Thursday, 24 May 2012
Disneyland in Ipoh?
Wednesday, 23 May 2012
Miss Form 6 Friends
Just finished talking to Penguin on the phone and exchanged messages with Hans. Really brought back the true friendship feeling. Love the feeling. Hans and Penguin planned to meet up this Saturday and asked me to join them but I am occupied by Choir performance that will be held on Sunday. Couldnt split myself into two. I told them that I will be joining them next Saturday where my study week begins. Penguin is now working in a dental clinic back in Ipoh. She had just finished her foundation in AIMST. On the other hand, Hans is having sem break after his final. I am so looking forward to our next gathering!!! Well, lets have a look on some of my crazy friends. I took this pictures during the crazy time with them.
Eli...our mothers were friends since younger days
Ean Yi, close friend of Eli
Both gals posed on the Sixt Form Night
During an outing with Eli and friends
Cherry in Old Town Kopitiam opposite to St Michael's Institution
FOXY!!!!!!!!!
Careless whisper between Eli and Kin Mun
A duel between fork and knife
U wanna die isit?
Oh, im so hungry after painting the class flag
Let me feed you
Oh, Cherry feeds me too!
Ean Yi and the flower of the class, Peck Yee
Foxy and me in Yeolde English
Tai with us during Chinese New Year gathering in Yeolde English
Tuesday, 22 May 2012
Time Flies Like an Arrow
Time really flies like an arrow, an issue brought up by my father. It was initiated when I told him that I am going to celebrate my 21st birthday early this June. Im turning 21 soon, sounds still young but its not the case. My father told me that once someone reaches the 20s, time flies like an arrow. He reminisced when he got married to my mother and had us, it seems like yesterday. We are growing to become adults and our parents are growing old. Noticed their white hair emerging from the scalp and skin colour turned dull ad wrinkled, not what they used to be. The youth they had gradually fades and they shall age with grace. I will age too and soon, the youth i have will be consumed by time. There have been twists in my life and one remarkable one was the path I chose for my degree studies. Previously, I was greatly fond in medicine, dreaming of becoming a doctor one day. A typical ambition of Biology students. I limited my point of views and did not open myself to other options which may provide me alternative paths. My STPM pointer which was mentioned in my previous blog is not sufficient enough to secure a position in medicine as Im not a native. Failed to get into medicine really crushed my dreams and what I have been dreaming to become. I had been pessimistic and been moody for days. Friends and family advised me to move on and go for other options. My mother had been worried, she once told me that if i insisted to pursue in medicine, she would get bank loan which made me so touched. I had tearful eyes before I left for work the moment she told me. However, after much considerations, I did not want my parents to be financially burdened and worried for my future. I did not want them to take up loan. Went to UTAR to apply for Biomedical Science and I got a full scholarship for this course but i turned it down in the end. Something urged me...to take Microbiology in UKM. Something told me that this is the path that i should follow. Not the ideal path i have always dreamed about. Becoming a scientist had never got into my list before. Then, I followed what was ahead, my fate. I took up Microbiology and I know God has designed a path for me. Everything would be fine, i told myself. There was this saying 'When the God closed a window in ur life, He opens a door for u'. This path is the door after the window to medicine is closed. On the other hand, I had been thinking, the reason why I was fond in medicine was because of the fame it has and the prosper it brings. Never did i know it limits my life. After much considerations, I realized that a doctor dedicated himself to patients and not having the life he always wanted. How miserable, I thought. After seeing the bigger picture and confirmed that I do not want to spend part of my life on others, I feel that my current path has its own reason. I want to spend more time for my own and family. I realized that the higher power has its own reason of wanting me to choose this path because time flies like an arrow and I do not wanna waste my time, sitting in a clinic 24/7 to be visited. I want to explore, discover and feel the joy of amusement by becoming a scientist who still can spend much of his time with family.
Wednesday, 16 May 2012
13th June 2002, A Day to Remember
It was a sunny day and back then I was only 11 years old. I still remember I started my day in my primary school with energy and optimism, hoping that the rest of the day would be fine. Back then, I was a prefect and I had alot of good friends. It was recess time when I was visited by my parents and Eloise. Eloise was in afternoon session and somehow she skipped her school, made me wondered why. Their appearance was out of my expectation. Eloise was only 9 years old and when she stepped forward, she brought a news that nearly made my heart stopped.
Eloise:" Gor, Popo passed away this morning"
Me: (Paused)....What? How????"
Eloise:"It was an accident...car accident"
I could not believe the news that killed my mood and made the twist of the day. Popo is my maternal grandmother. I looked into my mother's eyes and she was silence. Deep in my heart, I wanted to cry but I kept to myself, I went over to the office to tell the teachers and staffs that I would be taking leave for the next few days. They sympathized on my loss and granted my leave. I packed my stuffs and we were to go back to Sitiawan to pay the last respect. I had tearful eyes before I entered the car. Once I sat in the back seat, I began to cry out loud. Popo was a very kind and great grandmother. Every Chinese New Year, I would be longing to visit her. We then picked up Kay and Yen. Both could not take the news well and all broke down. On our way to Sitiawan, the atmosphere was moody and blue. Only musics from the radio heard and we did not speak in the 1 and a half hour journey. When we reached to the wooden house in Sitiawan, all other relatives had already reached and all were grieving. When my mother opened the car door, she quickly knelt on the stony ground and slowly, knelt into the house....crying at the same time, calling for my grandmother. It is a custom in Chinese that if the deceased is in the house, his/her descendants must kneel into the house. My mother could not stop crying and we saw popo was lying on a wooden bed in the house, facing the main door. Next to her, was the basin and white cloth with blood stains. Popo was covered with white cloth. Lying there was an old lady whom I always called Popo and who had been smiling to me all the times. The memories with her never fade. Uncles and aunts were surrounding my popo and all were crying. Seeing them cried, made us cry even louder. I heard that grandfather passed out after he heard of popo's sudden departure. When we were gathering around popo, a car stopped in front of the house and my grandfather who just gained his conscious in the hospital, walked weakly towards his beloved wife. On his face, I could see that he was devastated. We all were...That day was very very hard on us.
During our stay there, we heard how popo really died. It was a norm for her to cycle every morning to the market to buy routine-needed things. Since, the Dumpling or Duan Wu Festival was around the corner, she bought all the ingredients needed to make dumplings except for one, the dried shrimps. Every year, she would make delicious dumplings for her children and grandchildren. Normally, she would depart at 6:45am but that very morning, she departed early, 15 minutes earlier. She cycled towards the market and when she was about to cross the road, she saw a jeep from far. She had vision problem and she thought the jeep was very far so she crossed the road. Never did she know that the jeep was very near to her. The driver could not press the brake pedal and hit on her. She rolled over the jeep and her face smashed the back mirror. The golden tooth that she had fell off and the neck bone was fractured. The bicycle was a piece of useless metal. The smashed glass scattered on the road and the sound of hitting alarmed neighbours nearby. My grandfather's sister stayed nearby too and she knew my popo was hit. She quickly called my uncle and without delay, my uncle rushed to the scene where he saw his mother was lying on the ground. He gained all his strength to lift his mother to his car and sent her to the hospital. Some smashed glass cut his arms and entered the wounds which caused him to have further treatments. Everything was late, the impact was huge and my popo slipped away.
Listening to how popo died really made my heart broke. It was so hard and cruel to know how ur relative died and to think where were we when all these happened. How i wish i could turn back time to prevent this from happening. The funeral procession was held in 3 days and my popo was lying in a wooden coffin. The neighbours and relatives came to pay their last respect while we, as her descendants mourned for her death. Grandfather kept blaming himself for her death and this made the atmosphere even more blue. HOWEVER, i must emphasized that some distant relatives were PLAYING MAHJONG. I was so angry but an 11 year-old child could not do anything. How stupid and idiot these fellows and I am ashamed to have blood relation with them, even little. They were being disrespectful and no manners! My mother refused to eat even though my uncle and aunt persuaded her to eat a little. I knew how she felt, she had been very close to popo when she was a child. My popo also loves her very much, we can see that. My mother could not stop crying during the funeral processions and when she calmed down, I could see her eyes were swollen and she stared aimlessly on the ground. It was a great loss to her, popo is her mother. On the third day, we were to bury her on the hill along with other maternal ancestors. We made our way to the hill and when her coffin was laid into the hole, I could not believe that she was gone.
