Father's day

Quality Time with Father and son.

Some day, Dad,
Some day, Dad.
I want to be like you.

You are my hero, Dad.
You are the strongest, Dad.
I want to be like you.

quilting with Grandma.

Grandma's stars had 21 pieces of triangles and squares. Inside the square there are 8 pieces.

We didn't live with my maternal Grandma, she came to visit frequently and to help Mum when she gave birth to my younger siblings. She came to cook for Mum's confinement month, that is the whole month after a woman had her baby.

Grandma made one patchwork quilt for each of her three daughters. As a kid, my immediate younger sister Margaret and I had fun looking for her Chinese stars. Her stars were very unusual. It has 21 pieces of tiny squares and triangles cleverly stitched together. She didn't make many stars as it was very difficult to make.

In 1975, my nephew Wayne was born. Grandma came to visit. Sister Elizabeth requested her to make a patchwork for her first great grand son. Grandma was hesitant. Her heart wanted to make this, but her head told her that she was in her 80s, it would be impossible to make one as she was just visiting.

I told her, " I will help you."

So we did, grandma and grand daughter pair. She did the cutting and supervision, and I went on my mum's old manual Singer machine.

"Not so fast, Not so fast"

But I went went ziz, ziz, ziz, ziz as I pedaled along. She admonished my 'fast hand, fast leg'. I committed myself to help her, I didn't have 6 months to help her. Times I made a mistake, she wanted me to unpick it.

I said," No way, it is only for a baby."

We finished the quilt in a matter of days. I blackmailed Wayne, because he is the only great grand child that Grandma made a quilt for.

Despite the hectic time, I learn an invaluable skill. I could make a Chinese patchwork quilt. At that time, I vowed that I will never make another one, too old fashion. Now, I am glad, because I am probably the only grand daughter of hers who has inherited her skill.

Father a young teacher

In this photo before I was born, Father was seated,(2nd on the right)  therefore he was already a senior teacher.

Father was a very young teacher, It was after the war, some of his students were older than him. At one stage, he taught 4 schools simultaneously. The main school was Methodist school, my alma mata. He also taught Sacred herat, Chung Hua and Tung Hua. He even taught in the evenings. 

After he returned from England, he was a lecturer at STTC, the Sarawak Teachers' Training College. He often took them out on 

short trips, and my Dad sang Red River Valley, and my Bonnie 

lies over the ocean. I recall him taking his STTC students 


and  us tagging along in a slow motor launch. He got them 

out of boredom by getting them to sing these two songs.


http://youtu.be/gGNJ8GTr3IU

http://youtu.be/Io9MPyXE2K0

"Bonnie" is a Scots term for attractive. It's a girl's name in 

English, but in Scots it can refer to either an attractive boy 

or girl (ie bonnie lad, or bonnie lass). It probably comes 

from "baine" which is Gaelic for "milk." It'd refer to fair skin.

Lyrics to My Bonnie Lies Over The Ocean :

My Bonnie lies over the ocean, my Bonnie lies over the sea,
My Bonnie lies over the ocean, O bring back my Bonnie to me.

Chorus:
Bring back, bring back, O bring back my Bonnie to me, to me:
Bring back, bring back, O bring back my Bonnie to me.

Last night as I lay on my pillow, Last night as I lay on my bed,
Last night as I lay on my pillow, I dreamed that my Bonnie was dead.

Repeat chorus

The heater is blooming around me,
The blossoms is spring now appear
The meadows with gree’ry surround me
Oh, Bonnie I wish you were here

Repeat chorus

The winds have blown over the ocean
The winds have blown over the sea
The winds have blown over the ocean
And brought back my Bonnie to

Repeat chorus…3

Bring back, bring back, O bring back my Bonnie to me, to me:
Bring back, bring back, O bring back my Bonnie to me. Bring back, bring back, O bring back my Bonnie to me, to me:
Bring back, bring back, O bring back my Bonnie to me. Bring back, bring back, O bring back my Bonnie to me, to me:
Bring back, bring back, O bring back my Bonnie to me.

(Merci à Marc CURRAT pour cettes paroles)

[ These are My Bonnie Lies Over The Ocean Lyrics on http://www.lyricsmania.com/ ] 

ABC Wednesday: Grandmas.

