Study log 9244

Approximately 112 kilometers south from the island where giant eagles are famous for, there lies a 'Pearl of Orient'. There is a small world enclosed inside that pearl. In the year of 1958, October 9th, a boy was borned in a place called 'Cape of Flower'. After his parents had consulted advices from their relatives, he was named 'gifted with blessings and happiness', hopping that he will bring great happiness to the family. It was a big family and the Father owned two wives, the boy was the younger wive's second son.

The boy was very obedient and obey everything his mothers told him to do. He was called 'potato' because he was always being asked by his mother to sit beside the cupboard in the kitchen when he was small. He would just obey. Technology was not as advanced as today and the family was just a middle-income family. The family expenditure was not supported by the Father but the 2 wives. What the Father knew was asking more money from his wives to gamble and he was even been given a nickname - GIGANTIC CANDLE. It means you will never able to blow off his passion and addiction to gambling. (yes..yes...metaphore)

Therefore, in order to ensure their children will not starve to death, both the mothers had to work during day and night. The elder wife which was called 'Tua Mak' was in-charge of selling goods at the market. The goods she sold vary from time to time, depending on what the family can produce.(Econ students, bring in your production possibility curve) She sold Chinese cakes and cookies, pork, poultry, clothes, some tradsional Chinese tit bits and herbs, chicken and duck eggs, fruits like papaya, bananas, rambutans, starfruits and maggoes.......She was good in business and manage to earn the income which was enough to support the family of 13. On the other hand, the younger wive was given the responsible to take care of all the house hold chores ranging from taking care of the domestic fowl and pigs. Besides she had to find the raw materials used to produce all the goods. When the income earned from the business was not enough to cover the family expenses, the wives would work at a rubber estate as part-time workers. It was a hard time for the two wives, but they knew that even it was not for their husband, they must consider of their children's future. They manage to maintain the stability of the family for the next 20 years. Most of their children including that 'gifted with blessings and hapiness' boy. He was already in his twenties. Happy moments was like a piece of maple leaf carried in the wind, which will drop onto the ground in the end.

The elder wife died of unknown reason after the death of her son-in-law.

It was just 30 days from the Chinese New Year. Bright red, big, spherical lantern was replaced by the white, faint quadrate lantern. The atmosphere was filled with sorrow and they went through their most unforgetable Chinese New Year in their life. Two pictures were added to the wall in the parlour.Life is hard then, but life still had to be continued.......