Latest news with #Lillian
New Straits Times
3 days ago
- Business
- New Straits Times
Iconic Penang school uniform shop to close
GEORGE TOWN: AFTER more than five decades of serving generations of students, Kimnovak, once a beloved institution in the school uniform industry, will close its doors for good at the end of this month. It will be a bittersweet farewell for many who remember the humble beginnings of the shop on Jalan Magazine here, and the effort that went into growing it into a trusted name for school uniforms, bags, shoes, socks and stationery for families. The closure has been in the works for years, with the Movement Control Order and its subsequent challenges accelerating the inevitable. The family business has struggled with mounting difficulties, such as a lack of an heir to take over, an increasingly tough operating environment and evolving market demands. K.H. Lim now runs the business that his mother founded 56 years ago, building Kimnovak's iconic guitar logo into a symbol of quality and trust over the years. It grew from a modest venture into one of the most recognisable suppliers of school essentials. Lim, 73, runs the shop with wife Lillian Lim, who has been by his side throughout the journey. Lillian, 70, had watched the business grow, but also saw how hard it was to keep up with the changes. Her children, both adults, showed little interest in carrying on the family business. Kimnovak began by only selling school uniforms, and expanded into offering bags, shoes, socks and stationery. Despite this diversification, the business could not escape the larger trends affecting the retail sector. By the early 2000s, the workforce at the company's factory had dwindled. What once was a bustling operation with over 20 workers, mostly women, gradually shrank as many of them retired. The younger generation, no longer interested in sewing or working with textiles, only added to the decline. The company tried outsourcing work and relying on imported materials, but rising textiles costs, difficulties with imports and substandard overseas workmanship just added to the burden. "Sometimes, it would take up to six months to get everything in place, from ordering materials to getting the uniforms stitched and shipped," Lillian said. "It is a lot of hard work." Lillian, who had helped her mother-in-law grow the business, found it heartbreaking to see the steady decline. "I still have regular customers asking for school uniforms or reminiscing about the good old days. "It is so hard to let go," she told the New Straits Times (NST). Despite a steady flow of customers, especially during school holiday seasons, the complexities of the business became too overwhelming. The store also became a "second home" to many who visited from all walks of life. It was not uncommon to see generations of families — grandparents, parents and now their children — walking through the doors, year after year, to stock up on school supplies. The NST managed to catch up with Leong Kian Loon, 48, a tour guide, and Low Boon Jin, 43, who were buying school uniforms for their daughters. Leong, who grew up just a few streets away on Lebuh Tye Sin, recalled how his parents would take him to Kimnovak to buy school supplies when he was in primary school. "It is like a piece of history for me. Now, as a father of two girls, I bring them here too. "I am not buying uniforms because they need them right now. I just want to make sure we have enough for the future. It is that feeling of nostalgia," he added. Low, who was buying uniforms for his 8-year-old daughter, shared similar sentiments. "I usually send my wife to shop here, but today, I had to come myself. Ever since I heard it is closing down, I felt this inexplicable sadness," he said. "Kimnovak has been a part of my life, and now my daughter's. I have no idea where to turn next," he said. Lillian acknowledged the impact of the closure on customers. "I guess it is finally sinking in for everyone. Just like it is hard for us to let go, it is difficult for them too. "This shop has been a part of their lives." As Kimnovak prepares for its final chapter, the Lims leave behind a legacy of hard work, dedication and an unwavering commitment to the community. The memories of bustling days, the laughter of children trying on uniforms and the sight of the company's iconic guitar logo on every bag will remain etched in the hearts of all those who walked through Kimnovak's doors. On the difficult decision to retire, Lillian said: "Everything must come to an end."
