The 7th Day Memorial

Last Chinese New Year, I blogged here about how the 6th day dragged into the 7th day and how my hero, my father fought bravely till the end at the emergency room of the KLGH.

This picture came to mind after the memorial lunch, when I sat in the dining room of our ancestral home where Papa spent alot of his years, growing up and growing old. I gazed around the simple room, it's walls filled with old photos of grandfather and Papa in various portraits, poses and official events when I spotted this one featuring Indiana Jones in The Temple of Doom but photoshopped in place of his face was my father's. He had gotten it done when he visited Universal Studios in California. He loved it enough to hang in on the wall and as I reflect on my Papa on the first anniversary of his death, he was sort of an Indy in our lives.

Apart from wrestling armadilloes, snakes, and other wildlife, he was much of a 'throat dog' when it came to affairs of principle and morals. He showed me how to stand for things that matters and how he tenaciously held on to things and people he believed in.

Being the eldest of 14 brothers, he had to stand firm to keep the rest in line. He always displayed the stern side alongside his gentle side to put his point across and it almost always worked to ensure respect and order in the large family. Save for one time, when I was witness to his youngest brother who got rowdy and hurled a chair at him over a misunderstanding. My father, although had to be restrained, displayed a level of composure that can only be described as cool, and he never retaliated physically.
Yes, he was my Indy alright and it's no wonder he feels so comfortable in that leather fedora and that whip, just like Indy. I will always remember you Papa.

New Year's Day

All dressed up and nowhere to go.

This being a different kind of New Year, we felt less hurried like in previous years when we made the annual pilgrimage back to kampung. We would almost, always be frenetic, rushing out the door to pack the bus with pillows and goodies for the journey. This time, there was a certain calmness, of inactivity, of nowhere to go. I was in control. I felt good...
But we were all dressed up in our CNY best and had to have some place to go.
So we drove to the city and almost everywhere we turned, we were met with empty roads and clear green lights to breeze through...whee.....It's an eerie feeling, seeing KL like this. It also gives you an idea about the composition of the people of KL, they're from elsewhere.

All the driving around made us hungry again, and we ended up tucking in hi-tea at The Regent KL.

Reunion Dinner

This Chinese New Year would mark the first without my father, who taught me the beauty of upholding family values and tradition especially during CNY. He would be the beacon of family unity, always emphasizing on the importance of the reunion dinner. And this New Year also celebrates the first absence of Jon who in dying, taught me how to live. With the passage of time, and the even more certain passing on of loved ones, it is really up to us how we get on with milestones and events in our lives. For me, it is with these changes that enable, and cause new things, and new experiences, to happen in our lives. For it is also the wish of our dearly departed for us to really 'live'. I believe. This CNY, we had a wonderful change in having the Levers over for reunion dinner. It started with Johnny,Karen & Aunty bringing over bags of CNY goodies like beef rendang, sambal udang galah and Aunty's famous rice cakes for the dinner spread. Then the Godmas came over, one to cook her 'Double Happiness Chicken' dish, the other to take Zane & Summer out to town for lunch and abit of R&R. After doing the mandatory house clean up, hanging the red curtains, and changing the light bulb bit, I went to the florist to get New Year flowers while mum slaved over a hot stove with godma, preparing the reunion feast. As the evening neared, the carrot cake and brownies arrived, as did the children with Hanim, from their afternoon binge at Bintang Walk. A little later, Nigel and Peggy, with their bounty of dark vinegared trotters and more goodies also arrived. Then PoPo showed up, albeit briefly, to deliver her contribution of abundance to the feast. Mum's abalone mushroom with fatt choy began to materialize with the 'hee hee' 'haa haa' prawns. The whiff of 'double happiness terragon chicken' from the oven filled the house like a huge dose of well, 'double happiness'. With the house filling up as such, it was time to break open that delectable bottle of white wine I had chilling in the fridge- a 2005 New Zealand Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc. A real fine vintage and a refreshing start to a nice evening. Our wine glasses practically runneth over as the evening progressed, so we promptly switched to the Rioja that was brought from Spain and was waiting patiently in Jakarta until this auspicious occasion. The bright, ruby red Spanish 1998 vintage, made it's appearance most fittingly. Full round, ripe body with the characteristically dry Rioja taste and a bit of edge to it. Spunky, I'd describe it. Which was necessary to compliment the wide ranging taste sensations available for the night. Everyone had their fill of the sumptuous spread at our round table. For me, the taste was sweetness. The sweet taste of having our closest and dearest share our reunion dinner. The sweetness was heightened with dessert comprising happy fruits like; pistachios, cashew nuts, and very, very, sweet coconut candy complimenting the cakes on the table.

