A Tribute to My Grandma

19th ~ 22nd July, 2010 ~ This entry & the photo of a double rainbow(the 2nd rainbow is very fade, just above the lamp pole) is dedicated in memory to my beloved grandma.

Double Blessing


The significant of this photo is not in its quality which is poor as it was taken by my cellphone camera. Instead, it has a very important impact in my life. The pic was taken while traveling in my dad's pick-up truck after he picked me up from work. On the way home, we saw this stunningly beautiful double rainbow. This is the 1st time I'd seen a double rainbow & more importantly, I saw it on the anniversary of the passing of my grandpa. And beside that, about a week after this sighting, slightly more then a year after grandpa left us, my beloved grandma followed him to heaven. My grandma is 98 years old.
The wake lasted 3 days with the final ritual of scattering my grandma ashes at sea which was what she had requested, same as my grandpa. Till now, I'm still in a confused, distress & depressed mood. I cried a lot. I miss my grandma very very much. She looked after me during my younger years. I was quite a handful to handle, hyperactive, playful & mischievous. But the dragon lady who is my grandma could handle me very well. She had never beaten me, but she is firm & tolerates no nonsense. And she has a soft heart which sometime yield when I used the crying tactic. Even when I'm grown up & she got old & weak, I'm still in awe of & a little afraid of her. I couldn't use the crying method anymore. LOL! xD
Those were one of the happiest period of my life while staying with my grandparents, running around in their big house, playing hide-and-seek, kung-fu fighting with my younger brother & breaking things... oops... my grandma always playfully reminded me of those whenever the family recalled our memories. I don't think I will be able to pay for all those antiques I'd destroyed. LOL! =P
My grandma is one tough lady & a very intelligent one too. As an only child, strong-will & no nonsense, with very little help, she migrated from China to here, alone, all by her own. Not an easy task for an Asian woman of those period, just before the Second World War. She married my grandpa, a local Chinese & set up a small business, ran it so well that she could afford to purchase a private property. She achieved all her success in an era without Women Rights, of very conservative Asian traditional views when almost all women were not allowed to be in-charge of or had no say in anything & were usually treated as ornaments, babies factories & housewives. My grandma overcame all those difficulties, fought for a place, a standing in a harsh world & won with glory. Quite a feat for a woman of her time. A Dragon Lady she is! Yet, despite of her toughness, she has a kind heart, always willing to help whenever she could.
During the last few years, as my grandparents got old, weak & fragile, my dad & his youngest sister took turns looking after, caring for the old folks. I visited as & when I could, but regretfully, it was not as much as I had wanted/wished to. Slightly a year after my grandpa passed away(8th July, 2009), on Monday 19th of July, 2010, my grandma joined him in heaven. A very loving couple were my grandparents & they are together now, like the double rainbow, happily forever in heaven.
Here's to a tough, but kind-hearted Grand Dragon Lady, my Dearest Beloved Grandma, age 98 ~ R.I.P.
"Grandma, I love you a lot & miss you very very much." ~ Your mischievous granddaughter, Niki.