By Paul Chong
A Chinese by Descent
An Australian by Consent

Monday 27 January 2020 Time Taken: 6.00 – 7.30am

The leisure & pleasure are all mine with the Mundy National Park right at our doorstep. Our home is sited on an elevated block of land (2,613 sqm) with panoramic view of Perth City. Perth Hills & the Park.

The beautiful part about walking in Perth Hills is the conducive weather, which permits outdoor activities throughout the year – spring or summer, winter or fall. The air is fresh & exhilarating, no sweat or perspiration at all. No worry about pollution. Walking is undoubtedly the best form of exercise for senior citizens. I enjoy the fresh morning breeze, birds chirping & the rays of sunshine piercing through the dark sentinels of bushes & trees.

Walking trails are paved, though some small parts may not but cleared. For safety railings exist. Concrete tables & benches are well provided for picnickers. On weekends & public holidays the Park is teeming with crowds.

Summer of 2019/2020 has been hot & dry. Hence the gurgling stream is silent, billabongs (stagnant pools) are dry & not a drip of water cascading down the Lesmurdie Falls.

A picture is better than 10 thousand words. I was trigger-happy with my smart phone & thus ended with a whole sequence of pictures for your viewing pleasure.

By Paul Chong
A Chinese by Descent
An Australian by Consent
25 January 2020

This Chinese New Year or preferably known as Spring Festival in China happened to be the Rat Year as the beginning of the 12-year Animal Zodiac Cycle. It’s timely for me to point the essential differences between that of the West & China.

Some years back this comment was made to the late Chinese Premier Mr. Zhou Enlai: “You Chinese people use the common animals like pig, dog, mouse as zodiac signs! Unlike us, we take after the stars like Taurus, Leo, Virgo.” It was said (Dec 27, 2017) that the late Chinese Premier, Mr Zhou En-lai once shared this to clear the air.

You’d see that the significance of the animal representation. Quote: “ Westerners see the dragon as a fire-breathing evil being. Greek mythology had a 100-headed dragon that was slain by Heracles. Similarly, Heracles slays another dragon called Lerneaen Hydra. In ancient China, the ‘Chinese Dragons’ are legendary creatures that are benevolent. Dragon for the Chinese is “strength and good fortune”. Dragon brings on good omens.

Chinese believe that they are the descendants of the Dragon. While ‘Western Dragons’ lived in castles and caves the Chinese dragon lived in the sea, rivers, and lakes. The Western Dragon breathed fire, the Chinese Dragon brings rain.

Over the centuries, the Chinese Dragon was associated with the Emperor of China. Only Emperors and high Mandarins were allowed to wear robes depicting Dragon motifs. For the Chinese, dragon festivals with dragon boat races, and dragon dances are part of their culture. Children are named dragon, actors such as Jackie Chan, Bruce Lee were given Chinese names as dragon. Incidentally, Chinese movies named “Enter the Dragon”, “Way of the Dragon”, “Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon” were popular.

The West took awhile to understand the difference. The West and East saw the same dragon differently.

In the Chinese zodiac calendar there are 12 animals for each year, in a cycle of 12 years. In the Western zodiac calendar each animal is for a month with 12 zodiac signs for a year.

The story of the Chinese zodiac animals
There are 12 animals in the Chinese zodiac calendar, starting with the rat, ox, tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, goat, monkey, rooster, dog, and pig. Each animal has its own unique characteristics.

The fable goes that the Jade Emperor wanted to invite the animals for dinner and another story says that he wanted to select 12 animals to be his guards. He sent an immortal being into man’s world to spread the message that the first 12 animals that went passed the heavenly gate, would be selected.

Once the news spread across the animal kingdom, the rat got up very early. On his way to the gate, he encountered a river. He had to stop there, owing to the swift current. After waiting a long time, the rat noticed the ox about to cross the river and swiftly jumped onto the ox’s back. The amiable ox did not mind.

The cat too lazily walked up to the ox and jumped. Once upon a time the cat and rat were good friends; so all three of them were on the way to the heavenly gate. In the middle of the river, the cunning rat kicked the sleeping cat off the ox’s back. The cat fell into the river and since cats are poor swimmers never made it to the heavenly gate.

Ever since, the cat has never forgiven the rat. After crossing the river, the rat swiftly jumped off the ox’s back and dashed to the feet of the emperor. The rat won first place and the ox was second.

The tiger and rabbit came third and fourth because both are fast and competitive, but the Tiger was faster. (The rabbit got across the river by hopping on stepping stones and a floating log also with the help of the dragon.)

After the ox, came the tiger, panting away while explaining to the emperor just how difficult it was to cross the river with the heavy currents pushing it downstream all the time. But with powerful strength, it made it to shore and was named the third animal in the cycle.

