When You Obey

In obedience, you stay out of trouble...

One of the teachings etched in the culture of the Chinese people as related by Aunt Yu-i of 'Bound Feet & Western Dress' was : you must always inform your parents where you are going and what you are doing. You must get their permission on important decisions in your life...

At first I laughed at it ; can you imagine it happening to children who are into adulthood in this era doing that? Maybe it works with children who are in their teenage years and still depending on you under your roof...just maybe. But after observing many happenings, I realise the truth behind the teaching. As a matter of fact, this is applicable to all at whatever age ; 7, 10, 15, 20 and even adult children. There is really no harm in informing. In fact, it is good to let someone know where you are at least for safety's sake. I believe there are enough sad stories of missing people, murders, kidnaps and so on some of which may be a consequence of not letting someone know of your going out.

I cannot but relate this teaching to the mishap that took place in Shah Alam yesterday when a 15 year old boy was unmistakenly taken for a criminal when he reversed his car into a group of policemen. He being 15 could not have possessed a driving licence and it was told that he left his house without permission and the knowledge of loved ones. On top of that he took the car without permission... so many wrong decisions.

Let's ponder over the happening.
If he had tried to ask for permission, he would have been denied of it since he wanted to drive. By informing his parents he would have not got into the trouble and not died. Simple as that; just inform your parents of your desire to go out. Many a time this was not done in anticipation of a denial but the consequences may be disastrous. The panic-striken boy on seeing the policemen could have pressed a panic button and reversed instead of going forward. What a mishap.

Today in a class, I asked how many among the students inform their parents of their going out and many still do it. Bless them. I brought their attention to the mishap and hope they know how to relate an act of carelessness costing a life. They kept quiet and I could see they saw the connection. Let's hope they be more careful.

So it goes to agree with that noble Chinese teaching of the good old days...ask your parents for permission before you go out. It may save your life.

Bound Feet & Western Dress

Natasha Chang Pang-Mei's Recount of Aunt Yu-i

Grace, an avid reader, told me last month that she read the book in one sitting and insisted that I read it too as it would evoke some deep reflections and thoughts. She reads me well. She deciphers my tastes, preferences and teachings quite accurately but whether she is in tandem with me is a separate matter. I am glad though she still reads profusely till this day ; I read to her dutifully every night from young until she developed a love for reading. At least I gave her a legacy which I know will do her good.
I could still recall the times when I had to fling the books she were reading out of sight as she would be late for meals and chores . She was stuck with the readings all the time. How silly of me ! So today she introduced me to a book. How appropriate.

This biography of Yu-i tells of how she suffered under the typical Chinese home at the turn of the century in Shanghai and how she defied against the odds and turned into a strong character taking in the doldrums and tsunamis of life in long suffering and endurance.

In her days, girls are to be seen but not to be heard. Boys get the best treatment from the family and everything good goes to the male gender first. How this influence still runs in the homes of Chinese till today. Boys go overseas for education; girls stay at home.

Binding feet as seen in the illustration above was a common practice then. Girls from the tender age of 3 - 4 were already subjected to this practice and the smaller the size of the feet ,the better. A pair of dainty feet would mean a greater chance of being married off and potential mothers in laws would be looking at them to determine the outcome of the arrangement. Also, marriages were arranged between families even before the child was born. So you get to marry partners whom you may never have met and seen. O what a relief ... they are dinosaurs now.

There were many things I saw as I read ; impossible to share all my reflections. But there is this that remained with me even after I have finished reading it. Yu-i married to Hsu Chih-Mo, never had a good day with him because he considered her old-fashioned and gutsy especially with her unbound feet. She was not the flower he had in mind. Even after having a son and later not even bothered to see to the birth of his second son with her, Hsu failed to see the gem in her. Yu-i stood by the parents-in- law before and after the divorce faithfully seeing to their emotional and physical needs while Hsu fell in love with 2 other females . Yu-i submitted to his wish for a divorce and she saw his elation quietly.

When Hsu was killed in an air crash, his third and present wife did not know how to handle the funeral rites and poor Yu-i had to help in it. When Lao tai tai, the mother of Hsu died, it was Yu-i who saw to the funeral. The Lao Ye, Hsu's father, was only used to staying with Yu-i and hated to be with the other daughters-in-law...and Yu-i stood by them despite being divorced. She reminded me of Ruth and Naomi.

