One Way Ticket

The ticket has been bought. The date set. The leave approved. There's no turning back. Tahan awaits!

I am filled with excitement and yet i am nervous. I have heard people say that fear and excitement are the same. One experiences the same rush of andrenalin. I have dreamed of this moment for a couple of years. After Kinabalu i have set my sights on braving the Banjaran Titiwangsa from Merapoh in Kelantan to Gunung Tahan in Pahang. I had many excuses for why i would not be able to make the trip especially not being able to take the time off for such an expedition...but this year my boss was generous enough to let me off for the duration of the trek which is expected to take 8 days and 7 nights. He was in fact concerned when he heard how tough it can be and asked if i was sure i wanted to do this. Now he has moved me one step closer to that dream.

Well here it is, i am commiting myself to this dream by purchasing the 12 tickets for the whole entourage. As a leadership mentor once said...dreams come true only when we take effective action!

The Hunter

Hunter and Goatherder that's my uncle.

My uncle the outdoors man. His passion has always been the forest where he hunts the wild boar and after his pension he has had more time to spend in his beloved forest doing his favorite thing...hunt. He had a fling with deep sea fishing too...but his heart remains with the jungle. He has picked up a new hobby which is Goats.

He has this place in Kg Dew which he shares with a friend and they have about 18 goats in their care now.

This is a jamaphuri species from Indonesia if i recall correctly and they all live in this loft built on stilts for safety reasons.

Dhani and her babies. She feeds them like a pro.

Lim Kongsi

Fire fire burning bright...all the kum ngan, clothes,adides shoes and slippers set alight in the believe that they will reach the afterworld and our ancestors. Kinda like courier service...where you will receive it within the next 24hrs.

Ah poh was not buried but cremated as she requested. So her ashes resides in an urn in a buddhist temple in Aulong. Her tablet is here in Lim Kongsi...Lim association where all her Lim ancestors reside. This was the final place of our visits. We went on about our rituals and being indoors we had to be careful and take care of the stuff we burned. We had to pay our respects to the many deities that filled the Kongsi before we paid our respects to our ah poh.
There was only another family here besides us. Must be cause we did it early this year and on a friday too. After seeing us do our thing and also looking at others i realised that everybody had their own interpretation of how things should be done etc. Did we do it right or are they doing it right?

Who knows...but I do know this...all present are there to pay respects to their loved ones in their very own way. Speak the unspoken word or ask for blessings in their upcoming endeavours. We do get all the help we can and today our ancestors blessed us with good weather to assist us in accomplishing our task.

Whatever your beliefs...pay your respects. They are after all our ancestors. They by the grace of God has made our lives richer and colorful. They made us a family...a clan perhaps.

Phoenix

Does that not look like a Phoenix?

We are now at ah kung's grave. Here lies the man who was a big part of my life. Now thats a story for another blog. Parker pens, Nanyang Siang Pau, Hailam Opera and Neskobi... reminds me of ah kung.

Preparations...laying out the food, joss and all. Uncle and Aunty came earlier in the week to clear the mound so that we just need to touch up only.

Lady Z and Smellius cleaning one of the fungus grown picture tiles.

No epitath just a grey piece of granite headstone with names of his children and grandchildren.

This here grave lies ah kung's right hand man and maitre'd ah kung ah dere...a kaki-nang of course. He passed away 4 years to the date after ah kung's passing. Ah Kung must have needed his maitre'd up there.

Cheng Beng

This is cheng beng week and cemeteries will be jammed and filled with lotsa people, loved ones and people out to make a quick buck...that would be the grave cleaners who offer a myriad of services which includes clearing weed and refilling of earth on grave mounds.

This week and for the next two weekends loved ones from all over the country head back to their hometown to pray and make offerings to their dearly departed. I am among one of the travelling horde. Leaving KL at 0430hrs on friday and arriving at 0714hrs in Taiping i beat the mass traffic expected and upon arriving at my aunties place we loaded up my trusty Batmobile and off to MaKauTiong we went...well after a spot of my aunties wonderful tea that is.

