Days and Nights of Early Hope and Optimism

 I could recite the newly introduced Federal Government National Principles of the Nation ( written by bureaucrats),  thoroughly enjoying the efforts  to unite a society of various origins, beliefs and backgrounds, ostensibly through common values of love for a young country formed from the end of colonialism.

I even won a primary schools award for some competition in the declared national language, even if I cherished the so many other languages to speak and write in, at home, with extended family of relatives, socially and when communicating with people and passer-bys on the road.

In my childhood, I was less conscious of racial differences and already enjoyed the variety of food and culture from residing in a land blessed with the contributions of migrants originating from different places. I was not told much at school or outside school hours of the Peninsular's Indigenous inhabitants, with low numbers living in remote rural corners, not even having an opportunity to see or meet them in real life.

I was born after the British colonists left.   Their influence and heritage were still embedded in everyday matters of life, in the building architecture, place names, significance of rule of law and in the discourse of education.

English language was inherently taken granted by me as an international language of technology, geopolitics, art, science and economic growth.  I  still could not realise the role that Mandarin language escalated to in these contemporary times.  My social networks were on a emphasis of Western civilisation not anticipating the rejuvenation of things Eastern.

American entertainment, news, philosophy and propanganda dominated my growing up years.   The glory of the British Empire, even if she had already dismantled, refused to leave the pyschology and adoration of the adults I encountered.  Overseas, there were strong stirrings of the impact of the Cold War on a stage pitting democracy against communism, of left wing versus right wing, of human rights freedoms versus extremism, of domino collapse theories and surging nationalism.

One evening, the perceived sense of orderliness and improvement in my society was shattered by riots, violence, gas lighting and abhorrent display of divisiveness in a few urban hubs of the country I was born in.

My eldest brother had been on a train to the capital city to attend university.  Police had to escort him and his fellow passengers at the destination rail station for safety from the rampaging mobs.  Rumours, fear, uncertainty and disbelief rose in the hearts and pulse of those who stayed home to keep away from the violence reported happening on the streets.  My sense of innocence about the world and my society was shattered.

How would my society react to this landmark episode?

Would this be grabbed by the horns to resolve the underlying issues, fractures and problems?

Some say the colonists, before granting independence, had already embedded the divisiveness and nurtured the flames of dissatisfaction amongst the different races they ruled over for so long.

If the fissures and cracks were already there, could they have not been repaired?  Or those in power in the newly formed Federation very likely had different ambitions and plans.

And as they say, the rest is history.

My aspirations, love and sentiment for the country of my birth took an inevitable beating in due course.

Cikgu Othman at Francis Light School nurtured my handling of the national language - and I still have find memories of him as my teacher at an important stage of life.

I still recall how happily I rode the bicycle to the Penang Free School each day, with a classmate whose father worked at the nearby naval base.   Green Lane did not have the congested traffic one experiences today.

And my nation of birth is not the same one as in my childhood, changed beyond what I can fathom.

Note - Independence was granted by Britain to Malaya on 31.8.57.  Malaya, with Sabah, Sarawak and Singapore, created the Federation of Malaysia on 16 9.63.   Singapore left this Federation on 9.8.65 and became an island republic.

#yongkevthoughts

Alternate Routines in the Daily Life

 At times, I do wonder whether my daily regime would be the same if I did reside in another city, another country.

Melbourne

The streets of more suburbs here seem to be oozing with more character, better architecture and more historical nuances.  The bay area would be facing the winds from the Southern Ocean - and wind chill would be more pronounced in as many months.

Wardrobe layering is de rigour. Dressed up, I would visit more venues of culture, collection and culinary.  The skies can often be more gray and cloudy.  I would take more hot beverages, examine more murals, appreciate more of the design of the trams and take in more of the temperate climate.

Singapore

I feel the geographical smallness of the island nation - and at the same time, the boundless determination to overcome any perception of limitation.

I would not give up the Kaya toast, half boiled egg and coffee at each MRT station.  I now see and realise the commercialisation of Orchard Road, but still do not get fatigued by exhibits at various institutions.

