Congratulations to my good friend, Chinese writer, Chen Lu Ting on the occasion of her newly minted book, published in Miri.
Chen Lu or Ting Mee Sieng was born in a little Chinese village called Lung Ngan, near Durin, which is surrounded by Iban longhouses.
Her childhood was full of events involving the river Rajang and the sturuggles of the Chinese for economic and social progress. The times of her childhood also saw the political struggle of Chinese youths who had to choose between left and right ideologies. Rubber prices plunged in the 60's and it was a struggle for many even to put food on the table.
Nevertheless her parents struggled to send her and her siblings to school to get out of the poverty the people were experiencing.
In time she completed her form five in Chung Hua School, Sibu and went on to write and publish.
She is a very enthusiastic and inspiring woman of substance.
Fluted Jar for Pi Dan (Century Eggs)
Pi Dan Jars depicting Chinese Legends
A mini dragon jar and an unusal blue pi dan jar.
A friend of mine lives for her children and in her spare time she breeds a large number of dogs and collects Pi Dan and Salted Egg Urns or jars from China.
She told me that she used to drive up to Brunei along the old coastal and sandy road and even to Bintulu just to buy the urns whenever some one gave a tip. Sometimes she made losses because some of the preserved eggs were rotten ! But the worst incident was when the precious urn she bought was stolen and the eggs broken on the road! Her car was broken into just as she went to the washroom.
She said that the thief must have thought that she had a real antique jar in her car which was worth stealing. But then it was just a normal urn made in China which could be easily bought with a load of pi dan!!
Another jar was bought in Brunei when she was expecting her youngest son. The road was bad and it was raining heavily. She was driving alone with two kids at the back who were scared of the waves. She pushed on instead. later she met a friendly couple who stopped to chat with the children and gave her some drinks. What a wonderful incident of friendly travellers who lent a hand to help another soul! Her paleness soon disappeared and she continued to drive on to buy a jar in the shop her friend recommended. Wasn't that a crazy way to collect a pi dan jar she asked.
Now thinking back she has a smile on her face. It was many many years ago and memories fade and she can only look the jars and think of those marvellous days which were full of energy and life!
Strangely I myself never looked at those jars in those days! May be I could have started a collection too. But my priorities then were different and again I did not have the space at home for even a small collection.
She often tells me that whenever she is a little tired her jars give her a joy she never expected.
She has seen me working at my computer as regretted that she never went to school. So she asked me what I would write something about her.
I think this is a very appropriate article to write about her and her jars.
Uncle Lim Thian Beng was a great marathon runner , even during his old age. People would come and cheer him on whenever he ran in Miri.
There was a lot of history in his life. For example he was the first Chinese surveyor who ever worked in Miri's Lands and Survey Department.
Uncle Lim standing behind his parents in this photo
He had an amazing life and a great family.
After the War, Miri 's Lands and Survey Department did a lot of surveying and mapping work. Land titles were issued but few could afford paying the small fees. In those days, not many were willing to buy land far away like in Beraya, where there was no access road!!
Surveying was a very tough job as he had to go into the jungles, swamps and hills. He saw a few crocodiles besides snakes and wild animals. All surveying staff were provided with a shot gun.
Thus with a weapon, in between his work he would shot animals which came into sight. Those were days of plenty. His family remembers him bringing home dried meat and salted meat in tins when he returned from his surveying work.
The surveyors used their guns not only to protect themselves but to get enough food every day.
Yes, small group, big in joy...some of my friends in Miri enjoying fellowship. Often celebrating birthdays.
When you are far away from families, life can be very lonely in Miri. Understandable that when friends get together to celebrate a birthday it is most meaningful.
At the Miri Photographic Society's Chinese New Year Dinner several dances were performed.
It is often very interesting to observe people when they get ready to dance or after they have danced. I like to capture those moments. One troupe particularly caught my eye. The little dancers' hair do and little pinafore was were delightful and intricate.
Are we bringing up our children properly and help them to become cultured and decent? Upright and polite? Knowledgeable of Confucian teaching?
As I looked at them I think of all those parents who have tried hard to give their best to their children and yet in some cases in their old age they are left alone in the old folks' home.
(Psst) Recently an old lady friend of mine was placed in an old folks' home where she has to share a room with three other ladies. Her prized milo was half emptied the first day.
I hope you will like these photos.....
This dance troupe is from Chung Hua Primary School Krokop.
A lot of people still do not know how to use the yellow box.
And many drivers are very rude in Miri. There are roads in Miri which are very complicated. There is one junction next to Courts Mammoth. Cars can turn into the lane, and cars can drive out from two other lanes. Four or five cars can be jammed in that junction and no one wants to give way.
A nice young girl freshly graduated from university came to Miri for three years and enriched our lives.
Just before the year ended we had to say farewell to her as she was given a transfer to Selangor on the 29th December (which was not really expected but she did apply and as unprepared for this she had to pack on the 30th Dec one day before her old School's staff meeting) and where she and her newly wedded husband would start their new life together. She was blessed to be able to book a ticket to go west at the end of the year at a moment's notice. At the moment of writing she does not know where her new school will be.
We wish her and her husband the very best and God's blessings upon their marriage.
Miss Lau is from Sibu and has been teaching for a year in Miri.
Five young ladies.....
When a teacher graduates from university in Malaysia she can be posted by the government to any far flung town to teach for at least three years. When teachers from West Malaysia kick up a fuss about being posted to Kelantan or Sarawak even the Prime Minister has to come out to make a statement! Unknown to many a few new graduate teachers however feel that they are blessed to be "sent" to Julau (do you know where it is?) or even Ulu Bakong (where there is a 2000 student secondary school) and are willing to serve at least three years before they ask for a transfer. Their reasons must be good: for marriage or for health reasons.
