The blog address is http://paintedmoonblack.blogspot.com/
This person commented on Mr Ng KC and me...and is definitely from SABS!
Who are you? Show yourself....haha
And others please help me....and join the Calvin Holmes Investigation mysteries number one!
This is an exciting adventure to be embark!
P.S. Dearest anonymous...Please don't spoil the surprise too...drop some clues and comments here in this entry...
清明时节雨纷纷
路上行人欲断魂
借问酒家何处有
牧童遥指杏花村
qīng míng shí jié yǔ fēn fēn
lù shàng xíng rén yù duàn hún
jiè wèn jiǔ jiā hé chù yǒu
mù tóng yáo zhǐ xìng huā cūn
[English translation]
The picture quality...*ahem*...quite bad I know, still trying to master low light photography...but at least it stills convey the gloominess.
Qing Ming Festival or Ching Beng as we called it in Malaysia is something I've never truly experienced before. Being raised in a Christian family, I am always confused why my parents can go Qing Ming and I was not allowed. I was small and perhaps I can't climb the "mountain". Maybe it was because of the horrifying thoughts of actually visiting a CEMETERY - you'd know...white paper flying around in the mist with sorrowful cries of mourners or the dead themselves? And then I had dreams of my grandfather pulling my legs into the altar (my old house had an ancestral worship altar). Oh, it's horrifying!
But as I matured, I wondered why they called it Qing Ming - Clear Brightness Festival? Mind my direct translation. Then, I stumbled across Wikipedia which has other more relevant translations - All Souls Day, Festival for Tending Graves, Grave Sweeping Day, Chinese Memorial Day, Tomb Sweeping Day, Spring Remembrance. Nevertheless, the direct translation - Clear Brightness Day was on the TITLE. An even more awkward description was "Its name denotes a time for people to go outside and enjoy the greenery of springtime"! Well that was my perspective of "weird"...
Even though I know many Christians debate about whether going to Ching Beng is an all right thing, my conscience was not against it. I don't mean to stumble anyone, but to me it's more like a more formal TOMB VISITATION. Bring some flowers. Anyway, not to offend my "atheistic-dunno-what-religion-or-superstitious" relatives, I helped carry the interesting box of hell-money and food which I don't think they'll eat or use. And off I went to my father's side grandfather tomb in Benta, my hometown. I was quite excited as I don't know what's the whole thing there going to be or there'll be shamans shouting. Inside my dad's Mahindra, everything looks dark and outside too. It's 6.30 am anyway. Nothing to fear.
Gloomy, get the FEEL?
We were the first ones to arrive as the place looks lonely and I felt just like the poem. Misty, dark, lonely, only that lonely lampost, cries of banshees? We walked and walked past the big sign which reads "Benta Cemetery Mountain" and walked some more. Luckily it was not some loggers road but cemented ground, but it's steep! Glad my grandfather's tomb was near the road and all the bushes are cleared by my uncle earlier. I placed down all the heavy stuff and flowers. I looked around. Gloomy. I wondered it must be lonely for the ancestors to stay here. I snapped some photos, not hoping and hoping to catch "something". It was not taboo in my family anyway, in fact they encouraged me to documentasi-kan all the processes and admonished me once for not taking a picture of an important process. Battery died, stupid me didn't charged!
Then people start coming. I was with my dad, my eldest uncle, 2nd youngest uncle and my siblings. My mum, my youngest uncle and his eldest son, and my 2nd youngest uncle's wife came later with another car. Oh dear, it's hard enough to tell you my relatives calling terms, but wait till you study Chinese. It's even more confusing! Anyway, shall start the thing soon and this year I guessed grandfather is happy that so many people come and visit him. (not it, they don't just ceased!)
The Fatt Kou and miscelleneous...
Joysticks, thick red candles and some cups were laid out. And my favourite, specially spongy Fatt Kou (or Prosperity Cakes, ain't sure translation is correct). My family did not participated in the ritual of "ancestral worship", just watched. To me, it's like talking or telling things to those deceased. Mine is via Jesus, theirs through the tombstone. Then my uncles told all sorts of things to him. Today many of his children and grandchildren visited him, brought him lots of "money", one of his grandchildren got 13 A1's and yakity-yakity yak yak... then a bow.
