Qing Ming and visiting Grandma

It's been more than a decade since I last paid respects to my ancestors during Qing Ming, and thought of paying Grandma a visit too, so I took a day's leave and unknowingly spent a pleasant 14 hours with my parents.

We set off at 5.30am from Tampines and reached Rengam in record time at ~7.20am?? There was no jam whatsoever at both sides of the causeway and it was a fantastically smooth drive. Rengam was, as I fondly remember of my parents' hometown, beautifully calm, serene and peaceful. We had breakfast at uncle's home while catching up with one another on the usual topics hovering around holidays recent and near-future, food  (OF COURSE) and status of old friends and neighbours. It was very entertaining listening and observing their banter and harmless mockery, haha. We set off for the cemetery at 9am. 

Qing Ming:

Was I rather surprised the offerings had watered down substantially... in my recollection there would be many bags comprising a whole chicken/duck and roast pork, steamed buns, fruits, rice and kueh and 3D model of a house / car. Today there was only fruits and wine and incense papers and joss sticks. What was once soil and gravel that made the path leading into the cemetery has been replaced with tarmac (done in 2024 according to my uncle); the antenna tower that I recounted as a landmark for my great-grandparents' graves had been demolished a few years ago.

First stop - my paternal great grandparents. The siblings and everyone chipped in with the set up and burning of offerings.

A few contributed eye power, a few continued to talk about their holidays and how easy Google maps has made navigation overseas. We learnt my great-grans passed away in 1947 and 1948 so none of them had seen their grandparents before.

Weather was brilliant and kind on us. Second stop - my paternal grandfather.

No pictures at 3rd and last stop which were graves of my grand-uncle and uncle (who passed away when he was 3yo due to sickness, he was 3 years older than Auntie Wai Pang). 

After shower and more chatting, as per customs all of us had a sit down lunch together, this time at Ocean restoran at Simpang Rengam.

Visiting Grandma:

😢 Poor grandma must be feeling so ill and weak and lonely :( She looks vastly different from barely a month ago when we visited her at the senior care centre. So grandma had low BP last Thurs and was admitted to hospital. From what uncle and auntie updated, grandma had blood transfusion and received injections thereafter to relieve her pain. She's been sleeping alot and speaking illogically. Today, Grandma couldn't quite recognise us and even retorted "我不相信！“ to my dad when he introduced himself. She questioned where and why she was at the hospital. Though she could speak and also asked if I took leave today, grandma was visibly weak and didn't budge her body except for her straining of neck when speaking and tapping of her right hand on the bed. :( I can't be sure whether her weakness was due to the medication or due to her liquid diet (grandma can't eat lately) but the sight of her current state is certainly very depressing... :(😭 I felt extremely helpless and a cruel sense of relief when the security officer chased us away as visiting hours was up... 

Errands in Kluang:

We spent the rest of the day leisurely as my parents and I don't have anything planned. Today my parents gave me the feeling they were very relaxed, which is atypical of them when they're back home. We circled twice in search of a bicycle shop (which wasnt open), detoured to Botak Laksa (which my dad ate at when he was in sec sch), shopped at a supermarket, sat down for a drink at Old Town coffee, and stopped by to get eggs from a wholesaler. 

Finally, we returned to Rengam for a short rest and left for JB. Dinner was at 千里香 which specialises in Hakka cuisine. The hakka ytf and pork soup were delightful and we ordered seconds!

After the satisfying dinner, we returned to SG. There was no jam at causeway on both sides at 7:50pm!

I had a wonderful time with my parents and relatives. It's been a few years since I've been in their company as a group, and I am glad nothing has changed. As for grandma, NGL we are not optimistic of her condition and I only wish and pray for her suffering to be alleviated.

Dai chow

 

Malaysia dai chow starter pack - 

(1) green chilli padi with chopped garlic, 

(2) kok fa cha (chrysanthemum tea) and

(3) the quintessential pink "tissue" paper (tbh I'm not even sure if it's tissue?! 😂).

Visiting mama at Kluang

Brought my kids to visit their paternal great grandmother. Grandma is 99 turning 100 this October; she can't really see well now but there's no lying in the swell of emotions that transpired in her eyes that moment when she recognised me and not before I came up to within an arm's length of her 🥹

Sights of home

Above pic: non conspicuous, ubiquitous street view but something nostalgic about it. 

Simple fare of tossed noodles in soya sauce and niang tofu paired with green chilli.

人情味 at Gunung Lambak (Mount Lambak)

Kluang is a small town in Johor state of Peninsula Malaysia. my family are familiar with Kluang as my mom's sister lived there with her family. It is also a 30-min drive from my maternal grandma's hometown, so we would often have meals (Tangkak beef noodle, Cin Cin restuarant, The Star restaurant, assam fish etc) at Kluang.

Some months ago, Kluang was starred in one of the Channel 8 variety shows. Shortly after that coincidentally we chatted about it with er gu and er gu zhang, and they were super excited to visit! In addition, despite being in their seventies, they lead very active lifestyles and when they learnt of Mt. Lambak they were stoked. So, many years after first learning of Mt. Lambak at Kluang, I finally organised a short trip up north with wifey's family and extended family.


(shall not talk about the most horrible jam encountered in our lives)
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(shall not rant about how our driver pangseh us at 6.15am, leaving us to find our own way to Gunung Lambak)
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We commenced the hike at 7.30am and reached the peak, Telecom tower, at about 9.00am.

