Play Dough Recipe

I first came across play dough when I lived in the dorm at Whitney Hall, Chico in northern California. I had arrived in late September 1976 and it was the fall season. In the residential hall, we needed decorative pieces for our dorm doors. My dorm leader made one each for all of us out of play dough. She made it flat and then rolled the left edge to form a tube (vase), and stuck a few stalks of dried flowers in it. My name was inscribed in the flat part on the right side of the play dough. It created a lovely welcoming feeling and I will always remember that. I don't know where that piece is today. I want to try and make it some day.

This is the recipe for play dough:
http://nurturestore.co.uk/play-dough-recipe-sensory-play


Modified play dough recipe

1 cup of salt

Add spices:

• essence of orange (or grated orange skin)
• essence of vanilla (or vanilla pod)
• ground nutmeg (or grated nutmeg)
• 3 cloves
• ground cinnamon
• 1 bay leaf

Blend the above spice and salt.

Add:

• 2 cups plain all purpose flour
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 2 tablespoons cream of tartar

Pour in 1.5 cups boiling water

(Add food colouring at this stage)

Mix the mixture to form a dough

Add some glycerine to make it shine

(Some people add a disinfectant at this stage to avoid fungal/bacterial growth)

Divide dough and add colour. Mead to mix in colour.

Create pieces and assemble

Bake for lasting pieces

Place extra dough in plastic bag and store

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Weddings of 4 Sisters

My mother was the eldest of 4 sisters. The sisters are named after flowers, season or month - Tulip, Esther, June and Daisy. That's how Dato Mahathir Lokman remembers them - with "flower names". They all married and have families, kids and grandchildren. 

My parents are Tulip and Abdul Rashid.

I have met Aunty Esther but not her husband Aelian Schokman. I have met both her son Jeffrey and daughter Veronica. I have met Jeffrey's wife Siti Azar and their children.

I have not met both Aunty June and her husband Nathaniel Kingsley. I have not met any of their children (my cousins).

I have met both Aunty Daisy Yvette and her husband Robert Jansz at their home in Western Australia, before Uncle Robert died in 1998 (a month before Christmas). I also met all her children (except Frances) when I visited Aunty Daisy after Uncle Robert died. I met Frances for the first time when I visited her family home at her farm in Sepertine Way, Stake Hill on 10 February 2013. Aunty Daisy took me, my daughter Yus, and Affandi there.

Tulip and Abdul Rashid 24 December 1955, bersanding at 262-T Banda Hilir, Malacca
Akad nikah was done earlier, in November 1955.

Esther and Aelian Cantlay Schokman married on 5 September 1959

From Facebook: "Thanksgiving and 50th Wedding Anniversary of Aelian & Esther Schokman, 5 September 2009"

June and Lieut. Devdass Kingsley Nathaniel 8 February 1958

Sunday Standard, 16 February 1958 [Article + Illustration]

MALAYAN BRIDES (LEFT) LIEUT. D. K. NATHANIEL of the Federation Armoured Car Regiment and his bride, the former Miss June Che Lah, daughter of Dr. and Mrs. Che Lah of Kuala Lumpur who were married at St. Mary's Church, Kuala Lumpur, last week. Photo shows the couple leaving the Church. - page 11 (Aunty June married on 8 or 11 Feb 1958?)

------

According to my cousin Jeffrey and his mum, my Aunt Esther, Aunty Daisy got married first.

In a 1953 wedding photo of Catherine's youngest daughter, Daisy Yvette, we can see many of the family members gathered on the steps of the church. Daisy informed me that she married not at St Mary's Church in Kuala Lumpur (level with the Merdeka Padang), but at a church up on a hill. This church would be St John's Church (now cathedral), Bukit Nanas, Kuala Lumpur.

Daisy Yvette's wedding in 1953 at St John's Church, Bukit Nanas, KL.
Front row from left: Bridesmaid is Esther, standing next to Robert Jansz (groom). Daisy Yvette (bride), and bridesmaid at right is groom's sister, Aunt Hazel.
Back row from left: Humphrey Edward Bulner, Daisy Catherine de Coursey Bulner (lady with white hat), groom's father, Mr Jansz, Uncle Reg standing behind groom and bride, and Victoria, groom's mother (lady with black hat)

Daisy Yvette and Robert Jansz,

St John's Church (now cathedral),

Bukit Nanas, Kuala Lumpur

I'm uncertain of the wedding date but I will need to check with Aunty Daisy (she lives in Western Australia) and some other documents. Aunty Daisy is not on the Internet, so I need to ask her children, and they have to visit her place.

When I visited Aunty Daisy in Mandurah in mid February 2013, she helped to identify the people in her wedding photo above. I need to find where I placed the information.

Will update when I find it.

My cousin Veronica helped to identify Uncle Reg and Aunt Hazel.

