Happy Days

Swinging on the See-Saw, Max and Kev, Woonona, January 2010

(Image Credit - S Campbell)

At the Lawn Bowls, near the Brisbane River, 2006

(Image Credit - from collection of Darren *)

Phil and Kev at Bridget's party, January 2010

(Image Credit - S Campbell)

Prawn noodles (har mee) and KFC chicken wings, Chatswood Chase, January 2010

Sunny, Enna (back) Happy and Stuart (front) at Mount Kiera,

January 2010

Dule, Kev and Nina, circa 2007

May Wah and Kev at the Nan Tien, January 2010

(Image Credit - Ong May Lin)

Balgownie Village, NSW in summer 2010

(Image credit - Ong May Wah)

Meanwhile, As I Dream

Fancy meeting Tom and Greg one beautiful morning, on the way to the office.  It should not be that of a surprise to me, as they have known each other for a long time, do work with each other and I have bumped into them before. However, the delight of seeing them shook me off the hanging cloudy air of lack of care I experienced from the few same individuals at my work place.Greg, Tom and I engaged in small talk and then on some catch-up topics and more. A meet up per chance, a definite pick-me-up to me in engaging with them, better than coffee and giving me a spring in my step.

Mid-morning, and I was thrilled getting two pieces of Saints Day cakes from Ves. I understand that Ves was involved in making a total of 17 cakes the day before. She was understandably fatigued, but she did have the look of an inner satisfaction in her face as well, that of doing somehting substantial for the family and her heritage. The Serbian creations were tasty, prettily presented and showed attention to detail. We chatted briefly of the importance of practising one's mother tongue and unique culture in a rather cosmopolitan society.

One evening, Happy came to the office with me, up the staircase and without a word - instinctively she grasped my hand and walked like an adult in unison, even is she is not quite 3 years old.  She knew she was walking into the unknown - an office she had not visited before - but she kept her cool and composure, carried on as a matter of fact and kept herself busy drawing on the meeting table in my quarters.  She politely articulated and pronounced every name of my my colleagues she was introduced to, like Dylan, Diane or Shelley, looking up at them in awe and with discretion. Happy's cutness was infectious on the people she came across.

On another evening, Karl dropped by as a constable officer - he had graduated before Christmas and showed me the passing out ceremony photos from the Goulburn Academy.  His big eyes sttod out as usual in any pose and countenance - and accentuated under the police officer's cap. His good mate Jake had compiled the images from that special day on a disc. We talked like yesterday, but time has marched on - he has commenced duty in a part of Sydney and I would like to think I am more realistic about things more important than I had thought before. Karl looked wistful and contemplative in the pictures from his graduation.  Those who know him well are so glad of his achievement and moving on to another stage of life.

A night out with Adam and his Dad, and we had dinner. A summery evening and the food was hot and spicy. I liked the barbie chicken though, done Thai style with marinade of some spices and herbs, distinctively different from the Hong Kong shops or those roasts from Oporto or Chickos.  Being a Tuesday night, it looked as if we had the whole palce to ourselves. Adam had a big birthday bash coming up. Adam liked the pad thai whilst his Dad had a penchant for the Panang curry. They had driven their car and picked me up in the village we shared. The conversation flowed easily - like watching the movie Avatar, I was not conscious of the time at the dining table and only realised we had made a good night out when we left the restaurant.  It was good to talk of the future with Adam, to talk of the present with his Dad and for me to fondly recall the frist time when I met and worked with Adam.

It was a rainy arvo in Berry, New South Wales, with two of the Ong sisters visiting from Penang Island. May Wah and Lin had been good fellow travellers with me, covering the Grand Pacific Drive just south of Sydney for the whole day, having sufficient curiosity, sense of adventure and patience on the long road trip, all on a single Sunday. Berry Village was the southern most stop, we drank chocolate, bought lollies and otherwise window shopped at an easy pace to wind up the drive. We did not let passing showers and blowing winds bother us. After an Italian meal at Il Nido in my village, we stopped by the Third Rock Cafe in the southern Sydney suburb of Beverly Hills. We wanted to visit a mutual friend in Earlwood earlier but had to wait for him to come back home from dinner out. Then  we hit Sydney CBD and crossed the Harbour Bridge near midnite before going home.

