girl beach: Tabitha Wang

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Monday, February 13, 2012

Care centres for the elderly - Why Complain?

Today, Monday, February 13, 2012, Page 16, Voices
From http://imcmsimages.mediacorp.sg/CMSFileserver/documents/006/PDF/20120213/1302SGC016.pdf
Source Website:
http://www.todayonline.com/Voices/EDC120213-0000015/Care-centres-for-the-elderly-Why-complain? (Texts)
http://www.aarhus.dk/da/sitecore/content/Subsites/CityOfAarhus/Home/activityareas/Family-and-health/Elderly-Care.aspx (Photos)
http://www.squidoo.com/heartprints (Photos)
By Tabitha Wang, 04:45 AM Feb 13, 2012

PHOTO: A Dream: quality housing facilities in the local residential and activity centres for the elderly.

http://www.aarhus.dk/~/media/Fotos-og-film/Borgmesterens-Afdeling/UK-hjemmeside/Portraetter-kontaktpersoner/Claus-Rasmussensvoem.ashx
http://www.aarhus.dk/da/sitecore/content/Subsites/CityOfAarhus/Home/activityareas/Family-and-health/Elderly-Care.aspx

I don't know what the residents of Blocks 860 and 861, Woodlands Street 83, have to complain about.

If I were living there, I would welcome having a daycare centre for the elderly in my void deck - because that means I will never have to leave my neighbourhood when I start losing my memory and bladder control.

Imagine the bliss 20 or 30 years on, when all I have to do is totter downstairs for my meals, entertainment and conversation. The same old faces, the same sundry shop...

Humans are creatures of habit. And as we age, we get more and more set in our ways.

My husband's offer of a transfer to Hong Kong came when I was in my mid-30s and even then I had to think long and hard about the move. If it had come in my 20s, I no doubt would have been packed and at Changi by the next morning.

There were so many things I'd have to leave behind - not just family and friends but familiar food and places. I'd have to start all over again to find new favourites and make new friends.

It was a scary prospect. Think of how much scarier it would be if you were in your 70s and had to move to somewhere that could offer you better eldercare.

PHOTO: The Seeker
".... Helping An Old Man:
I clothed an elderly man, and gave
Him shelter from the cold,
The trembling smile upon his lips,
Was lovely to behold.

I Have Found It:

My questing heart was filled with joy,
I came to understand,
Each time I helped someone in need,
I touched the Master's hand."
By Julie E. Jones, Poems of Inspiration
http://i1.squidoocdn.com/resize/squidoo_images/590/draft_lens7631802module64040072photo_1270703173for_my_friend.gif
http://www.squidoo.com/heartprints

My parents resisted moving in with my brother and sister-in-law for close to 10 years. It was only after my father had his angioplasty (a procedure used to open blocked or narrowed coronary (heart) arteries) and collapsed in the house with only my mother in attendance that they grudgingly agreed to take up residence in the spare bedroom.

They were only in their 60s then but, having lived in the same house for 30-odd years, they had huge difficulties adapting - especially my dad, who missed his friends.

The two places weren't far apart. My dad could, if he wanted to, drive to meet his friends at their usual kopitiam every day. But the traffic and driving wore him down and after his second angioplasty, the doctor warned him to take it easy. So no more daily drives for him.

Every day, he'd listlessly walk in the garden for a bit but then everything became too much effort. He started talking about being useless and us having to prepare for his dying. Thanks to his new grandson, though, he's started to find new interest in life again.

PHOTO: TO BLESSED TO BE STRESSED
" ...... I am looking past my circumstances, to Heaven's throne above........"
By Eric Geoffrey Plott, Poems of Inspiration
http://i3.squidoocdn.com/resize/squidoo_images/590/draft_lens7631802module151984509photo_1312180321blessed1.jpg
http://www.squidoo.com/heartprints

I used to live in Tanjong Pagar, the GRC with the highest number of older HDBs. The block I was living in was built in the 1960s.

