Our House

Our First House

September 2000

We bought our first house by 10 years installments from HSBC.

Shirley's saving is just enough for starting with: Down payment, lawyer fees, stamp duties etc.
The rest would become my liabilities for the following 10 years.

New House

1967 School Holiday Trip To Kota Kinabalu

June 1967

Its school holiday again. The short holidays is only two weeks. I was in Form I in Kuching High School. My parent several months ago decided to make a trip to visit Grandmother in KOta Kinabalu.

We flew MAS airline forker friendship which stopped over to pick up passengers in Sibu and Miri before reaching Kota Kinabalu. Perphap with a short stop in Brunei which I am not very sure now. But I definetly remember the stop in Brunei on the way back because our whole family put up a couple of nights in Modern Studio owned by Grand Aunty who married to Brunei from Papar.

Grand Uncle run Modern Studio situated in the mid of the town. ...........
I remember the adult talked about a new Sultan of Brunei. That the old Sultan felt he was aging and that it was time to let the son (the eldest son?) to take over the Sultanet.

Being a photo studio that took pictures for customers, the shop also sales picture flames and postcards. Among the postcards display stack were postcards display for sales. Being no other thingd to do to past time, I browse and browse the postcards over and over again. Among the postcards displayed I remembered were The Mosque with Goldren Dome and portraite of the Sultan and the new Sultan, the son. Later Grand Uncle gave a complete set of the postcards after noticing I shown great interest on it.

I kept the postcards for many years until they gradually displaced and lost as time pass by. But the faces of the Sultan of Brunei both the father and the son still I can remembers till today.

Shirley's Birthday

Malaysian Day 1999

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Wedding ceremony of Anita

31st May 1999 - Wedding ceremony of Anita in the house of Anita.

Chinese New Year

15th February 1999 Chinese New Year

First and only full family members group photo

1998 Chinese New Year period. My family of three went to my parent house in Kuching for a week. This is the first time my wife and son met the parent. (We married and worked in oversea)

Returning home for the Chinese New Year gathering were also two other families from overseas.

Its a grand family gathering, but if not Fook Shen's effort to get every one for a family photo, this photograph might never be taken.

Back to Malaysia

1st January 1998 Kota Kinabalu

This is an important date for the family - we finally return to Malaysia and settled down. 4 years later in 2002 the youngest was born.

For 20 years I lived in different places like a nomadic people. Being born as a Hakka people, it is naturel to live a nomadic life.

Wikipedia mentioned about our nomadic life : "...... the Hakka people's origins ...... could be related to the Xiongnu nomadic people......."

泰国总理他信：我是华裔客家人

China 錦繡中華民俗村

29th December 1997

This is Shirley and Xing’s first time to China.

We joint a Day Tour to Shenzhen to see 2 main tourist locations: Splendid China 錦繡中華 and Culture Village 民俗文化村.

Shenzhen City is just across the border of Hong Kong City. The journey is less then an hour by bus. We are in a group of less then 20 non-Chinese speaking Asian a few of them from India.

Though there are many interesting things to see in these two tourist locations but all of us were in a rush because the whole morning gone wasted by the tour guide who took the whole bus lot unnecessary to a local souvenir market and a shopping mall.

This is Shirley and Xing’s first time to China. But I have been here once in 1991 myself.

“Splendid China Miniature Park” and “China Folk Culture Village” are two separate tourist park opposite to each other separate by a highway.

In Splendid China Miniature Park are models of famous places and buildings in China.

Touring the miniature park is like touring whole China in a couple of hours.

Opposite Miniature Park is the second park Chinese Folk Culture Village that displays scenery and historical architecture of traditional Chinese culture.

Though both parks are both about China. One theme on China's ethnic groups and the other theme on famous sites and architectural heritage.

One article I read descript visitors as following:

“ ..... It seems that men and boys prefer looking at the detailed scaled models and learning about Chinese architecture and geography while women seem to prefer seeing the costumes of ethnic groups in China and visiting the various houses and the portrayal of ethnic village life….”

This exactly happen to our family when we visited the 2 parks. From the following photographs you can see Xing (the boy) and me spend more snap shoots on minature architecture while Shirley enjoyed dressing up as a native Chinese.

龍門石窟大佛像 The Longmen Grottoes (lóng mén shí kū 龍門石窟)

Dragon's Gate Grottoes.

Photo above : Image on top is miniature we visited. Image inserted below (web photo) is the real Grottoes in Luòyáng City in Hénán province.

The Longmen Grottoes is one of the three greatest grottoes of China. The site was inscribed as one of the World Culture Heritage in 2000 .

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Longmen_Grottoes

亭樓關門之滕王閣 Tengwang Pavilion

Remark :

In 2003, Splendid China merged with the Chinese Folk Culture Village to form Splendid China Folk Village (锦绣中华民俗村 Jǐnxiù Zhōnghuá Mínsú Cūn).

Tai O - a charming world of itself in Hong Kong

Above : Tai O - photo from interenet 2010

Tai O is a very charming small town a long distant away from Hong Kong city. This fishing village town is 1 hour by mini bus from Mui Wo. And Mui Wo town is another hour by ferry to the city. The 2 hours journey separate Tai O from the hectic city life and have its very own feels of old, and quiet, and peaceful. A unique quiet secluded island kampung (village) life.

I did not have photo of this little town but I down load a few from the internet just as an illustration. The few places are places I been to.

Tai O is a fishing village located on the western tip of Lantau Island.

