How low can you get?

Stealing from a grieving person in a cemetry, that is a S**** person. For the Chinese, you may steal from a life person, but never ever steal from the dead.

Soon it will be Ching Ming/Qing Ming   (清明节) visiting the graves festival. Idiots like this may be prowling.

 Many Chinese like my uncle and my friend fly across the ocean to do remember and honour their ancestors at grave sites. They bring food, wine, red candles and paper money.  For the Chans, we are Christians, we bring white candles and flowers.

This was not Qing Ming day, it was the day Father's tombstone was assembled. Rose led the family in Kuching. The rest of the family were abroad and could not attend. Henry said the words were slanting. It had to be done again.

Expand

Photo / File photo

Police are disgusted after a handbag was stolen from a woman's car while she tended a grave site.
The Christchurch pensioner was tending her parents' grave at Dunedin's Andersons Bay Cemetery on Saturday at 3.50pm when the alleged theft occurred.
The victim was just a metre away from her vehicle when the male is believed to have crawled between gravesites to access an unlocked car door.
He then grabbed her handbag - containing purse, credit cards and cash - before slamming the car door and running off.
Constable John Gilbert said the theft was "one of the lowest acts" he had attended in his decade-long police career.
The victim was visibly upset about the incident, he said.
"She already felt sad visiting her parents' grave, but then this happens. This is about as low as you can go."
Const Gilbert said the woman did not get a look at the thief, but was helped at the scene by two men.
Police believed the person lived locally and inquiries were continuing.
However, he urged the person to deliver the handbag to police, "or let us know where we can pick it up - no questions asked".
"If he wants the cash, that's fine, we just want her property returned."
The incident also served as a reminder for people to secure their vehicles and stay vigilant, even in cemeteries.
- Otago Daily Times

23 years after, and Andrew is still missed.

My girls Gabrielle aged 2 and Deborah, almost 5.

Today is Easter. My pastor Jonathan spoke on The Lord Has Risen and we responded--- He Has Indeed-

Towards the end of the service, he spoke of his little baby boy who died 7 years ago, and it seems he was talking for me. I often think of my late baby boy Andrew, who would be 23, but he is up in heaven.

It can't be a coincident that I posted the above two photos. I posted them in response to my Facebook friend, Veronica who posted a similar photo of her grand children. She asked me why there were so many rocking horses. This was my reply. A sub-conscious reply of sharing my Andrew.

Thank you Veronica and Jonathan.

•  This photo was taken just after Andrew had died. I was so 
  
  "MABOK" aka blur.  I couldn't  remember if I took it or 
  
  someone else could have taken for me.
  
  It could have been at a Plunket place, a mum and baby 
  
  place. Because of my "situation" I  often went there to rest 
  
  while the nurses took care of the girls. 
  
  OR
  
   I always thought it was at the creche area of my church. A 
  
  China girl who had come to be my nanny when I was 
  
  going to have Andrew. Of course Andrew died and I didn't 
  
  need her. She got married very quickly and always 
  
  considered me as BIG sis. My Pastor's wife told me to 
  
  go to the wedding for her,  since she had nobody. 
  
  Surprisinly I had a great time during the 
  
  wedding, There was a Samoan friend who had gone to 
  
  Taiwan, so he strum his ukelele and sang and made us 
  
  sing the popular Taiwanese song  Alisan's gu nian . For a 
  
  couple  of  hours, I left my sadness and sang with them. 
  
  My girls went to play at the creche,and someone could 
  
  have snapped the photo.
  

  
  

Sands won a car.

To celebrate being the best-selling car company in New Zealand for the past 25 years, we’ve given 25 deserving Kiwi charities a brand new 2013 Corolla each, to use for three years. The people have spoken and the results are in. THANKS to everyone who voted. We’ll contact the winners on Monday 25 March.

Toyota New Zealand | 25 Ways to Say Thanks

Toyota New Zealand was founded in 1966, although way back then we were called Consolidated Motor Distributors Ltd (have a 

Sands New Zealand

A huge THANK YOU to everyone who voted for Sands Manukau in the Toyota competition. They have been one of the lucky groups to win the use of a brand new car for 3 years! I know that Sarah, their coordinator will be so excited by this. Just remember, even though it is our Manukau group that have won this, it will do great things for Sands New Zealand as a whole - raising awareness all over New Zealand with the publicity that this will bring with it. As well as running her own local group, Sarah is the National Coordinator for Sands New Zealand, so she will be using this to promote Sands in any way she can! Congrats guys, well done!