External links:

http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~lkawgw/gen1235.html
https://youtu.be/KqYw_ICMUjQ

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Tulip Che Lah (5) Send-off 1952

Before my mother left for her studies overseas, her family and relatives gathered for the send-off in KL and in Penang. There were a few photos taken of her family and relatives. One photo was taken at the Maxwell home which had a big garden. Another photo was when the family gathered at the KL railway station. In another photo the family gathered at her aunt's house in Kg Sg Gelugor in Penang. In another photo, the family and relatives gathered on board a ship, the Carthage, which possibly docked at Swettenham Pier in Penang.  That's what I know from reading history. I think my mother and her family visited their Penang relatives before she sailed to Englad in 1952. My mother said, her father was newly married when she was about to sail overseas. She said she met them both as both came to see her off. Her step-mother is in one of the family photos at the KL railway station and on board the ship Carthage. She's from Bangsar.

At Maxwell Rd home in KL

In a train coach at KL railway station

Daisy Catherine (left) and eldest daughter Tulip at the KL railway station 1952

Family members and relatives gathered at KL railway station 1952. From left: Frederick William Bulner, Daisy Yvette (youngest), Daisy Catherine de Coursey Bulner (Tulip's mother), Chinese girl, Tulip (eldest), Beatrice Rudge (Tulip's cousin), Che-cheh (Hakka maid), June (third), Philip (boy), Esther (second) and Chinese girl (Mary Chong Nyet Lin @ Mariah). Back row: Vincent White and Olive Metcalf.

Visiting Aunty Besar at home in Kg Sg Gelugor, Penang 1952. From left: Philip, Khala Wan Tam, Esther, Daisy Yvette, Khala Wan Chik, and June. Dr Che Lah is standing on the verandah. Wan Tam and Wan Chik are the daughters of Aunty Besar, Dr Che Lah's eldest sister.

Gathered on board the Carthage in Penang (or Port Klang?) before Tulip sailed to England in 1952. From left: June, daughters of Aunty Besar, Philip, Tulip, Daisy Yvette, Esther. Aunty Besar is at extreme right with a dark selendang (long scarf) over her shoulder.

On board the Carthage 1952. From left: Aunty Besar/Mak Besar Bee bt Md Joonos (eldest & only sister of Dr Che Lah), her daughters, Khala Wan Chik (5L), Kalsom, June, and Khala Wan Tam/Mami Tam (extreme right). Esther is kneeling.

==============

Communication on Facebook on 11, 12 ad 13 June 2017:

Group photo at KL Railway Station in 1952

From left: Frederick William Bulner, Daisy Yvette, Daisy Catherine, Tulip's classmate, Tulip's cousin Beatrice Rudge, Hakka maid Cheh-cheh, June, Vincent White (rear), Philip (little boy in front), Esther, Daisy Catherine's cousin Olive Metcalf, and Mary Chong Nyet Lin @ Mariah.

Year: 1952

Venue: KL Railway Station

Occasion: Going north KL-Penang to visit relatives in Penang. Before Tulip's send-off to England.

Present: Dr MJ Che Lah's family members. Please help to ID them.

Image may contain: 11 people, people smiling, people standing and text.

Comments

Esther Schokman 

I think you have ID them except for the ones standing behind. Might be Che Wantum, Zaiton and maybe Beatrice Rudge, not too sure.

Faridah Abdul Rashid 

TQ. Who is Zaiton?

Faridah Abdul Rashid 

There is a man behind Uncle Philip, and between Aunty June and Aunty Esther. Who is this man?

Esther Schokman 

The man might be Vincent White. The lady might be Olive Metcalf. I'm not very sure. Olive was my mother's cousin.

Faridah Abdul Rashid 

TQ. I have uploaded Olive's wedding photo at my blog.

Faridah Abdul Rashid 

Who is Vincent White?

Faridah Abdul Rashid 

The man wearing a hat at far left looks too old to be my grandfather. Is he my grandfather?

Md Al-Jeffrey Schokman 

Yes definately not our grandfather. Too old

Faridah Abdul Rashid 

Md Al-Jeffrey Schokman: Could be his father Md Joonos bin Shaik Ahmad

Md Al-Jeffrey Schokman 

Dont know. But if it was him wow. That would be interesting.

Faridah Abdul Rashid 

Need someone to ID the man at extreme left. 

Md Joonos bin Shaik Ahmad was known as Tok Bogart. Does this man resemble Humphrey Bogart?

Esther Schokman 

He might be my mother's father as he usually uses a hat when he goes out, a felt hat.

Md Al-Jeffrey Schokman 

Mum said that man with the hat is her mums' (Daisy) father. Fredrick Bulner

Faridah Abdul Rashid 

TQ. So that is Fredrick Bulner.

