In Loving Memory of The Dearly Missed Sis

Esther Peak Kuan WONG

1986 ~ 2005

As I look upon your picture,

happy memories I do recall

A heart so full of love you gave

and a smile for one and all

There're so many thoughts of you,

at this time of the year

Thought of all the joy your brought

and the laughter too

Words cannot express the pain,

we felt at losing you

As you left, you left in peace
That was reflected in your smile
We'll always remember,
how beautiful you were, like the roses in the garden,
that came into bloom and emitting fragrance,
permeating the air

As I sit here and write this
Tears trickle down my face
You are the lovely sister,
that we've adored since you were small
We miss you dearly,
and that feeling can not be replaced.

God looked around his garden

and found an empty place

He then looked down upon the Earth 

and saw your tired face

He put his arms around you 

and lifted you to rest

With the help of his angels 

they flew you to your heavenly place

God's garden must be beautiful, 

he always takes the best

He knew you were suffering, 

he knew you were in pain

He saw the road was getting rough 

and the hills too hard to climb

He closed your weary eyelids and whispered

"Peace be Thine"

It broke our hearts to lose you 

but you didn't go alone

For part of us went with you 

the day God called you home

In loving memory of late

Esther Peak Kuan WONG

little sis, angel and best friend

who has returned to Lord

on the 20th April 2005

Love you, miss you and never forgotten

Then I heard a voice from heaven say, “Write this: Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on.”

“Yes,” says the Spirit, “they will rest from their labour, for their deeds will follow them.”                                                                                    Revelation 14:13-15

 

You Are Remembered Always

Esther Wong Peak Kuan

1986~2005

I sit here and ponder how much

I’d like to share with you today
There are heaps that we didn’t get to say
I know how much you care for us
And how much we love you
As each time we reminisce
The time we had together
We know you’ll miss us too
God sent an angel
And took you by hand
The angel said
"Your place was ready in Heaven, far above
And it was time for you to leave behind
All those who are dear to you"

You had so much to do, and your journey had just started

It was unimaginable that God decided to take you back

When your life was about to begin

God caught us by surprise

But I can understand why

God would want such a beautiful angel on his side 

From now until eternity

Though your life on earth is past, in Heaven it starts anew

God has promised you eternal life, the living inheritance

And we know that God fulfills

Though you have walked through Heaven’s gate

Our distance is never far apart

For every time we ponder

You are right here, deep in our heart

Forever and ever

In loving memory of late

Esther Wong Peak Kuan

little sis, angel and bestfriend

who has returned to Lord

on the 20th April 2005

Love you, miss you and never forgotten

"I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day—and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing."  2 Timothy 4:7-8

In Loving Memory...

Esther Wong Peak Kuan

1986-2005

We remember you

Even when the world forgets

We remember your smile

Even when we can’t find anything to smile about

We remember your laughter

Even when nothing is funny

We remember your tears

Even when we tried to comfort your pain

We remember the precious sounds you made

We remember your smell

Even if we never smell it again

We remember how you felt

Even if we can’t hold you

We remember you

Even when it hurts the most

One day we will see you again

Dear Sis,

It has been 9 years 

since you were taken

without any warning.

Your going left hearts filled with pain.

But though you are gone from amongst us,
in our hearts you will always remain.

God saw the road was getting rough

and the hills were hard to climb,
so he closed your weary eyelids
and whispered, "Peace be thine."

In loving memory of late

Esther Wong Peak Kuan

who has returned to Lord

on the 20th April 2005

greatly missed, but never forgotten

Deeply missed but never forgotten

Esther Wong Peak Kuan

1986~2005

We miss you in so many ways,

We miss things you used to say,

Sweet memories will linger forever,

Time cannot change them... well, it's true,

And when old times we do recall,

It's when we miss you most of all,

Years that may come cannot sever,

Our loving remembrance of you.

Dear sis,

8 years has passed, yet 

it's so hard to believe that you're really gone 

and to know that we'll no longer 

see your smiling face, 

or hear the sound of your laughter. 

You left so many memories, which'll never part. 

You'll always live deep inside our hearts. 

