Celebrating Eid with good friends

Celebrating Eid at Norhayati's. Friends since high school!

Celebrating the end of Ramadan at home

Celebrating Eid il Fitr, to end one month of fasting.

The occasion is a time for thanksgiving and celebration after thirty days of dawn-to-dusk fasting during the month of Ramadan.

Indulging not with one, but two chocolate cakes!

The most delicious asam laksa, curtesy of my sister

My little visitors

Our pretty guests

My sis's neighbour and his wife, first time visitors Son Feris with my daughter-in -law's mother Daughter Deedee getting on well with Melisa, my friend's daughter

With my regular gang from my working days in the EPU

Some years ago (3)

(This entry was made in Chinese. What appears below is my understanding of the original entry)

22 March 1948

"Human life is limited, time is unlimited. How to reconcile the two? The more I try to understand life, the more confused I get. But if we do not think, are we then not different from a stone? What is the purpose of life? The human brain seems to lack the capacity to fathom this mystery".


Quote-Joon/Woon SC

Some years ago (2)

Date: 8.March 1948

The philosopher Tsang being ill, he called to him the disciples of his school, and said "Uncover my feet, uncover my hands. It is said in the Book of Poetry,"We should be apprehensive and cautious, as if on the brink of a deep gulf, as if treading on this ice, and so have I been. Now and hereafter, I know my escape from all injury to my person. O ye, my little children.""

I shall be forever as cautious as Tsang Tze.
Quote - Joon/Woon SC

Breaking fast alone again

My breaking- fast-alone feast: 3 cups of pure sugar cane juice, roast chicken wings with roasted vegetables (yesterday's left-over), traditional Malay deserts and Hainanese Chicken Chop!

Some years ago (1)

Date: 9 March 1948

Ideas come and go. They are to be written down otherwise they will disappear and be gone foreever. Again and again I have such an experience which affects the progress of my life not to a small extent. It is already late that I have not caught hold of all that I wished to remember earlier. I kept no diary.

I hope, with this little book, to record down all those ideas which are dear to me or things I wish to remember.

Ideas may come and go,
But life goes on forever;
Chances may come and chances may go,
But time goes on forever;
In order to make the best use of this,
My transient life,
I should take down all those I wish to remember.

Quote: Joon/Woon SC

Skeletally, people are actually designed to live to 120!

Singapore's 113 years old Teresa Hsu

Hong Kong geriatric experts said on 7 August 2011 at the Elderly Health Day 2011 that good habits developed from at least middle age can contribute greatly to longevity and quality of life – lending credence to the Chinese saying that anyone can live to be 100.

According to the experts, “The typical belief is that you simply have to have the right genes to live for a very long time, but this is not always the case. As much as 70% of one’s longevity can be traced to lifestyle, including the way people eat, whether or not they smoke, and how much they exercise".

Read full article: http://www.asianscientist.com/topnews/teresa-hsu-elderly-health-day-2011/

Batu Caves - my work-out for the week!

My niece LeeAnn who ran all the way up Batu_Caves
without stopping to catch a breath. Oh... the exuberance of youth!
Despite the limitations of age, I actually did survive the 272 steps climb! Fortunately for me and my sister, there are several landings along the way where we could catch our breath and at the same time admire the view and "socialize" with the many monkeys which came quite near the visitors.I understand those visiting Batu Caves can look forward to using a new cable car service next year instead of climbing up the 272 steps leading to the temple.

“It always seems impossible until its done.” - Nelson Mandela

100 Birthday Dinner 4- my favourite pictures

Having just had a tiff with her cousins, Aeesha Woon had to be persuaded by her Mother Anita to join in the family photo session about to take place soon, while the grandpa looked on so helplessly. he..he...

Well... Anita managed to coax Aeesha and the picture was taken. Thank you Anita and I think some years down the line Aeesha will thank you too for "dragging" her in!
My Father the birthday boy looking a picture of absolute joy flanked by his 2 beloved grandsons, Steve Woon and Sean Woon, who had taken the long journey back to see him. His happy face in this picture had made all our efforts worthwhile.
The impromtu performers, the birthday boy's great grand children (L-R): Keira Woon, Emma, Damia, Elizabeth and Aeesha Woon. Next to Aeesha is her Mother, Anita.
Our Birthday Boy blowing the Birthday cake!

The great grandchildren cosying up to the great grand pa. Isn't that just adorable!

