Thank You Everyone

12 Comments



My friend Justin Teo told me that it is good that Albany is born in the Year of Rabbit instead of Dragon, which were just days apart. He told me that a girl born in the Year of Rabbit generally enjoys good fortune throughout her life and tends to receive adoration from people. In short, according to him, she'll have enough 貴人 in her life to have a relatively stable and peaceful life.

I don't quite believe in these sort of things. If he's right, that's good. I'm not sure about the è²´äºº part but she does receive a lot of adoration by everyone she met (and didn't) so far. Maybe all babies do. I don't know about that. Everyone who sees her seem to like her but maybe that's due to her rather chubby outlook.

We received so many gifts for her overseas and local that we have a genuine problem in storage. Just look at the pictures and see how many things this lucky little rabbit girl received. My loving friends did send some things for me though. I want all of you to know I really appreciate the gifts and I can't describe my appreciation better. You made me guilty for all these.

The gifts for Albany were amazing. I felt bad to make all of you going through the expenses. Among them were exquisite things such as a customised beanie from Mrs Lim, hand-make album from lao niang Julia, self knitted toys and winter blanket from Grace's Grandaunt, Auntie Lucy. The thoughtfulness and effort we heartfelt and overwhelming. Every little thought gave us a little bit of strength to carry on. It is not the gifts but the feeling of being backed by a spiritual support by true friends.




Vincent + Tucky (mask for work)
Theng Theng (oilment)
Grace (clothes, toy, fan, chicken essence, bird nest)
Patrick (ang bao, clothes, containers for baby)
Elaine (clothes, toy)
Jia Qin (beanie)
William, Yew Kheng, James, Louise, Vincent, Jo (clothes)
Mum (ang bao)
Joanna (clothes)
Grace's mum, Anna (ang bao)
Meng Lei (ang bao, salmon)
Hu Nan (bottle of red wine)
Ryan (ang bao)
Sandy (clothes)
Julia (photo album)
Uncle Lai and Auntie Mehnoosh (clothes)
Micky & Jac (clothes) 
Grace's grandaunt (knitted toy and clothes)
Poh Choo (pillow and boasters)
Samantha (clothes, toys, photo album)
Penny (ping an fu)
Brendan's parents (clothes)
Sister Karen (lent bassinet, gave milk pump, baby clothes, milk bottles, car blind)
Sister Florence (clothes)
Sister Angela (milk pump, maternity clothes)
Angie mama (pregnancy advice throughout)

I'll like to sign off with special thanks to Ryan. I want to stress that it wasn't the gift that is important but the meaning behind the story. Ryan was a Singaporean stranger who came to Perth and could not contact me on time. Before he left, he managed to hunt down contact Joanna to pass her a gift.

To my surprised it was an Ang Bao and it wasn't a small one. I managed to contact Ryan after that and he told me he felt some affinity with Albany and just wanted to give her a gift. A message to Ryan: I have already did what I plan to do with your gift and I will be telling the story soon in the next few posts.

You shouldn't have, Ryan 

I shared this story because of something Alvin shared over dinner last night. He told us his friends often told him cut all ties with Singapore and live happily ever after in Perth. Why is he still concerned with Singapore and Singaporeans, especially so since he renounced his citizenships?

I want all Singaporeans to know that while it can be depressing to live and work in an environment where it seems that everyone is cold and uncaring. We are going through a genocide and we cannot allow that to happen. Totally oblivious, we have been deliberately engineered to be selfish in tall poppy environment and hate one another so as we do not to unite and ignite when our rights are taken away from us one by one. At the very least, if we couldn't prevent an imminent end to our identity, we could make one another feel better by supporting each other morally.

Since my first days of landing in Perth, I felt a surreal Singaporean Spirit engulfing me. The kind of spirit that we thought had died. It hasn't but had, again deliberately, been forced out of Singapore for some reason.

Every Singaporean I encountered here rallied behind us. There reason may be because we are away in a strange land and we are minorities here but I do naively believe that Singaporeans do care about their countrymen. Look at people like Eugene and Alvin, they may have renounced their Singaporean citizenships. They may act aloof and critical of Singapore by but deep down, the ties were not cut and they still lend a hand to assist Singaporeans to their abilities.

Whether they knew it or not, the ties cannot be truly cut. Once a Singaporean, always a Singaporean. It is not the colour of our skin or the passport. It is the spirit within us.

