Haiku on Fruits

Red and green beauty

Tart, sweet, cute and nifty

To fill your belly flat

Beneath the thick skin

Is a sweet juicy, squishy

Bright as the sunset

Purple little gems

Tiny diamonds on a vine

As candies by God

Red rubies with spots

Make breakfast and dessert smile

With some blooming roses

A hairy brown egg

With an emerald in it

Sour with black seeds

Mighty King of Fruits

In a thick thorny armour

with luscious custard

Mystical Queen

With her seven white babies

And her violet gown

Bright red with long hair

Envelops a soft white pearl

Under the tough skin

Big and bright baby

With black seeds as heart and soul

In fat orange flesh

A yellow, strong soul

with a thousand eyes and crown

In a sharp, rough coat

Soft, white and creamy

Nature's energy bar, in

a bright yellow coat

P/S: Try to guess the fruits I am describing ...

Pictures from Google Images

Kopitiam Menu #3: Milo

Bright big green tin
That stays unscathed
Through seven decades.

The rich flavour of cocoa
Etched in our minds;
A beautiful sensual melody it makes,
When stirred with boiling hot water.

With hints of cocoa and a sweetness tang,
The scent floats into our bedrooms
Telling us that a beautiful good morning is here.

Like rose and its thorns and its leaves
This brown beverage brings you to heaven
When married with cream and crunch,
And keeps you running round and round
Like a leaping bunny!

Heaps of ice,
And a lava of sweet chocolate comes
trickle, trickle, trickle,
down the table.
So grand with extra powder on top,
Like a dinasaur.

Or, should it be left just as it is?

One cup fits an ant,
and that is the Malaysian way
to roll the mornings!


P/S: Sorry for my bad poem because my ideas have somehow... DIED. :X

What Would I do If I won RM1million

     "Na si wa wu ji pa ban, ji ba ban...|" (If I have one million, one million in Hokkien)

     I have a strong affection towards that Hokkien song entitled "If I Have one million ". It may be a song from my parents' era, but its light, cute and catchy tune certainly sparked numerous imaginations in my brain. one million! What a huge amount indeed.

     That night, I returned to slumber with a smile on my face.

     "We hereby announce that Sharon Ng Huey Yuek has won the "Who Wants to be a Millionaire" game show this year! Here is RM1 million!" the television show host announced.

     What? I won RM1 million? Am I dreaming? Never in my wildest imaginations that pictured me, Sharon Ng Huey Yuek, rolling in money! I screamed out hysterically, RM1 million, RM 1MILLION! I was on the top of the world. I could utilise it to the maximum, you see.

     Wait, there is a catch. RM1 million is not a big deal compared to the property owned by international celebrities such as lady gaga, Paris Hilton, Kim Kardashian and Justin thus, in order to utilise this windfall, I must plan meticulously.

     I aim to produce money from money, to give myself some entertainment to wind down, and to share my bliss with my loved ones. Anyway, I am not THAT lavish. My money will not go into designer goods for sure, heavens.

     First and foremost, I will use around RM10,000 from that money to start an online shop. Thanks to my gift in arts, greeting card making is one of the hobbies which I will turn into serious business. I will invest in tools and join courses for card-making, carry out aggressive promotion via the social network and receive orders for tailor-made cards for that special occasion. Besides from making greeting cards, I will also make cute, miniature ornaments such as key chains and costume jewellery   for sale. I may practise "Go-Green" as well by churning the cut-outs from my exercise books and assembling them into intricately-designed diaries and notebooks to be marketed. Given the current era of globalization and the extensive usage of the Internet by people of various ages, I am confident that my network marketing strategy and talent will breed more money in turn.

     Next, I will buy a new bungalow worth RM300,000 for the comfort of my family. This is the perfect time to express my gratitude for my parents who have sacrificed their youth, energy and money to raise me. My house must have a lush garden as a perfect getaway from the hustle and bustle of the city. At the same time, my parents can use that opportunity to exercise to maintain health. My bungalow should be equipped with five bed rooms, three bathrooms, a spacious living room and a stylish modern kitchen as well. In this way, my relatives will not need to search high and low for hotels whenever they pay a visit to my family. Nevertheless, I will not employ any maids; a lawnmover and two robots: Roomba and Scooba are enough to help with the daily household careers. My home will be powered with solar energy too.

     Besides that, I will purchase three terrace houses for homestay purposes. In this way, I can earn some cash by offering holiday-makers a comfortable place to live in at a budget price. Indeed, "There is no better place than home". Thus, I will employ some workers for the housekeeping. This is done to maintain a cosy atmosphere which resembles home. If I put in enough work, more clients will come to me. At the end of the year, I may have earned at least half a million!

