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Partridge Publishing Singapore - Jennia Wong , Lee Poh Ling

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106 pages

English

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As a young student in Singapore, Malaysia and Hong Kong, Jennia Wong excelled in her studies and was destined to be a doctor, but fate and circumstances intervened and caused her to hop from one profession to another over the course of some 50 years. On her life’s journey, however, she had to overcome a series of health problems and personal tragedies, but buoyed by her faith and supported by her life’s partner, Paul, she overcame her challenges to become an inspiration to all those in similar circumstances. In this book, she writes as she speaks, thereby retaining her ethos and pathos. This book is a compelling read for all who need a role model to overcome challenges and, in the process, enjoy life, friends, family through travel and music.

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Publié par	Partridge Publishing Singapore
Date de parution	26 janvier 2023
Nombre de lectures	0
EAN13	9781543772357
Langue	English
Poids de l'ouvrage	1 Mo

Informations légales : prix de location à la page 0,0200€. Cette information est donnée uniquement à titre indicatif conformément à la législation en vigueur.

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Tears Of Joy

Jennia Wong:lee Poh Ling

Copyright © 2023 by Jennia Wong:lee Poh Ling.

ISBN:
Hardcover
978-1-5437-7236-4

Softcover
978-1-5437-7234-0

eBook
978-1-5437-7235-7

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the author except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

www.partridgepublishing.com/singapore

The Wongs

Family Tree: Drawing done by Randy when he was five years old

With HM Permaisuri Johor Raja Zaarith Sofiah at the exhibition of the works of Lee Hai Peng (my late father) on 21 Feb 2019. In the picture is also Paul.