“If you look deeply into the palm of your hand, you will see your parents and all generations of your ancestors. All of them are alive in this moment. Each is present in your body. You are the continuation of each of these people.”
Thich Nhat Hanh quotes (Vietnamese Monk, Activist and Writer

MORE PICTURES AT BOTTOM OF BLOG POSTS

100 Birthday Dinner 3 -Color-Blindness in a Multi-Ethnic, Multi-National Family

My Father and 4 of his Great Grandchildren- L-R: Elizabeth (Australian with ethnic Chinese parentage), Emma (Elizabeth's sister), Damia (Malaysian with Chinese-Malay Mother and Malay Father) and Aisha Woon (Australian with Italian-Malay Mother and ethnic Chinese Father) . The adult at the back is my sister (Malaysian, ethnic Chinese parentage).
L-R: Dr Marcia, my nephew Steve's wife (Australian with ethnic Chinese parentage), Ching Yun Meng, my sister's son (Malaysian with ethnic Chinese parentage currently working in Sydney), my nephew Shane Woon (Australian with ethnic Chinese parentage) and my nephew Dr Steve Woon (Australian with ethnic Chinese parentage).

L-R: My niece Farini Woon (Malaysian with Malay Mother and ethnic Chinese Father) with her son (Malaysian with Malay-Chinese Mother and Malay Father), Farini's sister Farah Woon(Malaysian with Malay Mother and ethnic Chinese Father), my nephew Shane Woon (Australian with ethnic Chinese parents), Farah's husband (Malaysian Malay) and Farini's sister, Fatim Woon (Malaysian with Malay M0ther and ethnic Chinese Father)
L-R: My daughter-in-law Azni (Malaysian with Pakistani Mother and Malay Father), my son Farouk (Malaysian with ethnic Chinese Mother and Malay Father), Shane Woon (Australian with ethnic Chinese parents), my daugher Fedelia and my elder son Feris. Sitting is of course their 100 year old Grandfather.
My nephew Fadrul Woon (Malaysian with Malay Mother and ethnic Chinese Father) and my Father's youngest Great Granddaughter Iffah (Malaysian with Malay Mother and Malay-ethnic Chinese Father).

My niece Samantha (Australian with ethnic Chinese parents) and her children Elizabeth and Emma.

In the middle is Yun Mei, my niece (Malaysian with ethnic Chinese parents), to her right her fiancee who is Dutch and to her left, my nephew Freddy Woon (Malaysian with Malay Mother and Ethnic Chinese father).

L-R: My nephews Sean Woon (Australian with ethnic Chinese parentage), Shane Woon (Australian with ethnic Chinese parentage and Anita (Sean's wife, Australian of Italian- Malay parentage).

My niece, LeeAnn Woon (Australian with ethnic Chinese parentage)

Pretty confusing eh? All these persons (and more) are directly descended from my Father and his wife my Mother who married more than 75 years ago!

Family values are a little like family vacations - subject to changeable weather and remembered more fondly with the passage of time. Though it rained all week at the beach, its often the momentary rainbows that we remember.
LESLIE DREYFOUS quotes

100th Birthday dinner 2 - a good MC makes the evening

Sean Woon, my nephew who was the MC for the evening.

L-R : my father, the birthday boy, Damia, brother Tai Keat's granddaughter (Fatini's daughter), Aisha Woon, brother Tai Hou's grand daughter (Sean's daughter).

L-R: Steve, brother Tai Hou's younger son, my Father the birthday boy and Sean, brother Tai Hou's elder son, also the MC for the evening.

Sean's daughter Keira Woon trying to give greatgrandpa a big kiss!

Welcoming address by my nephew Sean Woon whose ability as the MC was beyond my expectations. Well done, Sean!

"Ladies and gentlemen,

My name is Sean Woon Wei Yung. I am the fourth grandchild of my grandfather. It is indeed a great pleasure for me to welcome all our relatives and our very close friends to my grandfather’s 100th birthday celebration. On behalf of my Father, Mother, my Uncles, Aunties, my Sister, Brother and all my cousins, I can’t thank you all enough for sacrificing your valuable time to be with us tonight in this joyous family occasion.

Most of us here are related by blood ties (probably about 70% of us here) or by marriage ties. However, some of us may not have met one another for quite a while, and some of us may have never even met before, mainly because of our geographical distances. I would therefore encourage all my cousins, relatives and friends to mingle around and take this rare opportunity to touch base and to get to know one another a bit better. Among my grandfather’s 16 grandchildren, all are here today, with the exception of our cousin Dr. Freeda Woon who is in London pursuing her specialist program and could not take time off to come home. But I am sure her heart is here with us.

