My Longkang

Deco pic from archives

Character: Ling Poh, 38 yrs old. 1.7m and weighs 65kg. Mother of three.

When we first got married.we had nothing. I bought a cheap foldable mattress and we rented an apartment on the top of a shophouse.

I have slogged for him, sold kuih and done a lot of other work. Some how along the way, we have prospered. We now have a beautiful home near Farley Supermarket. Three beautiful children including a son. All doing well in school. What else does a husband want?
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Character : John, 60s, dominant personality, tired looking

I was startled when my name was called as I was sheltering from the rain in front of a coffee shop.

John: Oh, I am just back on holiday here for a few days. I look tired? I am just back from China. I attended a trade exhibition there. No, I am not retired. You know I am a poor man. Is there anyone too rich for this world? Look at our millionaires? Look at our politicians and laughs at his own joke.
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Character : 75 year old female, often dresses up nice. Daughters are all ravishing beauties even to their forties. Handsome sons spread around the globe.

Auntie Mee Fong: You tell me Beng. Have I done anything wrong? I now have a new husband. He is 50 years old. Some say he can be my son. What do I care?
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Character : late 30′s single. Weight 90kg and height 1.63m. Female.Loves to hang out in the gym and books the treadmill. Always warns me not to be naughty or she would sit on me. Loves to joke about her weight when she sees people’s embarrassment over the issue.

Bengbeng: How was your holiday?
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Character: 40-year-old male. Height 1.77m, weights 76kg.

My wife is my best friend

I don’t know how it happened, it just happened. As I got more stressed from my work, the gap kept getting bigger. She too is always afraid of her boss. We lost a baby once too because of this. The boss does not understand what it is like to be a woman or the risks of miscarriage if asked to undertake certain tasks.
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Character : Female, late thirties. A little overweight with big strong, muscular arms and a big mouth. Tendency to talk loud and shake with laughter at unexpected moments.

Massage girl huh life not senang ( easy ) u know? . Tapi (But) canlah. Some people nice. I naik harga (raised my prices) but people still got comeleh. People pay .. Pain is painlah. They come for muscle no pain. For their urat and otot(nerves and sore muscles). They no exercise. No do stretch stretch . Bery good leh! Ho ho ho! and her belly shakes with laughter. It mean huh I can cari makanlo ( earn a living ) ho ho ho !
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This happened in Kuching. I was at a crowded coffee shop and seeing no empty table I sat down at a table with only one occupant. I asked for permission and sat down.

Laura : You don’t remember me, do you Uncle Beng? (My senses lit up as I tried to recall this person. She was pretty, at most in her early twenties.) You don’t appear so often in the papers recently. You have been busy? (She caught my interest. I was piqued to say the least. Who is this person?)
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Linda: Mid 20′s woman, sales executive. Height 1.67m, slim, with curled hair. Large eye-glasses which make her look even younger almost school-girl like.

Linda: Have I told you? I met the most wonderful man. He is a Chinese Bidayuh. Oooh, he is so handsome. He is so caring, We were in a group and it was raining. He let us shelter in his car. I was so embarrassed and worried we would dirty his car. We also smelled from the long walk. He said it was ok. He said he also smelled.
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Character: 27 year old lady teacher. Figure-slim and height 1.56m

Rose : I am 27 years old. Every day after school, I go home and my 94-year-old grandmother would be sitting by the window waiting for me.

She doesn’t need much sleep. She wakes up at four in the morning. I prepare some breakfast for her. Mostly it is crackers which she dips in coffee. She is really feeble now. She walks on the type of walking stick that ends with 4 legs. She has fallen twice already.
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