Baby Girls for Sale!!

 The practice of selling off girls by poor Chinese has been an Asian phenomenon. Stories abound in Chinese as well as foreign literature.

Sun Yat Sen was one of the first men to voice out about the evils of female children trafficking and western missionaries started children's homes to save the female babies.

Many landlords in China and later on the rich landowners of Sibu had the opportunities of buying baby girls who were sold by poor farmers.

This was a practice especially during the Northern Famine period in China in 1876-9 which was around the time my grandfather was born. So he was very much in the know about the consequences of girls being sold (into good families, into brothels etc). Besides he had also become a Christian which opposed to slavery, gambling, opium smoking, drinking, etc.

Early Chinese pioneers all over South East Asia who grew rich "bought" daughters who became their maids or part of their families depending on individual family outlook in those days.

When my grandfather was fairly well off, he was approached by many poor farmers in Sibu. Thus I have a few aunties who were "bought" and adopted by him and they were all given the Tiong surname. Most of them, after having lived with the family, married well. That's the good ending to their sad birth stories. But they are dearly loved by us and remain in touch like biological aunts and cousins.

However here is a story of a family with two adopted daughters, as told by my school teacher who wanted to teach us about fairness and equal treatment. She was one of the first Chinese teachers to make us aware of gender equality. She had come from China where selling of baby girls was a common practice. Most of my classmates were horrified by the story.

When my China born teacher was growing up she lived near a rich man's house. The rich man had two bought or adopted girls, three sons and one daughter. One day his mother passed away (at quite a young age) and he had to bring two of his sisters to live with him. So the family became bigger and his wife had more power over the family and the business.

The rich wife made sure that her sons would not look at the adopted daughters and she used to beat them badly with rattan and feather duster. She half starved them and would never allow them to eat at the table. When her sisters in law came to live with them, she was doubly mad with them for no reasons and forced them to rear ducks, chickens and pigs so that they could "earn their food".

Soon the sons were old enough to go to college away from home but the ill treatment went on. Her own daughter, who never did any house work, liked to hit the adopted sisters with pieces of wood from the fire place. One day, she accidentally hit one on the head and the adopted sister started to bleed badly. It was like a murder scene in the big house.

The local head man heard about it and he decided to say something to the rich man. If the stories went out to the community he might not be elected as chairman of the school board, even though he had a lot of money. He thus arranged with the school to help his daughter get a good school leaving certificate to study in Shanghai. 

The household became smaller and the rich couple soo decided to marry off one of the adopted daughters. She did well in the marriage and became a business woman with her husband who loved her. She was later to "buy" out her adopted "sister" and they lived well together, perhaps both will never know who their biological parents were.

The two sisters of the rich man were blessed too for their intelligence was recognized by a foreign missionary and they were put in the local convent where they excelled in their studies. Both became school teachers. That was how my China born teacher met the two sisters again. the time was changing in China and people were already talking about reformation and the New China. My teacher went to Taiwan to further her studies and then she came to Sarawak.

From my teacher I learned about buying and selling of baby girls (child trafficking) at a young age and most of the stories were unbearably painful. 

As I grew up I tried to collect such stories, listen to story tellers and write down some when I remember. It is good to document all our social stories and issues related to our lives.

The practice of buying and selling girls went on for a long time in Sarawak.

Memaloh in Miri

Dayak Memaloh,also known as "Urakng Banuaka" or Dayak Tamambalo/Tamankapuas came from the interior of Kapuas River in KalimantanBarat.

Today most of them are found in KapuasUlu and and some in Sarawak.

The Memaloh are good in parang making and in the past they travelled to the other Dayak villages to make parang or machete for warriors and  and costume accessories for women,

Some Ibans who have moved from the Kapuas, to Kapit, have found their way to other parts of Sarawak.





from -- Anak Borneo

Sarawak Ethnic Memaloh live mostly in Batang Katibas and Lubok Antu.Some have migrated to Sibu and Miri.They work in forest logging,plantation and Factories.

Centuries ago, they followed their Iban neighbor migrated to Sarawak. Currently,one can meet Memaloh living along with the Iban in the same longhouse.

One cannot tells the different between Memaloh and Iban because Memaloh are bilingual in languages.They can speak both Memaloh and Iban. In Katibas,  Iban longhouse, at least one Memaloh family live together under one roof with the Iban.

Sarawak Memaloh language are group as Tamanic language group  (This language are still common in Kapuas Ulu,especially in Putusibau).

Sarawak Memaloh group are divided into 2 language groups :

~  The Tamambalo(concentrate in Batang Embaloh)

~  and also Taman Kapuas.(In Putusibau).

Today, most Memaloh in Sarawak speak Iban, instead of their language.

The Sarawakian Memaloh are very easy adopt the place around them.They can mix with every ethnic group in Sarawak.Intermarriage between Memaloh and other ethnic group are so common,until they left their own tradition.

Thanks to their friendliness,they manage to avoid "Mangayo"(head-hunting) by their fierce neighbour of Iban tribe.Beside that,Memaloh are good in business and trade.They also trade their craft especially "Mandau"(Sword) and clothes for their Iban neighbor.Among the famous bead work in textile,"Baju Buriek",made from shell embroidery.Some other Memaloh craft can be seen in Iban costume and some keep it in Sarawak Museum.

