Walking with Daddy

I've always been Daddy's girl.  Since his passing in May 2022, I've tried many ways to keep his memory alive for myself.  One of my favourite pilgrimages is to go for a walk in Georgetown, Penang. Drawing on his stories, I love re-tracing the steps he would have taken from home to school.

The walk starts at Beach Road Fire Station, where my dad lived with his family.  My grandfather was the chief mechanic and driver of the longest fire engine in Penang in the 1950's.  He was a dedicated fireman who died in his uniform, from a heart attack at the prime age of 50.

Kapitan Kling mosque street is lined with money changers and nasi kandar stalls.  This is where my dad used to stop for his daily breakfast. Ten cents for a plate of nasi kandar and fish curry.  If the mamak was feeling generous, he would throw in a piece of beef for free.  Which my dad technically was not allowed to eat, coming from a Buddhist family.  But he whacked it anyway!

The Goddess of Mercy temple is where my grandmother offered prayers on festival days.  Built in 1728, this 300-year old temple is the oldest Buddhist temple in Penang.  The centuries-old tree in the courtyard of the temple would have rustled its leaves as my dad ran past it every day on the way to and from school.

The back of Assumption Church hosted many of my dad's infamous fights, including one which almost got him expelled from school.  The losing opponent reported my dad to his brother who was a teacher.  When called to the Principal's office, my dad produced a signed contract with two signatures stating that both boys had agreed to a friendly match to test their boxing skills.  Case closed.  

St Xavier's Institution is the seat of my dad's happiest childhood memories and achievements.  The street urchin found his calling in the athletic fields as a 110-yard hurdle champion training under Jimmy Boyle, one of Malaysia's most beloved composers, who also happened to be dad's athletics teacher.  He also spent many happy days as a Boy Scout, which provided an excellent foundation for his career as a soldier in the Malaysian Army. He was a proud Xavieran till his dying day.

A tourist in Penang

The best thing about taking a career break is that you can really relax and enjoy your travels, even to familiar destinations that you've been countless times. That's what happened to me in Penang - where my parents have lived for almost 20 years.

Catching up with Selina Rogers at China House in Georgetown

It was such a treat to meet up with Selina Rogers, a BBGS classmate who now resides in Penang. We haven't seen each other since the mid '80s and when she offered to show me a side of Penang that I rarely get to experience, I jumped at the chance.  It was a welcome change to enjoy a dinner in the salubrious surroundings of China House, instead of the usual hawker stalls. Thanks so much for your hospitality, Selina!

We started at Armenian Street, which has become an iconic tourist destination thanks to the wall murals by Ernest Zacharevic, a Lithuanian artist who has captured the cheeky charm of local Penangites so well. "Little Children on a Bicycle" is a delightful art installation to be enjoyed by locals and tourists alike. 

There are so many interesting facades to the shops and clan houses in Georgetown, and I really should slow down to enjoy all that's on offer in my own backyard more often.

Double Birthday Celebrations

We've been blessed with double birthday celebrations this year.  Both my parents turned 70 - hearty, healthy and happy - and we thank God for His amazing goodness.  They celebrated these milestones with family and close friends by hosting two Chinese banquet dinners in Penang.

 Daddy and his "not-so little girl" at his birthday dinner in January 2013

Mummy celebrating her 70th birthday with the entire Yeoh clan and church friends in December 2013

I love Durians

Can you imagine driving 350kms from Singapore to KL, resting a night, then driving another 400kms to Penang to stay a mere 48 hours? What would possess Aunty Jo Jo to do something as manic as that? DURIANS of course!

Its durian season in Penang and I had to be there for my ang heh (red prawn) and D24! Yumms..

And of course, I got to spend some time with Mum & Dad too! :-)

Backwaters of Penang

On the second day of Chinese New Year, in the last few years, my family heads to Gertak Sanggul, which is located on the southeastern tip of Penang island. It is the home of Ah Huat, my cousin who is also my god-brother. He makes it a point to return from Kelantan with his family to celebrate CNY with the entire clan.

Before dinner, I will always make a trip down to the beach and walk along the weather-beaten jetty to enjoy the glorious sunsets.

