World War 2 in Borneo

I was born in Borneo, nine years after the end of the World War Two. An era where there was no electricity, no radio and no televison. Grandfathers, Grandmothers, Mom and Dad spent evenings telling us of The Mukden Incident, or Manchurian Incident, 9-18 , 九一八事变 and the heinous Japanese occupation 日本占领. The favourite hero was Captain Fong.
The impact of Captain Fong was so great that Luke, my Grandfather was still telling about his hero for twenty years. Fifty years later, his grandsons were rehashing Ah Kung’s hero. His great grandchildren in faraway Australia and New Zealand are very proud of this Captain Cina.
The older grandchildren thought Captain Fong was a figment of Ah Kung’s imagination. When I wrote "From China to Borneo to Beyond," 海外华人的中国魂, a journal of my people I did not include it in the Chapter of “World War Two.”
It was only in 2014 when Ann connected with Larry Wong, curator of the Chinese Canadian Military. During our discussion, it dawned on me and my brother Joseph that Captain Fong could be an alias of Captain Cheng. I confirmed it with Larry Wong. I felt by omitting the Chapter on Captain Fong, we omitted an important part of our History.
The Canadian soldiers worked in secret in the Canada military Operation Oblivion, people did not know they existed.
To do justice to Captain Fong/Roger Cheng and his men, I wrote this fiction/nonfiction book.

ABC Wednesday: Letter L

A grey haired lady,
comes to my language school,
to learn another language in her late stage in life.

She learns very hard,
While others go for morning tea and latte.
she goes to copy from the white board.

Never to late to learn,
She epitomises this maxim.
I am so privileged to have this student.




http://abcwednesday-mrsnesbitt.blogspot.co.nz/

Yellow: a school playground equipment

not sure how the kids play on it.

http://mondaymellowyellows.blogspot.com.au/

ABC letter K for koru

The koru (Māori for "loop") is a spiral shape based on the shape of a new unfurling silver fern frond and symbolizing new life, growth, strength and peace. It is an integral symbol in Māori art, carving and tattoos.

 






http://abcwednesday-mrsnesbitt.blogspot.co.nz/

yellow: workman

Workman at the footpath


http://mondaymellowyellows.blogspot.com.au/

ABC Letter J for Jungle and Dr Henry Chan.

Henry with his lovely wife Elley and his lovely sister, Me.

 The guide tells us what not to do.

 A yellow sign to advice  people what no to do. My brother Dr Henry Chan,  takes his son Jonathan, to appreciate nature at a young age. 6 years ago, Jonathan took me to the same place.

My husband the water engineer is attending the Australian and Ports conference. One of the talks was by my friend Ngarimu, on the environment from the Maori protocol prospective.


I thought of my youngest brother Dr. Henry Chan Chok Khuang and his lovely wife Elley Lina. I am very proud of Henry as he works for humanity and we share a lot of ideals.He is always traveling and attending conference on the environment. We tease him to be the protector of the orang-utan in the jungle.

He is leader for the Heart of Borneo (HoB). The Heart of Borneo Leader for WWF in Malaysia and Indonesia since March. He is based in Kuching but he travels a lot.

Recently, I made a friend, and she said," I like Henry, he loves trees and I like trees." I didn't tell her, I like  trees too.

https://www.facebook.com/BorneoRainforests 
https://www.facebook.com/wwfhob
http://wwf.panda.org/what_we_do/where_we_work/borneo_forests/





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Session 3: Societal Response to Environmental Governance in Malaysia

Chairperson:Dr. Henry Chan Chok Khuang

Fellow, Asian Public Intellectuals

Environmental Movement in Malaysia

ABC letter J for Jam.

we had high tea for our church's centenary. scones with jam and cream, and cucumber is very English.

We were caught in a traffic jam. It was cause by a fire.


http://abcwednesday-mrsnesbitt.blogspot.co.nz/

shopping trolley bay

a shopping trolley bay

http://mondaymellowyellows.blogspot.com.au/

FSO: spiral in your town

Spirals in your Town a shell from the beach

http://mytownshootout.blogspot.co.nz/

Throw back to 2011: Diary of a bereaved mother.

