my mother

Sumiko Tan's column on last Sunday's (23/09) Lifestyle was quite an insightful read. she wrote about her relationship with her mother.

and many parts of it seemed similar to my relationship with my mother. 'we exercise together, have lunch together, and go on holidays together.' and so on. perhaps except when she said 'if there's one relationship i've never had problems with, it's the one i share with my mother'.

i wouldn't say that's true of ma and me. we argue with each other alot, our disagreements are aplenty. perhaps cos we're both as headstrong, no points for guessing who i got that trait from. but ma remains the most important person in my life and will always be.

it probably isn't uncommon for teenagers like me to have drifted slightly from their parents. it's the 'leaving the nest and growing to be independent' kind of thing. but somehow for me, it's like i'm growing closer to ma as we both grow older. she's changed alot too. from the kiasu competitive singaporean mother to one who's constantly reminding me to take breaks, dragging me out for big meals admist the prelims, and even boldly suggesting that we go for a holiday in HK just before the As (but ma i'm not so courageous lol). and though we're 3 decades apart, it feels like we can talk about anything under the sun. not that we have similar takes on all issues, though. and not that i'm into what she's into, like investing in properties, for example. Sumiko Tan puts it well: i still park myself next to her just to chat about nothing.

i feel she's like a best friend, really. and a role model, kinda. i've always thought her life and the success she has achieved now can be likened to a well-fought battle and the sweet rewards thereafter.

i love mommy dearest. and i want her to be happy! :D