Two families leave China 100 years ago, This is a journal recording their passage, their so-journ in Borneo and then on to Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, England and beyond. A fascinating account of how time and place have changed the members.
I am not a music lover, but I love certain songs and there is one piece of music. It has much significance to me.
I
first heard the music piece on the radio called Tranquility in 1984. I
just had a twenty six hours of difficult time giving birth to my first
born. When I went to my room with my baby, totally exhausted, this music
was played in the pipe line. It gave me tranquility as I lovingly gazed
at my sleeping baby.
I fell in love with the soothing music and it became my favourite music.
Is Tranquility the same as Music Box dancer? Was it played by Frank Mills then?
This
same baby plays the piano, and lives thousands of miles in China.
When she plays it to me over the phone, it gives me tranquility.
Many
parenting experts suggest playing music to your baby while she/he is
still in your stomach. D is the only child who plays the piano. I wonder
if her listening to this piece when she was a few hours old have
anything to do with it. What do you think?
With eight water-related deaths since Christmas Day, Kiwis are being
urged to only swim at patrolled beaches for the rest of the holiday
season.
New Zealand's drowning toll this year passed 100
yesterday (Monday), which compares with 90 for 2014, and per head of
population, is twice as bad as Australia's.
Surf Life Saving New
Zealand chairman Geoff Hamilton says of the eight water-related deaths,
including six coastal, that have taken place over the last four days,
none of them have been at patrolled locations.
"I cannot stress enough, the need for people to choose one of these spots to swim at," he said.
"The beach is our natural playground but it can also be deadly."
Since
Christmas Day, seven people have drowned, including four on Christmas
day, and 12-year-old Jack Martin was killed on Boxing Day when he was
riding an inflatable sea biscuit and was hit by a passing vessel on Blue
Lake in Central Otago.
Yesterday,
a 50-year-old local was free-diving at the private Puatai Beach near
Gisborne when he was caught in a rip just after 2pm.
His family were trying to revive him on rocks when the Eastland Rescue Helicopter arrived. However, the man died at the scene.
Eighty per cent of all drownings are males.
Water Safety New Zealand is targeting Kiwi men and boys in 2016.
It
wants to eventually bring the male drowning death toll of 80 down to
around 40, but a "realistic goal" for the new year would be around 60,
WSNZ chief executive Matt Claridge said.
Males are often more
involved in aquatic activities, he said, but with that brought a higher
chance of risk taking, and males were prone to being "pretty confident
... before they've even got any skills or basic knowledge, which is a
problem".
Drownings in rivers and river mouths are a particularly
bad New Zealand problem, as are the "cultural reasons for heading to
the river," Mr Claridge said.
"Not many other countries in the
world that have Maori and Pacific people that gather kai to put food on
the table. For some elsewhere it's a sport but here it's part of every
day life and that brings problems."
Two of his key messages were
for parents to get in water with their kids, and for men to wear
life-jackets on boats: "They are absolutely no use to you in the cabin."
And
if the weather conditions are poor, then people should make the right
call and not head out onto the water, Mr Claridge said.
"Our message is, stop and think before going near the water."
Lifeguards from 74 Surf Life Saving Clubs are currently patrolling around 90 of the most popular beaches across New Zealand.
Ten people drowned during last year's holiday period.
With
another week to go until the end of the official holiday period (6am on
January 5) Mr Hamilton hopes no one else drowns over this time.
If people can't get to a patrolled location, they need to consider the risks before entering the water, he said.
And when it comes to children, Mr Hamilton says supervision is key.
"You have to keep them within arm's reach at all times. It's as simple as that."
To find you nearest patrolled beach, visit www.findabeach.co.nz Rips are often identified by a patch of calm between waves.
How to identify a rip
• Calm patches in surf with waves breaking each side • Rippled or criss-crossed water • Discoloured water • Foamy water • Sand bars with the above features between them
What to do if you get caught
• Don't panic! • Let the rip sweep you along until the current weakens • When the current has subsided, swim parallel to the shore for 30-40 metres before returning to shore, swimming slowly •
If you are in trouble, float on your back to preserve energy and wait
until the rip has stopped taking you out before swimming away from it. • If you are at a patrolled beach, raise your hand to alert the surf lifeguards that you need assistance.
It was mid winter, cold and crisp. But the sky was very clear.
