CNY Festivities & Goodies

I've skipped a few CNY and having this opportunity with family and friends in my hometown this year was awesome. There were gatherings to attend, food to relish and drinks to down. Memories to reminisc, for sure. Photos speak a thousand words and here they are.


It is the best CNY I have had in many years. Miss home, friends & those laughters!

Penang Hokkien Dialect

A friend found this information and I thought I should re-post them here. It pertains to the origin of Hokkien dialect. It's for the benefit of all of us "Tng Lang". So here they are:

It is an Ancient Imperial Language of China – 2,000 Years Ago How Did it Sound Like? (Mind you, it's no way similar to Mandarin) Has this Ancient Language Survived? Who Speaks it Today? You'll be Surprised. You have heard it. You, your parents, or grandparents may still be speaking this ancient, archaic language! Yes, it's HOKKIEN (Fujian/Minnan Hua) Hokkien is:

1. The surviving language of the Tang Dynasty (618-907AD), China 's Golden Age of Culture. Note: The Hokkien we hear today may have "evolved" from its original form 2,000 years ago, but it still retains the main elements of the Tang Dynasty Language.

2. Hokkiens are the surviving descendants of the Tang Dynasty -- When the Tang Dynasty collapsed, the people of the Tang Dynasty fled South and sought refuge in the Hokkien ( Fujian ) province. Hence, Hokkien called themselves Tng-lang (Tang Ren or People of the Tang Dynasty) instead of Hua Lang (Hua Ren).

3. Hokkien has 8 tones instead of Mandarin's 4. Linguists claim that ancient languages tend to have more complex tones.

4. Hokkien retains the ancient Chinese pronunciation of "K-sounding" endings (for instance, Hak Seng (student), Tua Ok (university), Thak Chek (read a book/study) -- the "k" sounding ending is not found in Mandarin.

5. The collection of the famous "Three Hundred Tang Dynasty Poems" sound better when recited in Hokkien/Teochew if compared to Mandarin.

6. Consider this for a moment: Today, the Hokkien Nam Yim ochestral performance still has its roots in ancient Tang dynasty music. Here's the proof: The formation of today Nam Yim ensemble is typically seen in ancient Tang dynasty paintings of musicians.

More Astonishingly: Although not genetically-related, Hokkiens, Koreans and Japanese share many similar words (which are different from Mandarin). That's because Hokkien was the official language of the powerful Tang Dynasty whose influence and language spread to Japan and Korea (just like Latin – where many words were borrowed by the English, French, Italian, etc).

	Hokkien	Korean	Japanese
News	Sin Boon	Sin Mun	Shinbun
Govt	Cheng Hu	Chong Bu
Room	Pang	Pang
Car	Chhia	Ch'a
Door	Mui/M'ng	Mun
Ticket	Ph'io	P'yo
Eternal/Forever	Eng Wan	Yong Won
Book	Chaek	Ch'ae
Flag	Ki	Ki	Ki
River	Kang	Gang/Kang
Insurance	Poh Hiam	Poh Ham
Caution	Sio Sim	Cho Sim
Demon	Moh Kui	Ma Gui
Attend/Join/Mix	Cham	Ch'am Sok
Simple	Kan Tan	Gan Dan
New world	Sin Seh Kai	Shin Sae Gae
Nation/Country	Kok Ka	Kuk Kka
Elder bro	Hya	Hyaeng
Prepare	Choon Pi	Jun Bi
Time	Si Kan	Si Kan
Emotion	Kam Tong	Kam Jong	Kanjoo
Thanks/Gratitude	Kam Sia	Kam Sa	Kansha
Marriage	Keat Hoon	Kyol Hon	Kekkon
Exercise	Oon Tong	Un Dong	Undoo
University	Tua Ok	Tae Hak	Diagaku
Safety	Aun Chuan	An Jon	An Zen
Satisfaction	Mua Chiok	Man Jok	Manzoku
Lover	Ai Lang	Ae In	Aijin
Successful	Seng Kong	Song Kong	Seikoo
Suicide	Chhiu Sat	Cha Sal	Jisatsu
Grapes	Pu Do	P'o D'o	Budoo
Improve/Progress	Chin Por	Chin Bo	Shinpo

To all 49 Million Hokkien Speakers:

Be Proud of Your Ancient Hokkien Heritage & Language! Speak it Loud and Clear. Teach Your Future Generation this Imperial Language, Less it Fades Away. Be Proud Children of the Tang Emperors.

