Labu Batu 8 New Village Hungry Ghosts Festival with MP of Rasah

I Went to a Phor Thor (Hungry Ghost festival) function with MP of Rasah last night in Batu 8 Labu. In Seremban, there are about 50 over Phor Thor functions and most of it are by invitation only.

YB Teo Kok Seong was invited to give out chiffon cakes and other food items sponsored by the locals there. 

From left to right 

: Wong Thim Choy, Elvin Lee, Nicole Tan, village leader, YB Teo Kok Seong, Lee, villager, villager and Ah Poh (our Labu comrade)

 
The Hungry Ghost Festival (Phor Thor in Malaysia) is a traditional Chinese festival celebrated by Chinese in many countries.

In Chinese tradition, the 15th day of the 7th month in the lunar calendar (Ghost Month) is called Ghost Day, in which ghosts and spirits, including those of the deceased ancestors, come out from the lower realm to visit the living !! This is quite different from both the Qingming Festival (in spring) and Chung Yeung Festival (in autumn) in which living descendants pay respects to their deceased ancestors.

On the 15th day, the gate between realms of Heaven and Hell and the realm of the living are open. Both Taoists and Buddhists would perform rituals to absolve the sufferings of the deceased (presumably, the ones in Heaven, oops sorry, I mean Hell). I am reminded about the joke of which one guy said he when he dies, he prefers to go to Hell as all his friends are there.

The religious festivities includes ancestor worship, like preparing ritualistic food offerings, burning incense, and burning joss paper, a papier-mâché form of material items or effigies such as clothes, gold and other fine goods for the visiting spirits of the ancestors. For the Hungry Ghosts festival, even the younger generation are being worshipped as distinguished from Qingming.

Elaborate meals (often vegetarian meals) would be served with empty seats for each of the deceased in the family treating the deceased as if they are still living.

Other festivities include, releasing miniature paper boats and lanterns on water, which signifies giving directions to the lost ghosts and spirits of the ancestors and other deities.

In Malaysia today, live concert-like performances are held and everyone is invited to attend. The first row of seats are always left empty for the ghosts to sit. The shows are always in the  night and at high volumes as the sound is believed to attract and please the ghosts.

Those live burlesque shows are popularly known as 'Koh-tai' by Hokkien-speaking people for "Merry-making". I remember once, a medium spoke on behalf of Hades (God of Hell) that he doesn’t like watching all these burlesque shows. The show went ahead as the organisers said that if  Hades doesn’t like it then the worshippers can still enjoy ! This is a far cry from those days of  which Chinese Opera was performed.

Then : Chinese Opera for Hungry Ghosts 

Sexy Dancers for Hungry Ghosts

Tidings from President of Royal Sungei Ujong Club

Tidings from President of Royal Sungei Ujong Club

Let me start by wishing all my Muslim brothers and sisters a “Selamat Hari Raya Aidil Fitri”. Hari Raya Puasa or Aidil Fitri or Eid al-Fitr (in Arabic which means "festival of breaking of the fast") is an important religious holiday celebrated by all Muslims marking the end of Ramadan, the Islamic holy month of fasting. The auspicious Aidil Fitri is to celebrate the conclusion of dawn-to-sunset fasting during the entire month of Ramadan. Aidil Fitri  falls on the first day of the month of Shawwal. On this day Muslims around the world show a common goal of unity. On this feliticious occasion, let us unite in the spirit of camaraderie and friendship !

“Melentur Aur Biar dari Rebungnya” is a traditional Malay proverb translated to mean  “to bend a bamboo, it is better to start from its shoot”. In order to nurture, cultivate and instill great skills and/or values in a person, start them early. Understanding the notable truth to this proverb, the RSUC-AZAM DAUD U-13 FOOTBALL 9’s CHALLENGE TROPHY 2013 has been developed to reach out to our future players  and inculcate the value of appreciating sports (and in this case, football) as part of their culture. Sports like good character must be inculcated from young. Good sportsmanship is not just about winning or losing but it is about the ability to accept the results as it is.  