Coming in fifth place was the gallant dragon. Of course the Emperor was deeply curious as to why a strong flying creature such as the dragon should fail to reach first. The mighty dragon explained that he had to stop and make rain to help all the people and creatures of the earth; therefore he was held back a little. Then on his way to the finish line, he saw a little helpless rabbit clinging on to a log so he did a good deed and gave a puff of breath to the poor creature so that it could land on the shore.

The emperor was very pleased with the actions of the dragon and he was added into the zodiac cycle. As soon as he had done so, a galloping sound was heard and the horse appeared. Hidden on the horse’s hoof was the slimy sneaky snake whose sudden appearance gave the horse a fright thus making it fall back and gave the snake sixth spot whilst the horse took seventh.

Not long after that, a little distance away, the sheep, monkey, and rooster came to the shore. These three creatures helped each other to get to where they are. The rooster spotted a raft, and took the other two animals with it. Together, the sheep and the monkey cleared the weeds, tugged and pulled and finally got the raft to the shore. Because of their combined efforts, the Emperor was very pleased and promptly named the sheep as the eighth creature, the monkey as the ninth, and the rooster the tenth.

The 11th animal is the dog. His explanation for being late although he was supposed to be the best swimmer amongst the rest was that he needed a good bath after a long spell, and the fresh water from the river was too big a temptation. For that, he almost didn’t make it to the finish line.

Just as the emperor was about to call it a day, an oink and squeal was heard from a little pig. The term “lazy pig” is due here as the pig got hungry during the race, promptly stopped for a feast, then fell asleep. After the nap, the pig continued the race and was named the twelfth and last animal of the zodiac cycle.

These 12 animals became guards of the heavenly gate and entered the Chinese zodiac signs.

The Chinese zodiac sign based on the year one is born signifies your character. This is the Chinese belief.
By the way, Chinese New Year is well celebrated not only in China but throughout the world by all of Chinese descent . . . also not just for a day but for 15 days ending in Chap Goh Mei, the fifteen night of the Lunar Calendar. Chinese work hard throughout the year & really celebrate their well earned rest & holidays at this time of the year.

The West Can Learn A Thing Or Two From China

By Paul Chong
22 January 2020

A certain wise old man from the village was confronted by a fresh young university graduate who challenged his wisdom. “Hey, old man, I understand you are well renown for your wisdom in the village. Tell me, I have this little bird in my hand. Is it dead or alive?”
The old man simply replied, “It’s up to you.”
“What do you mean?”
Here wisdom, age & experience, rather than knowledge & youth, had the better of the day’s challenge, “ Its fate rests entirely with you . . . dead or alive depending upon you squeezing it or releasing it & the little bird will fly away.”

China with a civilisation of more than 5 thousand years would diminish a younger country with only a couple hundred of years history. In the process of human growth, a child needs first to learn how to sit, crawl, toddle, walk & then run. By the same token that would be the process of growth of a nation.

From the page of the short history, you learn “How the West Was Won” of war atrocities, extermination & exploitation of the lesser Red Indians who had but bows & arrows. Among themselves, their struggle for survival was essentially based upon “Fastest Gun Alive” or “Quick On the Draw”. Throughout its short history the American have always been saying “If you are not with us then you are against us.” Its bullying syndrome, threats, destruction, conquests & intimidation ever present. The Americans have nothing to fear but fear itself. There is no country on earth strong or stupid enough to confront the US. Evidently, US goes about its world affairs under the guise of democracy & hidden agenda.

China is a big civilised nation with a big heart. Right from its Dynasty days, all that China wanted was trade. China never planted flags on foreign shores to lay claims of ownership nor engaged themselves in wars against foreign lands or claiming so-called “terra nullius” such as Australia.

China is now standing tall & economically powerful. The benevolent reposing dragon has gone through more than a century of humiliation by some eight western nations. China is reviving itself to its past greatness. Its benevolence extends to establishing the Belt & Road Initiative 一带一路 (Yi Dai Yi Lu) whereby China is sharing its high level of technology, building infrastructures, opening up communications & extending its economic arms in all its win-win deals. A new world will be born bonded in close cooperation instead of confrontation. Peace & harmony & of course prosperity would prevail.

With the rise of China (economically) & the decline of the West, and though still harbouring its secret agenda in containing China, I believe the West is beginning to want to learn from China, for example governance and innovation (with Chinese characteristics), Wildlife Conservation, the assiduous nature of Chinese working hard, Chinese cultural value, the deep sense of patriotism, its language & essentially what made the Chinese tick.

The process of learning never cease. Knowledge is ever expanding & changing. What we know today maybe obsolete tomorrow. Let’s learn, share & grow together. There is no question of theft. An “artificial sun” is being built & would be commissioned by China in 2020. Think what this could mean . . . clean controlled energy through nuclear fusion with a core temperature 7 times that of the natural sun.

