Mum’s Story

Guat Hiong was born during the Japanese Occupation in 1943, some two years after her parents got married in Singapore. Her father had migrated from China as a young boy. Her mother, younger by eight years, was born in Singapore. Theirs was an arranged marriage which lasted five decades and produced seven children and many grandchildren. The following is an account of their lives, and Guat Hiong’s own story.

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Lee Family History

Introducing Guat Hiong’s father – Lee Tuan Chay 李团济 (1915-1990)

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Lee Tuan Chay was born in Anxi, Fujian in 1915. Possibly fleeing from political turmoils in China where the government was forcing teenagers to join the army, Tuan Chay and his cousins came to Singapore in the 1920s. They had relatives who were already in Singapore then.  Tuan Chay’s parents, who were poor vegetable farmers, could not accompany him as they had to support their relatives in China. Hence, Tuan Chay needed to send money back regularly to support them.

Tuan Chay was the second of three children. His elder sister and younger brother remained in China. Tuan Chay’s sister (Lee Ang Tuan) married a man in China and had two sons. Later, her husband went to Ipoh and married another woman with whom he had eight more children. When Ang Tuan joined her husband in Ipoh, she could not get along with the second wife, and then moved to Kuala Lumpur to work as a cook in a motor workshop. After the second wife passed away in her early forties, Ang Tuan returned to Ipoh to take care of the eight step-children as if they were her own. Over time, a strong bond grew between them. During that period. she would occasionally travel to Singapore to visit Tuan Chay. After Ang Tuan returned to China in the early 1980s, the step-children took turns to visit her annually in the final twenty years of her life in China. Tuan Chay’s younger brother also came to Singapore once. But he later became addicted to gambling, which Tuan Chay was against, and so was sent back to China. 

In Singapore, Tuan Chay first worked as a helper at his uncle’s chicken stall in a local market.  Tuan Chay was hardworking, honest and well-liked, and made many friends including two other boys who also sold chickens in the same market. The chicken stall was eventually passed to Tuan Chay, as the uncle’s own son was not capable. Tuan Chay later went into other businesses such as logging, and left the chicken stall to his chief helper (Chua Ong) who was also invited to join Tuan Chay’s other businesses in Song Hup Seng and Tiong Seng Contractors.

In time, as Tuan Chay became more financially stable, his elders felt that he should settle down. In 1941, he was then introduced to Ms Lim Kim Eng who was about eight years younger than him.

Introducing Guat Hiong’s mother – Lim Kim Eng 林金英 (1/1/1923–9/6/2012)

Lim Kim Eng was born in Singapore on the 25th day of second lunar month in 1923. Her father was Lim Gian Siu 林源惜 and her mother was Bak Hien墨郑 (Chinese name translated phonetically). Born in China, her father was from Nan’an, and her mother was from Anxi. Her father came from a farming family in China. He was the second in a family of four sons. His third brother was a vegetable farmer and fourth brother was a government contractor.

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Her mother was previously married to a man with the Pek surname, with whom she migrated to Myanmar. They had three children – a son Pek Boon Chuan, and two daughters Pek Chua and Pek Ai. When her husband died, Bak Hien remarried. Her second husband was Lim Gian Siu. As times were difficult for the young family in Myanmar, they decided to move to Singapore. At the time, Pek Chua was only ten years old. Later, Bak Hien and Gian Siu went on to have two daughters in Singapore. Therefore, Kim Eng had four siblings: an elder brother Pek Boon Chuan, two elder sisters Pek Chua and Pek Ai (from her mother’s first marriage) and one younger sister Goon Lor (from the second marriage).

In Singapore, her father was hired by a wealthy businessman (towkay) to look after several properties and a warehouse in Havelock Road. The towkay was very kind to the family, letting them live on his property for free. After her father passed away, the family was allowed to stay on, and her mother continued to look after the towkay’s warehouse. Whilst living at Havelock Road, Kim Eng became friendly with a neighbour Mdm Lim Yeo Neo. Coincidentally, Mdm Lim turned out to be the mother of Low Bock Seng, a good friend of Lee Tuan Chay – the man whom she would eventually marry in 1941! Unfortunately, during the Second World War, the towkay was caught by the Japanese. After the war, the towkay’s properties were sold, and Kim Eng’s family then moved to Alexandra Road, near the Anchor brewery.

