Good bye, mama. 
I’m sad that I will not get to see mama this chinese new year. Arrived in singapore on Sunday and news came in the afternoon that she had passed away. Thankful to have been able to go to Penang to pay my respects and attend the wake together with the rest of the family. 
I never got to know mama that well since I was brought up in singapore, didn’t learn how to speak hokkien and by the time I was grown up and went to JC / uni the trips to Penang were fewer, and she had started to lose her memory. 
What I remember from the trips to Penang during my childhood was that mama was always delighted to see us when we visited during the holidays, always so caring towards us, always asking us to 多多喝水 while also preparing such good laksa, 芋头糕 / orh kueh and other desserts. Eventually I learnt how to play mahjong and could join in to play with mama. I remember how she was always so good and swept the table so often, even as her memory faded in the later years.
Mama has truly left a great legacy. It was moving to see the family coming together in harmony to pay our respects to her. I am privileged and humbled to be part of this legacy and part of this family.