NEW YEAR GREETINGS

The past year 2014, when I was 68 years old had been a good year, compared to the previous year when I was 67 (if you know Cantonese!).  My hair has grown back! Two endoscopies in June and November have not shown any disease.  I have distributed nearly 900 copies of my book “Cell Wars” and sent RM7000 “donated” by many friends and relatives, to organisations catering for cancer patients.

I have gone back to work fulltime in the clinics and performing surgeries. However, I have stopped conducting deliveries, a decision made even before my illness. What a relief, for not waking up in the wee hours of the night and anxiously waiting “at your cervix” for the mother to be “dilated to meet you”! After delivering an estimated 8000 babies over 40 years (including about 20 babies from those I had delivered), it is time to retire my delivery hands!

Early in the year, we flew to Bombay (I still preferred this name) to attend the world reunion of Grant Medical College Alumni. We missed the big crowd of 800 alumni as we were there one week earlier. However, we were treated like VIPS with garlands during our visit to the college campus, walking through the musty corridors of the old buildings of about 100 years old. We collected US$20,000 from the alumni in Malaysia and donated to the college, much to the surprise and admiration from the other alumni.

Later in the year, we joined a group of old Frees to Chengdu and Jiuzhaigou where we were treated with special privileges as the CEO of the hotel chain was an old Free. Through the year, we had a number of mini-reunions of our classmates in KL, Singapore and Penang.

Our plans to visit the Holy Land in Israel in November unfortunately had to be cancelled due to the conflict.

We received 12 wedding invitations during the last two months of the year, including three from the babies I had delivered. The rush to get married could be due to the introduction of GST next year! Do we need to top up 6% in our ang pows then?

My dear wife is still active with Daybreak Home for the handicapped and helped organise a successful Carnival which raised more than RM100, 000. She continues to visit those church members and friends who are sick. Simon and Natasha are now in Singapore, he with Citibank and she with Roche Diagnostics. Our only granddaughter, Myra has just turned three and is obsessed with songs from Frozen! Daren and Christina are still in KK, but he is now in fulltime private practice in Oncology. Our daughter Ju Ni is with HSBC KL. While I am reluctant to part with our youngest and only daughter, I am now anxiously waiting for her to get hitched!

I have also reduced my participation in the church as I feel that the younger members (who are now in the fifties) should take up greater role in the pastoral and administrative roles. The Orang Asli Mission which I started with our Bishop 18 years ago is now fully self-leading and self-propagating with the financial help from well wishers.

The past year for our country is unfortunately a year of “annus horribilis” with tragic air disasters, landslides and floods. In addition to these natural disasters there were the shrill outcries from religious and racist extremists which threatened the peace and harmony of the land. It is with heartening relief that the voice of moderation began to be heard towards the end of the year, among who were a number of old Frees. Let us continue to pray for our country.

May the New Year 2015 bring good health, peace and joy, whatever the circumstances. BLESSED CHRISTMAS AND HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Soong Kee & Nancy  Teoh