Change is a wonderful thing if you embrace it and make the best of it. "Xin Nian Kuai Le " everyone.

Happy New Year

Make big fortune

Happy New Year

Chinese New Year

Fortune in Year of Pig

Swimming Results

About one month ago, round about end December 06, when I was in personal audit mode, (when I subsequently got just about everyone who cared to listen, to list their ten things past and future as well) I audited the Sunday swimming classes Summer went at the Club, and found that Summer's been attending swim lessons for almost three years and she still can't swim, to save her life. That particular Sunday, I approached her coach, an affable Mr. Gan and gave him one month to get my daughter swimming the length of the pool unassisted. 

He said it was possible and agreed to do it. 

I also got Summer to agree to the same goal set. 

 Since I was in the mood, I promptly got onto Zane's case and urged him to take proper swimming lessons so he can really enjoy swimming using proper swimming strokes. 

Now Zane's a natural at sports, he literally took to swimming like duck to water way back when he was ten but the only stroke he knew was the doggie paddle. So I had to make that a very strong urge to get him to agree. He finally did, begrudgingly. 

Today is that day to check swimming results for the both of them. 

And the verdict? The three of them passed with flying colours;

Summer was a joy to watch as her slender body sliced the water like a dolphin, her arms rigid and firm as they took turns to propel her body forward in the freestyle stroke as she made laps up and down the pool.

 

Zane moved so fast I almost couldn't recognise him in the water. His powerful arms and legs work in stylish combination with his lithe body as he glides effortlessly in the water. He strokes powerfully and purposely in the pool and I smile.

 

Mr. Gan, the swim coach has been trying to get my attention with his gleeful gaze all morning but I feign acknowledgement as I sit back and enjoy the children splash in the pool, give them the thumbs up and reflect on events just a month ago at the same venue.

 

How true the saying now; 'Dreams are goals with deadlines' I should know, I just had my dream come true.

When they finally finished the morning's session, I slowly walked over to Mr. Gan shook his hand and acknowledged him for keeping his promise. He was beaming and grinning like a chesire cat. I suspect he was more relieved that it was accomplished. Then I turned to him and asked; 'So what's next Mr. Gan?' I saw that worried look, form on his brow again...

Blogger freedom on trial

Two of my most respected bloggers are being sued by the New Straits Times for defamation. This unprecedented move by the media giant has a 'chilling effect' on blogger freedom because the high cost of litigation would cripple the individual blogger.

Both Rocky and Jeff Ooi has this to say:

I thought nothing could express better my heartfelt gratitude of your showering of kindness while we tread in these unchartered waters than to borrow Rocky's thoughts -- wholesale but not plagiarising him (as I give Rocky full acknowledgement by attributing to him) -- for we are made to walk together in these legal suites The NSTP et.al. instituted against us.

Walk with us. I've been quiet but I haven't been idle. The young men who are going to represent me in court had given me quite a bit of homework for the fight ahead. I am going through the documents that lawyers from the NSTP and its 3 top operatives claimed to have defamed them in their suit against me. I am taking a breather now and dropping a few lines here to say Thank You for all the support that has come my way since Rocky and I posted on our blogs on the legal suit, here and here.

Many of you asked me for my bank account number because you wanted to send money to help finance the legal fees. We have decided that it will serve bloggers well if we set up a fund NOT in our names but in the name of blogger solidarity and Freedom of Expression to defend our rights in the court of law. We should be announcing the formation of the fund this week.

Bloggers Unite should also meet up soon to discuss the future of blogging, the new threat that we face, the steps that we will need to take.

It's going to be a long journey but we'll walk the distance.

Walk with us.

I'm walking with them for they are the ones who still take the risk to bring us the real news everyday. That's responsible journalism.
I believe, what the powers that be, seek to suppress will only blow up in their faces as more people turn to blogs for clarification or simply out of curiosity to see what the brouhaha is all about. And more will turn to blogging themselves because of this. Time Magazine said it right- The person of the year is us-the people.
Walk on Bros.