A Bait for A Golden Gate's Hostess

Written by C. Rawen


This is "partially" a true story happened so long ago.

This is a short but a very complicated condensed story, there were so many people got involved in and everyone was not simple minded, there were all sorts of plots and calculations like a short soap opera.

The whole incident happened just within a few short months, but the complications were enough to teach people many lessons of humans' complicated calculative minds, plots and thoughts.

Those who once hurt my sister also once inflicted pains on me. Only forgiveness fades our bad memories!

Once there were two childhood friends who grew up in a town called Rejang. When they finished high school one of the girls moved away, they didn't see each other again until forty years later. It was a time that men met, boasting their past romances; women met, comparing their children's successes. On such occasion, Julia learned from her cousin Judy of Tina's whereabouts.

Pretty Julia married young to a rich merchant. Tina's demureness showed a mediocre outlook, she eventually married late to a poor school teacher. By the time Julia had traveled all over the world, pampered by a caring husband, Tina had to juggle a few jobs to feed her eight growing girls.


It was out of curiosity that Julia arranged Tina's visit. Youthful Tina reflected in Julia's mind when she saw her daughters, she silently predicted Tina's daughters' prettiness must be out of unusual genetic mutation. Julia flattered her, "You look a lot younger than your age!"


Tina humbly replied, "Oh no! You should look at my white hair. I 'm already a grandma! This is my youngest ---- Ginnie is 24 now!"


Julie calculative glance stared once more at Ginnie, she then informed Ginnie, "Oh! My son is also 24, you should meet Baldwin later."


Soon Julia heard the gossip of her son and Ginnie as a pair as she had anticipated. She then called a rich man's daughter, "Coco, why don't you go out with Baldwin anymore? Hurry before someone snaps him!"


As the most eligible girl in Beaumile city, Coco's pride was challenged. Her brothers helped her to thumb down Ginnie at a local club and they probed her relationships with Baldwin until she was all confused and dumbfounded.


In the meantime, Julia's cousin Judy called Tina warned, "You must stop Ginnie going out with Baldwin at once! Julia heartlessly said she just used Ginnie as bait for Baldwin to fish a very rich girl. I tried to convince her that Ginnie was a better housekeeper, but she retaliated me that Coco's wealth could employ as many maids as she wanted to do anything for her."


Coco's brothers then insulted Ginnie of going after Baldwin's money. Without hesitation, Ginnie left Beaumile for good to avoid these hounds.


Julia then contacted one of her nephews to ask him to inform Ginnie's sister of the situation, " --- Hey! Now Baldwin dates rich Coco, my aunty is very happy."


Fully aware of his intention, Ginnie's sister replied, "Oh! Congratulations! Both of their houses have golden gates; what a perfect golden match!"


After sometimes, someone intentionally approached Ginnie's sister again, " --- My friend's aunt said that you are very jealous of her wealth and her son dating Coco!"


Ginnie's sister finally got angry, "My sister has gone for good, she is not in Beaumile anymore, please stop hassling me!"


A year later, Ginnie married into a prominent British family. Being unchallenged to date Baldwin, soon Coco lost her interest of Baldwin’s pursue and she dumped Baldwin to marry a rich partner of her brothers' law firm.


Julia eventually discovered her husband's infidelity and more to her disappointment, Baldwin married a Singaporean *SPG!


A decade later, a brand new golden Mercedes slowed down in front of a faded golden gate.

Ginnie's sister asked me to keep a closer peep and she told me this story.



* SPG Means Sarong Party Girl - Girl who is interested in only rich expatriates, rich men's son or rich men

Summer, Feb. 2003, Auckland, New Zealand

PET CAT


Written by C. Rawen

The moral of this joke:

There were too many China men treated all their friends and relatives so nicely except their own wives, putting everything and everyone first in their daily lifes except their wives, with the limited allowance given to their wives ..... just enough to cover children and family expenses, juggling everything in and out the house without any maid, the wives merely got enough foods to fill their tummies but not having extra money to buy dresses, buy accessaries or visit beauticians. Worst still these China men never would give their wives a hand in household chores.

An overworked sweaty smelly wife got mad all at once when she saw her husband petting and stroking a cat while relaxing and watching TV.


He asked, “Why all a sudden you got so angry? Every month I give you enough household expenses more than my company accountant’s salary.”


His tired wife jealously roared, “WHY? I thought you just need a CAT for catching rats, "hatching kitchens" but not spoiling and “sayang” her like a PET!”

17.08.07

Labyrinth of the Borneo Jungle

Written by C. Rawen

An YB asked me to write a musical for a city and he asked me to follow up with the mayor, but the mayor replied me he knew nothing about it. So my lyrical poems written turned into worst than any rubbish .... these poems emerged from my retreated boxes reminding me of bad memories and impressions of how little I should trust ones' words and promises. I learned most professionals wanted their free services from other "secondary professionals" like me, they think they are the only true professionals who are entitiled to earn money, live their good life, sent their prettiest and handsomost kids to study in Harvard and work later for wallstreets. This incident reminded me that I am just a nobody in others' fathers' eyes but only become a somebody in my own dad's eyes.

The harder we try to find a way out
The deeper obviously we creep in
Everybody says his way is the surest way out
When benighted we silently all give in


We thought it’s just a jungle with monkeys
Everywhere seems to look so lush and greenly
The longer we penetrate ourselves under canopy
The more we get confused honestly


It’s 10th wonder of world that adventurers have missed
The jungle of Borneo in this far exotic east
Labyrinth of ancient Thebes is still a myth
Labyrinth of Borneo’s jungles is not a myth





1999, Miri, Malaysia

A Garden

Written by C. Rawen



A lyric poem with healing power


Orchids, tulips and remnants of cherry blossom welcome

The breezy dawn of a refreshing rainy early spring;

Ever zestful pond anticipates rowdy frogs to come,

O behold! let the earth awaken as cuckoos begin to sing.



