Chong Saw Saw (susu)

I found this photo of Susu. For us Chongs, the male in our generation carry the middle name of Boo and the female's are Saw (pronounce as Sue), hence we have Saw Lee,. Saw Phek and this lady's name is Saw Saw but we call her Ah Uwan (it means finished).

Once I asked my uncle why we call her Ah Uwan and I was told that since he had too many daughters and had hoped that the line of daughters would end with Ah Uwan! Same as my father, he named me Bee Ean (to end the Saw line) hoping that after me he would not have anymore daughters! (fat chance.... after that we had Bee Lee and Sue Hua and my uncle had Bee Yong :P !!)

Why Susu? What was it I wanted to write about her? Oh, that she is my age, we sat next to each other from Standard One to standard Six, she is warm, simple minded and childlike. Things that she said and did are still fresh in my memory.

She was born in August, the same year that I was born, though I was born in November. No matter how I argued with her, she insisted that I am older than her. You see, 11 is bigger than 8, right?!

She could not swallow any medication as long as it is in the tablet form. I laughed every time I saw how she took her tablets. First she tried the normal way, but sadly, all the water finished but the pills were still there. Then she tried putting it in between her bread, that too failed. Sometimes she would insert it in the banana but poor her, the banana would be gone but the pills remained in her mouth!

The best times we had were during the Chinese New Year, when we would meet up. Both of us love movies and this was when we'd have our movie marathons. Our house was 1/2 an hour's bus ride to Alor Star and we would go early in the morning to buy 6pm tickets for a movie at Cathay, then walk to Choong San and Choon Hwa cinemas to buy tickets for the 12.30pm and 3pm shows. Next, we'd get to Rex cinema and that's where we would watch out first movie (a matinée). When that movie ended, we'd jump on the trishaw, rush for the 12.30 show, and then walk to the other cinema for the 3pm show and finally, proceed to Cathay for the last show.

I left our kampong when I was 17, got married and found the Baha'i Faith and my life changed.
She remained in Alor Star, got married and had a son. Sad to say that we hardly meet each other now, except when there is a funeral and there are always too many people and too many things to catch up with others.

I miss her a lot and I wonder if she misses me or not. I am going to ask her that the next time I see her!

One year memorial prayers

Kedah is still very much influnced by Siamese culture. My play ground was the temple in Bukit Pinang (before 7 or 8 yrs old) and believed me or not, my playmate were the apprentice monks. :-) As I moved on and I forgot about them till 1990, one of the monks came looking for me and we met up. He was an old men then ! He called me " Bee In " ! No body ever called me this , my dad changed my name to Bee Ean after my sister Saw In died of Leukemia and brought me back to stay with them. My heart still aches and there always be a knife twisting it every time I think of my grandparents and my childhood in Bukit Pinang.

The Siamese temple where Boo Peng's apartment is, if I am not mistaken, he bought the 6th floor. We are thinking of buying one for my parents too so that they can be near to each other and if he is hungry, he can pop in my father's place to eat. (we sent many maids, drivers, gardener together with a bungalow with many rooms.) Oh ya a big black car too.


Durian, Fired taufo were his favourite and they still are !




Must not forget credit card ! Name of the Bank ...BANK OF HELL


Not much choice, I am sure he won't like this t-shirt. He can be quite fussy where clothing is concerned.



My sister in-law waited for him to call that night but he was busy else where! Must call her to find out if he has called.

Balik Kampong !

It's old name was Tanah Merah and now it is Bandar Darul Aman !

We hardly meet nowadays and the little time we have with each other we treasure. So we stay up all night chatting!


Christy, an old friend from Singapore who came along. We met in 1970, when I first became a Baha'i and her car was my bridle car! That was in 1971

Siw Yin, she stayed opposite our house, the daughter of a carpenter and she used to hero worship me, thought I was the prettiest girl on earth (the truth was her world was Tanah Merah!) Found her after 38 yrs !

We don't have to go far to see beautiful flowers.


In my kampong, cotton grows from a tall tree, unlike what we see in the movies.



Casual chatting.