Fishing boats along Gertak Sanggul, which was one of the areas devastated by the Christmas tsunami of 2004

My little princesses

I've been a proud godmother to a pair of beautiful twin girls for almost five years now, and I never tire of them calling me "Mama Jojo"! On a recent trip back to KL, we trooped off to a modern photo studio at the Gardens Mid Valley for a photo shoot.

The girls were so excited when they saw the princess dresses and couldn't help parading in them. Here's a series of photos starring Kiersten as Beauty, Katelynn as Cinderella and Mama Jojo as the (what else!) Fairy Godmother!

Catching up with the Family

In April 1994, I graduated from university and started my career with Arthur Andersen Business Consulting. In a tiny office nestled among the immigration offices of Plaza Damansara, I met a group of people with whom I've been friends for over 16 years. Never again have I met another bunch of colleagues who are so united in spirit and laughter and so supportive on the career and personal front. We're known as The Family.

Since then, we've all moved on to different companies, careers and even countries but take every opportunity to stay in touch, thanks to Facebook and celebrations. We met up again during one of my recent KL weekend stopovers.

Family reunited to celebrate 16 years of friendship

We met for Sunday brunch at Delicious Cafe in the upscale enclave of Bangsar Village.

Representing the"seesters": Lee Lee, Manjit and Joanna
Representing the "braders": Rajen and Deva
Missing in Action: Li Ki and Yee Siew Meng

Pretty seesters all in a row...oops...sorry Deva!

The words and laughs came fast and furious as we traded stories and updates about members of the family. From work to romance to kids, no detail was spared from the relentless curiosity of all present. The chemistry is still alive and kicking and the 3 hours whizzed by leaving me on a high. A big thank you to Lee Lee for organising and can't wait to catch up again!

This and that...

It's been six months since my mid-career break started and I'm still loving it! The time has been devoted to resting the body and spirit, and developing personal interests. I'm supposed to have written a book by now, but hey...all these blog posts count for something don't they?

Spent most of April - June travelling. July/Aug was devoted to the Back2BBGS mega reunion at the Pavilion. For most of August & September, I've started to meet headhunters and attend interviews. Am getting close to deciding on a role - a regional OD & LD position - with a start date yet to be determined.

O yes...I also attended an Anthony Robbins "Unleash the Power Within" program and walked on white-hot coals....and that was the easy part! Started eating more healthily, exercising regularly and breathing properly so watch out world ;-)

This week, I'm back in Malaysia - spending time with my parents in Penang and attending the twins' birthday party in KL. Will be back in Singapore next week and start making some decisions. So watch this space...

Reconnecting @ home

Wow...I've been back in Asia for over a month and this is my first post on Journeys. It's been a whirlwind...

Aunty Jo-Jo with Miss Yeap, her former headmistress, and friends from Class of 1987

I've actually been blogging A LOT but the Back2BBGS blog has taken centre stage because of the mega reunion we staged at the Pavilion. The six-star mall now stands on the land where my school once stood. In order to erase the bitter memories of the wrecking ball, and to replace it with happy memories of a grand reunion, we staged a black-tie event on 4 August 2009. Which is why I returned home early from the US. It was a magical event - to see all my former teachers and classmates - in the pink of health. The event generated so much buzz that I was suffering from an adrenaline hangover for almost 2 days :-)

I also attended the wedding of Agnes Long & Desmond Lim - two of my favourite Management Trainees (MTs) from Genting days. Agnes worked for me in HR and Des was one of our Hotel stars. They've both just returned from a year's working stint in the UK. It was so good to catch up with the other MTs as well: Adrienne, Jennie, Shevaun and to hear about their successful careers. O how well I remember the day when they had to go through my "Malaysian Idol" version of Assessment Centres.

And last but not least, catching up with my beautiful twin god-daughters! They've grown so much taller since I last saw them and are hyper-chatty. They are happy to entertain anyone with impromptu concerts, be it ballet or musicals. No more Do-re-mi for these young ladies, they can both sing the Any Dream Will Do score from the Joseph musical. An evening spent in their company gives me enough endorphins to last for days...

TGIF!!

Now here's a trick question...if you were planning to invite guests over for a weekend, what's the maximum number you would invite? 4? 6? 10?

Try 13! That's the total number of my colleagues who bundled into a convoy of cars and headed to Johor Baru last Friday. We were headed to the home of Kon, Julius & Lucinda - the most generous hosts in the world!

