A Chinese Concert

This is a first for me, two Fridays ago. I actually attended a Chinese concert.... I guess it qualifies for a 'pop' concert. Well it was a concert by a group of singers in the 50s reminiscings the 80s and 90s. And to think, when I was my kid's age, I was looking into the 60s and 70s.... my parents' era. Another generation, the same cycle...

The venue was Keat Private Hall. Place was quite comfy enough but the chairs were hard. I think my butt feels kinda 'flattened'. And it was a little tiring.. like many 'Chinese events' this didn't start on time and as a result it ended quite late. We left before it ended.

The hall was quite filled. If my smattering Mandarin is anything to go by, I think they managed to collect a tidy sum from the school, which is not bad considering there was just another concert at the same place just 7 days ago. It was also another fund raising concert.

I could understand half of what was going on. The other other... I depended on my own deductions and translation from my two friends. It was a night of three mothers and six children.

Many of the songs were unfamiliar to me... not surprising since it in a language not very familiar to me. The songs came from the late 80s and beyond. Back in those days, the singers were still young. Most of them have passed the half century mark I think.

Some songs were nice. Mostly were slow numbers. The few which were fast and loud were too loud for my liking. The music was too loud for my comfort. But I could see too some of the oldies in the hall enjoying the show. How not to, when a piece of your childhood comes alive for that brief moment.

Totally another first.

And oh yes.. today the remains of the MH17 were finally brought home. There is so much fanfare... Sometimes I wonder whether we were caught up by the precedence in the Netherlands earlier cos not even our fallen soldiers receive such honour.

One more trip to the Menara Alor Setar

It's hols... and this was after our 'lessons' with our kids.... reading, writing, thinking... and play.

My bros and I used to be able to keep ourselves occupied during long hols doing the sort of things that kids would do... climb trees, catch spiders, play hide and seek, games and even an occasional roof climbing sessions. My childhood was fun. But sad to say, if we don't plan stuff for our kids, most of them would be stuck at home, in front of the TV or iPad, worse still the computer, playing computer games.

Our first stop for the hols... the Menara Telekom. Used to bring Son and other kids here too when he was my girl's age. But that seems to feel like a lifetime ago.

Anyway, the day was cloudy. It's monsoon season now... and a time when some of us worry about flooding. We piled all the kids into the car and headed for the Tower. The ground was wet, the floor kinda slippery. I thought it would be quite empty.

But when I opened the door leading into the foyer, a group of really young kids were hanging around with a few adults. We proceeded to the counter and I asked the lady there whe,ther we had to wait long to go up. Turned out, we could proceed immediately to the lift.. only one lift was working though, I noticed. Tickets are priced at RM8 for adults and RM4 for kids.

It was already quite cold when we got there but the gust of wind which greeted us up there almost knocked the breath out of me. It was freezing! And it was really windy up there. Alor Setar can be quite cold I realised. 8) There was quite a crowd there even though it was the middle of the week.

I pointed the kids to the 'telescopes' or binoculars which were all around and they busied themselves to spying with their eyes the landmarks down below. And what kind of landmarks caught their eyes??? McDonald's, a swimming pool, hawker centres... I just realized that they didn't fancy historical places, geographical landmarks...  We used to be wowed by the sight of two rivers meeting... the winding rivers as it snakes inland or into the sea, depending on which direction you were looking... those natural stuff didn't excite them. McDonald's did! Such is the current generation... probably a reflection of how our education system and we parents have failed to plant in them a sense of the past and wonderment for their surroundings.

Like any kids... they ran to their hearts content on the observation deck. We got them some snacks..... and an hour went by rather quickly. I made them read the posters plastered to the railing all around the deck... information about different historical landmarks in the city and the surrounding area.. If I had not asked them to, they'd have given them a miss. The reading habit is sadly missing these days...

Everyone was quite cold by the time we got down to solid ground... we decided to have a quick dinner at Hai Tau Kee.. a hawker centre near the junction after Pekan Cina.

The first outing for the hols... Squash, tennis and swimming sessions to follow... and I wonder how long their enthusiasms will last. Either that or this creaky body gives way first...

An Evening In Tanjung Dawai

Years gone by... My boy is already done with with his first year at uni. He's back on his break. And since mantis prawns is one of his favourite, my friend enthusiastically made the necessary calls to make this trip a success. These prawns are only available during certain time of the month only... something to do with the ebb and flow of tides. So, it's always best to call ahead. Anyway, I blogged about this place here after my first visit there 3 years ago. We've gone back there 2 or 3 times but did not manage to eat the mantis prawns.

