Tag Archives: memories

10

Message to my aunt in heaven

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flower fr nursery

Hello again, Aunt Ying
I thought about you today.  Though it is nothing new as I often thought about you in silence and whenever I see the beautiful plants and colourful flowers at the nursery near my home.
I remembered those times we sat and talked.  Talking to you was always a treat.
We once talked about life and death.  You told me that one day you will die and I said, “Aunt, please don’t say that.”  But you said, “It’s a fact we must all accept.”  You then showed me a beautiful photo of yourself and said it will be the photo of your final journey.
Not too long after that you told me that you had trouble sleeping and you were getting quite forgetful.  I did not feel anything amiss at that time cos I was rather forgetful myself too.  
I felt sad and helpless when you told me you could no longer drive or do your own shopping.  I know how much you loved to be independent.  You said you would never want to be a burden to your family.
Also, you often spoke about your two loving daughters, both have made you felt really loved and blessed as a mother. And how much you loved and enjoyed being a grandma to your two wonderful grandsons.
I thought about my visit to your home with  Sydelle and Shaye in November 2016.  You said you felt very tired.  Though you did not say much on that day,  you looked at Sydelle and Shaye and uttered “They are very beautiful”.  Something you often said about the girls when we meet.  I’m thankful that we visited you that day.  But I never thought that would be our last goodbye.

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Today, I will light a candle for you to let you know,
I miss your smile
I miss your voice
I miss your wit and your wisdom.
Rest in peace, Aunt Ying!
I shall see you one day on the other side of stars.
Much love, Pat

 

 

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6

Quote of the day – Haruki Murakami

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“Memories and thoughts age,
just as people do.
But certain thoughts can never age,
and certain memories can never fade.”
― Haruki Murakami

flowerfields2017wednesday

7

STOveLEN moments

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traditional stove
A couple of months ago, I saw this traditional Chinese charcoal stove by the roadside near my house.  Without hesitation, I took it home as it reminds me of my grandma’s stove and it brought back warm childhood memories. 
I grew up watching my grandma cook with this stove.  When my brother and I were older she taught us how to light the charcoal stove.   Back then, we would pour a bit of kerosene on the charcoal before using a matchstick to light it.  Then we use a handheld fan made from palm leaves to fan the flames.  And I remember my brother and I would get up early on a Saturday morning to light the charcoal stove to boil a big pot of soup for lunch. 
I kept this complimentary charcoal stove in the yard together with the rest of the empty flower pot.  Recently, Sydelle asked me to cook something using this stove.  Both my daughters think that this little stove is pretty fascinating.
Last Friday, I bought a bag of charcoal. On Saturday morning,  my hubby helped to light the charcoal stove.  He’s an excellent helper when it comes to stuff like this.  It takes about 15 – 20 minutes for the stove to heat up.  Then I put in a big pot of chicken soup to boil.

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After one and a half hours, the chicken soup is ready and it smells amazing.

soup is ready

Next, I cooked some tomato rice.  This is something quick and easy and it goes really well with the soup.
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Pour some olive oil. Saute onion, garlic and bacon

add canned tomato

Add a can of tomatoes

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Stir and add some black pepper and salt

add rice

Pour in the rice[pre-cooked]

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Give it a good mix.  Remove pot from stove and cover it for about 10 minutes.

lunch is served

Lunch is served!

11

Quote of the day – NBC

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guitar pick.jpg

Love is not as simple 
as choosing a guitar pick
We do not choose love
Love chooses us
Love is a force of nature and
all we need to know is that
some people are meant
to stay in our heart
but not in our life.

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love tails

[Pics from http://www.pinterest.com]
6

Hometown friends

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CNY2018 with friends

[Back: Khim, M.Yook, O.Ngoh; Front: Me, Y.Kit, C.Huay, Ching, Hoon & Ping]

My hometown friends…
Some of us met in kindergarten
others in Primary or
Secondary school
“Keep in touch” was penned in my
autograph book by most friends.
Many years have come and gone
Staying in touch has proved to be
much harder than we thought.
But yesterday,  I was thankful 
we made an effort to
come together for a simple
Chinese New Year lunch.
Though we missed those schoolmates
who were unable to join us.
It was fun to talk and laugh
about the good old days
the memories of our childhood
and school days that
have stayed with us and
kept us young at heart.
Some of us never did grow up,
grateful to those who accept
and tolerated our quirkiness.
We know each others’
strengths and weaknesses
yet we do not judge.
We accept each other
as individuals
with different views and
perspective about things.
After all, we are on this
journey called life with
the same hopes and dreams,
To be happy and healthy
To love and to feel loved
Peace of mind and a good night’s rest
To be accepted and knowing that
we have walked this journey
the best we know and could have.
hometown friends

[Ping, Hoon, Mary, O.Ngoh, Ching, Me & C.Huay]

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11

The old bus stop

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old bus stop
Bus stop – 
a place where buses stop for passengers
to board or alight from a bus.
But there’s an old bus stop that
I pass by often.
one that brings back happy memories.
A special bus stop where
my friend, J & I used to
hang out many years ago.
We both went to the same college.
She rented a room in a house
right opposite the bus stop
and I rented a room in another house
about 50 meters down the street.
This old bus stop is the place
where we spent hours talking 
about anything and everything.
I’m grateful we are still good friends,
though she resides in another country.
Over the years, we both had our own
shares of joy and heartaches in life.
But, I believe we had risen
stronger each time we fall.
Because we’re both fighters.
We will find our way 
through every adversity.
The rocky paths that
we sometimes had to take
and all we could do is
keep moving forward
 and hope for brighter days.
And, just like the old bus stop,
may we be resilient,
May we keep standing!

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