hoe's (my god-bro) mom came by, Kheng Hoe pantang, so he just waited down the road. Then came Ten Hong and See Kah(my god-bro & god-sis), almost at the same time as Ms Cheong (my music teacher since I was 8yrs old), Mr Than, Kevin and Mun Yee.
Another ritual again and this time, to bring the tablet over the gold and silver paper bridges. When the Taoist priest said,"Separated forever, by the Land of the Living and Land of the Dead", I was sobbing so much that I choked on the words - the priest told us to invite my granny up and down the bridges. I didn't want to tell her to cross the bridges, I don't want her to leave and forget us...
But my cousins and I smiled through our tears as he was telling the paper effigies to take care of my granny. There was even a driver in her Benz! That Taoist fella really made us cry and laugh at the same time!
It was over by midnight. We were all tired and were not allowed to shower. I dragged myself up into my bathroom and wiped myself with a wet towel, I can't bear not being able to shower 'cause I was smelling like the joss sticks and paper offerings. Cousin Melwin slept on the couch again.
Friday, 16/2/07 - The next morning, we put on our mourning white t-shirt and black pants. Offered my granny breakfast one last time on the altar (I went out to buy her chocolates and 'dim-sum'). The band came and this cry-baby started crying again. It meant that her final journey was near. They've lifted the coffin's cover and I could touch her. We all said our goodbyes.
The band started playing a few songs. When they took a break, I went in and switched on my old Electone. I played Twilight In Upper West, my favourite song for her. Tears fell onto the keyboard and the floor, my vision blurred and I could barely read the score, but I kept on.
One last ritual and we went round her coffin several times. Then the priest blessed the house.
It was almost 10 am. The crew are almost done with their packing and placed my granny's coffin into the hearse. I could cry no more. Anakin reached just on time as we were getting ready to leave.
I requested the band to play "Hung Chan" (Red Dust). They didn't know the tune, I played a phrase on the keyboard and they nodded their acknowledgement. They were quite surprise. Then, I requested 'Yeh Lai Xiang". Both are my granny's favourite. Initially, I asked for songs from the Four Heavenly Kings, especially Leon Lai (my granny loves his songs too) but their repertoire was limited.
Then, it was time to go. We followed the hearse, till the junction. My heart was aching so much that it hurts, but I was left with no more tears to weep.
We made our way to the crematorium in Chin Fut Sze in 5 cars.
Then, the coffin was pushed into the kiln. I felt an impulse to hug the coffin and beg them not to put it in so soon! There were many things which I'd want to tell her. I saw the kiln coming alive with fire which consumed her coffin. I tried to peep from the gaps, hoping to catch a glimpse of her, but all I saw were flames, which burnt angrily and my heart ached even more!
Some final rituals and we were asked to change into something red. Then, we left for the temple where we will place her tablet. Had lunch at Keong Kee.
We went back to the temple at 4.30 pm, after taking a shower. We held joss sticks as the nun chanted scriptures.
Saturday, 17/2/07, the eve of CNY - Went to the crematorium to put her bones, fragments and ashes into the urn. We got her a place across the shelf from Ah Gung's and Tai Por-por's (1st granny) urns. Por-por once mentioned during Qing-Ming that she doesn't want to be placed next to Ah Gung. So, we got her unit 1774, opposite Ah Gung.
Thanks to all well-wishers for their attendance, 'pak-kum', phone calls, emails and text messages. Special thanks to all my friends who dropped by even though CNY was just around the corner. And thanks to Melody who called from America.
Everything is over now. We miss her a lot. The emptiness in my heart is like a bullet hole, it can never be filled. I am all right now but I look forward to the day I'll be reunited with my dear Por-por when my time on Earth expires.But for now, I'll live the life she wants me to live and hold her memories and the values that she taught me close to my heart.
The song "To Where You Are" now belongs to her and Big Dog. She loves animals, and I'm just like her. And she loves Big Dog... Is Big Dog with her now, guarding her 'paper house'???
Who can say for certain
Maybe you're still here
I feel you all around me
Your memories so clear
Deep in the stillness
I can hear you speak
You're still an inspiration
Can it be (?)
That you are mine
Forever love
And you are watching over me
rom up above
Fly me up to where you are
Beyond the distant star
I wish upon tonight
To see you smile
If only for awhile to know you're there
A breath away's not far
To where you are
Are you gently sleeping
Here inside my dream
And isn't faith believing
All power can't be seen
As my heart holds you
Just one beat away
I cherish all you gave me everyday
'Cause you are mine
Forever love
Watching me from up above
And I believe
That angels breathe
And that love will live on and never leave
Fly me up
To where you are
Beyond the distant star
I wish upon tonight
To see you smile
If only for awhile
To know you're there
A breath away's not far
To where you are
I know you're there
A breath away's not far
To where you are
Yes, I'm sleeping late nowadays, surfing and looking out of the window, hopelessly wishing to catch a glimpse of her walking here and waving to me with Big Dog through the living room window. I know it's silly, but it's the only way I could "melepaskan rasa rindu terhadapnya".
Doesn't she know, it's the end of the world, it ended when she said goodbye...
Will this path lead me to her? Seems like she walked down this cold and gloomy path alone. Wished I could go with her, but I have my responsibilities here. Will she take me with her, so that I can accompany her???
Valentine's Day... A day for all the lovey-dovey, gazing dreamily into each other's eyes. Yet, a day filled with sadness, leaving an empty space in my heart that can never heal.
I tried to post this earlier, but as soon as I started writing, my eyes welled up, just as they are moist right now. My whole life seemed to pass right in front of my eyes.
My heart was broken into zillions of pieces at 3.45pm by one single phone call. I sat down, dazed, my heart pumping hard, my throat dry. My life will never be the same again.
I couldn't utter anything for fear that if I did speak, tears would stream endlessly down my cheek. I gathered my things, cleared my table and switched off my PC. Picked up the phone, dialled a number and started crying.
Turned around and asked for leave from my superior, MK. I couldn't stop the tears from streaming down when I said in a halting voice, trying to maintain a calm composure, but failing badly, "MK, I have to go now. My granny just passed away."
TK was shocked to see me in tears and handed me a piece of tissue after tissue. I was weeping as I tried to pull myself together and walked towards ML's place to ask for leave.
They were shocked, and agreed immediately.
ML was so kind as to call me to see if I could drive home. She advised me to hail a cab and leave the car at the office, saying that she'll drive it home for me, but I knew I'll need my little mousedeer to run errands or buy stuffs for the funeral.
Could barely contol my tears. Sped to the nursing home. It was raining. And my heart was raining too!
Mom, Auntie Jill and Uncle Ivan were already there. I rushed in, minus the brolly. I wanted to see my beloved Por-Por one more time, one last time and to whisper my goodbye. But they've already 'ta-pao' her in white linen and placed her in the ambulance. Tears were streaming down and I started sobbing. The Indon helper in the nursing home passed me some tissues and patted my back. But the more she did, the more I wept. I couldn't even say my goodbye! I never wanted to say goodbye!
We went home and I took down the Chinese New Year decos from the door and our Xmas+CNY tree. With each ornament I took down, a tear fell down too. The people from the funeral parlour arrived soon after. We decided to have a Taoist funeral for por-por even though we're all Christians because she was always praying to the deities and asking them to bless her in her mahjong :P
It was the last thing we could do for her. Give her a dignified funeral, send her on her final journey.
Everything seemed like a dream. They brought her back in the evening, she was clad in yellow brocade, surrounded by dry ice. They told us what we should do. We bought some of the food that she used to like and placed them on the altar.
Cheoon Wah came with his mom, his wife waited in the car because she's 2 months pregnant - pantang
Cousin Melwin and I took turns to take care of the candle and joss stick - let them burn continuously and replace the burnt ones. We slept on the couch in my living room - he, on the 3-seater and I, on the 2-seater. I stayed up till 2am before succumbing to a deep sleep, too exhausted to cry. He took his turn at 3am. Johnny Boy and the dogs in the neighbourhood barking fiercely in the middle of the night. I slept on. Cousin Melwin went out and saw nothing. Did Por-Por just drop by to see us???