After a long tedious week, we could hardly wait to get out of the office. Even the long queue of motorists at the Woodlands checkpoint was a welcome sight. TGIF, man!

When we got to the immigration checkpoint, I realized what a diverse group we were. There were passports of myriad colours: Singaporean, Malaysian, Chinese, Indonesian, American and Brazilian. I knew then that we were going to have FUN! That's the beauty of working for a multinational company. Now, what sort of a house do you think would fit in 13 guests, 4 hosts and 4 cars? A very BIG one...that's what we found when got to our destination.

The hospitality of our hosts was astounding from the moment we stepped into the palatial living room. Fruits, cookies and murtabak awaited the hungry travellers so we plopped comfortably around the dining table and helped ourselves to the goodies. That was followed by a tour of the house, which was done in 3 shifts - did I mention the house is big?

A sumptuous dinner awaited us at a seafood restaurant and we happily polished off the plates of fish, prawns, crabs, tofu,pork and vegetables as if we hadn't eaten all day. We then proceeded back to the house for more food - this time durians, chocolates, jackfruits, wine and liquor. This strange combination caused us to tell some funny stories about bus rides, showers, comfort foods, favourite countries and potential love interests ;-)

The next morning, we were treated to an authentic Malaysian breakfast before being taken on a tour of Danga Bay, the Sultan's palace and some houses even BIGGER than our hosts'. Then it was massage time! I enjoyed a blissful 90-minute session during which I fell asleep. But some of my colleagues weren't so lucky - "painful" being the most-used word that morning.

After a lunch of fishball noodles, the girls headed for a manicure/pedicure session while the boys headed to the DVD shops. The kids (myself included) headed home to play Nintendo, tinkle on the piano and make funny faces. Thanks Lucinda and Nicole - you girls were really fun to be with and I'll post the "funny faces" story soon. When everyone got home, we all sat down and watched Slumdog Millionaire. Then, it was off to dinner (yes, more food!) and home to Singapore.

On behalf of everyone, allow me to say another big THANK YOU to Kon, Julius and Lucinda for their wonderful hospitality. We all had a wonderful time and many happy memories were made and friendships strengthened last weekend.

Echoes of history

Kuala Lumpur is where I was born and bred; it is home.

Although her history is fairly recent, there is a corner of KL that I'm very fond of. The beautiful colonial mansion is called Carcosa Seri Negara and it sits atop a hillock above the Lake Gardens. This was the home of Sir Frank Swettenham, the first British Resident of Selangor and now serves as a luxury hotel. Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip were the first guests to check in.

Every time I'm called on to show first-time visitors around KL, we always end the day with afternoon tea at Carcosa. After the hustle and bustle of Chinatown, it is such a relief to retreat into this cocoon of time-worn elegance. Sinking into the enormous rattan chairs on the veranda, while white-gloved waiters serve Earl Grey from a silver teapot and gently place a plate of fresh scones on the side; it almost feels like England. All my visitors, including the ones from England, agree.

Shona & Joanna enjoying a tour of the Merdeka Suite - where the Declaration of Independance was signed

On more than one occasion, my guests and I have been fortunate enough to be given tours of the hotel. I am especially awed by the Merdeka Suite; where Tuanku Abdul Rahman signed the Declaration of Independence in August 1957, leading to the emancipation of Malaya from colonial rule. I get goosebumps every time I walk into that room.

From the sweeping staircases to the luxurious dining rooms, elegant suites to the jasmine-scented washrooms; Carcosa reminds us romantics of a gentler time. Sigh...what a perfect setting for a wedding...maybe, one day.

Familiar faces & places

"Aunty Jo-Jo, why haven't you blogged for such a long time? Busy ah?" asked Reco, my Taiwanese friend yesterday. It was that gentle reminder that made me realise that Aunty Jo-Jo has been silent for most of December & January. Thanks Reco!

Well I have been on the road but mostly to familiar places to catch up with friends and family. Some of whom I haven't seen for a LONG time. First stop - KL. To attend Deva "The Stallion"'s wedding at JW Marriott Hotel. It was so good to catch up with the Family: ex-colleagues from my very first job at Arthur Andersen. We sat there teasing each other, imitating old bosses and laughing over the same old jokes while the spouses looked on in bewilderment. It was a pity that Li Ki & Lily couldn't join us.