Owl and toucan on the branch why are you still gloomy?

Forget not that today is the twelfth day of spring!

Look at the carps silently dance while it's still rainy;

Forget not that cold days are no more here to cling!



A garden under the rain once is my old dreamy painting

Where I tended imaginary fauna and flora to forsake my hurt;

Be gone blues melancholy and by gone ever torturing,

O Arise! a blissful garden full of laughters that burst!



Owl and toucan on the branch what do you try to tell me?

Forget not that today is the twelfth day of spring!

Waking up and out of a canvas, we are no more in fantasy,

Forget not that cold days are no more here to cling!


Feb. 2003 Summer, Auckland, New Zealand

The Country Ride

Written by: C. Rawen



To uncle Dunhill and god brother Wira

In frustration of facing work, life and foxy "PiTy" who played office politics, took a good trip to country side, revive and refresh yourself from the beautiful nature before diverting another undertaking.

Only I dared to "borrow" a good old funny wise uncle from his wife for an afternoon, we treassured his wisdoms and who has through all those ups and downs of life!

A Sunday afternoon for us to treasure while others might waste it for a siesta nap!



Up on the breezy hill with uncle Dunhill and Babira’s smoky exchange

Was that Sunday afternoon encountered merely by chance?

Ever you would recall such a sunny day cruising on the country lanes

Our topic conversed and discussed all in similar frequency range




What a PiTy! Life on another backstreet alley

Happiness wasted on beer by caressed poke belly

What a PiTy! Life on another backstreet daily

Relax by up, up down, down sweating with a China dolly




Not a single worry amazed as it magical touch by a wand

Smart ones would engross happy moment never as it waned

Life is too short to lament in frustrated trance

Look up high, soaring your creativity like Eiffel Tower of France



What a PiTy! Life over darkness in contrary

With three kisses left on a cheek of Dolly, Millie’s or Lily's why so silly

What a PiTy! Life with a mask on that changed unpredictably

Friendships thus faked as similar fates as cats of the backstreet alley




Date: 14.08.2007 Beautiful Oil City late at dusk, post greyish rainy sky after a week of uncomfortably dried and hot weather

What My Mom Should Have Taught and Told me?

Written by Mrs. Money

(Continuation from December 2009)

Flirting
It is a doorbell to give an opponent a notice that someone is coming!


My mom never taught me how to flirt an opposite sex; I think most probably she didn’t know how to do it so we all inherited from her!

In young days when my classmates flirting with each others in class, I thought they were just talking to each others nicely, got lots of common subjects and so lots of talks went on. These days I am old enough to learn those kinds of conversations amongst opposite sex is called “flirting”.

I was told by someone that my younger sister got a boy went after her during their secondary school years, but my younger sister would act cold and cool. I really believe our gene, we were both living in platonic world and we still didn’t know what the opposite sex creature is used for!

Recent morning after I woke up, all a sudden my brain matured a bit growing aware of my “stupidity and immaturity” even I was already by then 24 years old, I recalled there it was happened during my prettiest young days. My good friend kept asking me, “Hi, those men are kept looking here at you, are you their friends?”
“NO” I didn’t even look at those men, because I thought in a strange city I wouldn’t be able to meet somebody from Malaysia.
Then when I was on my way to the restroom, as I had to walk pass the tables those men sat, someone there worst still even tried to grasp me, again my good friend saw it from behind, “Are you sure you don’t know them? One of them tried to stop you!”
“NO” Again that’s my reply.

Rewinding my memory, I was invited by my friends to the most expensive and high class restaurant of a city, even in my merely a slight glance of such group of men, now I could tell they were either successful or rich or could be both. So may be those old days when I studied in branded academy, everyday I already tangoed with those rich and famous so those men was not a big deal to me.

I was rude in another sense even if I didn’t know how to flirt; at least I should response to those continuous glances from nearby table by returning them “a wave” or “a smile” instead just chose to ignore them.

So imagine if I knew how to give a successful flirt may be today I won’t be a no money tai tai but could be a Tan Seri diamond tai tai or a Datin ruby tai tai! So you can tell how regretful I am! Blame myself or my mom or both? So I am writing this article to teach girls how to “flirt successfully” and after you have “successfully flirted” a man, please don’t forget to send me an invitation card later to your wedding!

Girls need to know how to flirt appropriately and skillfully to give men a door to access and develop into another kind of romantic relationship. Flirting is a doorbell to give an opponent a notice that someone is coming; it is up to her or him willing to open the door to gain access to each other hearts.



Unreported Sexual Harassment and Rape Cases
Due to innocent or no face?

My sister was riding on a bus when she was in form six, one day a man tried to touch her hair from behind, she was panic and she never told anyone until she became a mom. So I asked her, “Anyone sat beside you when the thing happened?”
“Yes, my female classmate sat besides me.”
“She knew it?”
“No. I didn’t dare to tell her.”

When I was young, there was a librarian in my hometown library, I didn’t like to go to library was caused by him. He always liked to go touching little primary school girls’ buttock. He would choose to go after a single young girl in a secluded zone, he would either pretend to get closer and accidentally knock on you or he would give you a “colour wolf paw” on your bump. All young primary school girls in my generation knew there was such an librarian, but nobody reported him, and he was peacefully touching most primary school girls’ asses or pretended fallen accidentally next to girls’ buttocks.

So few years ago, I asked my sister who always hanged out in the library after her school, I asked her if ever such librarian went touching her, she told me that she did aware of such colorwolf, “So do you think we should do something?” I asked her.

“Well, leave him alone, he is an old man now!”