Joysticks again...wondered why are they called "joy"sticks. My uncles went to poke them on the ground behind the tombstone. Then I was wondering whether now it should be "joys ticks" on grandfather for poking on him or "joy sticks" to him. I was not a very good boy and dislike him badly when I was small. I disliked him all because of a strand of mein fan kou...stupid me! Small kids after all... Then dad told stories of my grandfather, then the more interests I grew in him. However, during the next holiday in 1998, I went back to hometown to eagerly meet him. I saw him, but did not talk. The next morning, the whole house was sad. I looked at my dad and asked what happened. "Grandpa," said dad, "...you know what happened..." Mr Yong held his tears. And so went the 7 days procession...
Back to 2008, joysticks again. I loved combustion and carbonizing stuff. So all the burning of papers and "money"was jolly exciting to me. First I threw the white and yellow papers and tried to stick one on the joysticks, uncle says can give more luck or A's...Anyway, out of fun, I threw them, none got stucked, who needs anymore A's anyway I thought. Ahahaha, then the burning starts. Open burning! Burn 1000, no, 1 million notes of hell-money! Then there are clothes, shoes and mahjong! Oh, so funny...burning frenzy!
Throwing papers competition!
Oh, my legs, bare and naked legs....so close..."Come closer, Gong Gong want to talk to YOU!!!"
Then I tried throwing more money into the fire and OUCH! My legs touches on one of the joysticks. Innocent looking but there's the small cunning glow. My dad warned me about this before. I though I was too clever to get into this trouble. Then my uncle said it was grandpa asking you questions. Oh now, joy really sticks, or joys ticks! "Must thank grandpa for blessing", he said. Some of you might think I thought this"Hey, he burned me! And all the SPM results are my OWN hardwork!". It did cross my mind and with the so-called "Christian anti-ancestor" sentiments, you'd sure did make a good guess. Well, weirdly, I thought again...
First of all, Christianity isn't a faith that teaches you to rebel against your family, or against ancestors. So that means being a Christian, you don't hate your non-Christian parents, relatives or friends. The only thing is that God wants us to focus our Him, our Creator, instead of your ancestors who are His creations too, for help and dependence on Him. So I don't believe in ancestral worship. But in a sense, grandpa did give a blessing indirectly in my SPM results. If he did not choose to marry and bear a child called Yong Sau Peng, and Yong Sau Peng did not marry Ho Yoke May, if they both choose not to have a child called Calvin Yong... those thirteen A1's belongs to some one not ME! And not to forget the petrol, the books, the electricity, the food that was invested in my SPM. So my hardwork is just my part of contribution which cannot stand by itself. Without grandpa raising such a good child called Yong Sau Peng and allowed him to further studies and became a teacher, I wouldn't be who I am. Thank you grandpa for just being grandpa...
And thoughts after thoughts came. The more I watch my surrounding, the more merrier it became. People came for picnic and enjoy the joys of combustioning, burning tonnes of paper which I don't know set how many trees on fire. Some brought paper handbags imitations of branded names. Some burned paper Mercedes. Some burned a motorcycle. Computers (Windows Vista perhaps?) and whatever treasures and pleasures were sent to hell. Hell bank notes after all denotes it's being send to hell right? I even burned a Kepong Fashion T-shirt to grandpa which reminds me of Kah Peng...hehe. I don't really understand what's the meaning behind all this. Buddhists believed in reincarnation, so how they know their ancestors is still in hell? Why they think they are in hell, not heaven? Maybe, I can't see it from their perspective.
One of the Kepong Fashion shirt....LOL, Kah Peng's pride as in Bak Kut Teh? Perhaps he'll say it's from Klang...
I read from Ting Yee's blog:
HAPPY CHENG BENG EVERYONE!!!! for those that havn visited their ancestors in ages, go back! they miss you!!!
