Have you eaten? (11June2015)
Have you eaten?
(Advanced Project 2:
Speaking in Praise. Objective: prepare a speech praising
someone.
Occasion: Father’s 84th birthday
celebration. Audience: family and
friends in Singapore)
吃饱吗？that’s Chuichow - our Chinese dialect - and it means // ‘have you eaten?’ A
question Father & Mother often ask me & my siblings. They ask in the morning, in the afternoon
and at night. I wonder - do they / EAT
TO LIVE? Or / LIVE To EAT? The truth is // “have you eaten?” / is our parents’
way of // expressing-their-love. Today, we gather here to celebrate Father’s
birthday. On behalf of my siblings, I would ask “Father 吃饱吗.
--------
Father is an ordinary man with - 1 wife and
6 children. To provide for his family, Father tried animal farming / even though he
knew nothing about it. At first, the
ducklings didn’t survive, the chicken /ran away. Through hard
work, Father’s family gradually expanded /to include brood (bruːd) of chicken, ducks and pigs.
A big and crowded family – isn’t
it? To
ensure we’ve enough to eat (again “吃饱吗”) Father would go to nearby seaside to catch
crabs and gather seaweeds. Oh! The crabs are for us, seaweeds/ for the pigs.
Due to urban development, we left the farm
and moved to public housing. Father took up odd jobs to bring $ home. Years of
toiling / took a toll / on his health.
Father – You’ve
done so much /to provide for us. Thank
you!
--------
20 years ago, Father was diagnosed with //
kidney failure. /// To maintain his
life, Father has to have regular dialysis treatment to remove the waste in his
blood. Imagine these:// poke by - big- fat- needle / three
times a week, // bound to a machine/ 4
hours each time! PAUSE///
For
the past 20 years, Father takes all these in his stride. // He has enormous courage
& grace - to face and accept / his
illness. // Yes, occasionally
Father moans about this pain or that discomfort. / But, Father / makes an
effort / to keep his moaning / to the minimum – we know, // he doesn’t want to affect our emotions.
PAUSE///
Life has become tougher / for Father in recent
years - he is physically weaker, his hands feel numb. // Despite all these, Father - continues – to- put- on- his- brave- face. And he
has not forgotten to ask us “吃饱吗” /// One day, I asked him “Father,
what-keep-you-going? // Have you –
ever- thought of ---- giv-ing- up? /// After
one minute of silence, // he said // “Respect
life. We must have / a good name. We must / think of others.” PAUSE////
Father - you set a good example for us
– to live a dignified life, /
to be compassionate / despite our suffering. //
I’m not sure if we could emulate (ˈem. jə .leɪt
) you. One thing for sure, we saw .. & we learnt
.. from your example of filial duty.
---------
Father, I still remember when Grandma was
very ill, you moved into Grandma’s room /
and watched over her day & night. For many months, Father and Mother attended
to Grandma’s every needs.
You’ve
cared for Grandma, it’s our turn to care for/ you and Mother!
-------
Father is an ordinary man - no impressive
name or massive fortune. But he lives an- extra-ordi-nary life / with-
dig-ni-ty /and / com-pass-ion.
Father, // we hope / you find comfort
/ from our love, // as much as //
we find courage / from your examples.
Happy 84th Birthday! Father! We love you! 吃饱吗？ Let’s bring out the cake and sing the
birthday song!
posted by Mae at
8:57 PM
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