Da Yi

Writing this to commemorate my beautiful beautiful aunt who just passed away this morning from lymphadenoma. It's been a long run Da Yi but you've lived a great life. And my best wishes and prayers are with you.

I'm sorry if I've never told you this before but thank you so much for everything. Especially the support that you gave me when I was having rough times during my teenage years. You might not even remember it but you listening to me and giving me such substantial advice and a peace of mind was the moment I knew we could connect. Even if it was just me being a teenager and having emo "existential thoughts", you listened when mom was too afraid of me being depressed. I don't even know if you know this but me and my sister would always look forward to dropping by your house/you coming to ours to do random stuff with us. Watching shows on tv, eating durians, talking about your grandkids, talking about school, your children, petty parent-and-children relationship problems (which both of our families had hahha) lol, I will never know if you felt the same way about us but I really felt like you were our second mother.

I'm so happy and proud to say that you're my aunt and I'm sure the love that you have showered everyone with who has met you will always live within us. I love how even though your selflessness and your kindness clearly brought you into trouble sometimes, you have never stopped being a great person to everyone. I wish I could've told you this earlier though - to not worry too much about everyone else and to take better care of your own well-being, but maybe that's just the way you are, and that's what makes you such a great mom and such a great teacher. Thanks for the times you've spent with us and thanks for having such a great impact in our lives. I'm so grateful and thankful to have been your niece and to have the chance to be so close with you. I didn't even notice that you've been such a huge part of my life. I'll miss you.

Home will never feel the same without you.

It has actually never struck me that you'd leave so soon. Really. Even at the age of 65 you were still so youthful and energetic.

But I guess this really is a wake up call. With both of my grandparents and a few of my uncles and aunts gone, I've just come to realise how much I've grown up and how much time has passed.