Mother was a hospitable woman

Yesterday sister Wan Lan informed me that our cousin Tai Seow,about 7-8 years older than me, was knocked down by a motorbike in KL. He sufferred a broken leg and 8 broken ribs.

I recall when I was a teenager still in school he was a frequent visitor to our house in PJ. Infact if my memory has not failed me he used to come by almost daily, just to play with us and to have lunch or dinner and normally stayed the whole day. Even though we were not very well off and lunch or dinner was not that splendid, he would join us for meals everytime. He was like a part of the family. Mother used to be very happy with his visits. Infact as he had no Mother, our Mother used to be especially warm to him. Or, maybe I am mistaken...Mother was a person who had been always very hospitable to her relatives and anyone who came to visit.

Looking back, I miss those days when Mother was alive and when we were all together, with not much luxury but with a simplicity that only Mother could inspire.

Mother's hopes

Today I bought a bunch of kailan. While washing the vege and discarding the old leaves, I recalled one of my Mother's habits. Whenever, she picked kailan or choysum or spinach or any other vegetable, she would only retain the very young leaves. When I pointed out that she was wasteful she used to tell me, "those are not nice, how to eat!". I did not quite agree with her because some of the leaves she threw away were acceptable to me. In a way, this habit shows the kind of high standard she set for herself, which also reflected the kind of pressure she used to put on herself to want the best for her family. She also in a way set high hopes and expectations for her children and in the process placed too much pressure on herself.

Youth fades, love droops, the leaves of friendship fall, A mother's secret hope outlives them all. -Oliver Wendell Holmes

Mother fried Chinese kueh bakul with sweet potatoes and yam

Now that the CNY is over, everything had quietened down. I remember when Mother was alive and when I was still not married, this was the time Mother started to "get rid" of all the kueh bakul that we had either bought or received as gifts from friends and relatives who visited. Mother used to fry the kueh bakul with sweet potatoes and yam for breakfast and for tea. In fact, it was not uncommon to see alot of these on the dining table and we just helped ourselves whenever we felt hungry. Even now, I like the kueh bakul fried with sweet potatoes and yam.