For the love of pork

I seriously love pork. And there are two types of pork dishes I cherish above all others and that is roasted pork and suckling pig. When I was younger, I used to like eating the sweet barbeque pork. But as I grow older, I prefer the salty roasted pork which comes with its own natural sweetness and chewy roasted skin. I believe it is due to age.

A picture of a better suckling pig I had in recent times

So anyway, pork has its own distinct taste and natural sweetness that other meat can't replace. In fact, this other white meat is so popular that in Wikipedia, there is a citation about pork being the most widely eaten meat in the world.

So when I read about Jakim's comments that Bak Kut Teh cannot be deemed as halal even if it the ingredients (minus the pork) is halal because of the connotation of Bak Kut Teh represents, I don't feel offended at all. Many of course argued that since the ingredients are halal, why should the name be of concern?

Rather than ranting who is right or wrong, I would instead share on some encounters I had when it comes to sharing food. By sharing food, it is a method which I often time employ to break down the ice that may exist between strangers. With the same food, at times I inadvertibly invite consternation or stare, simply because they don't or can't enjoy it. For instance, I once brought a box filled with cake and accidentally left it on a common cabinet where everyone places food to share. A muslim colleague saw it as she was passing by and took a piece from it. When I told her it was mine, you can see the guilt ridden look on her face. Is she feeling guilty because she ate the cake without my permission or because I am just a non-muslim who may have earlier stored non-halal food in there? Either way, I take it that my food will not be welcomed, even if I bought it from the store and kept in a perfectly fine plastic container which was not at anytime used to store pork.

Anyway, one of my first acts which I establish as a norm in my workplace involves food sharing. I would buy tit bits and such (and ever mindful of the halal logo) to bridge my connection to others. You may know a bit about a person by the way the present themselves but in sharing of food, you get to know more. You talk about it. The taste and perhaps encounters and experience relating to food. It is a very good thing to open up topics at times, if there is nothing much to talk about to begin with other than work.

On annual basis, I have a certain backbreaking ritual which I will perform. This is nothing religious but rather a way for me to preserve a sense of culture and at the same time, sharing joy with others. Joy is something you can't buy but if you invest in simple ingredients with prepare and cook it with love, joy comes when you see people smiling at savouring the food you personally prepared. With feedback, criticisms and comments, I would take it as necessities to make the food better, only to again see the joy in faces of others when they savour what I made the following year.

Another picture taken in El Cerdo (A really good place to enjoy pork in Changkat Raja Chulan)

And what is this dish? It is the humble bak chang which with time, I am making less and less as the work is kind of back breaking. I am limiting it to about 150 pieces per year now, unlike the good old days of making about 200-220 plus. But the main ingredient is pork and it is difficult to share this dish when you work with Muslim colleagues around you. I often come in early mornings, carefully ensure that each of these changs are packed in proper little plastic bags and handed to the intended recipients (a.k.a. non-Muslim colleagues).

It is hard to describe the joy in the faces of others when they savour the simple food I made. I however, don't think such joy can be shared with Muslim colleagues. I may be able to eat in the same table but I can't ask them if they like their bak chang with that big fat layer of pork fats or lean ones. I can try making cakes and cookies but like one of my other colleagues I spoke to, the Muslim colleagues would just politely decline; ever suspicious if my pots, pans, oven and other stuff are halal.

But for that will I abandon my pork? No, I still love my pork. I will cook, eat and share it. It is unavoidable. You can't pass out good food more so in this country where eating is a national pastime. Whenever I take a bite of those yummy white meat, I would always tell my friends at the table, "I pity my Muslim brothers and sisters who are missing out on this dish." By that I meant no offense, it is just their conscious choice to pay the price of religious piety. Which also means less competition for me for my yummy white meats or worries about looking for a place to eat right after Maghreb prayers on Ramadan months...:o)

Oh well...

Another Monday ranting...

Finally!

No doubt I have been on leave since Wednesday but it has been a hectic week. It was a mad rush of shopping, preparing 2 dishes for 25 person, attending a wedding dinner and going about meeting potential interior designer to discuss on my renovation ideas for my new house.

