my youngest sis wrote it all so right and well...

she, a strong iron lady.
"when im naughty, she blows knuckles into my head"
i shudder at every thought.
but she never once did.

i taught her to speak 1 to 10 in English.
she grasped it so well,
that i thought i was destined to be a good teacher.

she sings village songs in canto when she's bored,
swinging her arms to beats of songs i sang and hmm-ed along.
days when we laughed and danced with aunty lanie in the kitchen.

she, my companion,
my inspiration to learn cantonese well,
and my motivating factor to come home right after sch.


i rmb her, folding some black frilly substance into a small white paper,
and i asked, "what's that?"
she mimicked a smoking act, and said, "come i teach you," and gave me the same white paper.
i sat beside her, and followed her every move.
this was when i know, cigarettes can be hand-made.

i rmb her, always sitting there when no one's home,
calling out in melody, "third princess third princess" (in canto) so endearingly i thought i was in fairyland and no one can love me more.
she was the first, to treat me like a real princess.

i rmb her, in my dreams,
when she left for her hometown, and i cried to sleep with my fei po(she called my fat pillow that) cos i missed her and aunty lanie so much.
days, when i find no more special childhood memories.

she is my popo.
the most loving person in this world.
cos she taught me love like no other.
and all times, i always wish she was still here, so that i could teach her from 11 to infinity. help her fold cigarettes. hug her like a teddy bear. sing and dance with her again. or hear her call me "sum gong ju" (third princess) - just once.


she's still around now, but her life is ebbing away slowly. she's past 90, and don't rmb who I am. when mum came to me recently and said, "you know, popo may go anytime now."
tears and memories. they came like pouring rain. i cldn't control.

i ache, cos memories are still vivid. the first sweetest thing i ever tasted when i was a child.
if there is one thing i can do if i could turn back time, i would have hugged her like a wild child and not let her go.


i love you popo.
i pray, for you, for everything,

and i'll never forget .