ABOUT SANDS MANUKAU

Supporting parents and whanau following the death of their baby at any stage during pregnancy and up to 1 year following birth. Memory making items and hand/foot castings are given free to families as tangible memories. Ongoing support by phone, email, Face Book and one on one contact.

Dining at 192 metres,

We had  dinner at the Observatory restaurant at the Sky Tower in Auckland. We were up at 192 metres, and the view was fantastic. The sun set was beautiful too, so was the food.
I won't show you my dinner plate as it was a buffet. ( Actually it's because I can't find the photos).

Kranji cemetery

Father became a boarder at the Malayan Seminary ran by the Seven Day Adventist Church. It was the Youngberg Memorial Hospital[1]. The Seven Day Adventist is a vegetarian Institution. In the weekend, he went to Mou Ping’s shop and ate as though he had been starved. He gave his cousins tuition.

The boys in the boarding school found on the bottom of the desk, POWS from Australia and New Zealand had craved their names and addresses. They asked who ever found these addresses to please contact their family. The boys had some fun trying to contact these addresses, but many did not reply. Many were sad stories that their loved ones did not made it home.

Whenever he could, Father went to the Kranji Cemetery, perhaps to reflect on how life had been changed forever. Perhaps he went with a gratitude to those young men buried there.

There are a lot of bereaved parents who probably never went to Singapore and see this sight.

Before 1939 the Kranji area was a military camp and at the time of the Japanese invasion of Malaya, it was the site of a large ammunition magazine. On 8 February 1942, the Japanese crossed the Johore Straits in strength, landing at the mouth of the Kranji River within two miles of the place where the war cemetery now stands. On the evening of 9 February, they launched an attack between the river and the causeway. During the next few days, fierce fighting ensued, in many cases hand to hand, until their greatly superior numbers and air strength necessitated a withdrawal. After the fall of the island, the Japanese established a prisoner of war camp at Kranji and eventually a hospital was organised nearby at Woodlands. After the reoccupation of Singapore, the small cemetery started by the prisoners at Kranji was developed into a permanent war cemetery by the Army Graves Service.

There are now 4,458 Commonwealth casualties of the Second World War buried or commemorated at Kranji War Cemetery. More than 850 of the burials are unidentified. The Chinese Memorial in Plot 44 marks a collective grave for 69 Chinese servicemen, all members of the Commonwealth forces, who were killed by the Japanese during the occupation in February 1942. Within Kranji War Cemetery stands the Singapore Memorial, bearing the names of over 24,000 casualties of the Commonwealth land and air forces who have no known grave. The land forces commemorated by the memorial died during the campaigns in Malaya and Indonesia or in subsequent captivity, many of them during the construction of the Burma-Thailand railway, or at sea while being transported into imprisonment elsewhere. The memorial also commemorates airmen who died during operations over the whole of southern and eastern Asia and the surrounding seas and oceans. The Singapore (Unmaintainable Graves) Memorial, which stands at the western end of the Singapore Memorial, commemorates more than 250 casualties who died in campaigns in Singapore and Malaya. Many of the graves carry no name just an inscription to 'A Soldier'

http://www.myfareast.org/SingaporeMemorials/kranji.htmls

---

[1] It is still in Singapore at Upper Serangoon Road.

Census question brings tears

I did a blogpost on this and this is a followup.
http://annkitsuetchin.blogspot.co.nz/2013/02/how-many-children-do-you-have.html

More than 1800 people have signed an online petition voicing unhappiness at the wording of a question which they believe ignores babies who have died in the womb.

The petition has already prompted Statistics New Zealand to concede the question could have been better drafted and to promise increased consultation before the next Census.

"Mothers who have had a stillborn regularly report distress when asked how many children they have in social situations," said Dr Cathy Buntting, chairperson of Sands. "Now, in the national Census, they face the same upsetting predicament.