     Meanwhile, I will take up baking to fend for myself. Well, it is purely because most Malaysians have a sweet tooth. In fact, I am passionate about the confectionery business as well. No, I will not attend baking courses at exhorbitant prices. I am not that naive to pay RM200 just to bake a wedding cake! Instead, I will put my money into quality baking utensils, ingredients and recipe books dedicated to pastries, bread, cakes and local desserts. Once again, I will market them online, but I will start a cafe at home as well. Thus, diners can savour the taste of local desserts and confections easily, while I make more money. This is what I call as a "win-win situation".

     However, "all work and no play makes Jack a dull boy". Hence, I will allow myself to let my hair down occasionally by indulging in a leisurely holidau locally with my parents. I have only RM1 million! Obviously, I am not going to pay huge bucks for a three-days vacation abroad. Malaysia itself has many scenic holiday destination to cater for tourists worldwide. Beaches and highlands are on the top of my list. Thus, my family will be able to go for a relaxing escapade at a shoestring price. Furthermore, I can manage my online business without much hassle during the free hours. Travelling locally is also patriotic as I can contribute to the local economy. Am I right?

     On top of that, I will purchase a luxurious yet cost-friendly Rush as my vehicle. Besides from being spacious and able to accommodate many people, this car has a low fuel consumption. It also costs less than a million, so I need not fret and complain over paying an expensive car loan.

     In spite of those business-making and spending, I will also have  to save up around ten or fifteen percent of my money from my RM1 million. As the saying goes, "Better safe than sorry:. These savings may be useful in the case of an emergency. Besides, my parents need to worry about money no more. I will also contribute part of my money to charity organizations to fund the underprivileged. In fact, everyone deserves a good life. We are all equal.

    RM1 million, Oh, I can really do a lot with it! I was totally absorbed in the thought of getting rich in no time...

     "Sharon, what on Earth are you doing? Get ready to school!" Aaarrrggghhh! My bossy mother was here, and my dreams are shattered. I woke up sleazily and lazily to get ready to school. Looking back at the condition of my house, I stopped for a moment. Can I ever get rich? Can I get RM1 million?

     Time to stop dreaming, Sharon. I told myself.

     Yes, it is time to move on for my first million. I will be a millionaire-no, but a MULTIBILLIONAIRE soon, if I work meticulously. I can do it!

My Perfect Future Husband

     The church bells rang on a fine sunday. My cousin, ah Yan, and her fiance walked gently and gracefully into the cathedral, witnessed by hundreds of friends and relatives. Ah, what a glorious moment! Ah Yan was resplendent in a snow-white sleeveless wedding gown, while her fiance, Jun Xian, a six-footer, looked dashing and handsome, in a pair of white suit with a sparkle in his eyes.

     Soon, it was the ring-exchanging ceremony. The pledges of the bride and groom were done in a stately manner. After all those promises and vows of love, both newlyweds exchanged their wedding rings. They soon embraced each other and kissed... That was where their kingdom of romance began, after a decade long journey of love. How romantic!

     Sure, to start a family, there must be a union between a man called husband and a woman called wife. Besides being a symbol of romance and sincerity, both should also work hand-in-hand to build a happy story in a household altogether. Girls would want a Prince Charming, while boys would want a Snow White or Cinderella to secure their tomorrows. However, when it comes to choosing a life partner, it is a matter of cautious rationing and foresight.

     Though single, I have visualised my idea of a perfect husband in my mind. Well, indeed, choosing my Prince Charming is nowhere easy. I do not want to get infatuated in love so fast that I may lose in the game of amours and end up being ditched by a Casanova, for goodness sake!

     To start it off with, I am not very particular and picky on the appearances of men. As you can see, "do not judge a book by its cover". In this realistic society, looks may lie. A striking man may turn out as a devil in disguise and vice versa. Thus, basically, the facial features and gait in a male are not taken into my account  However, I am very specific when it comes to the physique. My future husband should neither be over-prosperous nor as thin as a rake. Nevertheless, a man who looks like Mr universe can be rather intimidating as well. Thus, for the physique, he should at least be a six-footer, and preferably having an athletic figure.

     Next, there comes the financial status. My better-half-to-be must have a secure and legal job. It is alright for him to have a modest salary, but I will draw my line at those with a dangerous occupation, such as policeman, soldier and firefighter. Neither do I want a husband who is extremely rolling in money. No, I reject politicians, millionaires, and worse still, BILLIONAIRES. Everyone is money-minded, thus a husband who is filthy rich can land himself and his family into and endless chain of perils and threats. Of course, that does not mean that my spouse can come from the low income bracket. With a meagre sum of money, how is he supposed to feed his family?