Despite the fact that the mature estate had become yuppified, many of the original inhabitants were still around.

This meant that almost every week, there would be a funeral in the void deck. I'd come home to red paper stuck above the lift buttons and chrysanthemum tea packets strewn all over.

PHOTO: When Tomorrow Starts Without Me
"..... But as I turned to walk away,
A tear fell from my eye,
For all my life, I'd always thought,
I didn't want to die.
I had so much to live for,
So much yet to do,
It seemed almost impossible,
That I was leaving you...."
By Author Unknown, Poems of Inspiration
http://i1.squidoocdn.com/resize/squidoo_images/590/draft_lens7631802module86163131photo_1267164266when_tomorrow_starts_with
http://www.squidoo.com/heartprints

Some of the residents would grumble about tracking bad luck to their door but it wouldn't be much more than a half-hearted moan. Most actually liked the feeling of continuity.

You could walk downstairs and talk to an Ah Pek about the days when residents marvelled at having running water in their flats. "Ah Gu's son became a mechanic and married Ah Ying's daughter who trained as a beautician and look, that's their son, all dressed up in his nice uniform going to National Service," he'd say.

PHOTO: Without You
"...... The wounds will heal in time,
Lives will go on, yours and mine.
My Lord will help me through,
Help me find my way without you.

And Life Goes On!"
By Melva, Poems of Inspiration
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhUadLZ8DNz2tkNePPtClaLU44TnE0RrYQ8hhADRdfNh29wb8s27gRxlxmocigYkdm8SxeDKxLddBf_ALmI7JATiEGaPCLmUPQcImAvo5tlrMPDnTj6n5y7KUcnz7cH-O0MPB6P9vhxeF6/s1600/draft_lens7631802module64245972photo_1270704331Gethsemane-1.gif.jpg
http://i2.squidoocdn.com/resize/squidoo_images/590/draft_lens7631802module64245972photo_1270704331Gethsemane-1.gif
http://www.squidoo.com/heartprints

In Hong Kong recently, there was news about an elderly couple who had to be separated after being married for 50 years because the wife, who was senile, had to go into a nursing home. They didn't have space for the husband.

His dilemma was whether to accept the enforced separation or refuse the place and continue trying to look after her despite being feeble himself. It was the saddest story.

About a week ago, the Hong Kong Housing Society launched Joyous Living, a retirement scheme for affluent senior citizens who pay upfront to live in an elder-friendly environment.

Welcome to 2012. This is going to be an exciting and busy year. We are looking forward to the new year and all the promise it holds as we walk with our Lord and Saviour throughout the year.

PHOTO: Welcome to 2012. This is going to be an exciting and busy year. We are looking forward to the new year and all the promise it holds as we walk with our Lord and Saviour throughout the year.

".... Faith in the Word, though some folks call you a fool,
I wish you Faith for this coming new year......... "
From: Poems of Inspiration
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPKEvnRMMhKoWKBY9dbI_1keKyAPl0K4e8bqkFDQ_nqp4JKbPigWSL1hl02nFB-12Awyy4rTspaXe17Kn3bxLpgF1Ec6loM8SFRqmsKWQ3yBkV8zLjuIC38iHudq7TIjBIOtUCez6Uninh/s1600/draft_lens7631802module156585373photo_1327541289jesusletthechildrenshine-.jpg
http://i2.squidoocdn.com/resize/squidoo_images/590/draft_lens7631802module156585373photo_1327541289jesusletthechildrenshine-
http://www.squidoo.com/heartprints

Response has been lukewarm. Given a choice, I guess people would rather live in the old-fashioned but familiar home they've had for 50-odd years than move to a modern, unfamiliar place.

Everyone grows old, there's no escaping that. So isn't it great to know that if you lived in Blocks 860 and 861, you'll never have to deal with moving house and making new friends?

By Tabitha Wang, 04:45 AM Feb 13, 2012

Tabitha Wang lives in Hong Kong but still dreams of retiring in a nice little HDB flat in Singapore.

