Let’s Us Be Like Sunflowers!

We were at my mother-in-law’s house yesterday afternoon for longevity noodles cooked with chicken, ginger, mushrooms and red wine (长寿鸡汤红酒面线). My mother cooks very yummy longevity noodles and she asked us to drop by yesterday as she wanted to treat us to her specialty dish. She knows my son Clarence and my daughter-in-law Amanda do not have the chance to savour this dish in Singapore so she made a special effort to make sure the two of them had a good serving of the dish.

Longevity noodles with chicken soup and red wine

Chicken and mushroom

After I had my fill of the dish, I went outside the house to have a walk. It was then that the radiance of the sunflowers in front of one of the houses in the area caught my attention. I have always wanted to photograph sunflowers so I immediately went to my car for my camera and started snapping away. I ended up with more than a hundred photos of the sunflowers.

A radiant sunflower

A sunflower

As Malaysia is going through a most trying time right now, I would like to make a wish that all Malaysians will be like sunflowers soon, radiating happiness and hope. Follow the sun. Turn our back to the darkness that seems to engulf us. Stand proud and tall.  Together we will prevail!

I dedicate this poem by Pam Stewart to all Malaysians:

“Sunflower”
If I were a flower..
I would be a sunflower.
To always follow the sun,
Turn my back to darkness,
Stand proud, tall and straight
Even with my head full of seeds.