Faridah Abdul Rashid 

He was born in 1872. That makes him 80 years old in 1952.

Faridah Abdul Rashid 

Who is the Chinese girl between my grandmother and my mother?

Faridah Abdul Rashid 

I think the Chinese girl holding my mother's hand maybe her classmate?

Esther Schokman 

He was my parents friend who lived in Taiping working in the tin mines. 

Was good at hunting wild boars and my father and a few other male friends would go hunting with him. 

There is one photo of me taken in Maxwell home holding his heavy revolver. Delphine Kalasrt may know as she is related to him.

Faridah Abdul Rashid 

Sounds interesting!

Faridah Abdul Rashid 

Aunty Esther Schokman, Who was the man in Taiping? Vincent White?

Esther Schokman
Vincent White was a close friend of my parents. We used to visit him. He had one son Quintent. I think he is now in Australia. Their family n the Frunrit family would usually go to Morib beach for picnics. There were some photos of the picnic. I might have some photos if I can find them. My father had a Vauxhall car where the food was kept. We usually went on a Saturday.

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Grandmother and Great-Grandmother

There are very few photos of my grandmother Daisy Catherine Decoursey Bulner. This photo below was cropped from a larger FB wedding photo of my cousin Veronica's mother, Esther.

Grandmother, Daisy Catherine Decoursey Bulner (1911-1981)

My cousin Amanda Zoe Nathaniel keeps many family photos of her family, my late Aunty June was her mother. I went through her Facebook photo album and found 2 photos of my maternal grandmother and my maternal great-grandmother. My mother used to tell us a lot about them when I was a little girl.

From left: Stephanie, Aunty June, grandmother Daisy Catherine (eldest), granduncle Humphrey Edward Bulner (youngest brother of Daisy Catherine), uncle Devdass Kingsley Nathaniel (June's husband), Vanessa, Rex and Amanda.

Front from left: Rex, Jeffrey, Amanda, Vanessa, Veronica.
Back row from left: Stephanie, maternal great-grandmother Emma Francis Krasse and Gerald.

Online family tree:
http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~lkawgw/gen1235.html

De Coursey family tree:
https://worldconnect.rootsweb.com/cgi-bin/igm.cgi?op=GET&db=ks-decoursey&id=I31

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Blindness

For all kids who can't see, can't cross the street alone, need help to see things. For all kids who are blind and have to depend on others or Braille for whatever. Don't feel left out. This was a song in the early 1970s when I was in lower secondary school. It left an impression on me as at the time I had to wear glasses and sometimes I too couldn't see anything in class. So this song is special for kids like me when I was a child. It was difficult but having faith that blindness does go away in the end, helps, it really helps to think positive. Blindness does go away and it is a miracle.

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Tulip Che Lah (12) Interview 2004

This is a questionnaire that my eldest daughter used to interview her grandmother/my mother at my home in Kg Chicha, Kelantan on 1 June 2004, i.e., 4 days before my mother died.

You are ...

Tulip Che Lah

Today will go down in history. Mark it.

1.6.04    

What is the event that made you do this 'paperwork'?

Dropping by at Chica for a visit.  


1. Describe yourself first thing in the morning.

I'm alive for another day. Shukor Alhamdulillah.


2. What do you never leave home without?

my purse


3. What do irresistible men/women have that the rest don't?

Men their physic


4. What do you do when you see someone you really, really fancy?

Go up to meet the person.


5. Any example of a pantun? Sajak? Syair? Poem?

I saw a ship a-sailing
A-sailing on the sea
And Oh! it was all laden
With pretty things for me.


6. What drives you crazy?

Noise


7. When the world seems to turn its back on me, this is where I run and hide.

My bedroom.


8. Name your most irritating habit.

Answering people with "Is it?"


9. Complete this sentence: When I'm old and 80, I'll be ...

sad and lonely


10. What would you like more of: brains or looks?

brains


11. What do you do to keep your feet on the ground?

being sane


12. What motto do you live by?

Help others if you want to live happily.


13. Name your most interesting asset.

my good nature


14. The most adventurous thing you've done ...

climbed Ben Nevis in England


15. Complete this sentence: When nobody's looking, I ...

I steal a look in the mirror


16. If you could be any person for a day, who would you be and why?

my grandmother. She's a foreigner and pretty.


17. Name one thing you can't say no to?

chocolates


18. Complete this sentence: Parents make the ...

best of loving us


19. Draw a marking that means 'you'.

The world around me.

20. Is there an ayat in the Quran that you would like me to take note?

Ayat Kursy ayat 255 Surah Al-Bakarah.

