The Ancient Beauty

My grandma, The Ancient Beauty, is 99 years old today!

Happy Birthday PoPo!!

My grandma used to sell kuehs around the Bugis area. If you grew up in that area, you might have seen her before. She's the old woman with the very very loud voice, pushing a cart full of kuehs and shouting all the names of the kueh in cantonese.

I remember staying with grandma when i was younger. Every afternoon, i'd look forward to her coming back because she'd come back with my favourite Char Siew rice and bbq pork ribs. And of course, she'd come home with a bottle of Guinness Stout. She'd share a bottle with my uncle and they would chat or just sit there silently, enjoying their stout and the bbq pork ribs. After finishing her stout, she'd go to her room to count her earnings for the day. Sometimes i would help her. It was so fun.

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I love my grandma a lot.. so much that it can be abusive sometimes hohoho.

I'm always very impatient with my grandma. I get really annoyed when she doesn't want to eat because she thinks there's not enough.. I know.. that's nice of her.. but there's a lot on the plate..and we have assured her there's enough for everyone but she still doesn't want to eat. Sometimes i think she wants to eat more but she doesn't dare to hmm it's not that we are stopping her from eating.. but she just gave me that feeling.

When I offer her food, she'd say "No, you can have it." And i'll get annoyed.. and say things like.. "NO, YOU EAT IT! THERE'S ENOUGH FOR EVERYONE. IT'S 2005 NOW. YOU'RE NOT LIVIING IN THE 1930S ANYMORE! WHEN I ASK YOU TO EAT, YOU EAT! DON'T ARGUE WITH ME! EAAAAT! YOU BETTER FINISH THE FOOD!!"

Anyway, yeah, a few days ago, i had to have dinner with her.. alone. I was dreading it actually. I was grumbling and i was telling her to eat and i suddenly realised i should be so thankful that she has the strength to resist and reject all the food i gave her! She's 99 yrs old. She still has the strength to eat on her own. We don't have to feed her or bathe her. She's very healthy. She's not senile. She's the best!

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Because of some annoying and inconsiderate relatives, grandma's birthday dinner will be held this Saturday.. I am looking fwd to the good food. And because some of my relatives are so superstitious, there will be no birthday cake this saturday (to cut a bday cake after the actual day will bring bad luck). So i bought a cake today for grandma. Durian ice cream cake! Yummy!! I asked for 9 big candles and 9 small ones and lit all of them! haha I actually wanted to take a pic of my grandma in a pair of sunnies blowing the candles...you know... too many candles.. too bright? I thought it was funny but i didn't want to be rude..... hehe.