Happy? Sure it's happy. Miss you? Definitely, even from a Christian perspective. [Luke 16:19-31] What Ting Yee said in a sense was true, but perhaps missing a little. I was wondering why people is so merry when their loved ones went to hell? Why they cared for them when only when they are dead? Why buy all those stuff like Mercedes only after they are dead? I am not saying they did not care, but of them seems to be like that.
We should honour our parents, no doubt, it's in the Ten Commandments too. But when? With what intentions? After they left us and we can send them cheaper paper Mercedes and can send numerically larger hell bank notes? Try to please them by offering a lot of money and expecting a large hit on 4D in return? Stop being kedekut and self-centred... don't care you are Christians or Buddhists or Ancestral Worshippers. "Picnic"? Have "fun" tomb-sweeping? Qing Ming is for your enjoyment or their remembrance? You think your ancestors are pleased with such attitude? Or even yourselves when you are Down There? Hard questions, but please seriously give it a thought. I don't have the exact answers, it depends on your situation...
For me I'd rather burn real Ringgit Malaysia to them if I'm a Buddhist. I'd rather work hard to provide a better living for them while they are living. My parents can't drive Mercedes anyway. I'll treat them well with nothing to expect from them. Do it NOW when they are living. Send them money when they are still here in need, not when they are Down There and when it's not sure whether combustion brings your paper money Down There and whether they can use it if they receive it. Think about it. Sending them to old folks home is just as same as sending off to cemetery. I lost my grandpa when I don't appreciate him. Perhaps the joystick was a reminder and punishment from him or Him...
My cousin brother...the HEART matters most right?
After the Clear Brightness Festival, my feelings was not any clearer. My dad and my sis and I went to pick some reddish saga seeds (xiang si dou, Love Seeds) near my hometown. There were some at the cemetery too. But such seeds reminded me of a saga seed which I picked was heart shaped and which I lost. Perhaps the feeling is Clear Brightness now, I missed sowing seeds of love in my grandpa's heart...
树欲静而风不止，子欲养而亲不待
The tree wanted to be still but the wind wouldn't stop,
the child wanted to care but the Cared couldn't wait.
Here's the pic of that bird.
Later my dad came to the rescue and gave it some water to drink from my dad's artificial pond. Then it gave some poo on my dad's hand...so ungrateful! and later it pooed AGAIN! This time caught red-handed on camera by me.
But actually the weird pooing was a bad sign. Later when it was brought to the table and left to rest. It really slept...and slept forever! It died. I don't know whatever the reason was. Nature was cruel. Maybe it was its mum did not fed it and it started venturing, maybe its sibling kicked it out or maybe it was the greenish possibly still chlorinated water gave by my dad or maybe it was me who handle it without care. Whatever the reasons, it died.
Many birds came to my house and they died. They mistaken the glass window as the forest. One bang, doesn't matter it flew all the way from China, it was killed by it. Isn't life all too fragile? We buried that one between one of the trees in my garden. I had another encounter too at my old house. That burial preparation was rather too much...flowers and coffin and a CROSS! The procession was mournful even though I knew not the bird for a long time. It's just a sparrow...nothing much nothing less, but still a LIFE and I treasure it.
Luke 12:6-7
Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies? Yet not one of them is forgotten by God. Indeed, the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Don't be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.
This verse is so comforting. I am His and He is mine. He will protect me through all times and revive me with Living Water...
Here is a song to share from Hillsong United:
CameTo My Rescue
Falling on my knees in worship
Giving all I am to seek Your face
Lord all I am is is Yours
My whole life
I place in Your hands
God of mercy
Humbled I bow down
In your presence at Your throne
I called You answered
And You came to my rescue and I
I wanna be where You are
In my life be lifted high
In our world be lifted high
In our love be lifted high
Too emo...Let the pictures do the talking...
The table where we once enjoyed potluck breakfast when we were Form 3 before starting to eat in class at 5Sc1 during recess...oops...hope no discipline teacher reads this...No, it's authorised site to eat as we have to "jaga" the kelas of thieves...hehe!
The same old bawah pokok where almost all koko meetings are held...PBSM, Science and Maths and Koir. Ah, one more Sidang Redaksi meeting when I couldn't figure out a location to take our eccentric group photo...