"Yeah! Too old to give him a threat of chopping his arms if he touches a young girl's ass again... probably he has retired!"

Well at least this little colorwolf in my hometown library just loved to touch young girls’ asses instead of raping them!

Old days mothers never taught their daughters to report anything unpleasant happened to them in their daily routine, mothers and daughters hardly talk due to their tough life and simple minds. Everything was peaceful due to everything happened if could tolerate, everyone learned to keep secrets in closets!

I suspected in old days in my hometown there was a rapist existed and he would commit crimes in villages, but cases were never reported. I heard that there was a student who was very good in her academy, but all a sudden her school result dropped badly. I knew those old days, students from most villages had to cycle like at least 30 minutes to reach a ferry to bring them across the river to ride into their respective secondary schools. Old days sad stories were never revealed but those victims’ life prevailed in a very obvious way, the girl that I suspected was a victim, she never got married even in a very old age. These stereo type conservative victims thought that if they were not “perfect girls” anymore, they would choose to get married to someone of our Chinese’s thought of as inferior races and professions. After they got married off, by then most of their ex-classmates wouldn’t be able to trace where they were.

These were the sad unrevealed stories happened to old days in my old hometown but everyone thought that it was a peaceful town all because such bad things never happened to them! I hope modern moms are smarter, braver and more responsible citizens, who would report rape and sexual harassment cases to police instead of just caring of their own faces and convenient.



Be a Responsible Citizen
But complications of police reporting drew victims off!

Be alert! I always told young girls, “You thought you are pretty because of some men looking at you outside your house or office when you returned home or reaching office? If you don’t look back at those men carefully and observe what they are doing or in alert to decide if you should enter your house or office, you never know the next minutes those men could turn into robbers, rapists or thieves!”

I saw a group of men gathered in a bush at the back of my house under the rain this morning. What were they doing? Fishing in a no river bush or showering under the early morning rain inside a bush? So I called my good neighbor to discuss the situation. An hour later a police patrol car came.

Also this morning, on my way sending my son to school, I saw a conman that conned me few years ago in an oil town, he was jogging under the rain with his sunglass on with very smart sport wear and cap on. An hour later people might think that he was a successful businessman if he started to wag his rogue tongue! Few years ago, I gave him a few fists and a lecture but Sin Chew Daily Newspaper reporter instead of cautioning people to beware of such conman, the reporter was trying to tell reader, “XX Teacher gave foul words” as a header to defame, humiliate and insult me!

Anyhow, the conman returned to his hometown Kuching, as he didn’t dare to dwell in the oil town due to my warning, “If I ever see you conning in this town again, I will go after you!” After the incident, so many of my friends warned me, “You …. Be careful, how dare you so brave to beat the conman up, you not scare ah huh!”
“Hi chickens! If the authority let me gave him a few fists which mean I got some weight or who knows may be I got a strong backup?! Simple theory is: No man has a face to report to anyone if being beat up by a girl! The authority is so smart!”

4 months ago after I sent off my son to school, on my returning trip, I discovered this conman's trace who was riding and passing by my cat city neighbourhood, he was wearing like a successful businessman, he wore a sunglass early in the morning but rode a bicycle which didn't fit his smart attire.

This conman is obviously nesting somewhere in Stutong area, that’s why I was able to catch he wore sunglass both under the rain or without bright sunshine, anyhow obviously he had been successfully acted and disguised as a successful contractor or a contractor's son called himself as Peter perhaps to con money from Kuching folks for at least few years already! I did report the trace of this conman to my DSP friend but he got posted to an island.

A year ago I show a victim of Jalan Ellis this conman’s photo, she recognized the conman who actually tried to con and stole money from her office, but the case was never launched due to there were so many complicated procedures in filing and reporting to police.

I heard the conman was conning all over Kuching, from Jalan Ellis to Jalan Song, today obviously he tried jogging his way down the road to Tabuan Laru and Stutong market area. The smartness of this conman is he would only steal RM200 or con RM200 or less, so if you have 100 durians on a tree, if being stole a durian by a squirrel, you let such squirrel ran free!

Cat city folks, he is still roaming free, and I saw him at least 10 times already riding his bicycle early in the morning emerged from the back of Stutong kampong and today he jogged under the rain towards Kuching Specialist Center, who knows he would act as a retire doctor and told people so and so surgeons are his good friends, and many people would believe and got impressed by him because of his eloquence con tongue. I wonder who would be the unlucky one lost RM200 today!

To be continued

WISDOM GAINED FROM TALES

Written by Mrs. Money



In a jungle of Borneo, Mr. Tiger Forest and Mr. Star Fish were very close friends. One day Mr. Star Fish wanted to build the biggest castle in the jungle, Mr. Tiger Forest immediately kindly offered his help, “I will send my most experience engineer Mr. Fox to your site to help you to build it!”

“Roughly how much I have to pay your engineer Mr. Fox?” Mr. Star Fish enquired.
“Aye! No need lah, ka ki lang lah!” Mr. Tiger Forest replied.

Once Mr. Fox reached the site, chicken flew and dog hopped off the construction site. The project thus dragged and seemingly never could get a completion.

Mr. Tiger Forest by then laughing cunningly, “My good Fox, everyone informed me that you always stole 10% of my hunting but I still kept you under my wings because I knew it one day you would be a useful fox for me!”

Moral:

(1) In the business world, friendships are never real if without mutual benefits
(2) If the “smaller fish” wanted to build a “bigger castle” than the “bigger tiger”, the “bigger tiger” sure won’t be kind hearted enough to help, so when “the bigger tiger” “kindly” offered any assistance, be careful!
(3) Some employers kept bad employees in their business, in this case used a bad employee to jeopardize a rival's new project.