Si Iang or Glutinous Rice Balls coated with soy bean powder

the Stone Grinder/mill was an indispensable utility in a Foochow home in the olden days. Every family would have one. It was a necessity albeit heavy and laborious to use.

A few days before the Winter Solstice,my grandmother's house would be busy. First aunt and third aunt would individually in their kitchen start their preparing for the traditional glutinous balls making for the festival. Soy bean would be stir fried (without oil) in the big kuali. when they were cooked, they will be turned into soy bean flour. It became a very fragrant and aromatic powder, ready for coating of the glutinous balls. The flour would be kept in a small tin, ready to be used.

One day before the Winter solstice, my grandmother and third aunt would decide how much glutinous rice to use and how much si yang or tang yuen to make that year. would it be one gantang or rice (suoh tern)? They would use  a bucket to soak the glutinous rice in water ready for an early morning's milling. After milling, with lots of us kids taking turns, the glutinous rice milk would be placed in a flour sack and the stone mill would be used to press and squeeze the water out of the rice flour. This would take quite an amount of time. Hence we had to get up very early to do this work.

Soon the wet rice flour would be of a good consistency to make the rice balls. The processing of making these round balls is called chor (using both hands). the round balls were boiled in the prepared pot of boiling water. We Foochows did not make tang yuen soup or colour the glutinous rice balls.

We coated the si iang in the soy bean powder. And each child would be given a chopstick, pushing the balls like a skewer. That was our happy Winter Solstice breakfast.  Some of us we so good in skewering the glutinous rice balls that we could put 10 through our chopstick.

(Foochow way of eating si iang)

What a happy Winter Solstice morning!! The aroma and the fragrance would be remembered for years to come.

A Famous Hainanese - Ngiam Tong Boon

What has a Hainanese man got to do with a world famous Singapore Hotel and purportedly the most famous coctail of the world? Everything.




"Singapore Sling" is an icon amongst cocktails. But because it comes from Singapore probably it has won more hearts than most drinks.

This cocktail has been around for almost a century without our realising it. And it has won its way into novels and magazines. It fills many pages in cyberspace today.
Created by a Hainanese bartender Mr. Ngiam Tong Boon at the Raffles Hotel at the beginning of the 20th century this cocktail has become legendary in South East Asia.


Singapore Sling
1 1/2 ounce gin
1/2 ounce Cherry Herring
1/4 ounce Cointreau
1/4 ounce Benedictine
4 ounce pineapple juice
1/2 ounce lime juice
1/3 ounce grenadine
1 dash Angostura Bitters
Garnish: Cherry and slice of pineapple
Shake with ice. Strain into an ice filled Collins glass.

The secret ingredient is Benedictine. "While the resultant flavor is not overly predominate, it does add a certain flavor profile that would be totally missing without this secret ingredient."

None dispute that the Singapore Sling was originally created by Mr. Ngiam Tong Boon for the Raffles Hotel in Singapore. However that is where the agreements end. The exact date is in question, with some people claiming it was in 1915, some 1913, while the hotel itself claims that it was created sometime prior to 1910. There is also plenty of disagreement as to how closely the current version of this drink that is served at Raffles is to what was originally served. Apparently the original recipe was lost and forgotten sometime in the 1930's, and the drink that they currently serve at the hotel's Long Bar (see recipe) is based on memories of former bartenders, and some written notes that they were able to discover.

If you would like proof of the writing you can view view the safe in which Mr. Ngiam locked away his precious recipe books, as well as the Sling recipe hastily jotted on a bar-chit in 1936 by a visitor to the Hotel who asked the waiter for it in the Hotel Museum.

Originally, the Singapore Sling was meant as a woman's drink, hence the attractive pink colour. Today, it is very definately a drink enjoyed by all, without which any visit to Raffles Hotel is incomplete.

So when you next visit Singapore ask for a Singapore Sling or sit in the Long Bar of the Raffles Hotel. Real spirits and spirits of another kind might just fill the nostalgic atmosphere and give you that special ambiance that all that was colonial have come together in a moment of reflection.


I am going to make one for myself and read my Somerset Maugham book. Cheers!

Family : 24 Acres

24 acres is a special name of a village in Sibu.

It was started by my grand uncle, Tiong Kung Eng who was given the land title when he applied through Rev James Hoover for a piece of land from the Rajah in 1920's. Later he sold the land to 6 farmers who started to develop the land , establish a primary school (Boi Ing) and a church. 30 years later Ling Chu Ming donated more funds to the church and help improve the conditions of the area.

My grand uncle, having lost his wife and son in 24 acres decided to pack his bags and move in with my grandfather to work as supervisor of his rice farm and pepper garden in Bintangor. He soon died (people said of a broken heart).

Today if you mention 24 acres, you would be referring to a village with several families, including my friend, Wong Meng Lei's family and many others. It was interesting how one land title, belong to one land owner would eventually be sub divided into to many pieces of land over the years. Hope my grand uncle is smiling from heaven. (Photo by wong Meng Lei)

Today there are still many people with the surname Sii from 24 acres. My Grand Aunt was a Sii.

House No 59 of 16 Company of Rajang River

Tiong Nai Hoong intensely studying the book by Wong Meng Lei.


