Posted on 1 March 2008 @ 22:12 in Family
He was a rescued 8-week-old puppy fostered by my sister’s tailor that my sister had decided to adopt. It was a surprise that she would do such a thing as she’s not much of an animal person. But when you see a picture of him taken the evening he joined the household, you’ll understand her decision:
He’s CUTE! Compared to the other two four-legged members of the family - a rottweiler called Lok (Chinese variation of Rott, but also meaning “happy”) and a doberman called Morpheus - he looks more approachable, too. As the smallest of the three, he has been nicknamed SmallDog, although over the months, he has grown quite a bit, so that now, we must remember to call him by his real name, Prince.
Over the months since he joined the household, two other things have happened to Prince. His pair of ears have become mismatched - the right ear is upright while the left ear remains droopy, and his tail has flowered into quite a magnificent brush. Here he is at 11 months old.
Another view of his tail.
That’s his “house” behind him, a section of the corridor leading from the garden into the wash area. He remains on a chain even when home because he’s still able to squeeze between the grille bars, as in the picture above. Initially, we thought he’d grown too big to squeeze through, but one evening, the maid had found him seated at the door watching her at work. To prevent any doggy encounters with my sister, it was decided to return him to his chain.
One thing we’ve still not been able to determine is his breed. Sure, he’s a mixed, but of what breeds in particular? One vet thinks he’s a Spitz - Cavalier King Charles mix, while another vet thinks he also has Collie blood in him, too. Looking at the three pictures here, any suggestions what he might be?
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Posted on 11 February 2008 @ 11:35 in Family, Fun Stuff
Ang pow actually means “red packets” in the Hokkien dialect. The Cantonese version, lai see, means “lucky money” and is most often given during Chinese New Year from married people to single people, with some money inside, as a form of well-wishes for the coming year.
The most common type of ang pow design is a plain red envelope. Over the years, banks have printed fancy ang pow designs to be given to their customers to use during Chinese New Year. Of course, the bank’s name and logo are printed somewhere, usually at the back, of the ang pow. It’s a form of publicity for the bank. So far, I don’t think there’s been any award for the best ang pow design. Maybe there should be one.
When it comes to cute designs, the banks have nothing on the commercially available ones (commercially as in you have to buy them instead of getting them free, like the ones from the banks). My sister, who has the weakest spot for anything cute, is one of those who favours buying such cute ang pow designs. This is the one I got from her for this year:
And here’s the one from my brother (a freebie with a logo on the back):
And yes, they both have lai see (lucky money) inside them.
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Posted on 12 November 2007 @ 21:25 in Family, Personal
At my age, I’m still getting angpows for my birthday. The benefit of being “baby sister” . But I’m not complaining.
*giggle*
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Posted on 30 August 2007 @ 15:00 in Family, Memories
On the eve of celebrations for Malaysia’s 50th year of independence, I find myself wondering where were my parents on that morning of 31 August 1957?
This is a question I’ll never have an answer to. I can’t ask him because he’s not here anymore. I can’t ask her because only her body’s here, her mind’s wandering most of the time. I can try. Maybe I’ll do that when I see her this Saturday.
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Posted on 27 August 2007 @ 23:34 in Family, Memories
I remember my mother telling me the year Malaysia turned 10 in 1967 that the 10th Merdeka (Independence Day) was a milestone for the country, and that the next milestone would be the 25th Merdeka. And now look at us - a few days away from our 50th Merdeka.
The family shop used to be a favourite gathering place on 31 August each year. Relatives and friends would visit as, thanks to the shop’s location right in front of Jalan Tuanku Abdul Rahman (or Batu Road as it used to be called), the first floor had the best view of the Merdeka parade that would begin at Selangor Padang (old name for Dataran Merdeka) and go along the entire length of Batu Road right up to the roundabout (where the Chow Kit Monorail station is today).
In those days, Jalan TAR was the longest and straightest road in all of Kuala Lumpur. The family shop was located somewhere near the end of the long stretch. Each year’s parade would include schools represented by their students. Most everyone growing up would probably have participated in one of the Merdeka parades.
We would watch and wave to family members involved in the parade each year. But because by the time the parade got to our part of the road, it was almost at the end, they would be tired and out of order, totally unlike when they started at Selangor Padang, marching past the King, the Prime Minister and members of the Malaysian Cabinet. The year my brother was in the parade, he perked up as he and his gang approached the shop and waved to us as they marched past.
All this was before the overhead bridge was built near the old Post Office just in front of the Chow Kit market, which made it difficult for the taller Merdeka floats to pass under, and also before Jalan TAR was made one way (unfortunately, the wrong way). Even then, I think the road was closed for the parades along Jalan TAR each year. I don’t remember watching recent years’ parades. I was out of the country between 1986 and 1990, and the year I returned, we moved out of the family shop and out of the neighbourhood. These days, if I get to watch the Merdeka parade at all, it would be in front of the TV. And even if I do, it would be just so totally different from how it was when I was growing up and living along Jalan TAR.
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