Uncle PP passed away in December the year before. Per Chinese tradition we couldn't pay Auntie PL a visit last year. Prior to this year I've never thought much of our annual visits to her place. But this time round, I felt an immense amount of compassion and admiration for this old lady.

In all honesty, I have never met such a good natured woman like her in my life. To be more precise, I've never come across any woman to possess such highly sought-after virtues that I would recognise her to be a woman of great character.

Auntie PL is such a woman. On the first greeting at the door of her flat, she would acknowledge each of us individually by names. I wowed at fact that she remembered our names by heart and didn't mix them up at all. Every single year, she would serve us personally with drinks and cny goodies, like practically making rounds in the living room and bringing the containers right to our noses. She never misses anyone out, not even the youngest or least of us all. With a bright smile on her face, she would give us ang pows (yes, still individually calling our names) despite her not having an income in the recent years. Now that Uncle PP is not around and she lives alone, my heart cringed when I heard she was suffering from arthritis. In spite of the aching bones, she pulled herself together and insisted on serving us when we were at her place.

During those adult conversations she would have with my parents, I've never once heard her complain about the bitterness of life. Her face would still give way to the most gracious smile ever even when she told us of her ailments or joked with us that Uncle PP is no longer around so there's no one to drive her around. The fact remains that I would only see her once a year. But I know since the most recent visit, I will never view her in the same light again.

Such a woman of great virtue and poise, I truly admire and respect her.