Thursday, 15/2/07 - Woke up and neighbour David plus a couple of elderly neighbours who were friends with my granny dropped by. Washed up and shared kopi-O with Por-por. Was calm and composed most of the time. Mary and Angela from the Cheras Cell group (Tmn Tenaga) dropped by in the afternoon. So did mom's colleagues and Cousin Marie's bro-in-law. It was pouring late in the afternoon, as if the Heavens is crying for my granny.
She brought the three of us up (cousins Marie & Melwin & I) and really pampered us, giving us a sheltered childhood and all the way up to adulthood. All our daily needs were met, she showered us with love and cared for all of us selflessly. True enough, the rain stopped to allow us to proceed with the rituals and to allow well-wishers to drop by, on this cool night (and the weather would have been hot and humid if it hadn't rained). Could it be Por-por?
They said Por-por is very considerate to leave us 3 days before our reunion dinner. They said that she left us because she didn't want to trouble us and didn't want the funeral caretakers to charge us double should she leave during Chinese New Year. Maybe she left to celebrate Valentine's Day with Ah Gung (grandpa). Maybe she wanted to have reunion dinner with Ah Gung.
But I don't want that! I want her to sit next to me during reunion dinner, just like last CNY so that I can feed her and peel prawns for her (even though I don't eat prawns). I want to peel Mandarin oranges for her and take out the seeds for her and let her see Johnny Boy and pat him. I want to greet her on the first day of CNY. I knew it might be our last CNY together and I turned down friends' invitation for a trip to Bangkok. I wanted to do everything for her, to ensure that she knows that she is the queen of my heart, of my life! But she never even wait for us, she never even said goodbye. She left us without even saying goodbye... :'(
The rain stopped in the evening. I went to buy some paper mahjong to be burnt with all the other offerings. Also bought some cakes for the well-wishers who will be coming to pay their last respects. And ice-cresm plus Sarsi for my granny. Anakin came after work. Next were Serena and Eileen.
I can' recall the last time I cried so openly and so shamelessly. And I never bothered to hide my sorrow this time.
The rites started and I couldn't help crying again. Kak Ida (auntie Jill's maid) passed me some tissue and patted my back. I couldn't help thinking that my Por-por and I would never meet again.
Auntie Sarimah (Por-por's daughter-in-law, uncle Yusof's wife) came and hugged me, I burst into tears again, "Auntie, Carrie sakit hati. Carrie tak sanggup, auntie. Tak sanggup". She was crying too. My Malay cousins came too, as well as other well-wishers. Mien Tse and Siew Ye came after Serena and Eileen left.
Kheng Hoe's (my god-bro) mom came by, Kheng Hoe pantang, so he just waited down the road. Then came Ten Hong and See Kah(my god-bro & god-sis), almost at the same time as Ms Cheong (my music teacher since I was 8yrs old), Mr Than, Kevin and Mun Yee.
Another ritual again and this time, to bring the tablet over the gold and silver paper bridges. When the Taoist priest said,"Separated forever, by the Land of the Living and Land of the Dead", I was sobbing so much that I choked on the words - the priest told us to invite my granny up and down the bridges. I didn't want to tell her to cross the bridges, I don't want her to leave and forget us...
But my cousins and I smiled through our tears as he was telling the paper effigies to take care of my granny. There was even a driver in her Benz! That Taoist fella really made us cry and laugh at the same time!
It was over by midnight. We were all tired and were not allowed to shower. I dragged myself up into my bathroom and wiped myself with a wet towel, I can't bear not being able to shower 'cause I was smelling like the joss sticks and paper offerings. Cousin Melwin slept on the couch again.
Friday, 16/2/07 - The next morning, we put on our mourning white t-shirt and black pants. Offered my granny breakfast one last time on the altar (I went out to buy her chocolates and 'dim-sum'). The band came and this cry-baby started crying again. It meant that her final journey was near. They've lifted the coffin's cover and I could touch her. We all said our goodbyes.
The band started playing a few songs. When they took a break, I went in and switched on my old Electone. I played Twilight In Upper West, my favourite song for her. Tears fell onto the keyboard and the floor, my vision blurred and I could barely read the score, but I kept on.
One last ritual and we went round her coffin several times. Then the priest blessed the house.
It was almost 10 am. The crew are almost done with their packing and placed my granny's coffin into the hearse. I could cry no more. Anakin reached just on time as we were getting ready to leave.
I requested the band to play "Hung Chan" (Red Dust). They didn't know the tune, I played a phrase on the keyboard and they nodded their acknowledgement. They were quite surprise. Then, I requested 'Yeh Lai Xiang". Both are my granny's favourite. Initially, I asked for songs from the Four Heavenly Kings, especially Leon Lai (my granny loves his songs too) but their repertoire was limited.
Then, it was time to go. We followed the hearse, till the junction. My heart was aching so much that it hurts, but I was left with no more tears to weep.
We made our way to the crematorium in Chin Fut Sze in 5 cars.
Then, the coffin was pushed into the kiln. I felt an impulse to hug the coffin and beg them not to put it in so soon! There were many things which I'd want to tell her. I saw the kiln coming alive with fire which consumed her coffin. I tried to peep from the gaps, hoping to catch a glimpse of her, but all I saw were flames, which burnt angrily and my heart ached even more!
Some final rituals and we were asked to change into something red. Then, we left for the temple where we will place her tablet. Had lunch at Keong Kee.
We went back to the temple at 4.30 pm, after taking a shower. We held joss sticks as the nun chanted scriptures.
Saturday, 17/2/07, the eve of CNY - Went to the crematorium to put her bones, fragments and ashes into the urn. We got her a place across the shelf from Ah Gung's and Tai Por-por's (1st granny) urns. Por-por once mentioned during Qing-Ming that she doesn't want to be placed next to Ah Gung. So, we got her unit 1774, opposite Ah Gung.
Thanks to all well-wishers for their attendance, 'pak-kum', phone calls, emails and text messages. Special thanks to all my friends who dropped by even though CNY was just around the corner. And thanks to Melody who called from America.
Everything is over now. We miss her a lot. The emptiness in my heart is like a bullet hole, it can never be filled. I am all right now but I look forward to the day I'll be reunited with my dear Por-por when my time on Earth expires.But for now, I'll live the life she wants me to live and hold her memories and the values that she taught me close to my heart.
The song "To Where You Are" now belongs to her and Big Dog. She loves animals, and I'm just like her. And she loves Big Dog... Is Big Dog with her now, guarding her 'paper house'???
Who can say for certain
Maybe you're still here
I feel you all around me
Your memories so clear
Deep in the stillness
I can hear you speak
You're still an inspiration
Can it be (?)
That you are mine
Forever love
And you are watching over me
rom up above
Fly me up to where you are
Beyond the distant star
I wish upon tonight
To see you smile
If only for awhile to know you're there
A breath away's not far
To where you are
Are you gently sleeping
Here inside my dream
And isn't faith believing
All power can't be seen
As my heart holds you
Just one beat away
I cherish all you gave me everyday
'Cause you are mine
Forever love
Watching me from up above
And I believe
That angels breathe
And that love will live on and never leave
Fly me up
To where you are
Beyond the distant star
I wish upon tonight
To see you smile
If only for awhile
To know you're there
A breath away's not far
To where you are
I know you're there
A breath away's not far
To where you are
Yes, I'm sleeping late nowadays, surfing and looking out of the window, hopelessly wishing to catch a glimpse of her walking here and waving to me with Big Dog through the living room window. I know it's silly, but it's the only way I could "melepaskan rasa rindu terhadapnya".
Doesn't she know, it's the end of the world, it ended when she said goodbye...
Will this path lead me to her? Seems like she walked down this cold and gloomy path alone. Wished I could go with her, but I have my responsibilities here. Will she take me with her, so that I can accompany her???
