olddog-samesame

      "Kia Ora". The air hostess        greeted us  when we  boarded        the air NZ flight from        Melbourne to  Christchurch.        The Maori  greeting that had        faded from  memory  became        strikingly familiar again.        Yes,  it has  been  that long.        3 7 years to be  exact since        I left NZ.  After spending        most of my early adulthood        there,  NZ is like a second        home to me so  the trip back        was nostalgic. The 11 days road trip around  the South Island brought  back  a flood of memories, like back flashes .  The small towns that  we passed through and the  idyllic countryside landscape were e ver so familiar.  It looked like time had stood still.  Nothing much  has changed.  The vast expense of rolling hills  interspersed with the wild native gorse and  brilliant yellow flowers in full bloom, sheep and  cattle grazing nonchalantly in eternity and the occasional  hares hopping  around leisurely.

My only child will be turning 21 on 19th August 2017. Whew, what a relief. Parenthood is definitely not a walk in the park especially for the Pan-Asian Chinese family. The responsibilities, expectations, obligations, sacrifices and cultural traditions to uphold as parents in this 24 hours a day/ 7 days a week & 365 days a year job of raising a child is a huge load to shoulder. If you are lucky and there is no major misstep or screwing up along the way, the kid might turned out alright.  While still deliberating on the issue and fraught with apprehension, my daughter was unexpectedly conceived on that fateful day 21 years and 9 months ago and I was unwittingly shoved into the job! The rest as they said is history. It has been a long journey with many ups and a few downs. Although our family tie, the father-daughter relation is for eternity, my role as a parental guardian is finally coming to an end. I no longer need to be present at the Immigration Department when she wants to

I am 63 year old and as far as I know of sound mind and body. I can't predict the future and there is no telling when my journey on this earth will end  but I plan on staying for a while yet. It is totally uncharacteristic of me to blog about such a morbid topic. Inevitably however, the subject of buying a niche in the Nirvana Columbarium came up again with every Qing ming (all souls' day). How do I explain to  my 90 year old mother, without offending her, that I have never or will ever contemplate  buying a pigeon hole in the Columbarium as my final resting place. I was born to a Taoist family but grew up and remain an atheist. I have never personally witness any life changing spiritual miracle that would alter my scientific world view. I do not mock people whatever their religious believes. All religions preach about peace, morality and doing good deeds. Whether in a temple, church or mosque I will show due respect and would without hesitation observe and imitate their r

The intoxicating aromas from the dough baking in the oven wafting from the kitchen and permeating the house invigorating all the senses. Oh, what joy watching the loaf swells and rises turning  golden brown. My newly acquired skill the artisan craft of handmade bread A hobby that has morphed into an obsessive Sunday morning ritual. The hypnotic therapy of working with your bare hands the ancient art of mixing kneading pressing stretching folding and waiting for the dough to rise and turning your labor of love into a perfect loaf. simon  12 Jan 2016

Melbourne (Part 2) I had no intention of going on to Melbourne from Perth until the very last week before the trip. Firstly, the mother was more than capable in assisting the daughter and handling whatever procedures or technicalities there were or to solving any unforeseen hick ups. Secondly, accommodation in Melbourne would be a little bit awkward, especially when they were supposed to crash at her brother mike's house.  2 additional squatters  might be tolerable but 3 would definitely be a crowd in a small house. However, when the daughter pleaded with me to go along there was no way I could back out. Arrived in Melbourne early in the morning of 19th Feb, the 1st day of CNY. Going from the airport to  Melbourne U, we had to drive into the city through the morning rush hour traffic. Unfortunately, we missed the 9:00am session of the Business courses introduction and registration and had to stay on for the afternoon session. It was a long tiring day and by the time w

Perth (Part 1) The 1 week CNY break in Perth was planned way back early last year. My only previous trip to Perth was more than 30 years ago, on my way home from NZ. It would be near end of summer over there, so perfect weather for some travelling in and around Perth. The idea of renting a house and car made good sense.  The itinerary was well planned and everything was set to go. What was unforeseen was the daughter's qualification for Melbourne U and her decision to accept the offer, all within a short month.   What complicated matters  was the date she had to report for registration at Melbourne U fell within the week we were supposed to be holidaying in Perth. The otherwise leisurely and relaxing holiday was thus cut short to a hectic 5 days. The return trip from Perth was aborted as we had to detour with a direct domestic flight from Perth to Melbourne on the very morning she was due to report at the University. Perth remained a quiet  small city with litt