A Place in My Heart

The ice-cream seller wore a round white solid hat, the colour contrasting with his skin, darkened by the harsh equatorial sunlight. The freezer box sat on a tricycle placed against the grey-brown walls of the house. There were other vendors invited to cater for this children's birthday party, but this purveyor of frozen delights stands out in my memory.

The party was organised by the Lim family, supervised over benignly by a doctor who always wore fitting clothes and whose big eyes shone out behind her glasses. Whether adorned in her traditional kebaya blouse or in her Western fashion, she always provided a picture of orderliness, kind straight talking and a twist of humour. I loved going to visit her and her family on Sunday evenings, and also because I enjoyed interacting with her children. I also had opportunity to stay overnight at times with her sons, and her youngest daughter is like the sister I never had.

There were the picnics by the rather sheltered beaches of my home island - and I can recall the sandy mats, the tasty snacks and the bungalows beside the palm trees. Did we all dig for mussels, I wonder, and I think we must have. When I think of this lady, I recall dinners with braised mutton and steamed okras. When it was Chinese New Year in the latter years, I recall the pickled plums and other fruits. Weekend mornings in a teenage year meant the breakfasts from the coffee shops in the suburb of Pulau Tikus on Penang Island.

Uncle Harry is a keen sports shooter and I remember the fruit bats from across the channel. My memories of the Lim family come from the mists of my birthplace. Even in Australia, my fondness of events past but still in my heart include the peal of their laughter on lazy afternoons and the rhythm of piano music during relaxing parties. I still slip easily into the familiarity of friendship with May Lim when I return to my home island on visits, as though I had never left.

I am told that human beings leave a place in their hearts for what certain others especially do for them. I should not say I am told, becasue I know.

Goodbye, Dr Yeoh. I celebrate your life in my heart.

The Sweetness of Life

The weekend begins, but before I lose myself in the state of being voluntarily hanging in a state of nothingness, with no care for a sense of time and the rigour of schedule, I want to be thankful for some things today that are wonderfully important to me.

I have had my eyes opened and my mind broadened to rise above the apparent surface and regime of what life seems to be. Whilst I subject myself to the so-called requirements of a life, it is only fair that life subjects me to certain encounters that widens my perspectives and thereby liberates my attitude and thinking. And that experience has been gratifying.

I just had the opportunity to know that a close mate has been given the all clear bill in health, after persistently and patiently overcoming a growth that is not desired. I salute him in this welcome positive of events, and I admire the consistent and reliable care that his wife has bestowed on him.

Inside me, I begin to acknowledge more the efforts of individuals in my working environment to help create a fun atmosphere. Even if there are busy demands placed on all of us during business hours, it has been great for me to be able to exchange short greetings to be infused with their positive moods and demeanour. We then scurry back to our tasks with greater determination and motivation.

It has been good to be able to ease into catching up with individuals whom I don't get to meet very often, and yet they make me feel so at home at heart when we do. With a sense of humour, a bit of being adventuresome and with a smiling face.

When there have been difficult moments, I thank the friends who allow me to be articulate and expressive about them. Even when they don't have to listen, and may not agree, I appreciate those individuals who lend their time, ear and interest. Subconsciously they allow me to air my views, and by doing so help me better resolve the situation, and make me come to a sensible perspective. Each of them knows the power of being given a listening ear, and I only hope that I can return this favour to each of them.

Most special of all today is someone who listened to me with a mature intensity in a delicate situation. I want to especially remember the patient demeanour and focussed ear offered to me. I may not have deserved this attention, especially when it was topped up by a follow-up gesture of a drink that lightened my heart and illustrated empathy with me.

That, to me, encapsulates the true sweetness of life.

Be AWARE in Our Personal Time Management

After years of available time to practice, I am no master of this, the delicate art of time management.

Do I have a structured plan to do things as it should be? Not all the time. Do I actually finish off the more important things in a typical work day filled with must-dos, look-forward-to-dos and hijacked energy-draining diversions from people who do not care for me? Maybe. Do I feel totally satisfied by day's end that I have achieved what I set out for earlier at dawn - remember all that stuff about "tomorrow is another day" and a fresh start? Nope.

