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