In the early days, very few girls were educated. However, Kim Eng had the chance to attend night classes at Tan Boon Liat School when she was about 12 or 13 years old, until she got married in 1941. Subjects included mathematics and Chinese but not English. This meant that Kim Eng could read Chinese. She later transferred to Kai Kok Public School 公立介榖学校 because it was inconvenient to travel to Tan Boon Liat School after dark due to its distant location.

Marriage

In 1941, Tuan Chay and Kim Eng got married. It was an arranged marriage. Kim Eng was introduced to Tuan Chay through her sister Pek Ai’s husband who was in the chicken transportation business. The ceremony was officiated at the United Chinese Library 同德书报社. As the couple had little money then, they held a modest wedding dinner of about ten tables at the Spring Court restaurant 永春园.This was likely because Tuan Chay’s uncle was a chicken supplier to the said restaurant. The couple’s wedding car was borrowed from Tuan Chay’s good friend Low Bock Seng who ran a charcoal shop in the Hong Lim area. The two men got to know each other before the war, when they were introduced by Tuan Chay’s female relative who was in the charcoal business in Indonesia.

Note: This United Chinese Library was set up in 1910 by Dr. Sun Yat Sen, initially to spread revolutionary ideas to generate support for the Chinese Revolution against the Manchu rulers. The library provided members with newspapers for reading, conducted public talks and night classes, and generally promoted a modern way of living including modernising Chinese wedding ceremonies. Amongst those who held their weddings at the library was former president Wee Kim Wee in 1936.

Family Homes

The Second World War broke out in October of the same year. After the wedding, the couple rented a room in a house at 40 Chin Swee Road. Their three first children – It Hoe, Guat Hiong and Guat Sin – were born at the time. During air raids, the family would run over to their friend Low Bock Seng’s home at 757A Havelock Road which had a home-made bomb shelter in the garden. During the Occupation, Tuan Chay continued to run his business and the family did not suffer too many hardships. Kim Eng’s immediate and extended family were also not affected by the war, but she saw Japanese soldiers beating or ordering people to kneel on the streets.

After the war, the family rented a room from a second-floor unit in a pre-war three-storey shophouse at the junction of Beo Crescent and Havelock Road (near current shop unit 719).

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Then, sometime in the late 1940s, the family moved to a rented house at 2C Delta Road (currently occupied by Blk 77, Indus Garden). It was a one-storey wooden house on stilts, with many fruit trees in the garden. At the time, there were several such houses along the same road. Guat Chye, Yew Sim and Lian Guat were born there.  

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After that, the family moved to a rental flat in Block 58 Ganges Ave. From 1951 to 1961, they lived at a two-room ground floor flat (Unit 16) and all seven children slept in one room on a wooden plank bed. At times, they even had relatives living with them such as Hong Keow who came from Pulau Tekong to help with the housework. In 1961, the family moved to a larger three-room unit on the fourth floor in the same block (Unit 14C). They continued to be close to the Low Bock Seng family who lived nearby at Havelock Road. In fact, it was almost a daily routine for Bock Seng to walk across the big field in front of the Ganges Ave flats, to meet Tuan Chay. The Lee children would then bring out two chairs for them to sit and talk, often having tea till late evening.

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The Lee family lived at Ganges Ave until 1969 when they moved to Coronation Road. The new house was built on a plot bought by Tuan Chay and Kim Eng. The seller was a Malay who sold the land for $1.70 per sq ft. After the purchase, the family received an offer to buy the same plot for $1.90 per sq ft but they decided not to sell it as they wanted to live there. It was a big piece of land covering four lots. Tuan Chay believed that the Central Business District would one day include that area, thereby making the property very valuable. Two houses were built, designed by Lee Sian Teck. They were constructed on the Coronation Road side of the plot because the other side was bounded by a large canal and it was too expensive then to build a bridge over the canal. The Lee family moved into one of the two houses. The intention was to eventually build two more houses on the remaining lots, so that all three sons could each occupy one when they got married.

Buying Land

After getting married, Kim Eng was a full-time housewife. However, she was keen on property and often persuaded Tuan Chay to look into such purchases. For instance, she bought a 1.5 acres plot at Old Upper Thomson Road for $6800 (about $0.12 per square foot). This was eventually sold for $80,000. With the proceeds and some of her personal saving, she bought another piece of land at No. 333 Thomson Road which was eventually jointly developed as Peak Court apartments, with Lam Soon in the 1980s.