This is the meaning of Surah Al-Baqarah Ayat 255, which is also referred to as Ayat Kursi. It is the second Surah in the Quran. Reproduced from Center for Muslim-Jewish Engagement:
http://www.cmje.org/religious-texts/quran/verses/002-qmt.php

002.255

YUSUF ALI: Allah! There is no god but He,-the Living, the Self-subsisting, Eternal. No slumber can seize Him nor sleep. His are all things in the heavens and on earth. Who is there can intercede in His presence except as He permitteth? He knoweth what (appeareth to His creatures as) before or after or behind them. Nor shall they compass aught of His knowledge except as He willeth. His Throne doth extend over the heavens and the earth, and He feeleth no fatigue in guarding and preserving them for He is the Most High, the Supreme (in glory). 

PICKTHAL: Allah! There is no deity save Him, the Alive, the Eternal. Neither slumber nor sleep overtaketh Him. Unto Him belongeth whatsoever is in the heavens and whatsoever is in the earth. Who is he that intercedeth with Him save by His leave? He knoweth that which is in front of them and that which is behind them, while they encompass nothing of His knowledge save what He will. His throne includeth the heavens and the earth, and He is never weary of preserving them. He is the Sublime, the Tremendous. 

SHAKIR: Allah is He besides Whom there is no god, the Everliving, the Self-subsisting by Whom all subsist; slumber does not overtake Him nor sleep; whatever is in the heavens and whatever is in the earth is His; who is he that can intercede with Him but by His permission? He knows what is before them and what is behind them, and they cannot comprehend anything out of His knowledge except what He pleases, His knowledge extends over the heavens and the earth, and the preservation of them both tires Him not, and He is the Most High, the Great.

21. What's your line?

Apa khabar? Mmm ... nenek sayang!


22. What languages are you interested in?

Chinese


23. Chinese chess or conventional chess?

conventional chess


24. Name any place in our galaxy that you would like to go to.

The moon.


25. Is there anything you would like me to know?

That I love you.


26. Draw yourself doing something that makes you happy.

knitting

Terima Kasih

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Tulip Che Lah (8) Tutor 1952-1953

My mother was a big source of inspiration for everything, including problems related to babies, young girls and working mothers. 

She was named after a flower, and the Dutch love this flower. She did not say very much, but led by example. 

She was a dedicated mother who had to divide her time between family and work. She managed her kids well except when she was ill and I had to take over her chores. 

She was loved by her students at all the schools she had taught. She related to me that the Sultan Ismail College (SIC) boys even hosted a dinner in Putrajaya in her honour, which she attended with sheer delight. 

Her students treasured her for her friendliness and the warmth she brought them. 

I remember her as my English coach at home. Sometimes she would tutor me on Mathematics. I knew it was so frustrating for her to teach me Mathematics as I could not comprehend the English text in my Mathematics book! My father took over from her and I had to buck up or I would hear the thunder roar over my shoulder! 

My mother taught me the piano when I was 11, and we continued to play as duet till I was 15 - when I left for Tunku Kurshiah College. 

She was a really good pianist. She told me she was a Grade 5 when she went to England and completed Grade 8 there. 

She also taught me how to cook and sew. By age 9, I was already a wide-eyed seamstress and a pint-sized soux chef! 

She was a good historian. She knew very well about the Second World War (WWII), Winston Churchill, the fates of the Jews, the Holocaust, Ann Frank's diary, and the formation of Israel. 

But she was first and foremost, a Geography and English teacher. Having studied in England in 1952-53, History, Music and Medicine interested her immensely. She knew these topics better than me.

Even though I was already fixed on becoming a biochemist, she brought me in the late 1980 to see her tutor, Mr Roger Raymond Sellman. 

Mr Sellman was a renowned senior British historian who was retired and lived with his wife Mia Sellman, and their dog (Twiggy) at their single-storey bungalow in Pound-Down Corner, Exeter in England. 

Mr Sellman talked me into changing my interest and future profession. He said it would be desirous to accept History (as he had done) and desert Biochemistry altogether. I told him it was impossible and too late for me to switch fields but I thanked him for his encouragement. 

My eyes were fixed on Twiggy and my favourite bread-and-butter pudding which Mia had specially prepared for me! 

I continued to correspond with the Sellmans till I got married at 24 in 1983, and left home to work in Kelantan where I worked till April 2018. 

Terima kasih, Mak!

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The Malay Captains in Penang

There were many 'captains' including Malay captains in our history.

So far there were 3 Malay captains with similar names. I emailed the son of one of the captains to ask for clarification. I also posted to Facebook for clarification.

There were 3 known "Captain Md Noor" in Penang and Singapore. One of them is a relative of Dr Che Lah bin Md Joonos.


