There is really something to be said about working – last week, 2 days into my break, a flu threatened. I fought it off, but it has come back today, with a vengeance. For the first time in almost 2 years, I feel really under the weather. Miserable flu… I thig I bight just go to bed…
“So, I commend the enjoyment of life.” (From the Bible – really. Eccl 8:15)
Apparently, beer is making a bit of a comeback in the land of the Rising Sun – I never realised it was in the retreat. Asahi has always been a crisp dry beer that I enjoyed very much. Anyway, good to know. Cheers.
“So, I commend the enjoyment of life.” (From the Bible – really. Eccl 8:15)
The English Premier League has started again. In Malaysia, this meant a get together at the clubhouse and a sort of anticipation (or more aptly these days, hope) of another forray to England or Europe to catch one of United’s games. Alas, these days, I dont event get to watch every game I want to anymore. Yet another cost for leaving Malaysia for these shores, where football is only now gaining currency (it has recently been called “football”, as opposed to “Soccer”).
United came away with a thumping 5-0 whack over Fulham, with Rooney the star, again. His being in-tune with Ronaldo was a relief to see. It’s also good to see Scholesy in action again.
Chelski also had a good win, 3-0 over City. It was good however, to read the following line from The Independent report:
“Jose Mourinho’s team still exterminate the small fry and some of the football played in Roman Abramovich’s Chelsea revolution still has much the same appeal as a summer holiday in Siberia.” It also had the following to say about Ballack:
“…makes you wonder where Ballack fits into a midfield that looked a lot more coherent than in the 25 minutes he played at the Millennium Stadium last week. The injured midfielder was presented to a rapturous crowd at half-time and perhaps there was a subliminal message in the rogue pitch sprinkler that soaked him: not everyone here can see a role for the captain of Germany.”
Well there IS a role for Ballack being in Chelski – it is to deny other EPL teams from getting him. Essien, the superb midfielder, was heading for United until Kenyon and his Russian Mafia shanghaied him…
If only I can find some mates to watch these games with…
“So, I commend the enjoyment of life.” (From the Bible – really. Eccl 8:15)
Aug 15 was when I left Sharrock Pitman Legal. We had a breakfast, as a firm, on that morning. David can be a gracious employer at such times, and was. I must say I did not expect this in any way at all. Mid way through the breakfast (at the favourite SPL brekky haunt, Shine), he presented me with a very good bottle of red (a Penfolds 2001 St Henri’s Shiraz) and a weighty coffee table book, “Speeches That Shaped A Modern World” (with considerable Australian bent, of course). It is now just over a week since I left and I can still close my eyes and see, through the blinds of sharing window in my room, David lumbering along the corridors, from his room into the reception area where either Heidi or Lynette would be typing out his dictated work. Otherwise, I see Lynette outside my room, at the door, asking about this account or that file. Or, I could still hear Tim speaking patiently and interminably, on the telephone to some very unusual client (typically family law client). Or, Cordelia or Andre’s laugh. Liz has left less impression, but probably because I had worked with her for a shorter period of time.
One phase of my new life in Melbourne is now past. I cant say it is a phase I would like to return to but it was, nevertheless, a phase which had given me a rich experience.
Last night was my grandmother’s 88th birthday. What a grand old woman she is. I have written about her in this blog before and when I think of her, I realise what I have written is but a tiny representation of what a character she truly is. I often wish my father had taken on more of both of my grandparents’ traits.
On Saturday, kiddo had a “Tournament of the Minds” event at the Swinburne Tech Uni campus at Hawthorn. It started at 8.30 am so it was an earlier than usual start to a Saturday. It was one of several reasons why I am still here instead of being in Klang, and celebrating my grandmother’s birthday with everyone there. That’s one pain a migrant goes through – torn between the needs of the my own family here and those of my extended family in my hometown. It has been a busy week for both Theresa and kiddo and it was therefore a bad time for me to go away and leave them alone here.