16 Company十 六 公 司  was a small village in Lower Rajang carved out of, or rather built on a very low lying bank below Sg. Pan by a group of 16 very courageous Foochow men. They called themselves 16 Company.


Formed in the 1920's as a part of Foochow Methodist "expansionist policy" towards the lower Rajang by 16 able bodied men who believed in themselves, this area was established around Sg. Pan. The other parts of the Rajang was then just opened up by the Government .

For the Foochows this was a good move as it was a good opportunity to plant more rubber and rice as their population was increasing very fast and rubber price was extremely good. Furthermore the Ibans in the area were very friendly and welcoming. Their longhouses were further inland.

Towards the 1950's at the height of its prosperity (Korean War created the rubber boom) the total number of families had grown to 63 and the population around 500 with two toh tou or jetties ; a school and a church.

The subject of my interest for this posting is my own cousin who hails from 16 Company. Life is so full of coincidences and miraculous interfaces.

And by 6 degrees of separation (so to speak) I happen to meet and get to know him, Tiong Nai Hoong, in 1987 when I first moved to Miri also by chance.

Tiong,the owner of Ing Kong Drug Store of Miri was born in 16 Company!! His father Tiong Ching Liik a white haired coffee expert was the owner of the coffee shop occupying the ground floor of my second uncle's shop house in Bintangor in the 60's. The family had moved out of the settlement when time was ripe to move on. Nai Hoong had to find a better income too at the age of 18 and his father had to leave the rubber garden to make a better living earlier. Rubber had lost its shine and furthermore the political situation was unstable in the Rajang villages.

Nai Hoong went to work in Sibu for a meagre salary of $180 a month. He sent $150 back to his father for the family's expenditure - as a token from a very filial son. He replenished his own meagre sum by working at odd jobs. He said that he had "enough" and even eventually got married. When he and his wife had saved enough they moved to Miri. He was 30 years old.

The rest is history. 25 years later we can safely said he has made it as a self taught and well loved Tabib Cina and is a proud owner of a huge shop selling Chinese herbs and other Chinese foodstuff which are very in demand in modern Miri. From the early days of his arrival he slowly learned more and more about Chinese Traditional Medicine and with his intellect and good memory he became a source of information and even could provide health consultation to the early Foochow migrants in Miri. He soon operated a small half shop in the back lane near the Miri godown and wharf (with taxi drivers as his most loyal customers) but now he has a whole shop which is perhaps the biggest Chinese Medicine shop in Miri!!

His goods are always fresh and his prices very reasonable. A regular customer would always get a smile and a few words of comfort from him. His son is his able assistant and will inherit the business.

But what is most important is basically his pricing which is very very reasonable. You can always get a "Foochow discount" from him!!

16 Company's name also reflects the bonding of these 16 original pioneers who valued Honour and Brotherhood. When pioneering Foochows migrated from one place to another they carried these values which in turn helped them to survive the most difficult of challenges. I truly believe that my cousin carries these values with him to this day.

The 1960's was the beginning of the dispersal from 16 Company a settlement area which had full of hopes and aspirations for the 63 families .



According to my cousin Hii Yii Kiat has written a book about this area but he is a little disappointed that he could never get a copy to read. In 2001 Wong Meng Lei wrote "24 Acres : In Search of Foochow Settlements in the Rajang Basin" in which are two chapters on 16 Company .十 六 公 司



If you look at the map here you will see all the houses having a number. The people who lived in this area would remember very well in their heart until their dying days because they were a very close knitted community.

When I showed my cousin Meng Lei's book Nai Hung was very touched (I promised to give him one as soon as I can get another copy). He looked at the map and refreshed his youthful memories. He immediately found that his father's name was missing from the list! But he repeatedly said that the map was very very good.





My distant uncle, Nai Hoong's father - Tiong Ching Liik owned House No 59. Ching Liik's uncle Tiong Tien Chuo owned House No.60 and his brother Tiong Tien Die, House No. 61. Later when Tiong Ching Liik moved away to Binatang (early Bintangor) Nai Hoong stayed with his adopted father Hii Lok Tien at House No.48 for a short while.

All of the people who stayed there would remember making the raised road with soil brought in from the other areas (e.g.Iban owned land)as the area was originally peat swamp and flooding was every day. The plank walks they had built earlier lasted for only a while. So the residents decided to build a raised road out of their own pocket,since  no fund from the government was available at that time! Nai Hoong remembered that every one helped with the building of the road and how they extended the road slowly.

The settlers even dug a special huge drain to drain the flood waters behind the settlement.

Nai Hoong has a special fondness for the school Kai Hua where he studied and he immediately wrote in my book the name of the school .

A man cannot easily forget his own roots.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

sources:
1. Wong meng Lei : "24 Acres : In Search of Foochow Settlements of the Rajang Basin"
2. Fiftieth Anniversary of Methodist Churches in Sarawak Magazine.

My apologies if I have made any mistake in reference due to my shortcoming in the Chinese language.

Sibu Tales : Ribbons for My Hair

I was brought up by a very frugal and minimalist mother who did not believe in buying those extra frills for her daughters. I cannot remember if I ever had my hair tied by my mother or my short hair receiving a ribbon when I was very young. My first ribbon was given to me by an aunt when I passed my Primary Six Exam. And when I went to secondary school, my mother gave me some money to buy ribbons for my hair to match the school uniform. I still remember I bought a short piece at Hua Kwong General Store of Sibu at Central Road, which was owned by the Cantonese Leong Family.

