I really MISS you

Whenever I look at the sky,....I will think of you, both of you. I used to address both of you as popo(婆婆） and gonggong(公公）. In just 10 years, I lost the two of you. The image of you both holding hands and watching over us from the heaven makes me calm and makes me think that the life is too short. I will treasure those beside me. Gonggong, during your funeral, I prayed that you will finally find popo in the afterlife. I really hope you did and at least, both of you will be reunited once more after 10 years separation. Gonggong, when I was a kid, honestly, I didnt like you. You have always given me the stern look and scoldings. You made me scared to go back to the village. However, ever since popo passed away, you were alone and were constantly in battle with disease. From a strict grandpa, you turned into an elder I paid attention to. I remember the place where we would meet was the hospital ward. The smell of the hospital, which ward you would be admitted and the direction to your ward were already embedded in my mind over the years. We heard you always grumbled on petty matters. Maybe that's how everyone would become in their golden age, including me. We knew you seek for attention from your children and also your grandchildren. Mom always went back to accompany you whenever she was free. You made mom as your favourite child and always told her your feelings. We knew you were in agony, in pain but we couldnt help much except to visit you from time to time. We were glad that we paid you visit when you were facing the final moment of your life. You left hurry in the afternoon on a Sunday and we were very closed to the hospital. Maybe popo came to fetch you and you left with her that day. We were acknowledged that you left the world alone. Maybe you chose to go alone, you didnt want to see us to shed tears for you. Most people only came back to see you during your funeral and Im glad that we constantly visited you. You have so many grandchildren and Im glad you remembered my name before you left. I asked myself, have I wronged you while you were still alive? I tried to think back if I have wronged you in any ways and Im so glad, I did not. Popo, I missed the gentle smile on your face, the woman who dedicated herself to the family, a woman expert in cooking and a woman busy on doing household chores. You had always been kind and gentle to all your grandchildren, forgave the wrongs they did. You made mom your favourite child and mom grew in resemblance to you. I saw you in her from time to time. I was too young when you passed away and I never had the chance to be a filial grandchild. Your sudden departure was really sad and I loved you for being so good to me. Your death made an impact in my life. Whenever I saw old lady cycling in the morning to go to the market, I thought of you. Thought of how hard was your life and how you managed to stood still in times of hardships. We learned of the hardships from mom and we really saw you as a heroine. I promised myself not to let anyone I love especially my parents to go through the hardships you did. I wanted my parents to live a luxury life and if you were still alive, I would have counted both you and gonggong in. That is why I study so hard to make my plan possible. I do not want my mom and dad to keep working until the end. I want them to enjoy their golden age with peace and comfort. See how you greatly influenced me? I always saw you as a cute grandmother and I always adored you when I was a kid. We are now separated by two different realms and I am sure, one day....all of us will be reunited again once more, to catch up where we left off. I love you both.

Yong Chun aka Wing Chun

Have you ever heard of wing chun? Yeah, it is one of the many martial arts originated from China. Some call it Yong Chun, some called Wing Chun...the names bring the same meaning which means Eternal Spring. Just that the former is in Mandarin, the latter in Cantonese. However, this martial art is more often being called Wing Chun because it was first practiced by Chinese in the Southern region, the Guangdong region where the Cantonese reside. This martial art was popularized by Bruce Lee and later the movies sequel called Ip Man 1 & 2. What is so unique of this martial art? Different from other martial arts, this art was created by a woman in the dynasty of Qing. Lets go through some history of this martial art. Following the destruction of Shaolin Temple by the Qing government, many Buddhist monks were killed and some fled from the massacre. The notable one who fled was Nun Ng Mui (Wu Mei). Some might ask what was a nun doing in Shaolin Temple since Shaolin was a place for monks. Nun Ng Mui was one of the 5 Elders of Shaolin and resided outside but close to the temple. She was one of very few who escaped the massacre. During that time, a young lady by the name of Yim Wing Chun who was 17 years old that time was forced into a marriage by a bandit. Her profession was to sell tofu to make a living and her beauty resulted in the forced marriage. However, she refused her hands in the marriage and the bandit told her that he would cancel the marriage if she could defeat him in a boxing competition. As a weak young girl, she sought help and finally went to Nun Ng Mui. The nun sympathized on her and created a boxing for her. This nameless boxing techniques were created by the observations on a confrontation between a snake and a crane. Yim learned the boxing from the nun and mastered the skills in no time. She defeated the bandit in the competition and got married with her lover, Leung Pak Tou. Later, she taught her skills to her husband and Leung named the boxing as Wing Chun. Followed by many disciples later on, the skills were improved and a system of a master-a disciple was created meaning this martial art was passed down from a master to a disciple only. When it came to Ip Man, he recruited a lot of disciples and one of them was Bruce Lee. After watching Wing Chun 1994 and Ip Man 1 & 2, I have the idea of learning this skill too to protect myself and for health maintainence. Perhaps I could learn it from Youtube. lol

