Heng Pak Nang
(Click the picture to view in full size)
Title: Fire
Title (Original Language): 一把火
Year: 2017
Words in the Drawing: “In fact I intend to draw a Christmas tree but I failed. Eventually I drew matches. Last time we used matches when we cooked meals. I loved cooking vegetables the most, especially frying mixed vegetables. I stir-fried cabbages, carrots and mustard together. This fire made me angry. Although I know that when someone is angry, he or she is not adorable, like a tiger which is going to kill and eat people. I had an argument with my friend yesterday. Whatever I said she didn’t want to listen. I was angry and refused to talk to her further. Now I am sitting beside the window and looking at the sky. I feel better now. I think people usually argue and fight is because of they talk a lot and make a lot of mistakes. If we don’t talk, then there will be lesser mistakes and lesser troubles.”
Size: 17.5cm X 15.2cm
Location: The Valley of Hope Story Gallery
Owner: Heng Pak Nang
Copyright: Heng Pak Nang
Title: Pak Nang
Title (Original Language): 木兰
Year: 2017
Words in the Drawing: “This is me, I drew myself, wearing spectacles and smiling. I also drew cat and chicks. I love to keep pet cat. I have also kept two chicks before as pets. They were as big as pigeons. Wherever I went, they followed. Many people always say that I look beautiful but my friend tells me that I shouldn’t be happy with those compliments because people actually tease me. I don’t agree with that. Why do people tease me? They say that I look beautiful is because they are nice and kind. I think my friend is jealous of me. That’s why she tells me that people tease me. Do you know that I am quite popular? I have many friends wherever I go. I am aware that I don’t look nice and they actually sympathise with me and they care about me. Each time I go to see doctors at Tong Shin Hospital or general hospital, those doctors and nurses are concerned about me and they care about me too. Hence, I am contented with my look because people never look down on me. I smile to people and they smile to me too. Those interns in the hospitals (Houseman) wave their hands at me and I respond to them too. As a conclusion, everyone likes me and takes good care of me. ”
Size: 17.5cm X 15.2cm
Location: The Valley of Hope Story Gallery
Owner: Heng Pak Nang
Copyright: Heng Pak Nang
Title: A House with Skylight
Title (Original Language): 有天窗的家
Year: 2017
Words in the Drawing: “Someone asked me the reason why I drew a house with skylight. I said with the skylight, I can have “moon bathing”. Full moon represents reunion. I think my life is complete. This is because I can still move around as well as to help others even I am already 80 years old. When others need to take their meals and medicine, I can assist them. Even if I were to leave the world now, I have no more regrets. I pray to the God to allow me to leave peacefully and not to suffer on the bed or give troubles to others. I wish I will be able to leave in a comfortable manner in the future.”
Size: 17.5cm X 15.2cm
Location: The Valley of Hope Story Gallery
Owner: Heng Pak Nang
Copyright: Heng Pak Nang
Title: Pairs of Cocks and Hens
Title (Original Language): 公鸡母鸡双双对对
Year: 2017
Words in the Drawing: “I like to see couples. This drawing made me think of my husband, Ah Sek. We seldom said sweet words to each other when we were together. However, he was very thoughtful and never showed his temper. He was a perfectionist. He wanted everything to be perfect. I still remember that I requested him to build a chicken coop for me. He spent one whole day just to take measurement. He wanted to build the best one for me. I was impatient and urged him to simply build one for me. I asked him why he didn’t marry a more beautiful lady since he wanted to build a flawless chicken coop. I told him that it was much better to look for a more beautiful and presentable wife. He just smiled but didn’t respond. My husband passed away at the age of 64. I had been thinking of him for three years after he passed away. Sometimes, when my things go missing, I usually call his name and ask, ‘Ah Sek, my thing is missing. Please help so that I can find it.’ I really miss him badly.”