Sarawakiens' Sour Eggplant Solanum Macrocarpon

Its different names, uses and moneytaitai's created recipe

Still green terong Iban in Money Tai Tai's Garden

Written by Mrs. Money

To save everyone looking out informations from else where, these are some basic informations about the popular Sarawakiens' native eggplant. It is also known as: African eggplant, terong asam, terong Iban, aubergine gboma, anthora, antrua, Scarlet eggplant, Terong rapoh, Terong engkol, Terong kelapa, Aubergine d'Afrique, Sennari nasu, Berenjena, Melanzana petonciano, Afrikaanse aubergine, Antroewa. This terong iban is from Solanaceae (Nightshade family) and it can be used as a kind of medical herb, its root can be used against bronchitis, itch, body aches, asthma, cure wounds and its seeds can be used for treating toothache.

I threw this terong Iban seeds on a sweet potatoes patch, then I was chasing and screaming at water hens who came stolen all the seeds, a month later I saw only a seedling emerged inside a pandan plant pot placed next to the sweet potatoes patch, probably accidentally I dropped a seed in the pandan pot when I was tossing the seeds beside it.

So I transplanted the terong Iban seedling under a pencil pine. Then Ants came to attack its lush green leaves to perforated leaves, however out of my expectation, surprisngly the tree still could bear lot of fruits.

The ripen fruits of Terong Iban is bright deep golden yellow (or light orange), the taste is sour and local Sarawakiens love to replace it as tomatoes to cook their Thai toyang soup or curry fish head.

I remember in1995, I created this new recipe for sister's American husband family during pre and post wedding days, my purpose was to let them tried natives Sarawakiens's vegetables without having bad memory!

Recipe for Terong Iban cum Baku:

2 terong Iban, peel off skin, cut into crescent shape pieces; a bunch of Sarawakiens' native tender fern leaves "Baku" shoots; Minced ginger; Minced garlic, Minced ikan bilis & dried shrimps; Chili (optional for those who can take hot foods); Oil; Salt

Procedure:

Heat up the oil, fry the ginger, garlic, ikan bilis, dried shrimp, chili and salt until brownish

Fry the terong Iban first before add in baku fern leaves.

Special thank to friend Angela who cooked this dish and sent me this photo.

The dish is not boring, you will miss it if you stay away from Sarawak for too long! Please serve hot!

When it turns into golden yellow, that's the time to harvest the terong asam.

It's a Red Passion Fruit!

Written by Mrs. Money

This is my dairy of growing passion fruit trees:

On Sept 2008 - My aunt Alice gave me an imported red passion fruit, she told me this Japan passion fruit species smelt so good like Sankist. I cut it into half and gave the other half to my dad for sowing in his garden.

On Nov 2008 - However, my seeds never germinated after two months, so I flew two of my dad's successful germinated seedlings all the way from oil city to Money tai tai's garden

On Dec 2008 - Upon my returning trip from Singapore, I brought along some more red passion fruits, this time it's Taiwanese.

On beginning of 2009 - Due to lots of rains, sowed passion fruits seedlings germinated at all patches.

Oct 25th, 2009: First passion fruit blossom emerged

First baby passion fruit

Dec 1st, 2009: First passion fruits grew into a very big passion fruit, but so far at this point, I didn't see any trace of new passion fruit blossom

40 days later: First passion fruit dropped prematurely caused either drought or disturbed by one of my little "monkeys". I was quite dissapointed and speculated that the skin of my passion fruit trees have mutated to green skin species

Dec 2009: Everywhere got passion fruits blossom.

Jan 2010: Everywhere got passion fruits.

Jan 19th, 2010: From a green passion fruit turned to palish yellow, and then finally red pigmentations revealed! All my doubts and suspicions gone .... Wow, it's a red passion fruit!

After three months absence from his oil town garden, my dad told me he also saw a dropping dried-up premature passion fruit on the ground upon his returning home, I told him most probably it's due to drought but the good news is now, his passion fruit trees are also bearing fruits.

Feb 4th, 2010. This is the oval species

Feb 14th, Chinese New Year. Truly juicy, very sweet and smelt like Sankist, my aunt's description. I would advice everyone to plant it! Buy a very big pot, filled up with compose, then you come pop in my house for some cuttings!

Quite a big oval passion fruit on Feb 14th, 2010

Palm size round passion fruit on Feb 14th, 2010

Love gift to my Singapore sister

First harvest of oval and round purple red passion fruits

A Bully with Two Versions of Triads’ Gangsters
He bullied ones with no background and finally he earned his turn!

Written by Mrs. Money

His last name is Tiong, I should say, if he is a dog dwelling in a city, I would be a kind of cat species crouching in a jungle, we were not associates and neither were friends but he was from my hometown and worst still he was my younger sister’s primary school classmate.

Two years ago I saw him proudly drove a Brunei plate Mercedes convertible near a beach restaurant in an oil town and I chose to suppress my anger and ignore of seeing him. If rabbits got pursued by nasty wolves but eventually wolves would get pursued by fierce tigers; I always believe one of these days those calculating evil bullies would get their turns of punishments from their malicious deeds, nasty plots or wrongful bad mouthing to innocent victims.

He started the whole bad mouthing incident to my eldest quiet sister and he condemned that I was an unethical business lady according to what he had heard from a triad gangster (Such gangster and his relatives had bullied and accused me wrongly of something I never did and said, in a business conflict indirectly plotted by them, I was demanded either to close my business and get out of the city within 24 hours or to give a feast of 10 tables cum advertised on front page, for half a page and broad red letters of apologising for "wrong doings that I did to them." When I could produced evident that I never did or said something to jeopardise such gangster’s bleached new business operation, but they insisted by kept twisting further more stories, I finally knew what they wanted, so I let them insulted, humiliated and wrongfully accused for two straight hours and after two hours they left my ex-landlady white hair tai tai’s office happily as winners, I thought I still can see their sticking tongues and wiggling tails now!) and my sister’s old classmate would rather trust a triad gangster’s words due to he had made a successful business deal with them, as I didn’t buy from him a certain electrical appliances when I first opened my business three years back before the incident, so may be this prompted him to revenge by attacking me unreasonably.