27th Jan, Another Day to Remember

On 27th January, one of my kins, passed away. He is my maternal grandfather, who had been sick for years. Previously, my grandmother was taking care of him when he got sick at 40s. Ever since my grandmother passed away in a car accident 11 years ago, he had been living with one of my uncles. In these 11 years, he missed my grandmother dearly and his health worsened each year. My mother had been his favourite daughter. Whenever he was admitted to the hospital, he would call my mother to visit him on the weekends. The place where I live and the place where he stayed were separated by a distance that takes 1 hour and 30 minutes journey. We often went back to visit him and most of the time, we would be visiting him at hospital ward. A week before his death, we went back again to Sitiawan and visited him at Manjung Hospital. His condition worsened and had necrosis at his right leg. The doctor told us that he might have his leg amputated but his condition disallowed amputation. He was having pneumonia and later on sepsis that caused his blood pressure to drop, causing minimum blood flow to his leg and the tissue there began to die. It was heart breaking to see him in this condition. My mother insisted to keep his leg since we knew it was almost his time to leave. My mother said he would be devastated to have his leg amputated before leaving this world. The last time I saw him was when I bid farewell to him before leaving the ward. I hold on his hands and said my goodbye. Never did I know that that was my last farewell to him. Few days later, my aunt called and asked us to come back because grandpa was unstable but due to our busy preparation for Chinese New Year, we decided to go back only on Sunday. The Sunday finally came and we hit the road later as usual we would have. We only hit the road at noon and I was asleep in the car. My mother's handphone rang and woke me up. My aunt was on the line and she was sobbing. My mother asked if my grandpa is gone and slowly, she replied a positive answer. Later, my mother told us grandpa had left. Deep inside, I knew that this would happen and at the same time, was sad too. We arrived at the hospital and my father said that we would have seen him for the last time if we hit the road earlier. I waited for my father as he had to use the loo while my mother and sisters went first. When my father and I were walking towards the ward, we saw my mother was talking to my sobbing grandaunt. She is the sister to my grandfather and had been visiting my late grandpa everyday ever since he was admitted. In the ward, we saw white blanket covering a figure and beneath the blanket, it was my grandpa. We broke down and asked the maid what really happened. She told us that my grandpa died at 2:28pm. He wanted to take his medicine and when she came back with water, he was already stopped breathing. My grandpa was later transferred to morgue and we had to settle the remaining procedure. Other relatives arrived too but they did not shed tears. Only when my grandpa was transferred into coffin, they had watery eyes. My mother cried out loud at the corridor, mourning for the loss of her father. My grandpa was then transported to my uncle's house where he remained there until he was buried. My father drove my sisters and I home but my mother remained there. We were to pack our things and to come back the next day for funeral processions. My eldest sister came back from Kuantan to pay her last respect. My grandpa was holding a high position in the Ghee Hin Group, a Chinese Triad group in Malaysia. 100 triads came to his funeral to pay their last respect and his position was to be taken over by someone else. Banners from Malaysian Chinese Association and different triad gangs hung all over the tent. The funeral procession lasted from 6pm on 28th Jan to 3am on 29th Jan. When it ended, I did not rest and continued to burn the offerings for my grandpa until 6am in the morning. When I could not take it anymore, I slept for 2 hours and woke up at 8am. On 29th January, we proceeded to the graveyard on the hill and grandpa was buried next to my grandma. At the moment, I was relieved because he could be with grandma in the afterlife and free himself from enduring the pain of illness. Rest in peace, grandpa. Hope you can finally find grandma and live with her again.