The
Winter Solstice Festival or The Extreme of Winter (Chinese and
Japanese: 冬至; Korean: 동지; Vietnamese: Đông chí) (Pinyin: Dōng zhì),
(Rōmaji: Tōji), (Romaja:Dongji) is one of the most important festivals
celebrated by the Chinese and other East Asians during the dongzhi solar
term on or around December 21 when sunshine is weakest and daylight
shortest; i.e., on the first day of the dongzhi solar term. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Winter_solstice
In
my Cantonese dialect, it is called GUO DONG. Traditionally, the
Dongzhi Festival is also a time for the family to get together. One
activity that occurs during these get togethers (especially in the
southern parts of China and in Chinese communities overseas) is the
making and eating of Tangyuan (湯圓, as pronounced in Mandarin Pinyin:
Tāng Yuán) or balls of glutinous rice, which symbolize reunion
These
Tangyuan comes in various form. Most of these golf ball sized dumplings
have a sweet filling like sesame seeds, peanut fillings, eaten either
in a sweet syrup or dried rolled in a ground peanut powder. Of late,
this festival is revived in Singapore with grand mothers and mothers
invited to schools and community centres and demonstrate making these
dumplings.
My small Cantonese dialect group, the Quang
Nings make a ball of dumplings and we serve it with savoury duck soup. This is
served at the beginning of the special feast, in a small bowl of about 5
dumplings.
I never liked this because these glutinious
dumplings are very filling, and sit in your stomach so you have no room
for anything else. I kept this secret until about ten years ago, when I
found out my Dad had the same idea. Mother had died prematurely at 60,
and her sisters took care of Dad.
One particular year,
just before my Dad died, my youngest aunt told me to take her shopping.
She wanted to make these special dumplings for dad, as he had been
living in Australia, and probably had not eaten these home made Tangyuan
for a long time. She enthusiastically served a big bowl to Dad. Dad
discretely told me to get a small bowl and give him one Tangyuan so he
had symbolically eaten her precious dumplings. I LOl with him, both of
us are guilty of breaking with tradition.
These days, you can buy frozen Tangyuan all the time. They no longer symbolise what they meant.
When
I went to Singapore 20 years ago, there were a lot of children's
Chinese singing competition. This MAI TANGYUAN or selling Tangyuan was a
very popular song. Children dress up in traditional Chinese clothes. Do
click on this .
My father told me there is a
folklore that it is very important to grow them the right way up, or the
tapioca would be poisonous. It would be better not to eat them.
Tapioca is a dietary staple
in Africa, Asia and South America, and you'll also find it in beverages and
puddings in the United States. Although commercially packaged tapioca is
generally safe, the plant can be highly toxic if not prepared properly.
Tapioca naturally produces
cyanide, which is poisonous to humans; however, the cyanide may be removed
during processing. By eating poorly prepared tapioca, you may risk cyanide
poisoning according to the American Cancer Society. Symptoms include headache
and dizziness; in severe cases, you may experience convulsions or coma. It is
suggested that if a person is allergic to latex, it is best not to eat tapioca.
some 70,000 seeds being smuggled to Kew in 1875, by Henry Wickham, at the service of the British Empire, from Brazil and stole some
rubber seeds aka Hevea brasiliensi.
From those stolen seeds, they grew to supply the rubber gardens in Malaysia and Borneo.
The
original rubber trees were very good, but took too long to reach a
productive age. Then the good old scientist developed a smaller tree but
produced more and called it high yielding tree.
My
plant is a miniature tree. It's a tribute to both sets of my ancestry.
It was rubber that brought them to Borneo.In 1907, my Great Grand father
was scouted to lead a developing company to grow this important cash
crop.
During the World War Two, trading ceased. People
stitched up rubber sheets and wore them. The more enterprising ones even
made shoes.
The
kids play International Chess. No matter how they teach me, I just
cannot play it.
Perhaps I am resting on my laurels that I once was the
runner up of the Sibu Women Chinese Chess. Yes, you read it correctly. I
even got a gold medal. It was the real McCoy, nothing like fake gold or
plated gold. At the medal presentation, they treated us to a banquet
dinner.
Occasionally, I still play Chinese Chess with Sam. Usually
I let him take one or two seeds before we start. Sam picked it up the game very
fast, so did niece Ruth in Kuching.