     Ah, before I forget, the age factor affects my selection of a life partner as well. My husband should be at least of the same age and at most, five years my senior. Such an age range is good enough to communicate effectively because we can understand each other better.

     Whatever it is. no other aspect is more important than my future husband's personality, character traits and lifestyle. I swear I will not pick any man impromptu as my spouse because "a miss is as good as a mile". In fact, marriage is no child's play. It is about life commitment to the family and in-depth decency among the parents. Any mistake in your better half and you will have a broken household and a life of misery.

     Habit-wise, my man must not practise such bad habits: smoking, heavy-drinking, gambling, taking drugs and, God forbid, womanising! I do not want my partner to succumb to diseases such as ling cancer, AIDS, liver cancer, Hepatitis B, and the list goes on, and on. Besides risking die young, those habits burn off money and golden family hours. I appall being one of those unfortunate women who had unfaithful spouses. Thus, any man with the habits above, sorry!

     As for personality, well, my future husband must possess such virtues as listed below:

     Firstly, he must be able to juggle between career and family. He should be committed to his career in the quest to fend for his family. What is more, father is the major breadwinner in the household. Thus, I do not mind my husband to return home late due to overtime in work. Nevertheless, he must not stay out till the wee hours of the morning. As for home life, I will happily accept a husband who shares household chores with me. At least, we can save on maids. My husband should also make time to accompany our future children and me. Hello, wives should not be doing baby-caring stuffs ALL ALONE! That is unfair!

     Next, he must not be gender-biased. Twenty-first century marks equality for both male and female. Hence, both gender deserve similar rights in proper upbringing and education. Gone are the days where boys could receive knowledge and girls had to stay in the kitchen. Besides, the Biological Theory of inheritance shows that the possibility of having a son or a daughter is equal. I will not risk paying the world for any complicated gender-selecting procedures in babies. At the same time, it is inhumane and cruel to abort a daughter. God makes the choice of parents to have Adam or Eve, thus he should accept all babies regardless of gender!

     Besides, my future husband should be a diligent and upright man. As the saying goes, "God helps those who help themselves". He has to be very dedicated in his profession in order to get the best out of his career. Mind you, if your husband is only willing to laze and watch his wife breaking her bones to work, then can he really fend for the household? I fear not. Besides from being diligent, he must be honest and frank, especially to ME. What a tangled web we weave when we first practise to deceive! Marriage should be done and sustained by mutual trust, hence if he dares to lie to me, he must have been doing unspeakable things beyond the household.

     Apart from that, my husband-to-be has to be both filial and loving to our families. He can always visit both his parents and mine. Without our parents, we will we be? Parenting is indeed crucial to ensure the continuity of the household. On top of that, he should priortise the welfare of the children, too. He should assist me to instill virtues and emphasise the importance of knowledge within the children. Let me quote Francis Bacon, "Knowledge is Power". In this way, both husband and wife can help to develop all-rounders to contribute to the society. By the way, I reject a control freak. Nobody is perfect and I need some space!

     To sum it all up, my husband does not need to be perfect but needs to possess these traits as a family-oriented and devoted spouse. As for the other minor aspects, such as his choice of clothes an interests, I will just leave these to him. He needs privacy and independence too. Thus, my future husband can have his life and devote to the household at the same time, which is what I call as the "win-win situation". For the time being, as a struggling student, I will just leave this matter to God.

     

My childhood Memories

I was tidying my bookshelf meticulously when an object fell off the shelf to my feet.  Its pages flung open. Being curious, I picked it up. It was an old photo album, and there they were, the yellowish photos of me when I was a baby. At that instant, I reminisced about the earliest days in my life, filled with infinite nostalgia.

I was a chubby baby back then, seventeen years ago. I can remember the day when I had my first birthday with my paternal family. That certainly gave me a shock! That was the first crowd I had ever met, as my grandparents, parents and the other relatives chanted "happy birthday", while I was held in my mother’s arms, clad in a maroon-and-white frock.

There was even a day when I first landed on the ground, toddling. I remembered strolling at the Taiping Lake garden with my mother, admiring the beautiful, natural scenery in that popular destination back then. There it was, the cold, stone bench which stood steadily beside the clear lake. That was when I first walked and enjoyed my carefree early childhood, or should I say, life as a toddler? I began to love Mother Nature as my mother accompanied me,  slowly as she guided me around the huge lake, surrounded by lush green trees and the great old rain tree which stood still and strong at the lakeside, defying its one-hundred years of age. Today, the trees are still there, but the stone benches had walked into history.