Having lunch with Olivia, Courtney and Liana from the office was good and refreshing for me. We had met roadblocks from unexpected quarters as we arranged for this day. What I appreciated, and respected, was the cool attitude from the three of them in overcoming those unrequited and undeserving blockages from some people at work. Even getting the fresh food cooked took around 40 minutes in town and the three did not batter an eyelid waiting, although I felt so bad for all this delay. The most important thing, they remarked, was that we all made this lunch a reality, despite what others may throw as obstacles.

Hmmn, I thought, taking it further, whilst I wait for so-called dreams to materialise, I must not forget that  I am already enjoying what I have.

Deciding on National Days

It is observed that the winner writes and interprets history. History is utilised as the primary basis for celebrations and reinforcement for the future of a country. National Days are examples of such celebrations. The problem starts when the concept of a nation is viewed only from the perspective of the ruling power/majority population and not for all groups co-existing in a so-called nation.

Think about the origin of National Days around the world. In Asia, Latin America, the Middle East and Africa, most of them involve religion, race and/or the anniversary of liberation from the rule of colonists or parties with strong opposing philosophies, and where there had been hectic and intense battles in mind or spirit, political conflicts and physical toll in loss of life, coupled with economic destruction, before reaching the marked day of freedom. Nations become stronger with a greater sense of unity and shared philosophy when a certain extent of blood has been shed in a common cause and much sacrifice incurred to reach that point of most recent independence.  This is most effectively attained when there is a sense of us against them and when us ultimately wins control of government and society. Think about China's October 1st, Vietnam's Day of Reunification, Argentine Declaration of Independence Day, Indonesian and Malaysian Merdeka Days, the Filipino Day of Independence or India's Republic Day.  History did not commence in those countries with the curently recognised National Days, but a sufficiently significant event did occur which still requires the nation to remember it as the National Day.

The Fourth of July in the United States is still marked with parades and a collective pride after more than 230 years.How this is managed, despite changed demographics, new dangers and different imperatives for its future, reflects the very strengths in how that nation was formed and born with. A Constitution and Charter that transcends the immediate events of 1776 has laid viable foundations that still carries a federation of different states confidently to the future, despite unknown waters and problems.  Where countries base their National Days on arrivals in a foreign land alone, it is hard to convince the natives of the conquered land to join in the celebrations. Observe Australia Day, now also spoken of as Invasion Day for the many Aboriginal nations existing when Captain Arthur Phillip claimed the lands around Botany Bay for the British crown..  New Zealand is cleverer, for Waitangi Day celebrates the day a mutually agreed treaty was signed between the arrivals and natives on more equal terms. 

The Repiblic of France celebrates the momentous events - and meaning - of Bastille Day.  Royals lost in this change of social order.  Spain had a more recent turbulent time in politics and societal disorder, and so did the separated nations that once formed the Yugoslav Republic, togetrher with all the various states that once were under the lock and key of the rule of the Communist Soviet Union.  All these aforementioned nations have been truly reborn, sometimes with boundaries redrawn, and how a reconstituted nation goes forward is also echoed in how it selects its new flag and National Day.  A national flag belongs to all in a nation and should not be hijacked by some to the exclusion of its other citizens - just like the meaning and spirit of a chosen National Day. In increasingly multi-cultural societies, the challenge of a foresighted Government is to utilise a National Day as one of reconciliation and common purpose, and not one of exclusion and divisiveness. How one began its first National Day at times may not matter - Brazil was freely granted independence by the then King of Portugal - and what is more critical is how a nation uses the day for its future.

Memories Are Made of These

Rohan with Kev

(Image credit - K Singh)

Rose chicken curry with side serves

Gaduh leaves for Straits Chinese dry salad (ulam) and juice from kumquats for garnishing and drinks

 Snapped at work - discussion at a forum.
(Image Credit - Mark Newsham)

Luv or dislike them - the king of fruits - durian.

