My Grandfather's Birthday

My absence from CCA (not telling which one) over this past few practices is due to both my illness and my grandfather's "grand" birthday. It was at this occasion that I was deliberately forced to wear a hideous shade of slime green as a qi pao (a traditional one-piece Chinese dress for women.) Shown here. As in the qi pao if you dont know what it is. ------------------------------------------------->>

My sister and cousin were also forced to prepare a speech and to read it during the dinner (also involving durian for dessert after the cake). I suspect the adults didnt want to do it themselves. I mean, if you had intellectual children and you really dont want to make a speech and read it aloud towards hundreds of people for the sake of your father, what else would you do but give them the honour? I know...sneaky right? i guess it runs in the family.... Anyway, the speech was kind of a hit(although there were also music performances by our three cousins, 3 singers, a Beijing opera mask-face-changer, and a singer/performer who sang hits like Dancing Queen and Rihanna's Umbrella. Although the fireworks started outside in the middle of Umbrella so everyone just left. And I quote from my cousin when she sang that. "Oh yeah, this is SO Ye Ye's (my grandfather) type of music")Oh and my brother also volunteered to add his own words too. So they made the speech while my other cousin videotaped it(but the camera ran out of memory space at the end) Here's the speech they wrote and read cos I just so happened to be typing it out for my mom's other purposes.

Cousin:
Yang Amat Berhormat Pehin Sri Haji Abdul Taib Mahmud, Chief minister of Sarawak, and Yang Amat Berbahagia Datok Amar Puan Sri Hajjah Laila Taib. Honorable deputy chief Minister Sarawak, The honorable minister of plantation industries and commodities Malaysia, Honorable deputy ministers, assistant ministers, Members of Parliament and state assemblymen, My dearest Grandpa and Grandma, Distinguished guests, Ladies and gentlemen.

Good evening and a very warm welcome to everyone present here, As we come from near and far, to celebrate this momentous occasion of my grandpa’s 70th Birthday. Many of you, who are close to him, will surely know that he is a man of few words. You would also know that actions speak far louder than words, which is why he has always chosen to lead by example, and this is a virtue I think we all can appreciate. He has always displayed an activeness and outgoing outlook in life, that has many a time, belied his age. However, his love for nature can only be eclipsed by the love he has shown towards his family and friends.

I remember many a trip to the farm which was always a family affair; and we would walk amongst the fruit trees and go fishing. Apparently getting attacked by thousands of mosquitoes was meant to build character. Yes, I had learnt a lot, standing beside grandpa and patiently fishing. My line would never get a bite, yet his always would. He would then pass me the rod with the struggling fish, and I would then have to work extremely hard just to pull it up. Remember this ladies and gentlemen, there is no such thing as a free lunch.

Brother:
Recalling trips to the oil plantation always brings back fond memories. It is there, with my grandpa where I have learnt the treasure skills of hunting with a shotgun. I remember the first few times when he held up the shotgun for me, teaching me how to hit a target. Every time, when we went out on our little expedition to hunt for wild chicken, he always seemed to insist that I take the shot first. Being afraid of missing, I always took too long to pull the trigger, and before I knew it, the chicken was gone. He always just said to try again when we had another opportunity. Almost every time, I’ve wondered why he still allowed me to shoot, considering how bad I was.

It was only recently that I have discovered he showed me hunting not only because of the “fun” part, but also because of how through it, he could teach me responsibility, patience, determination and a love for nature. It is this patient, nature-loving, warm and caring man that taught me so many things I would have never been able to learn in normal school and city life. Leading by example, he showed me patience and care in everything he did, never faltering in his love for his grandchildren.

Sister:
My grandpa is a goal setter; he always wants what’s best. Especially for the family, he always makes sure we get the best in life. Nothing would pass but the freshest fish in Miri, personally cooked by him in the best possible way. Who can forget a Hoi Dai Kai or blotched Snapper, freshly lifted from the fish farm, cleaned, steamed and deemed delicious with fried garlic. All to the thanks of our dear grandpa. It is no wonder why Ye Ye does not show his love just by mere talk but through sincere actions.

As a man who sees family as his first priority, Ye Ye has instilled in all of us a strong sense of love in our closely knit family. Every year, Ye Ye has made it a tradition for all members of the Yaw family to gather twice; once for Chinese New Year and one more time for Christmas. This regular celebration of family, whether it is here in Miri or thousands of miles across the ocean, has built the bonds between us all. It has taught us to appreciate one another, to know how blessed we are and understand that your family will always be here to support you.

Although he has been retired for quite some time, he keeps himself busy nurturing his children and grandchildren, only happy when we are.

Cousin: On behalf of all the grandchildren, we would like to wish our Ye Ye a most happy birthday on this most joyous occasion.
Sister:
Ye Ye, gon zhu ning,shen ti zian kang,shen ri kuai le,chang nian bai sui, wan shou ru jiang<--I excuse you for not understanding cos it's han yu ping ying and I dont do that well in Chinese either
Brother:
And to all, please enjoy the festivities, as we come together to celebrate a man whom we hold in the most highest regard, and whom we are extremely blessed to call, our Ye Ye.

Oh yeah, most of them are lies. The incident parts anyway. But his love for fishing and hunting wild chicken(sometimes boars. i can post the pictures too. for proof of this mad behaviour. grr.) never fails to be passed on to his beloved 8 grandsons; 4 others are girls(that's where i come in) and 4 others are younger than 7 years.
Plus, my sister and I totally got mauled by mosquitoes. I have at least 30 on one leg. ONE LEG. i lost count on the other one. So if you havent seen my multi-dotted-with-scars-due-to-uber-scratching-at-night-which-is-also-what-keeps-me-awake-and-causes-lack-of-beauty-sleep(not-that-i-really-need-it-when-i'm-not-going-out-or-anything) by the way, tiger balm is only a temporary relief. if you dont scratch that is...