Judge not, that ye be not judged.
FRIENDSTER: 27 AUG 2007
26 AUGUST 2007
How was our weekend? Was it relaxing or hectic?
I, for one, have been working late. Yep, it’s my freelance subtitle translation again, rushing to meet the deadline. The latest or earliest hour that I hit the sack was at 5am, Saturday morning. Naturally, I conked out on Sunday morning at 4am, intending to wake up at 7.30am to continue, but the Land of the Nod was too enticing for me to even hear the alarm clock or the alarm & reminder from my hand phone.
And yes, I’ve been sleeping on the couch (to my mom’s angst!) and on the music room floor (with a thin mattress) because it’s nearer to my PC.
My tummy hurt a lot since Saturday evening and I tried taking ginseng tea and warm Milo but to no avail. Rubbing nutmeg oil on it proved futile too.
Anyway, despite the pain, I totally KO-ed on Sunday morning in the music room, only being rudely awakened at 12 noon by Kechik Rat’s voice (my niece, Chloe) calling, “Yee Yee, Yee Yee”. I tried to ignore her, my cousin sis & my uncle, but when my uncle said, “Your Yee Yee is a lazy pig”, I couldn’t stop myself from retorting, “For God’s sake, I slept at 4am lah…Aiyo…”
Then, I dragged myself up to wash up and had breakfast (???), I mean, lunch.
It was work again for an hour plus, trying to cover as much as I could.
Only then did I realise that I was having a gastric attack! Ish… The pain was still there, I felt bloated and heavy.
Oops… Time to go at 2.45pm!
I’m volunteering for Grace Assembly (my superior’s church) to feed the needy at Medan Bunus. I was early, managed to buy 2 kaya Swiss roll from Yut Kee for RM7.35 each!
Wa, price hike again ar… Ish… It wasn’t as yummy as before, rather dry now and they skimped on kaya. I gobbled down a couple of pieces in the car :P Yut Kee was famous for its continental & oriental dishes back then and I used to like its Roti Babi, diced pork & onion sandwiched between two slices of bread & dipped in egg, fried till crispy, golden brown; its oriental/Hainanese Pork Chop… Yummy! Perhaps I should drop by one lazy Sunday afternoon and reminisce about the good old times & to see if the food is as yummy as before myself, cause according to my sources, it’s not as good as before.
I went around, hoping to get a parking lot nearer to Mydin’s or Semua House. Served me right for being so greedy… As a result of the ronda-ronda, I nearly banged into a taxi as I was coming out from the lane. And I still could not get a parking! Da*n it! I should have parked at Jalan Dang Wangi earlier, than waste my petrol and time and energy driving around! But, I managed to come across many restaurants along Jalan Doraisamy, adjacent to Yut Kee. Le Chine grabbed my attention with a Terracotta warrior guarding its entrance. Hua…. So many restaurants here, so many choices, such nice exterior and inviting interior which I could peek through the windows. Should come for dinner with friends one day soon, I hope.
Anyway, I conceded defeat and went back to Jalan Dang Wangi (I’m quite familiar with that area, because Yamaha was there in the mid-eighties to mid-nineties – now RIMA college) and parked near Yut Kee. Ran all the way to Mydin where Alice, my boss was waiting for me.
We navigated amongst the Malays, Indonesians, Indians, foreigners into the space behind Medan Bunus & I could see the “Grace Assembly” name atop the building. Up we went in the elevator, to the 4th floor. I went in & saw many people waiting to be called into the consultation room of the free clinic, manned by an Indian lady doctor and a Chinese lady nurse. They’re open from 3pm – 5pm every Sunday, providing free medical services for all. I saw a few familiar faces, which I’ve seen at Alice’s house during the Christmas-cum-birthday party for the daughter. I couldn’t really recall the names of some of them, but I remember Yoke Ann and Lillian. We jumped into action of packing oat drinks. This is a weekly community service by Grace Assembly, manned by its many church members who take turns in volunteering – each cell group will help out for one Sunday.
When we’re done, we changed into the Grace Assembly t-shirts and pushed the trolleys down to the ground floor where many people of all races and colours were waiting patiently. They were the needy people whom we’re gonna feed.. Some are homeless, some are poor, some are drug addicts, some are security guards at a nearby building and some needed a free meal because of a reason only known to them… I did not expect to see so many people, and at such a close range too, for usually, I kept myself well away from them…
This time, I learned a lesson – Matthew 7:1-2 "Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.
And I learned what the true meaning of humility is. They are human beings, just like you and me. If given a chance, would you think they would want to get free food? I used to loathe people who receive alms from others when they are not even handicapped; I will not even give one cent to the ‘jaga kereta’ boys, I used to scorn the drug addicts who, by their own choice, ruin their lives, because I believe that jobs are aplenty for them to earn their keep, if they try hard enough. After all, even the handicapped are earning their keep in a dignified way. Why can’t these people do the same? I'd rather donate my hard earned money to the SPCA or PAWs or WWF!
But yesterday, I was stupefied. I did not expect them to have the discipline to queue up, let alone utter a word of thanks. It was like a scene from Oliver Twist when they asked for more rice & gravy, which were immediately given to them. I overheard one of them saying, “Please give me more rice, I haven’t eaten in three days” as Alice and I were handing out styrofoam rice boxes to them which consisted of a big piece of curry chicken and vegetables. The guy next to us added more rice, and another lady was in-charge of distributing gravy, whilst some others were giving away oat drinks and bananas.
One of them helped man the traffic flow of the queue, by making them queue up and calling out numbers (number cards were given to the needy to gauge how many they were).
There were some who spoke good English, and some who were rather well-dressed and decent. There was also a bespectacled elderly Ang-mo and Edward, a young Indian guy who claimed that he’s a Christian; and only wanted the oat drinks and not rice, because he said he can’t chew even though he had straight and even teeth. There was an elderly Chinese lady who complained that the banana was too small and was too soft, and demanded another piece. But we’ve already ran out of bananas.
There were a total of about 200++ of them.
They were also given used but clean clothes and disposable shavers as well. I was told that sometimes, toiletries are handed up to them when there’re enough to go around. So, if you have any mini soap bars from the hotels or even if you have old but wearable clothes to discard, you can always pass them to me to hand it over to Grace Assembly. My church, St Mary’s (next to Royal Selangor Club & Dataran Merdeka) – an Anglican church, also holds a feeding programme every Wednesday morning and can use with dry food stuffs or old clothes too.
I got my hands all oily and wet from distributing the rice boxes, but I wasn’t really bothered about it. Those who know me would be surprised, for I’m one who’d immediately wipe my hands or if possible, immediately wash them to rid them of oil and gravy.
Well, it all ended before 6pm. We went up to wash the trays and utensils. I was asked to join them for dinner, but my translation job needs to be done.
Said my goodbyes and Yoke Ann gave me a hug for good luck.
Peace be with you, everyone. God bless.
I walked slowly back to my car and saw an old man eating from the rice box we handed out in front of Wilayah Complex. I felt tired and my gastric pain was still there, but I also felt ‘something’ inside.
Will I volunteer again? Definitely. And I’m looking forward to join Tammy’s Leo Club in this programme come October 2007. I’ll get some ex-Ascomers to join me too! It’s not about religion, it’s all about humanity and humility. Feel free to volunteer or if you can’t come, feel free to donate anything that could be used.
And I’m looking forward to going back there again & if possible, help out at my church on Wednesday morning too.
Peace be with you, Amen.
Thank you for the MUSIC !!
FRIENDSTER: 05 SEPT 2007
5 Sept 2007... I stared at the date on the Yamaha letter, circulated to all the examiners, regardless of whether one is an FSS examiner (like yours truly, i.e. ME) or Achievement Test/Lower Grade/Higher Grade examiners. It read: YAMAHA GRADE EXAMINATION Examiners' Meets 2007. Gosh, take leave from work again? I started a mental calculation of how many days have I left. I applied for leave, secretly hoping that 'they' will make it worth my while.
