Life of a yummy baby ... and now there are 2!!!!!

Death, like love, is a funny thing. No matter how we prepare ourselves for it, we cannot escape the feelings of loss, grief and sorrow when it happens to our close ones. In one week I lost both my grandmothers .

Last Thursday, my maternal grandmother passed away in the hospital. She was 78. Two days after, my paternal grandmother who was 88 passed away at home. As I am the second-eldest (on my dad's side) and eldest grand-daughter (on my mum's side) to my grandmothers, I consider myself very fortunate to have had many happy memories with them during my childhood days. I am particularly closer to my parental grandmother because we lived with her for most of the time, up till her twilight years.

I have always remembered my paternal grandmother to be a healthy and independent lady who never seem to suffer from any major illness or looked the least bit frail, even in her 80s. The year when Morgan was born, her lungs suffered from some pneumonia-like attack with the detection of some malignant growth on one side of her lungs. Treatment for her pervasive cough carried on for a year and a half to no avail. Few months before she left us, she continued to cough relentlessly and had lost a lot of weight. Her mobility was reduced from using a walking stick independently to needing a domestic helper to assist her when she became bed-ridden in the last few weeks. By that time both sides of her lungs had suffered the spread of cancerous cells. She was too old and too weak to fight back the illness or undergo major surgery. Still she held on painfully to each day to see us return even as her cough seemed to draw her closer to her last breath. And I am so glad we made it back to see her this time with Morgan.

As she had only 2 sons, we held the wake at the void-deck of my elder uncle's house. It was going to be a family affair that would last 5 days, 4 nights. People would come to visit during this period to pay their last respects to our granny before she was cremated. During the night, our family members would have to stay up to keep guard - of cats jumping over the coffin, which was believed to make the corpse sit up. I am not sure how true this is. According to her wishes, we held Buddhist rites to help granny on her journey in the afterworld. And all the family members would be busy folding paper money which we believe would serve granny well, after they have been burnt alongside the paper house and other paper chests of treasures.















The most touching scene for me was when my grandmother's "kaki's" or neighborhood friends, a group of them, came round to pay their last respects at the alter. Their presence meant so much. My grandmother, though quiet, was held in high regards by others in which we, the family, have never quite seen. We met some of her old friends - people who knew her before she got married. People who told us how she had to look after my grand-dad, her husband, who was then sick and dying. These old friends carry with them some knowledge of the past that were not revealed to us. From them, we began to see our grandma in a different dimension. We realised what a strong and dignified woman she had always been.


My grandmother's funeral has brought to our families and relations - a time for reflecting and bonding. Though we feel sad at the loss, we know that she's in a better place without suffering.

This is what we did for 婆 婆's birthday (19 Feb) - we celebrated with Morgan and mummy at the Swenson's ice-cream coffeehouse because 婆 婆 gets a free birthday ice-cream which comes with an order of a main meal. The staff of Swenson's sang her a birthday song and Morgan blew out the candles. Needless to say, Morgan gets the first taste of 婆 婆's birthday ice-cream!

Morgan and his 公 公 were swimming at the local nieghbourhood pool yesterday.























Morgan showed 公 公 how he fell into the water from the edge of the pool - like machiam with style!













And climbs up to try it over and over again ....

If anyone is interested to purchase these masterpieces, please do not hesitate to drop me an email. Prices are negotiable.





Title : Abstract 1
Medium : red marker on floor tile
(Sold - but similar style of work may be commissioned)










Title : Abstract 2
Medium : red marker on vinyl and wood

Morgan meets his great-grandparents, paternal and maternal :









Morgan goes marketing with 婆 婆 on the shopping trolley in the morning and spending time with 公 公 in the evenings.













Morgan with mummy on the piano and still mad about choo-choo trains!






Morgan learning to use a pair of chopsticks during "捞 起".