CTV News
04-07-2025
- Sport
- CTV News
Kanata girls prepare to compete in Canadian chess competition in British Columbia
Anvi and Anya prepare for the 2025 Canadian Youth Chess Championships in British Columbia. (Camille Wilson/CTV News Ottawa) Six young Kanata girls are heading to British Columbia to play at the 2025 Canadian Youth Chess Championships and represent their city. 'I'm really excited to go across the country to play in B.C.,' says Anvi. Anvi says even though she knew how to play the game when she was seven years old, she wasn't really interested in playing. She started falling in love with the game at nine and is competing at age 11. After a year and a half of training every weekend, the girls are ready to head to the west coast to compete. 'My dad got me into it. His friend told him about chess and then he told me about it, and I wanted to try it,' says Lillian, a nine-year-old chess player. 'Chess is really fun, and I really enjoy it.' Anya is 11 years old and has been playing chess for about two years. She says she's excited to go to the championships to play and learn. 'I really want to win. I've been practicing really hard for this moment,' says Anya. Each girl has won medals and trophies in smaller local competitions. Chess Lillian and Katie play chess on Friday as they prepare for the 2025 Canadian Youth Chess Championships. (Camille Wilson/CTV News Ottawa) Katie is seven years old and started playing chess at age five. She says chess is fun. Adhyata says she got into the game after playing with her dad at age six. She is now 11 years old and says her favourite part is the strategy and thinking involved in chess. 'I'm kind of nervous because I came here a little later, I just want to give my best shot at it,' says 11-year-old Adhyata. The competition will be held July 7 to 12. 'People say it's not a sport but, actually, this is a mental sport. Lots of sports are physical but this is a mental sport,' says Anvi. The Kanata Chess Academy was founded by 17-year-old Ankita Jain, a professional chess player. She says she knows how much of a male dominated game it is. 'I always dreamed of hosting competitions here and especially in Ottawa. Just a year ago, there was not a single competition, but I decided that we would found Canada Chess Academy to create a thriving chess community,' says Jain. 'I'm working on getting more girls into the game so that they can explore it and play it more.' Jain says after competing for the last three years, she will not be competing at this year's championships, but it means a lot to bring these young girls. 'It's the highest level a youth can attend at a chess competition,' says Jain, 'Six girls from Kanata going to the national competition is something that's incredible.' The academy has mentored over 200 students and is now Ottawa's largest youth chess association. 'I'm really excited to prepare and hopefully win,' says Anvi. Raissa, is proud of her accomplishments in playing chess for just under two years. She says her dad loves chess and taught her how to play. She says once she started playing more and winning, she started liking it more and now she's come this far. 'I think if I play chess, I will get smarter,' says Raissa, 'I am really, really excited. But I'm also a little nervous,' says Raissa. As the young girls prepare for the competition, they've been training for five to six hours a day.
Times
04-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Times
He's one of the finest British novelists you've never heard of
Benjamin Wood is one of the finest British novelists of his generation, but you've probably never heard of him. The 44-year-old author from Stockport has written five psychologically suspenseful books with stories that are so unique and specific, it feels like they must come directly from real life. His previous book, The Young Accomplice (2022), was about two idealistic 1950s architects who dream of recreating Frank Lloyd Wright's communal-living project at their Surrey farm. His second novel, The Ecliptic (2015), was narrated by a 1960s Scottish painter who retreats to an artists' colony on a Turkish island. Woods tends to follow working-class loners who are fascinated by human creativity but get dragged down by treachery, madness or something from their past. In his latest — and shortest — novel, Seascraper, people are quite literally pulled under the earth into the 'sinkpits' of a beach, which look like 'pudding batter'. Thomas Flett, a 20-year-old cart shanker (a kind of shrimper), knows the beach well. He warns outsiders: 'The sand's got arms in different places, see — if you're not careful or you're stupid, you'll get dragged below.' Thomas is working his grandfather's gruelling trade, scraping for shrimp on the fictional Longferry beach (which resembles the Lancashire coast) in the 1960s. He's a frustrated folk musician who lives a slow and lonely life with his young, flirtatious mother, Lillian, while secretly pining for Joan, who works in the post office. The premise seems humdrum and unpromising, but there is plenty of intrigue: a missing father whom Thomas has never known and is rumoured to have been his mother's school