Therefore, a great honour and privilege for the Royal Sungei Ujong Club to host the RSUC-AZAM DAUD U-13 FOOTBALL 9’s CHALLENGE TROPHY 2013 on the 17^th of August 2013 (Saturday) at Rahang Square, Seremban, Negeri Sembilan. I understand that there are 16 teams participating in the tournament. The objective the tournament is to expose RSUC members’ children to more competitive football and to unearth potential talented young footballers in our Club. It is a fantastic effort to promote youth development for the Football Section. This is the brainchild of the organising committee, namely Mr. Low Her Huat (the football captain), Tony Chia (General Committee in charge of House and Grounds), Mr. Steven Loo Chairman), Mr Ramesh, Mr. Saravanan Sannasi (our Sports Chairman) and Encik Azam Bin Daud.

Therefore, as the President of the Club and on behalf of all the members of the Club, I must extend our heartiest compliments and gratitude to the organizing committee of this tournament for a stellar job.  A lot of preparatory and assiduous work have gone into organising an extensive tournament like this. I am sure that this tournament will be another runaway success. On behalf of the Club, let me bid all our visitors (participants and officials) to the RSUC a very warm welcome.

I wish all of you “All the best !”. As the old adage goes : “May the best teams win”. It is my hope that the spirit of clubbing i.e, fellowship and good fun shall prevail rather than just the spirit of winning. Most importantly, we hope to discover our very own “David Beckham” of RSUC !

Let me end by quoting Bob Cousy, “Sports gives your life structure, discipline, and a pure fulfillment that few other areas of endeavor provide”.

See you at the club !

Nicole Tan Lee Koon

President

Royal Sungei Ujong Club 2013/2014

h

The magazine

The Secretariat

Souvenir

The speech

Join the UBAH team !!

I would like to share a story of the rat trap with you. “A rat looked through a crack in the wall to see the farmer and his wife opening a package. What food might it contain? He was aghast to discover that it was a rat trap. Retreating to the barnyard the rat proclaimed the warning; “There’s a rat trap in the house, a rat trap in the house!”

The chicken clucked and scratched, raised her head and said, “Excuse me, Mr. Rat, I can tell this is a grave concern to you, but it is of no consequence to me. I cannot be bothered by it.”

The rat turned to the pig and told him, “There’s a rat trap in the house, a rat trap in the house!” “I am so very sorry Mr. Rat,” sympathized the pig, “but there is nothing I can do about it but pray. Be assured that you are in my prayers.”

The rat turned to the cow. She said, “Like wow, Mr. Rat. a rat trap. I am in grave danger. Duh?” So the rat returned to the house, head down and dejected, to face the farmer’s rat trap alone.

That very night a sound was heard throughout the house, like the sound of a rat trap catching its prey. The farmer’s wife rushed to see what was caught. In the darkness, she did not see that it was a venomous snake whose tail the trap had caught. The snake bit the farmer’s wife. The farmer rushed her to the hospital. She returned home with a fever.

Now everyone knows you treat a fever with fresh chicken soup, so the farmer took his hatchet to the barnyard for the soup’s main ingredient.

His wife’s sickness continued so that friends and neighbors came to sit with her around the clock. To feed them the farmer butchered the pig.

The farmer’s wife did not get well.  She died, and so many people came for her funeral that the farmer had the cow slaughtered to provide meat for all of them to eat.”

What is the moral of the story ? So the next time you hear that someone is facing a problem and think that it does not concern you, remember that when there is a rat trap in the house, the whole barnyard’s at risk.  

Everyone is connected and what affects me, also affects you. Therefore, be more aware of what is going on in your family, in your ‘taman’, in your office, in the society and most importantly, in our country. Be an activist in your own little way. You don’t need to join a political party in order to make changes albeit small or big.

Use your talents. If you are good writer, write to the various papers, social medias and websites about the things you are not happy about in the country. If you are a good organiser, organise the Residents’ Association and look into the various issues affecting your ‘taman’. 

