It was an especially special Mother's Day this year. I received my first Mother's Day card. and for the first time, EV wished me Happy Mother's Day. I have AA too this year, which makes the occasion so much sweeter.
We had a family lunch at Prego at Fairmont Hotel. Our party of 11 included my parents, my sister-in-law (who's being a mum for the first time), my uncle, my aunt and her husband, myself and my husband, EV, AA and my nephew GG. There were in total four mummies, one of whom is also grandmother to EV, AA and GG. I got carnations for each of us mummies (yes, me!) and EV gave them out, complete with her megawatt smile. And what a feast we had!
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And some shots here of EV pointing out GG's nose and mouth.
A special day calls for some photos, and I wanted to take one with my mum. It's been a loooong time since us mother and daughter took one.
And another one with my daughter. Three generations together.
My mum. What can I say? No words can describe her, yet at the same time, there is so much I can say about her. Words like 'great', 'wonderful', 'loving' are not enough; she's more than that.
My mum is well travelled in her youth, having lived in Toronto, Canada and Japan for a number of years (Japan is where she met my dad). Looking back at her old photos, she was one fashionable young lady, complete with bell bottoms and super-mini skirts shocking even to me. She married my dad at 25, then both left their families in Hong Kong to carve a new life in Singapore. Three months later, my mum had me, and with no helper, she looked after me and didn't enjoy much of a confinement. So her health suffered a little for the next few years, before my brother arrived. The most poignant memories I had of her included her frantically running in search of me when I 'left home to go to the market' (I was role playing and really did leave home); fighting with a young man for a taxi in Hong Kong, with me and my brother in tow (people in Hong Kong then were very rude); her standing next to me while I was studying, knocking some sense into me (she really did knock me on the head with her knuckle, but hey, I turned out ok!); and me standing at the front of her bed, reciting Chinese articles from the text books from memory.
The most amusing, and most unbelievable, event was when my brother was in the 'don't disturb me, I'm locking my door' stage of his life. My mum hated us locking our doors - what have we got to hide? So one fine day, she removed the whole door knob from my brother's door and slammed it shut, leaving my brother inside. He never locked his door again (I had to pry the door open to get him out, but of course, he never remembers how I saved him!). Mum can't remember she did that though; she has a habit of selectively remembering things that she did to us. :)
In my teens, we had a lot of screaming fights, but we always made up after cooling down. In those days, together time with mum happened only at home or during family time. We seldom went out as mother and daughter. That changed after university, which my mum supported with her own savings, and after I started working.
It started out as just obligatory dinners after work, as my brother was overseas studying, and my sister was in her 'I don't want to stay home' stage. Eventually, the meals became something to look forward to, and we always tried to find new places to eat. These were occasions where we can catch up on family gossip, or just talk about anything in general.
Now that I am busier with two kids, these mummy-daughter dates are fewer and fewer. Granted, I always bring the kids to home to spend time with their grandmummy, but coupled with the cooking that my mum always insists on, there is really no time for us two to gather together. And more and more, I find that my mum is someone I can turn to to talk (read: gossip) about married life. She's more than a listening ear; I'm always her little girl whom she will protect and defend. With her, I can be a daughter again, and confide in her about being a wife and mummy.
I hope I can be a mummy like my mummy.
My mum is well travelled in her youth, having lived in Toronto, Canada and Japan for a number of years (Japan is where she met my dad). Looking back at her old photos, she was one fashionable young lady, complete with bell bottoms and super-mini skirts shocking even to me. She married my dad at 25, then both left their families in Hong Kong to carve a new life in Singapore. Three months later, my mum had me, and with no helper, she looked after me and didn't enjoy much of a confinement. So her health suffered a little for the next few years, before my brother arrived. The most poignant memories I had of her included her frantically running in search of me when I 'left home to go to the market' (I was role playing and really did leave home); fighting with a young man for a taxi in Hong Kong, with me and my brother in tow (people in Hong Kong then were very rude); her standing next to me while I was studying, knocking some sense into me (she really did knock me on the head with her knuckle, but hey, I turned out ok!); and me standing at the front of her bed, reciting Chinese articles from the text books from memory.
The most amusing, and most unbelievable, event was when my brother was in the 'don't disturb me, I'm locking my door' stage of his life. My mum hated us locking our doors - what have we got to hide? So one fine day, she removed the whole door knob from my brother's door and slammed it shut, leaving my brother inside. He never locked his door again (I had to pry the door open to get him out, but of course, he never remembers how I saved him!). Mum can't remember she did that though; she has a habit of selectively remembering things that she did to us. :)
In my teens, we had a lot of screaming fights, but we always made up after cooling down. In those days, together time with mum happened only at home or during family time. We seldom went out as mother and daughter. That changed after university, which my mum supported with her own savings, and after I started working.
It started out as just obligatory dinners after work, as my brother was overseas studying, and my sister was in her 'I don't want to stay home' stage. Eventually, the meals became something to look forward to, and we always tried to find new places to eat. These were occasions where we can catch up on family gossip, or just talk about anything in general.
Now that I am busier with two kids, these mummy-daughter dates are fewer and fewer. Granted, I always bring the kids to home to spend time with their grandmummy, but coupled with the cooking that my mum always insists on, there is really no time for us two to gather together. And more and more, I find that my mum is someone I can turn to to talk (read: gossip) about married life. She's more than a listening ear; I'm always her little girl whom she will protect and defend. With her, I can be a daughter again, and confide in her about being a wife and mummy.
I hope I can be a mummy like my mummy.
And while we were in a photography mood, we took a neat little family picture. I love how brightly we are smiling, except for sleeping AA, that is. He must be thinking: Ah.. whatever. I'm too tired for this. :) It's ok darling. You can sleep all you want. As long as I'm holding you and your older sister in my arms, everyday is Mother's Day.
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