It is only natural that May is the month of activities for many of us. There are two holidays - May Day and Wesak to celebrate. Craftmaking comes naturally as Mother's Day and Teacher's Day are celebrated a week apart in May. At Ilena's school, Wet World Day is a must-see must-attend event in May together with Sports Day a week later.
On top of that every year a spate of family movies are released in May.May is also the month of the French Festival. All in all, we watched 5 movies this month alone - Iron Man II, Coco Avant Chanel, L'heure Zero, Shrek - The Final Chapter and Robin Hood! A record for the family.
We had water balloon games, outings to the park, music lessons and the girls had their midterm exams. And Inas had to attend PMR SKOR sessions.
As if that wasn't enough, I was caught in the midst of the Annual Staff Party celebrations, dancing in two dances and practicing everyday.
But best of all, I reached out to old friends this May. Met Faiz after almost 20 years, called Yumiko in Tokyo after a good 10 years and called Hendri in Indonesia for the first time in seven years! I realised that above all else, friendships and family are truly precious. However, we sometimes fail to realise, relationships take effort and time. Time is most elusive and can slip away so much so, before you know it, a decade has passed you by.
It was a good month.
But I need a rest in June. Back to books and poetry, I guess. And writing.
Monday, May 31, 2010
Tuesday, May 25, 2010
FAFF2010
Twenty years ago, I took French lessons at the rambling old bungalow which housed Alliance Francaise amidst a sprawling garden on Lorong Gurney. Early this year, Rudi, Iman and Inas registered at af to take up basic French. So now, we are introduced again to the wonderful community at Alliance where Azizah runs the af Cafe, Natalie selects and screens the weekly movies and on Saturdays, the family meet at af to go to the library [Ikesha's first library ever] and have lunch at the Cafe.
This has led to a whole new world for us as a family. We sing favourite french folk songs like Alouette and Au Clair de la Lune and play Monopoly in French. And because we are singing folk songs, I also sing Malay folk songs like Oh Bangau Oh Bangau, Kereta Kecil and Burung Kakak Tua to Ikesha. On Sundays, we listen to bistro music like La Mer, La Vie en Rose etc. We dream about the seemingly unaffordable holiday in France [for all 8 of us]. Iman googles and checks out the possibilities of studying in France - now apart from A levels, perhaps she has to study for IB as well after SPM.
So when Natalie told me about the FAFF a couple of weeks ago, we were all excited. The first French movie we saw earlier this year was Les Choristes and the girls sang the beautiful songs in earnest. Songs like Caresse sur L'Ocean, La Nuit et Vois Sur Ton Chemin are firm favourites.
A Mum and Teenager outing saw us watching Coco Avant Chanel which featured the enchanting Audrey Tautou. Iman and Inas loved it and so did I. Inas loves Marion Cotillard, so I would love to watch LaVie En Rose in which Marion Cotillard played Edith Piaf with her. A few days later, Rudi and I watched L'heure Zero, an adaptation of Agatha Christie's Towards Zero - followed by Robin Hood on the same night - which contributed to our foray into french as some scenes were in french- the movie highlighted the tussle of power between France and England.
The highlight of FAFF 2010 was watching Mouron in concert at the Panggung Bandaraya. An excellent chanteuse, Mouron - the French Diva de chanson delighted us with an array of best known french songs - La Mer, Padam Padam, La Vie En Rose and her own Un dessert au desert. It was certainly memorable.
We will continue our adventure and immersion into all things French.
My next project? I am going to translate Oh Bangau Oh Bangau into French soon.
Find our favorite songs: http://ninotazizfavouritefrenchsongs.blogspot.com/
Sunday, May 09, 2010
Goodbye my friend, Mr Nyam Kee Kwi
Mr Nyam passed away peacefully on 9th May 2010.
I first met Mr Nyam in the 1990s, when his son, Ken came back from overseas. Mr Nyam wanted his son to apply for membership and I was the Membership Manager at the Royal Lake Club at the time. Mr Nyam was clearly proud of his handsome and talented son, who was also a member of a local band making an impact in KL.
Very much a Club man, Mr Nyam was among the founding members for Tai Chi at the Royal Lake Club way back in 1972. He organised many Tai Chi events to promote the art. In later years, he received many invitations to teach tai chi - the Bukit Aman Police force among others. The upper echelons of the society coveted him as a sifu but if it interfered with his classes at the Lake Club, he would politely decline. He had weekly lunch meetings with Club members just to keep in touch about Club matters. Many called Mr Nyam as soon as they decided to run for office at the Club - but Mr Nyam was the first to say he was an ordinary Club Member with only the Club's interest at heart.
Throughout the years, I got to know Mr Nyam's family. I worked closely with Siew Chin his daughter on the Club's Newsletter at the time, and always kept in the loop about Ken, Samantha, Tasha and later, grandson Tristan. Ken's wedding was a beautiful ceremony we attended and I shall always remember how beautiful the whole family looked that night.
At SP Muda, Mr Nyam's printing company, I learnt everything I could about printing and knew almost all Mr Nyam's staff especially the longstanding staff. Siew Chin eventually became one of my closest friends as we shared many common interest. Mrs Nyam loved karaoke and Mr Nyam indulged her passion. He was very proud when she did very well in the Lake Club's Karaoke Interclub and was invited to sing here and there. Mr Nyam loved to paint and loved all things beautiful and in harmony.
The children all inherited Mr Nyam's artistic talents - Ken was into music, Siew Chin loved dancing and travelling, Tasha was into martial arts. Samantha too had her own artistic talent.