One year later, my grandfather passed away and I had either to wear black or white ribbon or rubberised hair band to tie up my lush hair. Or I just wore a pony tail without any trimmings.

However lifestyle and cultural norms change with time.

My girls were different from me but I continued, probably wrongly, with the old Foochow way of thinking.


If little girls have their wishes today (2lst century)  they would wish for

1. ribbons for their hair
2. pretty dainty shoes
3. a big  flirty skirt, or a tiny tiny see through mini skirt (with a protector pants)
4. lacy blouse
5. long hair tied in pony tails
6. dolls with blue eyes and may be real hair to comb
7. a birthday party
8. a best friend
9. white frilly socks / stockings
10. a nice school bag
11.doc Martins
12. iPad,iPhone,etc


But,one has to understand that different cultures would bring up their daughters in different ways and often mothers in a cross cultural marriage would find it most difficult to meet with the aspirations and dreams of their lovely daughters who may think differently and dream differently.

Children in foster homes or orphanages would also have their dreams but how are their dreams met?

This Christmas let us think of all those children who are being brought up by  adults who are not their biological parents and pray for them that they too grow up in love and with God's protection.

I would like to pay particular and special tribute to fathers , widowed or not widowed, who have "combed their daughters' hair and put ribbons on their pony tails...wiped their tears away...and cleaned their scrapped knees...and took them for swimming lessons or dance lessons...or just spend quality time with their young daughters ."

The new generation of parents  should be bringing up their children better with all the education they have and with guidance/knowledge from every corner of the earth....and especially Dr.Google.....

I would also like to pay  a special tribute to all mothers who struggle to put a worthy spiritual life into their children while trying their best to keep even her own body free from physical and verbal abuses.....

And to my own mum who cut all our hair short.....because when she was young (BEFORE THE  SECOND WORLD WAR) she had the "navy hair cut " (very short ) . She continues to maintain that the best hair is short and straight but well washed and neat.

Honestly, I never did once wish I could wear long hair with a hibiscus in the hair and clad my body in a sarong and walk along the beach with a wonderful guy ....

..But my greatest wish was two swords on my back and riding a horse to right the wrong and kill the wicked!! Under the influence of the One Armed Swordsman indeed!!

 "Ja! Ja! To my horse, let's go...Mulan is on the way!!"

And then I too brought up my three girls and made them keep short hair...

but if I could do it all over again I really would want to give them ribbons for their hair and lace for their little dresses....I would like to spend more time with them playing "house"...yes indeed I would like to spend more time singing and praying with them.

Today with my post is a song by Jim Reeves...do enjoy it as you rush around with Christmas busy-ness and end of the year meetings....Take time to listen to your children's prayers...

A Sibu Story : "You might just empty your friend's father's ashes"

My life with smokers has not been easy . As a univesity student I suffered from bouts of bronchitis made worse by fellow college mates who were chain smokers. Later as a teacher I had colleagues who smoked like chimneys. And I was pretty glad that in recent years many schools and colleges have developed themselves as "smokeless zones". 

It is hard to discipline smokers. They throw their cigarette butts every where and the rude ones would sometimes puff into the air for no better reasons other than that they love smoking!! The more you complain the more they smoke!!

Smokers have many stories to tell. But I have some interesting  ones too.

Do you remember this antiquated cigarette butt holder? Smokers can push their cigarette butts through the holes and the knob can help push them down. When the small container is full...an office boy or the tea lady can throw out the butts and ashes. It is not a happy task emptying ash trays because of the stench which stays with you and in your air passage.

My fathe rused to have a similar cigarette butt canister or ash tray..we loved pushing down the  axle..it was like a toy to us.. Whenever I see a picture of this I remember my father who smoked a little...and was very polite and suave in the way he smoked. He had that special style of smoking...suave Shanghai style and rather discreet....you saw a light in the garden...and you knew that your father was outside the house and he was having his quiet time....our wooden was never filled with his cigarette smoke.

Here is another but tragic story from older Sibu days......

A friend  kept his father's ashes in a beautiful urn like this. One day his friends came to the house before he got home ...These smokers could not find an ash tray....they looked high and low and finally found an "ash tray"..They never did ask "May I..............?" 

.they emptied the ashes and started smoking ...drinking beer and telling stories. When my friend came back from his over time and sat down for a late night dinner with his friends and family..to his shock.......he found cigarette butts and ashes...in the urn which had kept his father's ashes!!

This is an urn meant for ashes after cremation



Moral of the story....in your enthusiasm for cigarettes....never take things too lightly...you may burn more than a good friendship...and you might disturb some ghosts...

This kind of incidents have happened many many times every where. I just hope that friends and relatives would be more courteous in using certain items as visitors. I would say smokers should even refrain from smoking in a friend's house....if he/she must smoke...go outside!! A flower pot can be used as a ash tray or a beer tin even...but do not take down a precious urn which might hold the ashes of a dearly departed....

Have a great day today..it's going to be hazy and smokey in Miri...so take care too...And smokers please be a little courteous...we are already struggling with our breathing...