With Sultan Ibrahim Sultan Iskandar of Johore in January 2019. On his right is Winston.
Contents
Acknowledgements
Foreword
Chapter 1: My First Job in Singapore
Chapter 2: Malaysian Citizenship
Chapter 3: A Very Special Relationship
Chapter 4: Singapore to Penang
Chapter 5: My Best Friend Sucheng
Chapter 6: Mama and Papa
Chapter 7: Hong Kong
Chapter 8: Madeline Potter
Chapter 9: My In-Laws
Chapter 10: Paul the Journalist
Chapter 11: Our Wedding
Chapter 12: My Darling Husband
Chapter 13: Uncle Tioanda
Chapter 14: Kamariah and the Boys
Chapter 15: Thoughts of Migration
Chapter 16: My First Legal Job
Chapter 17: Gold Trading
Chapter 18: Lassie
Chapter 19: My Boys
Chapter 20: My Special Trip to Chicago
Chapter 21: The Lambies
Chapter 22: My Second Legal Firm
Chapter 23: Randy and the Johor Royalty
Chapter 24: Commodities Broker
Chapter 25: Derek and the Tricycles
Chapter 26: Those Good Years
Chapter 27: Trials and Tribulations
Chapter 28: Our Taiwanese Friends
Chapter 29: Above All Was Love
Chapter 30: Nanning with Friends
Chapter 31: China-Then and Now
Chapter 32: Learning New Skills
Chapter 33: VVIP Visitor from the United Kingdom
Chapter 34: Winston Becomes a Catholic
Chapter 35: Winston’s Graduation
Chapter 36: Near Tragedy Again
Chapter 37: Recuperation
Chapter 38: Derek’s Birthday
Chapter 39: Europe with Singapore Choir
Chapter 40: Papa’s Minor Stroke
Chapter 41: More Illnesses
Chapter 42: Randy’s Accident
Chapter 43: Long Road to Recovery
Chapter 44: Life Goes On
Acknowledgements
T his book could not have been published without the help of many people who provided me with help, support, encouragement, and advice.
In particular, I would like to thank the following:
• Philip Mathews , for getting me started with this book, for his continued encouragement, and for his astute professional help throughout the entire publishing process;
• Alicia , my hairdresser, for helping me to put down my thoughts and transcribing them;
• Paul , my husband, for his love, care, and guidance;
• Winston and Randolph , my sons, who provided regular assistance;
• Kris Jeung , someone whom I only recently knew, for putting the final pieces of the book together;
• Dr Samuel Chan , for his assistance in helping me with the photographs and captioning them;
• Rao , my neighbour for his regular help;
• Reverend Edward and his wife Selvi, and Ruth from St Christopher’s Church, Johor Bahru, for their constant prayers for the success of this book; and
• Last but not least, I would especially like to thank Her Majesty, Permaisuri Johor, Raja Zarith Sofiah binti Almarhum Sultan Idris Iskandar Al-Mutawakkil Alallahi Shah Afifullah and Dato Dr M Singaraveloo , for their constant care and encouragement.
Foreword
I first met Jennia with Paul Wong when I was the New Straits Times correspondent based in Johor Bahru soon after the communal riots in 1969 that rocked the nation’s capital and other urban centres, including the southernmost state of the Federation. Paul was indeed then the doyen of the peers in Johore and one who had a formidable reputation as a journalist, working then with the China Press . He was also an inveterate socialite.
Paul introduced me to his colleagues from the other newspapers, namely from Utusan Melayu , Nanyang Siang Pau , and Sin Chew Jit Poh . We were an inseparable bunch, on duty and off.
On our frequent social pursuits, Jennia was often by Paul’s side. She would regale us with stories about China, where her father grew up; about Indonesia, where he later settled; and about Singapore, where he had worked for Shaw Brothers as an artist, drawing large billboards about forthcoming blockbuster movies.
Over time pieces of her personal experiences would slip into these anecdotes.
These stories related to how she overcame several life-threatening challenges she and her family had had to face, bear, and overcome.
For starters, there was this occasion when she fell seriously ill and had to spend an inordinately long period—one year, ten months, and 21 days—in hospitals in Johor Bahru, Singapore, and Australia.
Later there were other illnesses; the suffering and expenses of which would have devastated most people—emotionally, financially, and spiritually.
But there was more.
There were near-tragic events involving her sons, first Winston and later Randolph. And yet others close to her faced famine, were incarcerated, committed suicide, or faced the firing squad.
But through it all, Jennia never lost hope. And Paul was always stoically by her side.
That’s when I thought it would be good for Jennia to share her story with the world so it could be an inspiration or a solace to others in similar circumstances.
When I asked her to think about writing her memoirs, she had no second thoughts. She jumped on the idea and set to work.
But writing the manuscript for the book proved to be another challenge. By then, Jennia had developed physical disabilities preventing her from using a keyboard and restricting her ability to handwrite.
And so she dictated her story into a tape recorder, and this was transcribed later by friends and family members.
I then arranged and rearranged the text and chapters and completed preliminary editing but largely leaving the flow, expressions, and language intact.
This, therefore, is not a literary piece of work but one that exudes faith, love, and hope.
The takeaway from this book is that knowledge and experiences not shared are wasted.
This book will bring tears to your eyes.
And then it will bring joy— Tears of Joy .
Read on . . .
Philip Mathews
CHAPTER 1
My First Job in Singapore
God gives answers in three ways: First, he says yes and gives you what you want, then he says no and gives you something better, and finally, he says wait and gives you the best.
I enjoyed working at Raglan Squire & Partners. I was extremely lucky, though I had to travel from Johor Bahru to Singapore Shaw House. One morning, whilst waiting for the bus to take me from Johor Bahru Customs to Singapore Bus Exchange to catch another bus to get to Orchard Road, a gentleman in his 40s came up to me and introduced himself. He told me who he was, where he worked. He said he had noticed that I travelled down to Singapore every day. He said he did not mind giving me a ride to wherever I worked in Singapore, if the destination was convenient to him. From that day onwards, I was given a free ride every day to my workplace in Singapore and back to JB again in the evening. This gentleman was the manager of a British Army cooperative. He travelled back and forth during the weekdays. He invited me to his home to visit his wife and children. As a matter of fact, he lived not too far away from where we lived. The arrangement was for Paul to take me to his house, which was less than ten minutes away from where we lived, in the morning and for Paul to come back and pick me up in the evening, when we returned from Singapore. It was a very nice arrangement and extremely convenient for me. This went on for about a year and a half. Then one day in 1967, an accident changed my life forever. As usual, I had gone to the jobsite. In those days, it was not customary to wear safety helmets. Therefore, I went about my work without one. It was a nice day. I climbed up to the roof. It was just a one-storey building. Nothing could go wrong, I thought. But then, I slipped and fell. Of course, everybody rushed forward to help. After about ten minutes, I sat up, and except for feeling a bit dizzy, I felt fine. After resting at the site for about 20 minutes, the supervisor sent me back to the office.
One of my bosses—if I am not mistaken, his name was Colin—said that I should go to the hospital and just get myself checked out, but I said no because I felt fine. I insisted on going home but said that if nece