‘At Christmas, all roads lead home.’
– Marjorie Holmes, American columnist and best-selling Christian author.
A happy and merry Christmas to all. How time flies, my friends.
In just a week’s time, we will be welcoming 2023. I hope all of you are having a good time with your families today. Treasure your time together and stay safe.
There are three big celebrations I look forward to every year. They are the Lunar New Year, Christmas and the Donggzi Festival or Winter Solstice Festival.
Chinese all over the world celebrated the Dongzhi Festival recently — on Dec 22 this year. The highlight of the festival is the eating of Tang Yuan, the glutinous rice balls.
The Chinese believe that when a person eats Tang Yuan, he/she is one year older. I ate my Tang Yuan on the eve of the festival this year. You see, my son and his wife took me out shopping and before going home, we stopped at a dessert shop somewhere opposite the famous Friendship Park.
Kuchingites are so lucky. We can eat Tang Yuan whenever we want if we know where to go.
And we can have it served with all sorts of desserts like barley, black jelly, red beans or Tau Foo Fah (soya bean pudding).
Nevertheless, on the actual day of the Dongzhi Festival, I still made my own old-style Tang Yuan which I served with syrup water. However, I had a hard time looking for glutinous rice flour. Three big shops I visited in Tabuan Jaya had run out of it. I finally found it in a supermarket at Stutong and it seemed I bought the last packet available.
If I had got up early that day, I could have bought it at the wet market in Stutong Community Market.
When my father was alive, he used to remind me that after the Dongzhi Festival, the next Chinese festival would be the Lunar New Year. That is very true.
I look forward to welcoming the Lunar New Year or Year of the Water Rabbit on January 22 next year.
Like my late father, my son was born in the Year of the Fire Rabbit. I wonder whether there will be baby Water Rabbits in the family this year.
During the current monsoon season, try not to go on camping trips.
Learn from the landslide tragedy at the Father’s Organic Farm campsite in Gohtong Jaya in Batang Kali in Selangor. It is probably the worst in Malaysia this year. A landslide happened early last Friday at the campsite where 92 campers were spending their holiday.
31 bodies have been recovered; the body of the last victim, a boy, was found yesterday. With that, the family can move on. I pray that the souls of all those departed will rest in peace.
The stories of young and innocent lives lost and the emotional distress suffered by the members of the rescue team as well as their K9 furry friends are so heartbreaking to read.
The tragedy also reminds us how fragile and temporary our lives are on this Mother Earth. We can be here today and gone tomorrow.
Who would have thought an idyllic campsite would turn into a killing field early one morning and claim so many lives?
Meanwhile, Telang Usan assemblyman, Dennis Ngau has advised those visiting eco-tourism spots, particularly for camping in the rural areas, to be extra careful before embarking on such trips.
“We would also like to advise those who wish to go camping near the creeks to be cautious as this involves mother nature, and at times, we never expect anything bad to happen.”
On the landslide tragedy in Batang Kali, he added, “So, what (campsite tragedy) has happened before this, we take it as a lesson and be on high alert.”
Meanwhile, stories about the evacuation of families affected by flash floods in Kuching and Bau are making the headlines in the local newspapers including New Sarawak Tribune.
Yes, it is now the annual monsoon and flood season again. Alert-level continuous rain has been forecast in many parts of Sarawak.
Premier Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Abang Johari Tun Openg has reminded the people, particularly those who live near the river, to be cautious from December to February.
“If the authorities order you to relocate, I strongly advise that you do so for your own safety,” he said.
So, for the next three months, for our own safety and that of our family, perhaps we should study the weather forecast carefully before venturing anywhere far.
To conclude, once again, a happy and merry Christmas to all.
The views expressed hereare those of the columnist and do not necessarily represent the views of New Sarawak Tribune.