Effective time management to me is the result of a confluence of several things - attitude, emotional intelligence, planning, navigation and persistence to want to achieve mitigating the most risky items in the midst of environmental limitations, undue influence and how other human beings treat you. I still ride this journey of time management, and if I allow myself to experiment, observe and learn, I enjoy how to apply better aspects of it to different important stages and phases of my life.

My current views on this journey are to be AWARE of:

Anticipating my goals, small or big, and ensuring I plan, allocate and ensure good payback in utilisation of my time;

Weeding out spending time with things and people who bring me backward instead of encouraging me forward, and I never say that I am too busy to individuals whom I care about and enjoy being with;

Admitting to my inexplicable observation that with all the better ease in physical mobility, automated equipment operation and better ease of communication, I find myself with less time than I would like with the people I love and for the things I enjoy doing;

Reflecting on the magical moments, useful outcomes and unexpected positive experiences over the days recently gone by; and

Executing use of my time going forward with a flexible attitude when required, for I never under-estimate the value of chilling out and occasionally having the sensation of doing nothing with a close mate and letting the rain outside fall down in harmony with Nature.

A New Beginning

After the fun of test driving and developing patience over administrative processes, the long wait was forgotten as enjoyment set in - my appreciation to Danielle and Shane Campbell for joining me in this adventure to choose a new vehicle.

Goodbye Zoom Zoom

Hey what's this yellow Twitty Bird? Complimentary car from dealer while waiting for new car arrival

How Was Your Weekend?

I was asked , so what do you do on a weekend?

My preferred answer was "Nothing, I just let myself free of schedules, follow-ups, the computer and just let my mind ride on the wave of liberation". The reality is very different.

Friday evening should be for chilling out, but when my commitments at work and business call, I make time for them, even then. The end of the week was normally released in catching up with mates working in the central business district, and taking a late train home to the suburbs, but now that I am living outside a capital city, I just make sure I give my inner soul a special treat. Dining out, having drinks, catching a movie or laughing with friends. I think it is important to celebrate the week, to recognise people who do not care for me and more importantly, acknowledge those who do. And then to sleep late, to not be bound by the demands of time and obligation. There is no shopping pressure, as most retail outlets are closed at the same time as offices, and sometimes I wonder how I adjusted to all that lack of shopping pleasure after work.

Living in a regional town and also having a social network in a capital city can be a difficult balancing act. I choose not to see it that way, and appreciate the ability to dart between two worlds, just as I have to sometimes walk a tightrope between two personal cultures. The essential thing for me is to plan ahead - most of my road journeys to a social gathering, a shopping centre or a stint in a lifestyle suburb involves driving about two to three hours all up, when I am not doing it in the Wollongong area. Waking up early in the nippy dawn and coming home late under moonlight does have its advantages - I assure you that it does build character. I like to build a theme around my itnerary for the weekend day and Sydney does offer its varied and diverse personalities to not offer a dull moment. Outdoors, indooors, different age groups, mountain, plains or coast, the setting for my outing can be for brunch, the whole day, walking the dog or chilling out for the evening. At times I choose to go south or west, instead of heading to the Big Smoke. Networking, or having a day's adventure with a mate, adds back things taken away during the week. I used to spend time doing some charity work, but now I have been slack on this.

What I secretly enjoy most on a weekend is to potter around the house and keep things going. The garden plants need culling, pruning or sculpturing. The car needs cleaning and vacuuming. The goldfish deserve a water change in their tank. The carpet feels better after being paid attention to. Nothing beats in contributing to winter cosiness or summer ease than cooking, be it a simple omelette or dabbling in preparing one's own soul food. In my case, I love stirring the pot when I am cooking tender neck pork cuts in soy sauce and garlic, or stir-frying a quick and simple dish of vermicelli with preferred ingredients and then adding garnish.

