The Faithful One

For all the good things and challenges of 2013, I have this song to sing :

How good is the God we adore

Our faithful unchangeable friend

His love is as great as His power

And it knows neither day or night

It's Jesus the first and the last

Whose spirit will guide us safely home

We will praise Him for all that is past

We will trust Him for all that's to come

Thank you dear Faithful One for 2013.

Christmas Lights

 Lights are always associated with Christmas.

I wonder why?

Has it got to do with that long ago tale?

The three kings traveling great distances in search of that Light?

That Light.

It has never been forgotten.

We are still looking for that Light.

That's what Christmas is about.

 In the streets of Kuala Lumpur, lights are bright along Bukit Bintang lanes.

It's a warm feeling to have the streets bright and joyful.

 Figurines of angels blowing the horn lace the front of Lot 10 and how pretty they are.

 More to be seen along it as one witnesses lights glowing on trees.

 People are taking greater steps to share the joy of Christmas. They light up their houses as though in winter wonderland.A fairyland come true. That's the feeling you get as you pass the place. It's the lights again; house owners are forking out to bring the Christmas message; for unto us a child is born.

 Another one along a main road caught my attention.The Star is depicted; the star that led the three kings to the manger where Christ was born; to tell the story of salvation.

 At home; families put up the tree to remember the birth of Christ. 

Christmas is for family love and reconciliation.

The presents are a reminder of thoughts; to remember one another in love.

True love is the spirit of Christmas.

 Pains are taken to put up the lights.

May that Light be accorded its position in every believer's life.

Merry Christmas everyone.

The Gingerbread

 Mama : House or man?

Sara : Simple. What do you see?

Mama: House.

Sara: So?

The Gingerbread House.

When she decides on it; there's no stopping albeit hard work and gruesome fixations.

 With flour and cinnamon and a rolling pin, her deft fingers got the work going.

Small hands and fingers but she has an ambition of creating a kampung style gingerbread house.Father and daughter were arguing the whole afternoon on the dimensions and style and finally a conclusion made.

 Sara said I should take the pictures as they were good material for blogging and sharing; so I diligently did that in the name of entertainment.

 Hobbies are expensive, so she told me. She bought sweets and others to complete her mission. 

What were the sweets for?

 Ingenious.She melted them and used them as material for window panes; who would have thought of that? Very thoughtful indeed.

 Next she had a creamy mixture poured into a funnel-like tube.

What is its purpose?

 Yes, to cement the structure of her flour pieces.She glued the panels of the house with her confident fingers and make the house stand on stilts. Don't you think the stilts are cute?

 I am not too sure of the term for this sweet. But you can get them in any grocery shop. 

Trust her to think of the oddest ideas.

 She used them to make the roof looks as if it had shingles.Pretty and just right. 

So, it is true you do have to spend quite a bit on hobbies.

But she doesn't mind as long as her venture is conquered.

 At the end of the day; the picture made her day. 

She is elated at her creation; the kampung-like gingerbread house !

 She wanted to create a Malaysian ethos to her Christmas joy.

Papa made a stand for her to display it for friends to see.

Father and daughter ended the day happy and victorious.

Sara's gingerbread house.

More to come as she takes leave to create more recipes for the Christmas season.

The Chinese Man

 They came from their land of birth; resided in their new place; established families and made homes.

But they never forget they originated from a certain clan and they make effort to meet and benefit society in big and small ways.

So my father is a son of the Chong Clan; he never forgets that.

Every year they still contact him and ask for his contribution to society; mostly monetary terms to benefit the less fortunate by providing scholarships to the needy and schools.

 My mother has been pestering for many weeks. That we should make a trip to see the grand old man hit the gong. It was difficult to disappoint them; so we drove through thick traffic to reach the town in a time never done before; 4 hours. On ordinary days; a two hour drive is the norm.

What does one feel on an evening like this? There was much noise; it happens when Chinese people gather together. Noise is equivalent to all things right and good; you will see what I mean when you attend a typical one.

 You are entertained by many singers; karaoke ones. This time around a competition was held; you may think you are listening to the "Voice". So we chased the wild goose trying to guess the winner.

 But it was fun to be entertained by them.

 So, my father probably the most senior of them all sat around his comrades and talked about what I do not know; it must be the nostalgia of belonging to the same lineage.

 Soon, the stage is ready for the opening; the clanging of the gong started it all; my father hit it! I am behaving like an excited little girl but that's how I feel whenever I am around him.

 Then it was time to give away souvenirs and benefits to people; in particular schools. The chairman openly said that one is to live with meaning and integrity. To give to society and mankind is but part of a meaningful existence. He gives words of encouragement and blessings and persistently wished everyone good health, happiness and family joy. Here he is seen on the extreme left. He has a good countenance and I remember him as a neighbour when I was young. He used to be a vendor in a bazaar and was a hard worker. Mama told me he is a man of strong integrity and though he did not go for tertiary education he has values in life that put many to shame. Today his sons are medical practitioners and his daughters reside in America. He takes pains to organise evenings like these and strongly pass down the message of love, benevolence and givings. He is a good man. He always remembers my father and ropes in him; he is truly a good son of the Chong Clan; a good citizen of Malaysia.

