Xin Nian Kuai Le.
Happy Chinese New Year!
Category: People
Beethoven is more than the piano
Concert pianist Lee Jae Phang(right) and professional cellist Lyubomira Stankova.
MENTION Beethoven (Ludwig Van Beethoven), the piano comes to one’s mind.
In the classical music world, Beethoven (1770-1827) who ranked among the world’s greatest composers, had also written several works for the cello and piano as a duo combination.
In his hands, the cello gained independence and assumed a more soloistic role in an ensemble context.
A piano and cello recital on March 2 and March 3, 2024 by concert pianist Lee Jae Phang and professional cellist Lyubomira Stankova is set to be a very enlightening experience.
The kids and their tutor
INTERACTION is a way of learning and progressing together, and that transcends age for these children and their tutor.
By Foong Pek Yee
From journalism and back to school.
After more than three decades working in the English media, Sharifah Fatimah quit her job and took the plunge into giving free tuition to village kids.
” I could see that the kids didn’t understand simple English I used to speak to them,”
“A good foundation in the language goes a long way, and I want to help them,” recalls Sharifah on her encounter with her neighbours’ kids that prompted her to give them tuition.
Happy kids: Learning can be fun too.
It was Hari Raya in Kampung Paya Luas, Segamat, Johor in 2019, shortly after Sharifah and her husband Din moved from Petaling Jaya to live in the village.
Sharifah quit her job in Star Media Group in Petaling Jaya in January 2019 after working there for 24 years.
In Kampung Paya Luas, her first pupils are two girls whose mother is a single mother.
Their four cousin sisters also joined in.
Two months later she started to teach them Mathematics and Science too.
“They told me they were weak in both subjects,” says Sharifah, adding that she also guides them on other subjects whenever they asked for help.
And it is back to school for Sharifah- get reference books and re learn the subjects according to the syllabus in order to guide the kids.
Sharifah and Din, both 60, have three daughters who are in their 20s now -Shahirah and Shahidah have graduated from Universiti Malaya and Universiti Sains Malaysia respectively while Shafiqah is studying in UiTM, Shah Alam.
Sharifah who has a diploma in Public Administration from ITM (Institut Teknologi Mara, Sabah in 1984 was with New Straits Times (1985 -1995) and Star Media Group (1995 – 2019 January)
Growing up, studying, working and staying in Petaling Jaya all the while, she says she can see the disparity in facilities between cities and villages.
“There is only one tution centre outside our village, and it can also be costly to send the kids there,” she adds.
When the Covid 19 pandemic and movement control order (MCO) came into force in March 2020, Sharifah says she discovered lots of teaching videos by professional school teachers.
“They are very helpful in teaching me how to teach the kids,” she adds.
On overcoming challenges in learning English in a village setting, Sharifah says exposure to more English materials helps, but villagers generally could not afford books.
About six months ago Sharifah reached out to another four kids who stay a bit far from her village.
They are in Year 2, 3, 6 and Form 1.
She teaches them on Fridays and Saturdays.
“They are cared for by their grandfather who is a school gardener and their grandmother is illiterate.
“I fetch them from their house and send them home or else they couldn’t come for the tuition,” says Sharifah, adding that she enjoys teaching the kids and watching them improve in their studies.
And she is proud that the kids call her nenek (grandma in Bahasa Malaysia).
Sharifah says she and Din enjoy interacting with the kids who brighten up their home.
Another milestone in classical music.
Trio Mastro (from left, Hank Su Ren Han, Lee Jae Phang and Lyubomira Stankova) is all set to present chamber music at the highest possible level.
by Foong Pek Yee
Dec15, 2023.
THEY have very different musical journeys.
Bulgarian-born cellist Lyubomira Stankova moved to Asia shortly after graduating and stays in Malaysia now.
Malaysian concert pianist Lee Jae Phang who spent his formative years studying and performing music in the United Kingdom returned shortly before the start of the Covid 19 pandemic.
Taiwanese-born violinist and conductor Hank Su Ren Han is based in Malaysia.