Mrs. Hoover's Gift of Education

In 1903 Mrs. Mary Hoover and her husband Rev James Hoover had a very good plan to develop the little Methodist Foochow enclave of Sibu.

this photo shows a 1956 kindergarten graduation class. My little cousin Chiong Whye is standing next to my Goo Poh (left)

One of the principal objectives of the couple was to build schools and especially a girls' school which would help bring about Christian mothers for the new society.

Indeed their objectives were full filled. But one of the most most remarkable schools they established was undoubtedly the Kindergarten which was then a new concept. By 1950 (Rev. Hoover died in 1935) and Mrs. Hoover left Sarawak in 1946 the Mary Hoover Kindergarten was the best known kindergarten in Sarawak!! Two angelic teachers were in charge Madam Chang Yuk Ging and Madam Tiong Ai Lan (the Principal). And every year a small batch of cute little children would "graudate" from kindergarten.


Children from the kindergarten would study in the Methodist Primary School and then later at the Methodist Secondary School. The early childhood education provided focussed especially on socialisation and wholesome growth.

I especially appreciated how my aunts helped my own children learn how to eat together with other children in the kindergarten. How they learned to share food and be courteous to others when sitting down at a table. I remember my daughter coming home and explaining to me how she had learn to drink from her cup slowly and not spill. She also told me that little children should not fight over food. She was only 4 1/2 years old then. From that day on she would want to wash her own cup and place it on the rack. Probably she cannot remember that any more now that she is so busy with her career.

Children were really trained to sing and become musical. One of the requirements of staff was that they must be able to play the piano in those days. My aunt Madam Tiong Ing Lang was a piano teacher of good repute . Besides she was a great disciplinarian - a style she learned from Mrs. Mary Hoover who was a very strict and stern person who insisted that every Foochow should pay great attention to punctuality and speaking of the truth.

1963 Former Principal of Methodist Secondary School Mr. William Hsu visited Mrs. Mary Hoover in Perth (Australia) The education provided by the Methodist Church and School impacted many Sibu Foochows. Apart from gaining a basic education in the local schools the missionaries sourced for help from America and Australia to help intelligent students to futher their studies. One of the smartest students is Dr. Fan Siao Wen who topped his Australian class in his first year thus gaining a very respected place in medical school. Mr. William Hsu was not only a top student in school and at university he was a literary genius in Chinese. He was also extremely fluent in English and Bahasa Malaysia.  Former students of Mrs. Hoover continued to visit her until she passed away in Perth. This photo was taken by the late Peter Chong Chung Ping and is one of the last photos taken of Mrs. Hoover.

Although Mrs. Hoover did not have children of her own she had some adopted children. In fact she loved all her students tremendously and they loved her back. After they had set up homes of their own the Yuk Ing girls (as they were called) would pay respects to her and send her gifts . And they would even ask their own children to visit Hoo Shu Moo (Mrs. Hoover) they felt that they really owed their good life to her and her gift of education.

Today many of these ladies have grandchildren and great grandchildren but they would still tell stories about Mrs. Hoover.

What  an education from Mrs. Mary Hoover!!

Luk Tien Fen - Gone but Not Forgotten

On the first anniversary of her death I am writing a short piece about my friend Luk Tien
Fen.


My young friend and colleague from the Methodist Secondary School passed away on June 7th 2011. It was shocking to many of us to have a friend who leave us at such a young age.

She was a very dedicated teacher, always punctual, always polite and soft spoken. I have never seen her getting angry. She was very properly brought up by her parents, Mr and Mrs. Luk Tai Moh. The Luks have always been a very upright Methodist family.

Educated in England, she came back to teach in our school and she was indeed like a spring breeze coming into the staff room. We enjoyed a lot of adventures together, taking students out for sports, picnics and even day trips to the ulu. She was always calm and full of good advice.

She was a wonderful looking bride on her wedding day. The whole staff of the school wished her well and were happy to attend the wedding banquet.

In 1985 she left the school and transferred to the Methodist College after she married Chiu Ching Siang, a relative of my Goo Poh, Tiong Yuk Ging.

We met up a few times but  less in subsequent years  as in 1987 I left Sibu to live in Miri, and so the chances of meeting up was even less. I did manage to get news about her from mutual friends.



One day I was visiting my mum in Sibu. We were staying at the Airport Road. She suddenly appeared at the gate. (She did not have my phone number) Because she did not have many days in Sibu, she could only stay for a few minutes.

We had a good but short chat, we asked how we were getting on in our lives. She was doing fine and her  son was growing up well. She too was busy in KL. And she was in the college for more than 20 years!! And I was in Miri also for that length of time. Our paths never crossed. That is our life of career women.

We parted and promised to see each other again, God Willing.

Not long after that I received a call telling me that she had gone to be with the Lord.

She had kept her suffering to herself and made Christ her main comforter.

One year has gone by. May you rest in peace in the bosom of Abraham. You have fought the good fight.

Meeting Professor Xu Qiaozhen

It is not every day that one can meet an alumni in Sibu. Therefore it was all the more meaningful when you get to meet one in Xiamen on the first day of your arrival in China!! My grandmother's village was next to his (Tanjong Kunyit) and when he was in Senior Middle Three in the Chinese Department of the Methodist Secondary school in 1951-53 I was still a little girl living in Kerto.