12 comments:

  1. MJ18 March 2012 at 17:37

    WOW, so many gifts! you made me feel guilty leh, I din contribute anything. only eat the good food prepared by you, alvin (& wife) and patrick. I still thinking of the roast pork! best meal in my first week in perth.

    I'm pleasantly surprised at the hospitality I received, just so not singaporean. agree with alvin on how we are engineered to live our life, the way old man wanted. since i'm in the middle of bell curve, my life seems to have a fixed path to dead end.

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    Replies
    1. Peyning18 March 2012 at 21:56

      Hi, MJ.. Nice meeting you today. .. Hope you enjoy the stay and Perth and good luck with your job hunting ..... Keep contact...

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    2. Uncle Phil19 March 2012 at 07:09

      Hi MJ,
      It is nice to know that the mob in Perth is looking after you and feeding you well.Don't under-estimate the Singapore spirit.. It is not what you think as "so not Singaporean" It is because we are Singaporean!

      Delete
    3. MJ19 March 2012 at 19:03

      Thanks Uncle Phil. Maybe Singaporeans overseas are different. Thinking definitely not the same.

      Seems like Singaporean spirit can only be found overseas and WP rally...

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    4. Alvin19 March 2012 at 19:57

      Ha Ha MJ, that's why we are overseas....LOL

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    5. SydneyLibrarian20 March 2012 at 05:28

      Indeed, I found the Singapore spirit here too when I first landed :) Very surprised & touched at the warmth & hospitality from some Singaporeans! :)

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  2. Ah Pooh18 March 2012 at 17:40

    you come back singapore visit me i give u big big present heheee....when come back wor...

    ah pooh

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    Replies
    1. asingaporeanson18 March 2012 at 18:24

      i dun need any presents. im happy just to see my frens again

      Delete
  3. wannaleavesg18 March 2012 at 23:13

    Wow congrats! It's amazing itself that Albany is already 1 month old! Great job! You are doing fine! Jiayou

    Wannaleavesg here =)

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  4. Uncle Phil19 March 2012 at 05:32

    We may be a generation apart but I salute you for your courage to start a new way of life for yourself and especially to bring up your young family away from "the perceived comfort zone" of your own country.
    Incidentally, a young group Sg migrants in Sydney has come to support and uphold the "traditional Kongsi(huay quan) concept" that our forefathers started in early Singapore. We hope many Singaporeans in and out of the little red dot come on-board and support and share the Singaporean spirit among us. Visit http://singaporeclubau.blogspot.com.au/

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    Replies
    1. SydneyLibrarian20 March 2012 at 05:32

      Hi Uncle Phil, if there was a "Like" button for your post, I'd like it for sure! Wholeheartedly agree with you re: Singaporeanson's courage & willingness to start life anew here in Australia.

      I'll check out the link you posted, as I'm in Sydney too! :-D Glad to know there's so many Singaporeans around. Feeling a bit lonely here as some of the friends I make seem to end up going back to Singapore!

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  5. Alan Heah19 March 2012 at 08:15

    Yes, yes, listen to Uncle Phil, and please support the spontaneous coming together of S'poreans in Oz.
    At the least, that's what a S'porean me can do 'back there' for now, instead of 'over here' with all of you — cheer from the sidelines.

    'Back there', -asingaporeanson-, also gives me a little cheek to fake-fake philosophical-like, and muse about why S'porean spirit is dead (or at least zombified) on red dot itself, yet blooms beautifully like a pure lotus from the mud, once it regains the freedom of the world at large.

    Space.
    I think that's the reason.
    The S'porean paradigm here today is to cram and cram and cram as much as we can, our infamous kiasuism undergoing extreme involution (instead of evolution) to the point of absurdity and insanity.
    Cram with population; cram with money and material; cram with stress and anxiety and fear to always win and win… for what?!

    Freedom.
    That's what space gives.
    Space to be oneself, or as an old friend also in Perth points out: space to hear oneself think.
    Space to be oneself, live life the way our instincts, true natures and ancestral memories reveal to us.

    And with that space and freedom and true self, the natural gotong royong (reciprocal, mutual support) simply blossoms marvellously.

    We're happy for you over here.
    No need for envy or jealousy, since as you rightly pointed out, always a S'porean: can't run, can't bluff.

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