The nieces and nephews in
Kuching have a good coach, my bro-in-law Min Sen. I don't know how long I
can hold on to the title of the Champ.
This was a bonding time
for us when we were kids and with Dad. At one time during the holidays,
we played a lot. Once, Dad was siding with me against Charles. Dad check
mated Charles, and Charles was astounded that he had lost. Dad quickly
mixed up all the remaining seeds. He quietly told me, that Charles had a
chariot (equivalent to castle) and we would have lost. It's really
funny, it was Dad and my secret until I rehashed it when I was writing
my book"Borneo". Charles said, he was surprised that Dad could do such a
sneaky thing.
It's good to have something to spend time with the
kids. They will remember the good memories even when they have passed
half a century.
Ann Kit Suet Chin is a New Zealand Chinese
writer. She was born in Sibu, Sarawak, Malaysia. She attended Methodist
Primary and Secondary School in Sibu. She graduated from Windsor
University in Canada, Auckland University and Auckland University of
Technology.
Ann is the fourth child of the late John
Chan Hiu Fei and Mary Kong Wah Kiew. She is married to Chin Chen Onn,
PhD. She has three surviving children, Deborah, Gabrielle and Sam. Her
third child, Andrew died when he was a baby and is the inspiration of
her first book.
This
is a real life story of losing one's only son. This experience has made
the author strong and caring. This tragedy has
been a great help for her to help understand other bereaved people. The
author is very brave to write this book. It has not been easy and she
aims to touch,...
Used as a reference book for NICU staff at the University Hospital, Toronto.
Dr Simon Rowley is a consultant at Starship Children's Hospital who's been given a copy of the book.
"It
is a good reminder to all health professionals that when our patients
leave us, the story does not end for the parents. The detail is amazing,
and every little thought and action seems to have been recorded as it
happened, and then has been reflected upon.
"For parents undergoing
similar experiences this book could be a great comfort. For health
professionals, I would see it as essential reading."
ISBN 9780473239008 English
ISBN 9780473309626 Chinese
This is a
hundred-year-old journal of two families, the Chans and the Kongs. It traces
the first movement in 1907 from Kwang Zhou, China to the jungles of Borneo.
It is a six-generational record with the second wave of movement to England,
Canada, Japan, Singapore, Australia, USA ...
This
book records with humor the life of a busy and active family through
World War II, the formation of Malaysia and Confrontation. It is a
personal reflection of a way of life that has moved on and provides
insight into a family and its relationships. It is most of all a work of
love and respect for the Chan and Kong families and for Father and
Mother.
a fiction novel – Mail Order Bride. The story, set in Auckland, New
Zealand, touches on social issues such as teenage pregnancies,
drugs, paedophile and the like. The book took two months to finish.
Her third book, Mail Order Bride is the first fiction piece
from Ann. She said that the book targets an audience of
young adults and that it appeals readers interested in social
issues and ills that young adults have to face.
Women suffers from
oppression. This story traces the life of Nadine who overcomes her own
problems of oppression, grows up to be a social worker and helps women
who have suffered from physical and mental violence, domestic violence,
rape, pornography, swinging, sex slavery, human ...
Judy Lawson, Counsellor
A book I would use in my work as a reference.
World War II in Borneo, Tales of my Grandpa
ISBN:
9780473339005 (Pbk)
It
is seventy years after the end of the World War II, or the Japanese
occupation in Borneo. Captain Cheng aka Captain Fong and his Canadian
soldiers are remembered in their role of leading the surrender of the
Japanese.
I've been reading your book World War Two in Borneo: Tales of my
Grandpa. I was a bit hesitant to start it, since it is combined
fiction and fact and I didn't want to get the history mixed up in my
mind. However, I'm finding it very compelling to read.
Traces the lives of 2 girls. The poor girl is sold to the rich girl
as a slave aka mui zai to serve her for ever. Different Chinese
Tradition are explained, and tragedy brings them to the South Seas. The
Japanese invasion, the slave protects her mistress and is sent to a
brothel as a comfort women.
The world is full of big bad wolves for a young girl growing in a small
sheltered town. From one small wrong step, trouble snowballs into bigger and
bigger trouble. She sinks into the murky seedy underworld. She becomes a kept
woman. She finds there is no way out, she commits suicide.