Miss Ching came to our small group every Friday from the first day she arrived in Miri to teach and became part of us very quickly. Most importantly she fitted in very well because she is a Foochow ! The food we had as part of our fellowship has been delicious to her taste. And she was very appreciative.
A pensive Ching.....
Her life so far has been in neat stages touched by the hands of God according to her.
Firstly it was very obvious God sent her to Sarawak and helped her "see" for herself the differences amongst people of all races. She had enjoyed abundantly the three years she had spent here in Sarawak.
Secondly she found a small group that help her sustain her faith in God. She really appreciated the Small Group Fellowship and she asked all her friends never to stop going to SGF every Friday no matter how tired they are. She had found a lot of peace and spiritual refreshment in the fellowship.
As we reflected all the years we have spent together like sisters I cannot help but think that we are like different dishes of food. Together we become a feast!! How fantastic we can be with artistic presentation which is attractive and enticing. As a group of good friends we gather strength and synergise.
Thirdly as part of her response to God she also enjoyed going to a short term mission in the Ulu where she gathered a lot of indepth knowledge about Sarawak. Mission is an important part of her life now.That according to her was an important stage in her life.
Another stage in her life was of course meeting her partner in life.
One important Miri stage of her life was to sing in front of a large group of people. She took up guitar lessons and enjoyed singing. And to our delight she served the Church as part of the Praise and Worship team. Singspiration is an area that often faces shortage of human resources. She has been a great addition to the family of church musicians. We will miss her music and her beautiful stage personality.
And finally and most importantly another very important stage in her life : her father recently decided to "give her away" in the Christian way on her wedding day in Church. Her father who did not want his non believing friends to laugh at him and join the Church people for her own daughter's wedding had been very against her Church wedding. But through prayers he finally and happily agreed to do the honour. This was just a few days before the wedding. God works in miraculous ways.
She said :"I will miss the laughter and the joy of sharing....."
Although she became a Christian several years ago she claims that it is Miri which has brought her a real Christian life. Her faith enabled her to be a good teacher who spent almost all her day time in the school . She pushed herself into as many as five committees and five school clubs. Her work helped her school reach national level in several of the programmes.
Her major is Economics but it was her excellence in Chinese (a subject she took in STPM) which enabled her to impart her knowledge to her students who succeeded scholastically at distinction levels. Her heart is for teaching well.
All these school teachers have completed a good year's work and will embark on another challenging year... Group photo at the end of the dinner...
In her farewell speech she said she would miss all of us especially. If it was not for her own marriage she would have stayed on in Miri!! We will miss the loving kindness and gentleness of this lady from Sitiawan.
(This posting is to help her remember the last fellowship - our 4 Ws - especially Wallop - we had with her - whenever she is doing her computer work!...Thanks Ching....we will miss you too especially on Friday...." )
Miri as a resort city has a significant Miri Orchestral Choir but not a symphony orchestra. The MOC has been performing for several years to the delight of the music lovers of Miri. Every year there is a nice musical concert in GCM to raise funds for some worthy causes. This year an exceptional group came all the way to bring Christmas cheer to the quiet resort city. The Charity Musical Concert was like a good traditional family affair. The opening as usual consisted of a short speech each from the YB Andy Chia and the City Mayor Lawrence Lai. Both left for other important functions after several items.
The Operafest Children's Choir from Kuala Lumpur has won accolades around the world and sang twice with the Vienna Boys' Choir in Austria. Under the able baton of conductor/soprano Fong Sun Yoke they gave a performance which was both enthralling and enchanting. The Miri audience was transported into a truly musical atmosphere. The singers were disciplined beyond our expectations even though so many of them were only around 12 years old (the youngest being 10).
Fung Sun Yoke (obviously suffering from a bad flu) related to the audience that the choir was self supporting and they paid for their own transport to Miri. The choir which has spread the fame of Malaysia far and wide does not receive any funding from the government. She was glad that the choir could help play a role to raise funds for the Sunflower Centre of Miri - a day care centre for disabled children of all races and religions.
Personally I felt that it was a real pity we did not get to hear her sing as she is a renown soprano herself.
The popular journalist George Francis having a nice moment photographing the cute little singers.
Charming singers of the Operafest Children's Choir.
the youngest singer of the choir ...a lot of charisma and grace.
Santa Claus came. But he moved too fast for me to take a good photo of him. Guess where he is from? He is not from the North Pole definitely.
A charity sale was put on at the patio and all proceeds of the sale went to the Sunflower Centre. Here is the loyal Florence Enau of the Inner Wheelers selling decorated pine cones and other Christmas items. She and a few friends decorated pine cones in many unique but creative one-of-a-kind designs for say....Prices range from 15 to 60 ringgit. The whole committee under the leadership of Mrs. Liza Chai and Madam Jennie Soh should be applauded for their great efforts.
A normal refreshment was served after the concert and many stayed to socialise and get to know and make new friends. Definitely it was a cheerful and heart warming event.
For a good cause Mirians should actually support this kind of activities especially if it is only once a year. However the musical evening went well and ended with the whole audience coming together with the two choirs to sing "I'm Dreaming of a White Christmas" and Auld Lang Syne and We Wish a Merry Christmas.
While the singing children raised their Christmas caps I was wishing that our voices had raised the roof to match their triumphant performance! And how I wish that more than 500 people could have come out to hear these angels sing!