I would break up the ascend into 5 parts:

1) The foot of the mountain started easy, because the path was a wide, well paved road. Many elderly folks were strolling and doing their morning stretches.

2) About 10 mins later, the path led into rocky, sandy soil of a slight gradient. One could walk easily. There were sufficient shelter provided by the medium height trees and foliage.

3) 15 mins later - you would reach mid summit, marked out by this characteristic signboard you won't miss:

4) From here on, the ascend comprised steep climbs and rocky ground. Though challenging, it was made easier with the ropes and sturdy trees and branches.

Very cool weather underneath the thick foliage, hence not perspiring much (yet)

See! Morning rays peeking through the tree tops! 100m more to the summit!

5) Finally, the summit! All your efforts rewarded with a panaromic view overlooking Kluang city and the mountain ranges in the background:

Is this Malaysia?

Beware the monyet(s) eyeing your snacks 

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Man, I must say the hike was more challenging than my expectations! Though there were steps carved out and ropes for climbers to hold on to, many of the steps were very steep and slippery (due to morning dew I assume). Had it not been for my long limbs and climbing stick, I would have slipped on the soil, fell on my buttocks or perhaps scrapped my knees.

I was madly impressed by the fitness and agility of er gu and er gu zhang (in their early seventies) - they were slow but steady and completed the two-way journey in 4.5 hours. Sore muscles and aching joints aside, they were absolutely delighted and radiantly beaming from a newfound sense of accomplishment! IDOLS!!!

I always enjoyed hiking and trekking, so I enjoyed Gunung Lambak too. Thankful for cool and dry weather for making the hike more enjoyable, I also found company throughout with the two teenage brothers (surprised we shared a few common topics after all, despite the huge age gap lol). What stood out for me from the experience was the thick sense of 人情味 (human social relationship) we encountered, such as:

- Stranger hikers were greeting one another as they crossed paths. Many said 'Hello' to us!
- Came across a skinny elderly makcik in her late sixties who was slowly making her way up. I complimented her, "Wah, awak pandai ah (wah, you are awesome)!" I learnt this was her 3rd time up Mt. Lambak, and her previous time was 40 years ago. WOW! Mt. Lambak must hold some brilliant memories for her.
- At the peak, a group of local auntie uncle friends from Kulai were resting. One of them was distributing her homemade tea leaf eggs. She warmly offered them to me and insisted that I should take them. Turned out to be the best tea leaf eggs I've ever eaten!

Enjoying lovely food with mesmerizing scenery

And of course, the angel who made the climb possible. So what happened was that our driver was supposed to pick us up at 6.15am but was uncontactable for 45 mins. Having already woken up early and fully geared up, we decided we would walk to the main road and flag down a teksi to take us to G. Lambak.

Halfway walking out, we tried our luck asking for hitch rides (native method using our thumbs signalling to passing vehicles, not using Grab), but to no avail.... 10 mins later we finally succeeded getting a driver to stop to hear our plea. The Chinese lady offered to drive us there without hesitation. Said she, "大家都是运动人士." G. Lambak wasn't along the way for her so she was really kind to drive us all the way (20 mins drive).

We felt mighty grateful to receive such warmth from a stranger. We chatted happily and exchanged contacts. Li Mei jie even offered to bring us around Kluang, if we were to visit again next time. Such an angel!

#faithinhumanityrestored

Xiuwen's wedding and X'mas family gathering 2017

We were astounded when we heard that Xiuwen's wedding was gonna be held on X'mas eve, so were we elated that everyone were available to attend!

Since it coincided with the long weekend we booked 2 nights at Avantgarde Hotel (excellent location, basic, nothing to shout about but clean and comfortable) near Sutera Mall. Had such a fabulous time mingling with Grandma, relatives and cousins and nieces and nephew, it was reminiscent of our trademark boisterous CNY gatherings which are hard to come by in recent years, now that some have started their own families and/or relocated. Thankful for technology, we are able to 'face-time' them and their real time presence was felt! :)

I'll let the photos do the talking!

Tradition since we were toddlers - Do-Re-Mi according to age

And when you're with the Ngs, you'll be sure to have your stomach always filled with

GOOD FOOD!

Breakfast for champs - been such a long time since I enjoyed a local breakfast like this...

Hand-peeled mee hoon kway

Hakka yong tau foo bursting with meat - only in Malaysia. Kopi was very good too!

Local kueh and pastries, sadly flavours we can't find in Sg...

Meng Meng Roasted Delights

 Their roast duck is 80% like Dian Xiao Er's; roast pork is decent but my vote goes to their melt-in-your-mouth fattylicious honey charred char siew!!! BEST CHAR SIEW EVER! We ate it on all 3 days!

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There was this moment, merely a few seconds at uncle's house, amidst all the boisterous chatting and laughing, when I paused and just took in all the sights and sounds.... and I concluded that this joyful extended family gathering was more fun because my paternal grandparents had 6 children, who went on to establish big families of their own, hence the many cousins that my siblings and I have. Twenty years later, with smaller families (lesser children) and larger distances apart, and varying priorities setting in, I wonder if our offsprings will ever have the blessed opportunity to enjoy being a part of a big family. Nevertheless, I'm really grateful and contented that at the moment we (and wyx) have a complete and happy nuclear family to come home to. :)