Seated L-R:Connie, Yee, Manjit, Raten

Standing L -R: Sreedhar, Joanna, Rajen, Shirley

Mum's birthday celebration @ Victoria Station / Hunting down hawker food @ New Lane

I also made a stop in Penang to celebrate Mum's birthday. The birthday girl chose to dine western-style so we reserved a table at Victoria Station Steakhouse. My parents also invited their church pastor, Earnest & his wife Ee-Hui. The steaks were delicious and our conversation was lively & animated. It was a very enjoyable evening, probably because the pastor, his wife & I are around the same age so my parents had the excuse to act "young"...haha...

Also took the opportunity to make a pilgrimage to my second-favourite hawker centre in Penang: New Lane. It's right next to Sunway Hotel in the heart of Georgetown. There are dozens of stalls lighting up the night with an amazing array of Penang delights. We had our fill of curry mee, chee cheong fun, dumplings, chee chap chok and nyonya kuih...burp...

Aunty Jo-Jo with her beautiful godkids: Katelynn (pink), Kiersten (white), Jared (blue) & Justin (orange)

Then it was back to Singapore to celebrate Christmas with my beautiful godkids. The twins holidayed with me and I loved spoiling them. The most exciting thing we did was a train ride from Orchard Road back to my condo in Kembangan. After which Kiersten declared "Phew...we made it!" They also provided many hours of entertainment with song & dance routines including "Ke Len Lai" and "Hokey Pokey". History was also made when I got a chance to introduce the twins to my favourite boys, Justin & Jared. Both families had a delicious seafood & Hokkien mee dinner at Big Eater. After which Jared declared "We finally get to meet the twins..after so long!"

I really should blog more often about familiar places and faces. After all, they make up the memories that never fail to put a smile on my face :-)

Pride and Joy

On my travels, I've always envied ancient sites that have been accorded World Heritage status. Apart from the prestige and glamour, these sites also have access to conservation funds and skills of foreign experts. Yesterday on 7th July 2008, two historic cities in my beloved Malaysia were jointly inscribed as cultural World Heritage sites: Malacca and Penang.

From the UNESCO World Heritage website...

Monday, July 7, 2008

The World Heritage Committee meeting in Quebec City has added eight new cultural sites to UNESCO’s World Heritage List on the morning of the 7 of July. With these inscriptions, Papua New Guinea and San Marino enter the World Heritage List for the first time.

The new sites inscribed are:

Melaka and George Town, historic cities of the Straits of Malacca (Malaysia) have developed over 500 years of trading and cultural exchanges between East and West in the Straits of Malacca. The influences of Asia and Europe have endowed the towns with a specific multicultural heritage that is both tangible and intangible. With its government buildings, churches, squares and fortifications, Melaka demonstrates the early stages of this history originating in the 15th-century Malay sultanate and the Portuguese and Dutch periods beginning in the early 16th century. Featuring residential and commercial buildings, George Town represents the British era from the end of the 18th century. The two towns constitute a unique architectural and cultural townscape without parallel anywhere in East and Southeast Asia.

Almost home

Yes, I'm KL-born and bred, but Penang is also special. It's my father's hometown and this is where my parents have chosen to retire. The laid-back island lifestyle, heavenly food and close family & friends are the main attractions.

Penang is almost home because there are so many scenes that stir up familiar and comforting memories for me.

Let's take the canopy of century-old trees along Scotland Road as an example. They seem to whisper secrets of a genteel past; a capsule of nature that hints of a bygone era.

Then there's the Buddhist temple in Ayer Itam which I visit once a year. This is where the memorial plaques of my paternal grandparents are placed. I usually bring some flowers to place in front of the memorial cabinet, while others around me burn joss-sticks. My Christian faith requires that I show respect in a different way, but my visits are no less sincere.

My parents and their family at Bayan Baru Methodist Church, Penang

There's also a wonderful sense of community and "kampung"ness in the warmth of Penang people. I'm especially pleased that my parents are surrounded by a family of believers at the Bayan Baru Methodist Church. I've never seen them so happy, engaged and involved in church life. Seeing these pictures of Dad & Mum heartily embracing their brothers and sisters, clearly God is good.

And last but not least, Penang has always been about family. This is where most of my closest relatives live. So this is where we all return to for the Chinese New Year reunion dinner.

This is where my memories are made.