The first grave we visited was that of my great grandmother's and since my great grandfather's grave is supposedly lost among the weeds, my uncle and aunty has sorta invited him to reside within our great grandmother's grave. Don't ask me how...it's very technical. Smellius Yingus and I believe we can find it...it is about 500 paces to the soutwest of the big tree at the entrance.
His tombstone is just a retangular tablet measuring about 3x5 as i recall. When ah poh was around we would go find it...now that she is with them we have taken shortcuts.

We do the customary clean up and weeding of the grave and touch up the tombstone so that future generations will be able to find it. We have even put the surname in english so that the keng chiou langs in the family would be able to wonder if this is "the TAN" and our great grandmother. We should bring a GPS next...heaven forbid that the marker trees that we use to locate it is chopped off.

Anyway after that we place all these colorful papers on top of the grave and light joss sticks and placing the food offerings we chit chat. Once the joss burns to about halfway we start to burn the "new shirt, pants, shoes and some kum ngan...hell notes etc" some even burn viagra...yes they have that now. Once the stuff is burned we will partake in the food as if we are eating together with our dearly departed.

That done...we pack up, say our goodbyes and head to the next grave.

Hung & Dried.

This is what happens after they take an X-Ray of your chest...your chest get hung up and dried. Took this shot while i was at the clinic to collect my medical test report. My very first medical test in 40 years.

I had the pleasure of a very pretty and gorgeous doctor translate the gibberish on my medical report to me. All i know for sure is that my lungs and heart are in good shape, i don't have syphillis and i have a bit of a bad cholesterol so i am to reduce my intake of fried foods. Some calcification at my prostate which is a bit of a worry for her and suggest that i take a cancer test for that. She wanted my blood!

It was rather difficult for me to focus on her explanation as i was too mesmerised by her. I thought there were only pretty doctors in Greys Anatomy. She can do a physical on me anytime. She is my Mc Dreamy. :)

A New Eden

The destruction of the old brings forth the birth of a new garden. It is less of a jungle and rather clear...for now.

It shall soon be populated. Charlie's humble abode looks more like a pond now than a pot with water. He has no complains so far... The large empty pot will stand in as a garden table for a spot of tea whot?

This spider plant will be one of it's main inhabitants in this new Eden.

I couldn't live without greens near me and i can't wait to populate this new Eden of ours...Charlie's and mine.

Destruction of Eden II

March 24th marks the destruction of Eden as Charlie and i know it. It did not come in the form of a snake and there was no partaking of the apple and i'm pretty sure Lucifer did not have a hand in this...it was the neighbour!

About a week ago my 2 neighbours came by while i was half naked doing my washing and claimed that they have a leak at their side which is the adjacent unit as well as the unit below and they suspect it coming from my side. They have...they say, done some plumbing and there still is a leak.

The thing with a John Chinaman is...they don't see concrete they not happy. They see plants they think the worse...that's why they cement every inch of their yard and buy plastic plants. Anyway since they have done repairs as they claim to their side and i being a responsible neighbour have to do my part as well. They being decent about it helped...so i started clearing my garden to see if there were any cracks etc.

Hence the shovelling began...

Piping laid to ease flow of rainwater and a lot of plants had to be cut and removed.

I tied a red cloth to the tree as i had to chop some of it's roots. My ah poh told me this is to protect the tree. Kinda wards off harm or something like that to the tree.

Sinews and muscles stretched and aching are nothing compared to the pain i feel for having to cut and chop some of the plants thus killing them. Charlie was just dazed and wondering what the bloomin hell was going on after all his playground is being dug up.

Must have been sad for him too.

Birthdays!

Birthdays are another excuse to get-2-gather and to indulge in some home cooked food and gossip perhaps. Great time for kids cos they get to meet more of their own size and also to party.

