Compiled by C. ARUNO, FAZLEENA AZIZ and R. ARAVINTHAN
MALAYSIAN singer and film director Ah Niu (pic) wants to perform a ballad with his father as a gift to his recently deceased mother, Sin Chew Daily reported.
“Many people are unaware that my father has a beautiful, low voice. I hope to find a love ballad written during my parents’ era and then father and son will perform for mother,” he said.
It was reported that the 46-year-old’s mother, who had to undergo dialysis every week for the last few years of her life, passed away from kidney failure at 69 on Sunday.
Ah Niu, who is currently attending the wake in Sungai Puyu, Penang, said his mother also had a beautiful voice and was even crowned champion in a singing competition in primary school.
“Right now, the most important thing is to revisit my mother’s alma mater SJK(C) Li Hwa to find the trophy. I hope it is still there,” he told reporters.
Ah Niu, whose real name is Tan Kheng Seong, said his mother had always stood by him in face of challenges over the course of his career.
He said when he faced hardship during the filming of his 2010 directorial debut, Ice Kacang Puppy Love, his mother had remained his staunchest supporter.
Recalling that he once came home during filming with abdominal pains, he said his mother had held him to comfort him, adding that was the first and last time he cried in his mother’s arms as an adult.
Ah Niu was a popular singer in the 1990s and early 2000s, landing memorable hits such as Look Over Here, Girl in Front of Me and Lang Hua Yi Duo Duo.
> The daily also reported that major cities in China were seeing massive delays in deliveries after an increasing number of couriers and riders fell ill following the relaxation of the country’s zero Covid-19 policy.
Photographs taken outside warehouses showed piles of parcels as courier companies struggled to meet delivery demands.
Cities such as Beijing, Kaifeng, and Chengdu have since launched recruitment campaigns to get members of the public to sign up as couriers and delivery riders.
The Chaoyang District Bureau of Commerce in Beijing urged those not working to join, adding that anyone was eligible as long as they had gotten three doses of the Covid-19 vaccine, none of their family members were diagnosed with the virus in the past seven days, and they had their own transport.
“If you are healthy, have not begun work or have free time, please volunteer yourself to be a delivery rider and bring warmth to Kaifeng’s thousands of families during this unusual time,” said the Kaifeng city Bureau of Commerce in a statement.
Earlier this month, China announced wide-ranging relaxations to its zero Covid policy following nationwide protests.
However, the relaxation has led to a surge in Covid-19 cases across the country.
The above articles are compiled from the vernacular newspapers (Bahasa Malaysia, Chinese and Tamil dailies). As such, stories are grouped according to the respective language/medium. Where a paragraph begins with a >, it denotes a separate news item.
