Brother Tai Kam performed his ancestor worship obligations

Brother Tai Kam came back from Jakarta to join in the Chinese new Year celebrations and also to fulfill his ancestor worship obligations, traditionally performed on the morning of Chinese New Year Eve. I do not participate in the ritual as I had professed Islam since 32 years ago.

To the Taoists, ancestor worship is an integral part of life as the Family is viewed as a closely united group of living and dead relatives. Ancestor worship is a religious practice based on the belief that deceased family members have a continued existence, that the spirits of deceased ancestors will look after the family and possess the ability to influence the fortune of the living. Ancestor worshipping is not asking for favours, but to fulfil one’s filial duties. The act is a way to respect, honour and look after ancestors in their after-lives guaranteeing the ancestors’ well-being as well as possibly seeking the ancestors’ wisdom, guidance or assistance for their living descendants.

For the ancestor worship, food will be offered to the ancestors, consisting of plates of savoury dishes, cakes, fruits and sweets. Also paper money will be burnt for the ancestors to ensure they have enough to spend in the other world.

The information in italics above was obtained from article entitled

ANCESTOR WORSHIP AND VENERATION

L: The food that Brother Tai Kam spread out to offer to the ancestors

R: Brother Tai Kam burning money for the ancestors.

Remembering mother on Chinese New Year

In 2 days time it will be the Chinese New Year. When my Mother was alive, this was the most important time of the year for her. I remember she used to start preparing for the occassion many weeks in advance, like sprucing up the house, changing the curtains and at times even changing the furniture sets in the house.

For Chinese New Year Eve, She used to cook a some traditional dishes that everyone used to enjoy, although it was the same recipe year after year. Hainanese Chicken rice was a must, and not any kind of chicken, but chicken she reared herself in the backyard in a coop, for exactly 3 months. The chicken was simply boiled for 20 minutes with ginger and salt, but the taste was really out of this world. Then there was our favourite stuffed fish maw and stuffed mushroom dishes. There was also the sea cucumber dish which I could never duplicate. The soup was none other than home-cooked sharksfin, painstaking prepared.

After her death 10 years ago, I tried my best to keep up her tradition by cooking the same dishes. But of course the dishes, however much I try, never tasted the same. Nevertheless, every year I do it, at least some of the dishes, to keep up the family tradition and because I know she would be happy that I do it.

Rotary Club in Sitiawan, Malaysia set up a Mini market for the hard core poor

It’s a mini-market with a huge difference for some of the hard core poor in the Manjung district in Perak. Upon registration, they just have to go to the “Drop-in Centre” to collect necessities such as cooking oil, rice, milk, canned food and even clothes (new as well as second-hand, cleaned and plastic-wrapped), for free.

The project was mooted by President S. Loganathan two months ago as a project of the Rotary Club of Sitiawan.

Read the full story: Mini market for the hard core poor

Do you know these sobering facts?

Each year in the world over 8 million people die because they are simply too poor to stay alive !
More than 800 million people go hungry every day in the world !
The GDP of the poorest 48 nations is less than the wealth of the world's three richest people !
30,000 children die every day in the world due to hunger and treatable illnesses !
6 million children die every year before their fifth birthday in the world , as a result of malnutrition !

Sometimes several days attack me at once

I think I have not suceeded as a good Mother. I wish the clock can be turned back to allow me to start afresh. But I know that is not possible. God had given me this special responsibility, doubling up as a Father and Mother. Sometimes I feel tired, sometimes in great despair. How do I go forward? I shall have to think. Maybe I need some counselling, but who can I talk to?

I try to take one day at a time, but sometimes several days attack me at once. ~Jennifer Yane

Her daughters will visit her twice a week in Bloomingdales!

An elderly woman from Brooklyn decided to prepare her will and make her final requests. She told her rabbi she had two final requests.

First, she wanted to be cremated, and second, she wanted her ashes scattered over Bloomingdales.

"Bloomingdales!" the rabbi exclaimed. "Why Bloomingdales?""Then I'll be sure my daughters visit me twice a week."

Source: http://www.agehumor.com/

An old person's prayer

God, grant me the Senility

To forget the people

I never liked anyway,

The good fortune

To run into the ones I do,

And the eyesight

To tell the difference.