So after lessons with the kids, we pushed off to Tanjung Dawai, 5 kids and 2 mothers - 4 juvenile and one soon-to-be adult, who can now drive. The journey took over an hour and when the first stop was the wharf to get the mantis prawns where they are kept in holding tanks.

The prawns are as fresh as you can get them, alive and swimming for us to choose. We took 8 of these huge flers. These set us back around RM150 @RM95 per kg. These were skill kicking when we passed it to the cook to be deep fried. You can also request for them to be baked.

We also took some crabs. 4 of these cost around RM20, which I felt was quite reasonable. We had it cooked sweet sour. The littlest of the kids who is a crab fan ended up saying that the mantis prawn tasted better than the crabs. I have this to say... at that size, they are as good as lobsters.

These we took to the old ramshackle restaurant by the jetty. Beyond the jetty is Pantai Merdeka. The shop was packed when we got there at around 5.00 p.m. Service was quite slow but everyone dug in as soon as the orders arrived. We also ordered some deep fried squids and another vegetable dish for good measure. Suffice to way, everything was wiped clean. Initially, I had thought that there might be mantis prawns left over for us to tapau home but it was not meant to be. We paid an additional RM70 at the restaurant for their service and the extra dishes.

An interesting observation though... Found the way this uncle make the drinks most interesting. Watching him prepare each drink conveys the feeling that every cup he makes is important to him. We noticed that every glass took quite a while to prepare. One can't help but feel that it's of great concern to him that every glass is well-prepared. He makes sure that the sugar or milk is well mixed into the drink by twisting this mini egg beater like thing in the glass. It's quite mesmerising watching him work. This uncle takes great pride in his work. I noticed too that he would wash his hands, utensils while he sets about preparing each drink.

I have not blogged about food for quite some time. But memories are made of these. The kids are growing. One of mine has 'semi-flown' the roost. In a short time, the other 4 kids (3 belong to my friend) will leave the nest too. On our way home, we stopped by the popular restaurant for Bedong's famous mantou. The mantou tasted better this time around too.
The trip was nice... And I didn't have to drive... 8)

Last Holiday Fling for 2012

This was an afterthought after our Langkawi trip. Other Half thought it would be a good idea to do a beach thingy with the kids since they were so keen to play with the sand. And they had pestered us a few times to stop at the beach in Langkawi but because we were short of time we couldn't.

I sounded it out to Friend and she being the ever enthusiastic agreed quite fast. A plan was hatched up almost immediately because time was short as hotels are usually booked end of the year. We managed to book ourselves into Rainbow Paradise Beach Resort. We chose the place because of its accessibility to the beach... easy for the kids.

Three days and two nights.... The kids excitedly plunged into the pool upon check-in. The water was very cold but that didn't deter us. Everyone was having fun before long. Son decided to lounge on the deck chair.... with his iPad and phone. He usually takes a longer time to soak in the moment and fun.

We even took the opportunity to do an early celebration for Friend's birthday... sort of a surprise one. This was on the first night itself. The two men had to join us late as they had to work. The cake came with them!

The children had made the cards at my place before we went to Penang for the holidays... An afternoon of creative juices.... Lol!

Weather forecast had predicted thunderstorms for the duration of our stay but only one evening was spoiled by heavy rains. But it wasn't too bad as everyone had spent more than half a day in the pool and on the beach. There were Rummikub sessions too.... as well as Monopoly Deal for the children.

The two boys tried paragliding the next day, their firsts. SY being younger and less experienced has some slight problems landing himself on the beach. I think the experience was exhilarating for both of them, one soon to be adult and the other, a budding teen. Other Half (and later Son) got to follow the whole excitement on the motorboat which pulled the paraglider.

On the second morning, Other Half took our gal on the jet ski....

Son took SY on the other jet ski....

Time on the beach for the kids... to build sandcastles, or just to sit at the edge of the waters, letting the waves push them as they come in, sometimes gently and sometimes quite strongly. The fathers were game to join in the fun... I think it's a great time for everyone. Sitting at the edge of the water must have been a favourite for the girls cos they kept wanting to remain there... I guess it's kinda nice, to sit there... bobbing up and down to the waves as they roll in.... soothing.

