21st Mar 2010 (6)
ROOT
My mother was a classical beauty when she was young and even
though she is now over 80 years old, she does not look like a deflated
balloon. This may be genetic. I remember my maternal grandma also
had very fine skin even when she was in her 70s. My mum was very
talented in cookery and dressmaking. She could make fine Chinese and
Western fusion food.
When my sisters and I were in our teens, she made beautiful frocks and
dresses for us although no patterns were available at that time. She
made stylish tight pencil dresses and skirts for herself. Most of the
people in our social circle praised my dad for marrying a beautiful and
capable wife. She loved going out and socialising which I did not like
very much as I did not want to return home not seeing her there. When
I grew up, I refused silently to learn from her talents. She never had an
analytical mind and always had a soft ear. Although she is now over 80
years old, modesty and humility are not her strengths. Her favourite
daughter has indeed inherited her talents and I may never know what I
have missed!!
The marriage of my step-grandmother to my fraternal grandfather was
a marriage of convenience. My step-grandmother came from a poor
family which migrated to Hong Kong from China. My grandfather was a
widower when he was remarried to my step-grandmother, and he was
30 year older than her. My father was married to my mother by then.
My step-grandmother thought it might be a good idea to have a baby at
home so as to cure her boredom and also ease the heavy burden of
my mother looking after three baby daughters. My mother agreed and
my third sister was therefore raised by my step-grandmother for about
eight years. My step-grandmother moved in and stayed with us after
my grandfather had died.
My step-grandmother got along very well with my mother and she helped
my mother a lot in managing the household chores. My father respected
and treated my step-grandmother well as if she was his own mother. My
father’s biological mother died when my father was very young It was
rumoured that my father was adopted when he was a baby. My father
never bothered to find out whether this was true or not because he
thought it was not important to trace his root. I regret that I have not
been motivated to find my root when I was young, and now it is too late
to trace it, as people of their generation have all passed away.
When I was a little girl, I often ran around in my grandfather's office in a
cinema. He was the manager of the cinema and I often ran in and out of
the cinema as I peeped through a heavy curtain. From very vague
memory, I remember his look; he was tiny and wore round glasses. He
looked like Gandhi.
Yuen-yee
ROOT
My mother was a classical beauty when she was young and even
though she is now over 80 years old, she does not look like a deflated
balloon. This may be genetic. I remember my maternal grandma also
had very fine skin even when she was in her 70s. My mum was very
talented in cookery and dressmaking. She could make fine Chinese and
Western fusion food.
When my sisters and I were in our teens, she made beautiful frocks and
dresses for us although no patterns were available at that time. She
made stylish tight pencil dresses and skirts for herself. Most of the
people in our social circle praised my dad for marrying a beautiful and
capable wife. She loved going out and socialising which I did not like
very much as I did not want to return home not seeing her there. When
I grew up, I refused silently to learn from her talents. She never had an
analytical mind and always had a soft ear. Although she is now over 80
years old, modesty and humility are not her strengths. Her favourite
daughter has indeed inherited her talents and I may never know what I
have missed!!
The marriage of my step-grandmother to my fraternal grandfather was
a marriage of convenience. My step-grandmother came from a poor
family which migrated to Hong Kong from China. My grandfather was a
widower when he was remarried to my step-grandmother, and he was
30 year older than her. My father was married to my mother by then.
My step-grandmother thought it might be a good idea to have a baby at
home so as to cure her boredom and also ease the heavy burden of
my mother looking after three baby daughters. My mother agreed and
my third sister was therefore raised by my step-grandmother for about
eight years. My step-grandmother moved in and stayed with us after
my grandfather had died.
My step-grandmother got along very well with my mother and she helped
my mother a lot in managing the household chores. My father respected
and treated my step-grandmother well as if she was his own mother. My
father’s biological mother died when my father was very young It was
rumoured that my father was adopted when he was a baby. My father
never bothered to find out whether this was true or not because he
thought it was not important to trace his root. I regret that I have not
been motivated to find my root when I was young, and now it is too late
to trace it, as people of their generation have all passed away.
When I was a little girl, I often ran around in my grandfather's office in a
cinema. He was the manager of the cinema and I often ran in and out of
the cinema as I peeped through a heavy curtain. From very vague
memory, I remember his look; he was tiny and wore round glasses. He
looked like Gandhi.
Yuen-yee
ladies of my mother's time in 1950s
Cenimas