My Longkang

I read on quachee’s blog on a contest for bloggers - the theme is love for the country. I would like to share that many of the younger generation take it for granted that our country is an independent nation. Appreciate it or not – our country is free of the yoke of colonization.

Many have forgotten our country was once ruled by among others the British and the Japanese. We have to love our country for it is all we have. Try bringing your passport to other countries and start applying for PR and you will find it is a next to impossible task for most Malaysians.

Today I have recycled a long ago story to share with you a story about how it was during the Japanese occupation for one individual, Ah San. He loved the country. His best friends were literally Singh, Omar and Bakar. They were the young generation during the independence struggle era. He never failed to exercise his right to vote until his health and old age failed him..

Read more »

The World’s Like a Flower

The world’s like a flower
Either fallen or grown
The leaves cover secrets
And the pedals are shown
We’re like a flower

The world’s like a rose
Every rose has its thorns
If we make a mistake
The skin gets torn
We’re like a flower

The world’s like a daisy
Pretty and bright
We all have our colors
But in a way we’re just right
We’re like a flower

The world’s like a flower
All the thorns will pass through
The world’s like a flower
Just waiting to bloom

Source.

Thanks for visiting. I may not be able to reply or approve comments so soon though. A virus related thingy on my computer. Have a great week ahead.

Sibu was flooded with a sea of maroon blue today. The reason being the 40 days of purpose program organized by the Sibu Wesley Methodist Church. Even normally stoic Mrs BB wondered aloud, “What on earth am I here for?” when she saw the sea of blue on the streets especially in the church vicinity. I would like to pass the question back to you ,” what on earth are you here for?”

On the way to town today, I told Benghui to buckle up the seat belt. He was surprised because he was sitting in the back seat. He asked me why he should do so. He said he was in no danger. I explained to him it was the law. I then explained to him the law was the government. He was confused. He asked me shouldn’t the law be The Lord? Inadequate spiritual knowledge confuses a young impressionable mind. Never mind he has all the time in the world to learn. He is still young.

Read more »

I have been following the developments on a new book soon to be out on the market. July 31st. 50+1 Malaysia is written by quachee The book is I believe targeted for tourists who need pictorial information on Malaysia but I found it enjoyable just the same.

Quachee

The pics are beautiful and do provide a window to the people , culture and land Of Malaysia. Basically the theme is about how the various ethnic groups in the country coexist in this land we call Malaysia.

The focus is on the Malay, Chinese and Indians in our community. I find it a creditable read and I love the pictures. I wish I could take such beautiful pictures myself.

Basically, The Book has succeeded in capturing the essence of what makes Malaysia unique & good enough to be truly Asia. This book will probably make an excellent coffee table book and find itself in libraries all over the world as an avenue of reference for what Malaysia is like in pictures.

No one book can do all this book aspires to do but it is a good effort by a local writer and photographer. Watch out for the book at your local bookstores. His first book is Batik Inspirations

This week’s theme is what is that

What is that? Can’t believe your eyes? Bengbeng had an opportunity to take pics of beautiful women? I plucked my courage to ask these beauty queens who were in town last year for Miss Tourism World if it was ok to take pics of them. They were pleased to oblige and pose for mylongkang.com

What is that? Pics of crabs on the beach.

What is that? This kind woman posing with a big prawn. I wonder if the correct word is prawn? It is a big one, don’t you think so?

What is that? Pics of more sea food sold at the market place.

Original conversation in Hockkien

Pic from archives

Have you eaten? You have a good woman. She looks healthy and strong.

I was born in 1913. I came from China as a young girl. The Second World War was a difficult time, After the war, I worked as a house servant for a family. When the wife died I took her place. None of the children are mine. We had a dinner, took photographs and then we were husband and wife. Things were simple. The family wasn’t rich.

This area used to be a good area. Now with clogged drains and frequent flooding, it has become a slum. You can see many people of other races from the rural areas renting rooms here now. The original families have moved out..

I used to be mobile. After falling three times, I can no longer move around. I wait for my grandchildren to prop me up against the chair every morning. I look out the window and see my neighours. I have not been upstairs for almost ten years.

My grandson is a good man. I wait for him to marry and then I am ready to die. I tell you every body is afraid to die. Whoever tells you he is not afraid to die is a liar. But I am tired. Very tired. My mind is alert. I know everything that is happening around me. But I can’t make my hands and legs move as I want them to. Nowadays my hearing and eye-sight are no longer as good as it once was.