One of my experiments: Roasted chicken marinated using red wine plus potatoes

Did you know that the marinated sauce can be used to transform into gravy? I didn't but that didn't stop me from sauteing lots of mushrooms and capsicums with grounded black pepper and rosemary using olive oil, add the marinated sauce in it (which includes lots of garlic and onion pieces) and then I threw in 2 threw pieces of cheddar cheese and some whipping cream to thicken it. Not bad really...

In between, I went to that dreaded branch to collect my cheque book and guess who I saw? Ms Sourpuss Bank Teller. She saw me walking in, quickly made her exit to a room somewhere and I couldn't even be bothered to look at her (quite relieved actually knowing I am not being attended by her). It was short lived though. I spoke to the officer at counter 1 and he called out for her. This time round, she has the "courtesy" to say "thank you" even though the deaf and blind knows she doesn't mean it and surprisingly, no shoving of cheque books.

Come to think of it, the remaining 2 weeks seemed so short. I really dread the idea I have to return to work in 2 weeks time. I don't see why I should work with a bunch of people who are not out to work but to 'tai chi' it to others. I am supposed to update my CV but I do wonder where should I go? Sigh...

Tomorrow is Chinese Midwinter festival. Remember your loved ones (especially your parents which you may not have seen for sometime) and have a dinner or lunch together. There is only so much time one can walk on this world before disappearing. And I am not referring to just you.

Merry Christmas, season greetings and happy holidays...:o)

The End of Noble Idealism?

Have you observed the rather rainy CNY weather for the past year or so? It seems that the weather is going haywire and honestly, things aren't as predictable today as before.

I remember in my younger days, CNY were always hot and sunny. Year in, year out my dad will always say, CNY is a dry and hot season, just wait and see.

This year however he said quite point blank and forlorn, "It is a wet season this year. How the weather have changed."

But I love the rain.

Source: http://www.freefoto.com/images/16/05/16_05_76---Rain_web.jpg

I love watching the flow of water streaming down the skies, trickles turn into gushes of water flowing down the stones, into the pool and watching the carps swim by.

Life can be serene if you take time to stop and watch. At times, I simple forget about time and the things happening around me. Anyway...

A good lesson I learn today is watching how swiftly the Perak government fell. I guess in the game of politics, this is only natural. Afterall, we based our governance system on less than ideal system. We have inherited a governance culture that is alien to call it norm. A system build on idealising the monarchy, yet limited by constitution. Isn't it an irony that England has no formalised constitution yet functions within the expectation of modern westernised mature democracies?

I often romanticised about the idealism of a benevolent king, acting impartial and fair to his subjects. When I went to Kuala Kangsar recently, I felt happy. Call it irrational exuberance but I am honoured to walk and drive in this royal city which produced what I believed to be benevolent kings. I often kindle in my mind what great lineage indeed for the true royalties is the sole link back to the founder, Parameswara, of the great city, Malacca. How many royalties can claim such lineage and bloodline? Isn't this the bluest of the blue bloods? Perhaps it is just me but it is just unbelievable to breath the same air as they who graced our lives with their noble presence.

Source: http://img-fan.theonering.net/rolozo/images/rivoche/gandalf.jpg

Of course, my wife has to remind me that most of the time, they live in Ipoh, rather than the royal city, Kuala Kangsar. But she is the first to ponder retiring there after getting her washed and set for RM18. Is it so wrong to yearn for an institution that is impartial, fair and just? More so one by birth with a proud history.

I guess like every romantic affair, one tend to forget that the ones we love are also human beings. As glaring as the faults may be, all it takes is a brush off here, a trivialising there and a denial elsewhere to turn a mountain into an ant hill. Afterall, there must be no blemish for such personification which is makes little logic sense it is as plain, ordinary and common.

Oh how much I have been proven wrong today. I am sorely disappointed (and heart broken too... to quote Hee Yit Foong) to watch my idealism shatters before my sight.