Tuan Chay also believed in the value of land. In 1958, he found out that No. 36 Oxley Road was for sale at $50,000. It contained a colonial bungalow with two rows of living quarters behind the main house. At the time, the premises was divided into about 30 rooms, which were rented out for between $100 and $200 dollars per month. The site was near Orchard Road, in a fairly well-to-do neighbourhood. Tuan Chay thought that it had the potential to become very valuable one day. He also believed that if there was a good opportunity to make money, it should be shared with others. He then approached his two good friends from his chicken-selling days. They were not as successful as him, but he persuaded them to take a one-third stake each in the land. Later, one of them even moved in, to live on the property. Incidentally, the land was next to the home of Lee Kuan Yew, who was then the leader of the opposition in the Lim Yew Hock Government. In the next year, Lee Kuan Yew led the People’s Action Party to victory in the 1959 elections.

Doing Business

 A few years after getting married, Tuan Chay started an earthworks business called Song Hup Seng 双合成私人有限公司 with a few friends. They were all Hokkiens, either his relatives or people from the same province.

Although Tuan Chay was not educated, he eventually taught himself how to read and write Chinese in Singapore. He turned out to be a very good entrepreneur, and many wanted to go into business partnerships (especially import-export business) with him, including his good friend Low Bock Seng.

Chay liked to invite small groups of friends and business partners for meals at home. On these occasions, Kim Eng would personally cook for them. As the eldest daughter, Guat Hiong helped out with the marketing, and also learnt from her mother who was a good cook.

Amongst Tuan Chay’s business associates was Mr Pek Ah Tuan from Peck Tiong Choon, a transport logistics company. Both men became acquainted through business dealings. For instance, Song Hup Seng was once contracted to clear a fire site. Peck Tiong Choon, which had some transportation works nearby, needed an excavator for a few days. Tuan Chay was happy to help with a small matter, and did not charge for the excavation work. Over time, both men became friends and eventually, Mr Pek invited Tuan Chay to jointly set up an earthworks business. However, since Song Hup Seng was in the same business, Tuan Chay counter-suggested that Song Hup Seng should be made a partner in the new business instead of him. Mr Pek was agreeable, and Tiong Seng Contractors长城工程私人有限公司 was formed in 1959. From then, Tuan Chay concentrated most of his efforts on Tiong Seng, and left the running of Song Hup Seng to Chua Chwee Lai (son of former assistant Chua Ong) who also worked as a foreman for Tiong Seng Contractors. Over the next 30 years Song Hup Seng was the main contractor of choice, especially for golf course construction in Singapore.

Note: In the 1970s, Tiong Seng Contractors expanded into civil engineering. It contributed to Singapore’s infrastructural development, building roads and bridges, and laying sewage pipes. The company was involved in the building of the Pan Island Expressway and Central Expressway, Singapore’s first highways. In the 1980s, Tiong Seng grew to take on larger projects. It built Gate 2, the largest and most advanced of the four new gates commissioned by the then Port of Singapore Authority, for its Tanjong Pagar Terminal. It was also in the 1980s that the company undertook government building projects such as schools and HDB flats, transforming from a sub-contractor into a provider of design and turnkey construction.

Besides being a successful businessman, Tuan Chay was also involved in community work. For instance, he was treasurer of the School Advisory Committee for River Valley High School for many years. He wanted to contribute to the school because his three children – It Hoe, Guat Hiong and Lian Guat – were educated there. He was highly respected by the school principal who would receive him at the gate whenever he arrived at the school for meetings. During such meetings, the principal often updated him on problems faced by students from poorer families. Hence, Tuan Chay always made sure he brought cash with him to pass to the principal to help these students. However, he did not want to take any credit and always told the principal not to reveal his identify to them.

Guat Hiong’s Story

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Childhood

Guat Hiong was born in Singapore on 23 August 1943. This was in the middle of the Japanese Occupation. Her mother was then only 19 years old, and had just been married two years earlier in 1941.

Guat Hiong’s earliest recollection was their home at 2C Delta Road (currently occupied by Blk 77, Indus Garden). It was a rented one-storey wooden house on stilts, with fruit trees in the garden. At the time, there were several such houses along the same road.

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In 1951, the family later moved to a rental flat at Blk 58 Ganges Ave. This was where Guat Hiong lived until she got married in 1968.

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School

Guat Hiong initially studied at Kai Kok Public School 公立介榖学校 for two years. She later transferred to Gongshang School 南洋工商补习学校 because her father felt that it had a better reputation than Kai Kok which was like a village school. Whilst at Gongshang, one of Guat Hiong’s favourite classes was conducted by a teacher who recited stories from famous classical novels. Both Guat Hiong and her elder brother It Hoe attended Gongshang, whilst younger brother Yew Cheng went to Catholic High and the rest of the Lee siblings studied at English-medium schools. This was because her father wanted the family to have a mix of educational backgrounds.