If you have good networking, influence more people to be agents of change/UBAH. Agents of change can come in many forms i.e, before, during and after elections. No man is an island. 

Hence, it is best to work with political parties as they are more organised and experienced. Before the elections, volunteer your services (legal, finance, accounts, management etc). During elections, be voting and counting agents or help out in the campaigns or in the operations centres etc. After the elections, give feedbacks and help to reach out to the areas which were not penetrated earlier.  

Channel your concerns and demands through the right political party and/or politicians by working with them. Be part of the UBAH team for a better Malaysia.

RSUC President's Message for Football 7's - 8th June, 2013

A message I wrote for the Royal Sungei Ujong Club in June, 2013 :

Message from President of Royal Sungei Ujong Club

Let me start by quoting Gary Lineker after losing the 1990 World Cup semifinal to Germany on penalties: “Football is a simple game; 22 men chase a ball for 90 minutes and at the end, the Germans win.”

Greetings from the Royal Sungei Ujong Club, Seremban !

It is indeed a privilege and honour for me to write this message, being the first message as the newly minted President of the Royal Sungei Ujong Club. At the very outset, let me tell you that I am no ordinary girl next door who knows nothing about football. I have to credit my late father, Mr Tang Seng Huang for introducing me to football and as a result I got hooked. I remember both of us sitting with our eyes glued in front of the television discussing excitedly about a “Road to Wembley” game, much to my sisters and mother’s chagrin. We were guilty of  hogging the television. His favourite team was Tottentham Hotspurs (“Spurs”) and mine was Manchester City (“City”).

My favourite game of all time was the FA Cup Final Replay between Spurs and City in 1981.  It was the first to be staged at Wembley. Ricky Villa opened the scoring for Spurs in the 8th minute.  Steve MacKenzie equalised for City in the 11^th minute.  Kevin Reeves scored a penalty in the 50^th minute to give City the lead. Garth Crooks then equalised in the 70th minute. In the 76^th minute, Tony Galvin passed the ball to Villa 30 yards from City's goal, and the Argentinian dribbled past four defenders before scoring the winning goal. This goal was voted Wembley Goal of the Century in 2001, and it won Tottenham the match, 3–2, and the FA Cup for the 6th time.

It is also indeed a great honour and privilege too for the Royal Sungei Ujong Club to organise the RSUC – TIGER FOOTBALL 7’s CHALLENGE TROPHY 2013 this year. Continuing from the success of the three (3) previous tournaments, we have grown from strength to strength. The inaugural one was in 2010. It is indeed encouraging to see that we are making progress in cultivating an enthusiastic sporting culture as the tournament teams have grown from 4 in 2010 to 12 in 2011 to 16 this year !

All this cannot be achieved without the dedication, commitment and enthusiasm of the organising committee, namely Mr. Low Her Huat (the new football captain), Tony Chia (the previous football captain and the current House and Grounds and Security Chairman), Mr. Steven Loo (our previous Sports Chairman), Mr Ramesh, Mr. Saravanan Sannasi (our current Sports Chairman) and Encik Azam Bin Daud who have spent invaluable time, energy and resources to promote football and friendship (camaraderieship) with other football clubs. This is what clubbing is all about. The main objective of this tournament is to foster greater fellowship at a competitive level among many football players and officials from many clubs, both local and overseas, that will soon converge on the NS Padang culminating in a gala dinner at our very own Tuanku Jaafar Hall. Our theme in 2011 of “FRIENDSHIP FOREVER…IT IS ALL THAT MATTERS” rings true !

Special mention to our guest of honour and a member of the Club, Dato Alexander Soosay, Secretary of the Asian Football Federation (AFC) who has time and time again supported the football section in so many ways.

This year the tournament will be held on 7-10 June, 2013 at the NS Padang. Let me make this an opportunity to quote Martin Luther King. I have a dream that one day in the near future we will be able to hold the tournament in our very own football field. When can we make it happen ? All I can say now is  : if there’s a will, there’s a way. Watch this space.