PHOTO: Never Worry
".... Never worry, enjoy this beautiful day
Forget frustrations, let them slip away
Fill this day with happiness and love
Thank God for all blessings from above."
By Glenn M. Baugh, Poems of Inspiration
http://i3.squidoocdn.com/resize/squidoo_images/590/draft_lens7631802module64040102photo_1270702983flying_ducks.jpg
http://www.squidoo.com/heartprints

PHOTO: Everyone grows old, there's no escaping that.

Angel of Peace by Joyce Birkenstock - "InspirationalPoster.org provides the motivational and inspirational posters needed to help every person inspire his self and reach his full potential. Inspiration and motivation have always been integral components in the long term success of any winner. Staying determined, focused and committed to any goal are the traits of a winner. InspirationalPoster.org gives the posters to restore confidence, motivate self and be more creative...."

http://imagecache5d.allposters.com/watermarker/10-1010-TMYW000Z.jpg
http://www.inspirationalposter.org/poster-54817-913508/angel-peace-art-print/

Reference

Sunday, January 22, 2012

Home is where the stomach is

Today on Sunday, Sunday, January 22, 2012, Page 8-9, Speakeasy, Columns
From http://imcmsimages.mediacorp.sg/CMSFileserver/documents/006/PDF/20120122/2201FFW008.pdf
Source Website: http://www.todayonline.com/Columns/Speakeasy/EDC120122-0000004/Home-is-where-the-stomach-is
By Tabitha Wang, todayonsunday@mediacorp.com.sg, 04:45 AM Jan 22, 2012

PHOTO: No matter what, we Chinese will move heaven and earth to get home in time for the sacred reunion dinner.

Today on Sunday, Sunday, January 22, 2012, Page 9, Speakeasy, Columns

Around this time of the year, the office gradually empties as people leave for their hometowns for Chinese New Year celebrations.

You'd think this means my company employs a lot of expats but no, even for the locals, "home" means somewhere in the mainland, which can take days to get to.

The siren call of home usually gets louder as the spring festival nears.

Airlines know this and charge a premium for their tickets. Even the budget airlines raise their prices, so that they're almost on par with full-service ones.

PHOTO: Chinese will move heaven and earth to get home in time for the sacred reunion dinner.

http://cfs15.tistory.com/image/27/tistory/2008/10/15/09/25/48f53875c6b28
http://5osa.tistory.com/389

They know that, no matter what, we Chinese will move heaven and earth to get home in time for the sacred reunion dinner.

The first year I came to Hong Kong, I told my family we wouldn't be back for the dinner. It would be the first time I would miss out.

No problem, my usually traditional dad said. He understood that we couldn't get leave from work.

No problem too, I thought.

Then, Lunar New Year Eve came - and with it a huge flood of homesickness.

PHOTO: Assam prawns.
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiT43MPEhGogwlKeii60_NvSA9I10jVVMHnXzPJ0s4xm0_ySR2xtuih6CqdPTYu7Q3E_BP6hTMpaUKN2ApigtyDt5tFTocfJaj15OVUnt2ojmo6obBfOiLGO8Z3qd-qNKBw2gekLzO3wEM/s400/IMG_0090.JPG
http://blog.gothere.sg/2008_06_01_archive.html

My mum, in an attempt to include me, started texting me a list of the food the entire family had brought for the potluck. "I made curry chicken and assam prawns. Tua Kim brought her potato salad, Sah Kim brought your favourite arrowroot and lup cheong, Ji Khoo made his famous yee meen ... They didn't know you weren't coming."