Size: 17.5cm X 15.2cm
Location: The Valley of Hope Story Gallery
Owner: Heng Pak Nang
Copyright: Heng Pak Nang
Title: Attap House
Title (Original Language): 亚答屋
Year: 2017
Words in the Drawing: “This was the attap house which I had stayed before when I was in Sekinjang. There was a coconut tree beside it. There was chicken farm next to the attap house. We planted paddy and there was water and fish in the paddy field. We could see many fireflies at night. We usually took a sieve to catch all sorts of different fish. After that, we fried them. My brother told me that there is no more fish at all nowadays. Previously we could see many fireflies in the paddy field at night. It was super bright when there was no moonlight. We caught the fireflies and kept them in the glass bottle to serve as light at home. Last time, there was no electricity and every household used kerosene lamps. All these items can be drawn very nicely when I feel good.”
Size: 17.5cm X 15.2cm
Location: The Valley of Hope Story Gallery
Owner: Heng Pak Nang
Copyright: Heng Pak Nang
Title: Planting Flowers
Title (Original Language): 种花
Year: 2017
Words in the Drawing: “Last time, I planted many types of flowers and sold them. I planted Christmas trees, hanging pot plants, fruit trees like apples and rambutan trees as well as roses. I have planted more than 70 types of roses before. My husband sprayed the pesticide and after the roses were harvested, I was in charge to cut and sold them. Until now, my favourite flower is still rose. I received two handmade roses from a young kid from Tzu Chi once. One was red and one was yellow. I loved them so much. Although the colours of the flowers faded, I still keep them till today.”
Size: 17.5cm X 15.2cm
Location: The Valley of Hope Story Gallery
Owner: Heng Pak Nang
Copyright: Heng Pak Nang
Title: Mimi and Mouse
Title (Original Language): 咪咪和老鼠
Year: 2017
Words in the Drawing: “I love cats since I was a young kid. This is because cats are adorable and gentle. My favourite cat is Mimi. It is like my best friend, accompanying me all the time. I always talk to Mimi. I think sometimes talking to cats is happier than talking to people. Talking to people may lead to argument and misunderstanding. Hence, Mimi is always my best friend.”
Size: 17.5cm X 15.2cm
Location: The Valley of Hope Story Gallery
Owner: Heng Pak Nang
Copyright: Heng Pak Nang
Title: Ducks and Birds
Title (Original Language): 鸭子与鸟
Year: 2017
Words in the Drawing: “I drew a duck. It turned back to see whether the ducklings were following it or not. There was a bird flying in the sky. It fed its baby with worms. There was a bird nest on the tree. This made me recalling those days when I was a young kid playing in the paddy field. There was a big flock of Chinese Bulbuls near the mangrove. They were small and red in colour. They flew to our paddy field to eat our paddy. I had to safeguard the paddy field. When they were flying down, I got to chase them away. Nowadays I keep many pigeons. Whenever they see me, they usually fly down to look for me. However, recently there is a stray cat that keeps attacking these pigeons. The pigeons are scared to fly down to pick the leftover food I provide for them.”
Size: 17.5cm X 15.2cm
Location: The Valley of Hope Story Gallery
Owner: Heng Pak Nang
Copyright: Heng Pak Nang
Title: Peony
Title (Original Language): 牡丹花
Year: 2017
Words in the Drawing: ““I drew this peony by imitating the ang pow packet. During Chinese New Year every year, there are many people who visit us and distribute ang pow for us. This morning, each of us received a RM20 ang pow from someone from the church. I think people are concerned about us. In fact, the cash amount in ang pow packet is not important at all. I always receive ang pow happily. It doesn’t matter whether it is RM2, RM5 or RM10 in the red packet. It is a token of love from people and I am really contented. This is because when people give us ang pow, it proves that they love and care about us. Many of them ask me whether I still need anything. I always tell them that I have everything and nothing else I need. I think those ang pows given are people’s hard earned money and we shouldn’t request for more. We must be contented with what we have.”
Size: 17.5cm X 15.2cm
Location: The Valley of Hope Story Gallery
Owner: Heng Pak Nang
Copyright: Heng Pak Nang
Title: Live Peacefully
Title (Original Language): 和平相处
Year: 2017
Words in the Drawing: “We stay in the ward and most of us are going to leave the world soon. We should not argue or fight with each other all the time. Isn’t it good to have everyone chatting and joking all the time? I think we are like a big family here. When someone leaves us, I usually feel sad for quite a long time. If the person is really faithful to me, I definitely cry badly. Hence, I think we should live peacefully and harmoniously when we are still alive. We will be heading to different directions when we pass away. The bible stated, ‘You must love your neighbours, love your enemies and forgive them. ’ Till now, I am not able to love my enemies but I hope that as long as we are staying together in this ward, we can respect each other and live peacefully.”