And fate would have it the three accomplished musicians met in Malaysia and found synergy – playing chamber music
That was in December 2022 at Sunway University In Petaling Jaya where they were engaged to adjudicate the Persatuan Chopin’s International Music Competition Malaysia.
Lyu says chamber music – one of her specialties – always has a special place in her heart.
Lyu
But finding equally inspired colleagues committed to the meticulous preparation of programs can be challenging, she says, adding that the turning point took place when she met Lee Jae and Hank who are chamber music enthusiasts.
Hank and Lee Jae
Discovering Lee Jae’s specialization in Beethoven works, she says they formed a piano- cello duo.
Shortly after they reached out to Hank, and their first meeting to do some sight reading saw them forming a trio which they named Trio Mastro.
Synergy: Hank, Lee Jae and Lyu performing at the Christmas Concert in Lyu Music Academy in Kota Damansara on Dec 12, 2023.
They performed:
Beethoven Piano Trio in C minor, Op. 1, No. 3, First Movement
Allegro con brio
Haydn Piano Trio in C Major, Hob. XVI/27, First Movement
Allegro
Dvořák Piano Trio in E minor “Dumky”, Op. 90
Lento maestoso – Allegro quasi doppio movimento – Lento maestoso – Allegro
Raff Cavatina
Arnold Heart Throbs
Brahms Hungarian Dance No. 6
Lee Jae says the word mastro means master in Italian. It is also an occupation name for a teacher or for a master craftsman.
“We chose this name to reflect our professional standing as a concert performer and teacher, and also to reflect our dedication to education.”
Lee Jae also notes the importance of having a clear purpose in one’s musical journey , and that the process towards achieving it calls for perseverance and humility at all times.
And the same applies to other aspects of life, he says, underscoring the role of learning music in character building.
Lyu says each of them brings diverse experiences and strong personalities; making it a wonderful collaboration and sharing of a common belief in classical music.
And the founders’ common goal is to present chamber music at the highest possible level.
Says Lyu: ” As musicians, our responsibility and joy lie in collaborating with like-minded artists to present the audience with the profound works of great composers.
“Chamber music uniquely blends the essential skills of group collaboration and individual soloist expression, creating a magical dynamic on stage.”
Lyu notes that their mission in fostering an appreciation for classical music will go a long way instilling teamwork skills in the younger generation through chamber music.
Young talent: Lyu and her students performing at the Christmas concert.
Finale : The Christmas concert ended on a high note.
A great performance on stage is certainly more than meets the eye.
Lee Jae who likens the job of a performer to that of an inspired messenger says:
“We read the notes and symbols by the composers, decipher, understand and interpret them, and use our skills with our instruments to communicate the essence of the music to our audience.
“A high level performance is one that moves, inspires and engages the audience who are partakers in the performance itself.”
While the trio had different musical journeys, training that followed different paths and having performed around the world, Lee Jae says hard work, perseverance, patience and dedication are their common traits.
Regardless of pursuits and location, Lyu says persistent hard work, unwavering dreams and refusal to give up are essential.
To her, she says success hinges on persistence, love and having a clear vision for the path towards realizing one’s dreams .
Hank, trained in Taiwan and in Tokyo under several renowned violin teachers, had performed extensively around the world.
Many of his students who have won scholarships to study abroad, excelled in international examinations and international music competitions have gained Hank the recognition of a teacher with unique teaching abilities.
He describes playing violin as not only his love but also his life.
Nurturing talented and world renowned artists and hosting international competitions augurs well for a nation’s image, Hank says, citing Singapore which started supporting classical music 10 to 15 years ago has made headway.
As the saying goes, “Let the playing do the talking”.
A date in October
By Foong Pek Yee
foongpekyee@gmail.com.
Oct 12, 2023
MUSIC is central in every culture and transcends time.
It has profound influence on major aspects of life; from character building to health and well being while science continues to discover the many wonders of music.
And the musical journey of concert pianist Lee Jae Phang is testimony.
