My Po Po - Khoo Ah Moy

My Grandma is an unassuming and down-to-earth woman who has dedicated her entire life to the family. As the eldest grandchild in the family, I was often doted upon by my Grandma. I remember tagging along with her to the Whampoa Wet Market as she meticulously picked live poultry and fresh vegetables.

Grandma is blessed with a gift of culinary skills. She always showered her love for the family through withstanding long hours in the kitchen, preparing the family’s favorite dishes during festive seasons & gatherings. After which, she is always the last person to enjoy her own cooking.
Grandma is a benevolent woman who is giving & compassionate towards others. Due to her humble family background, she is also a thrifty person. She often patched clothing for her children so that they could be worn again. As she seldom dolled herself up, the only cosmetic product Grandma used regularly is Hazeline Snow face cream.

Being a mother of two children, I often marvel at how Grandma brought up her eight children and juggled with the household chores without any domestic help. After all her children have grown up, grandma even helped to take care of a couple of her grandchildren.

As Grandma is illiterate, one of Grandma’s favorite hobbies was tuning to Redifussion radio broadcast to catch up on daily news update. Like all children do, I love to sit on Grandma’s lap listening to her singing nursery rhymes in dialect.

In the past couple of years, Grandma suffered multiple strokes. She is now bedridden and immobile. She can barely recognize her loved ones due to dementia. Grandma can no longer cook our favorite chicken curry, prawn mee & laksa.

It is heart-shattering for the family to helplessly observe her health deteriorates day by day. Recently, Grandma is once again admitted into TTSH due to her critical illness. She is infused with strong antibiotics to tackle her lung infection. Pray that God will grant her peace within despite her frail body.

I love you Po Po! Jia you!

Haruo Takino 2000pcs Noah's Ark Jigsaw Puzzle

After 5 months of painstaking combined efforts, I am proud to announce that my family of 4 has finally completed our first 2,000pcs Noah's Ark jigsaw Puzzle. Initially, James started with the border & we parked the jigsaw puzzles aside for a month before really seriously working on it.

It was almost 75% completed before I left Singapore on Wed, 7 April. When I returned home after a 3 days business trip on Fri, April 9, I was pleasantly surprised that James & my lovely daughters put together the last couple of hundred pieces of jigsaw puzzles. Though restless & tired after a day's work, James & the girls were determined to fix the final pieces together before I returned home. They ultimately made it of course! Am I so proud of them! The next morning, James & I meticulously wrapped the completed artwork & drove it to Abdul Kareem's framing services at AMK Ave 10. Kareem (an old friend neighbourhood friend of James) & his staff did a superb job & delivered the framed puzzle a couple of days later. The picture is now gorgeously hanging in our bedroom :-)