The petition has drawn criticism from people on a popular Trade Me internet forum about parenting. They think it is an over-reaction by some to the Census question. I like to ask all those in the Trade me Internet forum, how many of you who criticised actually have lost a child, or have a family member or a close friend who were bereaved. If you never have, who are to to say we over-reacted.

My son was born alive, but he died shortly after. Often, Officialdom have told me to disregard him. He's my son, he grew inside me for 40 weeks, and I nursed him until his death. If people say he doesn't exist, it is plainly disregarding a parent's feelings.

Shame on you Trade me to even have a thread on this.

Yes, I am over-reacting, and Yes, I am not ashamed to tell people I had a baby and he died. You can gasp as much as you like.

 Display of my book Diary of a bereaved Mother, goodbye my baby's display.

Forever In My Heart exhibition which is at the Peacock Art Gallery, Upton Country Park,


http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10870298

Sands Manukau: Working for the Community.

Sarah Numan stays at home -" I run Sands Manukau 24 hours. I have 3 angels, Hope, Noah & Willow and 5 living."  What an incredible women.


Facebook accounts: Please vote to win them a car.

Sands Manukau

Great day had at the Botany Community Day. Thanks to my wonderful team - Annie OChen Rebecca Luscombe Joyce Shankar-Kay Rhonda Sivewright Katherine Yearbury and Snappy Chappy - you were all amazing! Thanks to Emily too. Jami-Lee Ross - thanks so much for showing your support yet again. And thanks to Gary, Mark, Carin and the wonderful team putting this whole event together. — Botany Community Day 2013 

Officialdom and insensitivity

Yesterday, we had our census, hot under the collar were some parents, They are mortified with this question:

25 If you are male go to 26
     If you are female, answer this question.
     How many babies have you given birth to?
    number born alive
    none
    Object to answering this question.

I asked the last, I object, and qualified with "If a baby is dead in early infancy, what is the purpose of this question?

I protest on behalf of my Sands sisters who had stillbirths, I protest why this question is targeted to women.

I am lucky or am I to have a life birth? only to have him dead a short time after?

Yesterday, a pair of premature babies were found in a backyard. Are they babies or are they not in the legal sense?

https://www.healthed.govt.nz/resource/transporting-your-baby-guidelines-parents-family-and-wh%C4%81nau

Legal Requirements

If your baby was stillborn before the 20th week of pregnancy and weighs less than 400 grams, you are not legally required to bury your baby in a cemetery or to have your baby cremated, although you may choose to do so if you wish. You may bury your baby in a place of your choice (on private property). Alternatively, you may still choose to have your baby buried in a cemetery or to have your baby cremated. At this gestation, the choice is yours.

If your baby was born alive (at any gestation), was born after the 20th week of pregnancy, or weighed 400 grams or more when he/she was born – then your baby must be buried or cremated in a registered place (such as a cemetery, an urupā or a crematorium).

My new book: From China to Borneo to Beyond

Hot off the press, my books are ready to be released. This book would not have been possible without the hundreds of emails and telephone calls.

The book records many bereaved mothers in the family.

Acknowledgement

To my eight siblings, Rose, Elizabeth, Charles, Margaret, Joseph, Henry, Helen and Grace and their families for contributing to this book.

To my brother Joseph for editing and advice.

To my sister Margaret for proof reading and advice.

To my daughter Deborah for editing and formatting.

To my friends for encouraging me to write

To my husband for his love, patience and helping with the logistics

To my surviving children, Deborah, Gabrielle and Sam for understanding and assistance

To specially Anne Wilson for reading my manuscript and for her inspiration.

Finally, to Say Bo for her interview as an early pioneer woman.

About the author

Ann Kit Suet was born in Sibu, Sarawak. She went to Methodist Primary School and Secondary School. She graduated from University of Windsor, (Canada) and Auckland University and Auckland University of Technology. Ann is the 4^th child of Mr. and Mrs.  John Chan Hiu Fei.

Ann is the author of “Diary of a bereaved mother, Goodbye my baby”

Overseas orders to: 

Email: annkschin@yahoo.com

https://www.facebook.com/ann.chin.140

ISBN 978-0-473-23900-8  

311 pages

Printed in New Zealand.