With all these happenings, Hsu failed to recognise his folly , for being the romantic poet , he is swarmed by idealism and not practicalities. I like Yu-i because she responded well to circumstances and even when life was tough she stood by principles of doing what was right. Many would have collapsed under the hunger she went through and especially when she had to deliver her second son in a foreign land all alone without support. Worst still, when she had to lose the son because she had not enough money to treat him. All these happened in the absence of Hsu Chih-Mo who disappeared from her life without a word and only to return later to ask for consent for a divorce.

What do we look for in a life partner? Ideals? Practical terms? Besides sharing the same faith, it will be good to look for partners who will stand by you in the ups and downs of life. Ask in all sincerity at the altar; will this man or woman be with me when circumstances become challenging? A practical wife and a practical husband ... is what I will concede to.

Bound feet and western dresses evoked my thoughts.

Super Duper Dance

The Slot Machine

He kept slotting coins into the machine whenever it stopped...just to sway along with it in great dance steps not excluding the twisting of hands and legs in tempo with the music. He's oblivious of the crowd stopping by to watch him ; in fact I think he loved to be noticed. He was first class in public display of outward expression of creativity. He's a crowd puller of the mall.

At first we thought it was done so that he could get his regular exercise ; why not? After all the swift movements sure prove to be an excellent way of exercising. But after a little while you begin to wonder...

Nevertheless, an applause for the brave expression in a public place.

So Cute !

So mothers and daughters go "cotton on" and complete the picture for daddy !

Gullible mothers and fathers would not be able to ward off this great temptation.

So cute la ! No more Kiki Lala liow !

Ouch...

This jab saves lives...

They came...

They saw....

They conquered...

The girls wept with the ant bites... the boys, (one) fainted and woke up after a short nap!

This annual exercise come rain or shine has to go on...

Annual Sports 2010

Another April Affair ; an Annual One.

Stories to tell...

Who will steal the show ?

A gift for everyone present ; in proper attire of course.

Plus , a free drink and gardenia bread and milo too!




Carlos , the Captain taking the oath to submit to the calling of the event... a pledge to abide.






A sense of pride to see them lined up; discipline.





The School Band led in the march past ; it's not easy to form a band.





The KRS parade ; I wonder where the boys are?




Of course, the boys are not allowed in this team...Pasukan Puteri Islam




The cadet corp team ; manly affair.



Ha... St John's Ambulance...potential paramedics, nurses and doctors.




Another ladies' affair ; girl guides.





They took the audience's hearts...




The merry Red House Team with their colorful caps and balloons.





Wow, Purple House has a Greeeky theme with Paul attired to go to battle...





Yellow House threw her balloons into the beautiful sky ... I remember Esther ran for yellow house ...arg... painful for my eyes !


But most memorable , I see my little girls from 3 Cekap 2008 grow up into pretty maids... all in a row !




Jihan the pretty high jumper had broken some records in the Long Jump and High Jump...2009





Lady in red ; Hanan, Hanan ; I kept seeing her as the other half in...






... Farah ; so slim and tall now... maybe she will be a beauty queen one day.


They were sporting enough to bring cheer to the day and parading in the march past.









I am proud to present to you one of my favourites...Mohd Danial...Assistant Head. I have known him to be disciplined, polite, helpful, creative, respectful, responsible, smart and resilient. He is a son of Seafield whom we will always remember. Of course there are others too. Give me a chance to catcha ok?




Then came the younger ones of the family in their aerobic stunts...oh the parents were so proud of their girls !





Yellow House




Green House




Blue House





Red House



Guess the winner. The spectators waited patiently each year to see this performance. Somehow the younger ones with agility are able to jump and hop around better. Parents too eagerly stretched out their heads to catch a glimpse of their little ones putting up their bit. There has been a suggestion that it be scraped off. What do you think? We definitely will break some hearts.



Now, we cannot imagine the Sports Day without the special performance from the school band. Once a band member... you die as one. Don't believe you ask Samuel, Daniel, Marvin and of course Chua Sher Han. Sher Han lives, breathes and dies for the band. Every now and then she will include video clips of the band in her facebook. All band members have a special bond and are like siblings playing for a cause beyond the ordinary calling. You have to be in to feel it, right young lady?







Shaun ,the drum major had our hearts in our mouths as he flung that mace confidently and skilfully into space. He was in total command and not once missed the throws. He was the man of the show as he marched in movements that befit the tempo of the band. Good show, Shaun.


The Sports Day again cannot be the same without the Vulcanz coming together for that delivery. We waited for the moment for their special appearance and before we could savour in they have done it ... in just 3 minutes, I believe. It's that kinda of feeling that you have not enough and you want more. It's exciting to have them. The school will never be the same without them and prouder still is when we see Chee Wei and Jun Kang returning to train them. A good legacy to go down into the book.