After her burial, the daughters of the deceased were supposed to leave the house and if they were to come back, they have to bring a basket of fruits. What a weird custom...My mother wanted to go back to Ipoh so on the third day, we headed back to Ipoh since all 4 of us skipped school for 3 days. My mother did not show her grief in front of us but we knew she was deeply saddened by popo's death. That very night, she dreamed of popo. She told us that popo cycled to our house and stopped in front of our house. Sometimes, when my mother was sewing clothes, she thought of popo and will sob silently in the morning. On the other hand, I broke down many times when I thought of popo and her departure was deeply felt because she was the first close relative to depart in my life. I remember the grief that I bore. The driver who killed her was set free. The incident was considered as an accident by the local magistrate and the driver was not charged with murder. His driving license was revoked. Despite freeing from murder charge, the driver himself could not bear the guilt of causing death to an old lady. He went to my grandfather's house, knelt before my grandfather and asked for forgiveness. He broke down due to guilt and grandfather forgave him. Popo greatly influenced my life. Now, whenever I see old ladies in their 60s and above, either them be cycling or walking, I will think of popo and I really wanna reach out helping hands so that I can restore them safely to their family. However, I din do so for fear that these folks will think me as a lunatic person and reject my help. My heart will softens and I sympathize old people when I see them...I told myself that I will not let my parents to walk alone when they are old, I dowan them to end up like these old people...Popo had been sacrificing her life to raise her children and took care of my grandfather for years. Grandfather was very ill in the past few decades and she took care of him with care and love. After her death, grandfather was taken care of by my uncle and his wife. I remember popo's smile, her small eyes, her curly hair, her kindness, her chubby figure and her tendency to fall asleep. All the time, popo would fall asleep when she was talking to us or when she was watching TV. She loved to snore when she slept and she was afraid of heat, she would have two fans in her room and made a hole on the wall so that the cool air of air-conditioner in the next room would flow into hers. She loved to take nap but whenever my mother went back, she would stay awake and talked to my mother until the wee hours together with my grandfather. She brewed delicious salty pork leg too and she made the best Milo in the world. I have never drank such a fine Milo before, really tasty and I could never taste it again in my life. Her skills in cooking were passed down to my mother and my aunts. I love her and my mother's cooking. My memories with her still fresh in my mind and she is the best grandmother in the world. I love her the way my mother loves her. She is my maternal grandmother, my Popo and will always be. There was once I dreamed of her, she told me that she was working in the afterlife and when I told my mother, she was pleased to know that her mother adapted her afterlife and worked to support her life there. That was the last dream I had about her. I really wish that she is now somewhere in the afterlife, very happy with the rest of the ancestors. It is now the 10th year of her death's anniversary. She will always be remembered for the motherly figure she gave to all her descendants. I love you, popo. Im sure we can meet again one day.
Eloise:" Gor, Popo passed away this morning"
Me: (Paused)....What? How????"
Eloise:"It was an accident...car accident"
I could not believe the news that killed my mood and made the twist of the day. Popo is my maternal grandmother. I looked into my mother's eyes and she was silence. Deep in my heart, I wanted to cry but I kept to myself, I went over to the office to tell the teachers and staffs that I would be taking leave for the next few days. They sympathized on my loss and granted my leave. I packed my stuffs and we were to go back to Sitiawan to pay the last respect. I had tearful eyes before I entered the car. Once I sat in the back seat, I began to cry out loud. Popo was a very kind and great grandmother. Every Chinese New Year, I would be longing to visit her. We then picked up Kay and Yen. Both could not take the news well and all broke down. On our way to Sitiawan, the atmosphere was moody and blue. Only musics from the radio heard and we did not speak in the 1 and a half hour journey. When we reached to the wooden house in Sitiawan, all other relatives had already reached and all were grieving. When my mother opened the car door, she quickly knelt on the stony ground and slowly, knelt into the house....crying at the same time, calling for my grandmother. It is a custom in Chinese that if the deceased is in the house, his/her descendants must kneel into the house. My mother could not stop crying and we saw popo was lying on a wooden bed in the house, facing the main door. Next to her, was the basin and white cloth with blood stains. Popo was covered with white cloth. Lying there was an old lady whom I always called Popo and who had been smiling to me all the times. The memories with her never fade. Uncles and aunts were surrounding my popo and all were crying. Seeing them cried, made us cry even louder. I heard that grandfather passed out after he heard of popo's sudden departure. When we were gathering around popo, a car stopped in front of the house and my grandfather who just gained his conscious in the hospital, walked weakly towards his beloved wife. On his face, I could see that he was devastated. We all were...That day was very very hard on us.
During our stay there, we heard how popo really died. It was a norm for her to cycle every morning to the market to buy routine-needed things. Since, the Dumpling or Duan Wu Festival was around the corner, she bought all the ingredients needed to make dumplings except for one, the dried shrimps. Every year, she would make delicious dumplings for her children and grandchildren. Normally, she would depart at 6:45am but that very morning, she departed early, 15 minutes earlier. She cycled towards the market and when she was about to cross the road, she saw a jeep from far. She had vision problem and she thought the jeep was very far so she crossed the road. Never did she know that the jeep was very near to her. The driver could not press the brake pedal and hit on her. She rolled over the jeep and her face smashed the back mirror. The golden tooth that she had fell off and the neck bone was fractured. The bicycle was a piece of useless metal. The smashed glass scattered on the road and the sound of hitting alarmed neighbours nearby. My grandfather's sister stayed nearby too and she knew my popo was hit. She quickly called my uncle and without delay, my uncle rushed to the scene where he saw his mother was lying on the ground. He gained all his strength to lift his mother to his car and sent her to the hospital. Some smashed glass cut his arms and entered the wounds which caused him to have further treatments. Everything was late, the impact was huge and my popo slipped away.
Listening to how popo died really made my heart broke. It was so hard and cruel to know how ur relative died and to think where were we when all these happened. How i wish i could turn back time to prevent this from happening. The funeral procession was held in 3 days and my popo was lying in a wooden coffin. The neighbours and relatives came to pay their last respect while we, as her descendants mourned for her death. Grandfather kept blaming himself for her death and this made the atmosphere even more blue. HOWEVER, i must emphasized that some distant relatives were PLAYING MAHJONG. I was so angry but an 11 year-old child could not do anything. How stupid and idiot these fellows and I am ashamed to have blood relation with them, even little. They were being disrespectful and no manners! My mother refused to eat even though my uncle and aunt persuaded her to eat a little. I knew how she felt, she had been very close to popo when she was a child. My popo also loves her very much, we can see that. My mother could not stop crying during the funeral processions and when she calmed down, I could see her eyes were swollen and she stared aimlessly on the ground. It was a great loss to her, popo is her mother. On the third day, we were to bury her on the hill along with other maternal ancestors. We made our way to the hill and when her coffin was laid into the hole, I could not believe that she was gone.
After her burial, the daughters of the deceased were supposed to leave the house and if they were to come back, they have to bring a basket of fruits. What a weird custom...My mother wanted to go back to Ipoh so on the third day, we headed back to Ipoh since all 4 of us skipped school for 3 days. My mother did not show her grief in front of us but we knew she was deeply saddened by popo's death. That very night, she dreamed of popo. She told us that popo cycled to our house and stopped in front of our house. Sometimes, when my mother was sewing clothes, she thought of popo and will sob silently in the morning. On the other hand, I broke down many times when I thought of popo and her departure was deeply felt because she was the first close relative to depart in my life. I remember the grief that I bore. The driver who killed her was set free. The incident was considered as an accident by the local magistrate and the driver was not charged with murder. His driving license was revoked. Despite freeing from murder charge, the driver himself could not bear the guilt of causing death to an old lady. He went to my grandfather's house, knelt before my grandfather and asked for forgiveness. He broke down due to guilt and grandfather forgave him. Popo greatly influenced my life. Now, whenever I see old ladies in their 60s and above, either them be cycling or walking, I will think of popo and I really wanna reach out helping hands so that I can restore them safely to their family. However, I din do so for fear that these folks will think me as a lunatic person and reject my help. My heart will softens and I sympathize old people when I see them...I told myself that I will not let my parents to walk alone when they are old, I dowan them to end up like these old people...Popo had been sacrificing her life to raise her children and took care of my grandfather for years. Grandfather was very ill in the past few decades and she took care of him with care and love. After her death, grandfather was taken care of by my uncle and his wife. I remember popo's smile, her small eyes, her curly hair, her kindness, her chubby figure and her tendency to fall asleep. All the time, popo would fall asleep when she was talking to us or when she was watching TV. She loved to snore when she slept and she was afraid of heat, she would have two fans in her room and made a hole on the wall so that the cool air of air-conditioner in the next room would flow into hers. She loved to take nap but whenever my mother went back, she would stay awake and talked to my mother until the wee hours together with my grandfather. She brewed delicious salty pork leg too and she made the best Milo in the world. I have never drank such a fine Milo before, really tasty and I could never taste it again in my life. Her skills in cooking were passed down to my mother and my aunts. I love her and my mother's cooking. My memories with her still fresh in my mind and she is the best grandmother in the world. I love her the way my mother loves her. She is my maternal grandmother, my Popo and will always be. There was once I dreamed of her, she told me that she was working in the afterlife and when I told my mother, she was pleased to know that her mother adapted her afterlife and worked to support her life there. That was the last dream I had about her. I really wish that she is now somewhere in the afterlife, very happy with the rest of the ancestors. It is now the 10th year of her death's anniversary. She will always be remembered for the motherly figure she gave to all her descendants. I love you, popo. Im sure we can meet again one day.
Tuesday, 15 May 2012
Ghost Stories~~~~~
Hello readers, it is very obvious that tonight, im going to blog about paranormal events...those who have faint heart or alone in house, cn leave this page at once...lol...Well, recently on my trip back to Ipoh, I got to hear some ghost stories from my relatives and family. I have been very curious in things like this so I listen very meekly not to leave out any important things...I have always love horror especially ghosts encounter. Sometimes i doubt the existence of ghosts and had been looking for scientific explanation regarding the frequency emitted by the dead and the living. When both frequencies have the same range, the living will see the dead. Possible? Alright, so lets go straight to the point.