1. Captain Noor Mohamed Hashim bin Che Din, JMN, JP

• Captain Noor Muhammad Hashim bin Mohamed Dali /
• Capt. Noor Mohamed Hashim bin Mohamed Dali /
• Capt. N. M. Hashim
• Hashim CheDin Mohamad, J.M.N., J.P.
• Born: 10 June 1896, Penang
• Education: Penang Free School
• Career: Chairman and Managing Director, A. Dennys & Co Ltd, Penang
• Chairman, William Mining Ltd
• Director, Sg Tukang Rubber Estate Ltd
• President, Malay Chamber of Commerce, Penang
• Member of Light Dues Board, Federation of Malaya and Marine Tender Board
• Chairman, Muslim Welfare Assn. 
• Trustee, Fed. School for Deaf and Muslim Orphanage, Penang
• Chairman, Penang UMNO Division
• Patron, Penang Malay Assn and Penang Malay Football Assn
• Hon. Member, Penang Chinese Swimming Club
• Source: Who's Who in Malaysia 1963

Captain Noor Mohamed Hashim bin Che Din, JMN, JP (sometimes written Capt. N. M. Hashim; later Tan Sri CM Hashim). He was a teacher from Perak. He was also in the Penang Volunteer Force. He had published in Saudara: Saudara, 15 Feb 1933, p.4 General Article. Takrif Melayu. Ucapan Tuan Captain Noor Muhammad Hashim M.C.S. He was a Senior Malay Interpreter in the Singapore Supreme Court. Tan Sri Che Din Mohamed Hashim, Chairman and Managing Director, A. Dennys & Co Ltd, Penang. Tan Sri Che Din Mohamed Hashim had advised Kamil Mohamed Ariff on taking up Medicine. Kamil followed his advice and became Dr Kamil Mohamed Ariff. He was knighted and became known as Sir Kamil Mohamed Ariff or Sir K. M. Ariff for short. Tan Sri Che Din was the foster father of Datuk Zubaidah Ariff, who married to Sir K. M. Ariff's son Mushir Ariff. Dato Mushir Ariff and Dato Zubaidah have passed away. Their son is Nazir Ariff, a Penang property developer.

MATTERS OF MUSLIM
The Singapore Free Press and Mercantile Advertiser (1884-1942), 1 September 1931, Page 8

Captain Noor Mohamed Hashim bin Che Din, JMN, JP

Allen Dennys & Co Sdn Bhd is in Beach St (Lebuh Pantai), near Bank Negara Malaysia in Padang Kota. Allen Dennys was established in 1908 and taken over by CM Hashim. Photo from Malik Al Habshi in Facebook.

2. Master Mohd Noor bin Mohammad, PJK, ED, JP

• Capt. Mohd Nor bin Mohamed, PJK, ED, JP
• Capt. Mohd Noor
• He was a teacher at PFS.
• President of Penang Historical Society
• He photographed the unveiling of the Statue of Captain Francis Light, 1939
• PHT re-convened (1961); re-organised (Nov 1961); re-convened (Sept 1963); Committee 1964/1965
• Editorial Board (1963- 1965)

He was popularly known as Master Mohd Noor bin Mohammad - an academic and former schoolteacher at Penang Free School in Green Lane, and Chairman of the Board of Governors at Penang Free School. At PFS, they referred to him as "Captain". He was the elder brother of Dr Abdul Ghani bin Mohammad of Bayan Lepas. He donated a Japanese sword to the Penang Museum after WWII. The Japanese sword was found underneath a bed. Master Mohd Noor (Dr Abdul Ghani's elder brother) married three times. Master Mohd Noor bin Mohammad, JP (academic at PFS and a part of PHT) was often confused with Capt. Md Noor bin Shaik Ahmad, MBE (Military Division, Malay Interpreter at Supreme Court in Penang).

Master Mohd Noor as "Captain" at Penang Free School.

3. Captain Md Noor bin Shaik Ahmad, MBE

• Born: 1890 Glugor, Penang
• Parents: Shaik Ahmad & Hajar
• Sibs: 6 - Hamidah Bee, Jan Bee, Md Joonos, Mohd Ali, Tok Mariam, and Capt. Md Noor

Captain Md Noor bin Shaik Ahmad, MBE was a Malay Interpreter at the Supreme Court in Penang. He was the Superintendent of County Court. He was a Malay interpreter in the Supreme Court, Penang, having joined the Government Service in June 1911 (aged 21). He was as a Private in the Straits Settlements Volunteer Force (S.S.V.F.) in November 1912, attached to C (Malay) Company Third Battalion, Penang and Province Wellesley Volunteer Corps (P. and P.W.V.C.). He was an official of numerous associations and societies in Penang. He joined as a Private, became a Lieutenant and finally a Captain of the Penang Malays Volunteer Corps.  He was awarded the MBE (Military Division) in 1939. He married 3 wives (Wan Teh, Che Wan bt Capt. Awang, and Mariam Bee). He has 19 children from 3 wives. Captain Md Noor bin Shaik Ahmad has sons named Kamarudin and Samsudin, by his third wife. Tok Kamarudin bin Capt. Md Noor lives in PJ and is in Yahoo groups. He will give his father's photo. Tok Kamarudin is married to Nenek Fatimah bt Mohd Siraj.