The wide field which I hated so much at one time. All the hari latihan sukan which really is just running, but I'm glad the teachers did gave me chance to throw a javelin and to lompat kijang. Even though, as usual, this un-sporty guy did not do well, the exposure was rather fun. By the way, Pn Rohana is a good sportswomen in her younger days and continues to be... Thanks, my dearest form teacher!
The school front compound...all too yellow for the Golden Jubilee Celebration...and argh those trees blocking the view, just like it makes my badminton shuttles stuck in its branches and provides branches for birds to poo right in the middle of my head TWICE!!!
View of the field from the library block. Couldn't find Pn Norlela to help her entering book information into comp, so start shooting pictures.
Tapak Perhimpunan - the place where a lot of memories come, fond but mostly not fond... never ending speeches on Monday, kawat and lining up on Wednesday for Perhimpunan Koko and the every form Perhimpunan, where pengawas need to stand and where teachers sit facing the Sun, scoldings after scoldings which result in nothing but the announcement of Bible Knowledge being the only subject in SABS SPM 2007 with the astounding achievement of 100% A1 was a great event. Praise the LORD!!!
Now leaving school, will miss all my teachers and friends, young and old, all my AJKs and the wondrous time in PBSM. All the people I met and experience gained here will never be forgotten. SABS will hold a special place in my heart and undoubtedly till forever.
P.S. Thanks to those who greeted and ask how I was doing. Never thought people still remembered me. Guess I did have my contributions after all besides being Mr Yong's Son.
Email Instruction...
Please do this and send it back. It isn't hard, and apparently, it's great when you start to get people's answers back. Okay, here's what you're supposed to do...and try not to be LAME and spoil the fun. Copy (not Forward) this entire e-mail and paste it onto a new e-mail that you will send. Change all of the answers so that they apply to you. Then, send this to a whole bunch of people you know *INCLUDING* the person who sent it to you. The theory is that you will learn a lot of little known facts about your friends. It is fun and easy.
1. Time of starting this? 9.21 pm
2. Were you named after anyone? John Calvin...that Protestant Reformer with Huldreich Zwingli...haha, i score history in rbs better than spm.
3. Do you wish on stars? Nope...though I like astronomy....got telescope...advanced eh? dad 1....dun ask me price
4. When did you last cry? During rbs
5. Do you like your handwriting? I likie my chinese calligraphy writing, though i dislike studying it at times
6. What is your favourite meat? Chicken
7. What is your most embarrassing CD on your shelf? I don't have CD's on shelf....
8. If you were another person, would YOU be friends with you? I think so...
9. Are you a daredevil? Yes, I love challenges....spm proves it...and doing the Lord's work too
10. Have you ever told a secret you swore not to tell? I don't like keeping secrets and swearing...
11. How do you release anger? Angry face with angry tone? still trying to control it yong sir's dad genes ....so go far far away if i'm angry...can eat you up and become fatter...hehe
12. Where is your second home? Church, good old Kuantan Chapel
13. Do you trust others easily? Yes and no, experience tells me I can't trust fully
14. What was your favourite toy as a child? LEGO and my tiger soft toy and big ladybird soft toy
15. What class in school do you think is totally useless? PJ....even Moral is better than that...lazy teachers with big fat tummies asking you to run hundred rounds while he goyang perut.
16. Do you use sarcasm a lot? Very good at it....but don't use it at everyone...so if i'm new with you...dun be scared, but old friends a lot of wounds 1...
17. Have you ever been in a mosh pit? I havent been to a rock concert though I like Hillsong United.
18. What do you look for in a guy/girl? A caring Christian...height doesn't matter...hehe...i will bend low and talk to you or stand in the longkang.
