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October 30, 2008
Polling Azeroth: does Obama pwn McCain?
Posted by KinCross at 4:38 PM | Comments (0)
October 24, 2008
Change. True.
Posted by KinCross at 6:12 PM | Comments (0)
October 23, 2008
Opie Cunningham for President
Posted by KinCross at 6:56 PM | Comments (0)
Grandma
ENG, Toy King
Beloved matriarch, she passed away peacefully on October 20th, 2008, at the age of 84, to join her late husband, Sau Kwai Eng. Coming from rural Canton, China, she steadfastly raised a family through some of the most tumultuous times in history and finally settled in Canada 43 years ago. Friendly and outgoing, she was smart beyond her simple upbringing, building a successful business, the Great Wall Restaurant in Hull, for over 25 years. She overcame many challenges to make a tremendous impact on her family. Remaining to cherish and fondly remember her are her children Simon and Connie, Bill and Amy, Anna and Raymond, Ellen and Eoin, and Danny and Glenna; as well as grandchildren Ian, Sheree and Matt, Gary, Matthew, Victor, Ryan, Tiffany, Doug, Crystal and Melissa. Friends are invited to visit at the Central Chapel of Hulse, Playfair & McGarry, 315 McLeod St., Ottawa on Thursday, October 23rd, from 2-4 p.m. and 7-9 p.m. and on Friday, October 24th, from 11:00 a.m. until services at 12:30 p.m. Interment to follow at Beechwood Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, donations to the St. Vincent Hospital and the Home Dialysis Unit of the Ottawa Hospital would be appreciated.
UPDATE: Eulogy after the jump.
Eulogy for Toy King Eng
Delivered by her youngest son, Danny Ng
Mrs. Toy King Eng, née Lam, was born in 1924, in Shekgong village in Toishan, Guangdong, China. She was a strong, hard-working and courageous woman who overcame enormous hardships in her life.
Responsibility came to her early. At the very young age of six, she worked with her grandmother at her parents’ convenience store in the village. She tended the fields with her mother and sometimes helped her dad procure supplies for the store. As the eldest daughter, she also helped to care for her younger sister.
Early Marriage
In 1940, she married Sau Kwai (Ken) Eng when she was in her teens. It was the middle of the Second Sino-Japanese War. Japan had invaded China in an attempt to establish a route for oil to the Middle East. Hong Kong, Toishan and the coast of Guangdong province became a major battleground for the conflict.
As the Japanese pushed towards Guangdong, her husband, Ken, and other young men eagerly joined the Allies in the fight. He worked as a mechanic and transported trucks and guns to the soldiers on the front line.
While Ken was fighting the war, Toy King single-handedly took care of their newborn son and Ken’s 70-year old grandmother. She courageously took up the responsibility of running the household, as well as tending the family’s two rice paddies and a field of sweet potatoes. It was up to her to provide everything to keep the family alive.
Escape to Hong Kong
After the war, Ken found various employments at different locations, sending money home whenever he could, and eventually ending up in Hong Kong. Meanwhile, Toy King continued to be the sole caregiver for her family in Toishan. When Ken’s grandmother passed away in 1951, Toy King decided to escape from Communist China and join her husband in Hong Kong.
In 1952, taking all she could carry in two suitcases, she got a ride out of the village on the back of a bicycle with her eldest son sandwiched between her and the back of the bicycle seat and her youngest son strapped to her back. At the nearest small town, Sijiu, they caught a steam-powered bus to Taishan City to catch the train to Hong Kong. She left behind her birthplace and her family forever, while ending a decade of single motherhood. She was a truly a strong and courageous woman.
For the next thirteen years, she no longer had to do the hard physical labour, but she still faced big challenges. She gave birth to three more children, took care of a family of seven and worked to supplement the family income.
Emigration to Canada
In 1965, the family emigrated to Canada, settling in Ottawa, after a year and a half in Banff. Over the next 40 years, she and her husband worked quietly and industriously.
Rarely stopping to relax, they built two businesses: a restaurant and a rental property.
Their proudest achievement, though, was buying a house. As new immigrants, it was important for them to have a home where the family can gather, and they did that within four years of immigrating. They always made sure that the family was well cared for.
Proud Family
When her passing was imminent, her children and grandchildren gathered at her bedside to bid her farewell, no matter how far they had to travel. Toy King is survived by her five children, their spouses, ten grandchildren and a grandson-in-law. She was a generous, loving, compassionate and caring mother. She continues to be an inspiration to her family.
To everyone who came today, I thank you on behalf of our families. We love you mom and you will be with us forever.
Posted by KinCross at 10:32 AM | Comments (0)
October 14, 2008
Say Can You See?
Me: I saw someone say [redacted].
Jerah: You saw someone say?
Me: I see words when people talk.
Me: My life is subtitled.
Posted by KinCross at 12:47 PM | Comments (0)
October 12, 2008
Something Sarah-Surreal
Tara Stiles has created a yoga routine for Sarah Palin.
Posted by KinCross at 1:41 PM | Comments (0)
October 7, 2008
A Brush with Death
Not to be melodramatic or anything, but last night I came within 20 feet of being dead or seriously injured.
The short version of the story is that a the pickup truck ran a red light on the cross street at 50 mph. If it hadn't been for the car from the opposite side going straight through, I would have been in the middle of the intersection when the truck broadsided whatever was in its way.
As it was, the other guy got nailed on the front passenger side and walked away from the impact. Had it been me, I would have taken the hit directly on the driver's side door. I probably wouldn't have walked away.
I'm alright, but I feel a little weird. Others seem to be expecting me to be freaked out. But I'm not.
I'd like to say that I was shocked into realising how sudden life can come to an end or lucky that I'm alive or assured that there is still some purpose on this Earth that I have yet to fulfill, but I was so ill and tired that none of that really registers and now, a fitful sleep later, the accident is largely forgotten.
Am I just chill about death, oblivious, or so resigned that the threat of death doesn't even matter?
Posted by KinCross at 1:53 PM | Comments (0)