Yet, I will not forsake my King. My pledge of allegiance remains much the same though nonetheless I am still heart broken and disappointed.

Oh how I yearn to return the days of old, where people are less divided and the constitution is cherished not altered like a piece of over sized pants or treated like a square peg to fit in a round hole.

Will I see the predictable sunny and hot CNY again? Will the bluest of blue galloped gallantly on a white horse save us at the hour of reckoning? Or must I just accept we live under an unpredictable and unexpected temperament of others, who determines our fate best rest in their hands, even as they are just as human and err as easily as us?

Happy Chinese New Year

It's been almost 2 months since I last wrote anything. Sort of decided to go silent as there is really nothing much worth writing about plus the current job requirements are quite demanding.

Is this picture nice? I took it using my new Nokia 5800...:)

Anyway, just to wish everyone Happy Chinese New Year. Time passed rather quickly that in some ways all I can think of is the unremarkable and ordinary things I did in the past 1 year and how much time I have left in the world. Haha... I think it is rather too morbid and sombre.

Anyway, I wish everyone good health and blessed with peace and prosperity in facing the coming year.

Bak Zhang: My Memory Of My Grandma

It was that time of the year and in keeping with the tradition of old, I have set aside time to make bak zhang, a glutinous rice dumpling packed into bamboo leaves a fortnight ago. I have contemplated long and hard wondering if I should continue making it as the amount of time taken is tenuously long and perhaps, it could be better spent doing something else.

I made about 120+ bak zhang this year, shy of my previous year's record of about 220 pieces. I didn't do it alone of course, I was assisted by my mother-in-law simply because there are many things to prepare prior to the actual wrapping (such as soaking the rice, beans, mushrooms and chestnuts). Few appreciate the processes involved and many wondered if it is at all necessary (like the part of frying the rice with flavouring and beans where the required flavour will be evenly spread and "locked in").

Some like, myrrkat complained about a certain bean I used (since she doesn't like it as it gave her headaches) but I doubt I will change my ingredients. It is not pride mind you, but rather, it is a practice I have been taught and I intend to preserve it.

About a hundred years ago, there was no oyster sauce. I doubt the makers of bak zhang then would have included that flavouring. Instead, they would have used real oysters. But today, I can tell you that many use that sauce in place of real oysters.

But the back breaking process makes me wonder, is it worth the effort? I know after frying all the necessary ingredients, I could hardly stand to wrap and tie the dumplings. My back hurt a lot. It took me a few days to recover. I blame it on lack of exercise and age but then, I have not forgotten why I started this.


I missed the bak zhang my grandma made. I remember when I am in my preteens, I rush downstairs one fine morning wondering what is the commotion is and realised my grandparents and my mom are busy wrapping the banana leaves bak zhangs. It was a massive operation where each are assigned with a specific task, my grandpa manned the cooking part while my grandma and mom wrapped the bak zhangs. Theirs were simpler, no frying of rice to "lock in" the flavour and putting the other ingredients in raw. The drawback is, which I realised only when I started making my own, it takes at least another hour longer to cook it if we don't fry the ingredients (and less tasty as well).

I always loved waiting for the first batch of bak zhangs being drawn out from the boiling pot where one will be opened and served to taste if it was cooked. Back then, one can't get to eat bak zhang all the time. It is only around the 5th day 5th lunar month celebration that one will have bak zhang (much like eating mooncakes around the mid-autumn festival). Seriously, the rest of the week was all about eating bak zhang. You can bring bak zhang to school (and those days, people weren't too particular about eating non-halal food in school) or eat for breakfast and lunch and dinner. In fact, you can even have one for tea break.

Alas, those days have long gone. She died about a decade ago though she has ceased making bak zhangs for a much longer time that that. In fact, my interest in cooking stem from the fact that I moved out from my uncle's house almost 2 decades ago. You see, it was not just physical distance separated us but I grew up in those critical teenhood years without her. During those period, I grew apart and she seemed like a stranger by the time she moved in to stay with us. Not too long later, she died, a sad lady with dementia who clinged on to life and her sanity while waiting for me to return to Malaysia in between semester breaks.

