Wednesday, September 26, 2007

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*

12 spins:

rainbow angeles said...

One chup for Ma Ma...

rinnah said...

angel: 5 hugs for your super quick chup!!!

cutiepie said...

my por por has some similar qualities like your por por too .. except she is very garangggg!!!

PB said...

Makes me miss my Ah ma...

rinnah said...

mudpie: 3 similar hugs for you!!

I think some (not all!) por pors are the same!

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paris: 1 missing hug for you!

You do? Then why don't you pick up this tag and write about her? *grin*

Ehon said...

i lub my por por!!! :D :D eh, i'vedone your tags horr.. :P but i'm not asking for more. hehehe.

Anonymous said...

Thanks dear - that was wonderfully done!
You know what? I have had people come up to me and tell *me* that I look like Chow Hoi Mei..

L B said...

omg, why is everyone so fast here wan?

Who is Chow Hoi Mei?

Your Ma Ma sounded so pleasant...

may said...

your MaMa is one special lady... she would've been proud of who you are now! and I can see some of that hard-working-ness in you... ;-)

rinnah said...

ehon: Ahahaha... s'kay... I'll give you a break from the tags... for now. Muahahahaha!

Eh, show la picture of your por por! (I don't have many of mine.)

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giddy tiger: Hehehe... the pleasure's all mine!

Really? Show me a dolled up pic of yourself!

pssst... this is getting too uncanny to be real leh... all these similarities...

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l b: No lah... you were sleeping in FaceBook that's why everyone is faster than you!

Chow Hoi Mei is a HK actress who is quite pretty in her own way. You can try Googling for her images so you know what she looks like. LOL!

My Ma Ma was an angel on earth, now an angel in heaven!

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may: Awww... thanks may! Hehehe... actually hor, I'm quite the slacker compared to her or my mum. LOL!

Simple American said...

You never met her? And you can write so well about her. Special lady really must have been spoken highly of by her loved ones then. Thanks for sharing her story.

rinnah said...

simple american: Yup, she passed away the year before I was born so I didn't get the chance to know her.

I'm glad you liked her story. *hugs*