Thursday, October 5, 2017

sago

Image may contain: 1 person, eating, sitting, table and food
 My first recollection of sago was the "Sago liap". Liap being small. They were small round hard compacted sago flour.

My maternal Grandpa Kong had a grocery shop and produce collection centre. Ibans come sell their rubber, and buy things from Grandpa. We saw the Ibans buy the sago liap and eat them at the shop.
We took the sago liap and ate them. They didn't taste good, hard texture and dry. They stuck in our teeth.Grandma chided us in what would now be unPC. 

Years later, Sis E went to teach in Mukah and learn from the Melanaus to eat with peanut, ikan busu aka ikan belis. All the ingredients were raw, and I couldn't stomach them. May be I was already allergic to peanuts.


Today, the Borneo Post published a photo on Sago symposium where my younger sister is involved. I wonder if Margaret was thinking of Grandpa's sago liap while she was researching it. There she is, 2nd from the left, Dr Margaret Chan.


Photo shows Sis E's grand daughter eating Bario Highlands worms similar to sago worms.

Monday, September 11, 2017

Sarawak's LIBERATION DAY.

Today is Sarawak's LIBERATION DAY.....The Japanese surrendered at Pending at about 5p.m. September 11, 1945

The Japanese Occupation had particular significance to my family.

From the onset of the occupation, the Japanese had chosen my dad to be a civilian worker, a dangerous and hated job. He was only seventeen. Mum was twelve when they came, her parents hid her from forcefully taken to be a Japanese sex slave., when she was fifteen, they reckoned it was too dangerous to hide her anymore. They sought a complete stranger to be married. They married in March 1945, and the war finished in September.

That was the way the world turned, and there won't be me.

Image may contain: 2 people




image

Monday, July 24, 2017

World War Two in Borneo

 As a writer, I struggle with self belief and self confidence. Would people read my books? It feels validated with the libraries circulate my books.


http://link.kotui.org.nz/portal/World-War-Two-in-Borneo--tales-of-my-Grandpa/KBasmRp7pzU/
Kōtui
Kōtui is a shared library management and resource discovery service available to New Zealand public libraries on subscription. The word 'kōtui' in te reo Māori means to interlace or interweave.  Read more ...
Contact Kōtui
If you'd like to learn more about the Kōtui shared library system please contact us
See some of the latest titles across Kōtui Libraries
Library Links

World War Two in Borneo : tales of my Grandpa, Ann Kit Suet Chin Chan = Di er ci she jie da zhan : wo ye ye du gu shi / Chen Jie Xue

Summary
"Fiction/non-fiction book", an account of the lives of Chinese villagers in Kwong Tung Bar under Japanese occupation during World War 2
Language
eng
Extent
199 pages
Isbn
9780473339005

Friday, May 19, 2017

grandma's slave


There is on internet a story on "My family's slave" by an Filipino American.

Here's an abstract of my grandma's slave from my book, From China to Borneo to Beyond.

The pronunciation of my Quang Ning dialect MUI ZUI, for a slave sounds like the sour plum, and MUI ZAI as a girl is different. I don't know what it is in other dialects.

It must have been 1900s when my grandmother brought her over to see her slave. The girl was very young.

My father, John remembered fondly of Grandmother’s mui zai (slave) whom he called Ah Jia, (big sister.) In fact he saw her more than he saw Grandmother. Grandmother worked in the rubber garden, the mui zai took care of him and his siblings. She did all the housework. She kindly separated the rough green husk of the sweet mung bean soup, so he would have it as a smooth watery thick soup.

There was talk that the British government in Malaya and Singapore was going to pass an emancipation of slaves, and those not releasing the slaves would be punished.

To preempt this, when this mui zai was 16, a marriageable age, Grandfather Kee Seng arranged for a suitable mate and married her off. This was much to the aghast of Grandmother. Grandmother whinged that this mui zai was paid for by her parents; therefore she was her property. This mui zai was her slave for life. Grandfather Chan had no right to sell her property. But Grandfather would not have any part of this old feudal slavery system. They married her off to someone up the Rejang River.
The emancipation law was never passed and Grandfather never heard the end of Grandmother harping on and on about it.

Some of those mui zais maintained a good relationship, coming back to the family as though they were part of the family. In many cases where they had suffered abuse from their owner and hated them; they never came back to visit. Grandmother’s mui zais never came back. Some, their new family forbidden them to. Grandmother’s mui zais never came back.

Father did meet the mui zai many years later. Father was on official duty in a school near where she was married off to. She came and was hesitant to talk to Father, now an official of the government. She wanted Father to help her grand children to get into teachers’ college. She said quietly that it wasn’t that she didn’t want to visit the Chans, it was because she was not allowed to. She had been emancipated from one family into the slavery of another. She mentioned what a good family she had grown up in, and she would rather be old and single and be a mui zai in the Chan’s home. She loved Father very much.