About a month or so before I return to Malaysia, my grandma slipped and fell on the pavement while waiting for a bus and she went into a dementia like state. With little what modern medicine can help as well as her advanced age, my parents took her to an acupuncturist. She responded too well and recovered her memory quite quickly and the acupuncturist warned this is not a good sign and her days are numbered.

On seeing me return at last, she was very glad. My parents told me what happened and I managed to spend some time with her. Sadly, in the following weeks, her mental state began to degenerate. The night before she died, she kept screaming my name to let her out from her locked room. She wanted to go to her favourite place at wee hours in the morning which we knew was an impossibility. We tried calming her down but to no avail. She later gave up out of tiredness and laid down on her bed. We were relieved and called it a night.

The next morning, I woke up with a feeling something was amiss. I went to my grandma's room. It was too quiet. I called out her name but there was no response. I knocked and opened the door. She was lying there on the bed. I tried to wake her up by lightly nudging her shoulders but there was no response. Her hands were cold and there was no longer any heartbeat. She has left us for good. All I could do is walk out and inform my parents. I was very heartbroken as I was not by her side at those moments before her final departure.

Before we moved out from my uncle place in my preteen years, I took my grandma's cooking for granted where everyday without fail there would be lunch and dinner on the table. When my family finally moved into our own house and my mom had to work till 10 pm everyday, I have to occasionally replace my mom to cook dinner for my family other than the frequent eat outs. My grandparents stayed on for a few years with my uncle's family before finally moving out to stay with us. By then, we have a maid to do the cooking for all of us.

I realised that putting food on the table is not just about satisfying our bodily needs. It is when my family and I eat together on the dining table, we build our bonds as a basic unit in the society. We can't chose our grandparents, parents, brothers and/or sisters, but we can certainly forge our ties closer. Now that my grandma is no longer here, there is only one dish I look forward to making in memory of her loving efforts all those years i.e. bak zhang.

I often wonder whether homemade zhangs will fade away only to be found in restaurants and roadside stalls someday. I certainly hope not as homemade bak zhang symbolise to me more than a customary annual event dish. It is a reminiscent of happy memories of a home and extended family I grew up in and belong to; of my grandma who loved me unconditionally.

It may be rare for men to make bak zhang, but what is a little backache to compare to those memories? Or the smiles on the faces of those who enjoyed it, even if it is only a fleeting moment?

Sweeping The Tombs

About a week ago, which seemed so long ago, my family decided to visit the tombs of my grandparents and granduncle as part of the annual Ching Ming (tomb sweeping) festival. To me, I am often fascinated by the dead, no thanks to the supernatural elements attachment I often picture when people talk about graveyards.

By the way, the jam started about 11-12 kilometres away and it was only 6.30am when we got off SILK!

According to my dad, Ching Ming is usually held on either April 4th or 5th and the because of the changing times, people have extended the festival from 1 to 3 days affair to 10 days before and after April 4th or 5th affair. Which is a good thing considering mom had to be operated later the week and she might have missed it if not for this 10-day leeway.

The entrance...
while the lion guards the entrance...

Anyway, this particular festival is linked to the deep rooted Confucius teachings on venerating the ancestors. This is the day where families gather together to clean and sweep the tombs, offer burnt offerings, food and flowers as well as pray for blessings for those who are still living, hoping the ancestors and the dead will bless the living.

Malaysia Boleh!

To me, as a Christian, I stopped praying the dead since I accepted Christ. It is kind of hard, being the only Christian in the family and they don't quite understand why can't I give respect by merely holding the joss stick even if I don't believe in it. Well, despite all the explanations on why we are told not to worship the dead, to them, it is still disrespectful but they have since accepted my shortcomings. Meanwhile, I only silently step aside, do what I can do i.e. locate the tombs, carry the offerings from the car, cut overgrown weeds and clean the tombs (quite irrelevant for my grandparents tombs since they are maintained by NV Multi Corporation Berhad).