Source: http://www.agehumor.com/

Camping gear for seniors!

This is hilarious!

Source: http://www.toilette-humor.com/old_folks_humor/index.shtml

Reflections of old age

These 3 cartoons are really wacky! I like the one about hot flushes!

Source: http://www.sticksite.com/old_folks/index.html

Sometimes I wander back into those shadows

Took a 45 minutes brisk walk in Section 12, Petaling Jaya where I grew up with my sister and 3 brothers, Father and Mother.

Picture on the left is our modest home where my 97 year old father still resides. We first moved into this house in 1961, more than 4 decades ago!

The 3 pictures above are pictures of Raihan Kindergaten where my 2 elder children began their first steps into school where they learnt to soicalize with other 4-6 years old. The kindergarten belonged to Datuk Raihan, a beautufl wife of a Diplomat and as kind as she was beautiful. Unfortunately she perished in an accident on the Federal Highway about 15 years ago. The kindergarten has not changed a bit.

Some of the houses are still found in their original designs, as shown in the 3 pictures above.

Many of the houses had been renewed and rebuilt into grandios residences and mansions, as shown in the 6 pictures above.

In this matured neighbourhood, beautiful fauna and flora are found almost everywhere.

Sometimes I wander back into those shadows,

Quietly being who I used to be,

Bringing to life all the joys and the sorrows,

Days that can’t die while they still live in me.

-Author Unknown

Kuala Lumpur child tortured to death!

Picture of little 4 year old Iswaran and his 7 year old sister Vinothini

For three months, an ordinary looking first floor unit of a shophouse in Segambut (Kuala Lumpur) concealed a 12 sq ft torture chamber of untold horror. In that “cell”, Vinothini Navindran, seven, and her four-year-old brother, Iswaran Navindran, endured abuse and constant beatings at the hands of a sadistic animal.Yesterday, Iswaran’s ordeal ended. He died. His frail body bore testimony to the suffering he had endured at the hands of his alleged tormentor, his mother’s 26-year-old boyfriend. His torso was almost completely covered with swellings, angry bruises and welts. There were scratches everywhere.

Neighbours spoke of endless nights of wailing and screaming, racked sobs and pleas for mercy. “They were constantly being held under lock and key in the room. If the couple had to leave the unit, they would just throw in a pail and the kids would use that to answer nature’s call,” said Praveen (not his real name), the neighbour who rushed the couple and the dying Iswaran to the hospital (see accompanying story).“My wife would sometimes buy food for the kids. The only way we could talk or pass food to them was through a shutter window at the back of the unit”.

Read the full horror: Segambut sadist on the run

The neighbours knew and yet did NOTHING? Time and again we failed our children!

Friends I met in my voyage

The great difference between voyages rests not in ships but in the people you meet on them.
- Amelia Barr
2 friends I met in my voyage. Nor and Fuziani

True friends

When I was in the university in the late 60s -early 70s, every semester break, I used to work with the Statistics Department (fixed up by our neighbour opposite, Mr Loh), as an enumerator. I still remember the work was quite mechanical, i.e. transfering population statistics into codes. In the course of this semester breaks job, I got close to a girl working full time for the Statistics Department, Miss lim Lan Nee. After I started working, in one of my postings in late 1970s, I was working in the Ministry of Housing, located next to the Statistics Department. That was when I met up with Lan Nee again and we socialised occasionally. I was relocated to the MOH HQ in 1979 and we lost touch. One week ago she managed to locate me and we met up today in the Mid valley, after nearly 30 years. She was thrilled to see me, as warm as before, just like I remebered her.

We caught up on lost times, filling each other up on what had happened in our lives since then. We both realized so many things had happened. She battled ovarian cancer in the early 80s when her son was only 8, had a hysterectomy, had chemo which caused her to lose all her hair and survived. Now her son is 36 and just got married last month to a girl from Japan. She is fully recovered and although now in her 60s she is looking good with a full crop of hair. I told her about the personal adjustments in my life. We parted with the promise to meet agin.

Many friends will walk in and out of your life but only true friends will leave footprints in your heart - Eleanor Roosevelt

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Had a busy New Year Eve indeed. Had lunch in Hilton with my DID friends who had been around my life since 1988. Lunch was a new year Eve celebration cum farewell party for Dr. Salmah who will soon be leaving the country to take up an appointment with the UN.