When you have a big family it makes sense to hold a group birthday party to save everybody some time and money. So all the March babies had their birthday's celebrated at my dad's pad. This here is a birthday of 2 of my nieces and ah boy. One golden rule at birthday parties where there are lotsa kids...they get to blow the candle! So make you wish quick and get out of the way as pfhhht....you could be covered in kiddie saliva. We eat the cake anyway cos kiddie saliva is less contaminated and... damn! the cake taste good enough to risk some kiddie borne disease.

This is a kiddies birthday but someone in the picture thinks he's an 'adult' hence sans the hat. Happy Birthday March-ies! Celebrate Life as We celebrate You!

Deer

A very pretty lady deer. What are the wings doing there? I don't know but i can only guess that it must be the deer version of a fairy godmother deer or an angel of a deer. I'm no expert but from my untrained eye i see a happy angelic deer.

Taken from a collection from my favorite artist who is very passionate about her art and there is a story behind every piece of her work. I am working on getting an interview with this budding artist on my next trip to Taiping. She is rather busy with school and homework and some housework no doubt but i believe i should be able to interview her soon.

A picture profile of the artist and her latest work. She has a few masterpieces that she is working on at the moment. I just can't wait to see them.

Happy Butterfly

Happy Butterfly...Jesse showing his uncle jeff what a happy butterfly is with some shadow play right out on the streets of Menjalara.

He was running up and down the streets chasing after his own shadow and having a good time laughing and playing with his uncle. He was so energetic and seriously he was wearing me out. Imagine running up and down your street chasing after your nephew and his shadow... breathless. Good thing i trek in FRIM every sunday. If you think you are fit go play with a nephew or niece. Bloody good workout it is.

Pursuit of his Happyness.

There is sheer joy in seeing the smile on a childs face and better still...a hearty laughter you know comes only from that pure little heart. My Happy Butterfly has shown and taught me that joy and Happyness!

The Three Musketeers

The Three Musketeers... Pigitron, Papillon & Lady D our very own threesome of screaming, kicking bundles of joy. They eat, spit and play with food. They don't eat, they yell and they scream. Kick up a fuss if they don't get what they want and most times their mummies and daddies give in to their demands. If they are not Musketeers...

Lady D is a banshee when she screams. She will observe all around her before she engages with anyone...especially those with food in hand. Voracious eater. Will eat anything. Occasionally takes a bite of Pigitron. Beware the sweet smile.

Pigitron is a highly charged, highly animated kid. Protect crotch when in his sight...especially the guys. He is after all yey high and packs quite a punch and if landed it the right spot it can down even a bull elephant. He is Mr. Clean. Stickler for cleanliness. Hates dirt especially sand in between his toes and sandals. Don't be fooled by the cute smile, he can suddenly turn into his alter ego...Crazy Dog.

Papillon is the more timid of the three. He is quiet and observant. He is like a trained naturist. When in a crowd of 'wild' adults he would gently tilt his head and look downwards and not make eye contact less he provokes one of them. Must have learnt it from National Geographic. Loves birds, fishes and butterflies and to his daddy's nightmare....Barney. A little bashful but an advocate of Happy smiles. Seen here with a duck warbler...attracting some chicks perhaps.

Never a dull moment but always a handful.

Mom & The Gruesome Twosome

My stepmom to whom i affectionately call mom has just undergone her 2nd session of chemotherapy and her hair started coming off. It did not drop but literally comes undone when she strokes her hair so she decided to shaved it all off.

At her age she still looks cool with or without the hair. She has been cool throughout her ordeal. Having her breast removed and now losing her hair too. I know she is afraid i mean who wouldn't be but she has been strong thoroughout. I also believe she has been 'strong' for our sakes as she does not want us to worry too much. Strong too is her solace in God that has been her pillar of strength.

She has never complained and seek for pity. She has just got on with life and be an example to us who are fortunate to be of good health. She has gone for movies, babysit my niece & nephew, shop with my gruesome twosome sisters and played mahjong as you can clearly see. Life goes on for this tough iron lady.

Tougher than nails mom and me and a winning hand!

The Father, the Son & the Lion.

Chap Goh Mei is the last day of CNY and of course we chinese won't let it go without making a big fuss. There were fireworks, which is officially banned of course but the celebrations must go on. Lions had their final day to dance their way into homes and to bring another year of good fortune for the dwellers.