He chose not to trust a girl from his hometown with a pure nice background that I wouldn’t practice something immoral, corrupted and unethical in my business deals and by the way I got my education, exposure, cultivation, capital, abilities and talents in hands to run my business efficiently, the main reason they both bullied me with plots obviously they also thought I was just a single girl unable like the rest of the girls in their world, they thought they were somebody behind me to help me, e.g. may be my eldest sister’s husband or a “Mister” to act as my patron, for them a female simply wouldn’t be able to operate a business without a man behind. God knew that I already ran my business for 4 years successfully before they emerged as trouble makers.

Then I eventually left oil town for good, as too many bad memories lingered as black as sticky black crude oil in my subconscious realm, since I left the town I never feel like returning there anymore without a good reason. Recently, Mr. Money got his oil town relative visiting and staying in my house due to her mother was hospitalized in cat city. She told me her story which was happened less 365 days from now:

One day her Indonesian-maids’ agent came to visit and talk to one of her maids, soon she heard few slapping sounds, so she quickly emerged to figure out what was happening. She saw her maid was crying loudly and obvious slapping marks on her maid’s face. She got so mad and she asked the agent, “Why you slap my maid?”
He replied because the Indo maid did something not right. She told him off, “She behaves in my place, now she is working under my wings, and she is not working for you, why you have the right to slap her without my permission?”

After her questioning, he was not happy that she challenged him, soon the agent began to target on her by saying something very nasty to bully her. Luckily, her brother-in-law emerged on time. Immediately he could sense that something nasty was on, so he asked his sister-in-law, “What’s the matter?”
His sister-in-law immediately pointed to the Indo-maid agent and replied, “He slapped my Indo maid just now.”

He turned sternly to talk to the Indo agent, “You dared to slap her? … You have to check who the dog’s master is before you want to bully a dog! Don’t you know this simple rule?” However, after the lecture the Indo-maid agent still gave him a challenge glance, so he went to his car trunk took out a big parang, he grabbed one of the arms of this Indo-maid agent, pretending wanted to chop off his arm.

Then only the Indo maid agent begged, “Very sorry I slapped the wrong person, I won’t do that next time…….” The rest of the story you can imagine how it ended with, so of course the Indo maid agent scared his shit out and left the scene immediately.

There are two kinds of triads’ gangsters: What I came across previous one was everyday he would chase after innocent or set up victims with his planned traps and plots, or gave wrongful accusation to victims before threatening them for something he wanted, (an example of set up gambling to lure gamblers borrowed more money from him, later he would collect his loaned money by violent and threats to those lost victims). Once after doing his dirty money laundering in casinos in Philippines or else where, his money thus became cleaned and even got people from the Church and political circle respected and admired him and his immediate family members.

The other kind of triad gangster is obeying Chinese’s style Robin Hood ethical standard by protecting the weak but giving lessons to bullies, so Mr. Money’s relative brother-in-law is the kind. She immediately clarified to me, “My brother-in-law though is a triad member but he is not rich at all! But people and his subordinates really respected him and when I asked him why he was not hiding when our government was looking for triads’ gangsters, he said he didn’t steal, didn’t rob and didn’t cheat, and he said by way he is a skilled mechanic, why he has to hide?”

Eventually I asked her, “I am surprise who is that nasty Indo maid agent who slapped your Indo maid?”
She gave me his sir name and what was his business, she finally revealed, “He is from your hometown!”
“Who’s that?” She gave me his Christian name and further description of her Indo-maids’ agent.
“I got it! I know who he is now! He was my sister’s ex classmate!”

“Errr…. May I ask your brother-in-law to act another act to that bully? This time we will use a hot iron instead? …. How about we pretend wanted to burn his foul mouth!?” So I told her my past bad experience bullied by bullies and a bad triad gangster.

Really gilaka! I don’t know a little tiny hometown like mine can produce such a silly bully over the north and he behaved worst than a good kind hearted Robin Hood’s triad gangster! When this bully ran an electrical appliance shop he could only drive a pick-up, but now he could afford a Mercedes convertible by working as an Indo-maid agent, and my friends always asked me, “You know when a Foo Chow man gets richer he also has many … many what? You guess LAH!”

Little Losers and Their Lose-face Moms
Are they really losers or just temporary losers?

Written by Mrs. Money

During the year end I brought my kids to visit my sister in Singapore, I told her my son’s academic result was rated as number twelve but in retrograde order. She comforted me, “Ee… never mind…. who became the greatest historical figures or richest men in the world because of always getting no. 1 in school?”

I replied her promptly, “Your Singapore old premier Lee Kwang Yaw did!”

Of course she shrugged her shoulder and became wordless. But I think that’s the only great figure I could name of who almost always scored no. 1 academically. So subconsciously I tried to give excuses myself, I would think that my son will be alright after three years once he can command better in his Mandarin, imagine he couldn’t even converse in Chinese the time he entered the Chinese primary school as Mr. Money insisted to send him instead to Lodge, which is even nearer to our house.

But realistically I never felt more frustrated than seeing quarter of my son’s best result classmates moved to the best class despite my son’s teachers told me there is no such classification of the best and the worst. Then on the first day of school after I overheard some student moms’ conversations I had the rude shock. “What? My son now is in the last class amongst the four!” Even I was never an aggressive mom who was often leaving his son in relapse in his homework but to mind my own new career ("inheritated" typically from my busy mom easy going altitude of never taught me to study and I only "learned" to study when I went to the university), I never knew when was his school exams, monthly exams and for an example he would never returned home telling me the next day would be a special school holiday and worst still on the last day of 2009 first school semester, the morning when I sent him to school I saw all students were wearing sport wears but he was the only one who reached school with regular school uniform.

