To all mothers and pet-mothers everywhere, Happy Mother’s Day!
Now and forever more
No matter what they say
You’ll be here in my heart
Always
Mum and Jayden
I am most thankful for my mum’s indomitable spirit and never-say-die attitude in life, and her passionate desire to continuously learn new things even at this age.
I am extremely thankful that despite her modest salary as a government school-teacher, she was determined to give us piano lessons. She saved up enough to buy a piano, sourced for a piano teacher in the small town of Kampar and gave us piano lessons. Although I did not have the talent to progress far, I am so thankful I grew up with an appreciation for music (and this is also many thanks to my late father who enriched our home with his old records from various genres, it inculcated a love of the oldies, jazz and even keronchong in me). Music has enriched my life so much. Thank you, Mummy and Pa!
One of my mum’s forte is needlework and she sewed many items for our e-auctions to raise funds for the animals. Now, she is almost blind (age-related macular degeneration) so she no longer sews, but she is teaching her Indonesian helper how to sew!
Aside from her vision loss and hearing loss, my mum is still as sharp as a tack (I swear, sharper than me!).
P.S. My mum is actually tone-deaf, but bought a clavinova and tried to learn the keyboard in her seventies! Never say die! Learn!! Eventually, she still couldn’t play, but….she tried!
And this is my grandmother! Mum’s mum.
Porpor and my brother; Porpor at my wedding
Also a force to reckon with…A dragon-lady!
She had this amazing gift of making up bedtime stories for me….anytime! I love those stories so much! Back in China, she was home-schooled in the classics. And I loved getting sick in primary school because it means porpor will come and make porridge for me!
I come from a bloodline of women with indomitable spirits and a never-say-die attitude…I’d better live up to it!