13 posts tagged “family”

I've always felt Christmas isn't Christmas if it isn't celebrated in a church, or if it isn't in remembrance of Jesus. But this Christmas, I'm reminded of how little I know about the origins and the history of my faith. Guess I better start reading.

When I say that I'm going to Sri Lanka this December, the typical response I get is "Wow so exotic!" or "Are you going there for CIP?". I have to say that any preconceptions I had of Sri Lanka is now shattered (as we all know, preconceptions are hardly true and can be damaging). Maybe it's because we associate Sri Lanka with India, or because of the media focus on their civil war. But no, I found Sri Lanka to be a beautiful country, where nature is mostly left untouched and there is a healthy respect for religion. If you had imagine Sri Lanka to be a place where there are beggars on the streets, smelly roadsides and poor living conditions, then you are misinformed (and probably imagining India). Far from that image, in my 8 days there, I hardly saw beggars on the streets, I didn't have to hold my nose when I stepped out of the bus, and I barely saw any sign of abject poverty. Even farmers in rural areas have electricity and running water and basic sanitation. Sri Lanka's HDI is comparable to Thailand and even higher than Indonesia. Considering that they've been mired in civil war, I'm very intrigued by their reasonably high standards of living.

I found most Sri Lankans to be friendly and polite, and most of them speak English well (it's a compulsory school subject). What struck me the most is their dedication to their faith. With most of the population being Theravada Buddhists, there are many Buddhist Temples both modern and ancient. I've never stepped into that many Buddhist Temples nor learnt so much about this religion. And while some Christians might be uncomfortable visiting the sanctuaries of another religion, I've never felt that way. Part of understanding your own faith comes from understanding other faiths. In fact, there are many cultural influences found within all the religious sites, from the Chinese ancient warrior statues outside a Buddhist temple to the Hindu influences found in temple art and architecture. Like when I visited Pompeii in Italy, I especially loved visiting the ruins of the ancient Kingdom of Polonnaruwa.
 
Though a part of me still wishes for a holiday somewhere colder like Japan or Europe, I'm glad I've had this unconventional experience. Like all places, there were good and bad experiences in Sri Lanka. But the bad is best forgotten, so here are some of the good:

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A lake before a thunderstorm

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The Lion Rock Citadel Sigiriya, a huge rock of hardened magma from an extinct and long-eroded volcano.
The kingdom and palace of Prince Kashyapa, guilty of patricide.

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The last ones standing!
Reaching the top, another "mountain" submitted. (Yes I know, Aaron needs a haircut)

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Photo Credits: Aaron Leong

Hi!! KL trip was fun!! :D Unexpected haha. This is the first time I've seen KL from a completely different perspective. My previous visits to KL usually revolve around KLCC, KL Ritz Carlton, and the city centre itself. This is the first time I've seen Daman Sara and Putra Jaya.

Thanks to Uncle and Auntie Lee, we managed to see Daman Sara CityPark, a new development. It's a completely gated, self-sufficient, enclosed community with smaller nuclear landed property estates within, each with their own guard houses (much like our condos in SG except it's all landed property). There's even a man-made central lake, shopping centre, a private hospital, banks, and an upcoming international school. I should say at this point that Daman Sara CityPark is NOT an actual city or town, it is a privately developed residential area built to be self-sufficient. In geographical terms, it is NOT a satellite town or a new town, neither is it a growth pole. The entire area is privately owned, privately developed and privately sold by a huge timber company in Msia. The entire land area is probably the size of Jurong including Lakeside, and that's only my guess (not even a guesstimate). Needless to say, with so many terraces and bungalows, most of the people who own houses here are foreigners/ rich people, much like those who live in Daman Sara Heights. And because land is abundant here (comparative to SG), the land area of a landed property is huge, and relatively cheaper.

