Today marks my 9th year without
Ah Ma.
But to be promised
I'll see her again
is bliss.
*
Of all her children and grandchildren,
I'm known to be her dearest.
Her love and care
protected me from knowing hunger.
Wherever she went,
in one of her Harrod's tote collection,
would carry pretty tinboxes full of
sweet biscuits and Japanese snacks.
For every favourite food we had,
Ah Ma only bought me the best of its kind.
To her, there's no compromise.
Chicken rice from Maxwell Market.
Chicken Hor Fun from Pagoda Street.
Chwee Kueh from Tiong Bahru Market.
Char Kway Teow from Outram Park -
just to name a few.
However far it could be,
well, we always had taxi uncles to deal with the trouble.
Every weekday,
Ah Ma never failed to show up during school recesses -
usually with knick knacks such as
stickers, stationery and mini novelties
to amuse me.
After school,
we'd hop onto the cab and zip downtown
for a hairwash at the salon
followed by a series of shopping spree
from supermarket to department stores.
And there,
Ah Ma would spoil me with
the next new schoolbag, pencil case, wallet, stationery,
dress [I swore to frocks and
condemned T-shirts and pants for 'weren't they boys clothes?' I thought].
This was almost our daily To-Do List.
Besides her unbeatable love,
Ah Ma was an exceedingly fun grandma.
When handphone was as huge as hotdog bun,
Ah Ma was entertaining calls on the move.
If you squinted harder,
you would spot a tattoo on her hand.
When in the supermarket,
you'd think trolleys had honks
because Ah Ma would squeak,
''Beep Beep!!!'' -
her style of getting people out of the way.
After all that trotting downtown,
Ah Ma would give her ears to my
incessant chatterings and
discuss with me about almost every thinkable matter.
To her,
nothing was too childish to despise or overlook.
Everything that mattered to me,
mattered to her.
I've learned countless precious lessons from Ah Ma.
She was a fighter who knew how to have fun,
a challenger of mediocrity.
Most of all
She loved without compromise.
And this reminds me of the Person
who blessed me with her.
Now I know,
when I was a kid, He was present with me,
He cared and loved me,
through the most wonderful woman I knew.
*
Ah Ma.
But to be promised
I'll see her again
is bliss.
*
Of all her children and grandchildren,
I'm known to be her dearest.
Her love and care
protected me from knowing hunger.
Wherever she went,
in one of her Harrod's tote collection,
would carry pretty tinboxes full of
sweet biscuits and Japanese snacks.
For every favourite food we had,
Ah Ma only bought me the best of its kind.
To her, there's no compromise.
Chicken rice from Maxwell Market.
Chicken Hor Fun from Pagoda Street.
Chwee Kueh from Tiong Bahru Market.
Char Kway Teow from Outram Park -
just to name a few.
However far it could be,
well, we always had taxi uncles to deal with the trouble.
Every weekday,
Ah Ma never failed to show up during school recesses -
usually with knick knacks such as
stickers, stationery and mini novelties
to amuse me.
After school,
we'd hop onto the cab and zip downtown
for a hairwash at the salon
followed by a series of shopping spree
from supermarket to department stores.
And there,
Ah Ma would spoil me with
the next new schoolbag, pencil case, wallet, stationery,
dress [I swore to frocks and
condemned T-shirts and pants for 'weren't they boys clothes?' I thought].
This was almost our daily To-Do List.
Besides her unbeatable love,
Ah Ma was an exceedingly fun grandma.
When handphone was as huge as hotdog bun,
Ah Ma was entertaining calls on the move.
If you squinted harder,
you would spot a tattoo on her hand.
When in the supermarket,
you'd think trolleys had honks
because Ah Ma would squeak,
''Beep Beep!!!'' -
her style of getting people out of the way.
After all that trotting downtown,
Ah Ma would give her ears to my
incessant chatterings and
discuss with me about almost every thinkable matter.
To her,
nothing was too childish to despise or overlook.
Everything that mattered to me,
mattered to her.
I've learned countless precious lessons from Ah Ma.
She was a fighter who knew how to have fun,
a challenger of mediocrity.
Most of all
She loved without compromise.
And this reminds me of the Person
who blessed me with her.
Now I know,
when I was a kid, He was present with me,
He cared and loved me,
through the most wonderful woman I knew.
*
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