It has been awhile since I last saw the sun rise...

As I survey the area, it has changed over the years, there are more dead resulted in more visitors and NY Multi Corporation being listed in Bursa Malaysia. Nonetheless, this memorial park remains peaceful and quiet, perhaps a good place to indeed have final rest.

The stone maiden looks onward to the other tombs...

My mom always said it is not good for the living to occupy the land meant for the dead. I guess why she said that is because the living should not deprive rest for the dead. Oh well, I as a counter argument while we are still living and uncertain when we will exactly die, what's wrong with hedging against inflation?


Yup, it is basically increasing at 8.4% per annum since 1990. Not bad considering banks only offer 3.7% for 12-month fixed deposits placement.

On that note, I told my sister I prefer cremation and scattering the ashes into the sea. Less hassle, one-off event (since I only live once and after that to judgement) and cheaper as well...:P

Of New Year and Full Fledged Adulthood

Today is the 3rd day of Chinese New Year, the first New Year I celebrate as a "full fledged" adult. I often wonder why do the olden Chinese tradition consider a married person a full fledged adult rather than someone who reaches the age of 18 or 21.

The 2008 Chinese New Year evening sky taken from my in-laws premises. Can you see the robin on the antenna?

I wonder if this has to do with expectation of pro-creation and setting up of a family in a conservative agricultural Confusius based society. Under the Confusius teaching, the family forms the core unit of a functioning society and disharmony in a family will likewise contribute to disorder in the society. So how do a family start in the olden days if not by being married? Without marriage, an adult cannot fulfill its function hence the recognition of being full fledged only comes with the priviledge of bearing the responsibility of starting, nurturing, caring and growing a family. Nevermind the concept of adoption, single parenthood or live-in couples having kids. These are not Confusius idea of an ideal family unit.

As part of the duty and "joy" of being a full fledged adult, I have the "priviledge" of handing out red packets/angpows filled with money. Not only that, being the first year both of us appear before our relatives and friends as a married couple, we are somehow "reminded" on the importance of both of us giving out red packets. Normally, it is usually a couple giving 1 red packet to the young, non-full fledged adults and elderly.

According to my dad, the reunion table has to be filled with dishes to indicate that it has been a fruitful year and we should strive to have more next year. Nevermind if we can't finish it, we must be seen to have lots of blessing. For five small eaters, this is a lot. Oh yeah, we have abalone soup as well...:)

It is a norm for the Chinese to have prawns and fish. Prawns in Cantonese are pronounced as "Har" which sounds like laughter while fish is pronounced as "Yee" which is often associated with this famous Chinese saying of "Nien Nien Yau Yee" or may every year you have surpluses.

Surprisingly, I find joy in giving despite my fears of burning a hole in my pocket. Hence, to lessen my fears, I have reminded my fellow friends and colleagues who are ever so "keen" to get angpows from me to come and visit my humble home. To those who can't come, here's a picture of the angpow as my e-wish to you to have a joyous and prosperous new year!

Of Nasty Rats and Yes Minister

Today is a very important day to the Chinese. It is the Chinese New Year Eve where families will usually gather together after working hard and far for about a year since the last gathering. This is especially true for those who are involved in business as they don't quite rest on rest days. In every Chinese psyche, they do hope that in ushering the coming new year, it would be joyous and prosperous, free of disease and malice; filled with peace.

Source: http://www.ratical.org/ratical/YearOfTheRat.html

Though I do not subscibe to Chinese astrology, I was told since young that being born in the year of Horse, the year of the Rat would not be good year for me. This is because the Rat and Horse are not compatible to each other. I wonder whether this thinking may have infected my dad's thinking since he strongly believes in astrology and Feng Shui. He is afterall, born in the year of the Rat.

As I read about the attributes of the Rat Zodiac in Wikipedia, I find this very intriguing.

Intelligent and cunning at the same time, rats are highly ambitious and strong-willed people who are keen and unapologetic promoters of their own agendas, which often include money and power.