I understand that this 7’s soccer tournament is probably one of the most prestigious in this part of the world, worthy credit must be given to the RSUC’s  soccer section for organising this tournament so well and efficiently. It is my fervent hope that the football section can take up the challenge to ensure that this tournament continues to be prestigious and popular.  

Therefore, as the President of the Club and on behalf of all the members of the Club, I must extend our heartiest compliments and gratitude to the organisers of this tournament for a job well done. It is a tough job to organise such an extensive tournament like this. A lot of preparatory and assiduous work have gone into the tournament. I am sure that this tournament will be another runaway success.

On behalf of the Club, let me bid all our visitors (participants and officials) to the RSUC a very warm welcome. We also like to welcome and appreciate our friends from overseas and we are truly appreciative of the efforts you have taken to come all the way to participate in this event.

I wish all of you the best of luck. As the saying goes : “May the best teams win”. It is my fervent hope that the spirit of clubbing i.e, fellowship and good fun shall prevail rather than just the spirit of winning.  

Last but not least, I would like to thank our major sponsor, Guinness Anchor Bhd for their generous support to the soccer 7s tournament. We are very grateful and thankful of your relentless support.  

Let me end by quoting Bill Shankly, Liverpool manager on football: “Some people believe football is a matter of life and death. I’m very disappointed with that attitude. I can assure you it is much, much more important than that.”

Have a fantabulous weekend !!

Nicole Tan Lee Koon

President

Royal Sungei Ujong Club 2013/2014

Selamat Hari Raya Aidil Fitri !!!

Here's wishing all my Muslim friends Selamat Hari Raya ! To those who are not aware of its significance : Hari Raya Puasa or Aidil Fitri or Eid al-Fitr (in Arabic which means "festival of breaking of the fast") is an important religious holiday celebrated by all Muslims marking the end of Ramadan, the Islamic holy month of fasting. On the auspicious Aidil Fitri, Muslims are not permitted to fast. This is to celebrate the conclusion of dawn-to-sunset fasting during the entire month of Ramadan. Aidil Fitri falls on the first day of the month of Shawwal. On this day Muslims around the world show a common goal of unity. 

Aidil Fitri’s Islamic prayer (Solat) consists of two units (Rakat). The prayers are offered in an open field or large hall. It may only be performed in congregation (Jama’at) and, has an additional extra six Takbirs (raising of the hands to the ears while saying "Allāhu Akbar", literally "God is greatest").

Muslims believe that they are commanded by God, as mentioned in the Quran, to continue their fast until the last day of Ramadan and pay the Zakat and Fitra before offering the prayers.

Appointment as Political Secretary to MP of Rasah, YB Teo Kok Seong

6th of July, 2013 was the fateful day of which I was appointed as Member of Parliament, YB Teo Kok Seong's political secretary (a glorified personal assistant some may say). Whatever it is, I am thankful to YB Teo for giving me a political platform. 

I checked 6th July and found that my idol, Sir Thomas More was executed for treason against Henry VIII on that day ! On the other hand, Richard I “the Lionheart” acceded to the English throne in 1189. Richard III was crowned King of England in 1483. I guess it was the best of times and it was the worst of times.

On a lighter note, John Lennon was first introduced to Paul McCartney on the 6th of July, 1957 in Woolton, Liverpool. The most famous statesman born on that day is Stamford Raffles in 1781.

True Colours !

