Less than 6 months after our wedding, I had quite a bit of experiences and probably grown more matured too.

Marriage Life
It is beautiful, being able to be with the person that you want to grow old with. He becomes the center of all my decisions and experiences. We do almost everything together, from day to day getting to work, knocking off and sleeping time. Gradually, this settles to become a routine, yet, it is comforting to have someone beside you always.

Definitely not everything had been a bed of roses. We had our tough times, coping with the changes around us. In the midst, we quarreled and temper flew, yet it was his patience and tolerance that we have come to reach decisions comfortable for both of us. At the start, it was tough settling down with in-laws, with differing views and upbringing, yet, I can't be more grateful than having such understanding and caring in-laws that made things much easier. Much as I miss the comfort of home and reliance on my parents, I was forced to grow up and develop the role as a wife, not just caring for my husband, but also being willing to do the household chores without complaints. During these 5 months plus, I probably did more household chores than I did in 25 years.

During these few months, I learned to prioritize, juggling time and money between gh, his family, my family, our friends, household chores and studying. It had been a meaningful experience so far, with more challenges ahead.

Departure of my grandma
The demise of my grandma sparked the blogging of this post. It brought back a lot of memories and thoughts that I wanted to note down.

My grandma may not have been the best grandma, with many distant memories of her being a strict grandma and a fiery temper. With many years of gap in between arising from a complicated family history, we were reunited only in recent years. When we eventually reunited, her fiery temper has toned down a lot and many history events went down the memory lane. Eventually, blood runs thicker than water, and no matter how many unhappy events there were, it no longer matters. With my dad persistent encouragement, we bridged the barrier and communicated more with each other.

During the 5 days sending her off, many thoughts came to mind. The loss of a family member, the memories we created during our conversations and while I was a kid, how tough a life she had, how strong she had been, how she showed her love for us in a way different from other grandmas and how she suffered in her last few months. Family has always been my weakest spot. I cried because I can't hold back my tears thinking of the many many things that happened in 25 years.

During the wake, I met relatives that I have never seen in 25 years and I doubt we will meet in the future except for such scenarios. Nothing can be more awkward, yet, throughout the entire 5 days, I witnessed how my dad put on a strong front. Being the only child and his mum had been his support, he did not drop a single tear in front of us, he could still smile. At the few occasions that I saw him red-eyed and teary, I felt an immense and indescribable sadness.

Eventually, on the last day, I broke down totally. My grandma had waited for our wedding, suffering in pain. After our wedding, her health deteriorated rapidly. At the point, I realized how happy she had been, receiving tea from our hands, and gaining a new grandson-in-law. During the 5 days, I appreciated chinese customs and reinforced the importance of family in my heart.

Another chapter had come to an end. I have grown up.