To all Mandarin-speaking friends out there - do not look down on your other Chinese friends who do not speak Mandarin – whom you guys fondly refer to as "Bananas". In fact, they are speaking a language which is much more ancient & linguistically complicated than Mandarin.

Keep in mind that Mandarin is just:
1. A Northern Chinese dialect (heavily influenced by non Han Chinese) that was elevated to the status of National Language by Sun Yat Sen for the sake of China 's national unity.

2. Mandarin was never spoken by your proud, imperial Tang Dynasty ancestors. It was probably spoken by the Northern (Non-Han) Jurchen, Mongols and Manchu minority. Start speaking the language of your ancestors today.


It's certainly illuminated me and I hope it does for you. I'm proud of it!

Penang - No 22 on NY Times

Temple - Kek Lok SiCannons - Fort CornwalisSunrise overlooking the PortAn Old Post Box Along Upper Penang Road that is still being usedTown Hall

Penang is one of the 44 places to visit in 2009, as listed on New York Times. Being a Penangite, I am proud of it to be listed among the Top 44, let alone being placed at no 22! I had the opportunity to capture some shots in a part of the heritage city, a place that I have taken for granted.

These are some of the photos taken. How I wish to have more time.
Click here for more pics.

CNY Photos Part 2 - Friends (Happy Valentine's Day)

I have been getting some emails referring to Valentine's Day being too commercialised. It's all about expensive gifts, flowers and meals. The true meaning of this very day, I guess, has been lost in translation in this modern.

Where are those days where homemade gifts and home-cooked meals? I'm sure they are some out there who still preferred these which actually comes from within.

I thought it's befitting for me to pay tribute to my friends today. Valentine's Day is also about friendships.

Happy Valentine's Day to all my beloved friends

Here are some pics of friends taken during my recent CNY trip back to Penang:

Friends from Primary School in Kek Lok SiSwimmers (rather Ex-swimmers) @ Lee Chek'sFriends from Secondary SchoolFellow PwC'ians

CNY Photos Part 1 - Family

Continuing from my CNY post, I thought I'd post some photos after processing them.

Certainly, I would never miss the chance take plenty of pics during my trip back for CNY with my family and friends. These are moments that I will cherish for as long as I live and having them captured would allow us to travel back in time.

So, here are some of my family members that I managed to "stop the time":

Pics of my friends to come in the next post.

CNY in Sg

As usual, I made a stopover in Singapore on my way back from Penang. There is no direct flight to and fro from Penang and it's certainly better (safer) to stop by Changi rather than KLIA which is known to have luggages ransacked. It's more convenient to travel around in Singapore too with effective and reliable public transportations.

I met up with a couple of my uni friends and spend the only night in Singapore chatting with my aunt til around 2am. Sunday's lunch was over at aunt's neighbour's apartment where I relished so much of the food. Some dishes I miss so much since the departure of my grandma are assam fish and the prawns in thick curry (similar to grandma's style).

In fact, mom and I (as well as cousins on different ocassion) spoke just few days ago during my Pg trip about grandma's dishes like stir fried french beans (or kui tao), friend egg with onions (tua chang jian nui), soya pork (tao eu bak), mor qua char, jiu hu char (more like bang quang), tao chiao hu (fish), steamed eggs with pork (thim nui), her fried rice with thick soya sauce and tu tor th'ng (soup). These are my favourites of which my grandma did manage to cook for me some of them in July 2001 during my semester break. She passed on 3 months thereafter. It was nostalgic just to talk about it among us, the cousins. There were enthusiasm as well as sadness in us who had helped grandma in some ways during her cooking.

Anyway aunties, uncle, cousins and I had dinner in a restaurant in the airport before sending me off in T3. Looking back the 9-day trip, I did have a very good trip though I did miss Pai Thnee Kong on the 8th night of CNY and will miss the very last night of CNY, Chap Goh Meh this coming Monday!

CNY with Family and Close Friends in Penang

My short trip back to Pg passed by in a blink and now I'm back working. Although the trip was short, I have attained more in that one week than my other short trip back. Staying up til way past midnight not having to worry about getting up early was a norm. However, I did not get more opportunities for my favourite hawker food this time around since most were closed due to CNY.

