This little kid, that tall, dark and fun-to-be-with guy has grown to beome a curious and cheeky 4 year-old prancing around a heritage house in Georgetown. Full of horse-plays, and enjoying the joy of living with his family...and relatives during the 50s.
....and of course, this was peppered by "visiting relatives" who behave like visiting professors freelancing talks and lectures. Mum was kinda like an undergradute who can't escape from those lectures. But even as a kid, I love listening to those "professors". Many related wonderful and joyful life experiences that I picked up later on in my life and I just set the "holier than thou" and "pathetically sorrowful" lectures aside.
....and there's grandma on her brass bed next to the air well on the ground floor, toying with her extra 3.5 inch lotus shoes. As a little domineering matriach, it's normal for her to bark orders.
"...close the tap tightly!"
See?... she's a tight-wad.
"....switch off the lights!"
See?... she will 'feet'in the shoes of a great campaigner to save the environment in today's world.
....and talking about 'feet', grandma was into feet-binding, and I had absolutely no idea why she preferred her feet as an extension of her leg and not as a stand for her body. It must be "cool", since she was just among the few who had bound feet in our chinatown neighbourhood. It must have been a specially accorded and "absolutely cool" honour. That is cool.
Grandma would bind her feet with some cloth tape not less than 10 feet long <"feet" again!> and contort her feet to fitinto her tiny lotus shoes nothing more than the size of her grandson's palm.
On some mornings, she can't find her other lotus shoes for I had used them for some "ballet tricks" and forgotten to return it.
On other days, she would wake up to find some rolls of her cloth-tape missing for I had used them to dress like a mummy inside a closet, and again forgotten to return it.
Boy, those days were fun and it's great to have a dad who don't get into fitsover my antics. It was not the way to go for my dad. He's very mild mannered, and not into the "fit" stuff. So he tolerated, he educated. I was moved.
....and it goes without saying that I was also moved when grandma fell sick and died at a ripe old age. I heard she looked serene, had her 3.5 inch lotus shoes on when laid to rest, and free from more "grandson antics".
I thought it would have been a great idea if she was mummified with those rolls of cloth-tape. But all that was done was to have those extra lotus shoes and cloth-tapes going down together with her. ....and as a 4 year-old grandson, I have no say about what's fittingto say.
Last monday was "Qing Ming" day and as a grandson who still remembers and love her, I went to clean up her grave in Batu Gantong and to wish her continued happiness with her contorted feet, 3.5 inch lotus shoes, and her rolls of cloth-tape. I decided not to tell her feet-binding is already a completely abolished practice today. It was cool then...but if she's alive today, she'll be shocked and awed by the coolest thing now....geting tattoed, painfully speaking.
Yea, if she's still alive today, she'll regret being too old and gray for this painful stuff.
Rest in peace, grannie....I'm looking for a good design. You know, something that centers around John & Yoko. Stay cool grannie, don't get upset by this.
....and of course, this was peppered by "visiting relatives" who behave like visiting professors freelancing talks and lectures. Mum was kinda like an undergradute who can't escape from those lectures. But even as a kid, I love listening to those "professors". Many related wonderful and joyful life experiences that I picked up later on in my life and I just set the "holier than thou" and "pathetically sorrowful" lectures aside.
....and there's grandma on her brass bed next to the air well on the ground floor, toying with her extra 3.5 inch lotus shoes. As a little domineering matriach, it's normal for her to bark orders.
"...close the tap tightly!"
See?... she's a tight-wad.
"....switch off the lights!"
See?... she will 'feet'
....and talking about 'feet', grandma was into feet-binding, and I had absolutely no idea why she preferred her feet as an extension of her leg and not as a stand for her body. It must be "cool", since she was just among the few who had bound feet in our chinatown neighbourhood. It must have been a specially accorded and "absolutely cool" honour. That is cool.
Grandma would bind her feet with some cloth tape not less than 10 feet long <"feet" again!> and contort her feet to fit
On some mornings, she can't find her other lotus shoes for I had used them for some "ballet tricks" and forgotten to return it.
On other days, she would wake up to find some rolls of her cloth-tape missing for I had used them to dress like a mummy inside a closet, and again forgotten to return it.
Boy, those days were fun and it's great to have a dad who don't get into fits
....and it goes without saying that I was also moved when grandma fell sick and died at a ripe old age. I heard she looked serene, had her 3.5 inch lotus shoes on when laid to rest, and free from more "grandson antics".
I thought it would have been a great idea if she was mummified with those rolls of cloth-tape. But all that was done was to have those extra lotus shoes and cloth-tapes going down together with her. ....and as a 4 year-old grandson, I have no say about what's fitting
Last monday was "Qing Ming" day and as a grandson who still remembers and love her, I went to clean up her grave in Batu Gantong and to wish her continued happiness with her contorted feet, 3.5 inch lotus shoes, and her rolls of cloth-tape. I decided not to tell her feet-binding is already a completely abolished practice today. It was cool then...but if she's alive today, she'll be shocked and awed by the coolest thing now....geting tattoed, painfully speaking.
Yea, if she's still alive today, she'll regret being too old and gray for this painful stuff.
Rest in peace, grannie....I'm looking for a good design. You know, something that centers around John & Yoko. Stay cool grannie, don't get upset by this.
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