When I was three, I practised my first handwriting, which was notoriously illegible. It was really difficult to write even a letter back then as I gripped the pencil and wrote in an unsteady manner, I even chuckle today as my mind flashed the days when I fought over a colour pencil with my little sister! As toddlers, we were very eager to draw and develop our first “artistic abilities”-no, but a white paper scribbled with lines and curves in random, to tell the truth.

At that age, I even watched educational videos via the old television set. They were “Magic English”, “Kidsongs” and “English Today”. I simply enjoyed the colourful animations, beautiful music and the way the characters spoke in English. In fact, despite being born-and-bred as a pure Chinese, English was the first language which I gained access to. What was more, according ti my mother, I spoke in English when I first gained the ability to talk! I loved the videos so much that I often persuaded my parents to watch them with me till midnight, or all hell would break loose. Batter still, the educational videos were my first path towards learning English as I mimicked the way they spoke, followed by @Peter and Jane@ reading series which I had read in Kindergarten.

Those were the days when I was a toddler. I was happy-go-lucky but rather unreasonable and boisterous. I soon graduated into a preschooler when I was five. I was enrolled in Tadika Sayang, which was just a stone’s throw away from a temple. I got to know my friends, or more precisely as playmates, as we actually spent more time with the toys, sandpits and in the playgrounds rather than in the classroom. Madam Lee who was my kindi-teacher, was soft-spoken and interesting. We sat in groups instead of rows and columns, and studied our first alphabets, numbers, art lessons and sports lessons in a child-friendly, not-so-strict atmosphere. I remembered that when I was six, I wore my first "graduation robe" which was purple in colour during a Graduation Ceremony for six-year olds. Today, I still laugh out loud when I look at my graduation picture. You can just imagine- a graduate at a playground!

Just like any other ordinary child, I drove my parents up the wall and enjoyed typical childhood treats back then. I used to pester my parents to buy me a set of "Happy Meal" or waffles for supper whenever we visited the supermarket. Being quite health-conscious, my parents were initially reluctant to buy me such food as they were costly and unhealthy. However, they always managed to give in. Snacks such as "Roller Coaster" and "Twisties" were my best friends in primary school. I was so fat that my poor mom had to work extra by sewing my attire. Nevertheless, my strong passion for fast food soon subsided as I entered year Five. Mind you, I was the giant in the class then! I was well known as the fatso.

My life in primary school was rather uneventful in the first three years. Everything was just as ubiquitous- language classes, music classes, sports classes... Nevertheless, my primary school life was far more complicated than my life as a preschooler. We had to dress in school uniforms instead of casual attire. The school organization was even more organised than that in kindergarten-Headmaster, Senior Assistants and teachers. I was so slow in my homework that I was often punished to sit in front of the class to complete it. It was in Year Three, too, that I joined my first inter-school competition, which was the Malay Story Telling competition at Sekolah Kebangsaan Assam Kumbang. I won the Consolation Prize then, which was the best event in my early years in school.


Childhood experiences, yet sometimes leave visible marks on our bodies for the rest of our lives. Most of these experiences are painful. I had a particularly painful one. It happened when I was playing hide-and-seek with my cousins at home when I was six. I dashed into my mother's room to get hold of my cousin when, SNAP! My right middle finger got stuck at the door. My fingernail broke into an ugly crack and bled profusely. I underwent an excruciating nail transplant procedure that night and got an ugly middle finger for the rest of my life. Even now when I look at the awkwardly large fingernail a my right middle finger, I am reminded of the experience. Once bitten, twice shy. I learned to be more cautious from that day on.


When I was about ten, my family and i moved to the other side of town which was nearer to my alma mater. The home we moved into was indeed palace compared to my old, small cubicle. Around it there was a huge open space, where my parents planted vegetables and some spices. That was my home, and still my current home. My early childhood has ended and a new phase has begun.


Early adolescence, I entered a whole new world of challenges and woes. That was when I bade goodbye to a carefree childhood. My parents and I constantly had a great amount of disagreement between us about anything and almost everything. Thus, I am a much subdued person in their presence. Anyway, my dad is not as strict as my mom. There is always something to tell on me- my fashion sense,, method of communication, study attitude, social life... Sigh! I must behave very well at all times. By abiding to all those family rules, I am considered to have good manners and moral upbringing.


Wait! the teenage woes seem to enter infinity. Homework, friends and foes... what is next?


Life is definitely a bed of roses with thorns. My childhood was not perfect but they will remain etched in my mind forever and always. Whatever it is, I think it is high time  that I move on and leave my childhood laments behind. Let me quote Charles F. Kettering, the inventor of the electric starter: "You cannot have a better tomorroe if you are thinking about yesterday all the time".