PHOTO: Steamed Chinese Sausages with Arrowroot
Posted by "No Frills Recipes" on Monday, January 25, 2010

This round, edible tuber, 'arrowroot', 'ngah gu or ci gu' which literally means 'benevolent mushroom' and also known as 'arrowhead', is eaten particularly during Chinese New Year. It's got a very slight bitter taste, a starchy texture, almost like a potato but it's somewhat crunchier even when it's cooked. You can make stews with it or even make into chips and in my opinion, they taste better than potato chips.
We only get to see this once a year just before the CNY season and they are imported from China. Some people will 'grow' them weeks earlier. Place them in a glass bowl or a container with some water and pebbles and they'll flourish ......... makes a beautiful ornamental plant, very auspicious for Chinese New Year!

https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2-x4NdmRQBIlxZ0lSIuLlZ4JsE2cdkVZqjAdd4JuKxK5NwwhXlhhDYHubdCgdwuLlZUyJlVRCP258kl9Dd4ACBqVGStn0cn1uraeGstjR-JyvZVhUEcCnc8hBCwlESe0cZV3iPKI-64k/s400/CNY+Delicacies.JPG
http://cheah2009.blogspot.com/2010/01/steamed-chinese-sausages-with-arrowroot.html

My husband was working late that night, so he didn't notice I'd spent the entire dinnertime in tears. When he came home at 10pm, I was a wreck.

Thankfully, my cousin who lives in South Africa was online, and she tried to comfort me from across the oceans.

"I haven't gone to the reunion dinner for 10 years," she wrote.

Then she went on to reminisce about the reunion dinners past.

"Around now, Tua Khoo will be telling his usual ghost stories. Remember how we used to be too terrified to sleep afterwards?"

It didn't help. I just needed to be there.

The next year, no matter that the air tickets were double the price, I was on the plane home - and I haven't missed a reunion dinner since.

However, with finances tight as we are still effectively a single-income family, I asked my husband this year: "Do you think we should give it a miss?"

He looked at me. "Remember what happened the last time you said that?"

So we compromised. I will be flying home, while he stays in Hong Kong to look after the cat. He loves his Chinese New Year, too, but I think he's more stoic about it than I am.

PHOTO: Chinese New Year outfit.
http://cdn2.outspark.com/store/fiesta/screenshots/item11447.jpg
http://www.gamespace.com/blogs/OSK_Fiesta/012012/Lunar-New-Year-in-Fiesta

There is an added reason for going home this year: It's my baby nephew Dominic's first Chinese New Year, and his Mak Koh needs to be there.

When I was contemplating not going home, my sister-in-law e-mailed to entice me: "Dominic is crawling now, and we have bought him a New Year outfit, complete with little Chinese hat."

How could I resist?

It's very strange. I can go a whole year without missing my family. E-mails, Facebook, MSN Messenger chats and Skype calls are enough to satisfy my need to keep in touch.

But when the New Year comes around, something stirs my blood and I just yearn to be home.

PHOTO: The vegetable stock and arrowroot provide a thick sauce that holds the flavors.

https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7v6wUjRj6ts1E0WM_bTJRxWR4ODdfzLr8wLs_H2iDdNJpoYQy04Twy0Z7R0BkH2tAT7rDKvD1wfm0G2WZmJc3ejNkw8Vs98MrvaSF_x5SY9NcMkgTX5BV6cEVcqU52gQfnmrcWPFy2ms/s1600/DSC_0354+BUTTERNUT+CASSEROLE2.JPG
http://www.nourishingmeals.com/2009_11_01_archive.html

It's the same every year. Everyone looks that little bit older, grandchildren start appearing, but I will still be listening to Tua Khoo's ghost stories while polishing off the rest of the steamed arrowroot and potato salad.

Then one aunt will rib my only unwed cousin when giving out the hongbaos.

Maybe the longer I live away from home, the more I crave that familiarity.

PHOTO: Sambal udang petai (stinky bean).
http://www.submerryn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/142.jpg
http://www.submerryn.com/2011/10/the-tranquerah-red-carpet-avenue.html

PHOTO: Sambal udang petai (stinky bean).
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2733/4447416945_d34ddcfe43_o.jpg
http://fiqah99.blogspot.com/2010_03_01_archive.html

I want to know that, as I battle living among unfamiliar faces in unfamiliar places, some things never change.