We're thankful that God graced us 

with someone as special as you. 

It's just hard to believe 

your life on earth is really through... 

You may be gone, 

but, 

you are always on our mind.

Deep in our heart,

there is always a place,

where your presence is felt,

forever...

In loving memory of late

Esther Wong Peak Kuan

who has returned to Lord

on the 20th April 2005

deeply missed but never forgotten...

*Amitabha Buddha*

Remember you... always...

Esther Wong Peak Kuan

1986-2005

If tears could build a stairway

and thoughts a memory lane

we'd walk right up to heaven
and bring you home again
No Farewell words were spoken
No time to say good-bye

You were gone before we knew it

And only God knows why.

Our heart still hurt
And secret tears still flow
What it meant to lose you
No one can ever know.
But now we know you want us

To mourn for you no more
To remember all the happy times
Life still has much in store.

Since you'll never be forgotten
we pledge to you today
A hallowed place within our heart

Is where you'll always stay.

God knows why, with chilling touch,
Death gathers those we love so much,

And what now seems so strange and dim,
Will all be clear, when we meet again

someday... in the Pureland...

Dear sis,

It's been 7 years since you left us. We could still remember vividly how happy you were celebrating your 20th birthday. Everyone was there to see how beautiful you'd grown. You dressed so well, and you were excited when we sang you birthday song. You were delighted, basking under the lime light. I'm sure you had a great joy that night. Who would had ever thought, that a month later, you'd leave us... forever. I remembered sending you to the hospital on that fateful day for your usual blood transfusion.

It was just like any other ordinary day, nothing special except that you were looking forward to your coming Langkawi Thalassaemia conference scheduled at the end of April. We thought that would be a memorable family trip and everyone was so excited about the trip. You were going to give a talk during the conference. However, our dreams shattered when I received a call from the hospital on that fateful evening, 20th April 2005. Mum and I thought something must had gone amiss when we drove to the hospital to find out what the problem was. Mum was so worried and she prayed hard that you were alright, so was I. However, when we reached the hospital, the doctor broke the news that you'd left us... I dreaded to think of it again as it hurts whenever I picture you laying on the bed motionless.

However, I'm happy that you suffer no more now. We hope you've found peace and equanimity. And I know, what ever you are, what ever you are doing now, Lord Buddhas and Bodhisattvas are guiding you... always... Amitabha.

In loving memory of late

Esther Wong Peak Kuan

who has returned to Lord

on the 20th April 2005

deeply missed but never forgotten...

*Amitabha Buddha*

Ushering the Water Dragon 2012

It’s 22^nd Jan 2012. Today is the eve of Chinese New Year (CNY). We’ll send off Bunny tonighyand usher the energetic Water Dragon tonight. I wasn’t here in my hometown for CNY last year but this year, yea, I’m back… haha… I’ve been back for a week from Australia. Ever since then, mum and I have been running around town doing some last minutes shopping and preparation to welcome the new lunar year. It’s been tiring week but it’s fun. Doing shopping with mum enables me to know more about our root and family history, and of course, the latest happening (or should I say gossips) within our extended family members. Honestly, there’s no better way to chat mum than running errands with her.

I was shopping with mum in town and I came across this in an old shop. It’s the head of a dragon and it’s meant for dragon dance. The dragon head looks gorgeous, with its facial expression meticulously accentuated by the craftsmaster. Such art is hard to come by nowadays, not to mention the time and effort taken finish of this beautiful master piece. By the way, did I tell you that it’s hand-made? Dragon is an auspicious mytical creature in Chinese culture and dragon dance is performed during CNY or any other major celebrations in Chinese society.

Talking about CNY, how can one ever forget cookies? There are wide selections of cookies served in every house during CNY. From peanut cookie,love letter to pineapple tart, these are the must-have for the occasions and they happen to be my favourites too. So, these are some of the cookies we made this year.

We went to the wet market to get some food for reunion dinner tonight this morning. Man, the market was filled with heaps of people. While some may say walking in a wet market can be disgusting, with unbearable filthy air and fishy smell running into our nostrils, it revoked my childhood memories.