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Note: Gongshang (Chinese Industrial and Commercial Continuation School 南洋工商补习学校) was established in 1920 as an evening Chinese school for working adults, which later provided primary education. The school moved to Outram Road (York Hill) in 1929 where it had a mini zoo and a model aeroplane that was very popular with the students, most of whom had never travelled by air. Gongshang was a popular school until the 1970s when – like all other Chinese-medium schools – enrolment dwindled. After transforming into an English-medium school, it was officially renamed Gongshang Primary School and relocated to Tampines in 1985.

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Before enrolling in Gongshang, Guat Hiong already knew Seng Poh since both their fathers were good friends and business partners. As both families lived close to each other in the Ganges Ave area, Guat Hiong’s father would occasionally ferry the Low children to Gongshang in his car. However, Guat Hiong and Seng Poh were never in the same class as he was one year older. Whilst at Gongshang, Guat Hiong also attended Griffths Primary School in the afternoons as her father felt that English fluency would be useful in Singapore. However, Guat Hiong was often late for such afternoon classes. The school was located at Bendemeer, and she was the last one to be dropped off by her father.

After primary school, Guat Hiong attended Government Chinese Middle School (later known as River Valley High School). Initially her father was concerned about her going to a Chinese middle school. He saw the troubles then in the Chinese schools and did not want her to get mixed up in such activities. He had already seen how Seng Poh became involved with pro-communist activities whilst at Chinese High School. Her father also noticed that she had some close friends who were communist sympathisers, and was worried that she would be influenced by them. For instance, Guat Hiong once helped some friends by storing their clothes at home when they were preparing to leave for China without their parents’ knowledge. In the end, her father likely felt that Government Chinese Middle School should be a safe choice since it was started by the government. His other children It Hoe and Lian Guat eventually also attended the same school.

Note: River Valley High School was the first Chinese secondary school set up by the government in 1956. Initially known as the Singapore Government Chinese Middle School when it occupied the premises of Seng Poh Primary School, it was renamed Queenstown Government Chinese Middle School when it moved to Strathmore Avenue. In 1958, it was relocated to Jalan Kuala and renamed River Valley Government Chinese Middle School.

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Guat Hiong’s favourite school subject was English. She attributed this to the fact that they had a neighbour (Tan family) in Ganges Ave who were Peranakans and English-speaking. The children from both families were friendly with each other. Mrs Tan was a good cook and would occasionally share food with them. Over the years, both families kept in touch.

After graduating from River Valley in 1961, Guat Hiong enrolled at University of Singapore for their Pre-U course where she opted to study science. Although she would have preferred an arts course, she could not do so with a certificate from a Chinese middle school. As she was not good at science, she failed her first year. She then decided to transfer to Nanyang University (Nantah) to study Modern Language and Literature. The course was taught in English but electives like psychology were taught in Mandarin. Some of her Nantah lecturers included Mrs Christie and Michael Thorpe. Guat Hiong’s coursemates then included Mrs Lai Peck Har and Joan. At the time, Tan Swie Hian and former MP Chin Harn Tong also took the same course, but they were her seniors. Guat Hiong eventually topped her class of 15 students in 1967. In a testimonial from Nantah, Guat Hiong was described as “intelligent, hardworking, possessing independent judgment, fluent in Chinese and English, quiet but friendly”.

From 1963 to 1967, Guat Hiong lived at the Nantah student dormitory as the university was located too far away from home. Mrs Lai Pek Har was her roommate for those four years. Occasionally, some left-leaning Nantah students activists would knock on their dormitory door at night, to invite them to join their gatherings. Sometimes, they would join in, but nothing much happened at such activities. Guat Hiong felt that the activists were mostly unhappy with certain university policies, but like many others, she was not personally affected by them.

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Whilst Guat Hiong was at Nantah, she and Seng Poh were already dating. They corresponded frequently by post, and Seng Poh arranged to meet her weekends so as not to disturb her studies on weekdays. During the examination periods when she had to study in the hostel over the weekends, Seng Poh would sometimes invite her younger brother Yew Cheng for lunch or catch a movie, and Seng Poh would then update Guat Hong on what they did together.

A year after graduating from Nantah, Guat Hiong and Seng Poh got married in 1968. They held two wedding dinners, one at Spring Court and another at the Singapore Conference Hall.