I would still minimise the sweat from outdoor afternoons and quietly seek air conditioned places.   I would observe the locals from the ubiqutious food courts.   I am still fascinated at places where foreigners and locals do retail.

I still relish in visiting suburbs around the Republic, each with its unique character and sameness.   I would seek out the pockets of greenery and Nature which the Government has planned and developed.

Some places may seem artificial and contrived.  Others are what this city state tries to maintain and grow, even if it has been given up or taken for granted in other societies.

I would not take for granted the appreciated high level of personal and public safety here.  I am grateful for the orderliness, signage and organisation.  

I look at the high rises of residence.  I notice the discipline of putting away trays of food after people finish their meals at food courts.  I am aware of the natural need to queue and the apparent fear of missing out in public behaviour.

I do realise the pressure to both communalise and yet differentiate on a personal level. There are not many private vehicles on Singapore roads relative to the population.  There is intense level of competition in keeping up with the Joneses - and the Government is ever conscious of developing and enhancing the sense and reality of a united society.

Penang

I miss the compactness of my childhood island, but the increased number of vehicles running on road networks that have not sufficiently increased is a significant matter still not resolved.

Public transport remains outdated for a population easily over a million on the island itself.

The island is ideal for a metropolitan hop on hop off train line, but faces challenges in building underground lines.  Flat land mostly is available on to her eastern and southern coasts, with a hilly centre and a narrow strip with cliffs and beaches on her northern shore.

I miss pleasure road drives on to the other side of Penang Island, with a more contrasting rural scenery than urban set ups in her more populated parts.  The high altitude highway transversing the middle part of the island gives you a view of the Malacca Straits and the southern Andaman Sea.

Three categories in Penang exist for the foodie.   World famous hawker food beckon both visitors and locals alike in taste, variety and pricing - and this is sorely missed across Greater Sydney, especially with demanding prices for essentially street food.

The diversity of migrants in Australian capital cities also mean the diversity of cuisines made available.  Fresh produce in Australia can be of better quality, but cooking ingredients can be more expensive to source, together with higher venue rentals, labour payments and limited hours of operation.

Hong Kong

I would climb up and down more sloping streets.  I would wriggle in and out of more crowds. I would not take the harbour for granted.  I would take in my stride the humidity in summer and moderate coolness at the start of a new year.

I would enjoy the hikes along hills and bays in parts of the territory seemingly far away from the maddening crowd.   I would enjoy the soybean, fresh seafood, noodles and other delicacies of a mature Cantonese cooking style.

I would take the opportunities growing from economy, trade and finance in a strengthening Bay area.   The China of today is at her door step, exciting, growing, promising and yet reality already.  The call of the future and the vibrancy of the present has over written and over ridden her past.

Klang Valley, Selangor

Distance in driving around is what I have still not got used to here.   The number of multi laned highways and how they interconnect with endless traffic can be both fascinating and mind boggling.  

I would enjoy dawn walks in the several large parks scattered around this valley.  Their shopping centres are less attractive as I grow older, for most of them tend to have similar retail and look the same.

I would enjoy the "kopi tiam" regime of so many people seemingly not home cooking and eating out at any time of the day or night.  I would not enjoy as much the challenges of vehicle parking in suburbs.   I would immerse in the vibrancy of so many small businesses expressing themselves in the various communities.

There are things not spoken off on the streets of jarring politics - and yet I feel the vibes of ordinary people over coming things in this quiet way.

#yongkevthoughts

Breakfast In The Morning

 The alluring aroma of onions on toast with poached egg is what drives me to make them at home first thing in the early morning.

But I still miss the variety of options of breaking fast in my childhood days - there were light fluffy south Indian pancakes (Roti Canai), stir fried Chinese radish cubes with garlic and bean sprouts ( Cai Tau Kueh), or modest packets of coconut milk flavoured steamed long grain rice with appetising  condiments ( Nasi Lemak).