Captain Mohamed Noor bin Shaik Ahmad, MBE (Military Division)
https://www.revolvy.com/main/index.php?s=1939%20New%20Year%20Honours

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From Music to Languages

It was music that bound all the people in my mother's and grandfather's families. Everyone was different and we used music to come together. Everyone appreciated beautiful music. And I will never forget the beautiful moments we spent together with beautiful music playing in the background, from morn till night, weekdays and weekends. We all came together despite our differences. It was  music that softened our hearts and made us come together.

From music, the families went on to speak many languages. If I list them all down, it is amazing to see the effect of music on the minds and language acquisition. So the environment plays a very important role in developing the mind.

My grandfather - Malay, English,. Tamil
My mother - English, French and German
My father - Malay, English, Chinese, Dutch
Myself - Malay, English, some Spanish, some German
My son - Malay, English, Arabic, French, Mandarin, Japanese
My daughter - Malay, English, French
My youngest daughter - Malay, English, French

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Music Playlist

I'm collecting some of the world's most beautiful songs here. Some were songs my mother and I played on the piano.  My mother completed her piano lessons in England and she played in England before returning to Malaya. I started playing the piano at age 10-11, I learned from my mother. I played the minor scale and she played the major scale and base.

My mother loved waltzes and ragtime music. I am still an avant gaarde jazz novice. I played Malay songs and improvised. I loved yesteryear music such as 'Yesteryear, Yesterday'. I played the piano throughout my university days in California. That was the most beautiful part of my solo life and nothing beats playing the piano and playing my own songs. I even played in between classes!

I don't play the piano anymore now (forgotten a lot of it). I will still play if I find one. I had only owned one piano in my life - an upright Robinson piano, it was such a lovely piano. I had it from Std 5 right through Form 3. My mother sold it to my aunt when I entered TKC. I usually visited my aunt to see my piano. I would play a song or two on my old piano in my aunt's house. Of course it was heart-breaking.

There are 2 piano shops in Kota Bharu, one in front of the main post office and the other in Jalan Pengkalan Chepa.

This is a collection of songs by Ray Conniff, Frank Sinatra, Enrique Chia etc that our family listened to:

Ross Ariffin - Win (by Brian McNight)

Win with lyrics

Stay

You're the Only One for Me
Yesterday Once More

Yesterme Yesteryou Yesterday

Yesterme Yesteryou Yesterday 

Besame Mucho - this is my mother's favourite song
Somewhere My Love - this is my grandfather's favourite song
Hey (Google search)

Flight of the Bee
La Bamba
La Bamba - Ritchie Valens
Amor Amor Amor
Smoke Gets in Your Eyes
Sound of Silence
Bridge Over Troubled Water
Moon River
I'll Never Fall In Love Again
Rose Garden
Paper Roses
I'd Like to Teach the World to Sing
The Most Beautiful Girl
Release Me
Seasons In The Sun
The Green Leaves of Summer
Eres Tu
Three Coins in the Fountain
April in Portugal
Abril en Portugal
Strangers in the Night
Lisboa Antigua
Yellow Bird
Summer
Patricia
Caballo Viejo
Vaya Con Dios & Solamente Una Vez
Burbujas de Amor
Piel Canela
Amor eterno
Orquideas a la luz de la luna
Farolito
Maria Elena
Adoro
Scott Joplin - The Entertainer (music score) .... ragtime
The Sting - Scott Joplin .... ragtime
What a wonderful world

These are my favourite songs:
Killing Me Softly
Dime Solamente - Morris Albert
Feelings - Morris Albert
Just The Way You Are - the Malay version is Mulanya Di Sini by Seha.
Laughter in the Rain - Ray Conniff

Laughter in the Rain - Neil Sedaka
You Are The Sunshine of My Life - Stevie Wonder

Ain't No Sunshine When She's Gone - Bill Withers
Mandy - Ray Conniff

Mandy - Barry Manilow
Daniel - by Elton John
It's a Small World - Disneyland theme song
Anorado Encuentro - Enrique Chia
Cafe music (jazz and bossa nova)
Country Roads - John Denver
Change the World - Eric Clapton
I'm Yours - Jason Mraz
Titanic II - My Heart Will Go On - performed by Sungha Jung (Korean guitarist)

Voices of Spring - Johann Strauss Jr

You are my Everything - Gummy (Korean)

You're my Everything - Santa Esmeralda

Others:
World's most beautiful music
Bohemian Rhapsody - Cole Lam, 12 years old

I have compiled some of the songs above to play in the SCM Music Player.

However, some songs have been removed, and you will need to manually click the next song on the playlist.