We even had our own mini barbecue session... of sausages, bacon, mushroom and salads from the bag.... But both of us underestimated the kids ability to wolf down the food....

One of the highlights for me was the early morning walk I shared with Friend. It was nice to just sit on the rock by the beach and talk while listening to the waves being pushed onto the beach. It's been quite a while since I did that with a friend. Over the years, I've been caught up by so many things that I forget the simple joys that time with a friend can bring. We talked so much.... my boy finds it amazing that we can talk so much.... morning, afternoon, night... Lol!

One of the things that many women forget is that to have friends in our lives is important too. Women need emotional support from each other. Family and work (for those of us with a career) take up most of our time that we have no time to build our own network of support among our lady friends.

For me, it was a nice time to spend with my friend and our families. We have been colleagues for the last 8 years in a friendship stretching more than 10 years, one that got started through volleyball. Next year I move on to another school... Our friendship will continue but am sad cos there are just too many things that I will miss... how not to, with the one person that I've spoken most to in the last couple of years!

The hols was fun for everyone, I think. Plenty of time in the sun (and some time with the rains). And there weren't any untoward incident despite the 21.12.12 (end of the year thingy). These are what memories are made for... of bonds built, the fun shared, the things that we do together... They color our lives.... make it more vibrant, give it more meaning.

Langkawi... Highlands on an Island

December is here! And time flies when we are having fun. It's been a continuous time of so many activities since the hols began and this trip, I think qualifies as one of the highlights!

This was hatched within 24-hours. Friend and I actually made plans to take the kids to Langkawi as one of our excursions on one of the days. Then on Friday morning as I was talking to Other Half about it, he quipped that he wouldn't mind going with 2 ladies and 5 kids in tow. A call and the trip was on... might I also add with super excited kids waiting for the day in great anticipation. Lol! Kids have a great appetite for play....

And so, the following day... 5 kids and 3 adults (actually 4 kids and 1 soon-to-be-adult) went. Friend's Other Half sent his brood to my place. We took the 7.15 a.m. ferry, which meant getting ready by 5.30 a.m. The boat was packed despite it being the first of the day. The kids were so excited that they hardly slept throughout the one and a half hour ferry ride. Once we got there, we grabbed some food at KFC... By the way, KFC seems to be the most visible fast food restaurant in Langkawi.

Other Half soon got the rented car which we booked before we left Kuala Kedah. Our first destination was the Cable Car ride at Oriental Village. I wanted to make sure that we got there before the weather turned. Weather forecast the day before had predicted thunderstorms. I think all of us were pleasantly surprised by what greeted us when we got to the village. The place was nice and there was a hive of activity going on.

Everywhere was abuzz with things going on - horse rides, people riding on Sedge-ways, etc. The first thing we did was to get the tickets for the cable car. The kids wandered around. It wasn't very hot but was humid. Everyone of us sweated through and through.

While waiting to board the cable cars, the 2 girls tried out the flying fox. The two guys declined the offer to try hurl themselves off the tower. Lol!

Then after walking around a while, it was time to board the cable cars. Waiting to board the cable car was quite uncomfortable because of the humid weather. The crowd was big and we had to wait more than half an hour for our ride in the line which snaked throughout the floor. The company running the cable car could do a better job by making the waiting area air-conditioned. Malaysians could get 1Malaysia prices for tickets, meaning they were cheaper than for the foreigners. As we were waiting we heard announcements being made that for a minimal sum, one could get priority boarding. I don't know what kind of minimal sum they were referring to but I think RM15 (1Malaysia price) and RM60-65 (priority boarding price) does not qualify for minimal!

The cable ride was an experienced well worth it though. It was a steep climb with breathtakingly beautiful view of the jungle and coastline. The chilly wind cooled us all somewhat too.

We got off the cable car at the first observation point and explored the area. From the observation decks, the views were awesome. The smaller kids were quite impatient getting from one deck to another but there was ample space for them to run around.

This is a really nice place for photo taking. Unfortunately though the Skybridge was out of bounds! It's been closed for many months. Such a pity.

We weren't ambitious as the Langkawi trip was just a one day trip and didn't try to squeeze in too many places to visit. Over the years, Other Half and I have discovered that it's often more fun to just keep trips simple. That way, everyone is less tired.