Size: 17.5cm X 15.2cm
Location: The Valley of Hope Story Gallery
Owner: Heng Pak Nang
Copyright: Heng Pak Nang
Title: My Mimi
Title (Original Language): 我的咪咪
Year: 2017
Words in the Drawing: “The cat I kept was beautiful. It had a long tail but didn’t know how to catch mouse. I caught the mouse for my cat but it was not interested at all. I had kept many nice kittens before but all had been stolen by people. My Mimi was a gift from a nurse. She rescued Mimi from the drain. We didn’t know the name of the nurse but we called her ‘Big Boob Nanny’. She was kind and treated us very well. She took care of us. But two years ago she was transferred back to Kelantan. We have lost contact with her since then. I have kept a Pomeranian before. It was from my ex-customer. They moved out and there was no place for their dog. They asked me whether I could keep it and hoped that I could take good care of it. I told them I could do so. It is a white Pomeranian. After keeping it for a while, my husband fell sick. I had no choice but to give it to someone from Petaling Jaya. However, the dog died after 8 months and I cried very badly. My husband kept birds last time. One was called KooKoo and one was called Little Turkey. KooKoo was bitten and killed by someone’s cat and Little Turkey was stolen.”
Size: 17.5cm X 15.2cm
Location: The Valley of Hope Story Gallery
Owner: Heng Pak Nang
Copyright: Heng Pak Nang
Title: My Little White Cat
Title (Original Language): 小白
Year: 2017
Words in the Drawing: “This is the cat I kept when I stayed at West Section, called Little White. In fact, in 1980s, there were many stray cats in our ward. Those unwanted kittens were left at our ward. I love cats very much and I have rescued many stray cats before. I heard that there is an animal welfare society near Subang Airport which provides shelter to stray animals. So I hire Ah Too, our tyrant car driver, to fetch me there. I send the stray cats to the centre to get shelter and care. I also got myself a member card and I need to pay RM15 every month. Every time I send the cats there, my fare is RM35 for one round trip. I also pay another RM10 to the centre as a token of appreciation for helping me to keep the stray cats.”
Size: 17.5cm X 15.2cm
Location: The Valley of Hope Story Gallery
Owner: Heng Pak Nang
Copyright: Heng Pak Nang
Title: Ah Choy
Title (Original Language): 阿财
Year: 2017
Words in the Drawing: “My Ah Choy died many years ago. It was one of my favourite cats. Before it died, it was severely ill and couldn’t walk. I kept it in the cage. But my friend complained that the cat was so smelly and she was worried that the cat might bring infectious diseases. She told me to throw it away. I was so sad and not willing to throw it away. I heard that Christine, the clerk of Malaysia Leprosy Relief Association – MaLRA was a cat lover. Hence, I got someone to convey my message to her and requested her to assist me. I paid her RM100 for bringing Ah Choy to the veterinary clinic for mercy killing. I think whenever an animal suffers from incurable disease or unbearable pain, instead of seeing it suffering badly, why not we allow it to undergo mercy killing? If I suffer from severe and incurable disease in the future, I also hope that the doctor will not provide me any oxygen or fix any resuscitation equipment on my body anymore so that I can pass away naturally. I told my daughter that she is not required to rush to the hospital if she receives call from the nurse informing her that I am suffering from severe illness. I only need her to come to collect my corpse the moment I pass away. My daughter refused to and she said she wants to be by my side until I take my last breath. She said she wants to bring me to the church for farewell ceremony. My daughter really loves me and she is very filial.”