Despite the luxury or the houses and the neighbourhood, I would never trade living in an opulent bungalow in Msia with a tiny flat in SG. Honestly, Daman Sara CityPark is the only place in Msia which feels like Singapore, where sidewalks are well-lit, and people walk around the neighbourhood comfortably in shorts and flip-flops without needed to be extra careful and alert, and that is only because the whole CityPark is heavily gated and guarded. Despite all the luxurious houses, the minute you walk out of the CityPark, your alertness shoots sky-high, sidewalks aren't paved and streetlamps are far apart. Here, security and safety is never taken for granted, unlike in Singapore. Sure, land area is so scarce in Singapore, and owning a landed property the same size as one in Msia can cost you 4 times as much, but nothing can trade for that peace of mind. Of knowing that you can walk on the streets at night in constant fear or being mugged, knowing that public transport is reliable and cars need not be the common mode of transport, and most importantly knowing that your police force is trustworthy and there to protect you.

Yet another thing that really strikes me is the social stratification in Msia that is really quite apparent. Chinese here don't send their kids to national schools but to Chinese schools or international schools. Gated communities and the residential equivalent of holland/bukit timah area in Msia is largely inhabited by expats, foreigners and Chinese. If you're from rural Msia, you will likely end up knowing minimal English (due to the Msian government's reversal of education policy), which will hurt your job prospects in comparison to those who studied English in school (namely, the Chinese). Meritocracy is something we deride and take for granted so often in Singapore, and even with criticisms of the rise of the elite class, the simple truth is that opportunities are in far more abundance to those who want to succeed in SG than many places in the world. Everything I have is a result of what my parents have done, which is basically wealth and assets accumulated within 1 generation, something that I have realized is unlikely to occur elsewhere.

Surprisingly, most of the landed property in Msia have solar panels installed on their roofs, quite unlike those in Singapore. Such green technology should be more widely installed in Singapore. The long term benefits are so great, and the returns will probably be many times more than the initial investment - judging by how much sun we get.

That aside, I learnt so much more about Msian politics than I did during the Sec 4 options trip. Some things are just unsaid and only locals will know. But it's really interesting, it makes me want to read up more on the politics of Msia, let's just say that I appreciate that there is transparency in Singapore, that corruption is the exception rather than the norm, and that integrity is the foundation of our judiciary. KL has been quite eyeopening for me, having seen and explored a different facet to KL

Writing my email to my most favourite cousin in the world (started at 12.30am, and finished at 1.30am)
Note: Email has obviously been edited, I'm not stupid.

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Holler! Today was awesome. I think the last time I felt this good was last year. Big difference what you can do with your head and how it affects you. I should feel horrid, but strangely I feel the exact opposite. Maybe because I'm just too used to it, or my mental will is way more powerful that I thought it was. 

Now I feel ready to tackle prelims, well not in the prepared sense but mentally ready so let's go. Life always seems to come full circle, like how you lose stuff all the time but gain in another way. Sometimes, you only need to be more open to see what you've gained, if not I'll just wallow in what I've lost, things that I can never get back no matter how hard I try.

GERALDINE ONG. without you I would have positively died for NAPFA. like seriously thanks for pacing and pushing me even though I was dying in the hot hot hot sun. And for listening to me and understanding

CHLOE ANG. For always being there! And being so nice. And like the billion times your bought me drinks since last year which I owe you a bomb for. And for being so random yet nice. And haha if you read this don't feel bad for being snappy, I understand, never blamed you!

EILEEN LIM. For being a great mei mei. And listening to my rubbish. And making all of us laugh.

STUART QUEK. Aiyah for just being there to let me bully you haha. That's more than enough.

I think no matter what, it's a blessing. I want to be able to study overseas and have anything to hold me back, or consider. There's not much point right now, especially since I can't wait to travel and do new stuff and really just soak in new experiences. Yes I like stability but was never one to just sit around and be unoccupied. It's a personal goal to lead a fulfilling life, definitely with my family supporting me always. Number one priority is going to church next year, super super super excited. Have to say I draw strength and inspiration from people who are so dedicated to God, like Marvin, Naomi, Geri, Dora and even people like Gareth. God has been great, praying has purged me of unhealthy stuff that the devil tries to grow in me, so that alone is a triumph I should be happy about. 

