........ The roaring year of the Tiger

This is our "yee sang" session.

Yours Sincerely ( Y S ) and his family made the annual pilgrimage back to Kelantan again without fail every lunar new year for the past 30 plus years. Ever since he was posted to Alor Setar, Kedah, he only missed two trips. One was when the elder daughter was down with chicken pox and another was when Y S' younger brother and family celebrated the 2007 Mouse Lunar year in K Lumpur. Y S has his younger brother and wife to thank for ever willing to open their home for them. When the parents have passed over, many a family is disintegrated. Each cares for itself. It takes a good, responsible and loving sibling to hold the family members together.

God knows, how Y S missed his mum. For when she was alive, she tried very hard to make us and the grandchildren very happy every lunar new year. She went out of her way to prepare our favourite food and stock up chewiest tit-bits. Strangely Y S did not miss all these goodies because mum's legacy lives in Y S' younger brother's wife. She stocked up the freshest sea food, cooked Y S' favourite food, and sourced out the tastiest tit-bits for us to enjoy. Not many would walk that extra mile. She is a rare gem. She is one in a million.

So, the lunar new year of the Tiger was ushered in peacefully with lots of food and more food on the first, second and third day. Not to mention the crunchy tit-bits.

Y S was bonded, felt connected and ready to face the challenges of the lunar new year.

If you take the bull year by the horns, you have to ride the tiger in the Tiger Year !!!

... of celebrations and the victims

Marinated ducks are left out to dry under the steamy hot February sun outside a restaurant, off Jalan Putra, Alor Star, three feet above a badly clogged drain. Fancy the biting heat keeps the voracious flies at bay but surely not the dust from the road from peppering the ducks. They are dripped dry before being roasted. By New Year Eve, the roasted ducks would be nicely chopped up and dressed with salads and cucumbers on a huge plate to be savored and devoured with chilly sauce by the celebrants.

Like turkeys to the Americans on Thanksgiving, roasted ducks are to the Chinese for the New Lunar Year. Come to think of it, the human race is ritualistic. Celebrations must go along with animals being sacrificed for food.

Yours Sincerely ( Y S ) is making a pilgrimage, as usual, back to his roots in Kelantan. We must never forget our roots and " the source of the water from where we drink. "


These ares not all the ducks. There are lots more. My lens cannot accommodate. So many ducks become the victims while we celebrate.

May you have a R O A R I N G lunar new year !

Keep busy with life. It is for the living only.

...... of itinerant entertainers

( The itinerant entertainers have upgraded their performances with backdrop, costumes, a bit of choreography and music. Y S saw this at Jaya Jusco, Butterworth while on a shopping outing with a friend. This is also a ploy by the malls these days to attract shoppers. )

When Yours sincerely ( Y S ) was very much younger, very many years ago, the itinerant roadside entertainers had their hey day. Those days were without televisions or electricity. So, the entertainment provided by these itinerant roadside stars was a rare treat which the small town folks looked forward to.

Besides the occasional propaganda cum entertainment provided by the " Jabatan Penerangan Negara " or the National Information Department. Y S always enjoyed the Red Indian and cowboy films screened by the Jabatan's Landrover at the town field. And when the Calvary started to charge into the Red Indian camp, the whole audience applauded wildly. The screening would then stop for a short intermission. The government propagandists took over and announced the latest policy etc. Then the screening resumed. A good way to communicate messages.

The arrival of the itinerant entertainers was announced by boomings of gongs , drums and clashings of cymbals. With battery operated P A system, the entertainers called out to the town folks through the horn speakers. Soon, the site would be crowded. Some older uncles and aunties went with their low stools and tit bits to munch. The performance area was demarcated by white powder and the whole place was lit up with several kerosene pressured lamps.

A variety of entertainments was offered from time to time. They ranged from magic shows, balancing act, contortionist act, simple and crude comedy sketches, animal shows ( usually with, pythons, monkeys and an occasionally bears. ) to the demonstration of strength. This used to be the most popular and the star was a body builder commonly called " Lim Tai Soon." (Wonder what becomes of him?) He was able to bend several metal rods with the softest part of his body, the part just below his Adam's Apple. Gruesome !!!

Before he commenced his show, volunteers were called out to check the metal rods. He would swear by his parents and grandparents that the rods were real metals and that no magic was used. Then, the rods were snuggedly placed in position, below his Adam's Apple, by four burly assistants cum trainees who would push the rods against Lim Tai Soon. With an energetic yell, Lim arched his body and thrusted himself against his assistants, and the rods were bent U shaped amidst loud applause from the spectators.

Another popular act was where several feet of iron chain was heated until it was red hot. Then waterwas pored over it to produce the " Chaaaiiiiirrrrr" sound and a profusion of hot smokes. Then it was reheated until the iron was glowing red again. With loud yells, Lim used it to whip his back again and again until there were visible signs of burnt. The sympathetic spectators would grant and moan with each whipping stroke. Lim stopped his act and assured his spectators that he had a remedy to his burnts.