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Philip @ Mohd Noor

Philip @ Mohd Noor

Philip was adopted from a Singapore orphanage at the time Dr Che Lah was attending a refresher course at the old Tan Tock Seng Hospital in Singapore. Mak said Philip's father was a Danish (orang Denmark) and his mother was a Singaporean Chinese.

Mak helped to look after baby Philip at the Sungai Buloh Settlement for lepers. They all lived there throughout the war (1941-1945).

Philip grew up to become a handsome lad and we all called him Elvis (after Elvis Presley) as he would play the guitar and resembled Elvis Presley. Elvis in YouTube.

Philip @ Mohd Noor in early 1960s

We all waited for the Indian procession to pass along Glugor Road (now Jalan Sultan Azlan Shah), Penang. Philip is at extreme right. My mother is the one holding the little boy's hands.

Philip married twice. He first married a Terengganu beauty queen (Harisah). He then married a lady in Shah Alam. 

One day Philip returned to Penang to see Dr Che Lah. He complained of light headaches and was taken to GH Penang. He was diagnosed of brain tumour and was operated. He did not progress in the post-op period. Philip died from complications following surgical removal of a brain tumour. Philip died in the early 1970s. He did not have any children.

Mak was terribly upset when Philip died as she loved him very much. Mak became very quiet after Philip's death.

I went back to GH Penang in 2012, and there were still people who remembered Philip. There was Encik Ismail Hashim who looked after Philip till he died. Encik Ismail's father knew Dr Che Lah. Encik Ismail recalled they were always together - Philip, Ismail and Jalaluddin (Jalal). Jalaluddin bin Ali Baba was Dr Che Lah's nephew.

http://theearlymalaydoctors.blogspot.com/2011/04/philip-mohd-noor.html

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Kamaruddin Che Lah

Kamaruddin bin Che Lah (born February 1955) attended Melbourne University and the University of Southern Queensland. 

Dr Che Lah bin Md Joonos (Datuk Penang), Kamaruddin Che Lah (Uncle Din), Kamariah (step-aunt) and Mariah @ Chong Nyet Lin (Nenek Penang). Before going for studies overseas. Photographed at 355-A Lengkok Pemancar house. circa 1967

Uncle Din is a civil engineer. He had worked with Majlis Perbandaran Seberang Perai till he retired in February 2015. The planning and development of the USM Institut Perubatan dan Pergigian Termaju (IPPT) Bertam Campus comes under the jurisdiction of Majlis Perbandaran Seberang Perai.

Dr Che Lah is at left. His wife Mariah is standing next to my mother, Tulip, and her sisters Esther and June, and step-sister Kamariah (standing at rear). Uncle Din is at right. Photographed at 460-H Minden Heights, Road 7 house. circa 1978

Uncle Din married Fauziah bt Shaik Emam (Intan) at the E&O Hotel in George Town, Penang. 

Aunty Intan when she married at 24

They have a son, Kamarul Faisal, a computer engineer and graduate from the University of Southern Queensland. Faisal is married.

Uncle Din, son Kamarul Faisal and Aunty Intan

Kamaruddin is my mother's youngest half-brother, and my Uncle Din. Uncle Din is special because he taught me and advised me to learn Malay and to be very prepared for the Malay Government 

Exams which are compulsory for all Malaysian government servants, even today. As much as I hated to learn something 100% in Malay, I was lucky that Uncle Din actually mentally told me what to expect on such government exams and to read up (I could laugh at this suggestion; he knew I wouldn't read anything in Malay) but he was serious, despite teaching me while he was driving. 

It was good that I paid attention to Uncle Din's advice and passed my Malay government exam at second attempt (hahaha....). It was freaking mad at home when my dad found out I had failed my Malay government exams (well, I can tell you I didn't even understand the questions in Malay). 

Can never learn anything right in Malay, can I? Well, I really have to thank Uncle Din for the worry, advice and care he accorded in looking after me and making sure that I could make it in this dog-eat-dog world. 

The Chinese would be very happy if they knew that I was born in the year of the dog! But I'm no dog!

I visited Aunty Intan at 27 Lorong Tenggiri, Seberang Prai on 5 March 2013. Uncle Din was away to get his wounds cleaned by a traditional healer. He had just left home when we arrived at their home. Aunty Intan and her maid were at home. We stayed for an hour before we left to return to Kelantan.

