Beyond the Beyond

原諒我這一生不羈放縱愛自由
也會怕有一天會跌倒
背棄了理想　誰人都可以
那會怕有一天只你共我

- 海闊天空, Beyond

Please forgive me, for I will never be bridled,
I love my freedom too much,
Although I fear that one day I too will fall.
Betraying your dreams is too easy to do,
and in betrayal, I fear we will have nothing but ourselves.

- Translated from 海闊天空 by Beyond

Reading Miyagi's, Mr Brown's and Sheena's stories about my parents have left me releasing that this would be the last Mother's Day I'd be able to celebrate in person with my mom, for a long time to come.

No, my mom's not as mean as Miyagi's. Nor as...mean...as Sheena's. But she is every bit as courageous as Mr Brown's wife. From her humble beginnings as a kampong girl, she fought her way up from being a simple accountant to being on the board of directors in a KLSE listed company. From being completely unable to cook, she's now a master chef.

She brought up two boys, who love her dearly. Two boys who learnt how to think for themselves, stand on their own two feet and take shit from nobody. She's given everything she has to ensure that her two boys want for nothing.

It is her success with us that's the source of her misery today. You see, I think she raised me too well. I'll never be happy yoked to someone else's dreams or ideas of what my life should be. I need to find for myself what my dream is - and it's only by leaving that I can do so.

She did the bravest thing she's ever done. She's letting me go, even though she'll miss me terribly. She's letting me go knowing that there's a good chance I won't be back.

Thank you, and I'm sorry.