I wrote about my grandma's Mui Zai in my book. I also remembered my mum almost got a Mui Zai too. It was after the World War Two. My great Grand Mother didn't want my mother to work too hard. So she bought a girl slightly older than my oldest sister. My father declined and packed the girl away. My Father's rationale was at this day and age, him being a Christian should not have a Mui Zai aka slave. How could he have the conscience of having a Mui Zai who slaves away while his own daughters went to school.Ah Tai aka Great Grand Mother argued we we just pay for her in the beginning and don't have to pay her anymore. Mother said we were feeding her. We knew about this returned Mui Zai when we had to do house work. We complained and wish we still had the Mui Zai.
The prounciation of my Quang Ning dialect MUI Zai, for a slave sounds like the sour plum, and MUI ZAI as a girl is different.


My parents had 6 girls, MOI ZAI SEE (bloody useless girls) as my Bodai (maternal grandma) would call us. She said, if we were in China, I would be sold off as a slave. I was the third girl. So would all subsequent girls. She also said my Dad had a Father-in-law look.

Wednesday, April 26, 2017

The people's school


The people's school.

People's/Citizen school, Koong Ming/Citizen School is connected to the Chans and the Kongs. My grandfathers on both sides raised money to build the school. They served on the school board. My cousin Kong Chek King is the secretary of the Board of Management.
In 2013, we went to visit the school, and the principal explained the financial situation of the school. Last year, I read a write-up about him attending funerals to raise fund for the school.
THE headmaster of Citizen Secondary School of REjang River has passed away last Friday 75yrs old Hii Sui Chung
He worked as a headmaster n gardener ĺn general worker every day without pay really very great







Image may contain: 13 people, people standing

Image may contain: tree, plant, sky, bridge, grass, outdoor and nature

http://www.thestar.com.my/news/nation/2015/10/25/raising-funds-from-the-dead-a-headmaster-works-tirelessly-to-get-money-to-ensure-his-school-stays-af/

Tuesday, February 28, 2017

Bario Highlands , buffalo

The Kelabits, inhabitants of the Bario Highlands fought against the Japanese. During the rainy season, the buffalo is the best mode of transport.

Friday, February 10, 2017

volunteering vigilante,

I read my friend's 7 dot , 8 dot post with a chuckle.
During the communist disturbance, the government imposed a volunteering vigilante, I am sure your Uncle CC Chang was a 7 dot, together with my Dad, they had to guard the police station and Queensway. One day, there was a double up, and the soldier in charge thought he was doing my Dad a favour by telling him guard the police station, you will be safe and winked he could sleep. While the others walked Queensway. Without thinking, my Dad agreed.
But later, he said, he almost wet his pants. The communists could easily bomb the police station. Those guarding Queensway walked in a row. Soldiers in front, and soldiers at the back. The 7 dot 8 dot officers tried to stay away from the soldiers. They reasoned, that the communist snipers would shoot the soldiers only. My grand dad who was sleepless the whole night lamented, why my son has 7 dots, 8 dots, only to be killed by the Communists.

Thursday, February 9, 2017

Dad, the volunteer vigilante

https://www.facebook.com/sukasukisuku3s/videos/1614095351941778/

This looks like a recording of early 1970s when they were fighting the communists in Sibu. My Dad almost 50 was recruited as a volunteer vigilante with other senior government officers. The funniest anecdote was they never taught him to fire a rifle properly. They just gave him a gun. When the gun recoiled, it hit his shoulder. My mother had to apply sloan liniment on him. Jokingly scolding, old Ah Pek aka old man still be AH PING KO aka young soldier.

Going back to the World War II, my dad was chosen by the Japanese soldiers to be a Japanese Civilian worker.

Tuesday, January 17, 2017

Ching Ming Rites aka Grave visitation





From what I know from my grand dad, at least the Quang Liang people, there is a communal altar, where generally every family would bring extra food. These are the family less souls, or those who died without burial who have become Kuai Zais aka homeless ghosts. (Guess who ends up eating them? The grave construction workers.) 

My Ah Kung was baptised, we went to visit the grave with white candles and flowers, but we also bought some oranges for us while we were there. Ah Kung told us eat throw some peels and orange segments around the tomb. This is done in the hope that the Kuai Zai won't come inside the tomb area and snatch the food. 

For many years before my Ah Kung died, the clan had bought a hill for their cemetery, and we had Ah Kung's tomb prepared. Every Ching Ming aka grave visiting day, he took us there. He told us, when I am alive, if you guys don't go, needless to say, after I had died.