What do old guys in their 50s, 60s and 70s have in common?
They all like to eat and drink together at the slightest excuse. For this occasion of the wedding dinner of Dr Tiong and Lilian Su at Restoran Golden Court in Bentong all the brothers-in-laws sat around Table 30 for a round of endless drinks, food and small talks. Likewise while the men were busy toasting each other their wives who are sisters would occupy another table exchanging gossips with their own kind.
Of all the old men shown in the picture Mr Yip, the bald and plumb guy in white shirt is the oldest and the most gregarious of all. After a few drinks he will become the spark of the group
Tonight is Dr Tiong and Lilian Su's big day; their wedding dinner being held at Restoran Golden Court in Bentong
Restoran Golden Court which used to be located in the market area in the town centre has found a new home in a purpose built stand alone building at 1st milestone Jalan Tras. This impressive two storey building now houses the newest and biggest Chinese restaurant in Bentong
On this night there were three wedding dinners being held simultaneously. Ours were held on the first floor level while the other two were held on the ground floor.
The open staircase leading to the first floor has an impressive wall facade with decorative koi fish features stuck to the wall. At the centre of the stairwell the ceiling-hung chandelier further enhances the beauty of the staircase.
At the registration counter I was assigned to Table No 7. Table No 7 was the table where all the sisters sat together. As I thought there might be a mistake in assigning table numbers I decided to join the rest of my brothers-in-law at table 30
Nicholas and Amy came in at 7.30pm after being delayed by traffic congestion and loosing their way in the town centre.
The dinner started promptly at 8.00pm when the bride and groom's parents walked into the banquet hall to be closely followed by the beaming bride and groom. The groom wore a white suite while the bride don a red dress.
The groom's father dressed quite simply in a short sleeved white shirt, black pants and wearing sandals. They do look like the part of simple rural folks by the way they dressed> I would have thought that since their son was getting married they should wear something more appropriate to the glamorous occasion.
The food was good and in big portions.
All the brothers-in laws had a good time drinking and toasting each other. Yip the most senior brother-in-law was at his elements when under the influence of alcohol. As for me I didn't touch any red wine, beer or brandy. As I had to drive I stuck to Chinese tea.
The dinner ended at 10.30pm.
After the dinner we headed back to KL instead of staying the night in Bentong.
Disturbed from my sleep by the crackle of exploding fireworks I went downstairs to escape the noise and also to do some research and writing on this celebration.
Today is the 9th day of the CNY. On this day some members of the Chinese community worship the Jade Emperor or Baitiangong （拜天公）by burning incense, lighting candles, offering of food and setting off fireworks.
Although the Baitiangong ceremony was originally practiced by Hokkien people, nowadays other Chinese dialect groups also join in the celebration.
Of all the days of the CNY usually Baitiangong is the day when the fireworks activity is the most intense. Although the noise from the exploding fireworks can be quite irritating, fortunately the fireworks activities are of short duration lasting at the most one hour.
This attractive bamboo plant is the only CNY decorative accessory that we bought to welcome the Chinese New Year.
My wife spotted this piece when we were shopping for CNY clothing at the Aeon store in the Aeon Cheras Selatan Mall about 3 weeks ago. At less than RM20.00 it was a small price to pay for such an attractive feature plant.
After 3 weeks we notice that the bamboo plant has sprouted leaves when they were not there when we bought the item.
The Chinese character 财 (cai) imprinted on the side of the gold coloured pot refers to wealth or fortune.
May the year of the goat bring prosperity, good health and happiness to all. Happy Chinese New Year. 恭喜发财
Ilike the script in this scroll so much that I and my wife decided to paste two of them side by side on the window glass panel to welcome the Chinese New Year.
In English the 4 Chinese characters of 三阳和谐 (san yang he xie) means "Auspicious Beginnings of Peace and Harmony."
The phrase is written by Ven Master Hsing Yun, a renowned Buddhist monk from Fo Guan Shan monastery in Taiwan.
Of the two scrolls in my possession, one of them was given to me when I and my wife visited Fo Guan Shan Monastery in Taiwan as tourists in December 2014. During the Taiwan visit Fo Guan Shan Monastery was one of the tour itinerary.
As for the other one, it was given to me by members of the local Fo Guan Shan centre in Taman Puncak Jalil where I am now serving as an OPM volunteer.
I like this particular scroll because the script has deep spiritual meaning, so unlike the common CNY scripts that focus on materialistic themes such as wealth, good fortune and prosperity.
Wishing everyone a Happy Chinese New Year.
Thu 12/2/2015 OPM Centre, Tmn Puncak Jalil
To mark a successful year the committee organised a vegetarian yee sang and steamboat dinner at its premises for the members. It was also held to celebrate the CNY that is going to start next week on Feb 19.
Today is the last time that we all meet and work here before closing the centre for 3 weeks to celebrate the CNY. Today was also the first time we wore our newly designed green T-shirt for the occasion.