Another Day

Aiya, don't forget dinner, I mention to Bee as she untangles tax related intricacies for her employer , still in the office.   On my side, I am trying to figure out how to download images captured on my Iphone to a computer, another kind of headache, as I seem to cannot locate the cable in the IPhone delivery box from mobile phone to a computer!

John, one of  my colleagues, kindly came to help me set up the monitor on my new tv cabinet - it needed a longer aerial cable. This was done under the suppression of the high of the Australian summer heat, amidst the joys of living in a small town....yeeya! Now the monitor sits nicely a bit higher on the pine wood cabinet, and I am half-watching a China movie on SBS 2. There are now 13 digital free to air channels in Oz.

Luckily Wollongong is near the ocean and around sunset (830pm currently here), more than a breeze blows in. I am half tossing about putting an air conditioner, but its only used for such few hot days in summer in the Gong. The daun gaduh in the garden has been observed wilting if I do not hose them with water every 3 days these past few weeks. I think of some individuals I know who make a fuss about leaving carbon footprints and go gung-ho about environmental sustainability - and then without remorse go home in this heat to air-conditioned comfort. Here I am resisting hooking up air-conditioners, whilst at work I wilt like the gaduh leaves as the old air-conditioning tubes  in my office building do not have sufficient capacity for the new work station lay outs below them with increased numbers of staff.

I had a chance to visit my local fav butcher, Paul's Meats, in Fairy Meadow this evening on the drive home from work. Hey ya, this is as if I live in a small town in the sixties in peninsular Malaysia. It's liberating to be able to get fresh quality meats fifteen minutes before I cook dinner and tonite it is kong tau yew bak, juicy, lean pork neck cuts dowsed in soy sauce, livened with a dose of oyster brew, marinade with garlic and garnished with a small roll of cinnamon. Goodbye Woolworths and Coles, eat your heart out. This is what I mean by, and enjoy, living in a village.

Gong Xi Fa Cai - The Lunar Year of the Tiger

Golden kumquats in Balgownie garden

Roses are red in Balgownie

Verdant green of the daun gaduh, an essential ingredient of Straits Chinese salads and the colour for calmness and harmony.

Goldfish are a sign of energy and plenty - denizens of Balgownie tank

A pot of jade plant

The ever useful bamboo

Flowing water and growth - good chi

Christmas Giving

A few work colleagues thought it was just the festive Santa in me which drove the provision of  gifts in the run-up to the most recent Christmas. What underlies the real spirit of giving?

Gifts, when shared or made, are best from the heart and obviously need not be material.  They can at least be gestures and tokens of the feelings they try to express,  at most are true sacrifices of time, sweat, concern and effort and, at best, be unseen and anonymous. Some of the fellow beings I am surrounded with have me amused, suggesting a myriad and complex framework of obligations that gifts must only be amongst family and those who decide or support their pay packet, or only when the giver gets something tangible in return, with the bathwater thrown out with the proverbial baby for others.  This makes culling easier for most, but to me is very short-sighted.

I feel strongly in making an expression to show appreciation for those who have been kind and helpful to me in the past year, especially to those I do not have to or those who do not expect anything, and to send a strong and clear mesage to those who fall in the opposite dimension. It is not a gift, in my view, when one can authorise and/or organise a paid another to do the work and arrangements in one's name.  A gift is  making time and effort for another in a personal way.

To acknowledge thanks and recognition to a well deserved person only once annually, and near the commercialisation of Christmas time, can be just in bad and insincere taste. How have I been treating the person the whole of the year, and have I surprised such recipients of a gesture in a smile, a word of grateful expression or some unexpected act of reaching out,  especially when it is least expected, at a point of time before the annual holiday season? Has this person reciprocated likewise? Gift giving at best can be a mutual exercise, a real process of give and take and enhancing the magical circle of enjoying each other's company in simple understanding.

Gift giving is not linked to a chain of outward expectations. The nature of gifts can be especially delightful when it reflects an innate understanding of the both the recipient and the giver.  True gifts can outlast temporal vibes and be appreciated even if given only once.  They are not subject to trappings, diverting appearances and need not be wrapped in glittery paper. Gifts are essentially tokens of  conduiting and reflecting larger feelings.  A gift that nurtures positive things in recipients beyond the seasonal hype lives up to the original meaning of the action.  True gifts accentuate what is already encouraging in the recipients and make their star shine even more.  They never pose a further problem but help to resolve partly what the recipient may be looking for.  Reflect on this, you may have actually received a more valuable and unique gift, even when it was not obvious, not initially tangible and when it was not even Christmas.