It certainly was. Seeing many familiar faces, some good friends/fellow teachers whom I've not met in ages, some whom I meet quite often and some really new faces, was part of the fun :) It felt good to be part of the "Yamaha world" :)
Many very experienced & established teachers/examiners came, JC called them (and himself) the "dinosaurs" :P hehehe.... Also, some of them have to wear glasses now, but nevertheless, their charisma and presence is still strongly felt.
Mr TKJ conducted the whole session and many suggestions came from most of the seniors. It was a light-hearted affair, sprinkled with many laughs and jokes admidst the serious talk about the Yamaha Grade Examination. And... The mock exam video was indeed a steal! The two examiners+CIs should really consider a switch of career into the entertainment industry! Hehe...
Indeed an eye-opener for me, to gain so much insight into the procedures & marking system of the Achievement Test/Lower Grade/Higher Grade exams, due to my being a mere FSS Examiner. Now, I can better prepare my students and myself, to do it better! :)
There were two makan sessions... The tea break at 11am and lunch at 1pm.. Aiyoh... How to stuff myself with food after breakfast at 9am (in the car...) ler? I didn't drink the caffeine-laden Nescafe (which gives me palpitations) nor the tea (I only drink teh-O or Chinese Tea) nor the sugar water a.k.a. orange juice. Plain water is better, right? With AO Max, concentrated oxygen drops :P
Lunch is provided too, to allow us to mingle around and exchange news and to ensure that we do not take an overdue lunch break, should they let us out of the premises :P
It felt good to be back into this little 'world' again, despite being partially out of it most of the time, 'cause I've cut down so much on teaching now. But I still like being in this 'family' (if I may call it this way and if 'they' still treat me as one of 'them') because I know, deep down, music is still my passion (though I've lost touch with it for so long... and the students many a time drive me up the wall).
Cheers, everyone!
Isn't this song lovely....
"Let The Music Heal Your Soul" :) (Bravo All Stars)
Oh if someone writes a song with a simple rhyme
Just a song where its feeling show
And if someone feels the same about the simple song
Oh sometimes you can hear them say
Music gives you happiness and sadness
But it also, it also heals your soul
Chorus :
Let the music heal your soul
Let the music take control
Let the music give you the power to move any mountain
Oh if someone plays piano with some simple chords
So melodic and endearing, too
Oh if someone plays guitar with the old piano
And maybe you can hear them sing
Music gives you Happiness or Sadness
But it also, also heals your soul
5 Sept 2007... I stared at the date on the Yamaha letter, circulated to all the examiners, regardless of whether one is an FSS examiner (like yours truly, i.e. ME) or Achievement Test/Lower Grade/Higher Grade examiners. It read: YAMAHA GRADE EXAMINATION Examiners' Meets 2007. Gosh, take leave from work again? I started a mental calculation of how many days have I left. I applied for leave, secretly hoping that 'they' will make it worth my while.
It certainly was. Seeing many familiar faces, some good friends/fellow teachers whom I've not met in ages, some whom I meet quite often and some really new faces, was part of the fun :) It felt good to be part of the "Yamaha world" :)
Many very experienced & established teachers/examiners came, JC called them (and himself) the "dinosaurs" :P hehehe.... Also, some of them have to wear glasses now, but nevertheless, their charisma and presence is still strongly felt.
Mr TKJ conducted the whole session and many suggestions came from most of the seniors. It was a light-hearted affair, sprinkled with many laughs and jokes admidst the serious talk about the Yamaha Grade Examination. And... The mock exam video was indeed a steal! The two examiners+CIs should really consider a switch of career into the entertainment industry! Hehe...
Indeed an eye-opener for me, to gain so much insight into the procedures & marking system of the Achievement Test/Lower Grade/Higher Grade exams, due to my being a mere FSS Examiner. Now, I can better prepare my students and myself, to do it better! :)
There were two makan sessions... The tea break at 11am and lunch at 1pm.. Aiyoh... How to stuff myself with food after breakfast at 9am (in the car...) ler? I didn't drink the caffeine-laden Nescafe (which gives me palpitations) nor the tea (I only drink teh-O or Chinese Tea) nor the sugar water a.k.a. orange juice. Plain water is better, right? With AO Max, concentrated oxygen drops :P
Lunch is provided too, to allow us to mingle around and exchange news and to ensure that we do not take an overdue lunch break, should they let us out of the premises :P
It felt good to be back into this little 'world' again, despite being partially out of it most of the time, 'cause I've cut down so much on teaching now. But I still like being in this 'family' (if I may call it this way and if 'they' still treat me as one of 'them') because I know, deep down, music is still my passion (though I've lost touch with it for so long... and the students many a time drive me up the wall).
Cheers, everyone!
Isn't this song lovely....
"Let The Music Heal Your Soul" :) (Bravo All Stars)
Oh if someone writes a song with a simple rhyme
Just a song where its feeling show
And if someone feels the same about the simple song
Oh sometimes you can hear them say
Music gives you happiness and sadness
But it also, it also heals your soul
Chorus :
Let the music heal your soul
Let the music take control
Let the music give you the power to move any mountain
Oh if someone plays piano with some simple chords
So melodic and endearing, too
Oh if someone plays guitar with the old piano
And maybe you can hear them sing
Music gives you Happiness or Sadness
But it also, also heals your soul
Memories are made of FOOD... :-P
FRIENDSTER: 04 AUG 2008
Yesterday, my colleagues and I talked about things we ate as a child.
Milo powder.
Have you tried that before? Just scoop it and eat it.
I used to scoop the ‘kaya’ too and enjoy the creaminess and sweetness of the coconut milk and sugar, just like caramel.
Whoa... Syioknya.
Guess I’d learned it from my grandpa ;)
And my granny would 'scold' us,
"Thiew nia seng, nei sam gor khai dai... fatt dai yeet jing jau sei lor "
(Literally translated as, “F*ck your Ah Seng [God knows who is that pathetic Ah Seng!], you 3 buggers are gonna die from ‘heatiness’!” ) :P
HAHAHAHAHAHA....
Those were the days… I miss those days…
Back there in Sri Pulau Pinang flats, we’d always be up to some mischief.
We were never allowed to go out and play with other kids, only watching them from the living room window, as they yell and run all over the place like ‘sakai’.
Grandpa and granny never allowed us to go out for fear that we would be influenced by them and neglect our studies or be ‘tainted’ with all sorts of foul language – well, we did ‘learn’ a thing or two from granny and grandpa though.
HAHAHAHAHA…..
We stayed there till I was about 7 (Cousin Marie is 5 years my senior, and cousin Melwin, 2 years my senior) before we moved elsewhere, but granny continued staying there, and rented out a room to a Chinese couple.
The 3 of us would bend over a bowl of curry laksa and dip in our forks (we were not good using chopsticks and even now, we still fumble with them!) and with one forkful of noodles, another hand would be holding a glass of water to douse the spiciness!
(Guess what? We still haven’t conquered our tolerance for spiciness yet! Damnit…)
Back then, there was this laksa lady who would come with a rod hanging over her shoulder, laden with curry laksa+soup, and benches. But we usually ta-pao home to eat. Nice…
And there was this Indian man who would carry huge metal basins on a rod, with kuih sembilan lapis and all sorts of colourful, sweet and savoury cakes. That was my favourite an-neh-neh (oops… sorry… No racial slurs here….)
When the ‘roti’ man came, we'd be too lazy to run down from the 3rd storey. So, down goes the plastic pail with a string attached to it and some loose change in it for our bread and what-nots :)
I can still recall that there were some round bread, with cards of Batman, Robin, Penguin & the Joker inserted inside the packaging.
Kepoh-chi Carrie would tag along with granny to the market as Marie was in school and Melwin still sleeping at home. Greedy Carrie knows that if she flashed a cheery smile and greeted the butcher, she’d get a nice piece of barbecued pork (Char-siew) to munch on.
