Happy to be home again

BATU PAHAT: Her face alive with laughter, double heart transplant miracle girl Tee Hui Yi was clearly excited to be home to celebrate Chinese New Year with her family.

“I have asked my mother to make my favourite dish. She is going to make spicy chicken with lemon grass and ginger.

“I have also asked for steamboat. Nowadays, I want to eat everything,” she said grinning, when met at her home in Jalan Parit Besar.

Hui Yi’s appetite was not the only thing to have returned, her face has also regained colour and the sparkle in her eyes was back.

“I am really happy to be home again. Last year, I celebrated Chinese New Year in the hospital and even tossed yee sang there, but celebrating at home is special,” she said.

Hui Yi underwent her second transplant on Oct 15 after her body rejected the first heart from a donor in Perak.

Her second heart came from a 20-year-old mechanic who was declared brain dead after a road accident in Johor Baru.

Hui Yi, 14, said she had also gone shopping, and bought new clothes and shoes to celebrate her homecoming, including pink coloured tops, her favourite colour.

However, decorating her home was not usually a priority for her family, she confessed.

“My father always said that as long as the food is good and the house is clean, that is enough. I am just waiting to collect all my ang pow,” she said cheekily.

Her mother Dina Bato Sam Bua, 46, said it was a dream come true to have her daughter home with her to celebrate Chinese New Year with the entire family.

“I prayed so hard that she would be home this year and I am so grateful that my prayers were answered,” she said.

She also expressed her heartfelt gratitude to all Malaysians who supported Hui Yi and the entire family through her daughter’s illness.

“Everyone, irrespective of race, prayed for Hui Yi. Thank you so much,” she said, adding that she was also grateful to MCA president Datuk Seri Ong Ka Ting who had assured her that he would help her family out in every way.

Also at home and eager to share the joyous atmosphere was Hui Yi’s paternal grandfather Tee Ah Tung, 77, who was ecstatic to have her home although he could no longer see her due to his failing eyesight.

“I have not celebrated Chinese New Year with her in two whole years. It feels great, really great. I am so happy she is home again,” he said joyfully.

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Big turnout of devotees

KUALA LUMPUR: The Sri Bala Subramaniar Swamy Temple in Port Klang saw the largest-ever crowd in its 160-year history with thousands of people gathering to observe Thaipusam.

An estimated 100,000 people converged at the temple over the past two days. Twenty thousand devotees, including those carrying paal kudam (milk pot) and kavadi, were at the temple on Tuesday night.

Sea of devotees: The crowd at the Sri Bala Subramaniar Swamy Temple in Port Klang during Thaipusam on Wednesday.

A large crowd again turned up yesterday morning to offer prayers.

Temple chairman R.S. Maniam said the temple in Jalan Limbongan usually received just 1,000 paal kudam bearers making their 3km journey from the Harikrishna Alayar Temple in Jalan Tengku Badar.

“This has never happened before but we are happy to see such a large congregation and we are discussing ways to make it more festive if the trend continues next year,” he said when met at the temple yesterday.

At Batu Tiga, Selangor, the Murugan Temple also saw an unexpectedly larger crowd yesterday. According to temple committee member Indra Veerapan, the crowd was double that of the previous year.

“Last year we had about 1,500 people while this year, more than 5,000 showed up,” she said.

The large number of people at these temples did not cause a fall in the numbers at Batu Caves, according to MIC president Datuk Seri S. Samy Vellu.

Speaking to the press at Batu Caves, he said the numbers there were the same as in previous years.

He said more than a million people turned up yesterday but they came at different times. About 950,000 turned up the night before.

Devotees who went to Batu Caves yearly said the crowd this year was smaller than in previous years. They said people were streaming freely through the gates of the Batu Caves temple when in the past, they virtually could not move because of the crowd. Traders also said there was less business this year.

Malaysian Hindu Sangam president Datuk A. Vaithylingam said he received word from members that the turnout was lower this year.

“Although I did not go, I received a lot of calls from members of the sangam and people who went to Batu Caves and they said the turnout was smaller,” he said.

In Penang, George Town OCPD Asst Comm Azam Abd Hamid said the Thaipusam crowd over the last two days were more or less the same as last year’s.

“More than 80,000 devotees are in Penang. The morning and afternoon crowd were about the same as those in previous years,” he said.

It was earlier reported that more devotees were expected to converge on the island from Tuesday because of the call to boycott the celebrations at Batu Caves.

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‘Yim kai’ rule the roost for a prosperous Chinese New Year

IPOH: The mention of castrated cockerels (yim kai in Cantonese) may draw sniggers and giggles.

However, such cockerels are considered a delicacy for Chinese New Year.

Cockerel shop: Che Ra, who works at Tan’s farm, holding up a couple of castrated cockerels.

The yim kai is a 70-day-old cockerel which has had its testicles removed.

Many families even rear them so they can be slaughtered for the festival. According to 57-year-old businessman K.M. Tan, gelded cockerels are considered a sign of prosperity.

