And yes, it is the last day for the year for 2019 … as per what many people said … the year passed so quickly. Some are quite happy to welcome the new year but there are others who wished that they have more time to do a few more things.
For me … I am looking forward to the new year. In the last 12 months, I can say that the time were well spent. No major hiccups … day in day out, everyone was actively busy and things moved as they should … actually many things turned out to be better than I expected.
There were
many new things … most are just simple small things and events, not much to
talk about really. Hmmm … let me think again … maybe there are a few that I think
are interesting enough to share.
Let’s see …
They don’t grow up, you can’t grow old
At the beginning of the year, my daughter started her tertiary education after obtaining a fairly good O-level result. She was accepted into a local Australian “affiliated” university … that is as close as she can get to study in a good private university and that is all I can afford. She will do a one-year foundation studies before going for her degree.
At the beginning of the year, my daughter started her tertiary education after obtaining a fairly good O-level result. She was accepted into a local Australian “affiliated” university … that is as close as she can get to study in a good private university and that is all I can afford. She will do a one-year foundation studies before going for her degree.
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| First day to university |
If my dad
is still alive, he will probably “torng kai pai sun” (slaughter the chicken to
offer to the ancestors) and will host a dinner event for the whole "kampung" to
celebrate. Yes, this is another big event for the Shiek’s family … but we
celebrated it simply among ourselves.
And a few
months later, she passed her driving test too albeit having to do it a second
time. I am so happy for her.
So now,
both my kids are pursuing their degrees … this is a very important moment for
me … this is what most parent worked so hard for … to be able to send their
children to universities.
Come to think about it … I was hoping that I could slow down a bit now, relax and enjoy. But nope, not yet … a few more years to go. You see ... children, if they don’t grow up … you can’t grow old.
Though it is a more relax and slower form, it is by no means any easier
Come to think about it … I was hoping that I could slow down a bit now, relax and enjoy. But nope, not yet … a few more years to go. You see ... children, if they don’t grow up … you can’t grow old.
Though it is a more relax and slower form, it is by no means any easier
OK … I
picked up taiji, again. This time, Huang Style Taiji to be exact. I joined the
local Huang Taiji Association and started taiji classes at a school just about
10 minutes away from my house.
I said
“again” because I used to practice the Chen Style Taiji many years ago at the well-known
Thean Hou Temple. Chen styled taiji is a more aggressive form of taiji. That
was during my early working days but I somehow gave up after a year into it as I was busy with work and other priorities.
At the
beginning of this year, I found out that the Huang Taiji Association was
organizing classes nearby and so I enrolled. Learning a more “relax” form of
taiji is a lot more enjoyable for me at 57. I must say that though it is a more
relax and slower form, it is by no means any easier.
Three naughty ones and an old Madame
After adopting
Cha Cha and Tango in 2017 … we were quite into felines. They brought much joy
to the family but unfortunately Cha Cha decided to leave the house after she
was about a year old and since then we have not seen him … I hope he is happy
on his own.
So when a
friend asked if I would like to adopt another cat, I was very quick to say yes
and we got Samba who was about 6 months old in February. Samba was quite a jumper
… we could not keep her inside the house and just before we got her spayed, she
got pregnant and gave birth to 4 kittens on the 25th of May.
As the
kittens grew … we thought of giving them away. Soon one was adopted but then we
decided to keep the rest. It all went quite well but unfortunately 3 months
later, Samba was killed one morning … she was knocked down by a car when she ran across
the road chasing a squirrel. We were very sad and the three kittens lost their
mom. It took us a while to get over the loss of Samba.
Now the
three kittens are all grown up displaying many similar traits like their
mother. Mulan, Luna and Tinkerbell … with their individual casual, lazy, cheeky,
playful and curious antics ... they always bring joy, fun and laughters to the family.
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| The old Madame |
And let me
not forget the “old” Tango who is now the Madame of the family … who likes to
be treated like a queen and always announce her arrival with a long, low
toned “meowwwww” every time she stroll into the house. Strange ... Tango rather
stay close to our two dogs, Bebe and Pepper, than the three of her kind … and she
likes dog food too!
I like her because my son likes her
My son is
20 years old … he is almost finishing the 2nd year of his degree course and
moving into the 3rd year come 2020.
One day in
June my son was all dressed up and just before he goes out, he said to me … “wish
me luck dad". I asked him what is it all about and he told me that he is going
to ask a girl out and he said … “you know, she is a hainanese girl”.
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| The hainanese girfriend |
You see … I
am a very open when it comes to teenage or young adult relationships … so, I do
not stop my kids from having a bf/gf relationship while they are in school … my
only condition is that it must not affect their studies in any way whatsoever.
To cut the
story short, my son managed to ask the girl out and they are now “together”.
Nothing serious but it is something that kids have to go through in their
teenage life. After an initial few “shy” weeks … Rachel, (as she is called)
has become quite a regular in our family now … we see her almost every week.
I
like her … not because she is hainanese but I don’t deny that being a hainanese
do create a bit of closeness. Really, I like her because my son likes her. I
hope they have something meaningful together. But then again … my experience
always tells me … first love seldom last.
Errrrr …
sorry son, not that I want to pour cold water on you … I am just being honest
but I hope I am wrong!
The same old Mrs Shiek
Though many
new things happened in the last 12 months … one thing did not changed … Mrs
Shiek is still very much the same old Mrs Shiek.
But I like
it that way … really, I do.
Mrs Shiek
is still very much nearby … she is always close to me. I am very glad to know
this. There were a few times throughout the year that I was sick with flu and
infections … it was always Mrs Shiek who made sure that I was properly fed
and comfortably rested.
She is
still very much the same “all able” mother to everyone including the 4 cats and
2 dogs. Things around the house get organized and moved like clockwork with her
constant nagging, occasional mood swings and tantrums. Those are the forces
she harnessed to drive everything into their respective spaces and make
everything works out well and proper in our home.
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| Me and Mrs Shiek |
While both
of us do throw a curve or two at each other every now and then … but that does
not change anything at all. That is just how things work in our home and I do
not want Mrs Shiek to change a bit.
Thank you my
dear for being the same old Mrs Shiek!
So, as I
have said earlier, I am looking forward to a new year … to learning new
things, creating new events, trying new ideas, visiting new places, meeting new friends …
so on and so forth. The important thing is … stay actively busy and keep
learning.
I wish
everyone "Happy New Year" and may the best be with you always!
