Because Life's Too Short |

27 Years Later: Jodi Lee Meets her Long Lost Lee Family in Sabah

20 Feb

19.02.12

After seeing Miss Toronto, Taiwan and Malaysia off to the airport, I finally have time to attend to my personal matters. I am so excited! Tomorrow I’ll be finally meeting my long lost family in Sabah after 27 years.

I spend the night hand making a gift to my Dad. I search through old photos of me to give to him as he missed out on my growing up years.

Finally.. My 見面禮 is completed!

20.02.08

My dad sent me a text in the morning

Finally.. I arrive in my hometown Kota Kinabalu

I meet with my Dad, his wife of 24 years aunt Alice and my brother Nizman and handed Dad my handmade gift.

Dad and I

po po and I

po po brought old photos of my grand father and father to show me.

po po and my late grandfather

My dad used to be in the Police Force before he went into business. Good looking? Lol~

When he’s 18.

When Dad was a young lad. Haha.

I met up with some of my Lee relatives and everyone received me with warm open arms.

po po, Dad, his wife aunt Alice and me

My Lee family

After dinner I went to Dad’s place for whiskey and had so much fun and laughter chatting getting to know my family better.

After 27 years.. I’ve come a full circle to be reunited with my long lost family.

Dad said “Jodi you live in SG and HK and all over, don’t ever think you have no home, this is your home you are always welcome here.”

Thank you to ATV Miss Asia, HK media, Oriental Daily, Shin Min Daily, The New Paper, Dad, Nizman, Benny, Christabel, Keith, Eddy and all friends who have been with me throughout this journey and all your well wishes and blessings.. I’ve come a full circle to start on a very wonderful new chapter in life where Family and loved ones matter most to me. Thank you all so much! With heartfelt gratitude. 思婷有家庭有愛，很感激這分上天賜的幸福，很感激生命里遇到好多貴人。:D

With Love,

Jodi Lee 李思婷

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Categories Thoughts
Author Jodi Lee 李思婷

A Story about my Surname Lee

10 Feb

I’m sure a lot of you know by now my parents divorced when I was a baby and I ended up not having met my biological father for the whole of my life until last month.

I grew up like the only child until the birth of my half sister when I was 10. After which, my mom brought me to a law firm where I got a deed poll done for the purpose of avoiding possible awkward questions regarding surnames. So I officially became Jodi Chen.

And so for many years to come after I left the lawyer’s office, I was Jodi Chen. On my SG ID, in secondary school and tertiary, in exams, on certificates, on my first business card, in emails..

An interesting point though was Primary school friends would remember me as Jodi Lee. So it was kinda like A.D and B.C. Lol~

It was a surname that didn’t carry much sense of belonging for me, it was more of a convenience than anything. I was zen about it, like most things in life.

When I was 20, I visited a fortune teller in Hong Kong, Miss Mak. I called her up, gave her my date and time of birth (生辰八字) and she gave me an appointment. As I settled into my seat across from her at the table, there was a sheet of pink A4 paper covered in Chinese characters. Apparently my whole life was there.. written in front of me.

She looked at me and said,

“Hmm.. One of your parent is not around, either deceased or never by your side. The siblings that you have are all half siblings.”

I sat in there in silence but in my mind I was wondering out loud “Wow! How the hell did she figure that out? One can’t bullshit or try their luck on things like that!”

So I listened to her intently as she told me my life’s fortune and reading starting from when I was born to the day I’ll die.

In case you are wondering, yes I’m superstitious but not overly or blindly superstitious. I believe in God, the heavens, fate and destiny AND more importantly I BELIEVE when Ms Mak told me, in life 60% is fate and destiny, 40% is in our hands, the choices we make WILL influence that 60%. She told me to always believe in goodness, fill your heart with it, listen to your heart, trust yourself and “feel” your way through in life. She told me that my birth characters (生辰八字) are very special, meant for someone extraordinary, she said “你的八字好特別，屬於一個不平凡的命”. She asked me to believe in my fate and destiny (命水) and “feel” my way through life with my heart, if it feels right.. do it.. If it doesn’t feel right, walk away from it. AND DO NOT with my own hands or choice do something drastic, bad or evil because that will change the course of my life.

I told her I have two names, Jodi Chen and Jodi Lee. She did some calculations and then told me to change it back to Jodi Lee. She explained that with Chen it’s not so good, my children might put me in a nursing home when I’m old but with Lee, I will have a happy family where my kids takes good care of me when I’m old.

Thus when I turned 21, I got my lawyer to do a deed poll for me and officially I was Jodi Lee again. I reckon I rather have a surname that’s originally mine from birth than to use one that doesn’t belong to me.

My best friend told me that was one of the best decision I made because if I had not done it.. I wouldn’t be reunited with my family now. They wouldn’t have recognized me if I remained Jodi Chen.

7 years have past and I must say this fortune teller had been pretty accurate in the things she predicted. I hope she continues to be right.. Then my life will really be so awesome.

With Love,

Jodi Lee

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Categories Thoughts
Author Jodi Lee 李思婷

Dress from Finders Keepers buy at www.unestablish.com

26 Jan

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Categories www.unestablish.com
Author Jodi Lee 李思婷

Thank You Bryna from The New Paper, Singapore and to You My Brother Nizman

25 Jan

Words cannot fully convey my heartfelt gratitude for this fairy tale story. Hong Kong’s Oriental Daily first published a side profile photo of my biological father and today I got a very very nice surprise from the The New Paper, Singapore that published a photo of my father and brother. That’s really sweet of you guys! Now I really think I look like my dad!