My Ah bu

She hasn't been well. Due to some diabetes complications she was admitted to the hospital right before Gungxi Gungxi. Her legs were swollen, her back ached, her body weak, her spirit dampened. Not a good way to start the "Menglembu Year".

She was discharged a few days prior to the first day of CNY, and has been recuperating at home since. A year back, it would have been impossible to see her being idle. I reckon she would have:

a. cooked a storm for 19 of us for the reunion dinner, which could be eaten again the next day and next and then there would still be leftovers for Quahli, the dog

b. decorated the house with some shoddy angpows

c. bought pussy willows

d. dug away Quahli's dungs which are terrorising the garden

e. pulled some weeds which grow the very next minute

f. cooked some dunno-wat, froze them and packed them into a big Carrefour plastic bag and asked me to pass to my in laws, despite my reluctant grunts

Oh well.. she didnt do any of the above mentioned this year.

Simtia..sakit hati.. sumtung.

These days, when I drive her to the pasar malam, she stays in the car while I hop down to grab what she needs. When we go out to eat, I'd drop her off right in front of the kopitiam. And very often, I'd have to do a detour to pick her up again. She can't walk that much anymore.

Simtia.. sakit hati..sumtung.

Sometimes when she is seated, she can't get up on her own. She would summon Gooly to help. And Gooly would wrap his hands around her waist. I don't think this frontal Helmich Manoeuvre helps, but she likes the attention rendered. :)

She is only 60 this year. Married at 17, she had her first baby at 18. By 26, she delivered her last baby, yours truly and tied up her fallopian tube.

During my childhood days, she has never shown any temper, except for this one time that my eldest brother pissed her off so much that she lifted her right Bata slipper and attempted to fling it at him. She was almost never mad at me. Err.. except for that time when I took a picture of her without makeup even after numerous warnings of 'you better not'. No digital that time.. so when the picture was developed, I could see her fuming mad. Sorry-loh.

I am actually a photocopy image of her. Our eyes especially. And when we smile, our lips are usually lopsided.

She tells ridiculous stories cos she digresses. Yesterday, she told us how our cousin got dengue fever. She started by asking, "Do you know how she got it?" We said uh-uh, donchno. So she *ahem ahem* cleared her throat and started theorizing:

Ai ai is a good girl. This year, her mother's biz isn't so good. Give angpow also not enough. So ..bla bla bla...

It was a good five minutes before we got to know how Ai Ai got stung by nyamuk aedes.

She also has a habit of telling you something, assuming that you already know:

Neh, who who went to SS there and said the what taste nice woh...

What talking you, ah bu?

Her BM is lagi killer:

You tunggu sikit jam. Itu roti changhai (roti canai) saya beli.

Isn't she cute?

Haiz...The youngest already in her 30s, she would still worry about this and that. Yeah.. I know mothers never stop worrying. But...haiz...Sometimes I get irritated with her. Usually about how she cares for others first and ignores her own plights. Deep down, it's admiration that I feel for her. But still, I'd ngam her. And yet, I know I want to be like her when I grow up.

Once, someone said I idolise my mom. Oh well, if you had a mom like her, you would too. :)

She's the most unselfish person I have ever met. But for now, I wish she would be selfish, and learn how to take care of herself, above all things and people.