Piping hot long black coffee with various blends did the necessary awakening for sleepy heads. There was no touch of Italian varieties, no Matcha or soy milk additives - in fact, fresh diary was and still is expensive in an equatorial land.

Personally I do not miss bacon, but ham slices are a pleasure to have, especially in a well prepared sandwich or focaccia, especially with beetroot and an avocado smash spread, together with some fresh rocket leaves.

 Nicely sauteed mushrooms added to the presentation transmits me to the border with brunch time.   A bagel is a welcome  change from the usual sourdough or Turkish.

Fresh juices made from tomato seem to be offered less these days than the ubiqutious orange juice.   Eggs in whatever way you fancy are popular - but fresh fruit cuts can be so refreshing.  I love local fruits offered when overseas - examples are passion fruits, papayas, grapes of different varieties, kiwifruits or Chinese gooseberries, rambutans, mangoes or cherries.

And nothing spoothes the body or appetite on a cold morning like pumpkin soup with a slight dash of cream.

In East Asia, there is the reassuring  delight of steamed fluffy buns or Bao, with fillings of well marinated and finely cut meat, or just simply with red bean or custard fillings.  For many days in southern China provinces, light rice congee assured the welcome of another day of adventure on tour.

Baguettes are essential in European sojourns.  They form the basis of crunch, texture and body to energise and inspire, together with top ups and relishes, sweet or savoury.  Coffee in its various forms are de rigour in the Mediterranean cultures, usually taken with strong blends and in small cups.

The differences between Continental and English breakfast varieties have been promoted in countless international hotel settings for so many years.   Across Asia, cooked breakfasts are often accessible as opposed to just cereal, breads and milk.

Most of the former colonised nations as a matter of course provide both local and European items in impressive spreads from 7am, echoing history, variety and internationalism.  Breakfasts in hotels across Australia and New Zealand tend to still limit themselves to British and American familiarities, despite the nature of their societies getting more diversified.

Fast food chains across the globe have embedded breakfast options long ago - although they do not sell them after 1030am.  

At Singapore MRT stations, one offering, the combo of Kaya toast, half boiled egg and coffee stands out as a cultural imprint.  Japan has the miso soup and noodles as a common thread to expect in the mornings.  Thais start with spice even in breakfasts.

Lentils, ground into a healthy mush, plus grain based fibre strong grains like oats, can be more healthy to be taken on a daily basis, improving gut health and bowel maintenance.

Sweet based dishes like waffles, pancakes and cakes now have moved from teatimes to early mornings in many cafes. Preserves and fruit based jams have always been spread on buttered scones, breads and wheat based bakes.

Breakfast dishes are packed in takeaways for an increasingly busy market.

And tea, milkshakes, juices and more compete with coffee in the beverage scene first thing in the morning.

And finally there is the increasing concept of "all day breakfasts".

#yongkevthoughts

Navigating Through The Fog

Each of us come across various numbers of people each day.

They can be acquaintances, colleagues, passer-bys, vehicle drivers on the road, silent fellow passengers on public transport, food providers, delivery personnel, health workers, politicians, friends, relatives, neighbours, commercial workers, influencers, school mates, hobby enthusiasts, club members, cruise passengers and more.

Most times, we only have transactional conversations with them in the way contemporary society is structured.  Increasingly, no voice interaction is even experienced, as finger driven text messages provide the communication channel.

Of course, we get to know particular persons better and in more intensity depending on the relationship involved.

There are individuals who also get to understand and know you better, or purposefully in a restrained and limited way.  There is a logic, rationale and purpose behind family and friendship.

How close or far relationships become can be tied to cultural norms, the sharing of various interests, the geographical factors underpinning viability to keep in touch, the over riding benefits or challenges in emotions and bonding of the parties involved and the opportunities to actually meet up in person.

Do individuals outside of an immediate family scenario persist to keep in touch despite having busy schedules?  

Do viable friendships make it so easy to catch up even after not having not caught up for a long time?

Do friendships wilt and ride off in the proverbial sunset as no effort is made to continue the previous vibes?

