My dad came from a remote village of Guangdong province, south China. At the early age of twelve, he had already made up of his mind to come to Nanyang (South East Asia) to look for his fortune. A fortune teller predicted his first trip would be a failure and he would be back to China within 100 days after the departure. My dad did not believe the prophecy of the fortune teller. He headed for Singapore as a sinkheh (新客 - literally "new guests"), to work for a distant relative in a restaurant. As he was not accustomed to the climate of Singapore, or maybe due to his overwork, he fell sick with his foot swollen. As he had become a liability to his employer, he was dismissed and sent back to China. By the time he arrived home, it was exactly 100 days from the time he left China.
Four years later, he made another trip back to Malaya, working as an apprentice for a relative at Bagan Serai, in the state of Perak. He was a diligent and intelligent, working day and night, seven days a week, without any complaint. Within a short span of time, he had already picked up multiple skills ranging from doing business in the shop, cooking meals at the kitchen and sewing mosquito nettings at night.
When he saved enough money to start a business, he set up a store in the vicinity of the main bus station at Sungai Petani, Kedah. As his business prospered, he intended to expand his business by opening up a shop at Gurun town. He targeted a shop which was having good business at the time just before my dad took over. The business dropped drastically after my dad acquired it. He was fated to loss money.
He was back to square one. Nevertheless, he strived on. His business went ups and downs from time to time. In between, the three years and eight months of the Japanese occupation of Malaya also affected his business considerably.
After the war, he managed to gather enough capital borrowed from a few relatives to open a shop at Nibong Tebal. As Nibong Tebal was a border town by the side of Krian River which was separating Perak state from the Straits Settlements, smuggling activities was rampant across the river. My dad thought it would be a good investment to open a shop here.
Bad luck struck again. In the early fifties, the State of Emergency was declared. Dad’s business was badly affected. The situation was made worst when a police detective was shot dead at the eating stall just opposite my dad’s shop. Nibong Tebal was listed as a Black Area instantly. Business dropped severely as traveling in and out of the town was made inconvenient due to security check from the police and military personnel.
Finally, my dad had to declare bankruptcy in the year 1959 when I was at Standard 3 year. If my father was not fated to doom in his business, then I do not know what else had caused him that. I believe it was his fate that fooled him all his life. Any way, he was not to be blamed. He had tried hard; only that luck was not with him.
Four years later, he made another trip back to Malaya, working as an apprentice for a relative at Bagan Serai, in the state of Perak. He was a diligent and intelligent, working day and night, seven days a week, without any complaint. Within a short span of time, he had already picked up multiple skills ranging from doing business in the shop, cooking meals at the kitchen and sewing mosquito nettings at night.
When he saved enough money to start a business, he set up a store in the vicinity of the main bus station at Sungai Petani, Kedah. As his business prospered, he intended to expand his business by opening up a shop at Gurun town. He targeted a shop which was having good business at the time just before my dad took over. The business dropped drastically after my dad acquired it. He was fated to loss money.
He was back to square one. Nevertheless, he strived on. His business went ups and downs from time to time. In between, the three years and eight months of the Japanese occupation of Malaya also affected his business considerably.
After the war, he managed to gather enough capital borrowed from a few relatives to open a shop at Nibong Tebal. As Nibong Tebal was a border town by the side of Krian River which was separating Perak state from the Straits Settlements, smuggling activities was rampant across the river. My dad thought it would be a good investment to open a shop here.
Bad luck struck again. In the early fifties, the State of Emergency was declared. Dad’s business was badly affected. The situation was made worst when a police detective was shot dead at the eating stall just opposite my dad’s shop. Nibong Tebal was listed as a Black Area instantly. Business dropped severely as traveling in and out of the town was made inconvenient due to security check from the police and military personnel.
Finally, my dad had to declare bankruptcy in the year 1959 when I was at Standard 3 year. If my father was not fated to doom in his business, then I do not know what else had caused him that. I believe it was his fate that fooled him all his life. Any way, he was not to be blamed. He had tried hard; only that luck was not with him.
2 comments:
Grandpa is our good lesson for young generation,even the luck is not there for us, but we must never give-up, never...
i miss grandpa...
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