1) Kay told me about her incident in Amalada Hotel, KL. She came to KL for a meeting with her colleagues and slept with a Malay woman. Kay was sound asleep when this happened. She was awakened by the sound of hair dryer the Malay woman was using after her shower. She was preparing to pray. Kay was semi-conscious and her body gestures showed that she was somehow disturbed by the sound. The Malay woman went towards her bed and took a pillow to cover her ears (Kay was sleeping sideways). After that, Kay was still showing body gestures that the sound still disturbed her. The woman took a cotton and inserted it in her ear. When sun rose, Kay woke up to find that the woman was no longer in the room as she went over to her friends' room for chit-chat. Kay waited until breakfast to confront her. Take note on the following conversation...
Kay: "This morning, did you cover my ear with pillow and cotton so as not to wake me up from the sound of hair dryer?"
Malay woman: "......noo...I had never walk towards your bed......" (sensing something was amiss)
To Kay's surprise, the woman denied of doing such things to her. Then, the woman told her that she was wearing black when she dried her hair. Suddenly, Kay remembered the woman who came towards her was wearing white and she did not see her face.....
2) The second incident happened to Kay too, in the same room of the same hotel. It happened at 1am in the morning. The room's phone rang and woke Kay up. She answered and found that the caller to be a man, brother of the Malay woman. Using an irritated tone, she told her brother that he should not call at that hour and his sister was sound asleep before hanging up. The very next morning, the Malay woman confronted Kay. She told her that her brother called last night and the one who answered his call was a rude person with very coarse and harsh voice. Scolded him with vulgar words. Kay was stunned by the description being made...as long as she remembered, she did not use any vulgar words on the caller...she lost her appetite to eat breakfast....
3) This story was told by my father who had never been superstitious. This story was shared by my father when Kay brought up the incidents she encountered in the hotel. Here the story goes. My father has a friend, very religious one and they both knew each other since their younger days. Lats call him Uncle Fei. He lives near to our housing estate and every night, he will attend religion class (Buddhist) and read the incantation in the sutra...been doing so for years. So, he knows another friend, X from that class and both are religious. One night, both of them went to Tapah with two other friends who are not religious. They went to the Tapah woods to pray for lucky numbers to be won in the coming bet. It is quite common for gamblers to do such things. They believe a being will help them to draw the numbers for them and they will strike the lottery. It was around midnight when all 4 of them reached the woods. The woods was dark and could be lit up by the dim light of moon. The spot was spotted and the two non-religious friends quickly made their move to the spot and started to burn incense and offerings to the 'being'. If you are a Chinese, you will know why we burn incense and offer offerings to the dead. Once Uncle Fei and X stepped out of the car, they instantly felt an evil aura and had cool chill running down their spines...They knew something was wrong but did not spill the magic bean. Both sensed something was amiss but stepped forward to the spot where the other 2 were busy burning incense. What they saw next really stunned them. They stopped behind the other two and to their horror, they saw a black figure with human entity squatting in front of the other two who were bus burning....
Uncle Fei: "Do you see that?"
X: "Yes..."
Both did not utter a single word and stood stiff at that very spot. The other two urged them to join them in the ritual but both did not move from their place, staring straight to the figure...
When the ritual was over, all 4 headed towards the car and drove back to Ipoh...Then the conversation started...
2 non-religious friends: "Why didnt you guys join us and stood like poles just now?"
Uncle Fei: " Didnt you see someone was squatting right in front of you two just now?"
The story ends here and my father did not probe much on the reactions given. For my father, he does not believe in these stuffs but told us just for the sake of sharing. My mother is a religious woman too and she keeps telling us that we must not offend beings from the other world. She always teach us precautions especially during Hungry Ghosts Festival.
4)The fourth story is told by Eloise. Have you ever heard of Kellie's Castle in Batu Gajah, Perak? Quite near to Ipoh and had been a tourist attraction for many years. It was first built by a very wealthy Scottish man, I think back in the 20th century for his beloved wife. The castle was named after him and it was close to completion. The wife then died in an accident and the man had to go back to Scotland. He never returned, leaving the castle abandoned until now. The Perak government made it as a heritage to be protected and used it in tourism. The local folks said that the castle is haunted because they always hear people screaming and crying at night. They see strange light through castle's windows too. Some said that the Scottish couple came back to live in their castle and some believe that this abandoned castle became a favourite place for lost spirits in that area. Alright, done with the introduction, now go to Eloise's story. She told me that a friend of hers went to Kellie's Castle with 3 other friends. When it was time to go back, they had to show the student ID to the guard before exiting. All were in the car. When the guard checked on the 4 students' ID, he forwarded a shocking question.
Guard: "Why isnt your friend at the back not showing his ID?"
All 4 showed and only 4 were in the car....the guard saw the 'fifth' one....
All 4 looked shocked and were paused by the question forwarded....the guard knew it instantly...
Guard:"Not to worry pals, it happens often, just drive back to the castle and let your 'friend' disembark, ok?"
The students made their way back to the castle and all got down from the car, opened all the 4 car doors and left the car in that state for a while before driving back to the guard. The guard looked into the car and gave hint that the 'friend' is gone. All 4 rushed out of the castle immediately...
Scary? I have more stories that will scare you out of your couch...haha, stay tuned for next horror stories.
1) Kay told me about her incident in Amalada Hotel, KL. She came to KL for a meeting with her colleagues and slept with a Malay woman. Kay was sound asleep when this happened. She was awakened by the sound of hair dryer the Malay woman was using after her shower. She was preparing to pray. Kay was semi-conscious and her body gestures showed that she was somehow disturbed by the sound. The Malay woman went towards her bed and took a pillow to cover her ears (Kay was sleeping sideways). After that, Kay was still showing body gestures that the sound still disturbed her. The woman took a cotton and inserted it in her ear. When sun rose, Kay woke up to find that the woman was no longer in the room as she went over to her friends' room for chit-chat. Kay waited until breakfast to confront her. Take note on the following conversation...
Kay: "This morning, did you cover my ear with pillow and cotton so as not to wake me up from the sound of hair dryer?"
Malay woman: "......noo...I had never walk towards your bed......" (sensing something was amiss)
To Kay's surprise, the woman denied of doing such things to her. Then, the woman told her that she was wearing black when she dried her hair. Suddenly, Kay remembered the woman who came towards her was wearing white and she did not see her face.....
2) The second incident happened to Kay too, in the same room of the same hotel. It happened at 1am in the morning. The room's phone rang and woke Kay up. She answered and found that the caller to be a man, brother of the Malay woman. Using an irritated tone, she told her brother that he should not call at that hour and his sister was sound asleep before hanging up. The very next morning, the Malay woman confronted Kay. She told her that her brother called last night and the one who answered his call was a rude person with very coarse and harsh voice. Scolded him with vulgar words. Kay was stunned by the description being made...as long as she remembered, she did not use any vulgar words on the caller...she lost her appetite to eat breakfast....
3) This story was told by my father who had never been superstitious. This story was shared by my father when Kay brought up the incidents she encountered in the hotel. Here the story goes. My father has a friend, very religious one and they both knew each other since their younger days. Lats call him Uncle Fei. He lives near to our housing estate and every night, he will attend religion class (Buddhist) and read the incantation in the sutra...been doing so for years. So, he knows another friend, X from that class and both are religious. One night, both of them went to Tapah with two other friends who are not religious. They went to the Tapah woods to pray for lucky numbers to be won in the coming bet. It is quite common for gamblers to do such things. They believe a being will help them to draw the numbers for them and they will strike the lottery. It was around midnight when all 4 of them reached the woods. The woods was dark and could be lit up by the dim light of moon. The spot was spotted and the two non-religious friends quickly made their move to the spot and started to burn incense and offerings to the 'being'. If you are a Chinese, you will know why we burn incense and offer offerings to the dead. Once Uncle Fei and X stepped out of the car, they instantly felt an evil aura and had cool chill running down their spines...They knew something was wrong but did not spill the magic bean. Both sensed something was amiss but stepped forward to the spot where the other 2 were busy burning incense. What they saw next really stunned them. They stopped behind the other two and to their horror, they saw a black figure with human entity squatting in front of the other two who were bus burning....
Uncle Fei: "Do you see that?"
X: "Yes..."
Both did not utter a single word and stood stiff at that very spot. The other two urged them to join them in the ritual but both did not move from their place, staring straight to the figure...
When the ritual was over, all 4 headed towards the car and drove back to Ipoh...Then the conversation started...
2 non-religious friends: "Why didnt you guys join us and stood like poles just now?"
Uncle Fei: " Didnt you see someone was squatting right in front of you two just now?"
The story ends here and my father did not probe much on the reactions given. For my father, he does not believe in these stuffs but told us just for the sake of sharing. My mother is a religious woman too and she keeps telling us that we must not offend beings from the other world. She always teach us precautions especially during Hungry Ghosts Festival.