Parents (but may be some parents who were closer to the school authority knew it ahead) were never informed that there would be such superior and inferior classification in a new coming year, despite in students’ report cards without grading any average mark but in an actual fact the form teachers all knew who were number 1 to numbers last. In another sense, I felt cheated by the school authority of such segregation which made me felt like to retaliate. So I told my son, "Oh ya! There is no such segregation?! Unless No. 1 in your No. last class scored his or her average as equal or higher than the No. 1 in No.1 class!"

So for past two weeks I chose to drop off my son but ran away as fast as possible to avoid having any pleasantry with other parents, I’m gonna make no friend out of them, I am escaping reality now. So every morning on my way to school I would give lecture to my son, “Son! My dear poor son! Modern life is too tough, in mommy’s kampong days, science 1 and science 2 but made no different! If I knew your days would be different I would never get married to bear offspring to make you suffer! So young yet have to learn what is called survival of fitness! So young you all start to compete! Hey, your maturity which is at least 3 years younger than your smart classmates, you still want to play alphabet blocks while others already know how to play all kinds of politics!”

Most parents have such mentality of sending kids to school in hope that one of the future days their kids would become somebody. I realise now that “become somebody” culture already begin to practice since their young days of school, actually it is introduced by us adults who wanted “face”, who implemented such competitions to children and kids are losing their childhood by hopping from one tuition to another, by right they should happily chase butterflies and grasshoppers in the field. If kids didn’t score well in school, in certain extend that I knew of some parents with smarter kids would mock and look down on both the little losers and their moms.

Now I got a little loser at home, finally I understand why my sister who could never hold her head high as she got three immature mediocre loser kids when they were young, things immediately changed when her kids reached their maturity, that’s the time they only began to know what is called studying. With GPA 4 points from upper six results, followed by her daughter won the scholarship for medical studies, and her little boy actually smartest of all now only begin to heat up his oil. I could see her head holding up a bit these days after her little loser kids’ metamorphosis, I thought these days I could hear those snobbish aggressive moms teeth were grinding. I remember she told me she consulted many friends of hers regarding medical studies information for her kids, they would “kindly advice her” to send her daughter to study nursing and some would tell her subtly that doctor is not a good profession yet themselves are doctors and they would send all their children to study medicine! From what she told me, I could tell that in her friends’ eyes, they all thought my sisters’ kids were stupid and typical losers. The problem was if my sister got three “loser-look” kids and she herself was behaving and acting as a loser too, that’s why her friends could be so rude or sarcastic from the ways they talked to her!

Winner-kids who always scored very well in their studies are usually grew much mature than those loser-kids. The precedent already acted and talked like adults that shocked me in awe, yet the little losers that I knew of immersed half of their consciousness still in subconscious realm. In order to chase up academic works the children’s maturity got to be push to an extreme to become “Just a little kid yet a big devil mind” and worst still they would carry that kind of “I am the best” superior arrogant altitude into adulthood and further on into their professional practise, they would never give face to their subordinates and would treat inferior beings as their slaves instead.

I would advice and caution those natural beauties, smart cookies and talents, never to laugh and mock at others’ inferiorities (in short, you shouldn’t make nasty inhumane remark as you never know inferiors’ difficulties and situations. Beware of revenge reaches your doorsteps in your descendent to let you learn that you can’t control life even you are a genius, believe or not it’s up to you!) remind you that such very famous world famous political premier who was always scored number one yet he couldn’t change the fate that he got defected grandsons!

Someone told me that when the school reunion happened, as they were losers once so what they did by then were showing who got most money to press those top students in their class down to the drain so that they would feel better, these rich men told me because they didn’t like the arrogant behaviours of those smart students, “we were poor we had to tap rubber and plucked peppers, those smart ones only studies and went tuitions. We didn’t have money, by staying in kampong, it spent us an hour to ride to school in the morning and another hour to ride home, what was waiting for us on the table was only rice, bamboo shoot or salted fish. After eating we had to run to the garden to weed or to plant vegetables, so when we got that kind of “American time” to study? We were actually not stupid but we didn’t have choice to born into better and richer families, so to proof that we are actually not stupid, that’s why now we can earn more money than those top students!”

Immature kids are the natural little losers in school when they were young. What I would give words to those lose-face moms is: Don’t lose your fighting spirit, as a teacher for over 20 years before, I witnessed so many little losers became somebody now. I always told my students, you don’t need to be the best students when you were young, but you have to be the best students with Summa Cum Laude when you graduated from the university. Good results in your university level studies path your professional life, be a real number 1 without politics, from there then you got all the confidents in your specialised field, so you don’t need to waste your energy to attack and say something nasty to your rivals or seeking for assurance in your professional fields by showing off.

There is a piano teacher in an oil town now whenever there was a new student approaching her; she would ask her student, “Do you know who I am?” The problem was some of her newly accpeted students never knew who she was, so after several times of such questions, those students eventually thought she was nobody when they didn’t improve much in their pianos. Similarly there was another retired piano teacher whose student was selected by examiners to study in Royal School of Music with offered scholarship, when the news got released, people approached her, “I never know that you are a graduate from overseas and surely you can teach piano! Very sorry to tell you that I heard some piano teachers said that you can’t play piano so they told me how can you teach piano?”

