Father And Daughter

They are at it at again.

The arty people.

I could not resist capturing this incident in the home as father and daughter once again release their artistic streaks in some form of expression.

Sunday evenings are quiet and when they are up to it they express their love for art.

Her tools

His tools

With Zee Avi's music in the background...Just You and Me...Esther deftly continued another piece , this time painting Haleconias with a quaint village as its background. I hope she finishes soon as she has been on it for quite a while.

Dad : Why is the singer so mono-toned?

Esther : But dad, that's beautiful singing. She has broken into the American market and is popular there.

Dad : You call that singing?

Esther : Yes.

Dad shook his head.

Another glimpse at her work...though not quite done yet.

What was dad up to? Last night I noticed he was gathering some old leather belts and I casually asked, "what for" to which he answered "you'll see." In the process of making this article, dad burnt his fingers.

His finished product...a replica of The Roman Scourge. See how skilful dad is. He took an old leather belt, cut it into strips and then fix a wooden handle to gather them together. Next he attached some metal pieces which he bought at a DIY shop and a whip is formed. Both Esther and I cringed at the thought of being hit by it.
Why did dad make it? At the request of the church Pastor. I believe Pastor is going to use it as a teaching aid at some seminars and who else would do it except dad?...the handyman.

Just out of curiosity, I read some notes on this scourge also known as the "flagrum". It was used during ancient Roman times by The Centurion to lash out at criminals and the blows could cause deep lacerations, torn flesh, exposed muscles and the flogging and excessive bleeding would leave the criminal almost 'half-dead'.

This particular reference is related to the scriptures below :

"So, Pilate, wishing to satisfy the crowd, released to them Barnabas; but Jesus he scourged and delivered to be crucified." Mark 15 :15

"Just as there were many who were appalled at him, his appearance was so disfigured beyond that of any man and his form marred beyond likeness -" Isaiah 52 :14

Jesus was scourged to death on the cross for me. But death could not keep Him for on the third day he arose and became the victor over sin and death.

Of Paintings and Scourges.

Our Day

A post for those who chose to be absent ...

But especially for old boys and girls who are near and far....
A day to remember your teachers...a post that has taken a lot of my time...downloading and uploading...but for the sake of entertaining you...here I go.

So, the day came...always so appropriately designated...on the last day of the semester before the break...so for those who think it's a waste of time to be in school or for those who chose to fly Air Asia early and most of all for those not forgotten boys and girls of old...just to let you know... we had fun.

Started off the day with good greetings from our neighbouring institutions...Aust Ed, Inti, Sunway, Monash... where's Taylor's?

The cupcakes especially designed with Aust Ed flags...brought in grandly into the hall to the delight of the teachers.

Humble reminders and gifts from others...

Sunway University College says

" The best teachers teach from the heart, not from the book..."

Perhaps this is symbolic from the heart of the child too..."Teacher, Happy Teacher's Day"... Whose child is this? Guess the teacher.

Then there is this group of entertainers, rendering away with... if there is a time when you feel out and down...we are here for you...something like that...lame la.

As usual when you have fun outdoors and indoors...remember the organisers...the prefectorial board of the school. They were hunting high and low for participants to make the day a success and if there is no one one there who has uttered a word of appreciation...here's to you.

Well done and thank you...you, the unsung heroes of the day.


So, it was the bright cool morning that saw the first part of the show. Outdoor games and of challenges between mentors and mentees...

The mentees gave the mentors a leeway...wore sarong to curb mobility to give an edge to the mentors...good idea...but who said you could win?

The old outdoor assembly grounds...so very versatile...a site for words of wisdom, daily reprimands, cheerleading success stories, footballers, futsal, badminton...the list is ever so long. Thousands of students have stood on this ground in the history of the school...many have become teachers and parents themselves. So today, a chess game took the grounds.

The charming Chemistry jargon leading the students into a round of tapping...who can beat her? None.

A time again among the yuppies and oldies...but old is gold...

The popular musical chair... good time of laughter and portraits of kiasuism.

Now for the indoor fun time.

Eager faces waiting for the chance to be entertained. They were good...if you think seeing it once means you have seen it all...you are sorely mistaken. Every year we have new talents, new faces, new ideas and a great time of bonding.

The annual pledge from the teachers led by our very own Encik Rahim... ...we teachers pledge to give you...

"Kami guru Malaysia, berikrar dan berjanji..." We sweat for you.