Sometimes Saturday mornings are reserved for that special trip to comparing products, or visiting the dentist, optometrist and hairstylist. It may also be a special sports meet up with close mates outdoors or a workout in a gym, and to remind myself why I work hard and steadily on weekdays.

One of life's simple pleasures for me is to surf the internet or read magazines or books with a hot drink or cold beverage on hand, and be able at the same time to feel the breeze or bask in the warmth of the sun. Reading restores my inner self. Then I look at my pile of laundry, washed but not ironed. I know then that Monday morning is always at the back of my mind.

The World of the Straits Chinese Maiden

Settings for meals (above)

Inner courtyard (above)

Kitchen long table (above)

Traditional tiffin carrier (below)

Bridal chamber

Working Teams

Davin Gaynes, Kevin Yong and Josh Atkins (above)

Elaine Kow, Theodore Sokolovic, Phil Williams, Chris Mowbray and Chris Perre (above)

Chris Perre, Kevin Yong and Shibani Iyer (below)

Krish De, Josh Atkins and Daniel Redman (above)


Krish De, Josh Atkins and Kevin Yong (above)


John Walter and Daniel Redman (above)

Dancing In the Street

"You can't hurry love, you just have to wait."
"It was only my imagination , running out of the way."
"Twist and shout!"

Human Nature, an Aussie singing group from Sydney's south-west heartland, are better than ever. Not just in showmanship, continuing captivation, audience grabbing attention and building up the crescendo for the fans to be literally dancing in their seats, but also to show a sense of giving back to the community. Having a TV personality, Andrew Denton, introduce to the audience a lady who has endured much deterioration of health, but whose personal wish is to publicly sing with Human Nature and apparently looks fine, may seem to be a publicity stunt by some, but to me, it makes a statement about the heart.

I was privileged to witness the latest tour of this four-man group whose key display tool is their voice box. They can harmonise effectively on a tune without any musical instrument, and yet render their versions of retro songs with dazzling moves and a complementing entourage. The Sandpit in Wollongong's Entertainment Centre by the Tasman Sea encourages a more intimate atmosphere for both performer and audience. The trumpet players jived, the bar stool chairs swivelled and there was not even an intermission to reflect, as the two and a half hours of concert blended into a movie-like experience of a musical journey.

Toby sang solo with "Unforgettable", while I preferred Andrew's falsetto renditions, especially those that mixed well with the female singers Paulini and the Naturales. Andrew's brother Michael is a powerhouse of a performer with his versatile voice and beaming presence. The rotating roundtable stage in the centre is a terrific idea of ensuring that the audience on all sides had their share of being addressed. The Tierney brothers, Andrew and Michael, seemed most down-to-earth. All performers require a good level of physical fitness, but Human Nature also has flair. My only regret was not having a concert programme for them to autograph! The audience wanted to continue dancing on to the streets after, and also in their inner hearts.

Graceful, Grateful Moments

On a cool winter's night, think of cream brulee. Soft melting insides hidden below a thin crispy crust that is neither overdone nor too flimsy, but just with the right texture when you bite into it, savouring the flavour of infused caramel. Combine it with the sour-sweet sensation of fresh dark red raspberries and the nippiness of the evening air seems a distant window away.

The dessert is what you have been saving yourself for, after a light mains of seared scallops, juicy and firm, graced by sweet green long beans and refreshingly slim baby carrots. You recall the savoury cuts of john dory blending into the fettucine on another occasion, with the pasta pesto highlighted by spiced prawns. Tonite, the fettucine would have been too heavy with the cream brulee.

A meal is accentuated with the right company. Individuals whom I feel comfortable with and can relate to without effort. People who make me want to be myself, when politeness is not imposed but spontaneously accompanies relaxation and openness. There is no exertion at making conversation, it just comes naturally and logically, and each one of us at the same table enjoys expresssing what is uppermost in our separate minds. We might not have known each other long, but well enough. The interchange blends in well, with no embarasssment, as effectively as the tasty food served. Such is rare company, such is rare food!