That's why I am going home this year.

Okay, that and a second email my sister-in-law sent: "Your petai and buah keluak are waiting for you."

PHOTO: Buah keluak is one of the signature delicacies of the Peranakan community.

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4042/4702265207_c5ceff35d1_b.jpg
http://www.iamthewitch.com/2010/06/17/nyonya-food-at-taragon-riverside-restaurant-melaka/

PHOTO: Stuffed Buah Keluak

This hard-shelled fruit, signature to Nyonya dishes. The black, clam-shaped nuts are truly a taste sensation. The interior of the nut is painstakingly remove from the shell and ground into a paste, then fried with belacan and other spices. It is then put back into the nut and cooked with the chicken. The taste is amazingly awesome. As you scrape out the paste you savour the bitter, strong and frgrant flavour of the nut that tasted much better than it looked.

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4048/4702898650_90221688e4_b.jpg
http://www.iamthewitch.com/2010/06/17/nyonya-food-at-taragon-riverside-restaurant-melaka/

By Tabitha Wang, todayonsunday@mediacorp.com.sg, 04:45 AM Jan 22, 2012
Tabitha Wang wishes all her readers a wonderful Year of the Dragon.

Reference

Sunday, October 9, 2011

So you really want to be Peranakan?

Today on sunday, Sunday, October 9, 2011, Page 10, Column, Speakeasy
From http://imcmsimages.mediacorp.sg/CMSFileserver/documents/006/PDF/20111009/0910FFW010.pdf
Source Website: http://www.todayonline.com/Columns/Speakeasy/EDC111009-0000007/So-you-really-want-to-be-Peranakan
By Tabitha Wang, todayonsunday@mediacorp.com.sg, 04:46 AM Oct 09, 2011

PHOTO: So you really want to be Peranakan?
Art by Yen Yok, Copyright © MediaCorp Press Ltd
http://imcmsimages.mediacorp.sg/cmsfileserver/showimageCC.aspx?409&450&f=1841&img=1841_509320.jpg&h=409&w=450
http://www.todayonline.com/Columns/Speakeasy/EDC111009-0000007/So-you-really-want-to-be-Peranakan

Ever since the success of The Little Nyonya, 小娘惹 (xiǎo niáng rě), and the opening of the Peranakan Museum, I have noticed more and more people coming forward and claiming to be Peranakans.

Liking buah keluak (even if they can't pronounce it) and owning one kebaya are enough to qualify them as one, they say.

PHOTO: Inspired by the popularity of The Little Nyonya, MediaCorp VizPro presents The Peranakan Ball, a musical play that recreates the emotional highlights of the drama serial as it follows the exploits of a downtrodden Nyonya servant girl in a wealthy Peranakan household who finds the man of her dreams.

http://blogs.todayonline.com/stargazing/files/2009/05/4-ball.jpg
http://blogs.todayonline.com/stargazing/tag/stargazing/

These "Cina tok tok" pretenders trying to lay claim to our rich heritage just because it's fashionable? I can just imagine my true-blue nyonya grandmothers - on both my father's and mother's side - turning in their graves.

Listen, people. Being a Peranakan is not as simple as going out and buying kasut manek.

PHOTO: Recognize any of them???
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6AEfLGtpy3W1SwEQVGSsxCJnuB3DDnB9DXjpYtzPeAZ7S7-AMyHuwFwFC-gGUhKUaObgqdlFyyk71QOOdtuQf04KiGx2oZiiQ_3SUK6fQoKbBvt24FEZjnZpfKeWzHlbogqhrV0Ts-bc/s400/p2.jpg
http://3vilicy.blogspot.com/2009_08_01_archive.html

Even being able to unearth a photo of a long-lost ancestor wearing a sarong doesn't automatically qualify you as one.

Baba-ness is a mindset - it is both born and bred.