Also there was another real case of an always No.1, she went on to an Australian university studying account, after graduated she worked in PW, then another “loser” friend in No.1’s eyes also proceeded on to study account but in NZ, such loser however added on IT as another major, when the loser graduated, she immediately landed a job in C. Then No. 1 still wanted to proof that she is No.1, so she told her friends that that her company PW was a lot better than “loser’s” C company, but after a year later ended PWC merged! A real joke right? With two majors, in a realistic world now the loser somehow won a better prospect and is now a manager in PWC.

In a real world, living in any modern city, having humble outlook, people would tend to ignore and looking down at you, if ones wanted to act arrogant make sure they could produce the great achievements to suit such prima donna altitudes to assure continuous fames and winning opportunities.

Also in modern cities, there are a lot of con men and con women camouflaged with great professional outlook, driving Mercedes and carrying LV bags, with their business set up portrayed supposedly professionals’ establishments but actually they didn’t even graduate form 5 or even earn any diploma in any of their studies, in certain cases I witnessed ones claimed to have PhDs yet they don’t even have any bachelor degree. In some extend they would use weasel claims to fool their potential customers and attract their clients to promote themselves in Churches or associations (as Church goers easily believe the ones who went up on stage to witness won’t tell lies), they would say they are registered therapists from certain countries yet in an actual fact they never even graduated with any degree yet they would dare to witness to thousand of congregations of how difficult they were through first year of the university, 50% got eliminated and then the second year only 30% students remained, but they would never mention the third and the fourth year. They are so many blunt listeners due to their limited exposures, cultivations and education in our country.

In short, what is the use if you were the top students but you are not critical listeners and sharp enough to be creative and innovative in your professional practice so ones have to use their mouths to accentuate their profiles? I got an ex-classmate who is now the highest income amongst old peers, he is a much demanded drilling consultant engineer and his childhood had to spend on weeding and gardening while others of his peers could be top students, acting arrogant and never touched their fingers on a straw before. He told me he actually didn’t learn much from the university level of what his work demands now. That means his work requires on his inert abilities, instinct, talents and field experience, he did his own research and studies to figure out things himself, how to beat the nature (acquired probably when he was young when beating the bushes and weeds), how and where to drill a big hole underground, his designs, budget, authority and words could cost a havoc if his subordinates missed a single beat but in reverse, there would be black gold gushing up from underground.

I feel better now after deep thoughts and put my scope into future instead, so I think being a little loser kid’s mom is just a temporary matter! When a kitty just learning how to catch a rat, don’t count how many or how big the rats it caught. As you never know its potential when it grows into a big cat!

Acute Common Sense Developed

To prevent conned by con-Men or con-Women

Written by Mrs Money

Case Study 1

My friend received a SMS from an associate Ms. Sly who now rented the shop lot that once my friend used to rent from a landlord.

My friend was informed "kindly" by this associate Ms. Sly that the landlord's clerk has informed her that my friend still owe my landlord RM700 legal fee to a legal firm.

So my friend called her lawyer asking for details if a decade old expired agreement has to be cancelled through a lawyer or once an old agreement is expired, any continuing rental with mutual understanding will terminate automatically but in such case my friend already kindly slotted in a new tenant (Ms. Sly) immediately to rent the ex-landlord's shop lot without even a single day break.

In this case, my friend didn't ask the ex-landlord for a month's commission fee for introducing a new tenant but how could the landlord asked for any tenancy termination legal fees if such thing really existed?


So my friend sent few messages to question the associate Ms. Sly.

"First, I signed tenancy agreement more than 10 years ago and I already paid the legal firm 10 years ago too. Now what kind of legal fees that I still owe to the ex-landlord?"

"Second, how can my ex-landlord's clerk ask for the money after almost 6 months after I terminated the rental (with proper advanced notice and notify the landlord of a comfirmed new tenant too), but why not asking from me directly as they all got my PH but instead of telling you that I owe them money?"

"Thirdly, anyway how could my ex-landlord if signing agreement or any termination agreement when they engaged in a lawyer if on my behalf but how could they never contact me or ask for my consent and agreement?"

"Fourthly, if I never consulted or engaged in any lawyer asking for any service or sign on any pertinent document why I have to pay fee to a legal firm?"
At the end, you know what my friend have found out?

Ms. Sly made up a story bluffing and informing to my friend that the landlord's clerk had informed her!

Actually Ms. Sly undervalued my friend, she expected my friend would be absently minded, trusted her and stupid enough without probing details. I suspected it was a dirty trick deliberately plotted by Ms. Sly to my friend, so my friend would settle the legal fees for Ms. Sly's New Tenancy Agreement without any question!

"Dabaos" (Doggie bags) After the Christmas Party

Written by Mrs. Money

I only organized a dinner-party once a year mainly for my own blood-tied family members, the reason was I missed those old aunties, cousins and also hardly met little nieces and nephews. If I didn't initiate a dinner-party, only way I meet my kindred will be during next family member's wedding or funeral, and this kind of occasion is actually becoming rare or nil within next 10 years due to only four most elderly kindred alive and those nephews and nieces are still too young to get married!

During last decade when those elderly uncles and aunties passed away only once I could attend for my youngest aunt's funeral and I was the only one who represented 20 over cousins. Right after my dad's youngest brother passed away, I remember my youngest sister called me said she had a dream of our uncle then next day she received sad new even she was somewhere remote in China, it was the time she was sent by Siemen to train those Chinese engineer and she shed tears silently with the rest of sisters in every corners of the world and we also lamented an era has past. Now most cousins have reached their 40s and most probably remained only half of our life able to catch up each others but how often we will be able to get together?

6 years ago, when my dad's youngest brother passsed away, my dad lost his drive to live on; then I came to scene told him sensibly, "Look, you still have a youngest daughter to lead up the aisle and a retarted younger sister to take care of, God makes you stay because you still have duties in this parallel world!" My dad is a dad with great wisdom, unfaded alertness and intelligent despite of physical aging, immediately he changed his unusual pessimistic altitude.

