The Year 2026 Belongs To Michelle Yeoh

 2026 really was Michelle Yeoh’s year. The prelude was the Singapore premier of “Wicked-For Good” where Michelle showed up with co-stars Ariana Grande and Cynthia Elviro.   

That was November 2025 but it was the start of a string of wonderful 2026 announcements for Michelle Yeoh.    

First up was Michelle launching the Visit Malaysia Year on 3 January 2026. 

Michelle Yeoh at the launch of Visit Malaysia Year 2026

..walking on Jalan Bukit Bintang to meet PM Anwar Ibrahim

Here she was walking down Bukit Bintang Road waving to the Malaysian crowd and on the way to meet Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim. After exchanging greetings she proceed to gesture the 'flip it around from Madame Morrible to Wicked Witch' from the movie 'Wicked - For Good'.

.." i am very priveleged to be here tonight" ..... 

     1. Madame Morrible            2. flip it into                      3. Wicked Witch          4.Madame Morrible

The next good news was on February 13 2026 when she received the Honorary Golden Bear award during the 76th Berlin International Film Festival in recognition of her outstanding achievements in film and cinema.

Sean Baker, the producer of ‘Sandiwara’ in which Michelle acted, presented the Golden Bear award to her. In the 11 minute short film made in Penang with an iPhone Michelle Yeoh played the role as five different characters , The Critic / The Hawker / The Waitress / The Vlogger and The Singer.

Sandiwara was amazing. Michelle played multiple roles and that it was filmed in a local environment using Penang as the backdrop. I epecially liked the roles of the Waitress (that dressing was so old school ) the Vlogger (depicting the foods Of Penang) and that sultry Singer was tantalizing and the setting was Red Garden Food Paradise was actually a local night outlet.

a youthful Michelle the waitress, knitware top and bell bottom jeans..a period dress in the early days 

Michelle the vlogger .... 

Michelle ..the sultry singer ...such beauty and tantalizing versatality ......

The piece de resistance of Michelle’s year was being inducted into the Hollywood Walk Of Fame on February 18 2026. 

Michelle's career began since the 90’s with Hong Kong action martial art films alongside Jackie Chan. Her first Hollywood English movie was the 1997 James Bond film 'Tomorrow Never Dies'. She played the part of Wai Lin alongside Pierce Brosnan before becoming a global star with credits spanning "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon” and "Crazy Rich Asians". In 2023 she became the first Asian performer to win the Academy Award for Best Actress for her role in "Everything Everywhere All at Once."

This Ipoh Girl has done the town and country proud. All the best for the future Michelle.

JAG

MAY.. The Month of Mary – Our Mother Of Perpetual Help

The Month of May - dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary 

May is the month of Mary. Thats been the rule every May month of the year. It’s also when individuals and families who have statues of Mother Mary bring them to church during the morning mass to get them blessed by the priest.

..the display of  Mother Mary statues .....

Yesterday 1st May being a holiday, the mass was held in the evening so it was a photo opportunity to document this lovely ritual on the Month of Mary. There was a personal statue which was 3ft high and also a 100+ year old statue which the owner said was called Lady of Victory that had been given a touch over after a long time. 

Blessing of all statures ....

All the statues were taken home after mass and all proud owners felt much blessed and closer with their private and personal ‘Mother Mary’.

..proud owners taking their statues home ...

The owner calls it (left)  Lady of Victory, (middle) 3ft personal statue ...

JAG

  

 

Descendants Of Dr Wu Lien-Teh Celebrate Qing Meng, Take Heritage Walk of Dr Wu’s Landmarks in Penang

Descendants. L/r: Alex Chong, Gillian Chong, Tai Sow Quin, Anid Chong, Tony Chin and Alison Chong

The descendants of Dr Wu Lien-Teh and General Lam To'Kai Heritage Organisation congregated on Penang for the Qing Ming celebrations on 6^th April 2026. The descendants were from Singapore, Australia, Kuala Lumpur and Penang.  They were joined by the YLCO team led by Ignatius Chew and Taoist Priest Lee Heng Sung from the Loong Thow Ngam Taoist temple in Ipoh. 

The first stop was the Mt.Erskine, Kwangtung & Tengchow Cemetery. 

at the Kwangtung and Tengchow cemetery ....

..the group walked to the site .....

Located at the top left corner of the cemetery are found three mounds surrounded by 4 pillars with guardian ‘foo dogs keeping watch’ on the graves below.

..3 mounds which contain 5 graves and 'guardians' on 4 pillars (click to enlarge photos)

These 3 mounds located next to each other contain 5 graves. The first mound on the right was the remains of Lady Guo Huang Rong the wife of General Lam To’kai.  Beside it was the elaborately decorated grave of Lam Looking and his wife Chan Kim Phan Neoh then after was the graves of Dr Wu’s parents Ng Khee Hok and Lam Choy Fan. There was no other graves nearby possibly exhumed. 

