When Plants Are Deeply Rooted ...

 

The Adenium plants standing firm and proud, with the flowers intact.

Just after the Division S Humorous Speech and Evaluation Contests at the Whampoa Community Club, the sky looked dark and formidable, with a storm in brew. My apartment is not too far, probably about 30 minutes walk. The weather was cool, and I decided to walk home.

As I was walking, I kept praying that it would not start to rain. "Oh God! Please hold the rain until I reach Pek Kio Food Centre". When I reached the Food Centre, the rain came down and soon, it was raining cats and dogs!

"Why are you so cheerful," asked the lady operating the fruits stall.

"I got here in the nick of time from the pouring rain! God answered my prayers". I replied.

As usual, I ordered my favourite dong dong juice, and spent my time reading the newspapers and classified advertisements. I knew it would be quite some time before the rain subsided. After about 90 minutes when the rain no longer came down in torrents, I decided to continue my journey home. I was wondering about my Adenium plants. Would they be broken? Would the flowers all drop off from the stems in the face of such strong winds?

When I got out of the lift, I noticed that my neighbour's clothes and hangers had dropped onto the floor. I was quite nervous about the fate of my Adenium plants.

Lo and behold! I was so happy to see the plants in just in the same condition before I left the apartment. Not a single flower had dropped! I felt as if I saw a rainbow after the storm!

That evening, I learnt an important lesson. The plants are able to face the storm because of the deep roots embedded in the soil. It had taken four years for the flowers to bloom, and hence, the resilience of the flowers. Likewise when we are deeply rooted in our foundation, we too will be strong in the face of adversities and troubles. We will not give up so easily, but will continue to persevere and our tenacity will give rise to success and strength.

Gan Chau

Ban These Contests!

I detest contests that are organised without taking into consideration the risks that contestants are subjecting themselves to. Worse, very often, these contestants are not screened for their health condition before participation.

Contests that promote gluttony in the name of speed not only make a fool of the contestants, but also promote food wastage. The unnecessary amount of food consumed by the contestants should be used to feed the starving children in third world countries. Eldest Sister Lee Lee told me that she once watched a program where a very fat man was able to consume many hamburgers. It looked like he was going to be the champion, but suddenly his stomach burst, and out came the burgers together with his intestines. What a horrendous ending, all in the name of competition.

Recently we read of a mother of three who participated in a drinking competition. She drank more than 7.5 litres of water, and worse, in order to win, the contestants must try not to go to the washroom. So much input! How can there be no out put? Brainless organisers with ridiculous rules and regulations.! The prize was a Nintendo Wii which she had hoped to win for her children. In the end the organisers were asked to pay millions of dollars in compensation for the death of Jennifer Strange, the mother who joined the senseless contest because she had hoped to win the Nintendo Wii for her children.!

The latest contest in Singapore, The Impreza Challenge, should also be banned. Contestants must put their palm on the car and must not move. The winner would be the one who clocks the longest time with his palm on the car. Last year's winner was someone who clocked in about 81 hours! Though many of the contestants are young people, we never quite know who may have hidden illnesses. Otherwise, how do we explain young people collapsing and dying while out jogging? Over exhaustion can kill if one is not in good health, eg. the Japanese lady who died of exhaustion because of 80 hours of overtime.

I hope all organisers will explore carefully, and come up with more creative ways for people to win prizes without endangering their lives. Must we wait for someone to join the heavenly choir before we finally realise the flippancy and futility of such contests?

The other contest which I dislike very much is the one where contestants are dared to sleep with snakes and scorpions, eat live worms and the raw intestines of fishes,
etc. Yucks!

My eldest sister Lee Lee has aptly said, "Even if the prize were $1,000,000/-, I would never participate. I would prefer to live simply, contentedly and with dignity.

Gan Chau

My Charming, Clever and Comical Sister

 

Sister Ean Ean posing at Bengawan Solo

 

From the photo, you can tell that Sis is a natural comedienne.

Recently, my Sister Ean Ean was in Singapore for a short vacation. We went out for lunch and later some shopping.

Perhaps it is Sister Ean Ean who has fueled my burning desire to master the English Language. Being six years older than me, she was already in school, while I was still awaiting to be enrolled in Primary One. I often envied my sister and cousins for carrying big school bags and knowing how to read and write.

One day, Sister Ean Ean said to me, "Choo, you dislike Ah Pong, right".

I nodded my head, affirming my intense dislike of my cousin, Ah Pong, who at 12 years of age, was a real bully. If you beat him once, he would beat you back ten times, and he could run like a horse!

"Ok. Sis will teach you a sentence in English and you memorise this sentence, and when Ah Pong comes back from school this evening, you will say the sentence loudly and forcefully. Ah Pong will not dare to beat you, but will run for his life. Then
you will be victorious! "

Hence, I spent the whole day memorising the sentence in English. As the sun was slowly setting, I eagerly looked out for my cousin's return. Just when I saw him entering the gate, I eagerly called out to him, "Ah Pong, come, come here!"

"What? What?" Ah Pong replied in his typical sneering and sarcastic manner.

"Ah Pong, today I want to tell you I love you very, very much!" I declared, hoping that my forceful voice would scare him off.

And to my surprise, it did. Ah Pong ran for his life, just the way Sister Ean Ean had predicted. I flexed my right arm to show my muscles so as to demonstrate my victory! Alas! Pride before the fall!

Just then, I heard laughter from Sister, my older siblings and some relatives.

"Ee ee, shame on you, Choo. You'd been tricked!", Second Sister Ean Ean said, laughing like a hyena.

When I realised the gravity of the situation, I was so embarrassed I ran to hide behind the chicken coop, since there was no hole big enough to swallow me in.
When the mosquitoes came a-biting, only then did I come out and rush to my room, in tears, and with a promise that I would learn and master the English Language so that no one would trick me again.

Sister Ean Ean is very musical, being able to play the violin, piano (self taught), drum, guitar, ukulele and accordion. She sings well and is also a natural actress and comedienne. It's a pity she does not live in Singapore or I would urge her to sign up with Media Corp. With her natural sense of humour and mimicry, she always sends me roaring with laughter. My older siblings are also comical, but Sister Ean Ean is the creme de la creme! By now, my readers must be convinced that I am bloated with air of laughter, not obese with intake of food!

Sister is also an excellent cook, again a skill she picked up after her marriage for she certainly believes that the way to a man's heart is through his stomach. Hence it is not surprising that brother-in-law Keat Seng has a conspicuous tummy!

Before her retirement, Sister taught in the kindergarten. She never had any formal training, but produced great results with the children she taught. Sister Ean Ean has given me a few wonderful recipes for healing of gout and gastric pain and related stomach ailment which I will share later on.

As a pastor's wife, she is a wonderful partner in helping in the area of Music in the Evangelical Chinese Church in Melbourne. Like Sister Lee Lee, she is a natural speaker and again, should be able to be a champion in public speaking contests.

Second Sister Ean Ean like Eldest Sister Lee Lee, resembles mama - hence she is beautiful and attractive too. Now, she is enjoying the fruits of her labour, and is travelling more often to visit Singapore, Malaysia and other parts of the world.

I thank God for my siblings, and especially for bestowing Sister Ean Ean with a rare gift - that of bringing joy and laughter where ever she goes, just like our beloved papa. Her maxim is as you can guess it, "Laughter is good medicine for the body and makes a person healthy."

Gan Chau