Saw, me and Dr Salmah

Pang, me and Chew

In the evening had dinner with the gang and ushered in the New Year with sparkling juice in place of champaign!

"Each friend represents a world in us, a world possibly not born until they arrive, and it is only by this meeting that a new world is born."- Anais Nin

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Mother's favourite fish

Today my sister took me to the night market near her house. She showed me the fish stall where Mother used to get her favourite fresh white pomfrets. Today there were quite a lot of the fish.

One thing which I had definitely inherited from my Mother is my liking for the white pomfret. All my three children also had inheritied her love for this fish, probably due to the fact that she had always bought this fish for them since they were small.

I remember my Mother actually did not quite like fish at all. But the white pomfret was an exception, probably because the white pomfret does not really have a very fishy taste. When my Mother ate the white pomfret she did not eat the whole fish, only the tastiest parts, ie. the parts near the wings and the tail. This is one of the little precious memories that I have of my Mother.

8 year old boy abused and murdered!

On 27 December 2008, an eight-year-old boy Thai boy, believed to be a victim of abuse, was found dead in his home at an apartment building in Tampoi, Malaysia.

There were several marks on the body, hands, legs and head. The body of the boy was discovered about 3.20pm on Saturday. Police have detained the boy’s 30-year-old mother, who is also a Thai national, and his 31-year-old Singaporean stepfather to assist in investigations.

The post-mortem result showed that the boy died from multiple injuries expecially from those inflicted on the head. Supt Mohd Akhir said initial investigations showed that the boy is believed to have been abused by the stepfather.

Police were alerted by neighbours who heard a commotion in the boy’s home. Time and again, we failed the young and defenceless.

Read fill article: Thai boy found dead after alleged abuse by stepdad

The Golden Girls

Attended a previous boss' (also close friend) daughter's wedding last night in PJ Hilton. Had the opportunity to sit on the same table with former close colleagues, all golden girls, and had a roaring time, just like before.

Somehow, we click so well that even after so long there is so much to talk about.

Rose was her usual self (we named her after Rose of the Golden Girls fame, the simple minded one). At the end of the dinner when Siew Hong was fumbling for some coins to pay for the parking ticket, I said "actually I want to take out my $1,000 note to help you pay for the ticket, but I couldn't find it." Immediately Rose said "$1,000 notes are still in circulation meh?" We all bursted out laughing, but of course Rose did not know why...true to her name!

You were never mentioned!

This is a nice one! From: http://www.pmcaregivers.com/

2 brothers in the Good Samaritan Home in Klang, Malaysia

I want to share with you this heartwarming story which brought tears to my eyes.

When three-year-old Brian Ng first came to live at the Good Samaritan Home one-and-a-half years ago, he was an unhappy child. He did not allow anyone to get close to him.

Over time he warmed up to teenager Daniel Tamilvanan, a fellow resident of the home.Home administrator Pastor Albert Ong said Daniel, 16, who has a soft spot for younger children started reaching out to Brian.

“Today Brian and Daniel are inseparable and share a strong bond akin to a father-son relationship,” he said, adding that both boys share meals and sleep together and Brian clings tightly to Daniel whenever the older boy is around.

“He follows me around and I have grown to love him very much,” said Daniel, adding that Brian is his closest “brother” at the Klang-based home that houses 28 children.

This year’s Christmas for the two boys was spent at the home and in each other’s company.

Read the full story: ‘Brotherly’ love more meaningful written by Wani Muthiah

May God bless you both, little Brian and Daniel!

Okinawa holds the record for longevity

Okinawa in Japan holds the record for longevity and centenaries of the world and is the only place on the planet where 80-90 year-olds live like persons 30 years younger.

It is here that you see 100 year-old persons who are not even thinking about retirement. On Okinawa, there are 457 persons aged 100 or over, an average of 35 for each 100,000 inhabitants. It is the highest rate in the world. The Okinawa inhabitants reach ages similar to the Japanese average: 86 for women and 78 for men. But the real shocking factor is not that Okinawa people reach these ages, but that they grow old in a much better state. The statistics reveal a significantly lower risk of heart attack and stroke, cancer, osteoporosis, Alzheimer.