4)The fourth story is told by Eloise. Have you ever heard of Kellie's Castle in Batu Gajah, Perak? Quite near to Ipoh and had been a tourist attraction for many years. It was first built by a very wealthy Scottish man, I think back in the 20th century for his beloved wife. The castle was named after him and it was close to completion. The wife then died in an accident and the man had to go back to Scotland. He never returned, leaving the castle abandoned until now. The Perak government made it as a heritage to be protected and used it in tourism. The local folks said that the castle is haunted because they always hear people screaming and crying at night. They see strange light through castle's windows too. Some said that the Scottish couple came back to live in their castle and some believe that this abandoned castle became a favourite place for lost spirits in that area. Alright, done with the introduction, now go to Eloise's story. She told me that a friend of hers went to Kellie's Castle with 3 other friends. When it was time to go back, they had to show the student ID to the guard before exiting. All were in the car. When the guard checked on the 4 students' ID, he forwarded a shocking question.
Guard: "Why isnt your friend at the back not showing his ID?"
All 4 showed and only 4 were in the car....the guard saw the 'fifth' one....
All 4 looked shocked and were paused by the question forwarded....the guard knew it instantly...
Guard:"Not to worry pals, it happens often, just drive back to the castle and let your 'friend' disembark, ok?"
The students made their way back to the castle and all got down from the car, opened all the 4 car doors and left the car in that state for a while before driving back to the guard. The guard looked into the car and gave hint that the 'friend' is gone. All 4 rushed out of the castle immediately...
Scary? I have more stories that will scare you out of your couch...haha, stay tuned for next horror stories.
Sunday, 13 May 2012
Mother's Day Celebration
Celebrated Mother's Day with my parents, grandparents, Kay and Eloise. Yen could not make it because she was far away, in Johore. We went to the Pasir Pinji and dine in Tuck Kee Restaurant, famous for its smoke duck. That dinner really made me so full. We had smoke duck, pork, cheese prawns, fish fillets, seafood pot and vegetarian dish. Very delicious, i must say. Even now, makes me hungry. The dinner cost MYR309 and it was actually out of my expectation. I expected at most MYR200...my parents said its quite reasonable because we had duck, prawns and fish which are quite expensive. One thing saddened me this time back in Ipoh is that my parents and siblings said I am thin and do not look nice...I think its because my chest muscles and biceps' have not grown...makes me look small. I wan bigger biceps so I called Ryonx to purchase protein supplement. Hopefully with the aid of protein, i will have my big arms soon...Gotta go, its just a brief blog. Gotta take shower and prepare for dinner.
Friday, 11 May 2012
The Real Origin of my Surname
Previously when I blogged about my family, i did mention about the origin of my surname which i also said that the source was unknown and therefore, cannot be trusted 100%. Recently, i found out the true origin of my surname, thanks to Wikipedia. Ye (Mandarin) or Yip(Cantonese) have relatives all around the world, bearing the same surname, even in Japan and Korea. In China, it was ranked as the 43rd most common surname. It is known as Yo in Japan and Seob or Yeop in Korea.
Ye means "leaf" in modrn Chinese, but the name arose as a clan name referring to the city of Ye in the State of Chu during the Spring and Autumn Period of ancient China. The city gave its name to the present-day Ye County in Henan Province.
According to Sima Qian's Records of the Grand Historians, Yuxiong, a descendant of the Yellow Emperor and his grandson Zhuanxu, was the teacher of King Wen of Zhou. After the Zhou overthrew the Shang Dynasty, King Zheng of Chou (reigned 1042-1021 BC) awarded Yuxiong's great-grandson Xiong Yi the fiefdom of Chu, which over the ensuing centuries developed into a major kingdom. King Zhuang of Chu (reigned 613-591 BC) was one of the Five Hegemons, the most powerful monarchs during the Spring and Autumn Period.
In 506 BC the State of Wu invaded Chu with an army commanded by King Helu, Wu Zixu and Sun Tzu. Shen Yin Shu, a great-grandson of King Zhuang and the Chu field marshal, was killed in the aftermath of the Battle of Boju.
After the war King Zhao of Chu enfeoffed Shen Yin Shu's son Shen Zhuliang with the key frontier city of Ye, in gratitude for his father's sacrifice. Shen Zhuliang subsequently put down the rebellion of Sheng, Duke of Bai, in 478 BC and restored King Hui as ruler of Chu. King Hui then granted him the titles of prime minister, marshal, and Duke of Ye (葉公).
In Zhou Dynasty China, noble families usually had two surnames: ancestral name (姓) and clan name (氏). Shen Zhuliang, from a cadet branch of the ruling house of Chu, shared the ancestral name of Mi (芈) of the Chu kings. He also inherited the clan name of Shen from his father, but his fame led some of his descendants adopted Ye as their clan name. Later the distinction between the ancestral and clan names was abolished, and Ye became the surname of Shen Zhuliang's descendants. Shen Zhuliang, now better known as Duke of Ye, is considered the founding ancestor of the Ye surname.
The above text was taken from Wikipedia.
Wow, in other words, all the Yes are actually descendants of royalty? The founder is Shen Zhuliang whose father is Shen Yin Shu. Shen Yin Shu's great-grandfather is the King of Chu who was the descendant of Yuxiong and he happened to be a descendant of Yellow Emperor. So, Yes are descendants of Yellow Emperor...Haha, never did it come across my mind that I have blood relation with the royalties of Chu, one of the great monarchs in ancient China. Chu Kingdom is actually one of the kingdoms that rule the Mainland of China along with other kingdoms. Another famous Kingdom in that period was Qin Kingdom and the notable person was Qin Shi Huang, the first Emperor of China. Anyway, monarchy has long been abolished in China and I am sure alot of Chinese worldwide have royalty blood since so many dynasties ruled China before.
The Yellow Emperor or best known as Huang Di (黄帝)
The Chu Empire
Ye means "leaf" in modrn Chinese, but the name arose as a clan name referring to the city of Ye in the State of Chu during the Spring and Autumn Period of ancient China. The city gave its name to the present-day Ye County in Henan Province.
According to Sima Qian's Records of the Grand Historians, Yuxiong, a descendant of the Yellow Emperor and his grandson Zhuanxu, was the teacher of King Wen of Zhou. After the Zhou overthrew the Shang Dynasty, King Zheng of Chou (reigned 1042-1021 BC) awarded Yuxiong's great-grandson Xiong Yi the fiefdom of Chu, which over the ensuing centuries developed into a major kingdom. King Zhuang of Chu (reigned 613-591 BC) was one of the Five Hegemons, the most powerful monarchs during the Spring and Autumn Period.
In 506 BC the State of Wu invaded Chu with an army commanded by King Helu, Wu Zixu and Sun Tzu. Shen Yin Shu, a great-grandson of King Zhuang and the Chu field marshal, was killed in the aftermath of the Battle of Boju.
After the war King Zhao of Chu enfeoffed Shen Yin Shu's son Shen Zhuliang with the key frontier city of Ye, in gratitude for his father's sacrifice. Shen Zhuliang subsequently put down the rebellion of Sheng, Duke of Bai, in 478 BC and restored King Hui as ruler of Chu. King Hui then granted him the titles of prime minister, marshal, and Duke of Ye (葉公).
In Zhou Dynasty China, noble families usually had two surnames: ancestral name (姓) and clan name (氏). Shen Zhuliang, from a cadet branch of the ruling house of Chu, shared the ancestral name of Mi (芈) of the Chu kings. He also inherited the clan name of Shen from his father, but his fame led some of his descendants adopted Ye as their clan name. Later the distinction between the ancestral and clan names was abolished, and Ye became the surname of Shen Zhuliang's descendants. Shen Zhuliang, now better known as Duke of Ye, is considered the founding ancestor of the Ye surname.
The above text was taken from Wikipedia.
Wow, in other words, all the Yes are actually descendants of royalty? The founder is Shen Zhuliang whose father is Shen Yin Shu. Shen Yin Shu's great-grandfather is the King of Chu who was the descendant of Yuxiong and he happened to be a descendant of Yellow Emperor. So, Yes are descendants of Yellow Emperor...Haha, never did it come across my mind that I have blood relation with the royalties of Chu, one of the great monarchs in ancient China. Chu Kingdom is actually one of the kingdoms that rule the Mainland of China along with other kingdoms. Another famous Kingdom in that period was Qin Kingdom and the notable person was Qin Shi Huang, the first Emperor of China. Anyway, monarchy has long been abolished in China and I am sure alot of Chinese worldwide have royalty blood since so many dynasties ruled China before.