19. Would you bungee jump? Scary, but yes.
20. Do you untie your shoes when you take them off? Of course, if not how to take my big leg out of small shoe?
21. What's your favourite ice cream flavour? Chocolate and vanilla
22. What are your favourite colours? Dark colours....blue, black and red especially...
23. What is your least favourite thing? my prehistoric handphone sms alert tone....weird noise
24. How many people do you have a crush on right now? None.
25. What do you miss most right now? RBS friends. And YOU GUYS!!! =)
26. What colour underwear are you wearing? [delete-lah]
27. What are you listening to right now? To Know Your Name by Hillsong and Amazing Grace by Chris Tomlin
29. What is the weather like right now? cool at night
30. Last person you talked to on the phone? My new found Kuantan Christian friend, Chek Ming who encouraged me alot...
31. What's the first thing you notice of the opposite sex? Nothing...
32. Do you like the person who sent you this? yup...
33. How are you today? Great!
34. Favourite drink? 7-Up
35. Favourite alcoholic drink? Shandy with lemon flavour of 1% alcohol
36. Natural hair colour? Black
37. Eye colour? Black.
38. Wear contacts? Nope. Specs are cooler...
39. Siblings? two "evil" ones....check my other post on my blog
40. Favourite month? Used to be December coz it's holiday, but now all months seemed the same.
41. Favourite food? Mashed potato...must KFC one
42. Last movie you watched? Enchanted....pretty old lerr...dun go cinema too often
43. Favourite day of the year? Birthday....
44. Have you ever been too shy to ask someone out? Yes
45. Scary movies or happy endings? Happy endings
46. Summer or winter? winter...malaysia too hot...want SNOW!!! more SNOW!!!
47. Hugs or kisses? Both
48. What book/magazine are you reading? Finding Faith: A search for what is real.... and the Chronicles of Narnia
49. What's on your mouse pad? I don't have mousepad
50. What did you watch on TV last night? No watch tv last night...chat online better...
51. Do you regret ever breaking up with someone? Yes, friends...
51. Favourite actor/actress? Don't practise favouritism (even when using Internet, I bookmark them, Internet Explorer hater)
52. Favourite Smell? fresh and refreshing morning air and FOOD!
53. Who is most likely to respond? those who checked their mail and found a lot people sending to them.
54. Who is least likely to respond? those think this is unimportant.
55. Time of finishing? forget dy...
Do you want your friends to write back? Better write back....or else!!!! hehe, take your own sweet time and don't reply if you don't think me as friend... (equally stern warning rite?)
P.S. This is an edited version of the email i sent... the email wasn't complete as I copied someone's email who wasn't complete.
However, don't know what freaky thing happened - with me and my sister's nagging (even my sworn-never-go-and-eat-at-Secret-Recipe dad persuaded my mum over her hesitation to buy cakes from there), we bought 6 pieces of RM 6.30 different flavours of cakes from SECRET RECIPE...which amounted to RM 39.10 inclusive of tax...
Miracle or not...Secret Recipe managed to seduced us in...but pretty glad to get a miracle or seduction of so...coz in the Yongs such miracles are rare!
Done away with Secret Recipe as God's blessings....hehe, Thank You God! Note: Okay, I don't mean becoming Christians mean you get Secret Recipe as your blessing... but it proves that Christian can eat Secret Recipe, totally Christian halal...just don't turn it to the sin of gluttony...
Anyway, it was a great time photographing and eating it...
Happy birthday Mummy
and belated Happy Birthday to Lydia my sister
and congratulations to me for scoring well in SPM!
...studying hard for a RM 6.30 slice of cake still worth it I guess...LOL
the real nature of my sister...
This is a post of my childhood...and how it was DESTROYED...
by the 1995 born Nemesis...my "beloved" brother...
And thanks James (the Jamesy from RBS) for doing this to the kong tau chai!
Pictures coming soon to your nearest blog...this one lah!
Disclaimer: I and my bro are still in good relationship though...just a teaser for him and for the sake of posting something at my blog... coz really BORING!!! and boring enough to start a fight with this...online blog fight!
Just take the time to explore the wonderful unthinkable possibilities God has installed for you!
P.S. Congratulations Ji Hong, you did well to prove Chinese students can still get A1 in both Chinese Literature and Chinese Language...and the awesome straight A1's...You are our glory...all our friends sure sokong you one!!!