Alison Chong began the ritual at the site of Lady Guo. As she led the Wu-Lam families to renew their filial pieties to their ancestors. She thanked them for their hopes and prayers saying “for without their sacrifices we would not embrace the spring of life both now and in the future”. 

She then led the group by giving thanks and bowed three times, 1^st to Heaven,  2nd. to our Ancestors and 3rd in gratefulness for Heaven's Blessings upon us & our descendants. After the prayers Alex led the senior Tai Soh Quin, the representative of the Wu Clan, to place offerings at the graves then followed by the rest.

Alison leads Qing Meng ritual .....

Alex and Tai Soh Quin who is the representative of Wu clan 

Alison repeated the ritual again at the grave of Lam Looking and his wife Chan Kim Phan Neoh

Alex and Alison at the grave of Lam Looking and Lam Choy Fan

At the grave of Dr Wu’s parents, Ng Khee Hok and Lam Choy Fan, Priest Lee led the ceremony. The graves had been desecrated by vandals in Penang and thus he recited the liturgy for reconciliation & redemption  which was said in Mandarin.

Alex and Taoist Priest Lee Heng Sung at the grave of Dr Wu's parents

..it began to drizzle during the ceremony  ......

We were threatened by a sudden shower so we concluded and proceeded to the next schedule to visit the Batu Gantong Columbarium where the remains of Dr Wu and his wife are interred. 

..at the shelf of Dr Wu Lien-Teh and Lee Suk Ching .....

At the columbarium Priest Lee recited prayers on a common altar before entering the cubicle housing Dr Wu Lien-Teh and his wife Lee Suk Ching. Alex and Tai Soh Quin together with Priest Lee were the first to pay their respects. Later the group followed.

the descendants pose outside the cubicle of Dr Wu.....

It was time for lunch and the group had earlier decided on having a nyonya meal. The restaurant chosen was Baba Phang Nyonya Restorant. Alex Choong explained it was the former home of great grand uncle of Lam Looking. Alex Chong gave thank you ang pau’s each to Priest Lee and his assistant and Alison for their morning services.

The Nyonya lunch and Alex presents thank you Ang Pau's to priest Lee and Alison ... 

The afternoon was to drive along the heritage trail of Dr Wu Lian-Teh and pay our respects to Ng Khee Hok, Dr Wu’s father at Ng See Kah Meow, or Wu Kongsi, a clan temple of Cantonese people surnamed Ng at 40 King Street in George Town.  

When Dr. Wu came back to Penang after England he operated a dispensary at 273, Chulia St  (July 1904) but it has since demolished. In its place is now a Hotel Hong Ping

In 1904 after returning from Enland he operated a dispensry at 273 Chulia Street now the site of Hotel Hong Ping

The next stop was Dr Wu father’s clan temple called Ng See Kah Meow or Wu Kongsi. Wu is the mandarin translation but Ng is the Cantonese version. During the groups’ visit in March 2025 the curator of the temple offered to place a tablet of Dr Wu similar to the fathers. This year Alison and the family agreed to accept the curators offer and chose a place for the tablet to be situated. 

..the Wu/ Ng clans ancestral cabinet .......

the family members decide on the placement of Dr Wu's ancestral tablet on the cabinet ....

The group continued with the heritage trail passing through  38 Love Lane where Dr Wu lived with his wife and son and 72 Love Lane where he founded the Anti Opium Association in 1906. 

We stopped the Hu Yew Seah School. In 1938, Dr. Wu visited Hu Yew Seah School at Madras Lane and laid a foundation stone. A big mural picture of Dr Wu and Rabind Tagore is found on the wall of the school.

the large mural of Dr Wu and Rabindranath Tagore..at SJK (C) Hu Yew Seah 

A bronze bust of Dr. Wu Lien-Teh stands on the grounds of Penang Institute at 10 Brown Road. It was donated by the Medical University of Harbin to the people of Penang in 2014.

The descendants pose with the bronze bust of Dr Wu Lien-Teh at Penang Institute  

presented by the Medical University of Harbin ,China

The final stop was at Loong Thow Ngam Cave Temple in Ipoh where we sent the Taoist priest and his assistant. It is the official temple of the Wu-Lam-Chong-Lee clan. This temple was initiated by Lam Looking and is ancestral due to the family being instrumental in its founding and setup of the priesthood and buildings.

Loong Thow Ngam Cave Temple the official temple of the Wu-Lam-Chong-Lee clan 

Taoist Priest Lee Heng Sun (5th from left in red) and his father Abbot Lee Sooi Fong (next to him in grey robe) at the Temple  

A most enlightening and educational outing.

 JAG