William, Rest in Peace

The news of William Yau Zhen Zhong went missing on 16th January 2013 became the center of local media. A search for this poor 6 years old boy was conducted nationwide for days and his parents even offered reward for those who could find their son. William, who was the second son of the Yau family, went missing on the mentioned date when his parents went to electrical appliance store while leaving their three children in the car. William went to look for his parents and disappeared thereafter. His older brother who is only 7 years old did not manage to stop his younger brother. His parents were seen as reckless and careless for leaving their children unattended in the car. However, we feel sorry for what had happened to them and they must have worried sick for their son, wandering aimlessly on the road for almost a week with no food and shelter. What if William was abducted and sold to neighbouring countries by syndicates? His parents grieved everyday, praying for their son to return safe and sound. However, the reality is always cruel. William was found dead in the river near Port Klang with his body highly decomposed. What really happened to him is not known and many assumptions had been made. Was it some psycho that killed him or did he die from an accident? I dont know what really happened to this poor boy. If it was human doings, how could they lay their fingers on this innocent boy. According to the level of decomposition, William was already dead for almost a week. It was most probably that he died soon after he went missing and when the search was conducted, no one actually saw him as he was already in the river. How he died and ended up in the river? I am sure that his family is dying to know the answer. Let us pray for this poor boy and hope that he rest in peace, and also pray for his family to endure the pain of losing their beloved one. William, you are at a better place now. If it was some psycho who did this to you, dont worry as you will not die in vain. There is karma and those who responsible for your death will be severely punished.

Listen 姐

The word Listen 姐 is familiar to all Malaysians especially the Chinese community. The Chinese called her Sister Listen, what an odd name? This lady got her nickname after she gained her popularity on Youtube. Her real name is Sharifah Zohra Jabeen, the president of a non-government organization which is Suara Wanita 1 Malaysia (SW1M) or One Malaysia Women's Voice. On 8th December 2012, she was invited to Universiti Utara Malaysia(UUM) or Malaysia Northern University for a political talk. At the end of the talk, she was questioned by a brave Indian girl from the Law Faculty. Her name is Bawani. Bawani highlighted why is free education not given to Malaysians up to degree level whereas other countries can. She also asked Sharifah why the tax could not afford to cover education fee so that free education is available. When she was debating in great passion, Sharifah stepped forward and asked her to stop but Bawani refused to stop as she had not finish her questions. Sharifah said " Listen, Listen, Listen..." to Bawani for 10 times before taking the microphone away from Bawani. Then she shook hand with Bawani and thanked her for her questions. Later, she asked the audience if she had given her respect by shaking her hands. She told Bawani not to compare Malaysia with other countries and if she was to compare, what is she doing in Malaysia? She also told Bawani not only human beings have problem but other animals as well. She gave so many irrelevant examples to Bawani but Bawani was not able to talk back because she ha no microphone. She also said that Bawani did not respect her by asking questions in rude manner and that the talk was her program. Sharifah also pointed out that Bawani had to listen to her as she had a Degree and Bawani only in Diploma level. Finally, she said Bawani had very least of education. Bawani could not say a word and just grinned as her counter to Sharifah. Bawani left the spot and went back to her seat. The atmosphere was tense and after a month, the video was uploaded to Youtube. The short clip caused a lot of negative feedback especially from local undergraduates. Many universities' representative asked Sharifah to apologize to Bawani in public. Namewee made a video to this debate after watching this on Youtube. He spoke in Manglish which only locals and Singaporeans understand.



 Sharifah Zohra Jabeen




Bawani KS

Im Back

Its been a while since i last posted on this blog. Something was wrong with my lappy and I couldnt access to Blogspot. Just formatted my lappy and now, have the chance to update my blog. Time flies really fast and I completed my first semester of my second year. Now, back at home and waiting to celebrate Chinese New Year next month. The break is nly one month long and after that, will be going back to UKM for my second sem to commence. My sisters bought me a pull up bar where I can transform my body during this break and the result is quite satisfying. Sigh, belly fat is hard to loose...Anyway, a new picture of myself to compensate for my long absence from this blog.