This is the text of a speech I made in 2011. My maiden Mandarin speech, really. My warnings came true ! I warned that the BN government will use all sorts of tactics and tricks in order to win the elections.  This is truly a government which does not walk the talk (“janji tidak ditepati”). A case of  their true colours manifesting (臉型披露).  The latest Conversion Bill which allows one parent to convert a child despite the fact that in April 2009, de facto law minister Datuk Seri Nazri Aziz announced that the Government would ban the automatic conversion of minors to Islam, in a bid to quell unease among non-Muslims in mainly Muslim Malaysia - http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/mobile/malaysia/article/fool-me-twice-shame-on-you-is-the-feeling-on-conversion-bill/

I ended my speech by saying “Beware ! If we allow BN to win （過關） the next general elections (臉型披露） then they will use more powerful weapons against us （我們就倒黴）. What powerful weapons ?  The above is only the harbinger of things to come ? Like the GST,  the continuation of the AES, giving out more citizenships to foreigners, continuation of abuse of powers, playing racial cards, curb on freedom on human rights (especially freedom of expression) etc

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Hitler used to share with his closest friends that "what luck for rulers that men do not think". For the past 55 years, Malaysians have been too apathetic and kind as we endured one bad leader after another （逆來順受）. Allowed the rotten government to turn into bad government. From a bad government to a nasty government. From a nasty government to a wicked government. A government that practices political oppression (政治迫害) ; corruption (腐敗); abuse of power (濫權) and allow wastages to happen. We allowed these bad leaders to dupe us one general elections after another. We used to be a rich country. Our Ringgit was stronger than Singapore Dollar. Now, the Rakyats are suffering. 1 SGD is now RM 2.5! There are not enough jobs to go around. We need to come out of the matrix or vicious cycle (离开恶性的循环) and into a new cycle of change in order to save our future generation. 55 years of deception and oppression is enough.

Suddenly, 308 (the 12th General Elections) happened. 308 shook BN's strong foundation. 308 gave an opportunity to the opposition to prove that Pakatan can be a better government than BN. For eg, Penang. CM Lim Guan Eng's CAT principles (Competency, Accountability and Transparency) has become a model for all the other states to follow. Pakatan's prudent management managed to put Penang and Selangor in the top 3 in the Auditor-General's report card for the highest savings and highest FDI (Foreign Direct Investment). This report card was not written by Pakatan but by the Auditor-General. 

Suddenly, Arab Spring happened. Middle Eastern countries like Tunisia, Egypt, Libya, Bahrain, Syria and Yemen experienced a regime change like a domino effect. Such strong and powerful leaders/despots like Gaddafi, Mubarak etc all fell one by one. The Arab Spring has caught the imagination of the masses and has influenced many people to be agents of change.

Suddenly, the world economic crisis happened. USA, such a superpower, was at the verge of bankruptcy. They printed more money. Still not enough money. So, they had QE1 and QE2 and 
perhaps, QE3 in order to salvage themselves. Malaysia is also facing the same problem. Our national debts now stands at RM502 billion and counting. Our PM, Najib asked us not to panic as Malaysia was quite different from Middle East. Who is he kidding but himself? This situation can be likened to a divine timing. As the chinese saying goes, 天时地利人和, 天時地利人和. It simply means “the right time, the right place, and the right people” (more literally “heavenly timing, location advantage, and human harmony”). 

We must make use of this golden opportunity. A divine timing which does not happen very often, to use our valuable votes for a change.

On the Sept 15th, 2011, Najib made a "groundbreaking" announcement in his Malaysia Day's speech. He said the government shall repeal the 3 Emergency Declarations and the draconian statutes like ISA, Printing Presses and Publications Act and Banishment Act. These are BN's powerful weapons (致命的武器) to curb opposition and Rakyats who do not accept the government's policies. Why should BN take away these powerful weapons (自廢武功) ? First reason is for BN's political survival. Like the lizard's survival skill. The lizard will shed its tail in order to escape for its predator/death (斷尾求生). Second reason is because Pakatan denied BN their 2/3rds majority in Parliament. After 308, BN is no more all-powerful. BN has to listen to the Rakyats' voices. BN has to heed the opposition's demands for the Rakyats. Beware ! If we allow BN to win （過關） the next general elections (臉型披露） then they will use more powerful weapons against us （我們就倒黴）. We need to have a stronger two party system with check and balance or a regime change to avoid absolute power falling into any one party's hands.