PHOTO: Xiang Yun, who reprises her role as a mature Yue Niang, chirpily enthused: “I’ve got lots of scenes and singing. It’s a very happy Nyonya show. It’s very cute! I organise a party, at which my friend the Chor Chor will choose a daughter in law. Jeanette plays my goddaughter.”

http://blogs.todayonline.com/stargazing/files/2009/05/2-ball.jpg
http://blogs.todayonline.com/stargazing/tag/stargazing/

It is not only in your blood. If you don't know the adat and sopan (go look that up) of the culture, you cannot lay claim to being part of that culture.

PHOTO: The Little Nyonya (小娘惹 xiǎo niáng rě)
Monday, December 29, 2008, Posted by Chris Ting at 8:31 AM
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilZgrJ-eS3JeODgs5o_4fP1TiEgu7ov6RNt1tiq1BGHfSl8iBKvKlFP8TXuwxM-x5BTe7ud1bBN15_P5v0vVrCF3jB6MA2EVrZ8epVtLHNGMZklWP_o_FqHCS6yGJaDFwo3ALXtc3ScZuu/s400/TheLittleNyonya_074.jpg
http://ctsm88.blogspot.com/2008/12/little-nyonya-fever.html

As all my relatives will tell you, a true nyonya doesn't only know how to wear a kebaya - affixed with kerongsang, not buttons - or tie a sarong (none of those modern zips and stuff).

A true nyonya is gentle and soft-spoken, so gentle that she can "pijak semut pun tak mati", or step on an ant without killing it. No rough and tumble hoydens need apply.

PHOTO: A true nyonya is gentle and soft-spoken
http://www.docnews.fr/data/photo/2234.jpg
http://www.docnews.fr/actualites/mort-vous-bien,10277.html

A true nyonya knows the components of a bunga rampai and exactly how finely to slice the pandan leaves for it.

A true nyonya knows baba Malay - that special mix of Hokkien and Malay with a sprinkling of English thrown in just to confuse.

Well, maybe not enough to hold a long conversation but at least enough to be able to call things and people by their baba names. So not Tua Khor but Mak Koh, not Je Je but Ta Chi.

PHOTO: Old Peranakan houses. by stamporama
http://cache.virtualtourist.com/15/5828844.jpg
http://www.virtualtourist.com/travel/Asia/Singapore/Things_To_Do-Singapore-MISC-BR-93.html

Food is, of course, the great decider - because a true nyonya is an instinctive cook.

She never has to rely on recipe books as everything has been passed down to her using grandma's agak-agak (guesstimate) methods. Her taste buds are her guide.

And she knows how to pound sambal belachan with a certain rhythm. In the old days, matchmakers used to be able to tell how well-trained a girl was by just listening to the way she pounded her sambal belachan.

When it comes to food, blood will out.

PHOTO: Penang’s finest Peranakan restaurants
http://media.zenfs.com/en-SG/blogs/foodblog/perut_rumah_entrance_intrr_penang.jpg
http://sg.news.yahoo.com/blogs/fit-to-post-food/explore-one-penang-finest-peranakan-restaurants-054114476.html

My cousin, who never stepped into a kitchen during her childhood, can now conjure up amazing nyonya curries and sambal udang in her kitchen in South Africa.

Ask her how she does it and she says: "Instinct."

That's her genes talking.

PHOTO: Best Supporting Actress Xiang Yun & Ng Hui (The Little Nyonya - 小娘惹 xiǎo niáng rě)
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgs7OtQEjDADwAkmNuZvpo0KAQMGIZ2AFvBU73obrTq0s5ChFhHjmaVlgJtdKf2bpbtnaIJa1YQwOWb9plgr3fxIN7VMMkSJ2_Bij31OiVarRa6NNGEujNHny7eQ0aPS0kieAZ4KvGCIqQ/s400/BestSupportingActress.jpg
http://lydotcom.blogspot.com/2009_04_01_archive.html

I know I will get a shelling from people who think that I am being snobbish about my roots. But I don't see it as snobbery; it's just a defence of a culture I love so much.

