Unfortunate Weekend

It all started with a little sore throat, which promptly ignited a temperature and gave way to a lingering cough and itchy throat. After a period of very little rest when the hubs was hospitalized and I had to shuttle between home and hospital as well as look after Dallen as well as the hubs after he wad discharged. I could feel my body giving way, and it did. I collapsed the day before we were to fly to Bali for the holiday we planned before we even learned about the hubs' op.

This was about a week ago. One week on and the lil one caught my viruses and is now down with a fever, cough and runny nose. Dunno why, he also started to have diarrhea. So the hubs and I spent the weekend nursing him; checking his temperature, sponging him, giving him his meds every 3 hours, coaxing him to eat and carrying and soothing him when he cries (which is frequent cos he's so freaking uncomfortable).

Then we went to get the week's grocery and I couldn't find some of the ingredients I wanted, which always frustrates me.

Then today, we went out for dinner and to get some baking stuff (I'm thinking of picking up baking again). Then we took a cab back and when the vehicle came to a halt outside our place, the fare came up to slightly more than Rp10000. So we gave the driver Rp11000 without intending to get any change back. Then the driver tried to pull a fast one and said the minimum fare is Rp15000. Granted, some of the taxi companies do have such ruling but they usually have a sticker pasted near the meter stating this clearly. This one doesn't. So the hubs, not willing to be cheated, refused to give in to the driver. After some loitering and verbal exchanges, the driver wound down this window and returned the money to us before driving off. We were baffled. So I asked a friend what all this is about. Apparently, the driver returned us the money to show us his displeasure. So effectively, we have offended someone and opened ourselves up to be a target. A target of what? I do not yet know. Of violence, anger, contention, disturbances? We shall see.

The Passing of A Great Lady

People who know me well enough know that I'm not someone who bows to authorities easily. Quite the contrary, I often oppose those in power if they do not know what they are doing and are not able to impress me beyond a reasonable doubt. I've always viewed these people with skeptical and critical eyes. Once during my diploma course, I managed to start and stage a petition to have a poor lecturer removed and successfully ousted him from the course. I believe respect should be earned and not given and I dun respect people for what they are; I respect them for who they are. I dun care what position you hold. If you're that good, even the janitor deserves respect. If you're lousy, then no matter what position you hold, I will still not respect you. In fact, I doubly detest you cos you hoard a high position when someone more capable than you can take over and take the team to greater heights. The higher you are, the more responsibilities you have. Lots of people are depending on you for guidance. So if you do not have the calibre, then what the heck are you doing up there? Same goes for our local politicians. I'm not greatly impressed with some of the top brass in the cabinet but the Lees, I immensely respect. For LKY to bring Singapore from third world to first in one generation is a job extremely well done! If you read the book "Men In White", you can feel the frustrations and pain he went through to establish PAP and subsequently bring the nation to what it is today. PM Lee continued his legacy and I wouldn't say it's only cos his father is the #1 guy in PAP. 养不教, 父之过. LKY certainly brought PM Lee up well and I think the passing of the leadership baton might have to stop at the second generation (Disclaimer: This is just my own thoughts, with no link whatsoever to any privileged information or sentiments from PAP).

But LKY did not do all these alone. He had the unfailing support of his wife. Mrs Lee played her part in politics, albeit in the shadows. While many modern women would balk at the idea of having to walk behind the men (since society has evolved and men and women should be equal), Mrs Lee was always one step behind LKY. This personified her role in his life. She is always the one behind him, giving him support and encouragement and helping him in the background. She managed the family well, such that he had no need for concerns and could concentrate on building the nation. But her contribution didn’t stop there. Being an outstanding lawyer herself, she was also capable out of the home. She played her primary roles well. The roles of a wife to LKY (on a personal level), the wife of a politician (attending events, rallying support and other whatnots), mother, lawyer, and other societal requirements. She was always there. But unlike many other ‘political wives’, she did not clamour for attention. She had none of the limelight-grabbing attributes. She was contented to just stay in the background, clad in her cheongsam and simple jewellery, and did whatever it was that was required of her. Being a commoner’s wife is already a tough one. Being the wife of a politician brings it up one notch. Being such a dedicated wife to a nation's builder is the ultimate. From the early days of PAP when members congregated at the basement of Oxley Road for their meetings to the PAP of today, she has never wavered in her believe and support of her husband.

I’ve always found the couple very endearing and had the privilege to meet them in the flesh in 2008 at CommunicAsia. Whether this was before or after the stroke she suffered in the same year, I do not know. Both of them were in a buggy, looking tired and old. But she still waved at the crowd and even obliged to handshakes when some of the onlookers managed to escape the scrutiny of the bodyguards. She did this with a smile constantly on her face. Some may say the ‘loving couple’ image was just a façade. While I do not believe this is true (the looks in their eyes cannot be faked), I think they still deserve a big round of applause because putting on a show for 63 years in no mean feat in itself!

I salute and totally respect Mrs Lee. She was so brilliant, and yet so humble; so successful and yet so sacrificial. Who knows, had she not been Mrs LKY, she would have been an outstanding judge or a Queen’s Counsel. She contributed so much, but has always remained in the background. The nation has lost a valuable asset and women of future generations have been deprived of an exemplary figure.

God rest your soul, Mrs Lee Kuan Yew.

P.S. Nowhere in this article did I refer to her as Mdm Kwa Geok Choo; only as Mrs Lee. This is because I believe she has given her whole life to LKY, to support and walk with him in his life’s journey. As such, I find it apt to address her as Mrs LKY for she indeed is married TO him. In every sense of the word.