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Work

After graduation in 1967, Guat Hiong became a relief teacher for a short while, teaching English at Chinese High School. She later worked as a probations officer with the Ministry of Social Affairs for three years from 1967 to 1970. This job required English fluency as the officer needed to attend juvenile court hearings and provide reports to the courts. Most of the cases under her charge were youths who were from broken families or whose parents were unable to supervise them. As a result, some joined gangs or were involved in petty crime. Guat Hiong had to use a mix of Mandarin and dialects to communicate with her cases.

After giving birth to Sze Wee in 1970, she resigned from her job at the Ministry of Social Affairs. She wanted to take a break because she found the work emotionally draining. During the break, she kept in touch with her former colleagues. After about four months, her former boss heard that she was bored at home, and asked if she wanted to return to work. Guat Hiong was open to the idea and the boss then proceeded to get approval to rehire her.

At about the same time, Guat Hiong’s sister Guat Chye told her that the University of Singapore (SU) was recruiting for administrative positions. Guat Hiong then decided to apply. Within a short time, she was interviewed and given an offer. Since the offer was about $200 more than the Ministry’s offer, she decided to take up the University’s offer. At the time, SU was at the Bukit Timah campus. Her position was with the Personnel Dept handling non-academic staff recruitment. Later, SU merged with Nantah to form the National University of Singapore (NUS) at Kent Ridge.

The main challenge at work for Guat Hiong was the academic staff who were not good administrators and therefore created staff problems or could not resolve such issues on their own. The university merger also gave rise to difficulties as she had to manage former Nantah staff, many of whom were disgruntled by the merger.

Overall, Guat Hiong enjoyed her career at the university and stayed for about 30 years until her retirement. On the whole, she felt that she had good bosses. When personnel matters were under the purview of the Registrar’s office, her head was Mrs Lu Sinclair. Under Mrs Sinclair, she understood the importance of written communications. When personnel matters were transferred out of Registrar’s office, her boss was Mr J.J. Isaac who believed in staff empowerment.

Marriage

After her marriage in 1968, she and Seng Poh lived in a rented room in Tiong Bahru for about one year. Later, when Seng Poh’s elder brother Seng Kar got married and moved out from the Low family flat at Tiong Bahru Road, she and Seng Poh moved in with his parents. Since then, Seng Poh’s parents continued to live with them until their passing. When Guat Hiong’s family moved to Coronation Road in 1969, she and Seng Poh then took over the Lee family’s rental flat at Ganges Ave.

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In 1971, they finally bought their first home – a terrace house at 149 Taman Permata for $60,000. By then, their first child Sze Wee had been born in 1970, and they required a larger home. The Taman Permata home was chosen because it was in a quiet location, and not far from the main road. 

In 1978, they moved again, this time to a semi-detached house at 7 Mount Sinai Walk which was purchased for $160,000. The move enabled Guat Hiong to be closer to her workplace in NUS at Kent Ridge, so that she would not be tired by the daily commute. The Mount Sinai Walk home would be the family home for more than three decades until Seng Poh and Guat Hiong passed away from cancer in 2016 and 2019 respectively. 

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NUS would be a place where the Low family had many happy memories. Apart from being Guat Hiong’s workplace since the 1980s, it was also where Sze Wee and Sze Gin had studied law. Later, after returning from his Masters in London, Sze Wee then worked for more than a year at NUS Museums. The Kent Ridge Guild House was also a place where the family spent weekends at the pool, and later, many enjoyable meals at their Chinese restaurant The Scholar. In honour of their memories, their children Sze Wee, Su-Lin and Sze Gin set up the Lee Guat Hiong Bursary at NUS and the Low Seng Poh Bursary for students at the NUS Faculty of Engineering. This is their tribute to them:

“Our late mother spent many happy years working at NUS. Likewise, our late father had three fulfilling decades with the Housing Development Board. Both were firm believers in education. As their children, we are proud of what they had achieved in their lifetimes. We hope that the two Bursaries will help others to do the same – lead meaningful lives, develop loving relationships and contribute to society in whatever ways they can.”

Final thoughts

Dear family and friends

Thank you for being here today to celebrate the life of our mother. We love her so much, for so many different reasons. It’s impossible to list down all her wonderful qualities, and the difference she made to our lives. So, today, I would just mention 3 things about Mum which we will always hold dearly in our hearts.