Our final destination was the Underwater World. They had 1Malaysia ticket prices there too. By the way, we noticed too while there were 1Malaysia prices offered for entrance tickets, places like the Oriental Village hardly had a Malaysian flavour. I didn't see any Chinese kopitiams or Indian roti canai stalls. Such a pity that our rich diverse culture is not represented.

The Underwater World is really nice. The exhibits were really impressive. They're as good if not better than the Sentosa Underwater World in Singapore that we went a couple of years ago.

We were fortunate enough to be able to watch the seal show. The audience oohed and aahhed throughout the show. The kids were mesmerised. I was impressed too.

But before going into the Underwater World we went to have tea here... It's as English as it can get cos it's run by an English lady. The place was cosy. You can have tea and watch the surroundings.

Had scones with jam and strawberry jam. The menu claims it's homemade. Everyone liked the scones.

SY took a photo with a python.... I steered clear. Have no affinity for the slithery creatures. The Underwater World was totally worth it!

We took the last boat back to the mainland. The weather forecast the day before had predicted thunderstorms throughout the day. But the weather held. It was even sunny most part of the day until we were done with the Underwater World. Then it started to drizzle as Other Half drove us back to the Jetty. It eventually poured after we got onto the ferry. God was good!

The trip was totally enjoyable. The children had fun. The young man too, cos he enjoyed his photo shoot. The adults had a great time too! We are planning another such trip. Lol! Turns out the adults too have a great appetite for play as well.

Memories are made of these... Some day I hope when the kids are all grown up, they'll think back of such times with fondness.

The Rise of the Guardians

I seldom do the movies at the cinema of late. Sitting still for almost 2 hours usually cause my back to act up the next day. And this time wasn't any different. Had to deal with a stiff back (and the continuous pain) the next day. Age is catching up. Body parts aren't that well oiled any more. And pain stays longer too. 8(Anyway, Son was the one who put it into the kids' heads this idea of going for a movie. We've been doing tonnes of stuff this hols but not done any movie yet. So it was not surprising that everyone was super enthusiastic about the idea. And I got talked into it.....

Finding a movie is a breeze these days with apps like CineApp. We decided to watch The Rise of the Guardians at Jitra Mall... for one simple reason. The kids wanted to adjourn to Tutti Frutti for frozen yoghurt after the movie.

We had a badminton session earlier in the day and so had to rush a bit to get ready. Friend bought the tickets on her way back home. Kids helped to hang the laundry while I rushed out to collect some goodies from another friend. We made it to Jitra in good time.

The cinema was quite empty when we got in. There were two other groups of people in the cineplex besides our group of 7. Movies aren't complete without popcorn and drinks. So we got those as well.

The Rise of the Guardian had awesome animations. The story is about how Pitch and his minions tried to kill the innocence of the children of the world. He wanted to turn their hope into nightmares and fears, warmth into cold... the sort of evil schemes which are supposed to plunge the world into a cold and destitute place. Enter the Guardians to save the day... Santa Claus, Easter Bunny, Sandman, Tooth Fairy... and an inclusion by The Man on the Moon of Jack Frost. Jack Frost is usually associated with the bad but in this movie he's the good guy who saves the day. Anyway, after some suspense and many intense actions, with the help of one sole little boy who continued to cling on to his belief of the existence of the guardians, Pitch lost and hope was restored. Where there is hope, there is also happiness. Jack Frost was the hero of the day.

This is a movie which probably would appeal to kids at different levels. Many Malaysian kids today are unfamiliar with characters like Jack Frost and Sandman. Santa and Easter Bunny are familiar enough because of their associations with Christmas and Easter. The Tooth Fairy is probably identifiable too. Anyway, it's action-packed enough to keep the eyes riveted to the screen. But many of the subtle and underlying tales (and origins) would probably be lost on the kids.

I think the themes are not bad... the belief of one child could ignite a fire for others to believe and in the end gave strength to the Guardians to overcome Pitch. Life is kinda like that too... we need encouragement from others to believe and hope often times. Strength from those who believe in us....

Santa Claus and the Easter Bunny are the faces of commercial Christmas and Easter. The tooth fairy... well, Other Half and I used to play tooth fairy with our little gal, till we made a slip and our gal came to her own conclusion that her Papa was the tooth fairy. But all of us need a little magic in our lives sometimes.... the awe and wonderment, the belief in something, someone.... And we need heroes to admire too. So the movie was nice in that sense. Plus Good triumphs over Evil. Who doesn't like a happy ending like that?

