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Monday 20 September 2010

"Mum" and "Mom"

I always respect and love my Mom who passed away more than 30 yrs. ago. A village lady from a Kampong in Lorong Tai Seng area in Singapore, she was not fairly treated by her husband (my father). You see my father had a 2nd wife. Yes, in the 1950s & 1960s it was not uncommon for husbands to keep 2nd wives. Yet my mother did not harbour any animosity or rancour to the 2nd wife. In fact she cultivated good and friendly terms with her to the extent that when the 2nd wife invited her to make some investments in her (2nd wife) Indonesian business she happily did so. However, when President Sukarno announced his "Confrontation" Policy the business collapsed and failed. My mother did not blame the 2nd wife for the investment lost and kept "mum" on the matter in her own philosophical and quiet ways. In this connection I always wondered why an uncle (with his family in tow )from her village would always visit her without fail on the 1st day of the Chinese Lunar New Year! I never asked my mother but I guessed it was my uncle's way of showing and paying respect to a great lady! I will always cherish memory of my mother!!!

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