PHOTO: The Little Nyonya & Olivia Ong
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3264/3257880681_240fc7db98.jpg
http://www.clubsnap.com/forums/threads/454992-The-Little-Nyonya-amp-Olivia-Ong/page4

PHOTO: The Little Nyonya & Olivia Ong
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3266/3147310496_6f16c595ff.jpg
http://www.clubsnap.com/forums/threads/454992-The-Little-Nyonya-amp-Olivia-Ong/page4

PHOTO: The Little Nyonya & Olivia Ong
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3425/3257879029_3d42928890.jpg
http://www.clubsnap.com/forums/threads/454992-The-Little-Nyonya-amp-Olivia-Ong/page4

PHOTO: The Little Nyonya & Olivia Ong
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3090/3141390814_429a7a3af4.jpg
http://www.clubsnap.com/forums/threads/454992-The-Little-Nyonya-amp-Olivia-Ong

If just anyone can call themselves Peranakan without bothering to know more and be immersed in the culture, then where is the value? Where is the snob appeal of calling yourself one?

PHOTO: Peranakan food
http://www.demersbanquethall.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/im_156.jpg
http://www.demersbanquethall.com/gallery/demers-catering/platters/

Think of it this way: Why do people want to go to Oxford and Cambridge?

Because the two places have their own culture and norms and are very selective about who they allow into their hallowed halls.

If everyone can buy a T-shirt with the university's logo on it and call themselves Oxbridge, then why would anyone want to be one?

Peranakans are not an exclusive group. Our very culture shows how inclusive we are.

PHOTO: Kebaya
Ella in Anna Avante kebaya.
By javajive Brandon Hoover, this photo was taken on March 20, 2008 using a Canon EOS 5D.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/javajive/2459030488/sizes/z/in/faves-jp-esperanca/

But if you want to call yourself one, then you have to show that you know the customs and traditions of the tribe.

You have to be careful labelling yourself as such.

Because a true nyonya, married or single, will have perfected her bibik stare by the time she's 40. It's the killer stare you see in portraits of bibiks of old, able to stop an elephant at a hundred paces.

All the women in my family have got it.

PHOTO: Nyonya Kebaya
http://www.aksara.com/assets/upload/The%20Nyonya%20Kebaya.jpg
http://www.aksara.com/products.php?detail=77

My grand aunt has the scariest. One look from her can send you gibbering in a corner.

Imagine all that concentrated on you when you bring out sambal belachan that has not been pounded "halus" (finely) enough.

Now do you still want to be a Perakanan?

By Tabitha Wang, todayonsunday@mediacorp.com.sg, 04:46 AM Oct 09, 2011

Tabitha Wang is proud to be Peranakan in all things - apart from having the typical high forehead.

PHOTO: Peranakan costumes
http://www.angguncollection.com.my/images/image001.jpg
http://www.missosology.info/forum/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=43354&start=30

PHOTO: Miss Malaysia 2008 The best pose with baju kebaya sutera....

By Elegant Creative Design Haiman, this photo was taken on January 28, 2009 using a Phase One P 20+.

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2761/4161932275_70f530f887.jpg
http://www.flickr.com/photos/elegantcreativedesign/4161932275/in/pool-956279@N24/

PHOTO: A Kebaya is a traditional blouse-dress combination worn by women in Indonesia, Malaysia, Brunei, Burma, Singapore, southern Thailand and some parts of Cambodia. It sometimes made from sheer material and usually worn with a sarong or batik kain panjang, or other traditional woven garment such as ikat, songket with a colorful motif.

source:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kebaya
mala @ kebaya # 7
By Yon PhotoGraphy, this photo was taken on January 10, 2010 in Taiping, Perak, MY.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/cucuksanggol/4266121100/sizes/l/in/pool-956279@N24/

Reference