The Migrant

It is said that each of us lives on a so-called island, that the grass looks greener on the other side and a man's home is his castle.

The quest for improvement - personal, family and community - never ceases to flow strongly in the human bloodstream.  With better technology and movement across borders, human migration patterns have become more intense, frequent and much easier.  Human community conflict - whether they be outright wars, incessant discrimination or religious beliefs clashing against each other - are the source of dissatisfaction, physical and/or mental suffering and the stirring of anguish. No one wants to leave his or place of origin, where childhood memories develop and where the senses of a rooted anchor begin. There may come a time when the three questions are confronted, even if one does not want to uprooot one's self - should we fight the injustice, or should we tolerate it, or should we flee?

Recently, Tamils from Sri Lanka were seen  in detention in Lenggeng outside the Malaysian capital city of Kuala Lumpur. Ghanaians were taking bus to Libya overnight. the more things seem to change, the more they actually they can remain.  In my youth, I read the experience of refugees from a  Vietnam divided into two, where brothers and  sisters fought each other in the name of different political and socio-philosopical regimes.  How different these are from the experiences of a Londoner coming to Sydney to work and talk of aspirations in an affluent, protected channel of existence?  How different are these from the experiences of a China national settling into a Western nation, where capitalism, morality levels and sensations of individual freedom are of another dimension?

When one arrives in a new land, are expectations met and fulfilled? Reality usually has another shade from the hype, imagination and hear say. Challenges are the flipside of opportunity. Comparisons run automatically in the subconscious of the new arrival. Reaching out and pondering within happen concurrently. What have I given up to come here, and what have I gained for overcoming settling in hurdles? There is no white and black, only a stream of maybes, compromises and occasional delights. What is certainly liked int he new environment helps to relive the pain of giving up the familiar and in adjusting to adopting the new.  One has to build new attitudes, habits and parameters.  One has to also let go of what was once dear or still is close to the heart at times.  It helps with networking and diving into positive diversions but the grass is just different, not necessarily greener.

And then one builds the castle again. Dreams and hopes are articulated and realised. Love and friendship ease the path. Sometimes, new mates are never the same as those from younger days and who still keep in touch, and sometimes they are better.  We may hop from isle to isle, but at times we have formed a chain of pearls along the way.  A sense of adventure helps, even if there has been sacrifice and loss  along the way.  The future is never certain and always changing - the children of first generation immigrants may migrate themselves.  The new island of hope many years ago may have changed as well. Improvement may not only be seen through materialistic ways, but also in the enrichment of heritage, the inner soul and in personal happiness.

Touches of the Heart for the Lunar New Year

A Conference in Adelaide - October 2009

Image Credits:  ANZUIAG

Life and Cinematic Art

From A Few Good Men to the 2009 remake of Sherlock Holmes, I look back at twenty years of watching cinematic movies.

It all started in a Christchurch, New Zealand cinema, when I saw The Last Emperor on a nippy autumn night.Thoughts about dynastic troubles in an agricutural community as far as you can get away from the stiffness of the Forbidden City!  It was a sign of the future, though, for Kiwiland was to become the favourite choice of location shooting in in the years to come.

Cinema Paradiso was the first non-English and non-Chinese work of cinematic art that I fell totally for.  I was overwhelmed by its nuances, its tones and its message. Toto the child, with all his enthusiasm for screening projector movies, was portrayed so emphatically in this film it spoke of  a universal longing for home after a life time spent away.  The Mexican production Y Tu Mama Tambien spoke too of unbridled youth, but in another place and time. Life is Beautiful from Italy brought the cinema art form of ironic humour to handle the unbearable life in a World War 2 prison camp. Amelie and Chocolat were magical insights into the apparently ordinary journeys of individualistic women actually determined to make the most out of life.