The celebration was punctuated with with many talents and surprises...and loads of laughter.

This young man so very handsome and talented is the Mozart of Seafield. The Mc said watch his fingers...they sprang on the board...thanks to the music teachers who must have insisted he lifted the fingers during the daily practices...He lifted them up in dancing modes...

Do I have to say much about this post? So supple and agile...she is placed in National competitions.

The acapella went something like this :

That day I went to the bomba,

All I saw was Mr. Selva,

He was drinking nothing but soda,

So we're burning up, burning up for Mr. Selva

I ponteng at Taman Herba,

Unlucky me he went and ronda,

He said " Gan, please go back to the class la"

So we're burning up, burning up for Mr. Selva...

So, we detected a special bond between the kaki ponteng and Mr. Selva...we are a family,

...burning up, burning up for Mr. Selva...so sweet of you, boys.

Now, the evergreen rendition between teacher and student ... by popular demand...the Bahasa Melayu cikgu and the chilli padi...

Now ... entertainment for you... people of the world.

By the way, the apt descriptions below are by courtesy of the tongue-twisting Mc of the day...none other than the recycling champion of the school...know your teachers and find out who she is.

A fashion show.

Pengantin baru...from Malaysia , truly Asia..our very own Siti Salmah Bachik and her beau, Azman Majid !

From the land of the rising sun and Mount Fuji ...anata namae wa nan desu ka? ...the courageous Yashita Tomoya and his petite, charming companion in times of peace and war...Suki Yaki of Cherry Blossom Street.

The Princess of Hanoi and the Putera of Ho Chih Minh from the land of Angkor Wat and the peaceful shimmering Lake of Tonle Sap... bergayanya ... the princess is not a day older than my daughter.

Next, the fair beauty of Kazakstan...Nadia Commenki Putin and her partner Gursi Gargarin Potelentski !...very graceful.

The Arabian nights and lights ...poof...who is the lady in black? She charmed the audience with her display of movements...

Make a good guess...I know you know her...of newton, weight and mass !

From the Pearl of the Indian Ocean...Sri Lanka... the handsome Tiger of Tamil Ilham , Captain Prabakaran and his faithful and sweet companion , Jean Pereira Amersinghe...

The Great Wall of China couldn't separate them and the Yangtze River could not not put them apart...from the Forbidden City of China ...our very own Low Tuck Wah and his Malaysian girl friend!

Seafield's version of The Crouching Tiger and Hidden Dragon...Zhang Ziyi and Chow Yuen Fatt.

She is just a couple of months after confinement...this is really unfair!

The famous Prince and Princess of The Taj Mahal ...mesmerising us with their dancing steps...the Prince could really shake...he told me he wants to be a chef one day.

Entertaining us next was the couple from the famous Bollywood world... none other than Malikka Sherwat and her partner...Shah Rukh Khan. She sure could capture us with her upturn dance steps !

And again from our very own Malaysia in the 20th century ...this beauty Ezza Fazarinna and Jalaludin Hassan...how does this beauty maintain her weight? She eats like a horse. This is unfair too.

The Kelantanese beauty Cik Siti Wan Kembong and her Pattani King...really sweet.

Fr0m the fashion world of Paris, London, Milan, Rome - hosting the European Fashion...our Daniel Craig and his beautiful companion, Julia Roberts ! Adalah rupa sikit Julia Roberts.

Guess who won the show?

Yes, the illusive Arabian Night beauty...Madam Seafield and Mr. Seafield ( a student) !

The show ended with us in stitches. We have a team of very versatile teachers ready to sing, dance, teach, nurture and lead everyday...and sporting too. It was a day of fun, laughter and good feelings. Teacher's Day is here and gone but it will come again. I am what I am because I went to school and was taught by teachers. You are a successful entrepreneur, artist, doctor, lawyer, banker, retailer...because you went to school once and were taught by teachers.

So teachers are great ...whatever memories you have of them.

Here's a clip to add further laughter.

Happy Teacher's Day and warm wishes to present and past students.

And...Happy Holidays.

Toys

Sesame Street

Sunny Day
Sweepin' the clouds away

On my way to where the air is sweet

Can you tell me how to get,

How to get to Sesame Street

Come and play
Everything's A-OK

Friendly neighbors there

That's where we meet

Can you tell me how to get
How to get to Sesame Street
It's a magic carpet ride

Every door will open wide

To Happy people like you--
Happy people like
What a beautiful

Sunny Day

Sweepin' the clouds away
On my way to where the air is sweet

Can you tell me how to get,

How to get to Sesame street...