Spartacus-Blood and Sand
Just finished watching Spartacus Season 1-Blood and Sand. The 13 episodes series is rated to be very violent, bloody and the sexual content is too much for minors. Initially, it was my roommate who suggested me to watch. He found it very interesting and strongly recommend it to me. However, i was in the mid of exam when he watched so after the exam, i asked him to transfer the series to my laptop and in trade, i transferred The Walking Dead Season 2 and Burning Palms to his. The story tells a legendary gladiator called Spartacus. His name was mentioned in the history along with other characters like Crixus, Onaemeus, Legatus Glaber and also Lanista Batiatus. Sparatcus was a Thracian and lived happily with his beautiful wife in a small village during The Third Servile War. Their village was attacked and The Romans offered help. However, the Romans lead by Legatus Glaber broke their promise and made the men of the village to kill a few Romans. The news of killing Romans reached Glaber's ears and he ordered to have Spartacus detained. In the mean time, Spartacus' village was attacked by their enemies and burned down. The Romans found Spartacus and Sura. They condemned the husband and wife to slavery. Spartacus was to be crucified in the arena but he survived. He was later purchased by Batiatus, the owner of the ludus (school of gladiators). Back then, slaves who wished for freedom have to show them worthy in the arena by becoming the gladiators. Spartacus worried for his wife and blamed Glaber for what happened to him. He survived in many fights and Batiatus wanted him to become a true gladiator and he would help him to find his wife. News of Sura was heard and Spartacus trusted Batiatus for the quest. He became the true gladiator and eventually the Champion of Capua after slaying Theokoles, the Shadow of Death. Crixus on the other hand who was the champion felt left out and in the mean time, he had affair with Batiatus' wife, Lucretia. Lucretia ordered him to sleep with her when she desired and Crixus had to follow her order. Crixus had crush on Lucretia's slave, Naevia. Both developed affection for each other and often meet at night. Spartacus had a true friend, Varro whom he treated as a brother. Doctore (Onameus) was the trainer and an honourable man who he respected Batiatus the most. Varro had family-a wife and a son. He sold himself to slavery to clear his debts. Spartacus and Varro developed good brotherhood in the ludus. When Spartacus finally had the chance to reunite with his wife as Batiatus had promised, he plotted to escape ludus with his wife. Upon his wife arrival, he found that his wife was attacked and was seriously wounded. The reunion was short-lived and Sura died in Spartacus' arms. In fact, it was Batiatus who secretly ordered for her death for fear Spartacus will leave the ludus. After Sura's death, Spartacus accepted his fate and became a very great gladiator, drew the attention of Magistrate Calavius and family. The magistrate had a young son, Numerius whom he favoured gladiators. Glaber's wife, Ilythia also often spent time in the ludus and became close to Lucretia. Lucretia however, did not favour her presence especially when she laid eyes on Crixus (Lucretia's lover). Lichinia, the cousin of the richest person in Roman Republic, Marcus fancied Spartacus and wanted to sleep with him. In the mean time, Ilythia wanted to sleep with Crixus too. Lucretia refused and secretly exchanged the partners for this lustful desire. Ilythia slept with Spartacus whom she hated the most. Both were wearing mask when they had sex. Lucretia wanted to teach Ilythia a lesson. Lichinia laughed at Ilythia which made Ilythia to kill Lichinia. Lichinia's murder was kept a secret by both Lucretia and Batiatus. They gave good hospitality to Ilythia so that in return, Ilythia would persuade her husband, Glaber to give power and patronage to Batiatus. On the other hand, an exhibition was performed by both Varro and Spartacus to please Numerius. The match was suppose to be friendly and no death was intended. However, Ilythia seduced Numerius and made him ordered Spartacus to kill Varro. Spartacus was reluctant to kill his brother but Varro consented to his own death. Spartacus had no choice and killed Varro in front of the public. Spartacus was devastated and Mira, a slave came to comfort him. Varro's wife, Aurelia confronted Spartacus if her husband perished under his sword. Spartacus admitted and Aurelia hated Spartacus for this. Spartacus also figured out from Aulus that Batiatus secretly ordered him to kill Sura on their way to Capua. Spartacus was in rage but kept to himself. He plotted to kill Batiatus and witness the fall of the house. His plan was revealed to Mira and Mira told him the Roman's rule. When a slave kills his master, the entire slaves of that particular master will be showered with blood-all other slaves will be killed by the Republic. Mira feared for her own life and also the other slaves'. Spartacus did not heed her advice and proceeded to kill Batiatus. His plan was delayed when Aurelia condemned herself to slavery in the House of Batiatus to clear the debts. Spartacus promised Varro that he will take good care of his family and if he killed the master alone, Aurelia will be killed together with other slaves. He had second thoughts and gathered the other gladiators, persuading them to join him in his plot. Lucretia found out that she was pregnant with Crixus' child. On the other hand, Naevia and Crixus relationship was known to both Batiatus and Lucretia. Lucretia was mad and sold Naevia to another master while Crixus was punished. Crixus was devastated for his lover's departure and to reunite with her, he wanted to become the best gladiator and then gain his freedom to hold Naevia in his arms again. Spartacus told him that the same fate will only falls on him where Batiatus might secretly order for Naevia's death. Spartacus also asked Mira's favour to open the door for them to enter the villa and in return of Mira's help, Mira wanted Spartacus to sleep with her. Batiatus wanted Spartacus to win Crixus and eventually kill him in the fight for having affair with Lucretia. Lucretia wanted the same as she knew this man had no heart for her. Thus, they poisoned Crixus' food and during the fight, Crixus grew weak. Spartacus convinced Crixus that they should rebel their masters since they poisoned him and wanted him dead. Crixus agreed and the rebel began. Doctore first stood against them but later Crixus told him that Spartacus' wife was murdered and the rebel was a vengeance. Doctore later joined the rebellion. The men invaded the villa and slayed all the notable people present. Aurelia later confronted Numerius if he had ordered for Varro's death. Numerius, not knowing the relationship of Aurelia and Varro, admitted. Aurelia took a knife and stabbed Numerius multiple times, ending the life of that boy. Crixus asked Lucretia of Naevia's where about but Lucretia refused to reveal. When he wanted to kill Lucretia, she begged him to spare her life for the sake of their unborn child and what Crixus said made me laugh. He said
"I would rather him dead than to suckle your breast"
His sword pierced through her womb, killing the unborn child and severely wounded her. Ilythia asked her men to seal the door and left her society friends to their fate. Batiatus was surrounded by slaves with the entire high-class people in the house dead. Spartacus then killed him in front of his wife. Spartacus told the men that they are now free and can forge their own path or join him, to make the Romans tremble. In the end of season finale, the slaves both men and women broke through the gate of ludus, claiming themselves free.
The series is really interesting and especially the season finale, everything was revealed and the antagonists deserved their fate. I will ask for Season 2 from my roommate...haha...goodnight.
Spartacus, Crixus and Varro
Sura
Aurelia
Naevia
Batiatus
Mira
Ilythia
Doctore
Lucretia (top) Glaber (below)
Numerius
Magistrate Calavius
"I would rather him dead than to suckle your breast"
His sword pierced through her womb, killing the unborn child and severely wounded her. Ilythia asked her men to seal the door and left her society friends to their fate. Batiatus was surrounded by slaves with the entire high-class people in the house dead. Spartacus then killed him in front of his wife. Spartacus told the men that they are now free and can forge their own path or join him, to make the Romans tremble. In the end of season finale, the slaves both men and women broke through the gate of ludus, claiming themselves free.
The series is really interesting and especially the season finale, everything was revealed and the antagonists deserved their fate. I will ask for Season 2 from my roommate...haha...goodnight.
Thursday, 10 May 2012
Salem Witch Trials-The Truth
Salem witch trials, sound familiar to you? This was the event than happened in the year 1692 where a lot of women were accused as being witches. It happened in a town called Salem, England. Those women were detained in prison and later brought before the magistrates where the trials were held. Witchcraft has always been considered as evil in many cultures so was the European's. These accused women would then be sentenced to death where the common way of dying was to be burned at stake or hanged to death. The men will lit the fire and watch the accused women burned alive, screaming for the piercing pain, pleading for mercy and finally, what was left were the remains of dead innocent women. Ever since then, the people have been aware and advise their children not to go out at night for fear of witches. However, after more than 300 years, the scientists finally revealed the truth to these so-called-witches. No magic was involved but just a minute organism, Claviceps purpurea, a kind of fungus. When I learned about Claviceps in my last sem in the course of Fundamentals of Microbiology, I was amazed and shocked to see how this fungus brought about an influential superstitious and claimed the lives of many innocent women. Yes, this fungus infects human and when humans are infected, the medical condition is termed ergot poisoning. Humans with ergot poisoning will have common symptoms-throw up and hysteria. Unfortunately, this was what the Salem people saw as witches behaviour. The women behaved the same and had hysteria. Back then, Claviceps infected the grain and this grain was made as rye bread, a common food for the Salems. Many women had this bread for their meals and the ergot poisoning spread among the women which many saw it as a spread of withcraft. These patients were wrongly accused and were sentenced to death despite suffering from ergot poisoning. The cruel act and highly superstitious people back then made me realized that the lack of knowledge really condemn one to damnation. The belief of witches existence lasted for centuries and even now, people still believe witches exist. Let me tell you, you have been conned and the one who conned and also blinded us for centuries is actually something that you cant even see-a fungus.
