Diary Entries

I DREAMT OF A STORY Two loveless people torn by the unrelenting demands of their profession were set on a blind date by those very closed to their hearts. They're set apart by borders of the four corners in the country they lived. Living a busy life working in the field of their endeavours, they forgot about themselves. After some hard convincing and persuading, they gave in to take a one week break to unwind somewhere. Unknown to them the love machinery was at work, socially scripted behind the scene. Imagine a retro setting of a Parisian cafe they had to meet up one summer. By sheer coincidence, they set foot in that cafe on the same date, sitting on a separate table far apart, ordering the same menu at lunch time. The story just wound up like 'let the nature takes its course!' And nature did take its course: The guy in his middle earth age was smitten by a be-dimpled simple sweet beauty his eyes caught on a side-swept across the room. Blushes went on for the two and soon timidity was a forgotten dish as the lightning struck splashed by something stupid called cupid instead of the poisoned love arrow. Thereon, a miracle happened only to be marred by a parting sorrow. The blossom that somewhat flourished suddenly was doomed to gloom. They had to go back where their duties bound them. It was time to say Con Te Partiro as Andrea Bocelli sang it. The lady revealed her true identity. The man accepted her revelation with understanding. He confessed that he was as he was except that his profession was on a specialised field mending peoples' broken hearts. He's a Heart Specialist for short. Only to realise that his own heart needed some mending. …Continue

Here's the book of my life That tells the story of my being From the pangs of birth When I was brought Into this world to witness Chaos, wars, and tribulations Of all kinds. There were times of peace And abundance too Peace that created happiness And abundance That brought contentment As we're happy enough Whatever we could have. As to provisions, There was no lacking. For wherever we lived As nomads would do, There's always fresh food We put on the table Straight from the harvest Of our Mother's endless toils. Day and night She's out there Cultivating and planting In every space her eyes Set on a piece of land That was not even ours. Yet, we were free to use So we could live with dignity To the present day. To where I am, Old at seventy And passing through All calamities of shame And humility in life With pride being hurled Into the sea of sadness By people turned traitors As stories wouldn't be Without enemies, foes And villains in the form Of smiling faces That wear make-up Too heavy to conceal Their envy and jealousy Of what I never have. A mystery that still Baffles me. Dusting off the powder Of disgust, oftentimes Disappointment and Resentment from every blow; Firmly, my lowly being Stand still silently in pain But triumphantly win Them all in silence; By turning away From the nagging hurts And drew the curtains down, Leaving the past behind me. Seventy, the number Of years I wouldn't have known What brought me here. But my strong conviction That there is someone Above watching me All the days of my life. He gifted me Two wonderful children Who begot three Adorable and beautiful Angels, My crowning glory Honour and splendour.

THE THRILL OF MOUNTAIN CLIMBING Weekends blessed with a perfect weather, warm and sunny days un-called for a winter, have got the family going as to how to spend the remainder of the kids' school holiday. I happened to be with my daughter's family on a second visit so there I was counted in their company. The family decided to go mountain climbing at Mount Annan which is south-west of Sydney. It's about 166meters elevation that took us to the peak with a spectacular view of towns and suburbs surrounding Camden. Its base started from the Royal Botanic Gardens where our foot trip followed the path to the Connections Garden that led us to go up via 4-storey stairs of 10-steps each as my memory recalls. It made the climbing easier and convenient for the elderly walkers. Each storey is an array of flora; trees and other forest organisms indigenous to Australia. Each comes with interesting educational footnotes regarding the historical origin, evolution and development of the specie. As we reached to the top that's where the thrill begun. The main walkways are concretely paved going round, downhill, uphill, on slopes and plains until you get to arterial outback trails. I delighted in that pleasurable walk by ascent and descent depending on how the tracks presented each moment of the sojourn. Our 5-year old boy who didn't mind the two hours circular path we trod out in the open space breathing in fresh mountain air that filled our lungs to filter the system. Along the grassy trail of fine red dirt, we passed by a region of bottle trees, dried creeks exposing rocks and boulders, nude hillsides, degenerated ancient trees, beautiful wildflowers swarmed over by a school of butterflies and a couple of kangaroos grazing on a green hill.

