Creating Beautiful Memories

April 12, 2010

I want to share with you about my Ma (mother).

Ma was a young girl from Kulai, Malaysia when she married my Papa. It was an arranged marriage. They only met once before the wedding, under the watchful eyes of the matchmaker.

Papa confessed later that he secretly went back to the village and studied Ma behind the trees. Ma saw him but kept it to herself. They both knew they wanted to live their lives together.

Ma had to leave her village for the ‘big city’ of Singapore. Her love for Papa grew over the years but, unfortunately, so did the hardship. She had to struggle to help support our family of seven children and an ageing mother-in-law.

Ma worked as a construction worker. She laid mosaic tiles for individual homes as well as multi-storey buildings. In the old days, Ma had to walk up and down buildings every day, often with a bag of cement on her shoulder.

She would come home tired, sweaty and with dirt all over her body, but there would be no rest waiting for her. She still had to do a lot of housework for the family.

I have never seen my parents quarrel with one another. They had an understanding that they would settle all their differences in bed. They would never carry any of their problems out of it, especially when they were with us.

My fondest memory of my parents was watching them trying to secretly slip out of the home in the middle of the night for supper and to spend time with one another. I am sure Papa had many flaws but Ma loved him anyway.

It was heart wrenching to see Ma on the day Papa past away. She lost her only lover, companion and friend.

I felt Ma’s grief – a deep-seated sorrow that she and she alone has to bear.

She bravely suppressed it in her heart as she went around trying to arrange the funeral. It was only when everybody had left and in the gloominess of the wake, Ma wept.

She cried softly and silently to herself.

Later, Ma had to get rid of everything in her bedroom. She had to move to another room because she could not bear the pain of seeing anything that reminded her of Papa.

I have not seen a greater love between two persons of my parent’s generation. They were an amazing couple.

Even though we were poor, there were always laughter with Papa and Ma. We spent many happy days together.

Papa and Ma gave me beautiful memories that I will always treasure. They inspire me to, hopefully, create magical moments for people around me. I want them to have great memories throughout their lives.

As a real estate advisor, one of the best gifts I can offer to my clients and colleagues are pleasant and lingering memories of their experience working with me.

This is the foundation upon which I should build my personal branding. This is what the patrick liew brand should and ought to be.