Behind the smiles and charm, rats can be terribly obstinate and controlling, insisting on having things their way no matter what the cost. These people tend to have immense control of their emotions, which they may use as a tool to manipulate and exploit others, both emotionally and mentally. Rats are masters of mind games and can be very dangerous, calculative and downright cruel if the need arises. Quick-tempered and aggressive, they will not think twice about exacting revenge on those that hurt them in any way.

Quite scary creatures I must say. Luckily I have yet to see my dad exhibit most of these characteristics.

Anyway, talking about Rats, recently two interesting news surfaced in the Internet about our beloved Bolehland and it makes me wonder if our separation of powers observed by the Government of the day has decided to take a page from a very old British sitcom TV program "Yes Minister". As it is described in its website:

A bedrock programme in the UK comedy structure, Yes Minister embodied the early 1980s attitude to authority and politics as a gently hypocritical world filled with doubletalk.

The series follows Right Honorable James Hacker MP, Minister for Administrative Affairs, and his attempts to make officialdom and administration make sense. He does this whilst pushing his own self-serving agenda, and keeping his head above any nasty political waters. Throughout his career, he's up against Whitehall’s Sir Humphrey Appleby, unflappable symbol of a machine that has no gears, only brakes (i.e. the civil service [added by yours truly]).

Jim's policies, whether cutting costs or trying to streamline red tape, are sabotaged by Appleby's Machiavellian skills, often accompanied by brain-wrenching sentences designed to confuse Hacker - and often succeeding. Absolutely snobbish and elitist, yet blind to anything that does not serve the Whitehall way, Sir Humphrey is the avatar of the British State.

As you should know, our PM is on the election prowl again. Appealing to the masses that he wants us to work with him, not for him and promising something short of heaven on earth, specifically Malaysia for all, the Star reported on Monday that Abdullah promises to consider needs of all Malaysians. He made sweeping statements like:

The Government will not abandon, sideline or not provide opportunities to any one race. We take into consideration the needs of all Malaysians...

As long as their demands are reasonable and genuine, we will see how to execute the right steps (to meet them)...

Whether it is Chinese, Malays or Indians, they have their own needs and we will look into them...

Wow, isn't it great? From the mouth of the rabbit himself (he is born in Nov 1939). Surely, we will have heaven on earth now right? Despite giving BN the biggest majority ever in 2004 election, we should at least observe that things are getting better and people are happier. Alas, if only that is true.

I wonder how will he explain to Juliana Nicolas, a missionary returned from a trip to the Philippines on 28 January carrying with her two boxes containing 32 English bibles meant for her church group and she has a letter to that effect, whose bibles were confiscated by the Customs department under the pretext that it needed to be referred to Internal Security Ministry’s Publications and Al-Quran Texts Control Division.

Juliana would want to be molified of course. She was upset. She wanted an official apology from the Internal Ministry. Well, Datuk Fu, the Deputy Internal Minister has this to offer:

He said the that English Bible was confiscated by a Customs officer from the woman who had just returned from a visit to Manila. He said it did not involve the ministry.

“The Customs officer has no authority to do so and on being told of the matter, we asked the Bible to be returned immediately to the person,” he said.

Is that an official apology? I leave it to you to decide. Nevermind that under Article 11 of the Constitution we are supposed to have freedom of religion.

As for the call by Dr Hermen Shastri of Council of Churches Malaysia for the prime minister, who is also the internal security minister, to make a clear and unequivocal statement to assure Christians in the country that they will not be subject to such harassment and that their holy books will not be subject to the scrutiny of the Control Division of Publications and Al-Quran Texts of the Internal Security Ministry, well, Datuk Fu seemed to have conveniently explained that he clarified this matter with CCM.

