Sad day :(

On my way to work today, Ming called me up with the sad news that her grandmother passed away early this morning. It was a difficult situation as I know that my wife's heart was deeply aching from the loss, as her grandmother moved over to Australia with her family when they migrated over here.

She spoke a dialect which I grew up with, Hokkien, which meant that I could converse with her during my the time when I was dating Ming up to the time when we got married. She had some minor surgery on her back which was troubling her a few years back, and then returned to Kuching to be with Ming's aunt. We were able to visit her last year when we went back to East Malaysia as part of our holiday, although she was not very mobile and could not speak due to a minor stroke. We are all saddened by this and she will be sorely missed, and I especially feel for my mum-in-law and her sister in Malaysia.

I will always think of her fondly as this little old lady who walks around the house wearing a sarong and likes to snack on chips in front of the telly. Po po we will all miss you, and know that you have returned to be with your Lord. It is a pity that young Hannah will not have anyone in that generation in her life, but she will be filled with stories by her grandparents about the lives of her great-grandparents and all the difficult times they went through which was part and parcel of growing up in their day, such that she will be able to know and appreciate her roots and how fortunate she is to grow up in this day and age.