The examination of an accused 'witch'
The burning of 'witches' at stake
Accused 'witches' were hanged to death
Wednesday, 9 May 2012
Midvalley Megamall
Went to Midvalley Megamall with my roommate, Seng Zian and his friend, Qian Wei. All 3 of us agreed to meet up as FST aka Faculty of Science and Technology. Reached Midvalley around 1pm and we headed for our lunch. Seng Zian had not have his breakfast and decided to have brunch instead. I lead them to The Gardens where we ordered porridge for our lunch. Zian and Wei praised the delicacy and said it was healthy. It is indeed. The purpose of me going to Midvalley was to buy a pair of new shoes and also a solution to immerse my contact lenses. Went over to Adidas shop and the shoes were out of my budget and thus, we went to New Balance. The brand strongly recommended by Zian because he is now wearing NB shoes. A pair of brown shoes caught my attention and when I tried them on, really match me. The promoter even grinned at said they look nice on you. A typical statement a promoter would made, I said to myself. However, I really find that shoes nice and comfortable to wear so, with MYR 159, I bought the shoes without hesitations. After that went over to Watson to buy the solution and in just an hur or so, I had my stuffs bought. Wei and Zian suggested to play snooker and so, there we went. We played for only one round and as amateurs, we just simply hit the snooker balls for the sake of fun. Then, we went over to Snowflakes and ordered 3 bowls of Grass Jelly Bestseller. Kinda nice but the taste was simply plain and not that bombastic. Haha. During our cruise, we saw 3 stars. 2 locals and one Singaporean. The Singaporean was Chen Han Wei, a Mediacorp actor. He was wearing sunglasses, a cap and sleeveless black shirt. I noticed and recognized him at the first glance. Then the other 2 local stars were Lee Ming Shun's brother, Lee Ming Zhong and his girlfriend Aenie. I did not go and ask them for signature. First, Im not their big fan and secondly, I respect them to have their own privacy. After hours of walking, we found it bored and went over to the Shilin Street Stall, had XXL Crispy Chicken for snacks before heading back. On our way back, we saw a gay couple near the Midvalley exit. One had brownish hair and another was wearing glasses, quite fair. The spec-wearing guy was placing his fingers on the mouth of the brown hair guy. We managed to eavesdrop when we passed.
Brown guy: "Okay, I promised you I wont cry. Love you"
Spec guy : "Love you"
We looked at each other, shocked to see them so daring to confess their love in the public. Zian seemed to be disturbed by the scene. Haha, i think he felt disgusted. Alright, thats all for now. Signing off, readers.
Brown guy: "Okay, I promised you I wont cry. Love you"
Spec guy : "Love you"
We looked at each other, shocked to see them so daring to confess their love in the public. Zian seemed to be disturbed by the scene. Haha, i think he felt disgusted. Alright, thats all for now. Signing off, readers.
My Mother
Hello everyone, Im back again to my very blog. This time I will blog about my mother. This year's Mother's Day falls on 13th of May, the second Sunday of the month. I have lovely parents and I will blog about my father next time. I have a very dedicated and loving mother. Our age gap is 30 years and she is 51 years old this year. My mother told me the story of her younger days, how she started to work and how she met my father. My mother is the second child out of 8 children. She has an elder sister, 2 younger sisters and 4 younger brothers. Raised in Sitiawan, Perak, my maternal grandparents were poor and they lived in a wooden small house. My maternal grandfather used to own a coffee shop but later closed it. He went to work in the flour factory near Segari and support the family. My grandmother is a kind and loving lady. She raised the children with discipline. To meet dead ends, she worked in the rubber estates to earn extra income. My mother had her primary education only and so was my eldest aunt. Being elder sisters, my maternal grandmother took both of them to work in the estates. My mother did not complain for not receiving enough education as she knew, she has 6 other siblings to raise. As early as 12 or 13 years old, she would follow my grandmother and aunt to the estate before the sun rose to tap rubber trees. She helped out the household chores when she got back from the estate, she would help to cook and took care of the younger siblings. The work in estate lasted for a few years and when she was 18 years old, she decided to go work in the city. She had been working in many sectors so she is a very experience lady. She worked in the fabric factory in the day and learned how to sew clothes at night. She stayed in the hostel provided and made some friends. Her determination to earn money did not stop in the factory. She looked for part time job to work in the weekends too. She had been a waitress in a restaurant and learned some tricks in beauty center too. She later graduated in the school of tailoring and proficient in sewing clothes. All these works were done in Ipoh, my birthplace. She went to KL to work for 2 years too. She told me that she became a housekeeper and also a babysitter in a kinda-wealthy family. However, she did not like the life in KL and decided to go back to Ipoh before continuing where she left off. In her stay in Ipoh, she had a few gal friends and those friends had a few male friends. One of those male friends was my father. Handsome and suave. My mother was pretty too, giving birth to 3 beautiful sisters. Its not that I exaggerated but my paternal grandmother once told me that my mother was beautiful and there were a few men wanted to date her but she turned them down. My maternal grandmother wanted my mother to attend speed dating with guys in her village-fishermen, rubber tappers etc but my mother insisted of finding her own love. Then, she found my father. They started out as friends and later got attracted to each other. My father would ask her to go for movies and brisk walk, often fetching her with his motorcycle. They dated for a mere 1 year. One day, my father suddenly asked my mother...
Father:"Lets get married"
Mother:"Okay"
You see, the proposal was not as romantic as you see in the movies, my father just said it brief and crystal clear and my mother's answer was direct too. When two people already love each other and knew they are life partners for each other, no sweet talk or romantic proposal were needed. They both knew they are right for each other so why talk more? Then, they both got married at the age of 25. My mother lived with my paternal family after they got married and had my eldest sister, Kay. After 3 years, my second sister, Yen. Then my father and paternal grandfather were offered a job in Sitiawan. They moved to Sitiawan to stay for months. My parents and my sisters stayed in my maternal grandparents' house while my paternal grandfather insisted on renting a house nearby to stay. After that, they moved back to Ipoh and my mother suggested to move out of the paternal house they were staying as the family members were growing. Looked everywhere and finally decided to settle down in Bercham. Bercham back then was a remote area. My house used to face a large field, infested with crickets and toads that sound so loud at night. Now Bercham turned into a busy center. During the first year stay in the new house, my mother had me. When she went for ultra sound, the doctor told her the baby was a girl. SWEAT!!!!!!! Therefore, everyone in the family expected a girl on the date of my arrival! Thus, on 3rd June 1991, my mother was on labour. She gave birth to me in Poliklinik Hospital Ipoh. The nurse who carried me told my parents that I am a boy. Both were shocked. Thus, I became the only grandson in the Yip family before the arrival of another 2 male cousins by my 2 uncles respectively. 2 years later, my mother had my youngest sister, Eloise and he told my father she did not wanna conceive anymore. The member of six live happily under the same roof in Bercham until all children reach their adulthood. My mother had been sewing clothes for tailor shops in Ipoh to help my father raise us. My father would work from morning until evening every weekdays. Thanks to them, we grew happily and healthy. My parents always told us that education is very important and since they could not have it in their younger days, they want us to succeed in education. She always tell us that without education, we would have to work hard in life. They want us to live in ease. All parents in the world love their children with their heart. Before i end, I would like to say Happy Mother's Day to my mother. Thank you and I will always choose you and father as my parents in my future lives.
My parents, happily together for 26 years already...HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!
Father:"Lets get married"
Mother:"Okay"
You see, the proposal was not as romantic as you see in the movies, my father just said it brief and crystal clear and my mother's answer was direct too. When two people already love each other and knew they are life partners for each other, no sweet talk or romantic proposal were needed. They both knew they are right for each other so why talk more? Then, they both got married at the age of 25. My mother lived with my paternal family after they got married and had my eldest sister, Kay. After 3 years, my second sister, Yen. Then my father and paternal grandfather were offered a job in Sitiawan. They moved to Sitiawan to stay for months. My parents and my sisters stayed in my maternal grandparents' house while my paternal grandfather insisted on renting a house nearby to stay. After that, they moved back to Ipoh and my mother suggested to move out of the paternal house they were staying as the family members were growing. Looked everywhere and finally decided to settle down in Bercham. Bercham back then was a remote area. My house used to face a large field, infested with crickets and toads that sound so loud at night. Now Bercham turned into a busy center. During the first year stay in the new house, my mother had me. When she went for ultra sound, the doctor told her the baby was a girl. SWEAT!!!!!!! Therefore, everyone in the family expected a girl on the date of my arrival! Thus, on 3rd June 1991, my mother was on labour. She gave birth to me in Poliklinik Hospital Ipoh. The nurse who carried me told my parents that I am a boy. Both were shocked. Thus, I became the only grandson in the Yip family before the arrival of another 2 male cousins by my 2 uncles respectively. 2 years later, my mother had my youngest sister, Eloise and he told my father she did not wanna conceive anymore. The member of six live happily under the same roof in Bercham until all children reach their adulthood. My mother had been sewing clothes for tailor shops in Ipoh to help my father raise us. My father would work from morning until evening every weekdays. Thanks to them, we grew happily and healthy. My parents always told us that education is very important and since they could not have it in their younger days, they want us to succeed in education. She always tell us that without education, we would have to work hard in life. They want us to live in ease. All parents in the world love their children with their heart. Before i end, I would like to say Happy Mother's Day to my mother. Thank you and I will always choose you and father as my parents in my future lives.