teacher ('he got her in the family way at fifteen years of age') and, later, a mysterious Hollywood film director who wants to use the beach as a location. And yet so much of the drama is simply in the tension of Wood's sentences, which hook you from the beginning. Take this passage from the opening paragraph: 'There's all sorts in the water now that wasn't there when he was just a lad. Strange chemicals and pesticides and sewage. Barely a few weeks ago there was a putrid fatty sheen upon the sand from east to west; a month before he waded in a residue of foam that reeked of curdled milk as he approached the shallows. Fleeting things, but if you're asking him they augur trouble — it's been hard to sleep of late.' This world of dadding lines, motor rigs and fishing regulations is disrupted by Edgar Acheson, a tall, seemingly self-assured American who intends to make a film in Longferry with Henry Fonda as the lead. Thomas is immediately struck by Edgar's 'deep-set eyes as brown as bladderwrack, his dark hair combed in floppy waves'. The director arrives at Thomas and Lillian's home bearing good-quality rib-eye steaks and proffering a magazine article in which he is pictured, captioned as the director of a film called The Cutting Room. • 80 best books to take on holiday this summer — chosen by the experts Now he's in preproduction for his adaptation of a book called The Outermost and believes Longferry can double as 1880s costal Maine, a 'foggy little town where everything's a bit unusual'. He wants Thomas to help him to navigate the beach and 'the way of life out there' for a fee of £100. This is several months' worth of pay, allowing Thomas more time to work on his music. Although he appears surly, excitement courses through him: 'There's now a cool, soft, effervescent feeling in his blood, a sense of possibility that's spreading from his heart down to his ingrown toenails.' Edgar is the most fascinating man Thomas has encountered and he allows Thomas to entertain fantasies of escaping Longferry to fulfil his musical ambitions. If there is an abiding theme to Wood's writing it is the dreams and delusions of big thinkers and the issues that arise when their creativity is thwarted. As Joan tells Thomas, 'Perhaps I'm wrong, but aren't you dead if you're not dreaming?' They are discussing Rupert Brooke's romantic poem Day That I Have Loved, which is quoted in the fictional book The Outermost and is also the epigraph to Seascraper. Brooke evokes the passing of a perfect day, which leaves the sun setting over 'the drear waste darkening'. It's a phrase that makes Thomas think about the 'hopelessness' that sometimes engulfs him. • Read more book reviews and interviews — and see what's top of the Sunday Times Bestsellers List The novel is also set mostly over one day in Thomas's life in which his usual punishing routine — 'all those dreary shifts at sea' — is disturbed. The reality of shanking is wonderfully evoked, the 'pervasive sweat and shrimp rot fish guts, crab flesh, seaweed, dander, forage, gull shit, horse dung' clogging up his pores and fingernails. Like the experimental architects in The Young Accomplice, Thomas is often battling the elements, the slapping rain and gnawing wind. Curiously, Wood decided to embrace the weather when he was writing Seascraper, working outdoors for the first time and composing the book in longhand. The result is a fiercely atmospheric novel that engages the senses. There's even some music that you can listen to. If you follow a link to the publisher's website, you'll find a recording of Thomas's poignant dream song written and sung by the novelist. Wood has confessed that he also dreamt of a record deal in his twenties, revealing in the book's final page the author as the ultimate frustrated creative. Seascraper by Benjamin Wood (Viking £14.99 pp176). To order a copy go to Free UK standard P&P on orders over £25. Special discount available for Times+ members
Yahoo
24-06-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
She took the dog out for a quick walk. Then, her mom fell down the stairs. Canadian woman opens up about the moment she knew her mom couldn't live at home
In May 2024, Pam Ross had to quickly pop out of the house to take her dog, Dexter, to relieve himself. Before she left her home in Stoney Creek, Ont., she put a laundry basket of towels in front of her mother, Lillian. Her mother had just been diagnosed with dementia two years before, and she couldn't be left alone for very long, but Ross had planned to be gone for less than 10 minutes. She thought it would prevent her from wandering of getting into something dangerous while she was out. "I have cameras in my house so I can watch her everywhere, because I was so scared of what might happen,' Ross said in an interview with Yahoo Canada. Dog in one hand, phone in the other, Ross kept her eye on screen as she made her way down the street. But she hadn't made it far when she noticed her mom had left the room. She started racing back to her house when she heard the creak of her stairs coming from the phone's speaker, followed by a loud bang. She knew instinctively that her mother had fallen down the stairs. 