Float in Air & Walk on Fire

When I was four feet young, some strange things happened in my home, our family members of four took turn to visit doctor, mom whispered that she sensed something not right in the home. She did not tell what was wrong, but, the young me believed that it should be related to - long hair, white gown, long tongue, bleeding eye, uttering hu…hu… hu… and had the ability to float and walk in air.

The situation persisted for a year, my helpful cousin sister brought us to the Chinese Zi Kong temple, popular among Chinese, located far and deep in the village. The path was small, bumpy, zigzag with tall weed grass in both sides.

The temple opened for consultation from 9 pm, sea of peoples queuing seeking for help or por-bi (protection). The Ji Kong Chinese spirit medium (tang-ki) dress in ancient clothing, cap that symbolize a ‘yuan bao’ (ancient money) and a torn fan in hand, we gave our house address, he used his super power to search and investigate, within seconds he said that our house had took over by ‘unwanted guests’. We were given protection ‘fu’ to wand off the spirits temporary.

That night, all of us squeezed into mom’s bed, I dream of them flying everywhere.

We revisited the medium for permanent protection, the tang-ki confirmed that there were a total of 5 spirits involved, of three were young orphans from no where, of two were my ‘sister or brother’ resulted from my mom previous miscarriage.

Tang-ki said he chased away the three, but the two refuse to go as they need sense of belonging, they wanted a ‘place’ in the family.

Tang-ki gave protection red stamp on the back of our outfits, he then placed a Buddhist rosary around my neck, he told me to follow closely, I found myself in a queued in front 12 feet long fire path made up of burning charcoals, the young me fear nothing but to obey, according to Tang-ki, those who cross over the fire path will have their bad luck change.

Tang-ki chanting and he started running, I follow closely behind him and ran over the fire path, I feared for the fire, speed was fast and pushing Tang-ki from his back. Tang-ki almost fall when we finished the line. I brushed and apologized repeatedly.

Two weeks later, there were a new incense burner next to Di-Zhu-Yeh alter (place on the floor). Mom said that it was for the brother and sister. Since then, we live happily ever after。

Di-Zhu-Yeh Alter

Long fire line

Resemble Ji-Kong

Young Men - Please be Reasonable

My basin tap was leaking drop by drop, it was like coin dropping to me, so I use bottle to collect the drops to ensure it go to no waste.

A small little name card pop into my letter box, I gave it a call for help. With 'bip bip road runner' speed, 2 men push my door bell, my eyes enlarged 3 times when they walk in, 1st - they are too young, 2nd - they are too neat, 3rd - they dont have the plumber look, I calmed and pacified myself not to judge the book by its cover.

To get my tap rectify, they need to cross the mountain, plug the stars from sky and empty the seawater. My jaw drop wide when they told me that they ONLY charge a minimal of RM700 to get it done.

These two youngsters' ambition is to own a Mercedes within an hour, bold and daring enough to charge a hefty sum. For these, tug-of-war negotiate going on, they finally turn face and gave it the final dong! dong! hammer of RM380 and nothing less.

I Ting! Ting! on my triangle - RM300 final and nothing more. Obviously, it didn't match the deal. We call off the deal. Too bad, they burst their dream car.

Upon leaving, the young chap ask for their petrol charges, which he had not mentioned upfront, I did not comply and they zoom off with a little not so happy mood.

I went round to grab a house repair contractor to bring in their plumber, next day, 2 men in their fifties came in, at ease and phew ~!! at least they looks like plumbers. With tools in hand they get the repairing & curing job done just within hour. Most important - they charged RM120.

Unusual Flowers

12 years old red palm trees, lately blossom with flowers.

shape likes octopus tentacles

close up look....

difference view

silhouette image

the tiny flowers drop or 'sprinkle' on everywhere

on the path

on the stones

in between roots

close up look, do you think it looks like jelly fish? or alien creatures

I finally caught this little one hanging on the spider web

Stop & Look

To stay home enable me to slow down my foot pace, with relaxing mind, I become more at ease and calm. Today, I partnered with my long neglected camera, captured some pictures along my strolled at home.