Similarly, I wonder how will he explain on equal opportunity to Norhayati Abdullah, who allerged she was sacked because Bank Negara failed to act against two top officials of a government financial institution for alleged fraud, bribery and abuse of power and wanted to cover it up. Nevermind that she whistleblowed and should be rewarded for her bravery, instead, some unseen hands managed to get the accused conspirator i.e. an advertising agency who overcharged Bank Negara to say Ms Norhayati demanded and received a commission from them. She was also investigated and no evidence is found to prove she is guilty but she was sacked nonetheless for criminal breach of trust.

This is Bolehland and one must wonder, what is the head of the government, who commands the largest majority seats in Parliament since Malaysia independence, doing when his underlings can be so bold as to overstep their boundary of authority, refuse to apologise for their mistakes and allergedly setup the weak innocent whistleblower? Is the head aware that his hands are very very naughty?

Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/comedy/yesminister/index.shtml

Perhaps, this description found in the same BBC website on "Yes Minister" surmised much we know of our PM:

Always buffeted by fate, wanting to do good but too scared of losing votes and status to do anything, Hacker is the symbol of all of us, wanting to be better, and not quite making it.

If 90.4% majority in the Parliament is insufficient mandate to right the wrongs, I wonder whether we should just reverse and vote the opposition into power to see if they can do it. Afterall, UMNO claimed to have 50 years of experience. It is perhaps time for a change.

Chinese Winter Solstice - Dongzhi

Since I am at the topic of festivities, I would like highlight another festival that will be upon us soon. In ancient times, this festival is considered a greater festival than the Chinese Lunar New Year but with the passing of time, it has been reduced to a quiet family affair where one of the most visible sign of this festival is making of tongyuan a.k.a. rice dumplings rolled into balls served in ginger/red bean/whatever soup. Dongzhi falls between 21 to 23 December every year and unlike the Chinese Lunar New Year which falls between January to February, Dongzhi is the only Chinese festival I know of that follows the movement of the Sun.

Source: http://calliefoodblog.blogspot.com/2007/12/dongzhi-festival_25.html

To many people of Chinese origin here in Malaysia, Dongzhi is a non-event thanks to commercialism and infusion of other cultures which predominate our lives (such as those from the West), hence it is not surprising that you will find lesser people of Chinese descent celebrating this festival with each passing year. In fact, one of the strongest sign of people forgetting this festival is simply because it occurs very close to Christmas, which incidentally, was instituted to commemorate the birth of Christ back in the 4th century to replace the many pagan festivals that celebrates the winter solstice. Another reason for the declining popularity of Dongzhi can be traced to the changing working patterns where people back in feudal China don't exactly have weekly rest days except during festivals. People are expected to work the whole year long and they then take long breaks in celebration of the annual festivals.

Raised in a conservative family with steep polytheistic beliefs, Dongzhi is one of those festivals which I am quite accustomed to. Yet at the same time, very little can be said of this festival except that it is the shortest day during winter (something which Malaysia doesn't experience) and that from this day onwards, everyone look forward to spring and of course, lengthening of the day.

Being raised in a conservative family, I always look forward to Dongzhi precisely because all of us have to put our hands together into making the tongyuans. It is not so much of rolling the doughs into the "roundest" glutinous balls (which actually have a meaning to it where it signifies the wholeness of the relationship in a family as well as reunion), but rather it is the act of doing it as a family. Sometimes, when you have little to discuss with your parents or siblings, activities like this helps to build bonds.

Since accepting Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour, every Chinese festivals seemed more important to me because it is a reminder of the little time I have left to spend with my parents. Years of built in unhappiness and resentment I had towards my parents are slowly being erased ever since I accepted the Lord into my heart. Like every typical conservative Chinese parents, they are incapable of showing their loving affection towards their children and not being the favourite child, I often felt neglected and forgotten. When I was young, my parents struggled to put food on the table and unlike the many things children of today are blessed with, I often find toys as luxurious items. My favourite toy is actually a paste similar to playdough where I can use to create my own figurines. Thank God for that since I can put those skills to action where I recently made toy figurines for my Sunday School children.

Anyway, without families and friends, festivals are hollow public holidays and rest days. So I wish to take this opportunity to wish you a good Dongzhi family reunion and Merry Christmas as well...:)