'I grab my dog, pick him up, and I'm running as fast as I can,' Ross remembered. When she returned to the house, she found her mom at the bottom of the stairs. 'I still feel panic when I think of that.' After that incident, Ross was hypervigiliant about looking after her mother. 'I didn't want to ever leave her,' she said. 'It was getting really hard.' But over the next couple of months, it became clear that Ross and her sister could no longer care for their mother alone. Lillian was resistant to home support services coming into the house, so the family tried to find a compromise. Ross and her sister tried divide Lillian's time between houses and enrolling her in an adult day program through the Salvation Army. Finally, after many discussions and deep thought, the sisters decided to tour care homes. 'We were starting to lose sleep, and everything was starting to be too much,' Ross said. The sisters moved Lillian to an assisted-living facility last July. It was not an easy decision. 'She would say to us, 'Do not move me into a home. I'm not going into a home. I want to stay in my own house.'' Wanting to remain in their own home is a common sentiment among seniors. In fact, 96 per cent of Canadians aged 65 and older would do 'everything they could' to avoid going into a long-term care facility, according to the National Institute on Ageing. The reality is, it can be hard to recognize when it's time to move a parent into a retirement community, nursing home or long-term care facility. Many caregivers experience guilt, stress, and emotional complexities when navigating the transition with their senior loved ones. Like Ross and her sister, many families try multiple care strategies before choosing a care home. According to Stephanie Chan, a senior living advisor and founder of Home to Home, a care planning business in Vancouver, B.C, there are some common signs to look out for when considering a move for your senior loved one. Mobility is one warning sign to gauge whether a living environment is still right for aging parents. Are they having difficulty doing daily tasks, such as taking their medications, tidying the house, or cooking for themselves? A lack of socialization is another factor. If a senior loved one seems to be lonely or isolated with limited daily social interaction, that could be another sign to think about moving them into a care home. Chan also asks families to consider their loved one's cognitive abilities, like if they cannot find their way back home from a walk. Finally, big life-changing events, like the loss of a spouse or the diagnosis of a serious illness, could be a sign to downsize. Providing care for a loved one can take a toll on the caregivers, too. 'Caregiving can be very lonely at any stage of the caregiving experience,' says Amy Coupal, CEO of the Ontario Caregiver Organization, a charitable organization that aims to support Ontario's four million caregivers. 'Part of what can help to reduce that loneliness is to connect with resources and supports in the community.' Nearly one in four Canadians are caregivers at some point in their lives and nearly eight million Canadians provide care for family members or friends with a long-term condition, a physical or mental disability, or problems related to aging. According to the Canadian Centre for Caregiving Excellence, a program of the Azrieli Foundation, caregivers provide on average more than 30 hours of unpaid care each week, which is nearly the equivalent of a full-time job. For caregivers in Ontario who feel overwhelmed, Coupal advises they call the Ontario Caregiver Organization's 24/7 helpline, or visit the website to view tip sheets with information on support options, including peer mentors and peer support groups. 'We also have counselling and coaching for people who may be facing burnout or experiencing significant caregiving challenges,' she said. The choice did not come lightly for Ross and her sister to move their mother into a care home. 'The guilt for us is really challenging,' Ross said. But they kept coming back to what Ross calls the Four Ss: safety, social ability, life satisfaction, and sanity. In other words, was her mother safe? Was she social? Did she have any life satisfaction? And what about the sisters' sanity? 'When we really started to look at them all, it seemed like it had to be the right decision for us." For other families who are struggling to know whether it's the right time to move their senior loved one into a care home, Ross offers this advice: 'These are discussions you should have with a healthy parent. These are uncomfortable discussions,' she said. 'I feel like if we had had these conversations with my mom when she was fully cognitively aware, she would have said, I don't want you having to worry about this.' The last year has been an adjustment. The sisters visit their mother five times a week, and check in with the staff every day. Still, it's a difficult transition. 'We know that she's being cared for and safe, but there's a ton of guilt. You don't want to leave her alone. And at the same time, I know that my mother would be devastated to know how much this has affected our lives.'