The flowers buds

Spider web in the pond

Strange plant

Fern

Nest fern

name after "crocodile tongue "? not sure

insect invaded

result from the invasion

Miniature fountain

pearls like water droplets

Birds building home

home for the family of 6

Phews ! what a life.

Lost & Found

My hair stand up went I found things missing from my home, my blood pressure shoot up causing my hair curl and burnt when my kids said, “I don’t know, I never use.” I feel like juicing them and drink, or stuff them back into my stomach where their hometown was.

Obviously all these items do not have wings that make flying possible, neither do my kids have the ability to ‘David Copperfield’ it.

Giving up the idea of confronting the kids debating who took it, I ended up replacing all the missing items, storing them in highly confidential places where the kids shall have no clue to find the location. Can you imagine that I am turning my dressing table into tool table keeping screw drivers, test pen, measurement tape, meter, cellophane tapes, scissors, screwdriver, Uhu glue, etc. I ever think of getting a big safe box to keep things, especially scissors & nail clippers.

There was that ONE day, the sun rises from the North, the lightning strike on my head, which brought me the courage to do room cleaning for my kids, the scene wrecked by typhoon Ketsana and Tsunami, I am like the rescuer salvaging the property from the rubbles. My eyes blink blink, as I discovered my long lost nail clippers, my camera, my card reader, scissors, screwdriver, face cleanser, canister and more more... I am more joyful than slimming 5 kgs weight.

My kids earned themselves long winded nagging for at least 3 weeks.

Japanese Table - Good, Good, Good!

Japanese table is my favourite, some called it low table or study table. The table top can be found in the shape of rectangular, square or even round, size approximately 1.5' x 2.5', could be smaller or bigger. The height is ranged from 12” ~17”.

The benefit of Japanese table :-
1. Ideal for study as books can be extended and place on the floor

2. Mobil-able and handy - can put anywhere you like

3. No chair is needed

4. Save space & easy for storage as table legs are foldable

5. Good for board games

6. Can be use as computer table

7. And many more usage like dining, 'yam cha', coffee table & etc

You may get it from any hypermarket, price are affortable and inexpensive, you will find it worthy.

Ah Mah and ‘Ang Kong’

My mother in law is a staunch believer of Taoist, she pray everyday. In front of all the deities & ancestors, she would seek for guidance, ask to ‘po pi’ (blessing) for health, safety, wealth, or something that seem impossible to us.

My daughter W depends on Ah Mah (mother in law) whenever she sits for examination like UPSR, PMR & SPM. All Ah Mah did was to light up the oil lamp & a pair of electric candles, 3 joss sticks for each deity, she will chant with reasonably voice & tone, loud enough for us to hear, ‘Ang Kong (God), Ang Kong! po pi po pi my grand daughter who will sit for SPM tomorrow, let her have good result, if she request for A, you grand her with A, or better still fulfill her wish by giving whatever she ask for’, I like this po pi request, Ah Mah sounded very much in power and authoritative. Putting her hands together she prays and finally places the joss sticks on the urn carefully. With this prayer, W will have invisible protection with less stress and less panic during her examination.

Just weeks ago, W jumping with joy for scoring SPM with flying colors, forgetting not to thanks the support and blessing from ‘Ang Kong‘, we were asked to prepare some fruits offering to thanks them, Ah Mah did all the usual pai Ang Kong procedure and starts thanking, ‘Ang Kong, Ang Kong, now that W had got the good results, can you ‘po pi’ her to get scholarship and enter into good school, or better still let her get what she wish for, kam sia che che, kam sia che che (thank you very much). I grinned beside, thank you with another request.

Ah Mah playing important roles for everyone at home, she is just like the bridge between us and Ang Kong. In return, Ang Kong will have regular joystick burning, ornament paper, fruits and big feast that comes in steam chicken, duck, roast meat, mix vegetable, rice, noodle, tea, wine and more.

