Po-Po

Since the earthquake in Hua-Lien, I wanted to be with my grandmother. She moved back to Taipei last month on the 20th -- it could be the last time I see her in Canada; she has lived in Vancouver for almost 25 years, coming and going every few months between Canada and Taiwan. My grandmother is a strong-spirited lady, but in the recent months I've seen a decline in her self-confidence. She gets scared and paranoid frequently, but the worse is when she talks about how she is so "useless" and weak. She used to be the one with a mischievous smile among her friends, but now she rarely smiles. A lot of people have told me that this is common among the elderly, but I still wonder what happened to that woman who has raised seven children on her own, seen the horrors of war as a nurse, steps on mice to terminate them, sits with her back straight as if a board has been attached to her spine, or learned to bear physical pain with dignity as she enters her state of zen.

Anyway, before my grandmother left, my sister, my two cousins, and I cam-hogged it with my grandmother.

A nice one for Po-Po.


We always have to have our awkward cousin photo.


When Po-Po found out we were all acting like a bunch of monkeys, we made it up to her with another nice and normal pose.

The "traditional" stone-faced, no-smile Chinese family portrait. (I think my sister's mouth twitched. Way to go, sis.)


MERRY CHRISTMAS, PO-PO!!!!!!! I love and miss you!