After the dinner and washing up all of us sat around a table for a dialog session. During the dialog session many of the members freely shared their experiences of OPM therapy so that others may learn some valuable lessons from such exchange of information and knowledge. Two guests who are currently undergoing regular treatment here were also invited to share their experiences of the treatment with the members.
Although I am one of the newest members I was also invited to talk about my own experience working here. I told them how I got started and how grateful I am for being accepted by the group and given the opportunity to learn this form of health therapy.
My introduction to OPM therapy was purely by chance.
One day last year while serving the internet I stumbled upon a web site called "Origin Point Medicine in English" After reading all the stories written by the readers of this page I was convinced that OPM therapy is something worth looking into. The more I read the stories the more I got intrigued by the potential of this type of alternative medicine for health preservation and cultivation.
Before long I found myself registering for a two day weekend OPM workshop organised by BGF at Ara Damansara. Even before attending the workshop I was already attending treatment sessions at the Tmn Puncak Jalil OPM centre for my painful knee conditions.
The first person at the centre who attended to me was Jason Ng, who is a senior therapist here. When he first kneaded the origin points on my back I felt like I had just received an electric shock. The pain was so intense that my body even trembled as he piled on the pressure.
After a few sessions when I got to know Jason better, one night he suggested that I learn the art at the centre. Without hesitation I accepted his offer and started to visit the centre every week long after my knee problem was resolved. Beside Jason other senior members also gave me pointers and tips on how to execute the original point massage. I recall starting my first lesson in July 2014 and since then I have never looked back.
Then after about 6 months of hands-on training one night in January 23 2015 they gave me a green T-shirt to wear. That was my proudest moment. By presenting me with the T-shirt I knew that it was their way of accepting me as a full-fledged therapist. Before that even though I had already started to give treatment to visitors I was wearing my own clothing while the rest of the members were wearing their green T-shirt uniforms.
Although I am one of them now I still consider myself as a novice with a long road ahead to travel before I can consider myself competent in the art.
I am also grateful for the assistance that I am receiving from my senior colleagues who continue to teach me the deeper aspects of OPM therapy without reservation.
Today is CNY eve.
It was great to wake up in the morning without having to leave the house for work.
In conjunction with the CNY last week my boss had directed the staff to take 3 days of compulsory leave starting today and ending on the following Tuesday. This means that the company will resume normal business operation on Wednesday next week.
Taking advantage of the off day I embarked on a few chores immediately after my morning tai chi exercise and breakfast.
I swept the upstairs and downstairs floor, emptied the rubbish from all the waste bins in the house and dumped them into the outside storage bin, filled an empty container with new laundry refill and washed the family car.
Done mindfully and unhurriedly I actually enjoyed doing these mundane household chores. More than just chores, I imagine doing such tasks as exercises for my mental and physical well-being.
While I was doing these chores my wife was busy cleaning, cutting, sorting and getting ready all the meat and vegetable ingredients for tonight's reunion dinner. She had scheduled the afternoon to cook up a feast for the family reunion dinner.
It was my wife's decision that starting from this year we should cook our own food and eat at home rather than spend lots of money eating outside in a fancy restaurant. Since we already have a new daughter-in-law it was all the more meaningful to eat at home as a family unit.
Wishing everybody
Happy Chinese New Year,
Gong Xi Fa Cai.
May the year of the Horse bring good health, happiness and prosperity to all.
Sun 5/2/2012 Melaka
Who could resist the charms of these two friendly chefs?
Ended up at this food court near the Portuguese settlement eating fried chicken wings, fried oyster omelet and Portuguese grilled fish, three greasy sin foods that I normally won't touch even with a 10-foot pole.
Aenon Health Farm. 6/2/2012 Tampin, Negeri Sembilan
Tracking up and down the steep hill slopes. The concrete foot steps cast into the hill sides made the climb more comfortable though no less easier due to the undulating terrain.
Rubber trees with live latex oozing from the tree barks, huge granite boulder outcrops, vegetable plots, shrubs, flowers and a fish pond form the natural landscape of the hill side. Though the sun was up and fiery, the lush overhead foliage of the rubber trees provided some cover and relief from the stifling mid-morning heat.
The resident dog who had absolutely no fear of humans accompanied the group in the 40 minute trek. It would playfully trot ahead of the group of about 10 people and then backtracked with its tail wagging as if teasing the climbers who also consisted of senior citizens. Throughout the trek not once did the animal barked at us and most of the time it would respectfully raced on the ground surface along the edge of the concrete steps. The antics of this dog gave some comic relief to the otherwise labourous and arduous climb though the others in the group might not be aware of the show. I was told that the dog was a stray who after wandering into the farm one day decided to stay there for good.
Lost in Jonker Street. 5/2/2012, Melaka.
The lantern lit but eerily empty night scene at one of the many narrow side streets off Jonker Street.
Walking back to the car park after the visit to busy Jonker Street night market our family group almost got lost wandering along the maze of narrow streets until we encountered a kind family group near a mosque who gave us the correct direction to our destination.
Then joining the large group of Muslim men and women who had just emerged from the mosque after their prayers and who were walking along the same direction as us we soon arrived at the bridge beside the Melaka river where we had earlier parked our cars.