I had the privilege of sharing many meaningful conversations with Mr Nyam - we chatted at his office and the coffee shop at Jalan Ipoh Kecil and sometimes in his car on the way to the Club - about Club politics, Malaysian politics, the economy, honesty, the work force today, the importance of trade exhibitions and about keeping ahead in the business, about competition and later golf- he was very worried about young Malaysians who seemed to take everything for granted.
Once a year, Mr Nyam cooked his famous Nasi Ayam for the whole family - a secret recipe his sister shared with me one late evening at SP Muda.
It was a privilege to be allowed into the close circle of his family and life - Mr Nyam was an industrious Malaysian who worked hard for his family.
To be continued.
Audrey, another close friend from the Club circle just reminded me that Mr Nyam did our wedding cards, and I remembered that SP Muda printed my Canadian reunion and school alumni souvenir programmes.
I guess over the next few days, I am going to recall bit by bit all the things he did and said. I already miss him and regret that we haven't seen each other as much as before after I left the Lake Club. Still, he was one of the few Lake Club members I invited over for lunch at RSGC.
The funeral is over and a peaceful quiet falls upon all those who attended. After several nights of being with the family at their home while Siew Chin, Ken and the whole family perform marathon prayers, I feel at peace that I had said my goodbyes to Mr Nyam and gave as much support as I can to his family.
God bless Mr Nyam.
I first met Mr Nyam in the 1990s, when his son, Ken came back from overseas. Mr Nyam wanted his son to apply for membership and I was the Membership Manager at the Royal Lake Club at the time. Mr Nyam was clearly proud of his handsome and talented son, who was also a member of a local band making an impact in KL.
Very much a Club man, Mr Nyam was among the founding members for Tai Chi at the Royal Lake Club way back in 1972. He organised many Tai Chi events to promote the art. In later years, he received many invitations to teach tai chi - the Bukit Aman Police force among others. The upper echelons of the society coveted him as a sifu but if it interfered with his classes at the Lake Club, he would politely decline. He had weekly lunch meetings with Club members just to keep in touch about Club matters. Many called Mr Nyam as soon as they decided to run for office at the Club - but Mr Nyam was the first to say he was an ordinary Club Member with only the Club's interest at heart.
Throughout the years, I got to know Mr Nyam's family. I worked closely with Siew Chin his daughter on the Club's Newsletter at the time, and always kept in the loop about Ken, Samantha, Tasha and later, grandson Tristan. Ken's wedding was a beautiful ceremony we attended and I shall always remember how beautiful the whole family looked that night.
At SP Muda, Mr Nyam's printing company, I learnt everything I could about printing and knew almost all Mr Nyam's staff especially the longstanding staff. Siew Chin eventually became one of my closest friends as we shared many common interest. Mrs Nyam loved karaoke and Mr Nyam indulged her passion. He was very proud when she did very well in the Lake Club's Karaoke Interclub and was invited to sing here and there. Mr Nyam loved to paint and loved all things beautiful and in harmony.
The children all inherited Mr Nyam's artistic talents - Ken was into music, Siew Chin loved dancing and travelling, Tasha was into martial arts. Samantha too had her own artistic talent.
I had the privilege of sharing many meaningful conversations with Mr Nyam - we chatted at his office and the coffee shop at Jalan Ipoh Kecil and sometimes in his car on the way to the Club - about Club politics, Malaysian politics, the economy, honesty, the work force today, the importance of trade exhibitions and about keeping ahead in the business, about competition and later golf- he was very worried about young Malaysians who seemed to take everything for granted.
Once a year, Mr Nyam cooked his famous Nasi Ayam for the whole family - a secret recipe his sister shared with me one late evening at SP Muda.
It was a privilege to be allowed into the close circle of his family and life - Mr Nyam was an industrious Malaysian who worked hard for his family.
To be continued.
Audrey, another close friend from the Club circle just reminded me that Mr Nyam did our wedding cards, and I remembered that SP Muda printed my Canadian reunion and school alumni souvenir programmes.
I guess over the next few days, I am going to recall bit by bit all the things he did and said. I already miss him and regret that we haven't seen each other as much as before after I left the Lake Club. Still, he was one of the few Lake Club members I invited over for lunch at RSGC.
The funeral is over and a peaceful quiet falls upon all those who attended. After several nights of being with the family at their home while Siew Chin, Ken and the whole family perform marathon prayers, I feel at peace that I had said my goodbyes to Mr Nyam and gave as much support as I can to his family.
God bless Mr Nyam.
Happy Mother's Day
Lunch at The RSGC Fairway Family Restaurant
Ikesha contemplating how to get herself into the blue waters!
Saturday, May 08, 2010
Rudi and Ninot - Our Night Out
At home, Rudi and I prepared meticulously for a fun night together 'sans notres enfants' followed by supper at Medan and snooker at Rudi's hang out with the guys.
Monday, May 03, 2010
Water balloons on Labour Day
All work and no play makes Jane a boring, not to mention unhealthy, girl. So what should Jane do ? Work all year and have fun on Labour Day!
Labour Day weekends are meant to be fun-loving days with the family. Last weekend, we filled pink, white and brown (a little bit of girlishness, elegance and mud) balloons in all sizes for a respectable looking relay race in the garden.
Sure, it began that way but soon balloons were flying like missiles here and there and everywhere. Rudi was the first to abandon the race followed by Little Ikesha and Inas.
Even Bik got ambushed by Ilena and Irani.
I quickly got hold of the camera as a shield with a loud and firm "Don't wet the camera!"
Iman, who came back from study group was not spared...
All that activity surely had me tired out. I was yawning throughout the IronmanII movie outing with the girls later at The Curve!
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