Its unique preserved fish and cultural heritage, Tai O is well known for its slum-like houses which built on stilts and along the waterway, in order to avoid high tides. While the Chinese stilt-house community is an attraction to the outside tourist I am more attracted by the island concrete houses and temples. These concrete structures are thought not ancient but at least a hundred years old.

I spend lengthy hour strolling along a quiet rocky sea side with very few people. I could not find an image of this location from the internet. On one corner of the sea side is a small dark house constructed of cement and rock. Seem no electricity and water supply. Look as if a hermit is stay there.

27th December 1997 Shirley's Birthday Dinner at Tin Ning Flat

Today is Shirley's birthday. I came to Tai O for the occasion. She and Xing stay with Gloria family in Tai O while I put up in a small hotel room in Kowloon.

Tin Ning House

Tin Ning House is one of the 9 Falts in Lung Tin Estate ( 龍田邨) is Hong Kong Housing Authority public rental estate in Tai O.

Glorea family of 3 stay here.

14th December 1997 Sunday At Foz airport.

Our last photograph taken in South America.

The 4 and half years life in South America now seem like an imagination that my Malaysian friends not interested to believe.

If not diary entries and many these photographs snapped during the years to remind the days gone, as I aged, I myself might even confused as yet another long dream cause by too much coffee the previous night.

From Foz airport on 14th December 1997, we board VASP airline and through the plan window we watched this great continent of South America gradually out of sight under the white cloud.

Power Ranger in Paraguay

Power Ranger in Paraguay

31st August 1997 Afternoon

31st August 1997

Today is Malaysia National Day, and a Brazilian circus is in town. As a Malaysian family, we want to celebrate this auspicious day.

There is no other batter way to celebrate by going for a circus show which our family always enjoyed.

The circus is just located at the padang less then 1 km behind our flat. A mere 5 minutes walk.



Today is Sunday; the circus has an extra day shown other then the regular night shown. We went for the day show.

We went to Circus in the afternoon. This is a Brazil Circus here for about 1 month before moving to the next town. The Circus set up tent at the open space just 5 minutes walking from Panorama building.

This is one of the best circus show I ever seen with a very outstanding show composition. First it started with very low key the big silent circus ground only came out with a ‘old’ woman covering with an "old torn winter cord" and telling something. I do not understand Portuguese well, but from the body language expression it must be a sad story……. hoping for something………..hoping for the winter to over and arrival of spring……..

Then suddenly Spring has arrived, the ‘old’ woman threw her cote to the floor, and like in a magic show, she ‘changed’ into a pretty women one hope to see and …….. What follows next 2 hours is Latin American entertainment many Asian hope to see. 2 hours’ solid hours of music, dance, crowns, acrobat, tigers, horses, dogs etc.

The last event is Power Ranger in Action.  At the end of the show, the Power Rangers line up at the exit for photographs with audient. We have to pay a fee off course. They have their own photographer.

Picnic and Brazil

August 10, 1997 (Sunday)

11:00am we went to the lake for picnic. Our picnic lunch include pan with hotdogs, cheese, tomato sauce and mayonnaise.

We have coca cola for drink but Ades for Xing.

At night I went to Brazil again.

Another Sunday - Raul's grandson's birthday

August 03, 1997 (Sunday)

We went to Km 14.5 to Raul's house to attend 3rd birthday party of Janeira.

Esmelda was also there with her 3 months old baby.

A new maid

July 26, 1997 (Saturday)

Aida, has finally decided to stop working as a maid for us, and return to her village home because of her boyfriend.

Sussana said her mother may like to work but on July 29, 1997 (Tuesday) she brought her mother but a middle age lady Perla (Reyna). So we have Perla helping our house works now

On August 01, 1997 (Friday) Shirley accompanied Perla to go to dentist to remove her tooth as she complained of tooth paint.  Shirley paid 30,000 guaranies for the dentist.

Perla has gone to her house on  August 02, 1997 (Saturday) She only worked for us for 5 days.

Sussana finally brought her mother on August 04, 1997 (Monday)  to start work for us while I was in Caaguazu.

The mother too worked only for a few days.

Room 608 of Panorama

July 1997 Our apartment 6th Floor Panorama. This apartment in 6th floor facing Brazil has panoramic view of Foz de Iguazu City. The tall building (right) is a new apartment building where many Chinese businessmen stay. Hundred meter in front that building is Parana River serving as the border line between Paraguay and Brazil.

Toward the right is the commercial center of the city.

In the distant horizon is Foz city of no jungle no mountain.

Below the open space where a long distant tour bas park is the bus park area for bus from Argentina. Toward the left hand side is a complete different world of Ciudad Del Este. Here I spend many late afternoon for evening walk in the area of tranquility - area where the Cathedral, high class residential, Casino, boat clubs are situated.

Moving up to the 6th Floor of Panorama Building

July 18, 1997 (Friday) 

7:00Am in the morning I came back from Brazil.

Last night rain water sipped from the wall into the master bed room and covers the floor with a layer of water. Shirley and Xing moved to the room of Aida.

After Shirley came back, she went out accompany Isabel who seeking a promoter job in Oasis, we immediately went up the building administration office to ask for shifting to a batter flat that will not floor.

They have a vacant flat at 6th floor just one floor above. The rental is the same. We accepted immediately and got the room key. This new flat at 6th floor brighter than 5th floor. Nicer view facing the river and Brazil on the other side of the river.

The same afternoon we started moving furniture and things up to the new flat with no delay.

The next day July 19, 1997 (Saturday) The whole day moved heavy items including refrigerator, washing machine, and oven.