             Great grandma Kong nee Lai aka Ah Tai aka Ah Siew Soh

                                               Widowed at 29 in a harsh new frontier

Ah Tai, was very able and single handedly took care of her four children.  Her relatives were flabbergasted how she had overcome her grief. Great-grandfather Kong’s death became a catalyst bringing out her leadership qualities. Ah Tai became a willful woman, and one not to be trifled with. She had to; otherwise she would be bullied by ruthless men. Ah Tai had charisma, and she got people working for her and they listened to her. 

In Sibu, there was an unusual practice presenting gifts to prominent members of society to announce the birth of a child.  These people always asked a famous woman to do the job. This person was none other than my Ah Tai. A very high ranking police chief from Perak, Tan Sri Koo Chong Kong was one of her many fostered sons. So was the manager of Lido theatre. When the VIPs in Sibu held dinner parties, Ah Tai was sure to be invited. Ah Tai was a socialite, the Kai ma (fostered mum) of Tan Sri Koo Chong Kong

         Grandmother Kong aka Lai Yii aka Bodai

Grandmother Kong aka Lai Yii came from the Kwang Si province. Her father was a traveling Medicine man and she was a proud woman. In the past, a medicine man could cure simple ailments with his medicine. The people even called him Doctor or master. Grandmother Kong claimed her father was a doctor and hence a class higher than the other villagers. The women would answer back that he was just a drug peddler. She was less than ten years old when she came to Sarawak at the same time as Ah Tai and Grandfather Kong. Her parents made the match with Ah Tai to marry her to Grandfather.

Bodai was the only of my three grandmas I had interaction a lot. She did what most girls her generation did, cook, made cakes and sew. And I proudly claim that I am the only grand daughter of her who learned quilting from her.

We didn't live with my maternal Grandma, she came to visit frequently and to help Mum when she gave birth to my younger siblings. She came to cook for Mum's confinement month, that is the whole month after a woman had her baby.

Grandma made one patchwork quilt for each of her three daughters. As a kid, my immediate younger sister Margaret and I had fun looking for her Chinese stars. Her stars were very unusual. It has 21 pieces of tiny squares and triangles cleverly stitched together. She didn't make many stars as it was very difficult to make.

I drink of chamomile tea, I love the slightly bitter taste. It is 

supposed to be calming and soothing. After the discussion 

with the gardening forum, I did some research and went to 

buy the German Chamomile plant. I didn't mind paying for 

them because it is good for you. My grandmas who were 

into growing herbs would approve.

http://youtu.be/z2i3S9mLmbc

http://abcwednesday-mrsnesbitt.blogspot.co.nz

fifty years ago

On Sunday, my pastor Jonathan Dove played the the 50th anniversary of Martin Luther King's 'I have a dream' speech. Today, I saw this Big Red Chronicles of the 20th century. It chronicles this and also the amalgamation of Sarawak, Sabah, Singapore and Malaya to form Malaysia.

My parents' wedding.

When my parents were married, it was during the war. Mum lived up the Rejang River in Durin, and Dad lived in Lanang Road in Sibu. Dad paddled a canoe with a wedding dress he borrowed from his very good friend Chew Chiong Tack's wife. 

We used to joke that she was Pochohunta paddling the canoe down and singing the Land of the Belian tree. We teased that she ran away with her man John because she didn't have a wedding photo.

(The photo is not my parents wedding. It is taken by one of his very good friends he made in Singapore., Mr. Lim Poh Chiang who owned a souvenir shop in Sibu.)

Mr and Mrs Chew Chiong Tack, wedded during the world war 2. Mrs. Chew lent her beautiful dress to my mum.

http://youtu.be/K0n1BaX90ns

our first car.

This Fiat looks like my Dad's car. Tony here let me use the photo. That first car we had was S899, coincidentally a very good number. We didn't grow rich, but all 9 kids who rode in the car grew up to have good character.

A piece of China in Singapore

  My favourite place of NTU, also for many Malaysians who 

for a long time were not allowed to go to China. This is the 

closest they could get to. Also Nan Da belonged to all the 

Chinese of South East Asia. The Chinese raised funds to 

build a university for their Chinese educated young students 

who couldn't go to China.

http://rubytuesday2.blogspot.co.nz

http://www.suelovescherries.blogspot.com/

 

This is my Rednesday with Lil at her http://cottagesweetcottage.blogspot.com.