To me, CNY is about getting together and catching up with family and close friends. These I managed to accomplish albeit a handful of friends whom I just was not able to fit into my schedule. It started off on the eve of CNY when we had our usual reunion dinner with family members in E&O Hotel. In the past, my late grandma used to cook in large portions of various dishes. I missed her dishes. Thereafter, I was picked up by my primary schoolmate (whose wife was my classmate) to join other primary school's classmates to their annual Kek Lok Si Temple visit. It's my first time though this bunch has been doing it since secondary school (of which I did not study there). Certainly, it was a great opportunity to catch up with them.

On the first day of CNY after having buffet lunch, I joined my uncles, aunties and cousins visiting our relatives whom I rarely meet in the last few years. This took almost the entire day and I was too tired to head out again at night or scour for food. Instead stayed home and had the pastries before knocking off.

Again after missing out the past 2 years' visit, a handful of us dropped by our swim coach's place to "pai ni". As usual, aunty cooked her noodles for us and many just couldn't resist the sambal too! Though some did mention that they will visit Lee Chek, they did not turn up. It was just the usual bunch of us with a few surprises. Was I disappointed? No, I wasn't since it was a planned gathering but more of visiting Lee Chek whom many respect. We adjourned to Uncle Sunny's place while Lee Chek might have gone to the racecourse (perhaps much later). Getting the chance to meet Uncle Sunny, Aunty Renee, Adrian and Andrew after so many years was great. It was followed by dropping by the Chans' who were my neighbours and used to be driven to the pool by aunty. I regard them more like my brother and sisters. As for dinner, it's bbq over at another swimmer's house who informed us in the morning. She got back from Hong Kong and was recently married too.

3rd day (Wed) commenced with an informal gathering of SMHK Year 1997. It was a smaller turnout compared to previous years according to some. It's certainly better than no one at all. There were 2 other friends who brought along their SLR. They suggested to have a shoot in the city on Friday morning which I couln't commit until later on. After the lunch and subsequent coffee, I headed off to shop for a netbook for mom but shops were closed. It was such a coincident that I bumped into another 2 friends, one of whom was too a swimmer (sure I won't forget you, Ah Mah since now I have a few pics of you....LOL). Next, it was a late dinner with a few friends whom we used to work together. I was about to skip dinner but somehow this other friend too hadn't had her dinner. So, off we went to Vintage Bulgarian for dinner and some beer while at it. I continued my DVD til late night after the outing. In between, mom and I chatted a fair bit too til around 4am. In fact, Monday night was the only night I slept early at 11pm. The remaining nights were earliest 1am with the latest being 4.30pm!

Thurs was spent with mom shopping for a netbook within the budget but it was either too far away (in case technical assistance/replacement was required in my absence) or no stock available for the model I was looking at. So, it was an empty attempt but getting the chance to spend more time with my mom tops it all. Later, I dropped by my cousin's place. My nieces, Emily and Valerie (whom I didn't meet before) have certainly grown up. Of course, pics of them were taken. I left to have dinner with another school friend who couldn't make it to the gathering on Wed due to work commitments.

On my last day in Penang, I got up early to join my 2 friends in the city for a casual shoot. Knowing the fact that they have SLR, I shared some ideas with them on better using the cameras. It was nice to be able to do so. After Hokkien Mee for breakfast, I left to pick my mom up to visit a temple as well as lunch (herbal chicken soup and Jawa mee). Thereafter, we stopped by my favourite shop to purchase "tambun pneah" but I was disappointed that none was available!!! :( Packing was inevitable and after gotten it almost done. I managed to catch up with my uncle who lives in Toronto for a short while. I left for my aunt's ballet academy to do an informal shoot of her students upon her request. I wasn't able to do it in my prior trips. It was an experience.

I planned way before my trip to watch this movie, Red Cliff Part 2. It was great that this friend agreed to accompany me though she hasn't watched the first part. She picked me up after her rushed dinner over at her aunt's. We were late for the show for some reasons (you know who you are and what happened! LOL). I should have driven her new car while she wasn't able to catch me doing it but too bad I didn't. What a wasted opportunity! Certainly, we both enjoyed the movie which was based on historical accounts. I am glad I got to watch this movie on the very last night in Penang.

