101-year-old celebrates CNY with 5 generations of family

NIBONG TEBAL: This year will mark the 101st Chinese New Year for a former lorry driver.
Kee Ah Kow will be ushering in the Year of the Rooster with 137 of his extended family members at the family home in Kampung Tong Hai, Jalan Sungai Daun, here.
Although just over a century old, Kee is still healthy and likes to walk around the house and garden.
Speaking to theSun was Sick Hiang, 63, his daughter, who said she still preferred to have her dad use the wheelchair to prevent unwanted incidents.
She said she was happy her father was still in good health despite his age and was able to celebrate the new year with five generations of family.
"We have 137 family members aged from a month-old to 82-years-old, my father being the oldest," she said when met recently.
Ah Kow has six sons and one daughter aged between 63 and 82 years old and a total of 130 grandchildren, great grandchildren and great-great grandchildren.
His wife, Teoh Ah Keow, passed away at 95 on Jan 1, 2014.
Sick Hiang, a housewife, said Ah Kow worked as a lorry driver from the age of 18 but quit when he was 36 following surgery.
"He used his savings to buy a plot of land and grew vegetables and fruits for a living and only stopped in his 80s," she said.
Sick Hiang attributes the longevity of her father to his optimistic mindset and a simple diet of porridge and light food like steamed vegetables.
"He is also very disciplined as he wakes up early and goes to bed early," she added.
She said the 101st birthday of her father fell on March 6 and hoped he will still be around to celebrate his 102nd birthday next year.