December 31, 2019

A few new things but one that I am glad has not change a bit


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.
 
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
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.

After 10 months with the association, I have just completed the short form and is currently going through some corrections with the master and hopefully after the corrections … with the blessing of the master, I can proceed to the long form soon. 

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.

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”.
 
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.
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!