Whether or not we actually keep in touch in person is now supplemented by the parameters of social media, but not everyone takes part in this on screen availability.

Relationships used to be facilitated by residing in the same village.   These days we can be still be distant with people physically residing near by - but be more close with our special someones living far away.

Unresolved matters can degrade relationships with family, colleagues and others.  Whether things work out with past or present contacts obviously depend upon individual attitudes, the degree of intensity to maintain or improve a relationship, compatibility in needs or wants and the dovetailing or dispersal of common values or practices.

In a world facilitated by easier travel and mobility, are relationships threatened or enhanced by this?  Can virtual on screen meetings  be as effective as living nearby?

When populations migrate tp such an extent as we see today, are neighbours or friends in the same locality more dependable than family living overseas?

Individuals have varying levels of behaviour and pyschological make up.  We truly cannot change anyone, even as a spouse.  People develop their character and personality independent of our influence.

The most significant skill is to recognise what drives a specific person in day to day interactions with us.

Do they whinge to get attention, not wanting to increase their level of accountability or responsibility?

Do they behave like easy knock overs, never learning to say no and always ready to help when they need not to?

Do they swirl around in negativity and not even take a break to consider the bright side as encouraged by others?

Do they only need others to listen to their thoughts and have already made up their mind?

Do they just need to bully and bulldoze their way when dealing with others - and do not realise their ridiculousness as the proverbial Little Napolenons in their sickening little turfs?

Are they truly modest, humble and generous in consistent behaviour and approach, always considering the interests of the group above themselves?

Are they not able to appreciate the level of elegance, sophistication and refinement expected by so called high society?

Do they behave in a particular way and we cannot figure them out as we do not fully know their full story?

Do they have a consistent purpose in their own journey of life?

Are they easily influenced by others and tend to follow strong personalities?

Do their expectations entrap them in attachments which they may not even be aware of?

Do they interact with us only because they have something to sell to us, even if we are not interested in what they offer?

Do they drop us quickly like a stone once they have no use of us?

Do they break and not uphold well respected family and community values due to their twisted egos?

Do we judge people by a single mistake or act of unbecoming behaviour?

Do we not assume the burdens of negative and toxic individuals, as it is truly not our business to do so?

Do we not only help others to the best of our ability, without expecting anything in return?

Do we not realise that we have limitations in our own capacity and capability in helping others?

#yongkevthoughts

Happy 60th, Singapore

 Happy 60th, Singapore. 9 August 1965 to today.

A nation whose leader seriously reckoned would not last on its formation.

An island republic which has no natural resources, but gritly utilised innovative planning, its strategic advantages, technology, human skills and social harmony as imperatives.

An island that virtually imports most of its food.

An island that learns from her past but more emphatically prepares for the future.

An island with so much humidity but relies on energy sucking air conditioning.

An island that has thrived on free market trade and projections of financial governance.

An island that treasures cultures of her denizens - and values contributions of all, more on merit than on divisions.

Is this an island that already has become so costly in terms of paying for accommodation, health care and other aspects in life?

An island that values public transport for all over the trappings of a private car.

An island republic that treasures every inch of its small territory.

An island with a national airline that sets and maintains standards in a sector which is one of her national pillars.

An island that sees herself as a beacon to attract others on investment, educational and technology fronts.

A republic that does not sit still.

#yongkevthoughts

Snippets of War Observations

The USA government has so far never officially apologised for the nuclear bombs dropped on the cities of Nagasaki and Hiroshima in August 1945.

No Anglo nation has been extensively firebombed in contemporary times from the 20th century to now, except for the United Kingdom.  Pearl Harbour was attacked, but not the mainland of the United States.  Darwin in northern Australia suffered more damage from the Imperial Japanese forces than Pearl Harbour, but not the rest of the Australian continental island.

Most of Europe incurred massive grief, destruction, personal loss and division in the reign of the Nazis under Hitler.