MENTAL COVIDITY Nobody was prepared for the coming onslaught of a new virus code name Covid19. It was purported to be the most lethal, and of epic proportion. It did rock the boat around the world which powered on to its bended knees as imperilled by pandemic thus propelled total lockdowns across all borders. It came at the untimely season of colds and flu that was approaching Australia. It's always normal and a health reality check that this time of year, from Autumn through half of Springtime, people - both old and young - get sick. You hear and see their sniffles, hard breathings by the way they cough, the red tiring eyes, and their turbid state of being due to infirmity. All these are much part of Australians' seasonal psyche. It's also a known fact that when it comes to flu season, the older generations are always the most vulnerable. There were numerous deaths occurred in the past that the people were never aware of. It was left unaccounted for by the mainstream news purveyors. And there was no strict orders for self-confinement or isolation issued on that account coming from big brother. In this covid season, are we all lost to reasons shovelled through our throats by confusion which truth or which lie to cling to? Even the authorities are divided in quite many spectrums of what they found from their researches, autopsies, symptoms and asymptotic preclusions. Is this 'new normal' a new way that leads us to paranoia? While few restrictions are now easing, some are enjoying outdoor life among nature like beaches and mountains with precautions. It's best to play safe and not be too complacent. Let's beat the odds with "an ounce of prevention better than a pound of cure." Just my thought.

TO A PRECIOUS DAUGHTER A day of contrast today Of what it was thirty-years ago. It might not be as colourful as Fall Nevertheless, it was a dreamy spectacle That your crib days were rocked in Wonderland Just as how I wished it to be. My hope, my dream, my wish Was granted by Mother Earth; Whose soft nature you gladly inherited, Sweet like watermelon that I craved. From un-dimpled smile to a helpless cry, You're a sweet baby of un-ending bliss. Winter days do come and go As life like wheels move to and fro; Be they dreamy, be they weary; They come year after year. To us this season brings good cheers With Little Zana, your special day is shared. Joyful greetings and prayers blessed From whom above that watched your birth; We are as thankful that you are here A precious daughter a universe behold: Ever patient, ever strong, ever tender A mother of two, her offsprings' dearly beloved.

MY FIRST COVID LONG DISTANCE JOURNEY Part II Continuing on the progress of my travel's reverie of the country road less travelled: I love the slithering run of the train wheels trailing the zigzag railway lines as they move, passing every tiny towns until the vast farmlands that cover the endless far horizon come into view. Tracks of farm-work are evident on the clay coloured surface of the land. Farm houses are rarely visible and are mostly shielded by windbreak screens of tall pine trees. It's a scenery of solitary farm life nestling on peak hills and slopes away from a contrasting life of the hustle and bustle of the big city. I love the clear blue skies with clouds drifting by, the bright glaring sun, the warm breeze and sometimes scorching heat in spring and summer; the changing hues of the leaves, the nude trees, the cool refreshing air in autumn; the rain, the freezing chills, sleets and snow that creates picture perfect of a wonderland at winter time. I love the peace and quiet, the serenity and tranquility of the countryside over-all. As I only rely on public transport, I welcome the luxury of the thought that travels are not limited to age and mobility. You will find the easy going passengers around you. The friendliness and helpful service of the crews who make your trip pleasant and comfortable. They do show genuine concern of the traveller's welfare. They care for the less mobile who apparently are also showing delight and appreciation of their service. And the orderliness of its aura. Solo travel anywhere in Australia gives me a sense of wonder. I am always in awe of its mystifying, unique beauty so different from other countries. There's no other continent in the world as diversified as Australia.