Now you see, now you don't...




I think the Vulcanz has also created a bond that is very binding and they display discipline and unity; values that will help them plough through the ups and downs in life one day. The sports teach them team work, cooperation, kindness, sacrifice and resilience. Yes, resilience. Resilience can only be learnt through drills and tough times. Resilience is the key to hiccups in life. Tough.

But most heartening though is when you see parents giving the moral support to their loved ones.

Carlos and dad

The up and coming star Eugenia and dad

I think it's Subatra and dad

This one ; I did not catch...sorry.

Our very own Mr. Gan has his child with us too... not on the field but...



Yes, a replica of daddy... she was born when daddy was first posted to SMK Seafield. A Seafield baby...Deborah. Father and daughter team in school helping out in many ways.

A pleasant episode when I met another ex-seafieldian, Ng Wai Hou. When in school back then, he was a cheerleader and an active member of St. John. I am not wrong to conclude that most of them will end up in the medical line. He is holding a Parkway Holdings scholarship to do nursing in Pantai Hospital and then to be seconded to Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Singapore come July for work. Not bad; all paid for.

Come let's see some of the stars of the event.

Carlos and Jay Han. They are great pals just like David and Jonathan in the Good Book. They helped each other by not meeting each other on individual events in the track events. You run 100m ; I run 400m... so both of us can hold gold medals; right? They did just that. But by not meeting each other, they did not push themselves to the limit ; so no record breaking.

Carlos took the short sprints ; 100, 200 m... and got his golds but no records...because no Jay Han pacing him?

Jay Han was super resilient. He took the gold for 1500m, 800m, 400m, 4x100m, 4x400m all on the same day ! But unlike previous years, he did not break a single record... it must be heartbreaking. But he was still the man of the day... and nearly another gold for the invitation relay ... lost by the position of the torso end by a mere 0.03sec ! Oh what a loss ! On top of everything else not to add salt to wounds, the many golds attained for the day was simply not enough... you need to break a record to be ensured of the top title. So, the coveted title went home to someone else.

These 2 P2 girls; still young and agile are up and coming super stars...Eu Nise and Eugenia. I first mistook them for sisters. Looking alike and having names so alike too. Like Carlos and Jay, they seem to be great friends and though in different houses, they fought in good spirits. Sometimes you win at others I. Can I conclude that unlike the boys, their healthy pursuits caused them to run their best as they fought the good fight together and so...records were broken that earned one of them the coveted title of the day. A gold for Eu Nise in 100m, and golds for Eugenia in 200m and 400m sprints. Both of them ran side by side and won in their best.

I could not resist this shot. Eugenia and Eu Nise... warming up before the 4x100m invitation relay and they took the gold home with See Wen Min and Chew Yee Fung. Somehow this shot reminded me of true friendship and fondness for each other. They behave like siblings...we will see more of them next year.

In every Sports season, there are bound to be winners and losers. So a record of the winners.

This board indicated the champion house...

How can the house not win with the house mistress behaving like a matador...



Champion House for a good 2 years...Rumah Ungu !

Winner of the best parade...the adorable scouts ! They were really adorable... what with their jumps and shouts for joy...such boyish and girlish gestures but at the same time, the simplicity took our hearts.

The best girl of the show...




Eugenia Edwin Galan for breaking the 200m and 400m P2 records !

This is the humble, unassuming dark horse...

He broke Jason Chong's 2003 400m L2 record and Delwyn De Souza's 2004 L2 800m record and so he took home the most coveted title...best sportsman of the year. So nephew Jason, your record has been broken. He is Aminul Rashid. Congratulations.

Under the extreme heat, the children ran, danced, jumped, performed and enjoyed themselves. The poor teachers forever entertaining them by standing under the hot merciless skies, timed the runs, recorded the results and quietly seeing to every detail. None of them took medical leave on the following Monday...the unsung heroes ... my super teachers ! Kudos!!!

At the end of the day, this man of the field who started the first sports of the school came up to the Principal and humbly disclosed his heart's contents... " Puan Teh, saya sudah tamat tugas saya sebagai Setiausaha Sukan SMK Seafield dan saya serah tugas saya kepada cikgu"....Madam, I hereby pass down my duties as the Sports Secretary of the School ... He is retiring at the end of this year.

On the same note, this being the last sports season for her, the Principal broke down and could not hold back her tears at the reality of the final countdown. Both held great sentiments for their beloved school. Well... they say every good thing must come to an end.

A memorable 2010 Sports Day.

Run Jay Han, run... Carlos is behind you!