You know how they say that when children marry, their marriage usually mirrors how their parents were like (of course this is by no means 100% accurate)? But I really sure hope so, because I would be blessed to have my parents' relationship. And having dinners together everyday is definitely something I want. You know how the common perception is that Westerners don't value family as much etc? I think that's absolutely rubbish, my half-English cousin (who is like in some private prep school in the UK and is probably going to Oxford next year) is so close to his parents. They have breakfast and dinner together, and they do projects like paint the rooms together, which is doing so much more than most families here.

Oh had this discussion/ semi-debate with my mum today in the car on the way home about China/ urbanisation/ globalisation. Super exciting and funny, I realised I actually quite like learning Geog because it's just so applicable. Am extremely excited for my birthday though it's so near prelims. Can't wait for the dinner with family+aunt+cousins. Brilliant :D And my mum has hinted at my present, can't wait to see yipee! (:

Nocturnes: Five Stories of Music and Nightfall

Kazuo Ishiguro

And I'm reading! Kazuo Ishiguro's Nocturnes: Five Stories of Music and Nightfall (not this coverart). My dad bought a signed first edition in London, how awesome is that?

Okay so this is a mishmash summary of what's been going on, minus the bad stuff that should not be recorded and probably won't be remembered in 1 years time when I look back and laugh at what I did. But stress, better go do my stuffs.

P.s. I got a Razer (according to The Tech Twins, it's a gaming mouse so it's very very good) wireless mouse for my mac (finally after using the touchpad for 4 years!!). The best thing is that it's PINK, and it was on discount!

P.p.s. I won't reccomend Harry Potter - much better off reading the book alone. Random: Am I the only one who feels uncomfortable that Ginny is taller than Harry?? A sore disappointment that it wasn't good, there are much better shows coming out that I can't wait to watch (one at picturehouse caught my eye - Elynn/Xty interested?)

Conversation with my Dad:

Ummm. Life is good, June holidays really gave me the time to think, reflect and slow down. 

I realised I kinda stopped posting about Season. Not sure why that happened, just couldn't find the motivation to blog.

Yesterday was one of those days when I just sat back and let things be the way it should be.

Chinese New Year this year has been nothing short of amazing.
I know recent surveys have shown that family if the topmost priority for most people this year, especially with the gloomy economic outlook and all. But I'm really just so blessed to have a family that is my strength, a family that eats dinner together almost every single night, a family whom I can talk about stuff to so openly. I pray dearly to God that he blesses me with such a family when I'm married and old and wrinkled.

It's cool, I feel quite grown up because this year I've joined the ranks of older kids. And it's super fun and interesting to play and just watch my younger cousins interact, they say innocent, funny things that just make you laugh. I've eaten a lot, had a lot of fun and learnt new stuff about my family:
- My paternal grandpa has a Malay cousin
- I have 2 aunts married to Caucasians
- My maternal grandma had 9 siblings and my maternal grandpa had 10 siblings. So that translates into many many aunts, uncles, cousins, distant cousins that I have not met in my entire life. We have never had a major major reunion dinner.

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The Girls

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The bookworms

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The Red Shoes

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Daddy and Mummy

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Derrick - Cousins, confidante, playmates

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Hayley

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Helping my mum in the kitchen

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Lunch @ Kaiyin's
Besides listening to Linkinpark HSM, discussing Heroes Friends, gossiping about Soccer Boys,
 we're super intellectuals at heart - we played upwords, chess and uno.
And we're damn cool cos we're multicultural! :D

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GUESS WHOSE NAILS THESE BELONG TO!! :D

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