Back Home !

Good to be home again ...

After a hectic week in Gold Coast, we finally drove to the Coolangatta Airport for home at 4.30am Malaysian time this morning. It had been a wonderful quiet week and one which will forever etched in my memory because it was spent celebrating Grace's convocation at the Universtiy Of Queensland, Brisbane.

Stories related to the convocation I will in due time tell.

But for this morning , we again had to lug back Grace's belongings from cousin Caleb's place...a fifth time of doing the same chore. She sure has much in store for a mere stay of 2 years there. This time it was a huge box of winter clothes and another box of books which she collected over her stay there.
Here, I must admit her good habit and love for reading has added a great insight for her to things of the world. She has been doing that since a child and I still remembered having to remove those reading items especially during meal times...many a time screaming at the top of my voice.



She could not part with these annals and begged us to carry home for her...for her children next? However, that brought back memories cos as a kid, I used to fight with my sisters for my turn to read the weekly ones on Judy, Bunty, Beano and the like. They were precious as we waited for the new readings and stories each week. We love those series and when it's the annals, we sisters would read them over and over again. So, Grace definitely has inherited a big portion of her mum's and aunties' love for those annals. So, dutifully I brought them back...could not break her heart.

Digging into the box of books, I scoured and found a title that I thought would be easy reading in the plane and one which suited my reading style. I did not stop the moment I started it. The book was captivating and accounted for the life of a Chinese lady struggling in Hong Kong during the second world war. It told of how sacrifices for people not even related to you by blood could also be so meaningful and moving. Pei, the protagonist, was working as a silk girl and later brought a young orphan, Ji Shen to Hong Kong to have a new beginning. It also made characters like Mrs. Finch who was a loving British expatriate so real when she poured out her generosity to Pei and her protege.
The relationships among the characters portrayed were vividly written and captured my imagination and association especially when Pei was not well received by her protege even with her genuine love. This even happens at times to us when we are not well understood by loved ones.
Anyway, when you start the first page, you will only stop when you reach the last page. This I did all the way from Gold Coast, Australia to LCCT, Malaysia.

A good book for the ladies...men, I am not so sure.