Lee Jae Phang
Getting his first diploma in piano at the age of 11, he learned the importance of perseverance and commitment at a young age.
Not long after, he went to the United Kingdom(UK) to continue his education.
Under prominent mentors, Lee Jae has gained invaluable guidance, experiences and the many opportunities for him to excel.
Among others, he participated in master classes conducted by renowned pianists like Sir Stephen Hough CBE, members of the Julliard School Faculty and esteemed figures like Philippe Cassard and Michel Beroff.
Winning the Audience Prize and the 1st Beethoven Performance Award in the Beethoven Piano Festival in Altaussee, Austria in 2016 marked a major milestone for him.
Lee Jae has Masters of Music in Performance (MMus) with Distinction from the Royal Northern College of Music, Manchester, UK and a Fellow of the Royal School of Music (FRSM) with Distinction.
The accomplished Malaysian pianist’s track record at home and abroad speaks volumes.
His influence extends to teaching, conducting lectures and master classes for advanced piano students.
Lee Jae who has ongoing recitals in Yamaha Music Malaysia is known for his impressive Beethoven Piano Sonatas Cycle.
He was a judge for the prestigious Chopin Society of Malaysia’s International Music Competition.
Earlier this year, the distinguished performer , teacher, accompanist and chamber musician was on a concert tour in Phnom Penh, Cambodia organised by the German-Cambodian Cultural Society.
The highlight of the tour was Lee Jae’s piano recital hosted by the German Ambassador .
His passion for Beethoven music is reflected in his comprehensive recording of the composer’s piano sonatas available on his YouTube channel.
He will be conducting a lecture recital in Kuala Lumpur on Oct 29, 2023.
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The secret behind good food
Red and auspicious: Of Chinese red wine, Foochow delicacies and fine tradition.
Feb 2, 2023
By Foong Pek Yee
It is a sunny morning and people are queueing at the entrance of a corner shop in Sitiawan, Perak.
This is nothing out of the ordinary though.
The people – locals and tourists- are waiting to buy gong pian (a traditional Foochow biscuit).
All time favourite: Gong pian became an iconic item for tourism in Sitiawan today . The Foochows brought them along when they first arrived in Sitiawan in 1903.
And after tasting the hot, crispy and savoury gong pian, I know why people are queueing for it rain or shine.
“It tastes best when eaten hot,” says Ling Leong Choong, a Foochow from Sitiawan, during my visit to Sitiawan recently.
Foochows take pride in their culture and traditional delicacies, and often go the extra mile to introduce them to their friends and guests.
Topping the list is gong pian and ang jiu mee (Chinese red wine rice noodles).
Delicious : Chinese red wine soup can go with rice noodles or rice.
And the delicacies certainly made good conversation starters and introduction to Foochow culture.
It is about perseverance and pride in their work, including slogging away in the wee hours of the morning to deliver fresh and good quality food by sunrise.
In Sitiawan- a Foochow stronghold- gong pian shops and eateries specialising in Foochow food especially Chinese red wine noodles are tourist attractions.
Over in Kampung Sitiawan, a little cafe – Seng Jee Chan – has already made inroads into Kuala Lumpur with its Chinese red wine which are used in many Foochow dishes
The owner, Ling Cheng Chooi, 57, says the cafe which specialises in Foochow dishes opens on Friday, Saturday, Sunday and Monday.
The other days in the week are spent preparing the Chinese red wine which they also supply to shops in Kuala Lumpur.
He says Chinese red wine has been his family business since his grandfather’s generation in the 1940s.
Proud of his roots: Ling Cheng Chooi with photos of his four generations on display in Seng Jee Chan Cafe in Kampung Sitiawan in Sitiawan, Perak.
His grandfather had migrated from China to Sitiawan in then Malaya.
While the first and second generation sold jiu bing (fermented yeast rice, an ingredient for Chinese red wine) for a living, Cheng Chooi and his wife Teng Siew Leng, 51, went on to open a cafe.
Their three children who are in their twenties are in the family business.