Thursday, 3 May 2012
New Tune Live Performance XV
I just came back from a great concert organized by New Tune, a musical group in UKM. My roommate, Zian went to the gym with me before that. We worked out for almost 2 hours before hitting the shower and went for dinner. Made our way to the grand hall, DECTAR just at the back of our hostel and a walking distance too. Saw quite a number of people turning up. The reason for me to watch this concert was that 2 of my friends were involved, Francis and Grace. We waited anxiously at the main entrance, waiting for the arrival of other friends. Rebecca miscalled me and when I return her call, she told me she had arrived. Zian and I went separately to sit with our coursemates but ended up, Zian and his mates sat in the front row from ours. Shortly after that, Jonathan joined us and Ong and Edwin reached the hall. Edwin asked me to lead him the way to the place we sat so I did. The guest of honour invited was Ong Tee Keat, the former MCA president. Several other universities sent their representatives to attend this concert, building up mutual respect among local universities. The universities were Malaya University, Malaysia Putra University and Multimedia University. The crowd was mixed with outsiders and UKM students. As we had expected, the performance started only after speeches were given. We were first greeted by dance performance and the dance was amazing. The maneuver was uniform and creative. From the performances, I could see that some people I know got involved and I never thought they could sing, dance and even play musical instruments. Thus, never judge a book by its cover. Francis was the guitarist and he performed in 8 shows. He look handsome and suave when he played guitar, charmed the audience especially the females. Francis is a good-looking lad and add to his music talent, he was full of charisma. The performances had the singer as the center of attention but my attention turned to Francis. I was proud to tell my friends that Francis is my friend. Then, it was Grace's time to perform. She composed the song herself, entitled 'The Last Summer' and both Edwin and I were thrilled to see her performing on the stage. Suits her name, she was full of grace when she sang, played guitar at the same time. Both Edwin and I waved our glowing sticks in the air to support her. Jonathan and Ong did not follow for fear of embarrassment. Rebecca did follow, but constantly put down her glowing stick, not synchronizing with our movements. When Grace had her performance ended, I had arm pain for waving too long (non stop). The emcees of the night were hilarious and cheered the crowds with their funny advertisements. Time passed so fast that it was 1030pm when the show was over. Overall, New Tune Live Performance was a success and I congratulate the members for being so dedicated and brought an amazing performance to us. Really beyond words. Well done, the tickets are worth it.
The guy in white jacket is Francis...
Wednesday, 2 May 2012
An Old Lady's Poem
When I was reading stories online, I came across this story entitled 'An Old Lady's Poem'. This story happened long time ago when an old lady, died in a geriatric ward of a small hospital in Dundee, Scotland. The nurse who came to pack her belongings, read this poem and it was soon copied and distributed to the rest of the nurses in the hospital. A nurse went to Ireland and took a copy with her. The old lady's sole possession-the poem soon appeared in Christmas edition of the News Magazine of the North. Here goes the poem...
AN OLD LADY'S POEM
What do you see, nurses, what do you see?
What are you thinking when you're looking at me?
A crabby old woman, not very wise,
Uncertain of habit, with faraway eyes?
Who dribbles her food and makes no reply""
Who seems not to notice the things that you do,
And forever is losing a stocking or shoe....
Who, resisting or not, lets you do as you will,
With bathing and feeding, the long day to fill....
Then open your eyes, nurse; you're not looking at me.
I'll tell you who I am as I sit here so still,
As I do at your bidding, as I eat at your will.
I'm a small child of ten...with a father ! and mother,
Brothers and sisters, who love one another.
A young girl of sixteen, with wings on her feet,
Dreaming that soon now a lover she'll meet.
A bride soon at twenty--my heart gives a leap,
Remembering the vows that I promised to keep.
At twenty-five now, I have young of my own,
Who need me to guide and a secure happy home.
A woman of thirty, my young now grown fast,
Bound to each other with ties that should last.
At forty, my young sons have grown and are gone,
But my man's beside me to see I don't mourn.
At fifty once more, babies play around my knee,
Again we know children, my loved one and me.
Dark days are upon me, my husband is dead;
I look at the future, I shudder with dread.
For my young are all rearing young of their own,
And I think of the years and the love that I've known.
I'm now an old woman....and nature is cruel;
Tis jest to make old age look like a fool.
The body, it crumbles, grace and vigor depart,
There is now a stone where I once had a heart.
But inside this old carcass a young girl still dwells,
And now and again my battered heart swells.
I remember the joys, I remember the pain,
And I'm loving and living life over again.
I think of the years....all too few, gone too fast,
And accept the stark fact that nothing can last.
So open your eyes, nurses, open and see,
...Not a crabby old woman; look closer...see ME!!
A typical story that happens to most of the elderly people in their golden age. When you think that the old folks are not listening to you or have lost their senses, think again...they still feel and always reminisced the past. If you have noticed, the old lady also said in the poem that she did not get nice treatments from the nurses...nurses thought of her as an old hag and demanded her to eat and did at their will. A common treatment in the old folks home. Never abandon your parents in this way.
It is a great poem to me.
AN OLD LADY'S POEM
What do you see, nurses, what do you see?
What are you thinking when you're looking at me?
A crabby old woman, not very wise,
Uncertain of habit, with faraway eyes?
Who dribbles her food and makes no reply""
Who seems not to notice the things that you do,
And forever is losing a stocking or shoe....
Who, resisting or not, lets you do as you will,
With bathing and feeding, the long day to fill....
Then open your eyes, nurse; you're not looking at me.
I'll tell you who I am as I sit here so still,
As I do at your bidding, as I eat at your will.
I'm a small child of ten...with a father ! and mother,
Brothers and sisters, who love one another.
A young girl of sixteen, with wings on her feet,
Dreaming that soon now a lover she'll meet.
A bride soon at twenty--my heart gives a leap,
Remembering the vows that I promised to keep.
At twenty-five now, I have young of my own,
Who need me to guide and a secure happy home.
A woman of thirty, my young now grown fast,
Bound to each other with ties that should last.
At forty, my young sons have grown and are gone,
But my man's beside me to see I don't mourn.
At fifty once more, babies play around my knee,
Again we know children, my loved one and me.
Dark days are upon me, my husband is dead;
I look at the future, I shudder with dread.
For my young are all rearing young of their own,
And I think of the years and the love that I've known.
I'm now an old woman....and nature is cruel;
Tis jest to make old age look like a fool.
The body, it crumbles, grace and vigor depart,
There is now a stone where I once had a heart.
But inside this old carcass a young girl still dwells,
And now and again my battered heart swells.
I remember the joys, I remember the pain,
And I'm loving and living life over again.
I think of the years....all too few, gone too fast,
And accept the stark fact that nothing can last.
So open your eyes, nurses, open and see,
...Not a crabby old woman; look closer...see ME!!
A typical story that happens to most of the elderly people in their golden age. When you think that the old folks are not listening to you or have lost their senses, think again...they still feel and always reminisced the past. If you have noticed, the old lady also said in the poem that she did not get nice treatments from the nurses...nurses thought of her as an old hag and demanded her to eat and did at their will. A common treatment in the old folks home. Never abandon your parents in this way.
It is a great poem to me.
My Younger Sister
Something urged me to blog about my younger sister today, Eloise. 19 years old, young and currently doing her Foundation in Arts in UTAR. She has always been our concern since she is the youngest and a baby sister to Kay, Yen and I. I would say that she and I quarreled the most back in the younger days over trivial matters. Trivial matters include who will feed the tortoise? Who will make the bed? Who will do the dishes and so on. She and I share the same physical features. In fact, all of us do. We have the same big round brown eyes inherited from my mother. The similar face bone structure, nose and lips shape. Many said I share the most resemblance with Yen and Eloise. There was one time when Yen and I were sitting in the foodcourt and a lady who was selling noodles came to us, pretended to wipe table and asked us...are we twin? We were both shocked and found it funny to be asked that way, we replied no and our year gap is 1 year. Kay and I look almost the same too even though she has smaller face and I must say, a slimmer body already. The recent event that made me wanna blog about Eloise was that a friend of mine, Alex could tell that she is my sister without introducing who I was in the conversation. Holy, to the extend? Well, she was at the SMI Centennial Fun Fair when a friend of hers, Joey, introduced her to Alex. Alex could tell that we are siblings by looking at her face. When he told me this, I was a bit taken aback...really? to such an extend? I told myself. Honestly, I must say that all my 3 sisters are pretty ladies and when someone said I resemble them, I am kinda proud. Thanks to my parents who gave me beautiful sisters. The lower left pic is me and the lower right pic is Eloise.
See any resemblance between us? Just 2 years gap...