This is the first draft of my manuscript.

National Women's Hospital where Andrew was born.

http://asoutherndaydreamer.blogspot.com

http://ourworldtuesdaymeme.blogspot.com/
 






In 2011, I posted this.

Dear all,

I started a new site; http://annkitsuetchin.blogspot.com/.
Here I figure my book. If you like to read, do pay it a visit and comment.

Diary of a Bereaved Mother
From the conception of my first blog http://annkschin.blogspot.com/ I had shared with you about my late son Andrew.

In October 2010, fellow blogger Ginny inspired me to write my book about having Andrew. Since then, I had shared with Betsy and George. They have been pivotal in encouraging me.

The book is almost done, my editor suggested that I post some parts of it and I welcome your comments.


This book is not just a soppy and maudlin story of my tragic life. This is non fiction, and the genre is: Self Help/ death and dying/child’s death/survival


The book is my journey of having a baby who died in Auckland National Womens' Hospital and suggestions to help bereaved parents, their care givers and doctors.

It has been edited: It is a wonderful account, written from the heart.

Comment: I know that no words can adequately express sympathy for this tragedy. You must be a very brave woman to come through this ordeal and write about it.

My pastors wrote this introduction in my Forward: Ann’s account of losing her infant son Andrew will resonate with anyone who has had the misfortune to give birth to a child who has struggled to live. As pastors at Ann’s church and as bereaved parents ourselves we felt for Ann through these recordings of her journal.

http://www.wheelers.co.nz/books/9780473187095-diary-of-a-bereaved-mother/?title=Diary+of+a+Bereaved+Mother Diary of a Bereaved Mother This is a real life story of losing one's only son. This experience has made the author strong and caring. This tragedy has been a great help for her to help understand other bereaved people. The author is very brave to write this book. It has not been easy and she aims to touch,... read full description below. Here's the book, five years after. It is used as a reference book for NICU personnel in University Hospital of Toronto, wonderful write ups from many newspaper, exhibited in England, and spoken off in Medical conference. Writing the book was cathartic, it also gave me opportunities to talk to other bereaved mothers face-to-face and online.  Quick Reference ISBN 9780473187095 Published 1 May 2011 Format Paperback Author(s) By Chin, Ann Kit Suet ... view full title details below. NZ$35.00 Retail price

abc wednesday Letter I for I, ice and Icing and inspiration.

My sister Grace's kids making icing to ice a cake



Cake making and icing in the Chan family and now Tiong (Grace's) is a family affair.

For the beautiful wedding cake in the last post involved a lot of work. She made sugar flowers, leaves and figurine. Grace couldn't remember how long it took.

She did it when she was free on and off during the day for 2 weeks. It was tough work mixing the sugar dough or fondant icing and gum paste. The gum paste had to be rolled to tissue thin and and not break. Royal icing for some of the leaves.


Grace reckoned if she worked full time, it would have taken 10 hours for those things, leaves, flowers, bows... colouring, She couldn't use spray paint as it was done at home.

She spent another 5 hours to ice the cake and cover with fondant and put on final touches. Mixing the cake, cooking and cooling took another 4 hours.

Grace was so passionate and almost a perfectionist. She told her daughter Jessie that she took off the crooked lines and redo and redo.... That's why she was so stressed when she make the cakes.

Grace recruited her brother-in-law to knead the dough for her until it was pliable enough to use rolling pin on it. His hands got so tired and hot. Her cousin in law James helped paint the flowers and arrange the bouquet. James it was hard work because the flowers are brittle and not flexible like real flowers where you can squeeze through the foliage etc...

Grace says, "Things like that people don't know, only the cake people know. if doing for 1st time like me, then it was a surprise!"

"What's your inspiration?" I asked Grace.

For all the effort, Grace can say, "I can say, I did it. "


http://abcwednesday-mrsnesbitt.blogspot.co.nz/

Yellow mellow

Bought a big bottle of Japanese Mayonnaise



http://mondaymellowyellows.blogspot.com.au/

FSO: Late winter.