“Yim kai is expensive and difficult to find.

“So if a family has one for Chinese New Year, it shows that they have prospered and can afford to have a castrated cockerel for the festival,” he says.

He adds that the meat was tastier and the skin had a nice “crunch” compared to normal chicken.

Tan, who has reared a few such cockerels for the festival, says yim kai is best served by boiling it in water or steamed.

The birds are sold at between RM35 and RM45 per kilo, he said, adding that each cockerel could easily cost more than RM100.

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Celebrating Christmas the Filipino way in Penang

Tuesday December 25, 2007

PENANG: For Malaysian-born Filipino Donicio Geronimo, Christmas has been an important family affair to get together to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ.

The 71-year-old, who is of Filipino-Chinese parentage, said the family observed a few simple Filipino traditions, despite being “very Malaysian” in their culture and ways through the years.

Malaysian-born Filipino Donicio Geronimo, 71, (centre) showing his wife Chan Yoke Eng, 66, the two presents he received during Christmas celebrations at their house in Bukit Gedong, Bayan Baru, Penang. Joining them are the couple’s son Pedro Marciano, 38, (seated, right), daughter-in-law Chan Wee Nee, 38, (standing, left) and grandchildren Julio Mariano, seven, (on Yoke Eng's lap), Samantha Lianna, nine, (fourth, left) and Marco Danielo, 12, (at the piano). — K.T. GOH / The Star

On Christmas Day, Donicio said his wife Chan Yoke Eng, 66, would prepare special Filipino-style roast beef and pineapple chicken dishes for lunch, as well as sweet-sour pork, lor bak, fried chicken and mixed vegetables.

“She once prepared a roast turkey for Christmas but the family members did not like it, so we returned to preparing the usual dishes.

“She learnt some of the dishes from my late mother Maggie Yong,” he said at his house in Bukit Gedong, Bayan Baru here.

Donicio, a retired Penang Port Commission (PPC) storekeeper, was born in Taiping, Perak. The couple has three sons – Aelfredo Marcello, 41, Pedro Marciano, 38, and 33-year-old Emilio Conrado.

Donicio said the family observed a traditional Filipino way of greeting their elders that was taught by his late father Inigo Geronimo, a professional clarinet and saxophone player.

“My children and grandchildren will take the hands of their elders to their foreheads to receive their blessings,” he said.

After attending midnight mass at the Church of the Holy Spirit (The Cathedral) off Jalan Mesjid Negri on Christmas Eve, he said the family would congregate at his sister Maria’s place in Jalan Kebun Nyior for a potluck feast.

He said about 40 family members would attend the gathering, where they would wish one another Maligayang Pasko (Merry Christmas) and exchange gifts.

Pedro, a company finance assistant, said his children Marco Danielo, 12, Samantha Lianna, nine, and Julio Mariano, seven, were given Spanish names, in keeping with family tradition.

The Geronimos are also musically inclined. Pedro is a cantor in the church choir while Emilio plays guitar.

“My son, Marco is now learning to play the piano, while Samantha is into singing,” said Pedro.

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Traditional celebration at 190-year-old church

Monday December 24, 2007

PENANG: The St George’s Church, the oldest Anglican church in South-East Asia, is all geared up for its Christmas celebration this year.

The Christmas tree is up, decorations are done and the choir is ready to welcome the celebrations.

The 190-year-old church, said vicar Joel Leow, was not planning anything out of the ordinary this year because Christmas itself was special enough.

In prayer: Churchgoers singing special hymns during their Sunday service to usher in Christmas at the St George’s Church in Penang.

“Christmas on its own is special as it observes the birth of Jesus Christ. We do not have to organise anything extraordinary to make it more special than it already is.

“Christmas these days is getting more and more commercialised. This is the time to really understand what Christmas is about,” he explained.

Leow: ‘Christmas on its own is special as it observes the birth of Jesus Christ’

With their annual children’s Christmas concert, play, carolling and party done, the church is preparing to have a traditional Christmas Eve service tonight, starting from 10pm.

“We will try to have our Christmas Eve service as close to midnight as possible so we expect the service to finish around 12am.

“The service on Christmas day at 10.30am will have a more contemporary approach to make things easier for those with young children who cannot make it on Christmas Eve,” he said.

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National Xmas Open House in Kota Kinabalu

Thursday December 20, 2007

KOTA KINABALU: The national-level Christmas Open House will be held at Padang Merdeka here on Dec 29.

A statement from the Culture, Arts and Heritage Ministry here said the open house will be held from 10am to 5pm.

Among the dignitaries expected to grace the event are Sabah Yang di-Pertua Negri Tun Ahmadshah Abdullah, Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak and Sabah Chief Minister Datuk Seri Musa Aman.

There will be performances by Akademi Fantasia artistes and cultural dances by the various races and ethnic groups during the open house to be hosted by the ministry and the Sabah government

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