From humble beginnings

The Chans and the Kongs came from humble beginnings,a 100 years ago, my ancestors came to Borneo and worked with the soil, chopping down trees and planting rubber trees and pepper vines. Today, we have moved beyond that.

http://whistlestopphotohunt.blogspot.co.nz 

Durian

when I visited my uncle's durian farm,

I was too late for durian flowers,

and too early for the fruit.

I can only reminisce,

when I was in Primary school,

we lived in the neighbourhood of impt people,

They lived in the first class govt quarters,

we lived in the third class.

But the wife was very kind,

She invited us to pick her durian flowers.

6 am in the morning,

mum woke us up.

Mum, can't we go later,

No kids, time and tide waits for no man,

rather the durian Fa waits for no man,

for it turns brown and not edible.

ABC WEdnesday : F for flowers.

The world knows durian as one stinky fruit that the people of South East Asia eat. We also eat the flowers.



the vendor includes the sepal, they increase the bulk. You 

need to remove this tiny sticky pollen


We used to pick these from the Chief Justice Seah at Race 

Course Road. We didn't eat the sepals. We had to wake up 

at 6am to collect the fallen flowers. They turn brown easily 

and become useless.

Seems only in Sarawak, do we eat these. When I was living 

in NTU, in Singapore, the university was built on an old 

durian farm. Once, I went past the trees, and saw the fallen 

stamens. i picked some up and showed them to West 

Malaysian friends and Singaporeans, they don't know how to 
eat them. My FIL had many trees, my in laws also don't 

know.



Fried with dried prawn and chilli, Mum cooked them in a light curry sauce.

http://abcwednesday-mrsnesbitt.blogspot.co.nz

North Borneo Orchid

I have posted many times this North Borneo Orchid, and this is why I am so passionate about it. The story about this yellow orchid was when we were little, my Dad grew this, supposedly bloom once every 10 years, actually it took ages to bloom, and when it did.

My siblings and my cousins who came to sleep over. We were really naughty , and we used rubber bands and paper to make bullets.
Someone shot at my father's North Borneo Orchids. We denied we did it and blamed it on the wind. My father banned them from coming again. It impacted us very much. I bought this tiny plant for my brother. 

Cousin Henry came to comfort Charles when Karen died. We brought up this story. Henry said he didn't remember. Charles kept saying that it was Henry who shot the orchid down. Henry said his shoulders were broad enough to stand that accusation.

In true honesty, it was unlikely that it was Henry or Charles who were guarding their "fort" from upstairs. It was more likely me and the younger ones as we had to shoot from downstairs. So if anyome was to be blamed, it would be me, because I was such a poor "aimer."

It was a good story, and it's our flower. 

 

Bereavement in the family

The word is SHEN, or life. This is a quote chosen by Dalai Lama.

I am invited to run a workshop for the New Zealand Sand's Conference. Many female members of the family suffered baby bereavement.

• As you know Sands Waikato is doing the conference for 2013. We are trying to cover differet cultures & believes this year. We are people doing workshops in regards to Maori, Pacific & christian culture. We are wanting someone to cover the asia culture around death. Would you be interested or be able to recommend someone who could.
  Let me know what you think
  Regards Amie
• July 17
• 
  
• July 23
• 

  8:08pm

  Ann Chin
  

  Hi Amie,
  I shall like to do it on the Asian Culture. Do you want it as bereavement as a whole, or baby bereavement?
• July 24
• 

  3:25pm

  Sands Waikato
  

  Hi Ann,
  Firstly sorry to hear that about the funeral.
  We are making the book avaible to all Sands Waikato families. We have a Sands Waikato library that it is now part off. Covering both would be great. The aim is to give people an understanding of how different cultures, views & how they deal with death. As I imagine there will be alot of midwifes interested in this session a littlte bit about birth, followed by the passing of a baby would be great.
  Look forward to hearing from you.
  Amie The conference is on the 20-21 September 2013.
  
  This message is from Cathy - I'm the one putting the programme together, and I'm thrilled you're willing to offer a workshop/presentation on the death of a baby from an Asian perspective.
  
  Thank you again for contributing in such a meaningful way to this special event!! Cathy