We did have a great time yesterday though – after church in the morning, we took kiddo to a Malaysian diner where they served (on every 3rd Sunday of the month) great Hainanese Chicken Rice, which kiddo proclaimed a great dish. Theresa had her usual char koay teow and I had my “special laksa” (with yong tau foo). Usually after a full and late lunch like that we dont have dinner and yesterday was no different, a more-active-than-usual afternoon notwithstanding. After lunch, we headed for Jells Park as it was a gloriously sunny 19-degree afternoon. We walked quite a bit, had ice cream, then came home where I washed the car and Theresa did some gardening.
I now wonder what the next few weeks hold for me – if I should return to work sooner or if I would still get to visit mom and dad in Klang. Next few weeks would remain busy for kiddo and Theresa, so I would just leave things to God – am now learning to live in peace, leaving things in His mighty hands.
“So, I commend the enjoyment of life.” (From the Bible – really. Eccl 8:15)
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“So, I commend the enjoyment of life.” (From the Bible – really. Eccl 8:15)
After my regular Saturday morning run (actually now that I’ve referred to my Sat morning runs as my “regular” run, I half suspect I would not be able to do it in the next few weeks, for whatever reason…), I came home and then drove to the city to meet an old friend.
He was actually a sort of a boss in a previous workplace. He was the director of the Bank which I was the legal guy of. He was given a nickname to suggest his spicy ways (sexual, yes) but he was otherwise a terrific guy. His “spicy” ways raised a bit of a storm when it was simmering away, maybe, say, 8 years ago now.
I met him at his apartment on Lonsdale Street. He said he has just sold it, albeit at what must have been a tidy sum. We then proceeded to have lunch at a nearby Chinese restaurant on Little Bourke and right through, there was an uncomfortable, near courteous mood between his wife and him (in contrast with the guy from Klang – see previous entry – who was very cordial and playful with his wife). Maybe it had to do with his years in Hong Kong but then again I know a number of couples from Hong Kong who do not display such serious dispositions. Never mind, we had a reasonably good time catching up and I hope he now gets to rebuild his relationships with his wife and kids. His young daughter was with us (Kiddo came along with me) and that is always good.
We came back around 1pm, I sent kiddo to her Math class (she just started this), then I started on my household chores. Then just a few minutes ago, I went through the AMRC crap (see a previous entry), the one involving 2 huge banks in Malaysia caught up in the wake of corrupt Malaysia of the ninetires. The Statement of Defence had to be commented on with the promise of an uncomfortable conference call between the legal department of one of the banks and their external lawyer (sort of a drinking kaki back in KL).
It has been that kind of a weekend, but my mind remains on the issue of family, forgiveness and long term relationships.
“So, I commend the enjoyment of life.” (From the Bible – really. Eccl 8:15)
Someone visited me in the office a couple of days ago. He was an old friend of my ex-boss in KL, and knew many of my mates in Klang. He dropped in together with another Klang gentleman, who was an old friend of my father in law and who has been living here for many years. We talked a little, he was planning to invest in some properties here and he looked like a very nice guy. Apparently well connected (politically) and has therefore made it business wise (he was in the construction business). Yesterday, he called and invited the family to a dinner in a restaurant nearby.
Last night we had dinner with this new acquaintance and it made for a relaxing evening as I didn’t have to cook and also, it took my mind off the unhappy events in Klang. Strangely, this fellow didn’t drink, which was unusual for a construction guy. So the 2 bottles of very good red was untouched and the one bottle which my father-in-law’s old friend brought was finished between him and I. We went home just in time for the start of “24” so I only telephone my brother again around 10.30pm (8.30pm in Malaysia) but he must have left his phone on silent mode because he did not pick it up.
This morning, as I tried to imagine what the funeral conditions would be like, I prayed for peace. A funeral can be such an emotionally wrecking experience and given the circumstances of my uncle’s passing, it is potentially very gut wrenching. So I prayed several times, through the course of the morning, that the peace of God would descend on that place. Somehow.
I really should be there with the family. This is the most difficult part of emigrating.
This morning as I listened to the news for the situation in Lebanon, news of the efforts by the Australian government to evacuate Aussies continued to flow through. It turned out that a majority of Aussies who are there actually live there. Lebanon apparently allows dual citizenship so many Lebanese came over to Australia, got their citizenship, and returned to Lebanon to live. Few are there on holidays – they either lived there or were there to visit their uncles, aunties and cousins. They are in a position I would love to be in, that’s for sure.