I sometimes fall asleep at my chair. My husband and some of my children are already gone. I will join them soon. I will be in My Father’s home soon. I am tired. I will be ready. Every body has to go some time. I don’t know how many more Chinese new year i can still celebrate with my family. Only God knows. I think all my friends are no more.

Be a good man. Do no bad things and always save money for your old age.

I have been busy trying to revive my blog and changing passwords etc. So I have been a bit absent-minded recently. I didn’t realize it until Benghui reminded me I wasn’t really listening to him.

Anyway he told me he was very clever. I asked him why. He heard somebody mispronouncing a few words e.g. vases ( waist-es) and delicious ( the liciouns ). I asked him why he considered himself clever if somebody else mispronounces a word. He explained his friends don’t like to be corrected. So he was smart and just let his friends pronounce words the way they want to.

This way he hurts nobody and nobody dislikes him. This is food for thought to me. I thought of asking him to correct his friends and thought again perhaps he is right after all. Best not to rock the boat.

Not every body likes to be corrected especially adults. Anyway in every day conversation, it is not necessary to speak as the British or Americans do. As long as the message is conveyed, it is alright? What is your opinion on this?

The past few days we have been hearing footsteps from the garden. It caught us unawares and I went up to the balcony to look down but saw no intruders. ( safer than to go to the garden late at night if there is a hint of suspicion that there are strangers around) Anyway the mystery was solved the next morning. It is the mangoes. They have started dropping.

Mangoes, anyone? Any way the harvest isn’t too good. The birds have been busy. There are quite a number of fruits which have been partly eaten by birds.

My blogging has been erratic the past few days. My blog was suspended and later deactivated. The technical term is farking I believe. My credit card was used to make purchases to the tune of two hundred plus British pounds the exact figure I don’t really know yet.

What caused it all? Honestly, I don’t really know how it happened but I have since installed some antivirus software. Mylongkang too had its password changed by an unknown hand. My emails were compromised too. I have a few guesses although I do not know for certain.

I guess looking back I was an easy candidate for viruses, trojans etc. Blogger friends, are you adequately protected? Anyway mylongkang is now back online thanks to pikey, will and my good friend and guest blogger Flyfisher

Thanks a million guys!

Another beautiful Sunday, and Jellina and I did some gardening. The temperatures were near 100 F. and she was dressed for 50 F. She is aware of the sun’s damage and likes to maintain her skin nice and fair. Me, I get sunburned 3 times a week. The focus was to be on the grapes, but the pine tree branches near the grapes are a bit low in some places, so Jellina took drastic action and pruned them. In my defense, I had to clean up the branches. Notice the effort and grimace. Maybe she was imagining cutting off something else?

The grapes are coming along very well and should be ready in mid-August. Jellina prunes the branches without grapes to make the branches with grapes much sweeter. We have 3 different varieties, and they are all eating grapes, not the type you would use for wine. I am really looking forward to when they are ripe. We use a drip system to water them, so the ground away from the grapes gets very dry in the summer heat

The grapes currently are only the size of a bean in a pod, but in another month they will be 4 times this size and ready to eat. I would guess we harvest at least 10 kilos. We hope to add more grapes next year.

-Flyfisher-

Sometimes in life it is often better to look before we leap. Or as my blogger friend Tony wrote before somewhere to think before speaking or acting. Anyway a fee of Rm20.00 got me a t-shirt, a book and a ticket on a long journey, a journey of 40 days! I was committed even before I knew what it was all about…. and it started because someone asked : What on earth am I here for?

Anyway Bertrand Russell said : Unless you assume a God, the question of life’s purpose is meaningless.

So the next obvious question would be : who are we?

Russell Kelfer:

You are who you are for a reason.
You are part of an intricate plan.
You are a precious and perfect unique design,
Called God’s special woman or man.

You look like you look for a reason.
Our God made no mistake.
He knit you together within the womb,
You are just what he wanted to make.

The parents you had were the ones he chose,
And no matter how you may feel,
They were custom designed with God’s plan in mind,
And they bear the Master’s seal.

No, that trauma you faced was not easy,
And God wept that it hurt you so;
But it was allowed to shape your heart
So that into his likeness you’d grow

You are who you are for a reason,
You have been formed by the Master’s rod.
You are who you are, beloved,
Because there is a God!