Instantaneously he produced his aphrodisiacs, ointments, balms, herbal concoctions, plasters and talismans to introduce to the spectators. His assistants hurriedly treated his wounds and burnts with his ointments and balms. He would also swallow several of his herbal pills and tablets which he claimed would remove "internal" injury from his body.

More gongs, drums and cymbals. The assistants went round to promote the medicines. Lots queries were made. Lots of explanations given. Lots of money and goods exchanged hands.

The uncles and aunties showed signs of calling it a night but Lim enticed and promised them with a finale of the night which they must never missed. The promise managed to hold on the crowd from dispersing. More sales were made.

Then Lim would give his final performance. This time a four metre phython was released from its confinement. With one hand Lim held it up to show to the crowd. He would pretend to thrust the python to the spectators who would cringe, squeal and scream. Then he curled the creature round his body and all the time he held the creature's head tightly with his right hand. The creature tightened itself around Lim and he pretended to suffocate. The spectators gasped. Then, with all his strength he freed himself from the creature's grip and held up the creature with both his hands. The crowd clapped and clapped. He called for volunteers to repeat the act. Of course, no one dared.

The show ended. But, Lim was still available for consultation. The uncles and aunties with rheumatism, indigestion, flatulence, muscles aches, joint pains, old injuries etc etc etc queued up for free consultation. There was always a treatment for any complaint. So, they somehow ended up buying some medication.

Those were the days.



This is Lydia, Y S' student cum best friend's daughter. She loves the stage.


The whipping Act was too loud for Lydia. She had to close her ears.


The balancing act was being performed.

Take a walk around the mall. You might stumble upon some entertainments.

.... of travelling

" The Travellar" or rather " The Modern Travellar " in Oviedo, Spain.

Yours Sincerely ( Y S ) is always amazed by the history of great explorers who left the familiarity, security and comfort of their homes, mansions, castles, palaces and country to venture out into the unknown " terra incognito." Y S means the brave and heroic individuals who charted new courses and made history , certainly not those were sponsored by the Kings and Queens or the State, or closer to home, those who tag along as paying tourists on tax payers' monies . These exceptional individuals, Marco Polo among them, left their familiar horizon and coast lines , without any Travel Insurance, and not knowing whether they would return or not, or return in one piece !

Where do these steps lead to? Some are not curious at all.

Travelling is for those with the sojourning spirit. To some venturing out of the confines of the four walls is rather intimidating and daunting, not to mention the change of routines and rituals. Life to them must as predictable as the sun will rise tomorrow. The usual comments :-

"Oh... I can't sleep on unfamiliar bed."
" Uuooo... .., I can't stand the air-conditioner."
" Eeeee .....I need by Dutch pillow."
" Waaaa..... I can't move my bowels on strange toilet."
" Eeeee .... I'm not use to ( Fill in by yourself any country) food."
" Uuuooo....I have no one to feed the dogs and cats !"
" Eeeee...... it is dangerous.... got suicide bombers or not... "
" Uuuooo...... I'll miss my Korean series on TV."
" Oh...I have irritable bowels."
" Errr. do they serve " sambal belacan" there? ........... and the list continues.

Y S cooks up a travel-phobia terminology "The Caveman Syndrome." Way back during the Stone Age, the caveman lived in a cave with his "cavewife" and perhaps "cavekids." He only went out to hunt in the space he had carved out which was within "dawn to dusk " traveling distance, what we say " day trip" today . He must not go too far or intrude into another caveman's domain . To provide for the family he ventured out when the sun had risen and darkness faded away. He could then see clearly and this arrested all his fear.

Mr caveman must come back to the cave at dusk or before sunset, not because Mrs "cavewife" would get upset, suspicious or dejected, and not because he had no karaokes, clubs or pubs to drop in to socialise with the boys. He feared attacks by wild marauding animals or evil spirits lurking in odd shaped stone, boulders, branches, and twigs. Mr "Caveman" has to go home and sleep in his cage day in and day out, venturing far from the cave is out of the question. This was his daily routine.

So, Travel-Phobis " Caveman Syndrone" is the reluctance to travel and to see the sun rises and sets on other continents. This reluctance rests on unfounded fears, urban tales, unreasonable wishes ( like getting "sambal belacan" in New York or eating "Bak Kut Teh" in Bahrin or Cairo. ) , self imposed commitments ( "I have to save for old age, in case I need surgery.) and a host of what could be thought of. It is morbid to think that some save up for a life time just waiting to pay the doctor.

Live before life expires.

Some only start to live after being diagnosed with a serious illness. Then, they want to eat this and that. They go on this and that diet. They start their exercise programme. They look for this and that lost siblings. They want to travel here and there. They fight hard to regain the lost time and opportunities, and to live as much as possible on the borrowed time.

All mortals come with a battery each like the clocks on our walls. But, unlike the battery in the clock, ours is IRREPLACEABLE.

Seize the day. Decide to be happy. Live to the hilt.