Size: 17.5cm X 15.2cm
Location: The Valley of Hope Story Gallery
Owner: Heng Pak Nang
Copyright: Heng Pak Nang
Title: My Hometown
Title (Original Language): 老家
Year: 2017
Words in the Drawing: “I stayed in Sekinchan when I was a young kid. There was a river and those trees were short. There was sea opposite my house. I could see the sea and the warship. I could even see those Japanese armies dropping the bomb into the sea from very far, as far as where the skyline was. I saw a plane was hit by the warship. The plane was on fire and crashed into the sea. That time I was very young, only 5 years old. I was just 8 years old when Japanese armies surrendered. I could recall all these scenes but failed to draw them. When there was sunset, the whole sea was red and looked beautiful but I was not able to draw.”
Size: 17.5cm X 15.2cm
Location: The Valley of Hope Story Gallery
Owner: Heng Pak Nang
Copyright: Heng Pak Nang
Title: Three Mice
Title (Original Language): 三只老鼠
Year: 2017
Words in the Drawing: “I saw my friend, Ah Siong drawing mice. I followed her to draw mice too. Her drawing was very close to the actual one but mine didn’t look alike. I hate mice because they are very dirty and they like to steal food. When we were at East Section previously, we always saw mice on the roof top. They lined up and moved down to steal food. My cat dared not bite them. I have ever kept a cat called King Kong. It was brave and it had bitten a little snake before. That time, I was so frightened. But it had never killed a mouse for me. When I was staying in chalet, my leg was bitten by a mouse at one midnight. The pain was unbearable! I got my friend, Ah Chuan to help me to buy a mouse trap. However, he gave me a black and white cat as gift. That cat’s nose was red in colour and it was good at catching mice. But it only could catch small mice because its size was small too. I put a piece of fish into the mouse trap as bait and I had successfully caught a big mouse!”
Size: 17.5cm X 15.2cm
Location: The Valley of Hope Story Gallery
Owner: Heng Pak Nang
Copyright: Heng Pak Nang
Title: Doctors and Nurses
Title (Original Language): 医生和护士
Year: 2017
Words in the Drawing: “The doctors and nurses here are very good. My leg was pain and they operated for me and helped me to apply medicine. There is one Malay lady doctor who is so concerned about us. She always visits us and talks to us. She also brings along interns to interview us. I give them my full co-operation and accept their interviews so that they can complete their tasks. That’s why they love me so much.”
Size: 17.5cm X 15.2cm
Location: The Valley of Hope Story Gallery
Owner: Heng Pak Nang
Copyright: Heng Pak Nang
Title: Lion and Cat
Title (Original Language): 狮子和猫
Year: 2017
Words in the Drawing: “Lion is very fierce but very brave. There is a cat and the cat tells the lion, ‘You are so big but I am not afraid of you. I want you to carry me on your back!’ I created this story. I am old and I have no ability to protect the cat. I hope someone can be like the lion who cares and protects the cat and doesn’t bully it.”
Size: 17.5cm X 15.2cm
Location: The Valley of Hope Story Gallery
Owner: Heng Pak Nang
Copyright: Heng Pak Nang
Title: A Wonderful World
Title (Original Language): 欢乐的世界
Year: 2017
Words in the Drawing: “I drew cats, mice, rabbits, butterflies and a hut. There are trees, flowers and grass too. I hope our country is always peaceful and harmonious. There will be no disaster and human as well as animals are always safe. Nowadays there are many natural disasters. Recently, there was serious flood in Penang. I was worried when I saw the news. I was worried that the cats and dogs were drowned. I was not so worried about human because they could run away and they could also swim. Many people would definitely help to save the victims. However, animals were pitiful. They were drowning!”
Size: 17.5cm X 15.2cm
Location: The Valley of Hope Story Gallery
Owner: Heng Pak Nang
Copyright: Heng Pak Nang
Title: Sister Kaliama
Title (Original Language): Sister Kaliama
Year: 2017
Words in the Drawing: “Sister Kaliama is the matron of the male’s ward. Many people say that she is bad. But I feel that she is quite nice. She treats me very well. I walk with my wheel chair to visit my boyfriend every day. Whenever I meet her, she usually shows her concern and asks me where I go. I always tell her that I want to have a walk and look for my friend. She always reminds me to walk carefully. So I feel that Sister Kaliama respects me and I like her too.”