Tonight’s event will start off with the cutting of the birthday cake. During the cutting of the cake I hope you will all sing together to wish our grandfather a very happy birthday. He certainly deserves some special gesture after waiting for 100 years! After the cutting of the cake the “SHOU PAU” or longevity buns in the shape of a peach will be served, together with the “SHOU MEEN” or longevity noodles and the red-coloured eggs. According to Chinese culture, peaches and noodles symbolize long life, health and prosperity while coloured red eggs symbolize new life. It is believed that anyone who has eaten a longevity peach would live as long as a 100 years! So I hope you will all try to eat up the pink peaches together with the noodles and the eggs.

We have also prepared for each of you to take back a small red packet, a "SHOU" Chinese Rice Bowl, a pair of Chopsticks and a Spoon, which is a symbolic gesture that the birthday person is giving to our guests a lot of wealth and plenty of food to be had always with those rice bowls, chopsticks and the spoons. Thanks go to my cousin Farah for the gift wrapping.

We will also be showing a video, A Retrospective of a Man Who Had Lived a Century Long. The credit for producing the video goes to my cousin Feris, who is my Grandfather’s third grandchild.

Once again, thank you so much ladies and gentlemen for spending your valuable time with us and please relax and enjoy the evening".

100th Birthday Dinner 1 - a hard act to follow!

All his children, grandchildren (except for Freeda in London) and greatgrandchildren came back from far and near for father's 100th birthday celebration on 24th July 2011

The "shau Pau" or longevity Pau

100 year old birthday boy looking intently while the video was being shown.


Excerpt of my Brother tai Hou's speech at the Birthday reception:

I WONDER HOW MANY OF US HERE WOULD HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO CELEBRATE OUR OWN 100TH BIRTHDAY. VERY FEW I THINK. MAYBE EVEN NONE. BECAUSE IT IS NOT EASY TO REACH 100. SO HOW DID HE DO IT? WHAT IS HIS SECRET FORMULA?

I AM GOING TO SHARE WITH YOU SOME ASPECTS OF HIS LIFESTYLE SO THAT THOSE OF YOU WHO WISH TO LIVE A LONG LIFE CAN GET SOME IDEAS ON HOW TO ACHIEVE IT.

FIRSTLY, NO LATE NIGHTS. HE HAS NEVER BEEN KNOWN TO SLEEP LATE. HE GOES TO BED BY 9.00 PM AND WAKES UP AT 5.00 AM EVERY DAY AS LONG AS I CAN REMEMBER AND THAT IS A LONG TIME AS YOU CAN JUDGE BY MY GREY HAIR.

NO PUBS, NO DISCO'S, NO LATE NIGHT SUPPERS. HE EVEN HARDLY GOES TO THE CINEMA. THE LAST FILM HE SAW WAS "BRIDGE ON THE RIVER KWAI". HE STILL SAYS THAT THAT IS THE BEST FILM EVER MADE. THE ACTORS AND ACTRESSES HAVE LONG GONE BUT HE IS STILL AROUND.

SECONDLY, EXERCISE. IN HIS EARY YEARS IN HAINAN, CHINA, HE USED TO DO HAINANESE KOON TOW. YES, THERE WAS SUCH A THING AS HAINANESE KUNG FU THOUGH I SUSPECT THE ART IS LONG GONE. HE USED TO DEMONSTRATE IT, SOMETHING LIKE A CROSS BETWEEN SHAOLIN AND SILAT.

WHEN HE STARTED SCHOOL IN KUALA LUMPUR HE PLAYED BADMINTON AND TABLE TENNIS. HE CLAIMED HE REPRESENTED METHODIST BOYS SCHOOL IN TABLE TENNIS. I DON'T KNOW IF THIS IS TRUE BUT I CAN TELL YOU THAT HIS BADMINTON WAS EXCELLENT. WE USED TO SEE HIM SEND MUCH YOUNGER MEN SCURRYING
ALL OVER THE COURT WITH HIS DEFT FLICKS AND TOUCHES. THE SCORELINE WAS USUALLY 15 - 0, 15 - 0. AS KIDS WE USED TO MARVEL AT THE SIZE OF HIS RIGHT FOREARM WHICH WAS TWICE THAT OF HIS LEFT.

HE ALSO PLAYED SOME TENNIS WHEN HE STARTED WORKING BUT UNFORTUNATELY HE HAD TO GIVE THAT UP DUE TO LACK OF AVAILABLE COURTS AS HE WAS TRANSFERRED FROM ONE PLACE TO ANOTHER IN THE COURSE OF HIS WORK.

BUT IT IS HIS LOVE OF WALKING THAT IS LEGENDARY. EVERYDAY AND TWICE A DAY ON WEEKENDS AND HOLIDAYS. EACH WALK COULD TAKE 2 HOURS AT A BRISK BUT COMFORTABLE PACE. WE BELIEVE THAT HIS WALKING IS THE MOST IMPORTANT FACTOR THAT DETERMINES HIS LONG LIFE.