The poinsettia bush has dropped her flowers. The plum tree is pushing to get the flowers out.

Late Winter [Friday My Town Shoot Out Link-Up]

Share it with us sights from the late winter season in your corner of the world. We are in the southern hemisphere, our weather is revierse as most of you.

http://mytownshootout.blogspot.co.nz/

Alphabe-Thursday letter P for planting

This "poker" rice planting equipment children had to used to help their parents can really turn kids off planting rice.
Thanks Francis Chen for this photo and lending me your son as the model. I guess in the past, kids didn't wear shoes.

This is a traditional South-East Asian nursery rhyme originated from the Philipines. It tells the of back-breaking, dirty,squishy muddy work under a sweltering sun. 

My music teacher taught me this song, and I in turn teach my New Zealand students. Rice is a valuable commodity and we are taught not to waste it. A common grandma's warning to kids who don't finish their bowl of rice will marry a spouse with pock marks.

When I was teaching in Kai Chung School in Binatang/Bintangnor, I went back to my parents' home in Sarikei in the weekends. Sometimes, I caught a bus, sometimes I took a boat called an express. The bus took me pass rice/padi fields like the photo. I took this during our recent reunion. 
My student/friend Francis explains how he used to plant rice.
Francis Kim Hung Tiong I use to when I was in Form 2. My dad asked me to move in front to poke holes into the soft ground so that they follow behind to plant the rice. That tools got 4 pokers, so it make 4 holes in a roll. At the end of the line, ONLY THREE HOLES REMAINS!

• Ann Chin Thanks for first hand info, I have added it to my blog, and will use it when I teach. Don't understand this line. At the end of the line, ONLY THREE HOLES REMAINS!

  49 minutes ago · 

Drawn by Francis Tiong

Francis Kim Hung Tiong That means I didn't go straight! Instead of 4 holes only 3 remains. My dad did the first row already. So he ask me to continue with the 2nd rowl only when my elder sister realized that she has no hole to plant her rice seedling.

• Drawn by Francis Chen.
  
  Chen Francis that's part of my childhood life..lol

  7 hours ago · Edited · 

 · 1

Ling Liong Lai We used to have one in our farm.

7 hours ago · 

• •  · 1
  • 
    

    Mag Yaw Lee Chewchia I have seen this at my friends' house too during my childhood years....this is for racking the soil and to put fertilizers in, right?

    
    

    
    

    
    

Planting rice is never fun
Bent from morn till the set of sun,
Cannot stand and cannot sit,
Cannot rest for a little bit.

Planting rice is no fun
Bent from morn till set of sun,
Cannot stand, cannot sit,
Cannot rest a little bit.

Oh, come friends and let us homeward take our way,
Now we rest until the dawn is gray,
Sleep, welcome sleep, we need to keep us strong
Morn brings another workday long.

Oh, my back is like to break,
Oh, my bones with the damp still ache,
And my legs are numb and set
For their long soaking on the wet.

In English "Planting is no joke"  We did the actions. We loved nursing our sore bodies. It is no wonder kids don't want to plant rice.

 I modified the song for teaching and added my own humorous last stanza to make it current affairs. This post has evoked memories of my friends who once planted rice  helping their parents. Today, they are engineers and bankers.

I feel so privileged as their ex teacher, especially when I did not teach them in their class. They ave submitted work that I needed.

Thank you all for brainstorming and helping me out . This post is an unexpected one from the Kai Chung Reunion.

Planting rice is never fun

Bent from morn till the set of sun, Cannot stand and cannot sit, Cannot rest a little bit.

Oh, my back, wants to break, 
Oh, my bones are so painful,
And my legs are numb and set
Because of the soaking in the wet.

Planting rice is never fun
Bent from morn till set of sun,

Cannot stand and cannot sit,

Cannot rest a little bit.

Papa, I am not going to plant anymore,

I am going to work very hard,

I am going to be an engineer,

Or a banker in the nice office.