Size: 17.5cm X 15.2cm
Location: The Valley of Hope Story Gallery
Owner: Heng Pak Nang
Copyright: Heng Pak Nang
Title: Penguins At The Beach
Title (Original Language): 海边的企鹅
Year: 2017
Words in the Drawing: “I love to see penguins moving around. They look so cute when they move from side to side shaking their ‘butts’. There is no snow falling in Malaysia and therefore, we can’t keep penguin in our country. I think penguins are innocent and kind animals. I think I am too naïve. I always trust people. For instance, those chicken meals provided by the hospital are very spicy and many people ask me to complain to the doctors. My Bahasa Melayu is not fluent but I dare to complain to them. The doctors usually tell me that they would inform the staff in the kitchen to reduce the spiciness of the chicken so that we can eat. I really trust the doctors and I really think that they would definitely help me. However, there is no improvement at all and I am reluctant to complain further.”
Size: 17.5cm X 15.2cm
Location: The Valley of Hope Story Gallery
Owner: Heng Pak Nang
Copyright: Heng Pak Nang
Title: Denture
Title (Original Language): 假牙
Year: 2017
Words in the Drawing: “Sister Fong from another ward is almost 90 years old and she has a set of dentures. However, she doesn’t brush her dentures every day. The nurses wanted to assist her to clean but she refused to. I was worried that her mouth would be infected by bacteria if she hasn’t cleaned her dentures for long. I went to her ward to scold her. I warned her that she might suffer from ulcer if she refused to remove the dentures to clean them. I told her that her dentures were so dark and dirty. I urged her to remove them and I offered to clean for her. Eventually Sister Fong was willing to listen to me and removed the dentures. They were so smelly. All the crevices were black in colour! I put the dentures into a transparent plastic cup. I poured warm water into the cup and added some little soda. I soaked them for one night and then brushed them. I brushed and whitened the dentures before I returned to Sister Fong. I also have dentures and I make sure that I clean my dentures after I have my meals every day. Before I sleep at night, I definitely apply toothpaste to clean my dentures. Every time my niece visits me and cuddles me, I usually ask her whether she can smell my breath. She told me there is no bad breath. Hence, I like to keep my dentures clean in order to avoid bad breath. I can see those outsiders are very concerned about us. They travel from far to visit us even though they have to get stuck in the traffic jam frequently. I can still move around here. So I think I should do my best to help my friends. I am willing to do and yet I am willing to accept criticisms. Some people say that I am busybody but I don’t bother.”
Size: 17.5cm X 15.2cm
Location: The Valley of Hope Story Gallery
Owner: Heng Pak Nang
Copyright: Heng Pak Nang
Title: Ong Ah Sak
Title (Original Language): 王亚石
Year: 2017
Words in the Drawing: “In 1996, my husband, Ong Ah Sak was sick and he was admitted to Ward 85 at East Section. Last time this ward was called ‘Insane Ward’ because it was occupied by a few patients with mental problems. Due to insufficient bed, the doctor had arranged Ah Sak to stay with those patients who had mental illness. In order to take care of him during night time, I seek doctor’s permission to allow me to stay together with Ah Sak at the psychiatric ward. My niece bought me a folded canvas bed so that I could sleep beside Ah Sak’s bed. It was very tough and tiring that time. I could see Ah Sak getting thinner and thinner and he had problem with excretion. He was unable to pass stool and urine. I had to help him to pump soap water to his anus so that he could pass stool smoothly. At night, he was uncomfortable as he had bone and joint pain as well as dry mouth. I got to stay awake to assist him. As a result, I was too exhausted and fell sick one day and I fainted. The ward assistant found that I was unconscious and I was sent to the hospital immediately to be on drip. The doctor restricted me from accompanying Ah Sak and wanted me to rest at home. But I begged the doctor to allow me to go back to the ward to accompany Ah Sak. The doctor finally approved it. I had been taking care of Ah Sak for one and a half year before he passed away.”
Size: 17.5cm X 15.2cm
Location: The Valley of Hope Story Gallery
Owner: Heng Pak Nang
Copyright: Heng Pak Nang