A Child Was Born

Eleven years ago today morn
A little child was born
So little was he
Weighed barely 1 kg

So early was he
Was to arrive only in January
But came in October
Making him a year older

A Malay woman passed him by
Possibly visiting a baby nearby
Commented "Bayi ini keci*"
Innocent remark though that may be

Though happy at his arrival
We worried for his survival
Told his chance was "not too good"
That kinda affected our mood

Friends and relatives dared not congratulate
What if there was a twist of fate?
There were no flowers or cards
But they must be praying in their hearts

Many hospital visits were made
Most days we were by his bed
At first he couldn't even be carried
Needed more time, couldn't be hurried

So many tubes attached to his body
Seeing him like this made us sorry
We felt his pain
Nearly drove us insane

Mum lovingly prepared EBM** for his food
We were told nothing else was as good
Brought it daily in a box that could chill
Which he consumed via his nostril!

Little by little, he grew steadily
We brought him home when he was 2 kg
After almost 3 months' stay
But the happiness was more than words could say

Today he's happy
And he's healthy
We're grateful as that's all we want
Happy Birthday, My Son

Mum, Dad and gor gor*** love you dearly, always.

Note:

* kecil (sometimes mispronounced as "keci") = Malay for "small"

** EBM = expressed breast milk

***gor gor = Cantonese for "elder brother"

The Last Kampong In Singapore

The Sep/Oct 07 issue of Spring magazine published by the Northeast CDC has an interesting article written by Juliana June Rasul titled "The Simple Life". It is about the last surviving kampong in Singapore that lies right in the heart of Buangkok.

For a taste of 1960s living, you should take a stroll down the idyllic village that's home to just 14 families. Do it before this last kampong in Singapore also disappears in the name of progress and development.

(For enlarged versions of the photos, please click here: 1st page and 2nd page)

Festival Of The Nine Emperor Gods

Today is the 9th day of the 9th lunar month (九月初九). It is the day on which the Nine Emperor Gods Festival culminates. Nine Emperor Gods is 九皇爷 (Jiu Huang Ye in Mandarin, Kew Ong Yeah in Hokkien or Kow Wong Yeh in Cantonese).

The following passage is extracted from this website:

"This Chinese festival lasts for nine days. Following the Chinese lunar calendar, it is usually held during September and/or October. Activities centre around the Nine Emperor Gods Temple at Upper Serangoon Road, near Little India! You will find the temple near Yio Chu Kang Road.

This is a noisy celebration, as Chinese worshippers welcome the visitation of the Nine Emperor Gods who bring good fortune, longevity and health to the sound of drums and cymbals. Priests write out protective charms with their blood, and the festival climaxes with a parade of the nine gods, each carried in a large and elaborate sedan chair."

Next to Eunos MRT station and at a temple near my place, this festival is being celebrated. I took the following photos last weekend:


A traditional Wayang stage and show



Nearby tentage housing paraphernalia for prayers - notice the 9 flags, each representing an Emperor God



"Up-sized" joss sticks



The Chinese temple near my place



Lantern in the shape of a dragon, a mythical and traditional creature commonly used to adorn Chinese temples



Dragon head, close-up



A not-so-traditional decorative lantern



Hmm... could it have been inspired by or rather, mutated from the above icons?



9 lanterns, each representing an Emperor God



Lantern representing the First Emperor God



Procession vehicle



Procession vehicle transporting temple volunteers



Sedan of one of the Emperor Gods



Another sedan up on a vehicle



Essential transport as arrival and departure of the Emperor Gods are believed to be via waterways



The band (note that the $10 and $50 bills at the top of the photo are real money, possibly donations from temple devotees)



Joss paper scattered on the ground after the procession


This festival is currently still commonly observed by many Chinese temples in Singapore. However, it is anybody's guess how long this tradition is going to last. As a Business Times article dated 24 August 2007 about Mr Jimmy Lam, a Singaporean photographer puts it:

"Today, with local wayang and festivals like the Nine Emperor Gods becoming a rare sight on the streets of Singapore, Lam has made it his mission to photograph the indigenous culture of Asia before it vanishes in the march of modernity here.

'I've been documenting Asia for the last 12 years, because I've been through it myself - growing up amidst a place full of culture and then finding it swept away by modernity, inevitably,' he explains."

You can read more about this festival from the following links:

1. Wikipedia;

2. Becky Whitlock of Bath, UK witnessed the festival celebrations at the Upper Serangoon Road temple on 4 October 2003 and wrote a very animated account of the festival celebrations complete with photographs.