The ensuing battles and efforts to bring Hitler down in mid 1940s Europe ensured further deaths of many civillians caught up in the meeting of Allied and Axis armies.

The Japanese Government has never apologised for the Nanjing massacre in Central China in 1937.

A significant number of residents of colonies of the world wide British Empire in the 20th century fought for the United Kingdom in both the two World Wars. These included residents of India, Singapore, Australia, New Zealand, Malaya, Canada, Hong Kong and the Caribbean.

American born Japanese volunteered in enough numbers to form the Nissei regiment which saw service in Europe fighting against the Nazis.

Germany has officially and profusely apologised for the gassing by Nazis of innocents in the death camps echoed by Auschwitz.   Not only Jews, but European Gypsies, gays and various nationalities whom Hitler wanted exterminated were gassed.

The extermination of many Armenians in the early 20th century is often under recognised, together with other genocides those in current power refuse to emphasise.

The executions of overseas Chinese in Malaya, the Phillippines and Singapore by the Japanese Imperial Army, when they invaded parts of South east Asia in the early 1940s, illustrated the intense revenge sentiment and behaviour of payback.  These overseas Chinese had sent funds and volunteers to fight against the invasion by Imperial Japan of eastern China from the 1930s.

Many Nazis escaped to Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay after the end of World War 2.

Jews fleeing from Europe did find refuge in Shanghai in rhe 1930s.  The invasion of China by Japan caused them to flee again, this time to New Zealand and eastern Australia.

No south eastern Asian nation permanently accepted boat refugees from Vietnam in the 1980s.  They languished in temporary camps mainly in Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore until the Western countries offered permanent settlement.

Australia and New Zealand sent troops to Malaya to help British colonists fight communist insurgents in the 1950s.

The extreme cruelty of the Pol Pot regime in Cambodia extensively scarred an ancient society and culture of a nation already damaged by the American war in next door Vietnam.

Afghanistan remains a land which has fought off foreign armies, whether those led by Alexander the Great, the Soviet Union or the United States of America.

The rich resources of petroleum, religious tribalism and political interference in the Arab and Persian lands have proved to be two edged swords.

Southern and Eastern Europe continue to be frontiers where and when Islam, Christianity and Judaism met in fraught and intense historical experiences. 

Did Winston Churchill send Anzac troops to Gallipolli in Turkey in the First World War, preferring to save British troops from a rather hopeless encounter?

The most number of civillians and troops died for Russia in the battles against the Nazis in the second World War.

Commemorations continue to be held in France to remember the sacrifices by the Anglo nations in both World Wars of the 20th century.

Thailand and Japan were the only Asian nations which collaborated against the Allied countries in World War 2, together with Nazi Germany, Italy, Hungary, Romania and Bulgaria.

The Australian Federal Government in Canberra for a few years hid the fact of Darwin being bombed by the Japanese. Australia prioritised the attack of Pearl Harbour as being more important in communicating with her own residents during World War 2.

Many surviving Caucasians trapped in South east Asia, as British, Dutch and French colonies were over run by the Japanese Imperial Army in the first half of the 1940s, suffered traumatic experiences as prisoners of war.

South west China became a hub of resistance, defence and preparation for the Chinese besieged by the Japanese Imperial Army in the 1930s and first half of the 1940s.

The invasion by the Japanese Imperial Army in the 1940s sparked off the urge for national independence by several colonies after the end of World War 2.

#yongkevthoughts

On Life and Death

 Caring for basic humanity has again in another year been stampeded upon by those possessing power of all types, yet prioritise other things.

Every one of us do not choose where, when or how we are born.

It can be the luck of the draw.

While on Earth,
we are still mostly responsible for what we choose and how we act.

Whether to look away, keep silent, earn what we achieve or take a stand. And continue to have not enough, enough or unnecessarily more. Sufficiency in various meanings and layers.

No human being takes away anything upon death, except reputation.

Ignorance, chosen delusion, concerted pretense, cultivated addictions and
embedded beliefs lurk in every corner while we are alive.

#yongkevthoughts