Same goes for the auntie selling sundry, who would generously give me rock sugar to suck on :-) Hehe….
Granny would buy me my favourite woon-chai-gou as well. Yummy.
It’s the only woon-chai-gou that I like and even now, I still return there to buy it sometimes, but the auntie making it is old and white liao :-)
We also 'operated' on a baby shark that granny bought us from the market (as if there was nothing better to play or do! – We had our Playmobil – anyone knows what is it? Check out Wikipedia :-) wooden swords, soft toys, game&watch, Matchbox cars, etc…
The Star Wars action figures, M.A.S.K. action figures, Transformers, Barbie & Ken dolls, double-decked game&watch, remote control cars, etc all came after we moved from Sri Pulau Pinang)
Hahaha!
Melwin was the surgeon, whilst Marie and I looked on and ooh, ahh all time.
Out came the baby squids, baby shrimps, etc...
Wonder why we din puke at the stench :-P
Well, we threw away the carcass after the 'operation', declaring the shark dead :-P
We were actually expecting something more inside after stories of gold rings, earrings, etc were found inside sharks/crocs which our granny told us (in her bid toget us buggers to finish up our rice...I was, (ahem!) naturally the fastest of the lot! HAHAHAHA...)
And we were disappointed that there were only shrimps and baby squids...
Kena tipu time and again by our dearest Por-por :)
Love you loads, Ah Por....
Miss you loads too! :'(
Yesterday, my colleagues and I talked about things we ate as a child.
Milo powder.
Have you tried that before? Just scoop it and eat it.
I used to scoop the ‘kaya’ too and enjoy the creaminess and sweetness of the coconut milk and sugar, just like caramel.
Whoa... Syioknya.
Guess I’d learned it from my grandpa ;)
And my granny would 'scold' us,
"Thiew nia seng, nei sam gor khai dai... fatt dai yeet jing jau sei lor "
(Literally translated as, “F*ck your Ah Seng [God knows who is that pathetic Ah Seng!], you 3 buggers are gonna die from ‘heatiness’!” ) :P
HAHAHAHAHAHA....
Those were the days… I miss those days…
Back there in Sri Pulau Pinang flats, we’d always be up to some mischief.
We were never allowed to go out and play with other kids, only watching them from the living room window, as they yell and run all over the place like ‘sakai’.
Grandpa and granny never allowed us to go out for fear that we would be influenced by them and neglect our studies or be ‘tainted’ with all sorts of foul language – well, we did ‘learn’ a thing or two from granny and grandpa though.
HAHAHAHAHA…..
We stayed there till I was about 7 (Cousin Marie is 5 years my senior, and cousin Melwin, 2 years my senior) before we moved elsewhere, but granny continued staying there, and rented out a room to a Chinese couple.
The 3 of us would bend over a bowl of curry laksa and dip in our forks (we were not good using chopsticks and even now, we still fumble with them!) and with one forkful of noodles, another hand would be holding a glass of water to douse the spiciness!
(Guess what? We still haven’t conquered our tolerance for spiciness yet! Damnit…)
Back then, there was this laksa lady who would come with a rod hanging over her shoulder, laden with curry laksa+soup, and benches. But we usually ta-pao home to eat. Nice…
And there was this Indian man who would carry huge metal basins on a rod, with kuih sembilan lapis and all sorts of colourful, sweet and savoury cakes. That was my favourite an-neh-neh (oops… sorry… No racial slurs here….)
When the ‘roti’ man came, we'd be too lazy to run down from the 3rd storey. So, down goes the plastic pail with a string attached to it and some loose change in it for our bread and what-nots :)
I can still recall that there were some round bread, with cards of Batman, Robin, Penguin & the Joker inserted inside the packaging.
Kepoh-chi Carrie would tag along with granny to the market as Marie was in school and Melwin still sleeping at home. Greedy Carrie knows that if she flashed a cheery smile and greeted the butcher, she’d get a nice piece of barbecued pork (Char-siew) to munch on.
Same goes for the auntie selling sundry, who would generously give me rock sugar to suck on :-) Hehe….
Granny would buy me my favourite woon-chai-gou as well. Yummy.
It’s the only woon-chai-gou that I like and even now, I still return there to buy it sometimes, but the auntie making it is old and white liao :-)
We also 'operated' on a baby shark that granny bought us from the market (as if there was nothing better to play or do! – We had our Playmobil – anyone knows what is it? Check out Wikipedia :-) wooden swords, soft toys, game&watch, Matchbox cars, etc…
The Star Wars action figures, M.A.S.K. action figures, Transformers, Barbie & Ken dolls, double-decked game&watch, remote control cars, etc all came after we moved from Sri Pulau Pinang)
Hahaha!
Melwin was the surgeon, whilst Marie and I looked on and ooh, ahh all time.
Out came the baby squids, baby shrimps, etc...
Wonder why we din puke at the stench :-P
Well, we threw away the carcass after the 'operation', declaring the shark dead :-P
We were actually expecting something more inside after stories of gold rings, earrings, etc were found inside sharks/crocs which our granny told us (in her bid toget us buggers to finish up our rice...I was, (ahem!) naturally the fastest of the lot! HAHAHAHA...)
And we were disappointed that there were only shrimps and baby squids...
Kena tipu time and again by our dearest Por-por :)
Love you loads, Ah Por....
Miss you loads too! :'(
God Spelt Backwards
FRIENDSTER: 04 NOV 2008
Dedicated to my little "puppy-dog" (hehe... i know he is not "little" and he is not a "puupy" lah.. hehehe... just that I like to call my fei-chai Johnny that :-P )
Dedicated to my little "puppy-dog" (hehe... i know he is not "little" and he is not a "puupy" lah.. hehehe... just that I like to call my fei-chai Johnny that :-P )
God - Spelled Backwards
When God had made the earth and sky,
The flowers and the trees.
He then made all the animals,
The fish, the birds and bees.
And when at last He'd finished,
Not one was quite the same.
He said, "I'll walk this world of mine,
And give each one a name."
And so He traveled far and wide
And everywhere He went,
A little creature followed Him
Until its strength was spent.
When all were named upon the earth
And in the sky and sea,
The little creature said, "Dear Lord,
There's not one left for me."
Kindly the Father said to him,
"I've left you to the end.
I've turned my own name back to front
And called you dog, my friend."
The flowers and the trees.
He then made all the animals,
The fish, the birds and bees.
And when at last He'd finished,
Not one was quite the same.
He said, "I'll walk this world of mine,
And give each one a name."
And so He traveled far and wide
And everywhere He went,
A little creature followed Him
Until its strength was spent.
When all were named upon the earth
And in the sky and sea,
The little creature said, "Dear Lord,
There's not one left for me."
Kindly the Father said to him,
"I've left you to the end.
I've turned my own name back to front
And called you dog, my friend."
Author Unknown
Thank you Lord, for my doggie boy who melts and softens my heart all the time :-)
Amen!
Amen!
10 Promises to My Dog
FRIENDSTER: 04 NOV 2008
10 Promises to My Dog
Are you able to fulfil and keep to these 10 Promises?If you can't, then you should not get a pet.
| 1. Listen patiently to what I say. 2. Trust me, for I am always on your side. 3. Play with me a lot. 4. Don't forget that I have feelings too. 5. Let's never fight. 6. If I don't obey you, I have a good reason. 7. You have school and friends, but as for me, I only have you. 8. Stay as my best friend even when I'm old. 9. I'll only live for ten years, so let's make every moment count. 10. I'll never forget our life together. So when the time comes, please be by my side. Lovely tune and MV:  |
My Scribblings @ Random Thoughts - TOUCHED BY AN ANGEL
FRIENDSTER: 21 JAN 2009
Isn't it amazing that someone who walks into your life for a brief moment can leave such a huge impact on you, leaving deep footprints and memories in your heart and soul? You know for sure, that life will never be the same again.
