Reflections...

The Street Urchins

As I reflected upon the dreams and realities of life, I cannot but help recall the struggle of my parents to give their offings a platform to find their bearings in this world. With a meagre salary but a big determination to fight against all odds, they successfully bring to pass what they hope for... a better future for their children.

Kong Kong as a peon acquired as many skills as he could for survival and Por Por sewed to help in the household maintenance.

Perhaps the best heritage they have given us was to make life a struggle for us for in that we learnt to appreciate some good things ... like how we screeched when we got out first second hand fridge. It was with the greatest excitement that sister no.2 collected empty bottles to store cold water...we never had the privilege of drinking cold water without reservation before that. Or when we got our first second hand black and white television. Oh we enjoyed the black and white images in the box cos then we did not have to cross to our neighbour's house to watch the box. Little things that delighted us. By the time we got those, we were already in our late teens. Perhaps it is under the underprivileged situations that we learnt how to build our interpersonal relationships with the layman...the hawkers, the book store keeper, the market people, and acquired a social network important for life.

It was the circumstances we were in that we spoke almost every dialect in town...hakka, teochew, hokkien, cantonese and even mandarin to communicate for survival.

What do we give our children today ? Protection, privileges and providence...which as a kid I had little...and yet it is also our very hope that our children with a higher platform will be able to receive better education, shade and life style.

The struggles of my parents were real; they worked day and night to provide and God saw it and bless them. They still work till today...Kong at 90 and Por at 84. Why? Because the values and grit they gathered on this earth have been so deeply set in their souls that they cannot rest on their laurels. Financially, they are independent...a trend they have set for us to emulate. They have sown so well and are ever ready to give to the needy child ; even at this age. Where can you find old souls like them ?

Though we did not have a proper playground, the backyard served the purpose well. We played hop-scotch, shuttle cocks, hide and seek and the evergreen catching game. Siblings among siblings; taking care of one another in times of needs and trouble.

Strangely enough, among us we rattled away dialects like nobody's business...hakka to Kong Kong, teochew to Por Por, hokkien to neighbours, Bahasa Melayu to the Malays and English to teachers in school. Who needed to go to classes to learn languages? Neccessity is the key to survival. Why can't we accept this fact for PPSMI? The language will be picked up in due course for long term survival.

This is the youngest boy of the home. He was the blue eye boy and had almost anything he wanted. Being the youngest and a male, the most coveted species in Chinese homes, he would insist that the Kindergarten he went to was the best ever in this world. If anyone went against it, he would sit down, rub both his legs together and wailed till everyone's attention was on him and acknowledged that , yes indeed his kindergarten was the best ever.

This young man left home at the age of 17 and has resided overseas ever since. I remembered accompanying Kong Kong to the airport to send him off to the UK and Kong Kong's loud call at his name is still ringing in my ears. It must have been too much for the strong Kong Kong then. Kong Kong wept ... something I did not reckon could ever happen to him for he was a tough man known for loudness and with little inclinations to matters of the heart. He must have the intuition that his little boy has left forever for another part of the universe ; did he recall the same scenario when his mama stood at the banks of the river to bid him goodbye for the South China Seas? After the little one left him, he kept the scooter of his son for a couple of years; perhaps to catch whatever memories left behind.
Today, he has established a home in Orlando - the place for play and fun and is the proud father of a set of heterogeneous sex children.

Kong and Por have visited them a couple of times...1994, 1997, 2001...and the journey is ardous...a combination of 32 hours at times.

Notice the background. That was where we played, shared jokes, met new acquaintances and made deals. The neighbourhood children would gather here daily for conferences and plans for the day - to play or the start of a new idea or project.
It's no wonder that street urchins with their streaks of street-wisdom make it big like this one shown.
In humble singlets , this lad here has made it big and has now also migrated to another continent.



In Melbourne, he is now residing with his family and especially when his children are going through tertiary education. He owed his success perhaps to a big degree to the social and interpersonal skills with the kids in the backyard and being able to get what he wanted each time. Skilful at negotiations and treaties, he is best at getting things to work at his advantage. All street wisdom must have cropped up from a young age and is an added advantage in life. Maybe we should just throw our children into the streets and find their own niches? Thanks to Kong and Por for giving us the chance to find our own niche.

This one is now travelling between Perth and Malaysia. Look at the backyard...not a place we would put our childrem these days. But it was in this very place that we grew and learnt the struggles of life. She went to school and a local university and is very comfortable today. She loves to travel and is always with the apple of her eye in Perth.



See the little girl beside Por? She will be residing in Taiwan and though home for Kong's birthday celebration from Germany, she will leave for Taipei tomorrow with her precious little girl. Half her life has been dedicated to globe trotting finding green pastures whenever the call comes. Her life is enriched by the travels rarely known to others.

Celine globe trots with her parents too and is used to whatever education system that comes along the way...very flexible and accomodating.

Though Kong and Por have many children , not all of us are around them. As a matter of fact, they are on their own and we take turns to bring noise and sounds to their otherwise quiet apartment.

This time tomorrow however, all of us in the pictures shown above will be in another part of the world...one in Orlando, another in Taipei and the rest in Perth, Melbourne and me, in Brisbane as my family find our way there for a special occasion.

To think that these street urchins will be all over the globe for certain purposes, all because Kong and Por through their humble beginnings but definitely strong determination have taught, nurtured and provided them enough for a future.
So, on an occasion like a 90th birrthday, the family came from all over the world to remember and love him.

Three of his children shown above are in the family photo. Make a good guess? Which one is Puan Chong?

And but of course some of the off springs of his children - the grandchildren. The multiplication method works well here.

The street urchins finding their bearings on this earth.
Modern families must learn the style of my parents...including me.