Earlier this afternoon, I had a client who talked about spending time with the family. He’s a 45 year old Greek man – big fellow but so very family man. He talked about his very old parents in such an endearing manner. It’s amazing the sort of people God sends my way…
“So, I commend the enjoyment of life.” (From the Bible – really. Eccl 8:15)
Life is beautiful. Life also sucks. Big time. My father has been sick. I worry about him. I also worry, even more, about my mother. She has had a tough life. When she first married my father, she went and lived with my father’s family, which was pretty big. All of my uncles were still in school and my mother had to start the day earlier than everyone else, rising early to ensure a full cooked breakfast was served to everyone who wanted one. She felt lonely in a big household and my father travelled often in his work as a salesman of my grandfather’s business. She also had full responsibility for the upkeep of the whole household etc. etc. Like I said, she had it tough. We only moved out of the big house when I was maybe 6 or 7.
Financially, my father never made it. Mom had to baby-sit for various families to ensure bills were paid and food was served. I know first hand the financial difficulties she has had to bear, to carry the family through.
Her baby-sitting meant interrupted sleep was a norm and her health was never optimum as the stress of caring for young children stayed with her for years. I say again – she had a tough life.
I have an uncle who was a gem of a person. His generosity, his kindness and his sense of humour were enduring traits which made me cry last night as I went to sleep. And again this morning. He died yesterday. I think he died a broken man. His wife abandoned him a number of years ago, his children ignored him and it was my mother and another auntie (my mother’s elder sister – my “tua yee”) who has been looking after this uncle for the past few years. He has not been well. He needed a lot of care and my mother and tua-yee tended to him. When they found him struggling for dear life yesterday and then find themselves having to deal with his death without his children around, it became too much for them. My mother was distraught. Life has been hard on my mother.
Last night as I thought about these things – about this uncle and his sufferings, and about my mother and her hard life, I found it hard to not to cry. I was sombre and in a dark mood as I prepared dinner last night, and this morning, much as I didn’t feel like going for my run, I made myself go and took it out on the treadmill, pounding hard. When I came back, I found my daughter going about her usual routines, except she was doing all those things on her own, unprompted. She was being an angel and I thought wifey may have had a word with her. It only cemented the knowledge of how much family meant or should mean in one’s life. We need to find it within ourselves, almost at all cost, to make peace, to build bridges, to show love and to love, where family is concerned. No one should go to his grave thinking his family abandoned him. I think my uncle did, and I still cant get my head around that.
I have my issues with my father. Yet recently, I have had this urge to see him, to tell him that I DO love him, that I want him to be happy. With the events of the past 2 days, that urge has strengthened. I now want to see him as well as my mother, and just to spend time with the both of them. For the first time in years (maybe even ever), I have begun missing my parents. I want to get things right with them. I want a relationship with them which would give both they and myself, peace when it is time for either of them, or myself, to leave this world. That would be beautiful. Not having that would make life suck. Big time.
“So, I commend the enjoyment of life.” (From the Bible – really. Eccl 8:15)
For as long as I can remember, my father is hard of hearing. We had to speak loudly to him. He was otherwise a healthy man and often demonstrated tremendous physical strength in his ability to lift things. In the past few years however, his health has deteriorated badly. Before I left Malaysia, he has had one minor heart attack and one sudden and severe loss of mobility.
In the 2-3 months before we left Malaysia, over several dinners with the family after which they adjourned to my house for drinks, I spoke to him, along with my mother and brother, about our decision to leave Malaysia. He remained silent when I told him, and I wasn’t sure about what he was thinking. Now however, I don’t know if it even registered in his mind that we were leaving permanently. Maybe he thought we were only going away for a holiday.
In the past 2-3 weeks, I have been exchanging emails with my brother. My father is now very ill. He is no longer independent and requires care as he can no longer care for himself. I never expected this. He is only 68 this year. It should be at least 10 years more before he reaches his present state of health.
Suddenly I want to be with him again, to talk to him, and to listen to him.
“So, I commend the enjoyment of life.” (From the Bible – really. Eccl 8:15)
Ante 