Previously, I have never appreciated anything that delays my plans. I would have been ranting and raving about having my plans being stalled time and again, but now with His grace, plans which I have postponed many times since 2007, has enabled me to be blessed by an angel. His timing is just perfect! God really made miracles happen in His time! (Ecclesiastes 3:11)
And I am really thankful for this verse:
“For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.” (Jeremiah 29:11)
“For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.” (Jeremiah 29:11)
Many times, when our plans are disrupted, we will be upset and question Him, “Why?”
But as the days pass by, we will start to realize and notice the silver lining in each cloud that has previously cast a gloomy shadow upon us.
“There are no mistakes, no coincidences. All events are blessings given to us to learn from.” ~ Elisabeth Kubler-Ross
But as the days pass by, we will start to realize and notice the silver lining in each cloud that has previously cast a gloomy shadow upon us.
“There are no mistakes, no coincidences. All events are blessings given to us to learn from.” ~ Elisabeth Kubler-Ross
My heart and soul have been touched and are still being touched by an angel. Though it may just be a short span of time, the memories will forever be etched in my mind and heart. No doubt, life has to go on, albeit with a heavy heart – back to the mundane life and monotonous routine. But a part of me has been changed by the angel, which is so real and so true, that sometimes, the flashbacks and feelings are so overwhelming that I would be blinking and blinking, and biting my lips in vain, in my effort to keep a stiff upper lip.
Thanks, 排骨 . For making these few days so memorable for me :-)
And you are indeed a blessing and I am truly blessed with an angel as you.
And you are indeed a blessing and I am truly blessed with an angel as you.
I can no other answer make, but, thanks, and thanks.
- William Shakespeare
- William Shakespeare
My Scribblings @ Random Thoughts - DREAMS
FRIENDSTER: 03 FEB 2009
A dream is a wish your heart makes,
When you’re fast asleep,
In dreams you will lose your heartache,
Whatever you wish for you keep…
Everything is possible in your dream, your innermost desires come true, and your innermost fears are multiplied.
In dreams, the people you miss and love most will be so tangible; you can hold, hug and talk to them. Most of the time, you wish never to wake up, so that they will be with you forever.
Often, you will wake up with moist eyes and an aching heart, hopelessly begging for a few more minutes to be with the person, who might be thousands of miles away, or perhaps, at a faraway place, inaccessible by any means.
The dream is so real, the pain it leaves is so real but the person you wish to see most…
Don't you know, it's the end of the world, it ended, when you said goodbye...
Have you ever loved and lost a doggie?
FRIENDSTER: 18 FEB 2009
U might remember this mail, which I sent on 13 July 2002, about Big Dog...
FYI, White Dog was what we called Johnny last time...
I still miss the gentle Big Dog, and even now, my eyes would brim with tears everytime I sit alone and think of her....
11 JULY 2002 - THURS
U might remember this mail, which I sent on 13 July 2002, about Big Dog...
FYI, White Dog was what we called Johnny last time...
I still miss the gentle Big Dog, and even now, my eyes would brim with tears everytime I sit alone and think of her....
11 JULY 2002 - THURS
She came without a sound and left when we least expected it...
I'd talked to her on wednesday night and she looked at me with her big brown eyes...
It was a rainy weekday afternoon when we set eyes on each other. She stopped and looked at me with her soulful eyes as i was closing my gate, begging me silently to let her in for shelter. I said hi and the bond was set. But my granny shooed her out, and she scurried away.
A few days later, I saw her again. I gave her some crackers and she lapped up every crumb. I called her Big Dog. She doesnt have a proper name. We all call her Big Dog.
As you might have guessed , she was big.
And she has big soft soulful eyes that could melt every heart...I know her eyes melted my heart the moment i saw her... She was neutered/spayed and had no tail.I guess she was dumped at our neighbourhood by her previous owner.
I was the one who unofficially adopted her. I was the one who fed her crackers and bread. I could still remember once I stood in the rain whilst she gobbled down every bit of crackers I gave her, shielding her with my brolly.
Soon, every member in the family fell in love with her. We didn't get her a license or kept her in the house. Swas used to roaming around freely with White Dog and we reckoned that it would bore her to death to be kept in our compound.
My granny saved up scraps fr our table for her, we bought her dog biscuits and as a treat, I'd get her a can of meat every month.
She came every morn and evening for meals and in-between for snacks. She'd run up the road when she sees our cars returning, even in the wee hours of the morn, after my mamak sessions, she'd be there to greet me and plonk herself down at our gate to rest.
Tthursday morn, 10 a.m.
I was still in dreamland... They came and took her away...
White dog was safe, he hid under a car.Big Dog was too fat to hide....
She was so pretty and clever... She'd come running e/time she sees us or when we call her name or when we knock her feeding bowl on the ground...
She is such a mild tempered and gentle doggie....
We tried to look for her, called up MPAJ and the SPCA. My cousin brother spent the whole afternoon in Puchong looking for the place where they'll put the dogs to sleep, all to no avail...
I couldnt sleep for the past two nights. Thursday night as I came back fr work, I looked at my side mirror, hoping to see a familiar figure running up the road...
Reality sank in...
My Big Dog was gone... gone forever...
No more soft brown eyes looking at me...
No more saying Hello Big Dog...
I cried... yes I did..
I'm crying now...
I miss her. We all miss her. My mom and granny can't sleep, my uncle misses the way she licks his hand when he calls out to her.. My aunt feels sad the whole two days, my cousin bro looked in vain for her, my cousin sis' heart's broken... every one misses Big Dog... :( :( :(
If only my granny had woken me up that morning... I'd have paid them to set her free... I wouldnt have let them take her away.... Why did they have to take away such a gentle dog? She was harmless. Etime I think of her fate, my heart breaks over and over...
Life itself is a tragedy...
Have u ever loved and lost a doggie???
I'd talked to her on wednesday night and she looked at me with her big brown eyes...
It was a rainy weekday afternoon when we set eyes on each other. She stopped and looked at me with her soulful eyes as i was closing my gate, begging me silently to let her in for shelter. I said hi and the bond was set. But my granny shooed her out, and she scurried away.
A few days later, I saw her again. I gave her some crackers and she lapped up every crumb. I called her Big Dog. She doesnt have a proper name. We all call her Big Dog.
As you might have guessed , she was big.
And she has big soft soulful eyes that could melt every heart...I know her eyes melted my heart the moment i saw her... She was neutered/spayed and had no tail.I guess she was dumped at our neighbourhood by her previous owner.
I was the one who unofficially adopted her. I was the one who fed her crackers and bread. I could still remember once I stood in the rain whilst she gobbled down every bit of crackers I gave her, shielding her with my brolly.
Soon, every member in the family fell in love with her. We didn't get her a license or kept her in the house. Swas used to roaming around freely with White Dog and we reckoned that it would bore her to death to be kept in our compound.
My granny saved up scraps fr our table for her, we bought her dog biscuits and as a treat, I'd get her a can of meat every month.
She came every morn and evening for meals and in-between for snacks. She'd run up the road when she sees our cars returning, even in the wee hours of the morn, after my mamak sessions, she'd be there to greet me and plonk herself down at our gate to rest.
Tthursday morn, 10 a.m.
I was still in dreamland... They came and took her away...
White dog was safe, he hid under a car.Big Dog was too fat to hide....
She was so pretty and clever... She'd come running e/time she sees us or when we call her name or when we knock her feeding bowl on the ground...
She is such a mild tempered and gentle doggie....
We tried to look for her, called up MPAJ and the SPCA. My cousin brother spent the whole afternoon in Puchong looking for the place where they'll put the dogs to sleep, all to no avail...
I couldnt sleep for the past two nights. Thursday night as I came back fr work, I looked at my side mirror, hoping to see a familiar figure running up the road...
Reality sank in...
My Big Dog was gone... gone forever...
No more soft brown eyes looking at me...
No more saying Hello Big Dog...
I cried... yes I did..
I'm crying now...
