Reflection: My Maternal family , the Kongs of Sibu

 
This was taken from my cousin's balcony in Kuching. 
She has rich and famous neighbours. Mary was very
 generous to let me stay with her when I visited.

My Cousin Kevin Kong Chak Wan, in Miri, gave me permission 
to post this photo. The house has a name, Some thing like Chinese peace. 
It must have been the original name when my Great grandma came to 
Borneo in the 1900s when they took this name. I can only conjecture.

Couplets in picture frames on either side of the front door. Sorry, 
I didn't learn much Chinese to tell you what they mean.

The Kong's family home in Durin. 
This is not the house I loved. The old 
house had been torn down and this one 
took it's place. It was timber and much much bigger than this. I wish the old house 
could be rebuilt as a museum piece.

My siblings and I, we are all romantic 
nostalgic creatures. A wishful thinking 
of an era gone back, recalled by my 
younger sister and myself.

"Prof Madya Dr Margaret Chan Kit Yok" 
if we revisit Ah Kung upper Lanang Road house, as you enter, 
the rattan teapot warmer is on the table located at the right side
 of the big lounge cum dining room. Just realised there were no 
sofa at all. Only the marble top round table against the middle of
 the wall facing the main door. On the right corner were the dining
 table and the long benches. We used to play a game and raced to
 see who can touch the legs of the marble table. 

In maternal grandad ( Kung Dai's) place, there was also a big room 
with furnishing like Ah Kung, except there was a row of theatre chairs
 on the left hand side of the wall adjacent to the small grocery shop. 
Between the big Manor, there was a bit deck. Then a giant size kitchen 
and a big storeroom. He had a motor engine that pumped water from 
Rejang river. His house must have been  the only houset that had piped 
water.  Grandad had a wind up record player. We were so proud. He had a 
shop and endless supply of goodies. He had a fish pond. It was a farmlet 
with all the fruits you can eat.

My beautiful Grandma. This is how I want to remember her  and my late Grandad. Sadly, I live abroad and did not get to see them much. And only my oldest child had met them.

Mum's 2 surviving sisters. 3rd Aunt and 4th Aunt. They took me back to Durin to
 get in touch with my roots. My Cousin Choi Yuk cooked me a traditional 
Kwong Liang Hakka lunch.

Here in Mary's house, 3 Kongs and 3 Chans Sisters. 
descendents of my Grandma. There are more, scattered a
ll round the world. My grand ma used to tease my Dad
 all the /Moi Zia See,  bloody useless girl. He must have
 studied to much ABCs in England and wasted his money 
on sending his girls abroad. I am glad during the last days
of her life, she knew she had  Margaret a
 "Prof Madya Dr Margaret Chan Kit Yok"  
 Some of us did become Amazons. Moi Zia See, 
is her term of endearment. From a woman born 
in an era when girls were inferior to man.

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