How to get to Sesame Street

How to get to...


Remember the characters of the show?

Oscar the grouch who loves garbage and famous for its association with the trash can

That's Ernie

And Bert...at times it was difficult for the child to differentiate the 2 characters

Cookie monster with his love for bikies

One favourite character- Big Bird - always so friendly and entertaining

Elmo...although I don't have much memory of him...cos he appeared later and known for his infectious giggle and positive outlook

The family of Sesame Street that Grace, Esther and Sara knew of...especially so for No1. As a young mother, I had heard much about how this show would eventually influenced the creativity of children through the songs, animation, flash words, dances and figures depicted in various forms. Children love colours, music, movements and they get excited at every movement of the characters.
On top of that, the busy work schedule forced me to dump them in front of the box and to remove further guilt from my conscience, they really did learn from the series. Mark me, some of you who will be future mothers will follow my footsteps and let your children have their first formal learning through fun and colours...although the downside was it caused the girls to be TV addicts till this day especially Miss Grace.
Dad worked in Singapore in the mid 80s and each time he came home, he would surprise Grace with one of the characters in their puppet form. She would get so excited and waited eagerly for dad to come home during the weekend with a new toy. Dad was also thrilled to see her so delighted and took great pains to please her. How parents stretch themselves to please their children! I wonder if it would ever be the other way round?
So by the end of his stay in Singapore, dad had collected the whole set as shown above for his beloved girl. So, it went down to the younger siblings and everyone had their turns in learning through Sesame Street and I am eternally grateful for the learning experience my children went through.
It was not so long ago (7yrs?) when we decided that the toys should go as the girls have all grown up and had no particular attachment to them anymore. It was something I regretted. I should have kept them for the second generation. The toys were not cheap and they are evergreen and would be learning pieces for the next generation. So keep old things at times. They can really be useful and appropriate again. But time sure flies...


Now, the girls are exchanging roles ... they are buying me toys instead.

So I had my first real nice toy from my girls on Mother's Day when they bought me a new handphone for the purpose of blogging. They say I can take it out anytime and everywhere and snap...
Today, this new toy gave me a new thrill when No. 2 downloaded Teresa Teng songs and I have been on that the whole day...

Dad : Wei, now you behave like my site workers. Music from the handphone to accompany them through the day...
Mum : New broom sweeps clean...only for a while dear...

So, I will be going for the Forever Teresa Teng Show in The Arena of Stars soon...

Teresa Teng, the all time-favourite.

And...thank you girls for this gift of love.

I remember your gesture of love each time I hold it.

There's Been A Death In The Opposite House

By Emily Dickinson

There's been a death in the opposite house

As lately as today.

I know it by the numb look

Such houses have alway.

The neighbours rustle in and out,

The doctor drives away.

A window opens like a pod,

Abrupt, mechanically;

Somebody flings a mattress out, -

The children hurry by;

They wonder if It died on that, -

I used to when a boy.

The minister goes stiffly in

As if the house were his,

And he owned all the mourners now,

And little boys besides;

And then the milliner, and the man

Of the appalling trade,

To take the measure of the house.

There'll be that dark parade

Of tassels and of coaches soon;

It's easy as a sign, -

The intuition of the news

In just a country town.

Remember this poem in your English Syllabus?

Well, it's always the tell-tale signs.

Taking my usual walk last Friday evening at 7pm, I heard the siren of an ambulance making its way into the neighbourhood. I saw a familiar lady in the ambulance though I could not place her then and thought someone must be ill and needed help.

At 7.30pm I walked past a neighbour's house and saw the same ambulance exiting...could it be him? Just like what the poem reiterated, I was curious and there was something amiss about the house...that numb look?..that intuition?

I had heard about his ailment and his numbered days but sometimes it is hard to face reality when the time arrives.

Then this other sign...rows and rows of cars all queuing up, perhaps to pay final respects ? Another tell-tale sign? I could feel he must be dearly loved and many are not willing to let him go. But when death knocks at the door, who can stop it?

Today, I heard he left at 10 am and we are sorry to hear about it.

To my neighbour down the corner and his family, our condolences.

Untimely at such an age.