Anna Abisheganaden
My mother, Anna Abisheganaden, is one of the greatest female influences of my life, the other of course being my wife.
She was born Anna Wen, 80 years ago and came to Singapore in the late 1950s with my late por por (maternal grandmother) and her siblings 3 sisters and 1 brother to eke out a living. Times were hard in the 1950s and armed with a HSC certtificate, she started work in the Ministry of Health and rose to become the personal assistant to the then Permanent Secretary of Health Ministry, the late Mr. Eddie Ho.
She was very active in sports during her yonger days taking up swimming, badminton, martial arts (kong chian) and even the occasional tennis game at the Singapore Swimming Club at Fort Road. Ever encouraging and challenging, her enthusiasm has rubbed off on me so much that I still am very active in sports today. My father is more of the intellectual type and rarely indulged in the competitve physical activity like racquet games, but he was very much into taking daily walks and practising yoga.
Her forte which I hope has rubbed off on me is making friends and hobnobbing with both the rich and the hoi polloi (everyday people), this is one of her greatest assets. She is able to establish good if not great friends who are like her extended family of sorts. A very giving person, she has helped many people of all ages some through linking them to the best and most seasoned doctors and sometimes even paying for some person's education - all without demanding a return favour. Her generosity in 'making things happen' and quietly doing things behind the scenes is quite amazing to say the least.
She has also a very good, perhaps evan an excellent flair, for investing in property, equity (shares) and has been able to generate good profits from practically most of her long term investments.Always frugal to herself and with little wants. A trait I am still learning and still struggling to acquire. She has been a hard money lender to me too, instituting in me that money is very difficult to earn,so I had better treasure the earnings I have made and not squander it.
Mum, this post is dedicated to you, may you have many more good and joyful years.
No comments:
Post a Comment