In 2012 April 12th I had the opportunity to meet this remarkable Sibu born Physics Professor of Xiamen University.

A very simple cover of the Year Book (Sarawak Sibu Methodist  High School
 1954 class
Graduation Memorial/Remembrance Book (Note that the middle Chinese characters for Sarawak  is not the same as today's)

Prof Xu was  gracious when points out HIS PAGE in this posed photograph

Message from Mr. John Pilley (the Principal) in the Year Book

But what was even more incredible was the Year Book he brought to show my team!! 1953 Methodist Secondary School's Graduation "Memorial" Book contains many precious pages...and if you are interested you can see a copy of this (we made a full copy at the university copy centre) at the Methodist Message Office Library...You are always welcome to Tea and Bao Session on Mondays 4.-6 p.m. there with Wong Meng Lei as host...and enjoy turning pages and pages of reference books available there.

The Editorial Committee wrote very succintly about Prof Qu..."He is a very hardworking boy from a poor family. He was self supporting - working part time and studying at the same time. In the morning he went to school and in the afternoon he taught in another school  and did everything possible to earn a few cents..."

In 1956 when China promoted its new government and new ways..Prof Qu saw his opportunity to seek a FREE UNIVERSITY EDUCATION he quickly took a slow boat and arrived in Xiamen. Thus he began his brilliant career in Physics which at that time was in need of good brains like his.

He servered Xiamen Univeristy until his retirement. Now he is Vice Secretary General of Xiamen Senior Professors Association and Chief Supervisor of Xiamen Solidarity of Retunred Overseas Chinese from Malaysia. He is also Secretary General of Xiamen MEMS Research Society. He continues to be Professor of the Physics Department of Xiamen Unviersity.

He and his wife continue to live within the university campus.

I was so so touched by his kindness towards our team. He came to the airport to receive us at 9 p.m!!. Took us to a VIP Cafe where we enjoyed  Blue Mountain Coffee - a special brew and very expensive per cup in the morning when he arranged for a meet up with another professor  who has special interests in our work...and then when we departed the next day for Xian Yew he came to say good bye even though he had only a few minutes to spare before a meeting.

He has indeed lived up to the Methodist School Motto in his very special way and capacity

Seek
Find
and
Serve

(P/s another similar story is available in Steve Ling's blog "Going Places".)

Zainal Abidin Matasan : A Star from Kampong Wireless Miri

I have never known a friend who has so much zest for life at the university. As we poured over our books and studied hard...he was hanging out with friends to cheer the depressed and the lonely. But mind you he did graduate and reached the highest ranks in the corporate world. He was a great leader and a high achiever and he devoted his entire working life to serving Petronas to the best of his abilities.

I have not met amongst my friends who would bring all the old black and white photos he had (and enlarged) to One Utama (KL) Starbucks  to show my children how great his school (Tanjong Lobang) was...and how much my children's father was a good friend to him since primary school. And he  patiently and teasingly asked my children to identify their father ..in the class...and they were just little boys in Primary Five!!He was such a "good uncle" to them...They asked "He is a real CEO? an MD? He is like you know an enthusiastic prefect!!"....At the top of his career he still had that heart of a good neighbour...And he ordered cakes for me... He said...never mind..have the tiramisu..don't worry about your weight...I was never a loser in his eyes.


I have not met a guy who loved all his school mates more than himself and for as long as 50 years....in 2010.10.10 he was already a little ill..but he made it to the GREAT REUNION..but in a very unlikely event and against his wishes he had to be admitted to the MCMC in Miri...He had such a great sense of generosity that he would foot every bill if possible!! No one had to wash the dishes when he was around...he even asked the doctor if he could sneak out to attend the reunion dinner!!



to all my friends who  will miss him...

These are the last photos I took of him...and his buddies..who were with him when he was discharged from MCMC.....

He loved all his friends...and all of us loved him.. WHAT A GUY11

May his soul rest in peace.

A Star has gone out from our universe....he will be missed.

May his family and loved ones be comforted by the great memories he left behind

On behalf of EX-Tanjong Google Forum world wide I would like to extend our condolences to his loved ones...every one who knows him will mourn for him and pray for him in our different ways.

Renting of Bicycles in the Old Days of Sarawak 1960-1970

The renting of bicycles in the urban areas like Beijing and Tokyo is not a new and trendy enterprise of the 21st century.

Before Honda Motorcycles invaded South East Asia the bicycle was king of the road!! While most people wanted to buy their own some shops in Ipoh and KL were known to rent out theirs. Penang was a great place for cyclists.

Interestingly in Sarawak the history of the bicycle could be traced to Rev James Hoover was the first person to ride an American made bicycle in Sibu. And for many colonial officers to own a bicycle was a luxury. Indeed many well to do Chinese also took to ride bicycles from Sibu to Sungei Merah or from Sibu to the end of the Lanang Road before  the Japanese Occupation.

The famous invasion of Singapore saw Japanese soldiers riding  bicycles towards the island from Malaya!!


In the 70's I specifically  remember after my father passed away his old Iban friend Swan who would ride his bicycle all the way from Sg. Teku to visit us in the town!! He would deliver some bamboo shoot or rice to us because he was so grateful that my dad gave him a job for many years. Whenever we saw that old bicycle at the gate we knew that this lovely man was visiting and telling my mum about the good old days.