I miss her. We all miss her. My mom and granny can't sleep, my uncle misses the way she licks his hand when he calls out to her.. My aunt feels sad the whole two days, my cousin bro looked in vain for her, my cousin sis' heart's broken... every one misses Big Dog... :( :( :(
If only my granny had woken me up that morning... I'd have paid them to set her free... I wouldnt have let them take her away.... Why did they have to take away such a gentle dog? She was harmless. Etime I think of her fate, my heart breaks over and over...
Life itself is a tragedy...
Have u ever loved and lost a doggie???
About Johnny Boy's Cruel Deed
FRIENDSTER: 18 FEB 2009
I wrote this long ago, and if you've known me then, you might remember that I sent it via email...
9 DEC 2004 -
Don't be fooled by his cute,chubby,innocent looks! He
killed a kitten on Thursday morning!
Bad dog!
My mom was taking him for a walk when he sensed the kitten hiding under the X'mas tree outside my cousin sis' house. He was uncontrollable. My mom tried to pull him
but he was stronger.
Grabbed the poor, helpless, defenseless kitten and biting it like a T-Rex till it
became limp before letting go.
My mom and I were screaming but this vicious killer machine went on and on.
Bad dog!
I was in tears and the kitten was lifeless. Called the SPCA and asked for advice. They
said I could bring the kitten over so they can put it to sleep cause cats normally succumb to their injuries of an attack or accident and it's more humane to put
it to sleep than let it suffer.It was already dead when I went out to look at it :(
:(
Bad dog!
I was so upset with Johnny...
He's no longer the cute, innocent doggie which I love. The halo on his head has been replaced by horns sprouting from his head!
Devilish dog!
Bad dog!
I refused to acknowledge his whimpers and whines (begging for
breakfast) and gave him the silent treatment. No pats for a whole day. Breakfast which is normally served at 8 a.m. was served at 12noon, with only half of his
normal ration. He seems to sense that I was upset with him - he didn't dare look me in the eyes and curled up in his little corner behind the orchid. I looked coldly at him.
Bad dog!
I've only taught him how to catch lizards, not furballs! Most of you said it was
his instinct but he really shouldn't have murdered the poor thing!
Bad dog! Naughty dog!
Guess what my aunt replied me via sms after I text her about Johnny's cruel act?
She replied " Good Johnny, very alert."
and "Johnny is the King of Jalan Teratai"
aiyo.... apa ni....
I wrote this long ago, and if you've known me then, you might remember that I sent it via email...
9 DEC 2004 -
Don't be fooled by his cute,chubby,innocent looks! He
killed a kitten on Thursday morning!
Bad dog!
My mom was taking him for a walk when he sensed the kitten hiding under the X'mas tree outside my cousin sis' house. He was uncontrollable. My mom tried to pull him
but he was stronger.
Grabbed the poor, helpless, defenseless kitten and biting it like a T-Rex till it
became limp before letting go.
My mom and I were screaming but this vicious killer machine went on and on.
Bad dog!
I was in tears and the kitten was lifeless. Called the SPCA and asked for advice. They
said I could bring the kitten over so they can put it to sleep cause cats normally succumb to their injuries of an attack or accident and it's more humane to put
it to sleep than let it suffer.It was already dead when I went out to look at it :(
:(
Bad dog!
I was so upset with Johnny...
He's no longer the cute, innocent doggie which I love. The halo on his head has been replaced by horns sprouting from his head!
Devilish dog!
Bad dog!
I refused to acknowledge his whimpers and whines (begging for
breakfast) and gave him the silent treatment. No pats for a whole day. Breakfast which is normally served at 8 a.m. was served at 12noon, with only half of his
normal ration. He seems to sense that I was upset with him - he didn't dare look me in the eyes and curled up in his little corner behind the orchid. I looked coldly at him.
Bad dog!
I've only taught him how to catch lizards, not furballs! Most of you said it was
his instinct but he really shouldn't have murdered the poor thing!
Bad dog! Naughty dog!
Guess what my aunt replied me via sms after I text her about Johnny's cruel act?
She replied " Good Johnny, very alert."
and "Johnny is the King of Jalan Teratai"
aiyo.... apa ni....
Saving Private Johnny aka Fei-Fei(Fatty) aka White Dog - 2 NOV 2002
FRIENDSTER: 21 FEB 2009
THIS IS HOW JOHNNY CAME INTO OUR LIVES AND TOUCHED OUR HEARTS...
Dear friends of panda @_@
Hi... Remember Big Dog's companion? (refer to previous e-mail)
He got caught on wednesday (30/10/02) :-/
I was at PJ and my granny called at noon. She said a neighbour told her our White Dog has been dragged into a van, and the dog-poachers whacked him with a stick!!
Called my cousin bro who immediately took time-out fr his boss and he rushed to the puchong dog-pound fr his office in putrajaya. White Dog wasnt there...
I was the one who started feeding him when I saw him with Big Dog. He growled and snarled at me, but I offered him some biscuits. he didnt trust me at first,but soon, we all started feeding the two of them and he would prance around and wag his tail, behaving just like a kid...
Since they caught Big Dog, White Dog has been rather lonely. We showered all our attention to him, he grew in size and trusted us (Big Dog used to snarl at him whenever we feeded both of them).
FYI, I still miss Big Dog. I still imagine her walking gracefully up the street to greet me when I get down fr the car to open my gate... :(
White Dog's a silly-looking dog, with his tongue hanging out most of the time. Even his table manners.... !!!
Big Dog never gobbled her food and ate gracefully, unlike White Dog :)
White Dog's still a juvenile.
He couldnt stand it when we kept him in our compound.
He'd be restless and beg to be let out; esp when he sees a female-dog.. or.. ermm..... B*tch :P :P :P :P
Naughty fella......
So, doggie wasnt at the dog-pound when my cousin bro got there. So he had lunch and returned at about 2pm.
Still no trace of him. So, we decided to meet there after working hours. I borrowed my friend's leash and muzzle and was already on LDP when my cousin called.
Fei-Fei wasnt there...
My heart dropped to my feet...
But I wasnt ready to give up.
Thursday- i left for puchong with high hopes...
He wasnt there..
Still not willing to give up, drove to Setapak's dog-pound and was told that the dogs in my area will be put to sleep immediately after they were caught.
I refused to believe it, I went to SPCA in Ampang, saw a lot of nice doggies and kitties there.
Negative...
My Fei-Fei wasn't there.
Tears welled up in my eyes when I left SPCA...
I thought my Fei-Fei was gone with Big Dog.
When I was driving back, I imagined White Dog and Big Dog walking up the street to greet me...
That really broke my heart... :(
The next day, we all left for work with heavy hearts.
I was driving to my aunt's place with my mom when my granny called to inform us that our neighbour saw Fei-Fei in the van when she went to bail out her dog.
I made a detour and sped home, driving like a mad-woman, called the number that she left and everything seemed so bright and nice!! :)
The Indian man waited for us with Fei-Fei and two other stray dogs. evidently, he was waiting for someone to pick up the dogs (and "bribe" him and his superiors)
He demanded RM150 , but we managed to bargain til RM120.
He said White Dog's really lucky coz like what I've been told, the dogs caught in the viccinity of Ampang Jaya would be put to sleep immediately and NOT fed to the lions/tigers in the zoo as most ppl assumed!
So, we paid him, he carried White Dog into the car boot and he went off happily with his pocket full of money and our hands full of trouble!
That silly fella decided to explore my car and walked all over, shedding fur and drooling all over us, he also wanted to come to the front. I had to pull over several times and the journey which normally takes 15 mins, took us half an hour.
He was in shock and was very afraid.
He must be starving and dehydrated too for he gulped dowm more than 3 litres of water!!
Then, after a couple of hours after he's settled down, we fed him and he fell
asleep in my cousin's porch as he was being patted by us.
Of course he feels tired, he must have stayed up for the past couple of days, worrying about his fate.
Now, he's better, but my poor car smells like him! YUCK!
Used up a whole bottle of Febreze, put some fragrance oil. Yet... it smells horrible!
What a price to pay!