Father & son stands witness to an age old tradition up close. Most kids would be screaming and yelling their heads off when the lion comes near or some parents or the maid, as is the case nowadays, would be clutching onto their charge lest they be scared. Jesse just stands there nonchalantly and awaits the lion...unafraid. Daddy is the rock that he knows is right with him, with daddy the lion must seem like a pussy. "Hello there mr. lion."

"By the whiskers of my chinny chin chin...will you be blessed with prosperity, fortune and good health and a taste of tradition."

Finally the father, son and the lion sharing a light moment. No nails we pulled out of his foot and he wasn't about to eat anybody. He was full from eating all that low kum. "That's a nice tee you're wearing boy." says mr lion.

Here is a picture of man showing his son to love and respect the lion. There is no teaching of fear nor is there hatred that comes with fear. There is no..."kick the big bad lion" here to teach so called 'courage' there is just admiration and love...and that takes courage. This is my experience and observation.

What do you see?

Yeeha!

The best ang pow i got for this CNY is having a closer bond with this little tyke. He used to be very bashful but that has changed since he stepped into kindy.

Now he makes eye contact and he doesn't need to stick his face in his daddy's smelly pits whenever someone tries to make contact. Either kindy has improved his confidence or he has realised daddy's pits can be real stinky. He has learned sign language too as you can see. Maybe that digit has improved his condfidence.

Now when his uncle approaches him he comfortably responds and warms up real quick and we will be playing things that kids play. I don't know how to explain the games we play but then again...you adults wouldn't understand would you?

Here he is showing me his duck whatchamacallit and does a quack quack. Junior loves to jump for some reason or other.

Junior imitating daddy complete with open mouth and sharing a secret with his uncle.

We now have a secret password too before we start having fun. What's it? It's a secret...idiota. He is a little man of few words. Playing with junior is an exhausting experience but fulfilling. It's non stop action from the word...

I trust it will be good practice in stamina for my Tahan trip. Yeeha!

4th Generation

It wasn't that long ago when ah kung came cruising home from the Capitol cinema where he worked riding in from the sunset on his trusty steed... Raleigh. I always remember him with his bicycle and his cigar. Not so much like Clint Eastwood but more like Sir Winston Churchill as he was rather rotund and the hair in similar fashion.

Later years would see mom riding his bicycle to the market for groceries and school too. Taiping is a bicycle kinda town...then. Her brother would occasionally take it to the Lakes for fishing and i used to ride on it for fun. We later had those mini bicycles so i don't know if my two bad ass brothers ever rode this. Maybe it was too tall for them.

Jesse son of James is now the 4th generation to sit on this bicycle. Look at how confident he is "riding" it. Can't imagine that he would be afraid of driving his 1ft high car. It will be another 10 years before he can or would be allowed to ride as his great grandpa, grandma and uncle before him did and feel the wind blow in his face and caress his hair.

Yeeha!

Dusk Falls

Dusk falls on an old old town. In more ways than one.

I remember seeing bicycles after bicycles manouver this corner at this time. Men and women alike. Young and old. Time when people were rushing home for dinner while their loving families await their return. Overhead, swifts could be seen and heard flying here & there in a mad rush way above human heads. They too rushing to their roost on the rafters of the many houses along the street. Their droppings would stain to five foot walk that was our verandah.

Some of the swifts or swallows as is commonly known would roost on the cables of this very old and sturdy electrical post or the more pious birds would roost under the roof of this very old chinese temple along Harrison Street. How old i would not know but i know and remember it being there when i was but a wee lad resting in my ma & pa's arms as they fed me when i was much lighter and younger.

Dinner by the five foot walk was a treat with cars zooming by and swifts zipping in and out of their nest as they prepare to retire for the day. Nowadays the cars zoom by and the motorcycles zipping in between. Gone are the swifts. Gone are the white droppings that drop from the sky.

I'm quite amazed at how much i remember after all these years.