And yes! We went to Tutti Frutti after the movie despite the rain. Friend and I decided to forego the dessert and sat outside but the girls were sweet enough to share theirs with us. In the end, they left theirs for us and went back inside to tax their brother's. 8) after Tutti Frutti, the kids were reluctant to part... so we adjourned for dinner at Rong Reang. Rong Reang is a Thai restaurant, quite popular in Jitra.

This is prawn tanghoon... supposed to be my favourite. But this one seems to need rice to go with it. It's not a dish that you can take on its own, despite being tanghoon based.

Our own local calamari... though not quite in ring form. They're a little heavy on the oil though. The kids are small eaters. In the end, I had to push them to finish this dish.

Seafood curry. Not bad. On a hungry stomach, this would be a winner. Unfortunately, most stomachs had yoghurt filling up most of the space. So finishing it took some effort.

Mantis prawns in dried chilli - Son's favourite. Incidentally, this was also a belated birthday treat for him from Friend. Since it was his favourite, he finished this one.... He has a penchant of ordering the same food each time we go out..... We need to make memories for the kids and ourselves. Time flies and before long, each one will be leaving the nest. Just like the Tooth Fairy who took the teeth to preserve the memories for each child... Memories give meaning to our lives. They put smiles (and sometimes tears) on our faces. Sometimes we forget the reason for many things. Memories sometimes serve as reminders and reasons, as Jack Frost discovered from his memory the reason for him being chosen to be Jack Frost and eventually a Guardian. As he remembered he became more convinced and determined that he should guard and protect the innocence of the children.

For me, this hols has been a journey of discovery too in a way. I am ever reminded that much of the meaning that we get our of life often comes from the relationships that we form in our lives. And these are memories in the making too.... It reminds me too of memories of recent past, when I used to do stuff like this for Son and co too....

Muzium Arkeologi Lembah Bujang

It's been a busy 2 weeks (onto the 3rd week) of the year end hols.... one that has been filled with activities for the kids. And believe it or not, it's even more tiring than working! But one that is more gratifying as well as fun.

We've done badminton, gone out for many makan outings and so far made one outing to the Muzium Arkeologi Lembah Bujang in Merbok.

I first went there many years ago and thus was pleasantly surprised by what greeted me this time around.

There is a nice recreational area in the museum grounds, perfect for family picnics and the kids to get wet playing in the water. There was a small group of people there when we got there. The weather was perfect for an outing too, cloudy.

The place was generally well kept. Monuments and artefacts were mainly outdoor and they were well maintained and taken care. The grounds was nice and the kids had a great time running all over the place while looking at the remnants of the ancient ruins of candi(s) or stupas and artefacts, mainly from granite and laterite stones, from the ancient kingdom of Kataha. Among them were Candi Batu Pahat, Candi Pendiat, Candi Bendang Dalam....

My girl remarked that it was the first time she had visited an 'outdoor' museum. (Most kids only think of museums as buildings which house old things). So an outdoor museum was a new experience for them. The above artefacts were used to squeeze sugar cane for its juice. And they're huge contraptions compared to our little modern extractors. Took us a while to figure out how they used those huge stones! There is also a building which houses other artefacts like the beads, porcelain, Shivaite lingga. soma-sutera (a drain like structure) and arca.

Lembah Bujang was a very happening place back then. Back then was around 1500 years ago when getting together meant the need to meet up physically. And Lembah Bujang became the meeting place where international interactions and the exchange of goods took place. Of course these days, all these can happen from the comforts of our homes, regardless of location. All we need is an internet connection and the courier service. And our own homes become the happening place where all these social interactions and needs are met, though I think it lacks the fun of the physical interaction. The pic below shows remnant of stupas (candi) which were mainly temples dating back over a thousand years.

And when people meet, it's only natural that not only an exchange of goods take place but that of culture as well. And so the candi(s) or stupa(s) were built so that these wanders or travellers could feel a little of home away from home. Eventually many of them stayed back permanently. This too contributed to our racial composition today too. If we were to trace our ancestry many of us would find that we would have ancestors from different parts of the world too... my kids are no different as we can trace their ancestry back to the Middle East!