We are thankful for Ah Mah’s effort. Without her, we maybe need to sail thru the turbulence sea. Ah Mah, kam sia che che, kam sia che che…

Coffee, Panadol & Cigarette

My 20 years old young helper was with us for 10 months now, we went through chicken & duck talk, miscommunication, surprises & culture shock before we can come to the present stage of understanding.

After she had completed her routine, she would come round to tell me tales of her village, her brought up. She would pour out her true feeling towards her family, her divorced husband, relatives and her friends. I must be motherly enough for her to behave like a daughter than a helper. I am also trying to empty out her sad soul so that she can work whole heartedly & happily for two years.

At her young age, she had developed some habits that annoyed me, first was her addictions to coffee, 1 mug every 2 hourly or 8 mug in a day. Anything less will cause her to have severe headache, and panadol will be replacement of coffee. Lately, she had cut down coffee intake to 2 mugs, but the panadol increase to 8 tablets daily. Oh yes, too much coffee will cause constipation, and she need banana, papaya or medication to help in easing or ‘pang sai’.

Secondly, she was a chain smoker, there was once, she hopped in front of me, putting two palms together begging for 1 stick of cigarette, ‘Madam, please please, I just need one stick, maybe it will cure my headache, please lah, madam.’ She knee down and begged. “NO” was the stern response, she was a bit upset and said, “This is god will, Jesus disallows me to smoke, Jesus uses madam to guide me.”

Sigh… will I be able to tame her wild soul that she had suppressed for months? I doubt and started to bit my nails ….

Wind-Water

Both of us decided to get ‘nest’ of our own after years of ‘parasite’ on my in law home. We finally agreed on the semi-detach property, I was busy dreaming of how to decorate it to become the model house of the whole BM or at least the whole Taman.

My pillow partner came round to tell his concern on Feng Shui (The words 'feng shui' literally translate as "wind-water"in English), I was kind of getting cold ice showered in the winter, feeling furious as to why he still didn’t believed the astronauts in the moon ? There were no ‘Chang Er’(Chinese fairy), neither do there had the tree and rabbit in the moon.

Coincidently, Lillian Too the Feng Shui master was in town to promote her books, I decided to bring my hammer to tear down her Feng Shui signboard, I want to see and know how the Feng Shui cheat all the people especially my so called ‘Educated’ partner.

I went with my brother, at least two people do the tearing job easier. There were packed in the hotel seminar hall, Lillian Too introduced Feng Shui in a scientific way and manner, everything was so true, so real, so promising and yet there were evidence of Feng Shui.

Yours truly was totally convinced in the short 2 hours talk, both my brother and myself had forgotton our mission, and ended up buying more than 8 books each, waited like the little fans in the queue of 1KM long getting Lillian to autograph. I left the hall without bringing the hammer back.

Now, my brother was a staunch Feng Shui practitioner where I had decorated my home according to all Feng Shui aspects. And I also become 10 times more Feng Shui than my partner.

Yes Madam, Sorry Madam

Via is the name of my new house maid, she is young & energetic, the setback is her forgetfulness. I will find broom & dustpan in my car while driving to work, washing detergent in the garden, shoes beside the oven & many unexpected things in the wrong place.

Whenever I called her in for the unexpected ‘alien’ found, she will come right in front & say, ‘Yes, Madam’ and I went on with the blar blar blar… and with smile she will reply, ‘Sorry, Madam’.

We had a few sessions of Yes Madam & Sorry Madam everyday. Steam was oozing out from my nose, ears & hair. I will soon have free furry curly hairdo.

Due her fast & prompt action, she will come by hopping in whenever I called her, sometimes, out of no where, she just pop out in front of me and cause my heart pause for few seconds.

She has fast response, she will run round the house to beat the time, hmmm… within 3 seconds she can reach the front from the back, not because of her speed but the size of my house.

