granny

phuket was a treat but i was also itching to be home to hang with my granny. as a product of two working parents, granny retired early to look after me. she's my hero and constant inspiration. granny was suddenly widowed in her early 30s and literally left carrying the baby. they didn't have very much and she never remarried, scraping by on her meagre teacher's salary. fifty years on, my parents, siblings and i are still her only family. i cannot even begin to imagine how absolutely horrific it must've been to be in her unenviable position all those years ago. how does one ever recover from such trauma? but she's one of the strongest ladies i know, picked herself up and just got on with it. i've much to be grateful for (one can do worse than be raised by a retired schoolteacher!) and credit granny for teaching me english and good manners, one more successfully than the other it seems! 

much as i enjoy being a newlywed in london, a part of me misses my granny with a horrific pang. i'm glad she's happy and healthy, ageing as gracefully as possible (doesn't she look amazing for an octogenarian who had a tough life?!) and wish i could spend more time with her. but there's skype, and summers back home and i'm constantly reminded of how fortunate i am that she's supportive  of my dreams.

just before this picture was taken, we'd gone to the hair salon and stopped for pulot hitam ice cream on the way home. naturally this completely spoilt our appetites for lunch (nasi lemak!) but when you're 83, i guess you call the shots ;)