Hollywood still ruled and Bollywood was not that influential in my choice of movies, but so-called art cinema became accessible.  I was swept away by the unique wave of film art from an emerging China trend, fighting hard against the Hong Kong genre that dominated my teenagehood. SBS channel in Australia opened my eyes to the frank nudity of Euro movies; the style of Japanese cinema, especially its enchanting and engrossing manga movies; the dryness of new wave cinema in Taiwan; the exciting vibrance of Spanish movies; and  the power of effective and yet controversial subtitling.  The long continuing James Bond genre was significantly refreshed by the arrival of actor Daniel Craig. 

Gems appeared like gold gleaming on a clear river bed - Forrest Gump; Slumdog Millionaire; a revamped Caprio-inspired Romeo and Juliet; Wall-E; The Da Vinci Code; The Wedding Banquet; Billy Elliot; Lovers of the Arctic Circle; Sleepless in Seattle; Hero; Indochine; The Crying Game; The Pillow Book; Saving Private Ryan; Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon: The Motor Cycle Diaries; and Monsoon Wedding.

The most impact an Australian movie made on me came from Strictly Ballroom, with its liberating tale and moves set in my adopted city of Sydney. Australian cinema halls seemed rather empty for most of the time, with popcorn and drinks costing almost the same price as the value tickets paid in advance.Prescilla, Queen of the Desert, left inner city Sydney on a bus, but in the end, made more impact on its reflections of a part of the current Australian community, more than the musical Moulin Rouge and the so-called epic Australia.

Echoing my cultural heritage, I can still visualise the cool vibes from Hong Kong's Days of Being Wild and China's Raise the Red Lantern.  Movies were even made in my birth hometown of Penang, especially Anna and the King and Beyond Rangoon.  The past two decades also saw the transformation of the Singapore industry through its colloquail Singlish language films and its growing examination of its unique demographics.  Asian films moved more away from physical violence to the subtleness of our inner souls, the underlying unspoken message behind the reality and the liberation of public nudity.

The American movie Superman Returns was shot in New South Wales, so I could recognise the location shoooting venues.  The start of the Millennium was agog about the latest version of the Titanic and the close of the first ten years thereafter saw Avatar, both brought to you by James Cameron.  The remake of South Pacific the musical with Harry Connick Junior did not detract my fascination with the original made in the late fifities.  It took a certain level of patience, fascination and obsession to go through the serial movies  - whether they are Lord of The Rings, Spiderman, Shrek, The Matrix, Harry Potter, Batman, X-Men, Saw, Home Alone, Transformers, Narnia or the Tom Clancy action thrillers.

Disney Studios had a good run in the nineties with traditional animation work to be seen by audiences of all ages, like The Lion King and Beauty and The Beast.  With Pixar, the writing was already on the wall for the arrival of sophisticated graphic works with complex special effects, as illustrated by Jurassic Park, Independence Day, the Incredibles and The Dark Knight, with work done by several support teams based across the globe, coordinating in creative unison to somehow produce remarkable outcomes  - and whose team member names are listed in detail in the rolling credits at the end of such movies, accompanied by at least three audio tracks to cover them all.

The more things seem to change, they more they remain the same.  Just like the apparent daily routine of life, it is amazing to know that we still sit in a darkened hall; can still have the sugary laden popcorn and coke; get charged more for putting on 3D glasses; and have emerging addicts feed into this type of media, despite competition from the internet, electronic games and mobile phones.  Like the great classics of the past, whether in print, song or stage, the cinema still churns out pieces to enthrall, entertain and remind us of hallmark moments in true life. 

Does life imitate art, or the other way around?  Maybe it's both.  We can have cinematic releases at the touch of a button and need not make a date out of it; books however continue to form the basis of flim scripts; and the commercial temptation of making sequels underline the reality of required funding to make this form of essentially what is entertainment. Movies have always made each of us dream and imagine, whether it be the lot of socio-economic disadvantaged villagers or the pampered teenager in advanced economies - how the genre will take us next is one of fascination itself, while providing us the romanticised sentiments from personal experiences watching movies in childhood with our parents or sitting next to our first real courtship love.