This year is set to be another milestone for them when their franchise business kicks off in major cities.
He says they started preparing for the expansion six years ago, in tandem with rising interest and demand for Foochow food outside predominantly Foochow areas.
He says they have been researching and experimenting on Foochow specialties to make it palatable to the masses while retaining its good taste.
The joy of a big family and old-world charm
Happy together: Lam Foong with her Lai family in their Tronoh hometown in Perak for reunion on Chinese New Year.
Photos by Lai Jen Weng
By Foong Pek Yee
Jan 29, 2023.
At 89, Lam Foong is a picture of joy and hope.
She keeps herself healthy and happy by being active and productive daily.
A typical day for her is tending to her garden where she grows a variety of vegetables like potato leaves, long beans, egg plant, spring onion and hairy gourd.
Labour of love: Lam Foong in her vegetable garden.
And what makes her most happy is she will have home grow vegetables for her children and grandchildren when they visit her.
A mother of seven , Lam who is a good cook, has plans all year round to cook for her family during festive or holiday season – Chinese New Year, Ching Ming, Mid Autumn Festival , school holidays and public holidays – when her children and grandchildren from Kuala Lumpur and Ipoh will go to their Tronoh hometown to spend time together.
During this Chinese New Year (CNY) their ancestral home saw more than 40 family members of three generations gathered over three days, from new year eve, for the celebration.
Auspicious: Lam Foong’s Chinese New Year specialties for reunion dinner.
The Cantonese pronunciation for prawns ( ha ) and fish (Yu) which rhymes with laughter and abundance respectively are must -have for festive celebration.
While Lam is a good cook, her children help her in the kitchen and run errands – a family still steeped in the fine Chinese tradition.
For Lam, preparations for the celebration starts months ahead, from planning the menu, booking the ingredients and planting vegetables.
She also makes sure her children have her home cooked specialties like pork belly and yam and home grow vegetables to bring along when they return to their respective home after the celebration.
Green and fresh : Potato leaves is among Lam Foong’s favourite vegetables.
Beautiful day: A bird perched on a branch of a rambutan tree in Lam Foong’s garden.
Lam Foong loves to stay in Tronoh while enjoying occasional visits to her children in Kuala Lumpur.
And equally important is she continues to lead and enjoy a healthy and happy lifestyle and the old-world charm.
Happy Lunar New Year
Jan 22, 2023
Happy Lunar New Year – xin nian kuai le, xin nian hao, wan shi ru yi, gong xi fa cai
Staying competitive and popular at all times
Value for money : Makes Chinese New Year celebrations more joyous.
Jan 19, 2023
By Foong Pek Yee
One big bottle of nga ku chips is priced at RM35, and a small bottle at RM15.
The big bottle has at least three times the amount of that of the small bottle.
Roadside stall trader Loh See Hoi’s sales pitch certainly resonates with discerning shoppers these days.
Festive snacks: Varieties and value for money.
At 75, Loh is brimming with enthusiasm as he goes about serving customers at his roadside stall in Tanjung Tualang New Village, Perak recently.
Hardworking : Loh showing a laminated photo of him cooking his famous sambal sauce at home in Gopeng Perak.
His core business is homemade sauce and he has been in this business for over three decades.
He sells some snacks during festive seasons.
Loh says his stall opens on Saturday and Sunday – almost a 12 hour stretch starting about 9 am.
He says he chose to set up stall in Tanjung Tualang New Village some 30 years ago as the village -a haven for seafood dishes- draws many tourists over weekends and public holidays.
Tanjung Tualang is also known as Tiger Prawn Town.
On weekdays, Loh and his wife, in her 60s, are at home in Gopeng, Perak preparing their sauces.
“I have recipes for over 20 types of sauce,” he says, adding that he likes to experiment and come up with his own recipes.
A bottle of his popular sambal sauce is priced at RM10 .
While cost of doing business keeps going up, Loh says quality goods and competitive pricing help keep business afloat .