Lembah Bujang basically had all it takes to be a good meeting place. Well located and sheltered within an estuary with plenty of food supplies and good weather, the port thrived for centuries. Small rivers flowed into the hinterlands. It was purported that the Chinese traders would use these rivers to get to the old kingdoms of Srivijaya and Langkasuka. The traders from China and India would wait out the monsoon seasons here too. This went on right up to the 11th century. And because of its long history of trade, it is one of the richest archeological sites in Malaysia. Hopefully it will continue to be preserved. Our authorities seems to have a penchant for 'erasing' certain parts of history....

This is a good place to bring kids to visit. Beats the sterile mall environment anytime.

Buffet Dinner at G Hotel

To celebrate Son's birthday, we decided to go for buffet dinner at G Hotel. We thought it might be fun to try out their Surf and Turf buffet dinner which is on Saturdays.

We left quite late for Penang and when we got there, the parking bays were nearly filled. Took us quite a few rounds to find one. The whole area seemed packed with shoppers and people out on a weekend.

We had a couple of hours more to kill before dinner and over these for tea at...

.. where we watched this, as the tables were located at a vantage point just directly opposite and above the pageant.

A Japanese Princess Pageant was taking place. It was quite interesting to see it at first. The contestants also had to answer a question in English. Noticed that spoken English isn't that great these days. It was the first time we had seen an event like this. Didn't quite get used to watching the girls do the catwalk, Japanese style. They had to be demure but everyone of them seemed to have to walk tilted to one side, it seemed. Well, anyway, I am no expert in Japanese culture.

Turns out the Surf and Turf wasn't much to shout about. I mean the spread was okay and it could be we aren't easily wowed these days plus our stomachs can't seem to hold as much food as we used to be able probably had something to do with it.

There wasn't much seafood surfing around the turf of the buffet table. Some seafood like squids were sorely missing. I supposed they think fish, scallop, mussels and prawns qualify the buffet to be called Surf and Turf.

The barbecue stuff was at best basic with prawns and chicken as the main attractions. And most of the prawns were overcooked, leaving them dry and rubbery. The cook did a poor job at the barbecue pit.

The kids enjoyed the dessert section though.

...especially the chocolate fondue. Could see that they enjoyed coating the fruits and marshmallows with chocolate. The rest of the food was okay, not spectacular but okay. However, we had a nice outing together. Kids are growing up. Times like this should be cherished. Our gal enjoyed every moment she can spend with her big bro these days, I can see.

We walked around a bit after dinner and did some shopping. Kids got themselves a Cluedo board game and we got a present for Other Half's godson... Got home quite late but I think we had a great time. And one more thing... it was nice to have a driver both ways too. 8)

Our boy is a young man already. How time flies.

Stuff That We Don't Do Anymore

I think we don't do this anymore, produce such manuscripts.... This is an age of computer, where every conceivable kind of lettering can be done and produced in the shortest possible time. In time to come, we might not even be writing on paper....

There were 2 of these framed manuscripts and they hang at the entrance of our home church. Home church was the church of my youth. It was where we did our growing up, learned about God and also about responsibilities. It was where we were given opportunities to test and discover ourselves.

For years, everyone of us who goes back to our home church would be greeted by these framed words. They looked like they are printed but closer scrutiny will reveal that they are handwritten. I think I must have walked past these so many times and not quite see them. Strange huh? How we can sometimes not see things which are right in front of our eyes. Or even if we see them, they tend to disappear into the labyrinth of our minds... seeing but not quite seeing. Anyway, we met up with some old friends and as usual did some catching up after service. Sis was with me... she had come back to see our parents. And so she was catching up with her old friends, and we with ours. And that was when, we were reminded of her artistic labour more than 20 years ago.

Manuscript writing used to be taught in Art lessons during my time. I never liked Arts simply because I was terrible at it. And there were many like me. My school saw that and streamed us into Perdagangan instead of Art for SRP. So we did Homescience (or Industrial Arts for the boys) and Commerce. No Art. 8) The church entrance is a place where I must have walked so many times. Yet during this last visit, because sis was with me, she struck up conversation with a a senior of hers. I was hanging around too, talking to my old friends too. And I relearn a piece info I had almost forgotten.

Sis liked Art and her manuscript writing was very good. She didn't mind spending hours practising her manuscripts. I had no such patience. And so when the new church was completed, the late Rev Hwa Chien approached her and commissioned her to do these... Now they hang on these walls. I think they're already artifacts in a sense cos people don't do them any more these days. In time to come too, this will join the ranks of the lost art. The computer will substitute all these manual and time consuming labour, in the process robbing also a little bit of the old ways from us too.