Sibu was so infamous as a town of bicycles in the 1960's and 1970's that motorists complained about the unruly cyclists who formed a force to reckon with!! Some even swore that they would never be able to drive in Sibu.

But what was certainly a phenomena then was that in the 1960's most bicycle shops would rent out bicycles by the month. The photo below shows florence Enau a Peace Corps Volunteer  with a rented bicycle in 1966 in Kuching. She thought that renting a bicycle was better than buying one because her fellow Americans who bought new bright bicycles had them stolen before the week was out!! School teachers teaching in Bintulu and Lawas also rented bicycles for as little as $15.00. It was a boon to many people indeed that they could rent bicycles.

Original photo from Florence Enau - reproduced by Sarawakiana@2
Photo of Florence and a young Malay Boy in 1967 in Kuching

Florence told me that the bicycle took her every where in Kuching and it was good really to ride a bicycle. The bicycle also never got stolen.

Today the new bicycles are very different from the one shown in the photo...In Miri one can rent bicycles from several outlets. If you feel like riding one you can rent one from the shop opposite Chung Hua Middle School!! The rental can be on daily basis or weekly basis. Some are on monthly basis.

Thus bicycle rental has been around  for more than 80 years! And the business may even grow bigger actually.

Josephine Siaw (Fong Fong) 蕭芳芳

I grew up in Sibu in the 1950's and 1960's where the cinema featured big in our lives before the age of television.

There were two Hong Kong child stars in our lives - one was Siaw fong fong and the other was Fung Bao Bao. the latter came to Sibu and was welcomed like a dignitary. She created quite a stir and Sibu woke up from being a sleepy small town. Motor launches from near by villages were chartered to work over time bringing full loads of fans to see her in the Palace Theatre.  In those days Hong Kong film stars went to small and remote places in South east Asia to promote their films.

One of the reasons why I can read Chinese quite well was because my China born and illiterate grandmother bought monthly Chinese  magazines like  Movie News and the Southern Screen and I had to read the words in Foochow to her to tell her all about the star news and movie news in those days. She would look at the photos in the magazines over and over again like a good student and remember the stories associated with them. One of her favourite stars was Siao Fong Fong. I am sure she admired her for her courage and achievements. Like Siaw Fong Fong my grandmother too left China when she was 6.

I could not have thought that I could be writing an article about Fong Fong (who is only two years old than I) in this blog of mine. Her life has been such an inspiring and amazing story.

Josephine Siao (Xiao) was born in Luzhi in suzhou (Jiangsu)  Her parents left Mainland China to live in Hong Kong when she was just two. She started acting at the age of six to support her mother when her father died suddenly> Her mother had to sew for a living.  The Xiao family was wealthy and scholarly during the old regime. However today her family home is a popular tourist must see living museum. Part of the home features the life and works of Fong Fong's achievement in the film industry.

This is the main entrance to the Xiao Home in Luzhi (Shangtang Stree) This house was built in  1889 during the Qing dynasty and occupies 1000 sq. metres

Achievements of Siao Fong Fong
1. She made her first movie at the age of six.
2. She became one of the the biggest teen idols in Hong Kong during the late 1960's. Unlike many other child stars she was successful as a porlific and popular actress. She directed many well acclaimed movies and  wrote screen plays (JUmping Ash). She has written a number of books too.
3. She is deat in her left ear and her hearing aid often does not work in noisy places.
4. As she missed out in formal education due to her "early acting career" she graduated with a BA in 1970.
5. She is married to Clarence Chang and is mother of two daughters.
6. Summer Snow is a movie story of a middle-aged hosuewife (Siao) trying to cope with a father in law  suffering from Alzheimer's disease. This movie won many international awards

Fong Fong in Summer Snow

7. In 1997 she retired from show business and continued her work in child psychology and campaigning agianst child abuse. She founded the End Child Sexual Abuse Foundation in 1999. She has a master's degree in Child Psychology

8. She received the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (MBE) from the Queen in 1996

9. 2009 Life Achievement Award in the 28th Hong Kong Film Awards

10. She taught English on Hong Kong TV.(She speaks impeccable English).

Siaw Fong Fong will remain one of the most exemplary Asian women in the 20th and 21st centuries.


(The Reader's Digest" voted her "The Most Trusted Figure in Hong Kong" in 2010)


What an amazing woman!!

Modern Cao Chuns

MY GROUP of good friends in Miri often gather to have some sisterly chats....usually for any reason you can think of since most of us are retired and children have flown the nest.


With Christmas gone and the end of the year approaching I got to think that many of my friends share similarities with Wang Chao Chun ( a Han Dynasty beauty who was part of a peace treaty between the Chinese and the Mongols). She was a concubine in the Han Palace but the Huangti had never seen her (probably he had thousands of concubines) as her portrait was tainted by the corrupt artist. When she was selected to be sent to the Mongols the Emperor was dumbfounded by her beauty. But it was too late. And she was sent on her way to the far north amidst the snow.

How many of our women have in fact married into unknown fates and had made fantastic contributions to their husbands' countries...like Ruth in the Bible when she went home with Naomi..."Your people will be my people...and your country will be my country". Ruth became the ancestress of Jesus after she married Boaz as part of her fate when she and Naomi came to live in her late husband's land.