Yahoo
23-06-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
She took the dog out for a quick walk. Then, her mom fell down the stairs. Canadian woman opens up about the moment she knew her mom couldn't live at home
In May 2024, Pam Ross had to quickly pop out of the house to take her dog, Dexter, to relieve himself. Before she left her home in Stoney Creek, Ont., she put a laundry basket of towels in front of her mother, Lillian. Her mother had just been diagnosed with dementia two years before, and she couldn't be left alone for very long, but Ross had planned to be gone for less than 10 minutes. She thought it would prevent her from wandering of getting into something dangerous while she was out. "I have cameras in my house so I can watch her everywhere, because I was so scared of what might happen,' Ross said in an interview with Yahoo Canada. Dog in one hand, phone in the other, Ross kept her eye on screen as she made her way down the street. But she hadn't made it far when she noticed her mom had left the room. She started racing back to her house when she heard the creak of her stairs coming from the phone's speaker, followed by a loud bang. She knew instinctively that her mother had fallen down the stairs. 'I grab my dog, pick him up, and I'm running as fast as I can,' Ross remembered. When she returned to the house, she found her mom at the bottom of the stairs. 'I still feel panic when I think of that.' After that incident, Ross was hypervigiliant about looking after her mother. 'I didn't want to ever leave her,' she said. 'It was getting really hard.' But over the next couple of months, it became clear that Ross and her sister could no longer care for their mother alone. We were starting to lose sleep, and everything was starting to be too muchPam Ross Lillian was resistant to home support services coming into the house, so the family tried to find a compromise. Ross and her sister tried divide Lillian's time between houses and enrolling her in an adult day program through the Salvation Army. Finally, after many discussions and deep thought, the sisters decided to tour care homes. 'We were starting to lose sleep, and everything was starting to be too much,' Ross said. The sisters moved Lillian to an assisted-living facility last July. It was not an easy decision. 'She would say to us, 'Do not move me into a home. I'm not going into a home. I want to stay in my own house.'' Wanting to remain in their own home is a common sentiment among seniors. In fact, 96 per cent of Canadians aged 65 and older would do 'everything they could' to avoid going into a long-term care facility, according to the National Institute on Ageing. The reality is, it can be hard to recognize when it's time to move a parent into a retirement community, nursing home or long-term care facility. Many caregivers experience guilt, stress, and emotional complexities when navigating the transition with their senior loved ones. Like Ross and her sister, many families try multiple care strategies before choosing a care home. According to Stephanie Chan, a senior living advisor and founder of Home to Home, a care planning business in Vancouver, B.C, there are some common signs to look out for when considering a move for your senior loved one. Mobility is one warning sign to gauge whether a living environment is still right for aging parents. Are they having difficulty doing daily tasks, such as taking their medications, tidying the house, or cooking for themselves? A lack of socialization is another factor. If a senior loved one seems to be lonely or isolated with limited daily social interaction, that could be another sign to think about moving them into a care home. Chan also asks families to consider their loved one's cognitive abilities, like if they cannot find their way back home from a walk. Finally, big life-changing events, like the loss of a spouse or the diagnosis of a serious illness, could be a sign to downsize. Providing care for a loved one can take a toll on the caregivers, too. 'Caregiving can be very lonely at any stage of the caregiving experience,' says Amy Coupal, CEO of the Ontario Caregiver Organization, a charitable organization that aims to support Ontario's four million caregivers. 'Part of what can help to reduce that loneliness is to connect with resources and supports in the community.' Nearly one in four Canadians are caregivers at some point in their lives and nearly eight million Canadians provide care for family members or friends with a long-term condition, a physical or mental disability, or problems related to aging. According to the Canadian Centre for Caregiving Excellence, a program of the Azrieli Foundation, caregivers provide on average more than 30 hours of unpaid care each week, which is nearly the equivalent of a full-time job. For caregivers in Ontario who feel overwhelmed, Coupal advises they call the Ontario Caregiver Organization's 24/7 helpline, or visit the website to view tip sheets with information on support options, including peer mentors and peer support groups. 'We also have counselling and coaching for people who may be facing burnout or experiencing significant caregiving challenges,' she said. The choice did not come lightly for Ross and her sister to move their mother into a care home. 'The guilt for us is really challenging,' Ross said. But they kept coming back to what Ross calls the Four Ss: safety, social ability, life satisfaction, and sanity. In other words, was her mother safe? Was she social? Did she have any life satisfaction? And what about the sisters' sanity? 'When we really started to look at them all, it seemed like it had to be the right decision for us." For other families who are struggling to know whether it's the right time to move their senior loved one into a care home, Ross offers this advice: 'These are discussions you should have with a healthy parent. These are uncomfortable discussions,' she said. 'I feel like if we had had these conversations with my mom when she was fully cognitively aware, she would have said, I don't want you having to worry about this.' The last year has been an adjustment. The sisters visit their mother five times a week, and check in with the staff every day. Still, it's a difficult transition. 'We know that she's being cared for and safe, but there's a ton of guilt. You don't want to leave her alone. And at the same time, I know that my mother would be devastated to know how much this has affected our lives.'