The only one left from my mum's generation, she is my mum's youngest sister. (see the resemblance )






Country road..take me home to the place I belong.....


Found photos of old Tanah Merah. These four houses were next to our house (see below), the first one (pink door) belonged to Lang Mu (aunty Lang). She had as many kids as my mum, and these two ladies compete with each other when giving birth is concern, so her eldest daughter is the same age as my eldest sister, her 7th son (ah Hai) is the same age as me ! You should meet him, seeing him makes me realize how kind life has been treating me!


Our house was the biggest, the most beautiful. We USED to have 3-4 maids, drivers, a few lorries and an old Morris !


ALL SOUL DAYS

Once a year, in the month of April, Chinese from all over the world make it a point to go back to their ancestor's home for prayers.

It is my greatest hope that this custom will continue but I also know that it will end with my generation. To me, it is the last attachment to home and an opportunity to meet the cousins and old friends.

Sent off 3

Chong Aik Choon the 2nd son

We never stop eating

Cousins and nieces

Chong Aik Sian, Aik Choon and Aik Yew

2nd brother - boo ban (we hardly talk to him now but I know he loves me) Each time I go back to Tanah Merah (my kampong) I will go to him and call him and he acknowledge my present by nodding and say "Oh , you are back." and then I will tell him when I leave and he would say " when are you coming again?" or Just "ok" funny eh ? but his wife (my sister in-law) is one of my best friends. We grew up together, I spent all my childhood time in her house which is two doors from ours.
daughter Air Theng and husband Ah Lim ( Lim Thian Kooi if I am not wrong)

You will never in your life guess what we eat for breakfast and how many times a day we eat !

Caught these two sister hiding in one corner !
Aik Koon and his aunty (my 2nd sister in-law's 2nd sister in-law)
Inseparable couple
Proof of what I have been saying !

Soo Zhen my best childhood friend, she is my 2nd sister in-law's sister, my age and a bookworm like me but I grew out of it and she is still the same. This photo brings back fond childhood memory.
Poh Tan or we used to call her POPO (the one in between 2ee and me) may be 5 or 6 yrs old when the last time we met her. Her sister is the one on my right. We are cousins ( my father's youngest sister's children) we only meet for funerals

Boo Peng youngest son.... there are lots of story about him that make us laugh when he was young.


If you look at the above photos, you would think that we are a heartless lots... you are wrong, we were sad for losing our beloved brother. But as I said before, the opportunity to meet old friends and cousins is rare now.

Sent off 2

In the old days, there was no insurance and the Chinese have this customs where each family pay a little money to the community fund (benevolent fund) and this fund will be used to help in the expenses of the funeral and the family.
At the funeral there is also a box to collect donations for the family. Now most of us do not need this but the old custom still carry on. Some family give the donation to the charity organization in the name of the deceased.

Sent off

Our beloved brother, Boo Peng - 1945 - 2007

Baha'i prayers being said

Roasted pig from the son in-law ( if we follow the custom, my father would have 7 roasted pigs)

Banquet for all the relatives with whom he is going to join.

Son in-law saying farewell

Siblings saying goodbye

Cousins too have to take their turn
It is the in-law (wife's side)

Then only the 2nd generation and their kids.
All the neighbours and friends

The eldest son kneels and thanks everyone.


Since my sister in-law is a Budhish, He had a room in this temple (eventually my she will join him)
Last sent off in the Siamese temple


Boo Peng's funeral -16th Apr.2007


O My Lord, the poor one hath verily hastened unto the Kingdom of Thy wealth, the stranger unto his home within Thy precincts, he that is sore athirst to the heavenly river of Thy bounty.
Deprive him not, O Lord, from his share of the banquet of Thy grace and from the favor of Thy bounty. Thou art in truth the Almighty, the Gracious, the All-Bountiful.
- Baha'u'llah -

The funeral was a quiet and peaceful one, unlike most Chinese funeral that I have been talking.
We had Siamese monks chanted prayers in the day, Buddhish prayers in the night and Baha'i prayers in between. Since it is a modern age now and Boo Peng is educated, I am sure there are road sign in hell and he could read and bribe his own way there.