Grandma in the spotlight

Giddy Tiger wants to know 8 facts about my porpor. I told her... cannot! Because I don't call my grandmas porpor... I called them Ma Ma (with different inflections to differentiate between paternal and maternal grandmother) and I called my stepgrandma Ah Ma. LOL!

Anyways, I'm going to do the tag with my maternal grandmother in mind. Simply because I am not like her so it'll be refreshing that way, ya? (Some of you may remember my Ma Ma from this post here.)

My Ma Ma is...

1. Kind. To animals, to people, to other people's kids, neighbors, basically the whole wide world! There wasn't anyone in the world whom she didn't like or wasn't kind to. She was kind, literally, to a fault. Her children used to complain that she was too kind until everyone wanted to take advantage of her kind nature. But of course, she didn't listen to them and continued being kind. To this day, people who remember her (she passed away over twenty plus years ago!) still talk about how wonderfully kind she was.

2. Beautiful. I have but one photo of her in her young days - it was her wedding photo with my Ah Kong. She looks like a young Kathy Chow Hoi Mei, if you know who this actress is. Yes, she is not only beautiful in nature, but in looks as well. Although five children and years of hard work diminished it later.

3. Long-suffering. Because of that kind nature of hers, she put up with a lot. People looking down on her because of her roots (she was given away at birth) and because she was not well-off. People who trampled all over her because she didn't want to create any fuss. Even in her last days on earth (she died of cancer), she was always thinking about others - who would look after the grandchildren, how would her children cope, etc.

4. Generous. Because I was born after she died, I didn't get to experience her generousity, but it remains to this day in the cherished items kept by my relatives. Toys bought for my cousins, tales of how she would buy or make the New Year clothes for each grandchild herself, the yummy meals she cooked for my dad when he was courting my mum. Hehe. She was so generous that she would give the best of whatever she had to others instead of keeping it for herself.

5. Hard-working. Being a female then and raising seven children while working for others as a washerwoman, cooking, ironing, cleaning, keeping the house, and being the all around maid. I wonder how she got by on less than five hours of sleep and little food. She would work her fingers to the bone and never rest - right up until she couldn't work any longer due to ill-health.

6. A peacemaker. I am guessing that this is due to her kind and generous nature, but she didn't like to see any quarrels or disturbances happening. She was always the go-between for warring parties and she would doggedly work at making things settle down, smooth over until a truce was reached. And no one would be happier than she when peace was achieved.

7. Animal lover. Ah, this one I can claim I get from her. She was always surrounded by animals - mostly dogs. There was always a pet dog or two in her home, and she loved 'em like her own kids. (Now you know why Kelly has such a good life?) To this day, dogs surround her grave. They play there, they sleep there, a female dog even gave birth there... it's like home for them. They know they're at the place of an animal lover.

8. A fighter. By that I mean that she hung on to the end, even though she was slowly slipping away due to her illness. She never let on to the pain she was feeling or the struggle to keep up the brave front. She insisted on attending my mother's wedding and was still actively moving about then. It was, perhaps, her last big goal to be achieved in life - to see her daughter safely married off.

So there you have it. 8 facts about my Ma Ma. I guess it's a typical life for women of her time, but still, I am immensely proud of this woman whom I didn't have the opportunity to know.

No taggees this time... I think all my previous tags have yet to be completed by them! *wink*