In the cold of the winter I think of the fates of such women who today have to struggle for the sake of their children and members of their extended family. May be Wang Chao Chun's song would open your eyes to such feminine sacrifices....

Clap clap...for my good friends...May 2012 bring joy and peace to all of us......

Often we celebrate each other's birthdays when they seem to be forgotten.....

Lin Dai in her role as Wang Chao Chun....the long suffering concubine who loved the hard hearted Emperor

Enjoy the music and reflect on how women have played their roles in our country and beyond!!

Andrew Sii - He Celebrated a Life with Songs!!

Andrew Sii was a little shy cherubic angelic child as a student.

And then his powerful voice "conquered" the world. No one could fill the post of Musical Director of the Sarawak Chinese Annual Conference of Methodist Churches better than him. He had won international prizes for with his voice and conducted many concerts for Sibu and Malaysia.  For that the people of Sibu must remember him.



Andrew leaves behind a great following of singers and music lovers not only in Sibu but Asia. He leaves behind his beloved wife (Lau Kung Mih ) and three sons.

My uncle Lau Pang Hung (Kung Mih's father) and his family especially would be saddened by his departure.

" Then I heard a voice from heaven say, “Write this: Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on.” “Yes,” says the Spirit, “they will rest from their labor, for their deeds will follow them.” (启示录Revelation14:13) Quoting Dr. Tie King Tai (another cousin)

Group photo

Family photo of Andrew and his parents in law and his lovely sons and wife.

Fabulous Singers

His 2011 Concert - Ref : Wong Meng Lei's "A Warm Night". (There was a power stoppage but the concert went on..

A beautiful candle has burned out in our midst.

But God truly loves Andrew Sii.

In this time of grief his family and dear ones would need all the prayer support and sympathies. These photos photos have been "grabbed" from his album.

Brief Translation of the orbituary from the Chinese Newspaper
Home address: ( Sibu)Gambier Road 11B.1 Lane 5A
Home tel : 084-335298
Sii (Household) Chuong Yung (elder) - origins = Fujian China Ming Ching 2nd District How Loong .
On 29th Nov 2011 at 11.55 left this world. He breathed his last at the Rajang Medical Centre. He is with God now. Born on 8th July 1960 he lived on earth for 52 years.

His funeral will be on 2nd Dec at 7.30 with a prayer service at his home and burial at Mile 10 Oya Road.

A post funeral lunch will be held at 12 noon at Peking Restaurant for friends and relatives.

To all business friends..relatives and Christian brothers and sisters
Respectfully

Wife : Lau Kung Mih
Sons: Sii How Kai
Sii How Peng
Sii How Hung

(This orbituary is courtesy of Wong Meng Lei who scanned it from the Chinese Newspapers..In Miri we do not have the same news as Sibu...hence my contribution here for all Methodist friends of Miri and beyond..)

Guzheng (Chinese Zither)

My very talented Sibu friend Yang Yi Fang is a well known Sibu journalist/author. One hidden talent she has is her skills on the GuZheng. At one time she taught several students this instrument in order to perpectuate traditional Chinese music and of course for the love of music.

I was once very keen to take up this instrument because my good doctor told me that it was a good instrument to play to "soothe the soul" but it was a daunting task because I could not find a Guzheng teacher in Miri at that particular time.

When I visited her she was so kind as to give a solo performance for me and I was really thrilled. That became a very memorable part of my hometown visit - listening to Guzheng played just for myself - few people would have that kind of privilege.

Guzheng music can help transport you to another world and help you to reflect more.

T








The Chinese character for "zheng"() is composed of two parts: the upper part means "bamboo"() and the lower part is "argue" (). According to a legend, there was a master of se (), 25-stringed zither, who had two talented daughters who loved playing the instrument. Now there came a time that the master became too old, and wanted to pass his instrument over to one of them. However, both daughters wanted to have it. The master felt very sad that he had only one instrument, and in the end, out of desperate, he decided to split the instrument into two - one got 12 strings, and the other 13. To his amazement, the new instrument sounds mellow and even more beautiful than its original. The happy master gave the new instrument a new name "zheng" by making up the character with the symbolisms representing "bamboo" and "argue". The word "zheng", the name of this instrument, pronounces the same as the word "zheng" which means "argue" or "dispute". The origin of the Chinese character representing this instrument seems to indicate that the early version of the instrument was made of bamboo, which is different from that of today. However, this legend, though it might be true according to the origin of the Chinese character for this instrument, should not be taken too seriously. It might well be the case that the character  is just "borrowed" here for the name of instrument  due to the fact that its pronunciation is a closer imitation of the sound the instrument produces. It is very common is Chinese literature, particularly in ancient poems, to described the sound of the guzheng as "zheng zheng", similar to the case of pipa.(http://www.philmultic.com/guzheng/)


Today the Guzheng has a new position in any good orchestra be it western or eastern. The CCTV and other medium (e.g. Youtube) have helped increased its popularity and more and more young people are taking up the instrument.

For me its music will always remind me of the pure water which used to flow down the Rajang River...bringing life to the people. Its music will always encourage me to live better and be stronger!! It  also reminds me of how hard my ancestors worked to turn formidable terrain into cultivated and bountiful gardens!!