It came to my head that we cousins mostly have reached an age got to watch out for cholesterol and sugar intake, healthy foods were carefully prepared for the feast. I thought of rarely prepared meats and exclusive sweet things were used to pamper those little those nieces and nephews yet something amazingly common they were more keen to share, though they actually hardly or even never met each others yet unexpected they all retreated quietly nesting in a bedroom reading their comics, I realized that these days foods have actually becoming well-pampered youngsters' secondary interest.

My grandma used to make us memorized a Wong family old poem in foochow with treats when we were young, I think this poem has greatly influenced our Wong's family care and love spirits amongst each and everyone through generations.

Six Leaves Poem

Six leaves germinated all at once and grew together;

Never due to separation caused misunderstanding;

Every reunion everyone would again get older;

Hardly remained chances for brotherhood.

Though cousins got the blood-tied but not their counterparts, somehow for the "male cousin and cousins-in-law" they grew fond of each others through beers and wines but for the "female cousins and cousin-in-law" we all grew fond of each others through after party "dabao" of vegetables, herbs or fruits from the garden; luckily I prepared only the exclusive crusines, so those "dabaos" actually would never turn into real doggie bags!

Specially appreciate my cousin Yellow Ant, new "cousin-in-law " Winston and aunty Alice's assistance to make this family gathering a meaningful one.

Now I am looking forward for Christmas dinner cum family gathering of 2010!




My cousin back from eastern Europe surprised to find out Dill Officinalis thrive well in my garden

This chili padi to replace Christmas flowers "poinsettia"

Cilandro seedlings grew on time for the Christmas feast Persian salad, brinning and garnishing, so hard to find cilandro in Kuching. I bought the Holland peak soil (a bag of RM40+) finally I saw the seeds germinated.

Passion fruits never made it for Christmas but will be for tiger Chinese New Year. I am still waiting for a fully ripen passion fruits, I think it will take two months from flowers to mature fruits.

Well camauflaged fruits are protected from pests.

Drinks for the family gathering

Fruits from Money Tai Tai dad's old home garden

Everyone especially loved these mangis inside a super big paper box from Money Tai Tai dad's old home garden

Niece and Nephew's favorite EE Yellow Ant with uncle Winston with Money Tai Tai's Christmas tree

Nieces with Christmas tree

All nieces and nephews nesting to read comics in a toys infested bedroom

Good Communication System for a City
That's why a city grows slowly when its communication system is bad?

Written by Mrs. Money

I always wondered how a small city with less than half a million people could cost such a jam in certain intersection areas within certain hours of a day.

Should the white elephant paramount buildings not build? Instead those kind of money should be used wisely for upgrading the roads?

Oops... I forgotten there is such a group of people in the city who didn't realise there is such a thing called "traffic jam", because there would be sirens on to warn us commoners to bug off by stopping next to the road side in order to let those cars with + or C signs to pass first.

I thought I saw many + or C signs? But after I rubbed my eyes twice, I saw the RR signs, so I gave them the longest finger after those RRs because I was angry in my old small car (instantly my car became a junk compared to those RR cars) and I was delayed in the jammed to send off one of my kids for tuition.

An hour later, I saw those RR cars were stopping somewhere near a vast green patch.

"Mom, what are you looking at?" My little kid asked, "aren't you bringing me to learn T-off today?"

"No! I just realize that we are not classy enough to learn T-off anymore. You are not born with a diamond spoon in your mouth and you not gonna ended up a "commoner" right? Prestige kids were born with golden bucket full of diamonds, they don't need to study hard but just by playing and travelling all over the world yet they could never finish spending those inheritants, but you were born with an empty plastic bucket, even you have talents in making money and skills to climb up social status, yet you have to work harder than anyone else besides some lucks have to drop down from the sky. You can't play and travel to have money still rolling in your piggy bank but you have to work like a donkey still to exchange for those kinds of prestige and it will not be paralleled still because you are not born with a blue blood! Got it?! Let's go home to study, as the chance you will become a somebody 20 years later will be higher than you buy lotto." I hissed.

My little four year old girl stared at me quietly with half understanding of lecture variations between rich and poor.

"Hey, this is called life in semi-monarchy country, understand?"

I hardly saw new, nice and luxury cars around town during rush hours. This reminded me of Mexico!

Really commoners are becoming so poor, aimless and desperate?

I couldn't believe my eyes as there were so many motorcycles during rush hours too!

Like China after revolution?


Whether a rainny or sunny day but both got jammed and jam!

Variations of Salad

Written by Mrs. Money

Cucumber Dills Salad

Cucumber cut into cubes, a handful of chopped dills, add yogurt and salt

Persian Salad

This Persian salad will be the best salad for BBQ.

Cut cucumber and tomatoes into cubes, add in salt, chopped onions, handfull of chopped cilandro and lemon juice (optional: olive)

To Verify Basil Seedlings and Its Plants

Written by Mrs. Money

When you sowed the basil seeds, some other weeds would germinate along with your basil seeds. When I first grew basils I was always confused weeds that would look almost the same like basil seedlings.

In between there were physalis minima seedlings and basil seedings, can you tell the different?

After weeding, this corner of the patch here left only two basil seedlings

This is not a basil plant, this is a weed which looks very similar to basil and worst still these weeds love to thrive amongst basils too! If you are not good in identifying between weeds and basils, what you do is to smell their leaves, basils got nice smell but weeds got only green smell!

The weed looks very similar to a basil plant but got no smell

This is a weed not a basil plant, can you believe "evolution happened" or "mutation happened" for theseweeds that thrived next to basils?!

This is the basil plant that got nice smell when you walk near it

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