I’ve spent a decent amount of years growing up with the market and it sort of gave me sentiment nostalgia the moment I stepped into the market. From dry groceries to poultry products, you can find anything easily under the same roof. I remember the aunty who sells vegetables, the grandpa who sells pork, the uncle who sells fish, and not to forget the lovely grandma who sells Chinese pastries. It was like travelling back in time when I saw them. Well, of course, I see more wrinkles on their faces now.

Of all the things in Chinese culture, reunion dinner is something we treasure most in our heart. Regardless of where you are or what you do, reunion dinner is one thing not to be missed. It symbolises unity and union, and most importantly, it strengthens the family bond. It’s a gift having to eat with all the family members at the same table. Imagine how often we eat with all our family members? Perhaps not in the modern society when everyone is busy with their work. We work hard, we earn money in order to enjoy a better life but very often, we forget the very basic need of working: filling our stomach. Isn’t that what we are working for? For Chinese, a bowl of rice? While western society associates bread and butter with work, Chinese associates rice bowl with work. We eat rice, and that’s our staple diet. In fact, reunion dinner is a loose term as the exact translation should be Reunion Rice (Tuan Nian Fan). After working for a year, it’s time to sit and enjoy the fruit of our labour, the rice. And who would be the better person to share this fruit of labour with if not our family?

To my dear friends, I wish you a happy Chinese new year. May the water dragon bring you good health, success and happiness throughout the year. I’m hoping this to be a successful year for me. And my ultimate wish? I hope to see everyone dear to me healthy and happy always… Best wishes to my family…

Gong Xi Fah Chai

Chapter 2012...

Welcome 2012!!! You have arrived.... finally. I've been waiting for you so long. How was the trip so far? haha... Well, today is the beginning of a brand new year. Best wishes to my family and friends. May this auspicious new year bring joy, happiness, health and success.

It's the same old story every year... new year resolution.... new objectives.... new goals... bla, bla, bla.... I wonder what would my new year resolution be? Hmm... sounds pretty hard to tell coz each time I set a resolution, I'd never achieve it. Well, not to say I'm bad at keeping myself on track but usually as we tread we sometimes stray off the beaten track. That's what happen when you discover something interesting that you decides to take another road. That's good coz we have lots of surprises in life. You'll never know. Forest Gump once mentioned before " Life's like a box of chocolate. You'll never know what you're gonna get". As we get up each day, we look forward to the surprises and new things that await us. At the end of the day, you'll be amazed by how much discoveries are made through out the whole day and that made each day a beautiful day. Life is beautiful.

However. there are time when things don't work out as plan and that's when we need to take a step back and think should we continue treading. Or simple abandon it and take a new road? It's not an easy decision when you consider how much effort you've put into it and at the end of the day it's just not working. Come on... wake up and move on...

Well... I've decided to let fate take it course. Follow the flow of the river. Foolish it may sound but I feel that following the course of the road is more realistic. I can set high aims and hope on certain things but what if it doesn't work as plan? I've had a bad experience last year and I keep reminding myself not to repeat the same mistake. If it works, congrats... if it doesn't work, I've nothing to lose. But then again... if I don't have an aim in life, I'll never achieve anything. Ok, make it this way, lets make it more general. I'll achieve something this year. Be it big or small, it's still an achievement.

Neil Amstrong said " That's one small step for a man, a giant leap for mankind". So, my resolution? I want to make myself happy. I'll love myself more. Silly it may sound but hey, isn't it you who know yourself better? If you don't pamper yourself, who will? So, appreciate yourself more. I'll give myself a tap on the shoulder each time I accomplish something. I'll encourage the man in the mirror should I fall like a wounded soldier. We have ups and downs in life so tell yourself it's just a small hurdle. The show must go on even if the actor passes out as audience is still anticipating the conclusion, the grand finale.

So, the theme of 2012? Love yourself.... I will... and I'll never forget to tell my little heart "All is Well, All is Well...." after all, we need a little affirmation in life, don't we?

Happy New Year mate....

p/s: These pictures were taken in Nov 2011 during my trip to Melbourne with mum, bro and cecilia... I love Melbourne ^^