 So, my father brought this home; a token to thank him. 

May it be a next time for the years to come.

 Typical in Chinese dinners I observe is the pouring of liquor may it black or white; the incessant topping up is a symbol of wealth and 'manners'? perhaps?

At the end of the evening, the final dish was the glutinous rice balls sweet.

The Chinese remember that the next day is the festival of the winter solstice; the festival before the Lunar New Year of the rooster.

Before I left Muar this morning, the market was full of hustle and bustle with the local crowd preparing the glutinous rice balls for the family; everyone in a Chinese home is a year older from today.

Happy Winter Solstice Festival.

The Cultural Dinner

  An Experience

We were told that the cultural dinner will be an occasion unique to our experience. 

We looked forward to the treat.

 Apparently, there were 2 batches of dinner time for each evening.

We were booked for the later one ; around 7.30pm.

Outside the restaurant, vendors displayed all kinds of local products similar to the night markets and we seemed to have enough of them; shawls, decorative items, clothes and you name them.

We had quite a wait; eagerly anticipating what the dinner would offer.

 Soon our wait was over and we placed on a table close to the stage. It was indeed quite a scene with hundreds of guests being placed at one large banquet hall. I could easily count a number close to 300 if not more. We were wondering how and what kind of food would we be served. 

Look at the hungry faces waiting to be served.

 This is how food was dispensed. Food was packed and carried around in weaved baskets for a local ambiance and ethos. So the waiters and waitresses trotted around in quick steps to serve the eager guests. Food was served in minutes !

Here they are. That's the food we were served. I would grade it average and the only consolation is they are topped up at every request. We were expecting more local cuisines familiar to our understanding; hot and spicy but it did not turn out that way.

However, we ate to our hearts' content.

Perhaps the highlight of the evening was this cultural touch. Young, energetic beauties danced throughout the evening entertaining us to the beat of Thai songs and music. It was appropriate to old eyes but the youth may find it a little too old-fashioned. But such cultural display must never be discontinued and forgotten. But new twists could be introduced though.

So we ended our final evening in Chiangmai with this cultural show and as it is said all good things will have to come to an end as we packed ourselves for home the next day,

A trip for down memory lane.

The Night Markets

 Siam is a land of night markets and walks.

The culture of the land is depicted in the handicraft, food, art and songs.

There are many pockets of them stringed around the city but apparently the most coveted one is the one that is held on Sunday evenings. It is called the Night Market Walk spruced over a vast space and tried as we could, we were not able to cover it. Some of us could only cover a portion of it.

 Thai silk and scarves are a common sight and Lay Suan was keen in picking a couple of pieces.

 Look at he baby shoes; so well-weaved and sewn. They look as adorable as babies themselves; all so intricately knitted together.

 

 The tribal lady on the right showed us many master pieces all hand-woven.

 Each piece of work has a story to tell; be it local tales or history of the land and tribe.

The skill I believe is passed down generations.

It is here that the culture of the land is felt.

 I was most attracted to the music played by the folks. They look as though they are all part of a family unit and they congregate here weekly to strum their instruments. I enjoyed listening to them.

It was nostalgic.
There was much merriment and the music added much to the atmosphere and ethos of the evening.
One can stand for hours just listening to them.
The lady on the right must be the matriarch of the home; she held herself very stately.

 The local art is also obviously creative. Many of the vendors are young entrepreneurs and are here to display their creativity. It is a refreshing change to see young faces. The Night Walk is surely here to preserve real art and culture.

 The Chang is a revered animal and is sewn on art pieces for deco purposes. 

The glass maker carves shapes of all sizes and designs for sale; very skilful.

 Food is an integral part of people and culture.

 So, it was a sight to savour in the big cuttle fish.

 Sunny eggs? They look cute and palatable.

But we already had dinner ...

 The Thais store their drinks in big pots and I wonder if it is for look or taste ?

 The drinks are served not in cups but in little pots on the right. 

So when you purchase the drink you also purchase the pot...

 Old things are not to be thrown away. They become fashionable in modern times. Look at the weighing tool; my dear father has one of them. He used to weigh gold items using one of them.

 Oh, Loy said the weighing tool is an accurate one. But of all the items displayed, all of us agreed that we were given the privilege of toilet training by our mothers on the pots below.

 We grew up using them in the nights. So nostalgic; the 'tam tung'.

Besides the Night Market Walk on sunday, there are other night markets called the pasar malam.

However, they sell ordinary goods and do not depict so much cultural ideas and creativity.

 Pretty articles though are sold and good as souvenirs for friends.

 I thought these recyclables were ingenious and are real good ideas.

 

 Pat and I could not resist a shoot here. The colours of the evening are memorable.

So out there in a quiet corner, Christmas trimmings are on sale and very different from the ones back home. Christmas is the season of the moment and as families prepare to gather together for family love and company; we also long to go home in preparation for it.

 At the night market, dad still thinks his girls are his girls...minnie mouse hairbands for Esther and Sara.

Grace has disqualified herself...being married.

Merry Christmas