Flower Power

Friday, 20 January 2006

Rain, rain, rain; the months of December 2005 and January 2006 have been wet. Almost every day it rained. If it is not in the morning, then afternoon or night.

One thing good about the present weather is that the soil in my backyard did not favour the growth of the weeds. Unlike when I was away in Kuala Lumpur and came back to find the small garden filled with unwanted plants where it took me the whole morning to clear them. This moring it took me half that time to clear the weeds and loosen the soil.

I think I am beginning to enjoy gardening because of the beauty of the flowers that are blooming from the plants that I planted myself.

Don't Be Shy - Just Sing!

30 August 1971

Final night of the singing competition, of the Lutong Government Secondary School, in conjunction with the National Day celebration. This was the first singing competition organized by the school for her students, at the school hall. I had been selected into the final of the English and the Mandarin Section. I must be good! I had been practicing hard at a junior’s home but not hard enough to get a prize in both sections!

In the Mandarin section, I sang “心上人” (sound like “Sing Sun Lern” literally in English mean “the person of my heart”)(by Chang Siao Ying) and got 3^rd. My prize was a fountain pen and a bottle of ink.

In the English section, I sang “All I have to do is Dream” (by the Everly Brothers). I thought I did very well but alas! I didn’t get a prize! But nevertheless, an enjoyable experience.

19 July 2011 - Thanks to JosephBHC. He related that we had to draw to see when was our turn to sing. I forgot I had drawn No. 1, so I was the 1st one to sing! JosephBHC sang too. He sang "往事只能回味"

Thanks JosephBHC for the following translation of the song you sang:

时光一逝永不回，往事只能回味，忆童年时时光一逝永不回，往事只能回味，忆童年时竹马青梅，两小无猜，日夜相随。春风又吹红了花蕊，你已经也添了新岁，你就要变心像时光难倒回，我只有在梦里相依偎.
Time Passed will never return, the past left only Memory. Our childhood is like time that passed without return, the past left only memory. Remembered the puppy love when we two were together day and night. The Spring breeze have blown red the flower bubs, you also added another year on your age. You are going to change like time that past without return. I can only be with you in the dream.

Then there was PeterL, JohnC, KCFook, CWCheong, IbrahimK, AlisonCFY, MaryS. And then he said one of the Form 4 students sang "I started a joke" (Bee Gees). Thanks, Joseph, for helping to update my blog posting with the additional information you provided. THANKS A LOT.

22 July 2011 - Got an update. I love this! AngelaG, my classmate, said she sang "500 Miles" (by the Brothers Four), a folk song that the old and the young likes to sing. Yay! Thanks, AngelaG.

6 December 1971

School Leavers’ Campaign – Social Gathering – Miri Community Hall. My singing fever has not subsided and so I volunteered to sing again the English song that I sang at school, even though I did not get a prize.. I just like “All I have to do is Dream” so much. Good thing, it was not a competition.

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1973

I don’t remember exactly when. No photo no record. But I do remember taking part in a singing competition at a fun fair, organized by the Lutong Jaycees in Miri. Another attempt singing in public. This time I sang “Paper Roses” (Marie Osmond). Frankly speaking I was nervous but didn’t go flat as in the following year.

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Sunday, 4 August 1974

Singing competition organized by the Lutong Jaycees at the Miri Community Hall. Chose “The Twelfth of Never” by Donny Osmond. How did I do? Well! I went flat and got booed! Luckily I was not thrown with rotten eggs or anything else, hahaha.. That was the last time I took part in a public singing competition. Would I do it again? Maybe, if I have enough training and courage.. Would I continue singing? Yes, of course!

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30 years later. No. I have not taken part in any public singing competition. I am happy just to sing with my friends at the karaoke lounge, party, home and church.

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“Sing, sing a song, sing out loud, sing out strong…………………………………

Sing….. Sing a song….Don’t worry it’s not… good enough for anyone else to hear, just sing….Sing a song…. (by the Carpenters???)

Unforgettable Gestures

Happy New Year! My first post for the year 2006.

Today, I am inclined to share three of the gestures of my friends. Gestures, that naturally come from their characteristics, which they displayed with no expectation of any rewards in return. Gestures, that they (the givers) have forgotten about but I (the receiver) will always remember.

Saturday, July, 1987 – Miri - A Birthday cake!

My birthday! I was on a trip to Mulu caves with my friends. Didn’t announce to any of them that it coincided with my birthday. Don’t want them to bring any presents for me either. This trip itself was a birthday gift to myself, to be get out of town and explore.

It was early in the night. We just sat around the dinning hall and enjoy each other’s company. There was nothing else we could do. Can’t go walking – too dark outside. The other lights in the vicinity were from the other hostels. We were surrounded by jungles, river, sounds of birds!

Jackie said: “I have a surprise. Wait” She walked out of the hall and came back later with a box, undeniably a cake box. She placed it on the table and called everyone to gather around. She asked me to open it. My heart beat fast because I guess it was for me. Jackie knew the date of my birthday and she had noted the date of the trip. She didn’t tell anyone else. She wanted to surprise me. “Happy Birthday, Irene”, said Jackie.

I will never forget Jackie for that surprised birthday cake. Believe it or not, I had never had a birthday cake until then and it was my first and most memorable one.

Thank you, Jackie.

Thursday, 1 July, 1994 – Bradford - Food for you!

Vacation, with my family, in England, had come to an end. We were going home to Malaysia. Our luggage were packed and we were ready to leave. We were going to take the tube to the Heathrow International Airport for the 2200 hrs flight from London to Kuala Lumpur.

We had to pass the sitting room and the kitchen as we descended the stairs of the terrace flat. Jessie handed me a plastic container and told me that it was for us to eat at the airport. She is a soft spoken lady and she did not tell me what was inside. I didn’t ask her either, only thanked her and said goodbye.

We have gotten fed up with burgers, fish and chips and any other English food. Chinese food is expensive and not nice here.. What did I find in the plastic container that Jessie gave me? Boiled rice and fried fish. No wonder I smelled the aroma of fried fish when I was in our room upstairs. Jessie was secretly preparing food in the kitchen for us. In Malaysia, it is common for us to eat boiled rice with fried fish. But at Heathrow, it had never tasted so delicious. Furthermore, it satisfied our hunger and we did not have to look for food.

Thank you, Jessie.

January, 2005 – Kota Kinabalu – Midnight Angel!

It was past 11:30 pm at night. Unable to sleep, very upset emotionally, confused, and if I don’t let those feelings out, I am going to suffer depression and who knows what! Because of hurt, self-pity, loss of self-confidence, loss of reasoning sensibility, reality, enveloping anger or whatever negative feelings, I might commit some undesirable and regrettable acts. I had to talk to Agnes.

Agnes has been my pillar of strength and comfort. I had known her for over a year and we have grown close to each other. Although busy with her life as a single mother, she was never busy to take my calls and listen to me. I know if I asked her to help she would do so.

Agnes was not in bed yet. After listening to me, she said “Irene, I am going to drive over to your place after I have picked my son back home”. I told her that was not necessary because it was almost midnight and that I would be okay after I have talked to her. Tonight, she felt that she needed to come to me. She was worried that I might unthinkably do something foolish. She came as she said, visited with me until she knows I am sober and composed. It was almost 01:00 am in the morning when she left.

Thank you, Agnes. Change the last letter of her name to ‘l’ and she has all the letters to the word “Angel”.