I think it'll be sometime b4 i can get rid of the doggie smell. FYI, he havent taken a bath at all!!!
So, we managed to get him back, we're all happy (except my car!) and we're gonna get him a license and try to keep him in our compound. he doesnt like being cooped up....
Next time u come to my house or send me home, I'll introduce you to Fei-Fei.. The silliest looking doggie who's a darling (minus the smell!)
:-D
Happy Carrie
THIS IS HOW JOHNNY CAME INTO OUR LIVES AND TOUCHED OUR HEARTS...
Dear friends of panda @_@
Hi... Remember Big Dog's companion? (refer to previous e-mail)
He got caught on wednesday (30/10/02) :-/
I was at PJ and my granny called at noon. She said a neighbour told her our White Dog has been dragged into a van, and the dog-poachers whacked him with a stick!!
Called my cousin bro who immediately took time-out fr his boss and he rushed to the puchong dog-pound fr his office in putrajaya. White Dog wasnt there...
I was the one who started feeding him when I saw him with Big Dog. He growled and snarled at me, but I offered him some biscuits. he didnt trust me at first,but soon, we all started feeding the two of them and he would prance around and wag his tail, behaving just like a kid...
Since they caught Big Dog, White Dog has been rather lonely. We showered all our attention to him, he grew in size and trusted us (Big Dog used to snarl at him whenever we feeded both of them).
FYI, I still miss Big Dog. I still imagine her walking gracefully up the street to greet me when I get down fr the car to open my gate... :(
White Dog's a silly-looking dog, with his tongue hanging out most of the time. Even his table manners.... !!!
Big Dog never gobbled her food and ate gracefully, unlike White Dog :)
White Dog's still a juvenile.
He couldnt stand it when we kept him in our compound.
He'd be restless and beg to be let out; esp when he sees a female-dog.. or.. ermm..... B*tch :P :P :P :P
Naughty fella......
So, doggie wasnt at the dog-pound when my cousin bro got there. So he had lunch and returned at about 2pm.
Still no trace of him. So, we decided to meet there after working hours. I borrowed my friend's leash and muzzle and was already on LDP when my cousin called.
Fei-Fei wasnt there...
My heart dropped to my feet...
But I wasnt ready to give up.
Thursday- i left for puchong with high hopes...
He wasnt there..
Still not willing to give up, drove to Setapak's dog-pound and was told that the dogs in my area will be put to sleep immediately after they were caught.
I refused to believe it, I went to SPCA in Ampang, saw a lot of nice doggies and kitties there.
Negative...
My Fei-Fei wasn't there.
Tears welled up in my eyes when I left SPCA...
I thought my Fei-Fei was gone with Big Dog.
When I was driving back, I imagined White Dog and Big Dog walking up the street to greet me...
That really broke my heart... :(
The next day, we all left for work with heavy hearts.
I was driving to my aunt's place with my mom when my granny called to inform us that our neighbour saw Fei-Fei in the van when she went to bail out her dog.
I made a detour and sped home, driving like a mad-woman, called the number that she left and everything seemed so bright and nice!! :)
The Indian man waited for us with Fei-Fei and two other stray dogs. evidently, he was waiting for someone to pick up the dogs (and "bribe" him and his superiors)
He demanded RM150 , but we managed to bargain til RM120.
He said White Dog's really lucky coz like what I've been told, the dogs caught in the viccinity of Ampang Jaya would be put to sleep immediately and NOT fed to the lions/tigers in the zoo as most ppl assumed!
So, we paid him, he carried White Dog into the car boot and he went off happily with his pocket full of money and our hands full of trouble!
That silly fella decided to explore my car and walked all over, shedding fur and drooling all over us, he also wanted to come to the front. I had to pull over several times and the journey which normally takes 15 mins, took us half an hour.
He was in shock and was very afraid.
He must be starving and dehydrated too for he gulped dowm more than 3 litres of water!!
Then, after a couple of hours after he's settled down, we fed him and he fell
asleep in my cousin's porch as he was being patted by us.
Of course he feels tired, he must have stayed up for the past couple of days, worrying about his fate.
Now, he's better, but my poor car smells like him! YUCK!
Used up a whole bottle of Febreze, put some fragrance oil. Yet... it smells horrible!
What a price to pay!
I think it'll be sometime b4 i can get rid of the doggie smell. FYI, he havent taken a bath at all!!!
So, we managed to get him back, we're all happy (except my car!) and we're gonna get him a license and try to keep him in our compound. he doesnt like being cooped up....
Next time u come to my house or send me home, I'll introduce you to Fei-Fei.. The silliest looking doggie who's a darling (minus the smell!)
:-D
Happy Carrie
Adios, my padawan!
FRIENDSTER: 25 JAN 2010
This is it...
17 JAN 2010 - I clocked out of the studio at 10am. It is final, there is no turning back for the near future. In the far future, maybe I will resume teaching, but for now, it is adios.
It was not an easy decision and many times, I was conflicting with myself - should I leave or should I stay?
How can I stay when I have overstayed my welcome?
It was my plan to leave by 19 DEC 2009. But as usual, the padawans wanted to cancel their classes in lieu of the Xmas season and I had to carry forward the replacements till JAN 2010.
The weeks leading to it seemed so distant. But it finally dawned and at that moment, I questioned myself again - Is this the right decision?
♫ Music has been my first love and always will be. But for now, it is 'goodbye' as I have certain things to fulfil in my life and certain goals to reach.
No point in dragging my padawan by enabling them to just pass exams, when they could experience and be exposed to so many other things. I have to be fair to them. It is time to let go, and chase my other dreams.
Looking back, the 13 years of teaching both full-time and part-time holds so much bitter-sweet memories. I depart with a smile, and this summarizes all I have to say to my padawans -
"Thank you for the exhilirating musical journey throughout the years! It has been one helluva ride!"
To my dearest mentor & sifu Ms. CLF -
Thanks for believing in me all these years, thanks for the guidance and love showered upon me! I have always respected you and will always do. You will always have a special place in my heart! Thank you for the gift of music that will always remain within my heart & soul, it is the best present which could never be taken away by anyone else!
And to my fellow YMS comrades + instructors + key teachers,
Thanks for sharing the good times, stories and camaraderieship!
I now bid u adieu, but YMS will always be a part of me. I may not return as a teacher, but as a music lover and concert audience :) CHEERS !!
This is it...
17 JAN 2010 - I clocked out of the studio at 10am. It is final, there is no turning back for the near future. In the far future, maybe I will resume teaching, but for now, it is adios.
It was not an easy decision and many times, I was conflicting with myself - should I leave or should I stay?
How can I stay when I have overstayed my welcome?
It was my plan to leave by 19 DEC 2009. But as usual, the padawans wanted to cancel their classes in lieu of the Xmas season and I had to carry forward the replacements till JAN 2010.
The weeks leading to it seemed so distant. But it finally dawned and at that moment, I questioned myself again - Is this the right decision?
♫ Music has been my first love and always will be. But for now, it is 'goodbye' as I have certain things to fulfil in my life and certain goals to reach.
No point in dragging my padawan by enabling them to just pass exams, when they could experience and be exposed to so many other things. I have to be fair to them. It is time to let go, and chase my other dreams.
Looking back, the 13 years of teaching both full-time and part-time holds so much bitter-sweet memories. I depart with a smile, and this summarizes all I have to say to my padawans -
"Thank you for the exhilirating musical journey throughout the years! It has been one helluva ride!"
To my dearest mentor & sifu Ms. CLF -
Thanks for believing in me all these years, thanks for the guidance and love showered upon me! I have always respected you and will always do. You will always have a special place in my heart! Thank you for the gift of music that will always remain within my heart & soul, it is the best present which could never be taken away by anyone else!
And to my fellow YMS comrades + instructors + key teachers,
Thanks for sharing the good times, stories and camaraderieship!
I now bid u adieu, but YMS will always be a part of me. I may not return as a teacher, but as a music lover and concert audience :) CHEERS !!
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