Make "Salt Fish" While The Sun Shines!

The weather has been unbearably hot since Chinese New Year and while most of us are staying indoors and hiding from the sun, the nuns at Phor Tay Temple are making full use of it by drying their vegetarian "salt fish" in the temple grounds! This crispy "salt fish" is made from bean curd sheets and is a great favourite with me. It goes down very well with plain white rice and comes in handy when I don't feel like cooking!

Let's Get On With It!

How time flies! The holidays are over and we are well into the second month of the new year. People have gone back to work, children have gone back to school and the rest of us have returned to our normal routine. So what next?

I have always been taught that time is precious and should be put to good use every day. Helping others, as Mum often says, is a good way to spend our time. It will not only gladden our hearts but will also make us feel that our lives have been worthwhile.

This brings to mind our trip to India a few years ago. Our group was keen to give food to the poor and with the help of the locals, we were led to a place a few miles from the ashram where we were staying. Here we found a number of families living in makeshift camps in what we fortunate ones would call "abominable" conditions. The whole place was nothing but sand and rocks - no trees, no shrubs, not even a little stream. So you can imagine how hot it could be in the daytime or how cold at night, for that matter.

When we arrived with our packets of food, we were swamped by these people, each one trying to make sure he was not left out. Goodness knows how long since they had a decent meal! We were then led to some alleys and side streets where a number of beggars, some very old and sick, were sitting or lying by the side of the road. They too must not have eaten for days!

On another occasion, we visited a couple of small schools deep in the country. The so-called classrooms had hardly any facilities - sometimes it was just a blackboard and a table and chair for the teacher. All the children sat on the hard, stone floor - no fans, no airconditioners. They were shy but well behaved and you should have seen the way their little faces lighted up when we distributed exercise books, pencils, ball pens and erasers. They were only simple gifts but to them, it was like they had received silver and gold! I left wishing I could have done more for these sweet and innocent children.

Poverty is widespread in India and this kind of scenario is what you get to see when you go there. But you need not go all the way to India to do service. You can participate in local service programmes and if you don't have a chance to take part in big schemes, little acts of love and kindness also count. Helping an old lady cross the road, feeding a hungry stray dog, comforting the sick - all these are small and humble acts which will earn you God's grace!

So let's get on with it. Let's not wait until the festive season to be kind or generous. Do what we can - now!

Pineapple Dragon

I saw this pic in The Star recently - a dragon made from dozens of pineapples for the Year of the Dragon! Very creative, I must say.

The pineapple has long been associated with good luck and prosperity in Chinese culture. The Hokkiens call it "ong lai" which loosely translated means "Good luck and prosperity - come!", hence it is an integral part of Chinese celebrations and ceremonies. It is also an important offering for deities' birthdays.

Well, whoever created this dragon, it looks like good fortune is coming his way!

The Temple of Supreme Bliss

The Kek Lok Si Temple (Hokkien for "The Temple of Supreme Bliss") in Air Itam is always a major attraction during Chinese New Year. During this time, the temple is decorated with thousands of colourful light bulbs and lanterns, making it a "must-see" on any tourist's agenda. Built in 1890, it is now well over 120 years old. People familiar with Penang will know that a 30 m. bronze statue of Kuan Yin was built in 2002 and is located on the hillside above the pagoda.

We took a drive to Air Itam last Wednesday night to take a closer look at the temple. There were already a number of tourists and locals there taking pictures. Quite impressive was the Pagoda of 10,000 Buddhas which stood out majestically against the dark night sky. Can you see one of the two green dragons (on the right) flanking the sides of the temple?

My pictures don't do justice to the beauty of the temple, so next time you're in Penang during Chinese New Year, don't forget to visit the temple! You won't be disappointed!

Lanterns surrounding the grounds

Always a Sweet Ending

While the young were out there throwing oranges into the sea on Chap Goh Meh, we were sitting quietly at home watching TV and enjoying our "pungat".

"Pungat" is a great favourite with Mum. Prepared only once a year as a sweet ending to the 15 days of Chinese New Year, it is a delectable dessert comprising sweet potatoes, yam, bananas and sometimes "ti kuih" cooked in "santan" or coconut milk. In the old days, we used to cook it at home and I remember cutting the ingredients and getting them in the right size and shape! But now everyone takes the easy way out and buy from the shops. We ordered ours from nearby Phor Tay temple who make it every year for worship.

Phor Tay's big pot of "Pungat"

"Pungat" offering at our altar

Chap Goh Meh in Penang nowadays has become a cultural night. Apart from orange throwing competitions, there are cultural dances, chess matches, a "chingay" procession and a host of other events. Mum said that when she was young, she and her sisters would take a ride around town in an open air car every Chap Goh Meh. They wore their new clothes and jewellery and attracted a lot of attention as they rode by! Nowadays, the traffic jams make it impossible to carry out this tradition- who wants to get stuck in a long line of cars for hours?

The highlight of our Chinese New Year was prayers at our Sai centre with the annual appearance of our local "God of Prosperity" ("Chai Sin Eah"), a devotee who has been playing this role for a number of years! He always makes his grand entrance to the tune of loud Chinese New Year music and then distributes oranges and "ang pows". I heard from the grapevine that he had indicated his intention to "retire", so a search has to be made for new "talent" before the next Chinese New Year!

Enter the God of Prosperity!

In a way, I am glad Chinese New Year is over. I'm looking forward to less traffic jams and less crowded restaurants. It would be nice to move about again at a comfortable pace without undue stress and anxiety!

An Auspicious Day

The 8th day of the lunar new year marks an important event for the Hokkien community. This is "Thnee Kong Seh" or the Birthday of the Jade Emperor, the Ruler of Heaven. According to legend, he was the protector of their ancestors in China, who escaped massacre by a cruel general by hiding in a sugar cane plantation. They emerged unharmed at midnight after the 8th day of the new year.

In Penang, the celebration of the Jade Emperor's Birthday takes on a grand scale. Devotees throng the markets to buy offerings such as sugar cane, "ti kuih", "huat kuih" and other prayer paraphernalia such as giant joss sticks and folded gold-coloured paper ("thnee kong kim"). Prayers usually start at midnight and we were of course part of the rush to set up our altar.

Gold coloured paper in the shape of pineapples

Some offerings

(L to R) "Huat Kuih" (pink rice cake), "Ti Kuih" (sweet glutinous rice cake),

pomelo, glutinous rice,"ang koo" (red glutinous rice cake), Mandarin oranges and pineapple.

In the far left hand corner are some folded gold-stamped paper for prayer.

Stacks of gold-stamped paper for prayer

As midnight approached, the air became alive with the sound of fire crackers and fireworks. The big, noisy bangs of crackers are believed to bring in good luck and good fortune and chase away bad luck. We didn't have the nerve to let off more than two strings of crackers - whether that was enough to scare off the bad vibes I don't know but it was enough to make the stray cats sleeping in our garden jump out of their skins!

Penang has always been well known for its pious and God-fearing people. In fact it has even been said that it is their devout prayers and devotion that have saved the island from many a calamity. With the multitude of people praying on "Thnee Kong Seh", I believe the Jade Emperor will certainly not let their prayers go unheeded and hopefully peace and harmony will always reign on this lovely, little island.