Thursday, February 28, 2008

Klang River - A Poem By John Tiong

John Tiong is one of my colleagues and he is an award-winning poet from Sibu in Sarawak.

Here is his poem titled Klang River.

It is a tribute to Selangor State’s most famous river, which runs through Kuala Lumpur, Petaling Jaya, Shah Alam and Klang, among other cities and towns.

I came here to look
For the heart of the city
And thank God found
It in your frantic rush
Out to the Straits of Melaka
Spilling joy and laughter
The way spices and tin were
Sailed out from here years ago

I could hear the riotous tinkling
Sounds you chimed so splendidly
From below the bridge between the
Central Market and Dayabumi
That looms so perfectly up into sky

The rain had stopped and your
Rush was fast, swift, reeling
Waves spiraling and swarming
Onto those at the fore, overzealous
Children hurrying out to field
To have their evening game

I stayed put to savour all
The cheers and good vibes
Your song was spreading
To all of us, the song that said
All the way from the heart of the Peninsula
Have fun, have fun, have fun, just have fun.

Yes, yes, Klang River, I will have fun
Just have fun, come rain or shine
The way you share yours
All around, day and night
Night and day, all the way
Out to the golden Straits

Tuesday, February 19, 2008

Lydia Shum - Hong Kong's Favourite Fat Lady

Lydia Shum Tin Har, who died of cancer at the age of 62 on February 19, 2008, will always be remembered as Hong Kong's Favourite Fat Lady.

Lydia, who loved wearing her trade-mark butterfly glasses, was long associated with Hong Kong Television Broadcasts' (HKTVB) long-running entertainment programme the Enjoy Yourself Tonight Show.

She also acted in many comedies on the big and small screen, and even produced and acted in her very own sitcom Living With Lydia, which was broadcast in Singapore.

Lydia was famously married to macho Hong Kong actor Adam Cheng Siu Chow from 1985-1988. They have a 20-year-old daughter Joyce Cheng, who is also an actress.

She was the sister of Canadian designer Alfred Sung.

Born in Shanghai on July 21, 1945, Lydia made her film debut in 1960, joining Shaw Brothers as a child actress.

She subsequently appeared in comedies and dramas produced by the film company, which was formed by Shanghai-born brothers Tan Sri Runme Shaw and Tan Sri Run Run Shaw.

The Shaws were also responsible for developing Malaysia's film industry and discovering Malaysia's King of Entertainment, actor, director, singer, composer and songwriter Tan Sri Teuku Zakaria Teuku Nyak Puteh or P. Ramlee.

In the 1970s, she became a television host with HKTVB, also owned by the Shaws.

From then onwards, she became associated with the Enjoy Yourself Tonight Show, and numerous TV productions and comedies produced by the station.

The Enjoy Yourself Tonight Show, hosted by Lydia, helped discover most of Hong Kong's acting and singing talents of the 1980s and beyond.

Lydia's most memorable films included The Iron Lady Against The One-Eyed Dragon (1967), Four Gentlemanly Flowers (1968), Love Is A Four Letter Word (1973), King Of Stanley Market (1988), Faithfully Yours (1988), Eat A Bowl Of Tea (1989), It's A Mad, Mad, Mad World (1989), The Banquet (1991), The Perfect Match (1991), Happy Together (1997) and In-Laws, Out-Laws (2004).

Besides Living With Lydia, which won her the Best Actress award at the 2003 Asian TV Awards, Lydia also starred in another Singaporean television series Slim Chances.

Tuesday, February 12, 2008

Whites Of English America

White United States Americans [69pc or 42pc]
British 55pc (half are mixed British and Native American really, so British is merely 28pc), South European 8pc, Iranian 6pc.

White Canadians [83pc or 47pc]
British 72pc (half are mixed British and Native American really, so British is merely 36pc), South European 6pc, Iranian 5pc.

Whites Of Latin America

Venezuela 10pc White (Spanish & Italian).
Uruguay 88pc White (Spanish & Italian).
Peru 8pc White (Spanish).
Paraguay 1pc White (Spanish).
Ecuador 3pc White (Spanish).
Colombia 10pc White (Spanish & Italian).
Chile 15pc White (Spanish & Italian).
Brazil 20pc White (Portuguese & Italian).
Bolivia 7pc White (Spanish).
Argentina 30pc White (Spanish & Italian).
Mexico 5pc White (Spanish).
Panama 5pc White (Spanish).
Nicaragua 9pc White (Spanish).
Honduras 0pc White (Spanish).
Guatemala 0pc White (Spanish).
El Salvador 5pc White (Spanish).
Costa Rica 47pc White (Spanish).
Puerto Rico (USA) 12pc White (Spanish).
Dominican Republic 8pc White (Spanish).
Cuba 37pc White (Spanish).