The Way We LOOKED

Yet again a new year approaches. One year older, more hair loss, wrinkles appearing...... aah, what we will give to turn the clock back.

Fret not, there's always the memories.........misty coloured memories of the way we looked (with appologies to Barbra Streisand)

Merry Christmas !!

Amidst financial and global turmoils; while many may be wondering our future; wondering if things will get better or worse, it is good that at least once a year, we get to celebrate the 25th of December. For Christians around the world can remember this day, the birth of Christ, a Saviour born. Something to be thankful for that's bigger than our daily lives.
During this time, let's just reflect and be thankful for the things that we have, the blessings we've been given, the loved ones with us.
God Bless you and have a very Merry Christmas!!

ROOTS

The month of November had been particularly strange for me, genealogy wise that is.

First, out of the blue, a gentleman by the name Eric Djie (Chee/Xu) contacted me to enquire whether I am one of the Malacca [I prefer the old spelling :)] Chees. Eric is half Chinese/half Dutch currently residing in Xiamen, Fujian Province. Then later in the month, David Ong from Singapore emailed me about the Cheongs. His mother is a Cheong from the Singapore line of the Cheong Koh Boon family of Malacca, of which I am a descendant.

It was certainly a boost for my ongoing family tree project.

All this aside, after several exchange of emails David and I confirmed that we had met ech other at Uncle Harry's wake 11 years ago, 4th. December 1997. David was a dear friend of Uncle Harry. He wrote a poem to read as his eulogy at Uncle Harry's mass. Yesterday he gave me a copy.

While writing this blog, I realised that today (4/12/08) is the eleventh anniversary of our dear Uncle Harry's passing on. I thought it would be appropriate to publish David's poem here -

“MY DEAR UNCLE HARRY……”

“I thank my God whenever I think of you.” (Philippians 1:3)


My dear Uncle Harry,
I was so sorry to hear today
That you had died yesterday.
It was only last night
Fancy, only last night,
That I had taken out
That chunky gold and diamond ring
You had passed on to me.
And I had then reminisced on those
Wonderful old times we had shared
With Bobby and Robert
And everyone else
All those many years ago.

My dear Uncle Harry,
I remember the last time we met
At mass at St Peter & Paul
You said you were really so sorry
My Papa was so terribly ill
And you gave your kind regards
And good wishes
For his speedy recovery.
Instead, it was my Papa who called me today,
To tell me that you had died.

My dear Uncle Harry,
Of course you know
That we shall all miss you
And our endless banter
At the little booknook
At St Peter & Paul
Always in the Peranakan patois
Always about all sorts of nonsense
And funny jibes and stories that
We all laughed to tears about
Before and after mass
At St Peter and Paul.

My dear Uncle Harry,
We are all so very sorry
You’ve had to leave us so soon.
But then, we should not despair
Because ”the trumpet shall sound
And the dead shall be raised
Incorruptible
And we shall all be changed”.

Therefore, dear Uncle Harry,
What more can we say?
That you have not laboured in vain?
That you have now put on immortality?
That the corruptible has put on incorruption?
Goodbye then, Uncle Harry.
Adieu to you
‘Til we meet again
And laugh and banter together
Once more.

Fare thee well my dear Uncle Harry
My Brother, My friend
Fare thee well my dear Uncle Harry.
“O DEATH, WHERE IS YOUR STING?
O GRAVE, WHERE IS YOUR VICTORY?”


David Ong
5 December 1997

(Dedicated to and in Loving Memory of Mr. Harry Chi)