No ordinary community
The destination: This is the place in Sitiawan in Sept 1903 where 363 Foochows from China landed after surviving the perils of sea and a cholera outbreak.
Jan 15, 2023
By Foong Pek Yee
THE year was 1903 in Malaya, against a backdrop of erratic weather conditions and plunging rice yields.
And a rice growing community in Foochow, China, became the colonial government’s target- recruit them for a rice growing project in Sitiawan, Perak.
The Methodist Episcopal Mission (MEM) was tasked to bring in the Foochows, and Rev Ling Ching Mi and Rev HLE Dr Luering went to China for the mission.
And in Sept 1903, 363 Foochows landed in Sitiawan – the pioneer batch of Foochow settlers.
But the rice growing project never took off.
The land and facilities like irrigation and drainage for the project as promised to them were not there.
They were instead made to trek about six kilometers into the jungle where they stayed in seven longhouses for the next six months.
While Rev Dr Luering was stationed in Ipoh about 80 km away from Sitiawan, Rev Ling Ching Mi also got a transfer back to China in Dec 1903.
Ling Ching Mi got his nephew Ling Ti Kong to take care of the settlers.
And Ling Ti Kong also roped in Ding Chin Seng (husband of his father’s sister) to help him.
Ling Ching Mi, Ling Ti Kong and Ding Chin Seng were Foochows.
By Jan 1904, the Foochows had set up a day school under an attap shed with 22 pupils and a Foochow speaking teacher Ling Ding Jug for an eight hour class daily including an hour long break.
This is true to the Chinese who subscribe to: ” Education for and the wellbeing of the children must never be compromised due to poverty.
The shed also doubled as a church on Sundays.
By early 1904 each family was given a three-acre- plot for them to build their own house and reared pigs, poultry and plant vegetables and fruits for a living.
The Foochows also went into rubber planting not long after.
Forever grateful: Ling Leong Choong, 62, says this was one of the three wells that fed the villagers for decades until piped water came to Sitiawan in the 1970s. The wells are in the compound of the house for Pioneer Methodist Church pastors or “Muk Su Lao” in Chinese.
Showcase: Set up in 2003, Sitiawan Settlement Museum was formerly the ” Muk Su Lao”along Jalan Lin Chen Mei in Sitiawan. It provides a glimpse of life in Sitiawan in the good old days and the missionary work in then Malaya.
One-stop-centre: The” Muk Su Lao” was the place for the Chinese to go for help in the old days.
Great job: Shih Toong Siong who wrote the book “The Foochows of Sitiawan ” is a Foochow born and educated
in Sitiawan.
Hall of Fame: Some of the prominent figures in Malaysia and Singapore who are descendants of the Foochows in Sitiawan and documented in the book – The Foochows of Sitiawan.
While the Sitiawan Settlement Museum gives a glimpse of history, the book ” The Foochows of Sitiawan” by Shih Toong Siong is most enlightening.
Rev B.F. Van Dyke who became the first resident missionary in Sitiawan together with Ling Ti Kong and Ding Chin Seng were credited for building a church costing $900( to replace the attap shed) and an orphanage in Sitiawan in 1905
Rev Van Dyke – an American of Dutch origin- was a missionary school teacher from the Anglo Chinese School, Singapore in 1900 before his posting to Sitiawan in March 1904.
Unfortunately Rev Ding Chin Seng passed away in 1906. He was 41.
Ours is 289: Ling Leong Choong who was born and bred in Sitiawan says the rubber tappers had labels engraved on to the latex sheets to prove ownership. And 289 was the label for his family, pointing to the samples on the wall.
Way of life: Bicycle was the most common and only mode of transport for the poor in the old days. The equipment used by rubber tappers are among items displayed at the Sitiawan Settlement Museum.
Simple lifestyle: A typical kitchen of the Foochows in the old days.
With their farming background, the settlers were also among the first to go into rubber planting in 1905.
And that perhaps is also one of the reasons for many Foochow oil palm smallholders in Sitiawan today.
This pioneer batch of Foochows may be small in numbers but they definitely had earned an important place in history.