WHEN WE WERE LITTLE KIDS BACK IN PARIT BUNTAR, WE USED TO ASK HIM TO TAKE US ALONG ON SATURDAY MORNINGS. AT TIMES HE OBLIGED, OTHER TIMES HE SAID WE NEED TO SLEEP. WE HAD TO GET UP AT 5.00 AM AND WALKED AND WALKED TILL 7.00 AM. IN THOSE DAYS THE ENVIRONMENT WAS STILL PRISTINE AND I REALLY ENJOYED THE EXPERIENCE OF THE COOL MORNING AIR WITH THE SIGHT OF OWLS STILL FLYING AROUND OR STOPPING TO ADMIRE THE FISHES IN THE STREAMS AND CANALS. FISHES THAT CAN ONLY BE SEEN IN AQUARIUMS NOWADAYS. THESE EXPERIENCES MORE THAN ANYTHING ELSE GAVE ME A DEEP IMPRESSION AND NURTURED MY ONGOING LOVE FOR THE ENVIRONMENT AND THE GREAT
OUTDOORS.

MY MOTHER USED TO TELL ME THAT WHEN HE WAS YOUNGER AND STAYING AT BRICKFIELDS , KUALA LUMPUR, THERE WERE OCCASIONS WHEN HE WOULD WALK TO PORT KLANG AND BACK. IT WAS PORT SWETTENHAM IN THOSE DAYS. DO YOU KNOW HOW FAR THAT IS? BY PRESENT DAY MEASUREMENTS, THE DISTANCE BETWEEN
KL AND PORT KLANG IS 39.8 KM. BUT IN THOSE DAYS WE DID NOT HAVE THE LEBUH RAYA WHICH IS STRAIGHT. THE ROAD WAS A WINDING ONE AND UP AND DOWN THROUGH RUBBER PLANTATIONS. SO IT WAS MAYBE TWICE AS FAR THEN AS IT IS NOW.

AS YOU CAN SEE FOR THOSE OF US WHO WOULD LIKE TO LIVE TO 100, IT IS A VERY HARD ACT TO FOLLOW. BUT IF YOU CAN FOLLOW IT AND ENJOY IT, YOU DON'T HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT YOUR DIET. YOU CAN EAT ANYTHING YOU WANT BECAUSE MY FATHER'S DIET WOULD MAKE ANY NUTRITIONIST CRINGE IN HORROR.

HE HAS 2 HALF BOILD EGGS EVERY MORNING AND HE ALWAYS ADD EXTRA SALT BECAUSE NOTHING WAS SALTY ENOUGH. HE IS THE ONLY PERSON I HAVE SEEN WHO DIPS HIS FRIED SALTED FISH IN SOY SAUCE. HE LOVES NOTHING MORE THAN LOTS OF FAT ON HIS MEAT AND BATHES IT IN CINCALUK BEFORE EATING. HE BELIEVES THAT SALT AND FATS ARE ESSENTIAL FOR WELL BEING.

HE LOVED HIS DRINK TOO, BEING ABLE TO FINISH ONE BOTTLE OF BRANDY IN ONE SITTING. BUT HE HAS GIVEN THAT UP AS HIS SYSTEM CANNOT HANDLE IT ANY MORE. BUT HE USED TO SAY THAT ALCOHOL IS GOOD FOR HEALTH AS IT MAKES THE BLOOD RUN. WHO ARE WE TO SAY THAT HE IS WRONG?

BUT ON A MORE SERIOUS I WOULD LIKE TO TAKE THIS OPPORTUNITY, ON BEHALF OF MY BROTHERS AND SISTERS, TO THANK MY FATHER AS WELL AS OUR LATE MOTHER FOR BRINGING US INTO THIS WORLD AND BRINGING US UP. WE DO NOT REALISE IT THEN BUT WE DO REALISE IT NOW HOW TOUGH IT ALL WAS.

“To understand your parents' love you must raise children yourself.”
A Chinese Proverb

Pre birthday Dinner 3

The greatgrandfather with his 4 adorable greatgrand daughters who are living in Australia. Meeting for the first time.

Shane and LeeAnn (brother Tai Kam's son and daughter) chatting happily with their cousin sister-in-law, Anita.

mmm...nyonya kueh for Steve, brother Tai Hou's younger son
Sean Woon, brother Tai Hou's elder son and wife Anita

Shane, Steve and Anita
So amused at an old photo!

Lee Ann, brother Tai Kam's daughter and Iffah, Freddy's 7 month pld girl

Keep love in your heart. A life without it is like a sunless garden when the flowers are dead. The consciousness of loving and being loved brings a warmth and richness to life that nothing else can bring.
Oscar Wilde