My brother, Woon Ping

I remembered vaguely one day while I was still in school. My neighbour came to school to get me. So that we could visit my mom who was hospitalised. I didn't remember the details. All I knew was my mom lost her baby thru a miscarriage. A baby boy. My only brother.

I remembered my mom crying and my dad consoling her. Then she got better, the doctor discharged from the hospital. My mom got on with life, and went about doing things she loved doing most. At that time, my 3rd auntie just had a baby. My uncle and aunt asked my dad for a good Chinese name for their son. My dad gave them the name which was intended for my brother.

My cousin was named Wong Woon Ping. But because his dialect was Cantonese, the chinese words for Woon Ping became Mun Pun.

I grew up knowing this since young. For many years, I doted on my 'adopted' brother, Woon Ping. I would spend all my weekends with him. As we stayed in different homes. My dad would drive me to his place at Chuan Hoe Avenue. We became inseparable. Almost like blood siblings. I adored him alot. We would watch Tom and Jerry or Bugs Bunny together, eat our meals together. We played together and I would tell him stories all the time.

Woon Ping would tell me everything..more than what he would share with his mother. When he did well in school, I was the first to know. If he failed his mathematics paper, I would come and rescue him from my aunt, who would be waving a cane at him.

We were so close that we are often mistaken as siblings rather than cousins. He would address me as Second Sister. Because my elder sister was Big Sister.

I remembered when he first met his one true love, he would ring me and tell me about it. And he told his girl friend about me. I was worried that she would mistook our unusual relationship.

When my daughters were born, Woon Ping adored them the same way I did with him. He would spend time with my eldest daughter, Natasha. He would tell her stories and make her laugh.

Now Woon Ping is all grown up..and a father to 2 young boys. But when I looked at him, his boyish nature still shines thru. And I remembered him always as that little boy I carried on my back for many years. A game that only Woon Ping and I shared..I was to be his horse because he wanted to be a knight in shiny armour.

Thanks to Woon Ping or Mun Pun as he is called now..for those wonderful and most cherished memories of my childhood.

This picture shows my mom carrying Woon Ping..

little gifts from little hands

I started my 2 daughters young. To learn to make gifts for friends and familly. I remember when I was at their age, I did the same too. But it wasn't my mom who taught me to do them. The tradition starts from me. As years past, my younger cousins follow suit. Here are some of the things they have made.

Natasha made these for Teacher's day for Sunday school


Melody did this for Auntie Cindy from Sunday School


Melody made these herself when she was 5 years old. For her teachers in kindergarten




I will need to find all the others which my cousins made for me on my birthday and post them later

Young Bonnie and Clyde

I used to love to watch old movies with my dad. There was one movie I loved as a young child called "Bonnie and Clyde" played by Warren Beatty and Faye Dunaway. Bonnie and Clyde are real life people who turn out to be bank robbers. But Hollywood made it more of a sweet funny romance, drama movie than anything else.

Since my blog is about things of old..here's my version of young Bonnie and Clyde.








young Bonnie was me, back in the late 1960s with my cousin, Hwee who was a year younger than me. We grew up together. Playing all kind of stuff. Hwee was much into swords and guns. So I grew up more tomboy-ish than anything else. I was never into Barbie dolls.

What a surprise!

Noelle was my cousin's little girl. When she turn 1 year old, her mother ordered a Hello Kitty birthday cake for her. I think this was some years back. Noelle is now in kindergarten. As usual, the parents took photos of their kids. But I like to take candid photos instead. Here's some I took and later compiled for the family. It was funny..read the little captions of text I wrote for each photo.

Nature at her very best

Last week, we went to Cameron Highlands. And visited the rose gardens, vegetable farms, bee farm and also ate fresh fruits, vegetables. Here are some of the breath-taking shots from outside our hotel room's window.

At 8am, morning mist is starting to clear up.




By mid day, mist is gone.








We visited a vegetable farm. Here's the patch for cabbage


And these are a row of cherry tomatoes



And passion fruits, still green.


**side note**
I have to put a watermark to all my photos now. As I start seeing my own photos in other's blog claiming it as theirs! I have also seen my photos being use in some cafe or eating places in Singapore. Without asking for permission to use them.

I love to HUG, anyone, anything?

Jing Jing, our sheltie puppy, is fond of hugging something to sleep. Last night, I managed to capture this on my digital camera.

seen here, she is hugging a chair and resting her head on the legs of the chair...





and this was taken a few months ago...she is hugging the computer table.



And this is her favourite toy : Franklin the tortoise

Gifts from little hearts

My 2 daughters, Natasha and Melody made chocolates filled with butterscotch. And had it wrapped in gold foil paper. I helped them to mould a chocolate wood log and assembled this for them to give to my sister.



and I re did the cake I made for my sister..to give it a more leather skin look-alike..

Gifts from the heart

My sister will turn 50 years next Wednesday, 5th September. The family decided to host a party for her today. My sister lived a simple life as a child. She never had presents or gifts. Or been to expensive places to dine. When she got married, she went to Hong Kong for her honeymoon just to save money. She wanted to go to faraway lands like Paris or USA but never got the chance.

She is 6 years my senior(okay, now you know how young I am!). I remembered our first Christmas together. We were still staying in that tiny 3 room flat at Circuit Road at Macpherson estate. I was still a kid back then. I think I was only 4 ot 5 years old. My sister would scrimp and save all her pocket money from school and bought some sugared peanuts, a handful of sweets and we lit one candle to celebrate our first Christmas together.

Then she taught me to sing a Christmas song. And that was "We wish you a Merry Christmas". After that, she said a prayer to give thanks for the sweets we are going to have. Then she told me to look up to the skies that night. And we should be able to see a big star hung up in the dark night. She said the star is God looking down on us. So if we have been misbehaving, He would know.

Its no surprise that I believed every word she said. I was still young and impressionable back then.

We didn't leave one candy behind. As they are barely enough for the two of us. We didn't have any presents to open for Christmas. Because we couldn't afford any.

But one thing my sister told me back then was this :

"It is the wishes of good things you want to give someone counts better then what you can afford to buy."

So she told me what she wanted to give me. A doll for me. And I told her I cannot think of anything she would want to have. And she said, "be a good girl"

Years ago she told me about a 3D handbag cake that she saw from an online cake order shop. I told myself back then that one day I will make one for her.

I hope she likes this cake I have baked and sculpted for her birthday today








Thank you Winnie..for all the wonderful years of being there for me, for loving me and caring for me all this time. And a very happy birthday to you too. And wishing you many more to come.

Love..Ting