Being a brother, I must say that I am protective over my sisters. Growing up with ladies for the last 21 years made me sensitive when it comes to manner. Not to praise myself but I do find myself to have the tendency to wait for the girls who are left behind when walking. I will just wait for them to catch up before I proceed. Maybe majority of guys do the same but I do find out that some of my friends who happen to be guys, will not wait for the girls even though they are left behind. To me, it is very rude. Well, sometimes they do wait but only for pretty ladies. Guys who leave girls behind are not courteous. Eloise occasionally attracts swarm of 'bees'. Let me get things straight, I dun like guys to approach my sisters. I know some of you reading this might be my friends but I just wanna make things clear. She is my younger sister and as an elder brother, I am obliged to protect her so I will easily get discomfort when guys approach her and ask for her number. Well, I dun go hit the guys but I will listen to what she says about the boys she meet. Obviously I cannot control her social circle but I stalk the anonymous guys who try to approach her on Facebook. If Kay, Yen and I dislike the guy or feel that he has something else on mind, we will advise her to stay away from him. I have friends who added her on Facebook without my knowledge too which somehow made me uncomfortable when I found out. It is ok if she is not harassed in any ways but I just feel unease at first. I am not so worried for Kay and Yen. Kay is mature enough to think of her own and choose her life partner and Yen is a solid-type material. She doesnt fall for anyone's trick easily. I must say, she is the toughest sister in the family. On the other hand, Eloise is always the youngest and prone-to-be-protected in our eyes especially our parents'. My parents have always asked us to keep an eye on her as elder sisters and brother. In conclusion, I am not protecting her to the extend of limiting her social circle but I am easily get discomfort when someone tries to approach her. When she joined my friends and I in an outing, I kept her a distance away from my friends. Need not to be so close to someone you just knew, time will tell.
See any resemblance between us? Just 2 years gap...
Being a brother, I must say that I am protective over my sisters. Growing up with ladies for the last 21 years made me sensitive when it comes to manner. Not to praise myself but I do find myself to have the tendency to wait for the girls who are left behind when walking. I will just wait for them to catch up before I proceed. Maybe majority of guys do the same but I do find out that some of my friends who happen to be guys, will not wait for the girls even though they are left behind. To me, it is very rude. Well, sometimes they do wait but only for pretty ladies. Guys who leave girls behind are not courteous. Eloise occasionally attracts swarm of 'bees'. Let me get things straight, I dun like guys to approach my sisters. I know some of you reading this might be my friends but I just wanna make things clear. She is my younger sister and as an elder brother, I am obliged to protect her so I will easily get discomfort when guys approach her and ask for her number. Well, I dun go hit the guys but I will listen to what she says about the boys she meet. Obviously I cannot control her social circle but I stalk the anonymous guys who try to approach her on Facebook. If Kay, Yen and I dislike the guy or feel that he has something else on mind, we will advise her to stay away from him. I have friends who added her on Facebook without my knowledge too which somehow made me uncomfortable when I found out. It is ok if she is not harassed in any ways but I just feel unease at first. I am not so worried for Kay and Yen. Kay is mature enough to think of her own and choose her life partner and Yen is a solid-type material. She doesnt fall for anyone's trick easily. I must say, she is the toughest sister in the family. On the other hand, Eloise is always the youngest and prone-to-be-protected in our eyes especially our parents'. My parents have always asked us to keep an eye on her as elder sisters and brother. In conclusion, I am not protecting her to the extend of limiting her social circle but I am easily get discomfort when someone tries to approach her. When she joined my friends and I in an outing, I kept her a distance away from my friends. Need not to be so close to someone you just knew, time will tell.
Tuesday, 1 May 2012
USS5 class of 2010
Got admitted into LSS5 in the year 2009 to proceed my Form 6. Then, got to know so many cool people and got so close. Males are like my brothers and females, my sisters. I must say that my relationship with them in the Lower 6 had not start to develop, only in Upper Six, we were so close. The board was Hans as Monitor, Penguin as assistant and me as the Treasurer. Hans sat at my left hand side and Tai would be on my right. Hans always sleep in the class especially Chemistry. Back then, our Form Teacher, Ms Wong was our Chemistry teacher and everytime Chemistry class gonna start, Hans would be telling me that he would be sleeping and asked me to cover for him. He would have his Chemistry book standing 90 degree on his desk and he slept behind the book. I of course did not tell anyone because we were sitting at the last row. Ms Wong thought that Hans was reading Chemistry with immense interest that he did not concentrate in her class. On the other hand, Tai is a bright student, he would only choose subjects to sleep on especially Maths and General Paper. Sitting next to Tai was Chua, a Chemistry-obsessed friend. I must say his Chemistry is better than mine. Sat next to the left hand side of Hans were Kishenthi and Mee Yee. Both were like a twin, always together wherever they went. To the toilet and to the foodcourt. In the 2nd row, lets start with Thava, the person who sat at the far left hand side, followed by Kin Mun, the friend with his constant laugh at perverted jokes. Then, our Penguin who was the only girl get sandwiched between boys. She found it awkward too sometimes but the feeling just fade when we got so close. penguin is currently at AIMST, going to do dentistry. Yay, next time free tooth treatment from her. Next to Penguin was Kelvin, the friend who fetched me to and from school. We live very near to each other and we always went back together. The advantage of sitting in his car was that you get to listen to so many K-pop songs and trendy clubbing songs. Next to Kelvin was Fox and Kah Loon. Both also very close to us and we constantly joke over perverted stuffs. Made the whole class laugh like hell until the next class would be wondering what happened. In the first row, lets start with Ean Yi, she was always with Cherry and then Eli. All 3 were from RPS aka Raja Perempuan School and made a trio. Same like Kishenthi and Mee Yee, the trio always go to the toilet and foodcourt together. Then, next to them was Peck Yee, the flower of the class. I must say, majority of the boys in the class had crush on her excluding me. Lolx. Now, she is happily attached to someone from the next class, a handsome one too. Next to Peck Yee was Nantaa and both of us had slight misunderstanding during those days so I will spare the story from being blogged. The last 2 girls sitting at the right hand side were Wei Yee and Jia Min. Both from JPP and were close too. Although our class isnt the world-class type and kinda hot especially in the afternoon, we remained in good terms and must say we were the world class students. Lol...the condition we were studying was not conducive, i must say. On the left hand side was windows painted black in colour because it was facing East and whenever the sun rises, we would be frowning and rushed to close the windows...sorta like vampires. Only afternoon arrived, we would open the windows and we never had our fan turned to the lowest speed. Our class was kinda isolated and the door was located at the rear right. Those days when moderator or teachers came into our class, we somehow din know and most of the time, we were caught making noise and when the stern look was given, we remained silence abruptly. I still remember my Biology teacher, Pn Alice and she loved to wear accessories on her wrist and ankles with little bells hanging. Her presence was the easiest to detect because whenever she came, we would hear bells ringing from far. The initially noisy class turned down the volume and Alice always find us quiet. Sometimes, she would begin the class with 'What happened? Why so quiet?". We just giggle and din tell her about the pre-telling-bell-jingling she was carrying. There were many funny moments back then. I still remember when Hans alerted Pn Rosnah, our General Paper teacher about the extended time she had for her class. He said loudly but not as loud to be audible by the teacher. He said 'Teacher, your period is over'. just after the sentence, Mee Yee and I looked straight into his face and all 3 started giggling in the last row. Hans couldnt stop laughing and I added 'How did u know her period is over?'. We just kept laughing and the teacher had no clue. Another event was that when the class had no teacher, we made noise and drew the attention of Pn Tan. We heard footsteps and all kept quiet, looked to the end of the class to see who was coming. It turned out to be the trio and all shouteh 'Cheh'...The trio was surprised to see their arrival was greeted by everyone in the class. Few minutes later, footsteps were heard later and Tai who was sitting next to me thought it was someone else playing prank on us. He shouted 'Sau pei la' (save it in Cantonese). This time, it turned out to be Pn Tan. She was standing there, understanding the language, she smiled a bit and the whole class burst out in loud laughter Tai's expression was like Oh shit! Not to forget Mr Karu, the strictest teacher in the school and everyone was afraid of him. In fact, he was a very nice teacher and helpful. He helped me to apply for university when I asked for his favour. Never once he turn down on the students. Then, Mrs Yee aka Pn Choong Sau Han. the best Chemistry teacher in Form 6. Armed with decades of experience, unfortunately, we did not get her as our Chemistry teacher. She was teaching USS2 Chemistry and the rate of passing in that class was the highest with the most number of students scoring As. However, the class paid the price of having endless additional Chemistry classes even on holidays. Not a bad idea i thought but my fellow classmates were grateful. Lolx. I must thank her because although she did not teach me, she offered help in Chemistry by lending me books. Those books were limited and she reserved one for me. I was so motivated after she did that. I promised myself to get an A for Chemistry otherwise hers and Ms Wong's hope on me would be thrown far far away, I din wanna disappoint them. During my trial, I got 4Bs and the pointer was not even 3.0. I was so discouraged back then but Mrs Yee got to know of my downfall, she came to me and said 'Dont get discouraged by your marks, its not final yet. U still have STPM ahead on you' Honestly, those were the touching moments I had back in Form 6. The teacher was motivating the student not to give up easily and I was so grateful that I experience it. It is invaluable even until now, I still think of Mrs Yee. Her motivation encouraged me and I strive for the best. The days came when we sat for our STPM, the 3rd hardest paper(public exam) in the world. When result was announced, I got 2A and 2A-, pointer of 3.84, not full 4.0. Fortunately, my Chemistry, i got an A and also General paper, thanks to Mr Karu and Pn Fauziah. Just a bit close to A for my Biology and Maths. Kinda let down Miss Lau (my Maths tuition teacher) but she was happy for my result, she said its good. Till now, i still miss my fellow teachers and classmates. Those were the best moment in my life even though we had to sit for public exam and the stress level was super high. I remember I couldnt bear the stress level that I cried when revising for Chemistry. Those days were gone and I miss my Form 6 team. I love you guys so much.
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