It was a memorable trip, tiring but worthwhile stay in Penang. My gratitudes go to those who made the very effort to spend time with me. Truest friendships are forever and I'll definitely cherish them.

Gong Xi Fa Chai

It's still Chinese New Year of which is celebrated for 15 days. I missed once again the "Pai Thnee Kong" night on the 8th night and will miss again the Chap Goh Meh.

Seditious & Racial Issues - WHY

In the past 2 weeks, there have been lots of "discussions" on the racial remarks by this one stupid UMNO-putra, Ahmad Pissmail with other 13 Penang UMNO Division chiefs. Problem is he is unwilling to apologise and still asked the other parties to apologise instead. He is either too proud or having a much-lesser-than-bird's brain. I'm leaning towards the latter for his kampung attitude. First world facilities, Third world mentality just rings right.

WHY are we Malaysian Chinese (pun intended) who should be considered as EQUAL Malaysians are called squatters/lodgers (in this Pissmail's words - Pendatang)?

WHY our PM Bodohwi had the "tidak apa" attitude towards this remark by only stating he would advise this Pissmail not to do it again? Isn't he supposed to take disciplanary actions against this Pissmail who stirred up the racial topics?

WHY not taking him to court on Sedition Act like what the current government is doing to some of the bloggers (ie RPK etc)?

WHY the double standards being treated for this UMNO-Putra Pissmail?

WHY are the topics of Hang Tuah and Hang Jebat being removed from the Malaysian history books for the academic syllabus? Could anyone please explain this? It seems like both the legends are actually of Chinese descendent. That could the main reason why the topics vapourised from the books that were popular in my generation and those before mine.

WHAT difference is this racial topic compare to the Aparteid in South Africa decades ago?

After 51 years of independence, I am disgraced by this third world mentality in the borderless world. UMNO is still trying to play the racial cards in the Malaysian politics. I just learnt that Malaysia is the only country now that still has race-based parties, ie UMNO, MCA, MIC etc.

I do want to see some very stern actions being taken against this Pissmail shithead and his fellow supporters. Sedition Act should be the least and ISA with constant beatings should be the other extreme. I dare the PDRM to do this since RPK and other bloggers are being charged with acts that seem more beneficial to the minority few rather than in the interest of the majority public.

I doubt I am alone in this.......

oo0o

On a better note, here are some recent photos taken:





Peace out (may be piss off)........

Penang Hokkien - A Dying Dialect?

With Penang being listed as one of the UNESCO's Heritage City listing, there have been some discussion with issues pertaining to the uniqueness of Penang cultures, Penang Hokkien dialect being one of them. I have always gotten interesting feedback from friends, coursemates and colleagues that the dialect is very soothing and sweet to the ears from my conversations with fellow Penangites. These came from Singaporeans and Taiwaneses who speak Hokkien too albeit to a different tune! I found that I am able to understand their types of dialect while they struggle with our Penang Hokkien.

Having the opportunities to be in overseas, I realised that Penang Hokkien is definitely unique in its very own way. Some of the differences come from the mixing and melting of terms/objects/words with languages like Malay, English and Portugese. Perhaps the greatest influence is the Peranakan and Nyonya cultures, known as Straits Chinese.

Again, being overseas it is certainly tough finding opportunities to speak Hokkien. In fact, I have met some fellow Penangites while overseas not willing to converse the dialect. I for one prefer to converse Penang Hokkien in the presence of all Penangites and other Hokkien-speaking comrades. There are friends and relatives who are not keen in passing on this uniqueness to their children.

I have to admit that my knowledge of Penang Hokkien may not be as good as previous generations but I can say I'm much better compare to some of my peers as well as the younger generations.

One thing for sure is I can converse in Hokkien in the presence of other nationals with the confidence that they will not be able to understand "secrets", cursings and/or complains. Mandarin, English, Japanese, Spanish and Malay/Indonesian are some of the popular languages that mat sallehs could master but I can see those still looked cheery when we were cursing the shit out of them in Hokkien in their faces!

So, let us all keep Penang Hokkien dialect alive and kicking. I'm proud to be able to speak Penang Hokkien and understand its variants.

KNNMPKCCB......

LoL.....

On another note, here are some wedding pics taken in July............