Oh, my back, wants to break, 
Oh, my bones are so painful,
And my legs are numb and set

Because of the soaking in the wet.

Children today don't want to eat rice,

They want to go for fast food,

French fries and Hamburgers,

Or  pizzas and spaghetti.

Oh, my back, wants to break, 

Oh, my bones are so painful,
And my legs are numb and set

Because of the soaking in the wet.

http://youtu.be/J3gVaXm8Z2Q

http://jennymatlock.blogspot.co.nz/search/label/Alphabe-Thursday

Arthritis

The orange colour, is a fake flower, to raise fund for Arthritis New Zealand. I imagine it is a sunflower, giving a ray of hope to the sufferers.

This is a disease that the Chinese know very well. When we were young, we were told to wear dry clothes, keep our hair dry. If not, when we grew old, we will get Arthritis.

http://www.medicinenet.com/arthritis/focus.htm

Rheumatoid Arthritis

Rheumatoid arthritis is an autoimmune disease that causes chronic inflammation of the joints, the tissue around the joints, as well as other organs in the body. Because it can affect multiple other organs of the body, rheumatoid arthritis is referred to as a systemic illness and is sometimes called rheumatoid disease.

http://floralfridayfoto.blogspot.com/

ABC Letter H for Hindu

 

I was five when we moved to the Government quarters in Sibu.

There was a Hindu Temple which this building has replaced.

At that time, it was a small building full of mystique. We did not see worshipers or priest. The windows were closed and there were rails above the windows for ventilation. We climbed up to see the many idols there. Outside, there was a well, and somehow, we kids made up a rumour that it was haunted. Some one had drowned there. There were calamansi aka lime trees and the fruits were high up. We climbed up to steal them. There were some gardenia bushes and we stole the buds.

When I grew up, I became a faculty wife. My husband became a university lecturer at Nanyang Technological University. I met other faculty wives, and many are Hindus. The mystique is gone, I became their very good friend. I was invited to a wedding and to their apartments. They like elephants. They do a puja.

I wrote my book," Cry, the Oppressed women." and I based my book on some Hindu women and families.

Photo one is a recent one from my friend Jayalakshmi Saratchandran.


http://abcwednesday-mrsnesbitt.blogspot.co.nz/

Mr. Ting Ming Siong, Guiness book of records.

Up Date: When I returned to Sibu in 2013 to launch my books, I had become Facebook friends of Andy, Mr. Ting's son. He apologised he couldn't come, and told me Mr. Ting was selling his noodles just where I was staying, RH hotel.

Unfortunately, I was in a rush to fly to Miri, and didn't have time to go and say hi.







This was posted about five years ago.


In 1991, when I was living in Singapore, I was very surprised and proud that a man from my home town Sibu, Mr. Ting Ming Siong held a Guiness World Record. I read with pride that he held the record for being a best man for the most number of times.

That Christmas, I returned to Sibu to visit my relatives. My aunts treated me to a restaurant at the See Hua Daily News factory at Sungai Antu. Lo and behold, who did I see seated at the next table? I asked my aunt if he was who I thought he was. My aunt said yes, and asked how I knew. I told her I read it in the Newspaper in Singapore.

I asked my aunt why he was so popular. She said he is very eloquent in his speech. He was not just a bestman, people requested his services as a Toastmaster and his toasts.

I went to congratulate him and asked if I could have a photo with him and his lovely wife and family. He was very happy to oblige and that the news paper in Singapore published an article about him.

Last evening, I made a new Facebook friend orignally from my home town, but now workinging in Miri. Christopher Gan is a Wedding Planner at Grand Palace Hotel, Miri. His friend commented that he must have organised so many weddings that he could be in the guiness records, I asked Christipher if he knew about this Best man.

Christopher said yes, and told me that Mr. Ting runs a coffee shop called Delta Cafe in Sibu. He sent me a photo of that important document.

Thank you Christopher for the Coffee Shop photos and his own with the chef.

Here's another of my bucket list ticked. To be photographed with a famous person, a Guiness World Book record holder. It pays to be shameless and ask to have a photo taken with famous people.