Wency 阿 姨 and Shawn 叔 叔's friends and family came over for "捞 起" (lo hei) - a traditional authentic Chinese must-do dish over the new year. This colourful dish in the middle of the table is made up of various shredded vegetables such as purple cabbage, carrots, peppers etc and later to be mixed in an exotic plum sweet sauce with shellfish and abalone or some sort of raw fish. Everybody gathers round the table and mixes this colourful salad platter using their chopsticks, voicing auspicious ampulets as they go along. This food-mixing ceremony carries on with voices and chopsticks high in the air - to signify a year moving onto greater heights - before everybody is ready to settle down and consume the food.


Morgan meets his cousin David and playing with cars that 婆 婆 bought him from the local sundry shops opposite our flat.

Morgan and mummy are now in the midst of the Chinese New Year celebrations with all the family at home. Very happy indeed!!!
We have also been looking forward to spending more time with 太 婆 (Morgan's great-grandmother) who's now confined to the bed and isn't very well. Hopefully Morgan's presence will cheer her up!

5 Feb, Tuesday

The journey from Malvern to Singapore was one long ride. We did very well ... considering that I was anxious and worried many nights before about organising our luggage, money, tickets and planning the journey of taking Morgan by myself on the train and the airplane.


Morgan and mummy on Central Trains to Birmingham from Great Malvern.

It was wet weather all day. The journey was okay but as usual Birmingham New Street station was just a nightmare. Although I was only lugging about 1 luggage bag, I was struggling around with unfriendly lifts in BNS and a baby in tow. I almost thought I was going to miss the connecting train when I arrived at the correct platform but the train I wanted had already left. Eventually we made it to the airport, in plenty of time.

We arrived at about 6pm and checked in with Emirates. Our flight route : Birmingham - Dubai - Singapore. We were not due to board till half 8 so we had plenty of time to kill. Morgan and I hung around the airport checking out the shops and playing peek-a-boo with Morgan's rubber-duckie aka "鸭 鸭" (ya ya).











Morgan managed to make friends with the Porsche salesgirl and was playing by the cars. It had this big sign - DO NOT TOUCH OR LEAN PLEASE - displayed but somehow he never got told off for anything. Not even when he managed to stuff his 鸭 鸭 into the exhaust pipe of a sliver Porsche.

We eventually boarded the plane. The first leg was do-able and Morgan was a saint. He slept like an angel for half the journey before we landed in Dubai. Although we were eligible for the use of a bassinet, unfortunately Morgan was too big for it at his age.
















6 Feb, Wednesday

It was about 7:3o am when we got to Dubai. The food was really NOT great and we had minimal sleep. Morgan had a bit more than I did, and lucky for me, the Tomas train books from Daddy were great for distracting him away from distress.




Morgan got chatting with other passengers from our flight.









Dubai airport is huge and already crowded with people that morning. The connecting flight was packed with people - going to Singapore and Malaysia. We were not so lucky with seats so Morgan had to sleep on me throughout this leg. We spent the rest of the time either walking up and down the aisle to alleviate the boredom or chatting with the amicable stewards and stewardesses. Morgan made a few female friends after smiling randomly at some passengers, including an Iranian girl who was only 18 months old and constantly seeking his hugs and kisses.
We touched down at Changi Airport at 8:30 pm and my mother, father and sister were there to receive us. The warm breeze and humidity greeted us sweetly as we made our way through the exit doors of the airport towards the taxi stand. We are once again .. so happy to be back!

7 Feb Thursday (Chinese New Year's Day)

恭 喜 发 材 Gong xi fai cai

Morgan had been practising this new year greeting phrase all of last week. He went on to impress his grandparents and especially his great-grandmother who thought his Mandarin sounded marvellous! That morning my sister and I brought Morgan to walk around our local neighbourhood and to check out the nearest playground.


The back view of my neighbourhood from my block.
















Morgan, happy by the playground.

Anybody who'd like to adopt an old-fashion, ribbon-felt electric typewriter, please let me know ... free typewriting lessons with Morgan may be arranged too!