To end here, I pose this question: Is it wise to hurt your own self, consciously or otherwise, by hurting others?

How It All Started

By Paul Chong
18 January 2020

Yesterday gathering at Sommerville Restaurant in Winthrop was a tremendous success. We had for the first time a full quorum with our spouces. The years may roll by but memories such as this will remain evergreen.

With the oldest octogenarian to the youngest septuagenarian, it seems like yesterday when we first started . . . assembling at McDonalds for free coffee before adjourning to our chosen restaurant for lunch for that day.
We even celebrated each other’s birthday in respective homes feasting away roasted suckling pigs. Somehow good things never last & our named group Senior Fraternity Initiative (SFI) took a slow dying path.

Clearly Raymond & I initiated the group in 19..? Raymond introduced Peter & Tony while I initiated Heng, Tommy, Frances & Richard. Some others were in our guest list but never got to stay.

Such is the origin of the Lunch Group. If your memory serves you better, please correct me if I am wrong.

Hello Fellow Senior Citizens
By Paul Chong (19 January 2020)
Congratulations for having attained life’s status of septuagenarian & octogenarian & even going on to the category of nonagenarian. With the advancement of modern medical technology we could be living beyond all ages as centenarian.
Growing old (must be accompanied by growing up) is a privilege which few people have. Remember too that age is but a figure for your GP to worry about, but for us to be living it up & staying “Younger Than Springtime”. Or as Dean Martin would sing “Stay as young as you are”.
If you are just in the sixties, then you are still young . . . with the world ahead of you.
This is the most exciting era to be living in when all impossibilities become realities. We just learn that China has built an “artificial sun” (named HL-2M Tokamak) fuelled by hydrogen & deuterium gases through controlled nuclear fusion, which clean energy would be seven times that of the natural sun. The artificial sun is capable of generating clean energy up to the top temperature of 100 million degrees Celsius compared to that of our natural sun with a core temperature of only 15 million Celsius.
THINK what this could mean for China . . . taking China to the top of the world by becoming the world’s greatest supplier of clean energy . . . clean & green . . . no more pollution. This technical breakthrough is exactly what we all need. China will commission this device in 2020, a new dawn for mankind.

With the rapid advancement of modern technology & medical science & barring accidents we can possibly & hopefully live to a ripe old age. In Biblical times quite a number of God fearing men lived beyond century of years. Bible does predict longevity of life in the future. … the details are mentioned in Isaiah65:17-25 For example: Adam lived 930 years (Genesis 5:5); Noah lived 950.

Apart from the Bible, Quran 29:14 states that Noah had been living among the people who he was sent to for 950 years when the flood started. And, indeed, [in times long past] We sent forth Noah unto his people, and he dwelt among them a thousand years bar fifty; and then the floods overwhelmed them while they were still lost in evildoing.

Biblically, evil destroyed the world & evil will do likewise as we live dangerously on. Live a life that’s fit & clean & God will say it’s good.

It’s all also a question of attitude more than aptitude that scales the altitude.

With God’s Grace & Mercy, we shall prevail.

By Paul Chong 18 January 2020

Yesterday a mixed group of us senior citizens of engineers, accountants, surveyor, lawyer, businessman, lawyer & lecturer, all in the septuagenarian & octogenarian class, had a wonderful time by staying younger than Springtime.

My old-time favourite Pat Boone would sing melodiously “A Wonderful Time Up There”. Fortunately, for our vibrant group of eight, it was still wonderful down here. And we were in the elevated site of Sommerville Chinese Restaurant in Winthrop Village – a place elevated from its main artery road Sommerville Boulevald.

Thanks to our food connoisseur Francis Chin who arranged & ordered the variety of delicious of fish & prawns, roast duck & chicken, vegies and the house speciality of chilli-dry fried Hokkien noodles . . . so good & palatable that it kind of melted in our mouths before our stomach had the pleasure of it. My wife & I even bought a packet home for our dinner. Quality aside, its quantity was enough for three persons & costing us only A$12.

Our thanks also go to our high-tech wizard Tommy who provided us with his mobile karaoke microphone with pre-recorded of thousands of songs, which were rendered beautifully for our entertainment & sing along by his lovely architect wife Florence. She sang like a bird . . . more like the nightingale.

We were each poorer off by A$25. Every cent of it was well spent. We ate, drank both white & red wine (with the compliments of Richard) & much Chinese tea also.

Our group started many years ago. We were more frequent in meeting up in the days gone by. However, as with time, our vision blurred, our limbs weakened with more restrictive mobility, our meetings are now less frequent. This is our first gathering to welcome the year 2020 . . . trustingly that our precious years ahead would see our world a much safer place. Let peace & harmony reign.