External links:

This is from Uncle Din:
Kamaruddin Che Lah I was at wellesley primary frm 1962 till 1966. Can get his name

Seberang Prai Municipal Council engineering director Kamaruddin Che Lah 

Read more at https://www.thestar.com.my/news/community/2012/05/03/project-driving-em-round-the-bend/#LbMQV4wI3cPkTT8C.99

Urban Planning, 2005
Mr. Kamaruddin Che Lah, Director of Engineering Dept. Seberang Perai Municipal Council, Majlis Perbandaran Seberang Perai, Jalan Datuk Hj Ahmad Said, 12000 Butterworth, Penang, Malaysia; tel: (60) 4 – 3105600 
http://www.durban.gov.za/Documents/City_Government/Cifal/Sustainable%20Urban%20Transport%20in%20Asia%20and%20the%20Pacific%20Region,%20June%2012-19%202005.pdf?Mobile=1

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Daisy Yvette Che Lah

Daisy Yvette (born Wednesday, 17 July 1935) married to Robert Jansz a civil engineering clerk (deceased circa 1988) and has seven married children – Jennifer, Christopher, Robert, Frances, Andrew, Mildred and Vicky. All the families live in Western Australia.

Jansz is a Jewish name, so says my Sabbatical supervisor, Prof Frank van Bockxmeer, DNA Lab, Royal Perth Hospital, Feb-March 1995. Frank said Jansz is also a surname of his Jewish relatives. Frank says he is related to the Jansz.

When I was doing my PhD at the University of Western Australia (UWA, 1986-1989), my family and I visited Aunty Daisy at home, close to Christmas, and we had lunch together. Most of her children also came to see us. She was a good cook. She made sambal udang kering which I particularly liked. I had never tasted the dish before and I don't know how to make the dish. I tried making it but it didn't taste as good as the one she cooked in Balga. Aunty Daisy sold off her Balga home.

Aunty Daisy moved to Mandurah, Western Australia in November 2011. Her 7 married children live in Perth and the eldest lives near Mandurah. My husband Affandi and my younger son Ibrahim visited Aunty Daisy in October 2012. Ibrahim has all the reunion photos of October 2011 (ask him in Facebook). Either Affandi or Ibrahim has Aunty Daisy's address and phone #. I had it on my table but lost the info.

Mandurah is by the coast, further down south of Perth. Take the train from Perth Station direct to Mandurah Station (with a few stops along the way, depending on which train line). Ask Affandi in Facebook for the train info.

Affandi and I phoned Aunty Daisy. Unfortunately Aunty Daisy does not use the computer and is not connected to the Internet. So we can't be connected online in Facebook. But she is fine and healthy, with memory failing a bit. But she remembers me as Tulip's daughter and the one who did PhD at UWA way back more than 20 years ago (when her husband Robert died). She asked me to come and visit her. In sya Allah, I will do just that.

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Tulip Che Lah (3) Biography

Hajah Jumabee Tulip bt Che Lah (Wednesday, 4 November 1931-Saturday, 5 June 2004) married to Haji Abdul Rashid bin Mohd Yusope (Saturday, 28 November 1931-Sunday, 8 March 2009). They both aspired to be doctors but had obstacles and had to abandon their dreams. They both opted for teaching and attended the Malayan Teachers’ Training College at Kirkby, near Liverpool, England. After completing their studies, they both taught at Jasin English Primary School, Malacca before they married in Bandar Hilir, Malacca on Saturday, 24 December 1955.

Tulip grew up in Kuala Lumpur and was trained as a pianist. She completed her piano Grade 8 in England. She had a flair for languages, loved art and craft, sewing plus outdoor activities. She was a good debater, sprinter, swimmer and played field hockey as well as ice hockey. She became a teacher and taught English, Civics and Geography for 33 years. She was in charge of the Girl Guides and the St John Ambulance at the schools where she taught in Malaya and Borneo. A trusted person, she was placed in charge of the handover of the Cambridge examinations to the Malaysian authority for the Home Science component while living in Kedah (early to mid-1960s). She taught at Sabah College in Jesselton, Sultan Ismail School and Sultan Ismail College (SIC) in Telipot in Kelantan, Malacca Girls’ High School at Durian Daun and Penang Chinese Girls’ School in Gottlieb Road, near Pulau Tikus, Penang.

Her husband, Abdul Rashid loved carpentry, house building and electrical wiring besides scouting activities, fishing and swimming. He attended the Malay College Kuala Kangsar and then went to study in England. He worked as a Simultaneous Interpreter in the Malaysian Parliament for the first Malaysian Cabinet before he quit and returned to teaching. He was a lecturer for the Malay Language at the Jalan Day Teachers' Training College in Alor Star, Kedah. He last taught Mathematics and Physics at Maktab Perguruan Pulau Pinang. He taught for more than 30 years (1954-1986).

The couple has seven children – Mohd Sharif, Sharifah, Faridah (that's me), Rabi’ah, Mohd Farid, Mohd Amin and Aminah.

Tulip passed away in 2004 and is interred at Tanah Perkuburan Islam Selayang Baru in Selayang. This is an old and expansive graveyard, but it is fast filling up, and almost full in 2012. Her grave # is A433.

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