Chendol Drive-In, Sat 5/2/2012 Melaka
This stall is reputed to sell the best chendol in town. Due to the absence of parking space some customers double-parked by the road side either buying take-aways or to consume the sweet drink right inside their cars; never mind in so doing blocking half the busy street and disrupting the traffic flow.
The Melaka folks seem a tolerant lot because despite double-parking in front of the chendol stall blocking half the street passing motorists didn't blast their horns. This sort of behaviour would be deemed unacceptable in KL roads.
Following the example of the locals we hurriedly gulped down the iced dessert in our cars and then moved on so as not to inconvenient passing motorists.
Alas! I hear the beautiful sound of silence. The construction work which has been winding down during the last three days had stopped completely.
For the past three weeks prior to the start of the CNY celebrations my family had to put up with the jarring noises and dust coming from my next-door neighbour who had been busy remodeling his house.
Not a day went by without the peace being disturbed by the the sound of construction activities eg knocking, demolishing, grinding, sawing, hammering, welding, and hacking works. Apart from the noises, we had to clean the floor and the furnishings at least once a day when construction dust, cement and sand particles blown by the wind would invade our home.
While I accepted the situation with equanimity my wife, being less charitable with the situation was quite upset with the noise and dust intrusion. She complained loudly why she had to clean up stuffs left behind by other people.
There is nothing much that can be done about the situation other than to learn to live with it the best way you can. You can't stop the guy from doing renovating work within his property. That is his right as the owner of the property.
As for the sound and dust they are the by-product of construction activity that is hard to control. Sound is easily transmitted through the air and if there is a strong wind blowing in addition to sound the wind carries the dust particles from place to place along its path.
If you stop for one minute to think about the situation his family was worse off than mine because the family had to deal with the inconveniences and disruptions to normal life daily as they had to live in the house while the chaotic renovation work was happening all round them. Just imagine how many times a day the family had to clean up and rearrange the furnishings to make way for the construction work.
While maintaining my equanimity I did what I could to relief my wife's emotional anguish by being available to listen to her woes calmly without being judgmental or critical.
In the end we also received some benefits from the neighbour's house renovation work. He has extended his car porch roof to cover ours and as a result our car porch is now completely sheltered from the rain where before in a heavy downpour some rain carried by the wind would inevitably enter our car porch through the open space under the roof. The new curb that was constructed at the edge of his driveway extension had stopped the rain water runoff from overflowing into our side of the boundary. He had also cut down some branches of the tree so there is more headroom and space to park our second car.
My body has started to rebel against the abuses to my digestive system accumulated over the past 4 days of CNY binge eating. Had to evacuate my bowels twice the first thing in the morning to expel the toxins. Am expecting to go again for more cleansing.
I never enjoy eating 7-course dinners but because of CNY when family members get together for reunion dinner tradition and courtesy dictates that I go along with the feasting. Including drinks,cookies and other CNY tit-bits you tend to eat more than your normal requirement no matter I much you try to restrain yourself.
The family has just arrived home, exhausted but happy from a day trip to Ipoh for a CNY family reunion gathering. Then when we were stepping into the car porch we were immediately overwhelmed by a pungent smell. In the darkness some of us had stepped onto dog poo. I imagined that a street dog had come by the house while the family was away and depositing his poo by the gate was his way of wishing the family Gong Xi Fa Cai. What a memorable CNY celebration!
Annual family CNY reunion dinner in Ipoh Sun Lee How Fook Restaurant. A memorable occasion as you can see the natural smiles and joys reflected in the faces of the family members.
The family was was selecting Tambun pomelos at one of the row of stalls near Sam Poh Tong Temple in Ipoh. Every CNY we go to this same stall to buy pomelos. The friendly aunty vendor (dressed in bright red) doesn't seem to age with time because she looks the same year after year.
How do you reciprocate sms Gong Xi Fa Cai greetings from friends who don't celebrate CNY and at the same time show your deep sensitivity, appreciation and gratitude of their continuous friendship? It seems inappropriate to wish them back Gong Xi Fa Cai because they are non-Chinese. After giving some thoughts I decided to reciprocate all my non-Chinese CNY well-wishers as follows:
TQ for your CNY greetings. Wishing you and your family happiness, good health and prosperity in this year of the Dragon.
Tossing "Yee Sang" at a Sushi King restaurant with family members. As there were only four of us eating we ordered a plate of mini "Yee Sang". Surprisingly the crunchy dish is quite tasty and not as sweet as the local varieties. The local Yee Sang is so sweet that the sauce tends to completely mask the taste of the raw fish.
Wishing all my family members, friends, fellow senseis and students of Aikido, readers of this blog and not forgetting everybody else in the planet Happy New Year of the Water Dragon.
To those who are traveling have a safe journey.
Gong Xi Gong Xi
Wishing all INTi Aikido Club members Happy Chinese New Year and Gong Xi Fa Cai. The first INTi Aikido class immediately after the CNY will be held on 30/1/2012.