Decades of research show that there are two main factors behind the longevity on this island: alimentation and a healthy lifestyle that experts believe can be imitated.

The traditional diet of Okinawa consists of portions made of a bowl of cooked food and a fruit. Okinawans eat seven portions of vegetables and fruits daily, seven of cereals and two of soy products. They take various portions of fish weekly and, very sporadically, meat and dairy products. Overall, their diet is low in calories and contains a lot of vegetables.

You can see persons aged 90-100 on motorcycles or mountain bikes on the streets of Okinawa, and most of them practice karate, kendo, dancing, walk daily several kilometers, and even work on vegetable gardens and after that sell the products. They are rather preoccupied by hobbies, but linked to a social network that makes them feel connected to the environment and their fellows, and helps develop their spiritual side. Physical activity is not isolated, but has an objective, making the elders feel active members of the community. Another factor in Okinawa is that people take care of one another, forming more coherent and supportive links than in the western world.

In the center of the island, you can now find a big store with a big billboard reading, "Okinawa, the world capital of longevity," which also offers the ingredients of longevity: brown sugar "made of Okinawa cane", kombu, tofu and other products, all of them supposed to prolong your life.

Read full article: World's Hot Spots of Longevity- What's the secret behind a long life?

Right handed ot left handed?

I tripped today and broke my fall with my left hand, leaving it slightly injured. This reminds me of a mystery I had been trying to solve all these years. Am I right handed or left handed?

Most of the time I would not know which hand I would use to perform a new task until I do it.

I eat and write with my right hand and basically perform most other tasks with my left, although there are exceptions. For example, I can only use a knife, scissors, needle with my left hand. I carry heavy objects with my left hand. I throw a ball into the ring with my right and play badminton with my right hand. But I hold a hockey stick with my left hand and play darts also with my left hand.

I remember I was in this fancy restaurant in Bonn, Germany some years back. I noticed that whenever I placed my drinking glsss back on the table the waiter would promptly rearrange my glass back to the right hand side. I then realized that I can only hold a drinking glass with my left hand and gave the waiter so much trouble.

A man's best friend?

This is a photograph taken by brother-in-law Ching in his recent trip to Vietnam. Roasted Dog! Yeaks! Disgusting right?


This picture of another roasted dog with the head and tail still intact taken from trekearth

Dogs are a man's best friend...or best meat?

No one returns to tell us of the road

Strange is it not?

That of the myriads who

Before us passed the door of Darkness through,

Not one returns to tell us of the road

Which to discover we must travel too.

- Omar Khayyam

There is no death, only a change of worlds

If I had not been at the hair saloon today, where I normally have the time to go through every page of the newspaper, I may have missed the obituary on Alex Ooi's passing on 15 December. I contacted See and Heng and we decided to make a trip to Ipoh to see Alex for the last time. Alex is to be cremated tomorrow at 11 am. I always remember Alex although we have lost touch in the last few years since his retirement and his move back to his hometown. It was more than 20 years ago that I came to know him through the workplace. He was a charmer, he loved to go to the theater, he loved to dance, he loved to party and he has always been a perfect gentleman. He was totally dovoted to his old parents who lived with him and still do. I hope they will be strong.

There is no death, only a change of worlds -Duwamish

Bad manners? Bad service?

Today I was at this hypermarket chain near my house. I was walking in one of the aisles when a hypermarket worker with a trolley load of things almost bumped to me while taking the corner. I had to quickly give way to her to avoid getting hit. Instead of saying sorry, she said in a very irritated manner “aiya!” Then when I was at the payment counter, the cashier punched in my purchases, I gave her the money, but instead of giving me the change right away, she held on to the money for a good 2 minutes while chatting with her colleague at the next counter. I said to her rather politely in Malay “saya nak bayar” meaning “I want to pay”. She heard me I am sure but continued to talk for a while, then put the cash in the cash box and banged it shut very hard and handed me the change in a rough manner.

My friend’s advice to me was to make a complaint. You don't pay for bad service.
But I suppose I am more of the conflict-phobic type. I hate ugly situations and I am not sure whether I am capable of voicing my complaints in a calm manner. Normally when I am angry, I will just keep quiet or just walk away. But it will be a long time before I patronize the place again!