A total brand new experience and eye opening for me.

My New kakak (house maid)

With knee down bagging to the maid agency, and finally I had my new maid in house, picking her up from the agent shocking me, with her resume in my hand, I ‘inspected’ her from head to toes and toes to head, has she got a facelift or plastic surgery done lately ?

How could she looks so much difference, from XXL to L size, from 30 to 20 years old ? My hair drop after much scratching, walking round her a few times, with disbelieved I uttered to myself, ‘out of spec. out of spec….’.

Sigh…. All my worries arise, I got to protect and lock her up in the house, keep her away from the hungry foxes & wolfs, the construction Indon workers, the Bangladesh, the Vietnamese, the local, the longkang man, the sampah man, the postman, etc, etc & etc. Perhaps wearing tudung and only show her eyes will be the best solution.

She gained instant liking from my kids, my little young son has requested to install air cond for her, my elder son requested to send her for hair re-bonding, getting her furry curly messy hair straighten.

My previous house maid was in mid 30 where she was a good home maker to me, to both of my elder kids (except my young son), she was nothing but like the witty step mother of Cinderella & Snow White.

I keep my fingers cross, ‘cheng cheng’ (praying) to the god, hoping that she can assist me in one way or another.

Ah Neh, what are you doing in my car ??

While we were in our dream land, someone shouted ‘theft stealing our car!!’, abruptly and reluctantly pull out from the dream, try to put ourselves together, instinct told us to arm with stick, rod, umbrella and my son….. with camera ??

Everything happened so fast, some shouted ‘not to go out, he may be armed with weapon !!’ some groaned ‘OPEN the DOOR !!’, some trigger the house alarm, some peeping behind window, it was in total mess…. And no one was take charge

The whole gin gang broke the door out, rush to the car porch, this so called … theft or intruder told us that he wish to sleep in the car. We can smell bear or rather he was drunk or under drug influenced, he dressed in shirt & sarong. We try to stop him by whacking him with whatever we have in hand.

My potential reporter son went on ‘click, click, click…’ the camera flashes, and also video clip the process.

The suspected theft was invited by the police to have free curry rice meal in the bar, 1st charge him for stealing (bicycle was found outside the fencing), 2nd charge him for illegally stay in Malaysia.

Post Mortem on the incident
1. Too dangerous with the participation of the ‘too old’ and ‘too young’, may be held hostages should circumstance arises
2. Got a chance to practice spanking and whacking… like the hero Jackie Chan did
3. Potential of cultivating a professional photographer
4. see the true self of neighborhood

What we lost ?
1. Umbrella handle – broken
2. 3 hours of quality sleep hours

What we gain ?
1. courage
2. Become popular over night – become the talk of our Taman… :)

Vroom… Vroom… Me too is the F1 Racer

I am always a careful driver since the day I got my license, I ensure that all the traffic signboards are follows religiously. One of the greatest reason behind this was I am very fearful of police, I maybe a theft or robber or a murderer in my past life.

2007 has marked a remarkable year for me, I am awarded the ‘tender’ to ferry my 3 school going kids to school, to tuition center, to music classes & others unplanned and ad-hoc trips.

The first few trips ended late for school, late for tuition or sent in to the wrong place, my customers (the kids) weren’t very happy about my performance, my 5 years old son Master L told me to speed up like the racing car (he adored all the F1 racers), he will give me morale support by making the ‘vroom vroom’ sound throughout the journey, he will hold his tuition book to pretend to be the steering wheel, his leg will act like he is pressing the petrol pedal, he will instruct me to close up the gap with the front car, to use the side lane if the main lane is crawling with queues. He also warned me not to drive with one hand and both hands must always glue on the steering wheel.

Master L also said that I need to put on my sun glasses to look cool, and better if I can put on the gloves as well. Vroom !!!!..... Here goes the mommy Choo speeding on the road.

The speediest driver on the road no longer belongs to youngster, the mummies too in the race.