Firstly, she was a very loving wife. She and my Dad made a wonderful loving couple. Dad was more extroverted and outgoing, always laughing and enjoying the company of friends and family. Mum had a more quiet personality. She was happy to stay in the background and was ever supportive of Dad’s interests such as singing and travelling. In fact, Dad was very lucky. When he was diagnosed with cancer, it was a blow to him and Mum. Over the years as Dad battled his illness, Mum took very good care of him, accompanying for medical appointments and treatments. And when Dad became bedridden and needed even more attention, she was always by his side, day and night.

Secondly, many relatives and her colleagues have told us repeatedly how kind Mum was. She always had time for them, to listen to their problems and offer her advice and assistance in any way she could. For instance, when friends had medical problems, she would tap on her networks at the University where she worked, and try her best to secure an appointment with the best doctors she knew at the University Hospital. Mum worked for many years in the personnel department at National University of Singapore. Her colleagues mentioned that Mum was always approachable and the person to go to whenever they faced problems at work. In fact, Mum was often asked to negotiate with the unions, as she had a way of working through difficult, sometimes confrontational issues, in a calm and reassuring manner.

Thirdly, family was very important to Mum. She devoted herself to our family wholeheartedly. Until the day she resigned, she would always rush home to cook dinner herself, even though we had a helper at home. Many times, she would cook while still wearing her work clothes. This was because she wanted to make sure dinner was served on time. She would worry tirelessly over her immediate family as well as her own brothers and sisters and my dad’s family. She loved her brothers and sisters a lot. As the eldest sister, she did her best to keep all her siblings happy. She always felt responsible for them.

To her, unity and respect were very important. Many times, she would make sacrifices for the sake of her own immediate and extended families. Let me just give one example. Every year, for the first day of Chinese New Year, all the relatives from Dad’s side of the family would gather at our home for lunch. This was a tradition that started when our grandparents lived with us. After they passed away, Dad continued to host the lunch as he was very keen to maintain a tradition which brought the whole extended Low family together once a year. After Dad passed away in 2016, Mum was very sad, and was not sure she should continue this tradition. But after some thought, she decided to restart the tradition because she knew that it would have been what Dad would have wanted. Family was important to Dad, and it was also important to Mum.  This is something which I, Su Lin and Sze Gin will always remember for the rest of our lives.

From grandson Christopher Gan

When my sister and i were in kindergarten, Popo would pick us up from school and we would stay at her house until it was time for dinner. During that time, Popo would go out of her way to ensure that Vanessa and I take our afternoon naps and eat well. She would stock her fridge with Vitagen because she knew we loved drinking it.

When I was taking my A-levels, Popo always took care of me and made sure to boil a cup of barley water for me to drink. When I came back late from school, Popo would insist on staying up, late into the night, and wait for me to return home. Only when she knew I had returned home safely, did she go to sleep. 

For my whole life, I bore witness to the unconditional and self-sacrificing love of my Popo. Even during the final days of her life, Popo loved and cared for our health. She told us to always sleep and eat well, and to look out for one another. 

Popo, thank you for taking care of our family. Thank you for feeding us when we were hungry, for comforting us when we were hurting, and for shaping us into who we are today. When I was a child, I remembered how you used to love listening to Gonggong sing. Now that you are in heaven with Gonggong, I trust that he is serenading you right now.

From granddaughter Vanessa Gan

When I think of Popo, there are two qualities which come to mind – her kindness and whole-hearted support for her loved ones. 

There were numerous times Popo sacrificed her time to help me with my Chinese homework. And to those who don’t know, I become a very whiny and unpleasant kid to deal with when it comes to homework especially in Chinese. Yet, Popo, so lovingly and patiently, helped me through many essays and passages over the years. And I’m so thankful for that. 

There were also times when she would bring my brother and I out for meals. It would not necessarily be her favourite foods to eat, but I guess the time spent with us was more precious than the food in front of her. 

Popo was really supportive as well. All these crazy dreams I had since secondary school, Popo never once doubted those dreams. All the times I’d said I’ll do well in school and get good grades, she’d never once doubted those too. Whenever I jokingly asked Popo to sponsor my tuition fees, she had never hesitated to say okay. Honestly, I don’t know where or how she gets the confidence to believe in me. But, it’s truly comforting to know that she has my back all the time. 

It is definitely saddening that she has left us this way, but I can only imagine the joy she feels as she reunites with Gonggong. 

Popo, I hope I’ve made you laugh enough at the dinner table. Take these jokes, share them to Gonggong and have a good laugh again. We’ll miss you but I know that you’ll be up in heaven watching us from above.

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