MY FIRST COVID LONG DISTANCE JOURNEY My coming trip to Orange is full of exciting anticipation. For one thing, I will visit my third grandchild for the third time since her birth. The family will celebrate her First Birthday on Sunday. She's my eldest daughter and partner's first child. As travel bans are now lifted, this is going to be my first long distance trip away from the city under the C-19 period. Though I favoured a relaxing nightly travel, I also find the smooth chug of early morning train exhilarating. So morning it will be, in a cold chilly 9-degrees Celsius forecast otherwise a sunny day later on Friday. All these travels in "unholy hours" are in fact the most sacred times to go which perchance make you able to free your mind from worries and strain of uncertainties where this world is heading to. The atmosphere around the globe is suffocated with fake news and false rhetorics of the insane minds. I just take everything with a grain of salt. Part of the restrictive measures by Trainlink stated that passengers are required to bring their own essentials like hand sanitisers, mask, and water. And like the intercity trains, I expect social distancing to be strictly adhered too. Akin to that, I will also expect that the kiosk will be non-operational. That's the least of my concern as my carriage doesn't favour the proximity to that car. I miss the country rustic views of rugged mountain landscape - oftentimes treeless, woody forests, the dense white ghost gums, the charming bushland, grassy hills, the kangaroos and wallabies grazing and hopping along the countryside, the sheep marching through the paddocks, cows taking shelter under the trees, if not drinking water by the creeks and horses standing by the wire fence.

KITCHEN TABLE RUCKUS The book I'm reading... "Kitchen Table Memoirs" is authored by famous Australian writers with long standing personalities: journalist, comedian, hospital, stage theatre, t.v. and radio workers, chefs, culinarian and restaurant critics, etc. Nick Richardson, who wrote the longest 10-pages Introduction in this book asked, "What makes your memory so different or similar to mine?" That question indeed has jogged my brain and triggered a memory about kitchen experiences; since I am the eldest girl in the family, my main task was centred in taking care of my members' insatiable gastronomic sacs. The kitchen was always my domain. I have my own hilarious childhood memory about a kitchen table. It was not ours. It was not our home kitchen. It was our hosts' long huge kitchen table made of a heavy wood. We young kids were all seated to eat first and the adults would have theirs after. Four of us siblings along with the hosts' children and other families' kids were told to be quiet and to behave while on the table of grace. Being a 'churchy people' they reminded us to pray first. My father having taught us how to pray was feeling proud to present his eldest son to say the grace. The little rascal grinned and obliged. He told us what to do, then he prayed: "Our hands we fold 
Our heads we bow 
For food and drink 
We thank Thee now. Amen." Except that he re-worded the last line with his own nincompoop's version, and said it in our local dialect -"Kalibang kanding" which when translated to English, it means "The goat shits" … Yes, the noun and the verb. I will leave everything in your imagination what happened next because I'm sure my father was silently hoping the earth would swallow him.

I religiously followed the C19 lockdown restrictions imposed by the NSW government. It was good because as a vulnerable Sen-ager, all I did was stay home. My children and I were in constant contact to make sure everyone in the family was okay. I heard about panic buying, and the pandemonium going about in all big grocery shops: Coles, Woolies, Aldi, IGA and even COSTCO. But I missed watching those funny scenarios in action. Three weeks into self-confinement, my victuals ran dry. I need food so I must get out to buy them. Online shopping is simply not for me, besides they're very costly. Imagine my shock to find almost all the shelves in store were empty! No toilet paper and no hand sanitiser, where the infamous Australian controversy began that shamefully had reached the world news scene. No facial tissue, nopaper towel, no rice, sugar, eggs, flour, and yes, Pasta! To the kitchen section, even the lowly vinegar, bleach, and sodium bicarb powder for cleaning were zilch! Nada! To the bathroom essentials... if it's not telling in exaggeration, even toothbrush was nowhere to be found so was the handwash cream. I can live without these later essentials, but food. Fruits and vegetables were in abundance. That was my primary concern. Covid taught me many things. Apart from the clean environment including the atmosphere/hemispheres, the birds are back in my backyard. For the first time, I dutifully learned cooking beyond my comfort zone. YouTube has been my companion and friend. I've watched chefs who are not famous, but shared with us their culinary fares. And for the first time, I've learned that I can make an Ice Cream with only two ingredients. I bet you can figure it out what they are!