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Dr Lee Wei Ling : MY DEAR MAMA

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Mdm Tang

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Dear Bros , sis who hv access to online ST please

post full article here ...tk u.


Good article , worth reading ...



>


http://www.straitstimes.com/BreakingNews/Singapore/Story/STIStory_572342.html



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Singapore



The ST , Sunday

Home > Breaking News > Singapore > Story



Aug 29, 2010



My dear Mama


-- PHOTO: COURTESY OF DR LEE WEI LING

FEELING compassion with a detachment is wise, but tough when it comes to Mama.

Lee Wei Ling writes on how she finds it difficult to accept her mother's suffering.

Read her article in the Think section of The Sunday Times today.
 
yes, worthy read.

Aug 29, 2010
Difficult to accept a loved one's suffering
Feeling compassion with a detachment is wise, but tough when it comes to Mama
By Lee Wei Ling

I awoke with a start, a while ago, from a dream. I looked at my watch. It was 4am.

It was a dream worth remembering, so I decided to write it down immediately. If I had not done so, I would not have been able to remember it later.

In my dream, I seemed to be simultaneously at home and outdoors at some unfamiliar place. Suddenly, a monster appeared and attacked me. I struggled with the monster but it matched me strength for strength. I did not utter a sound, nor was I frightened. Instead, I wrestled silently with it.

Suddenly my mother appeared. She walked towards us, but did not say anything either. Instead, she made a dismissive gesture and the monster turned tail and ran away.

That would be Mama's way of tackling problems, I thought: no need for unnecessary words or actions; just do things quietly and effectively.

At that point, I woke up. I got up from the floor where I was sleeping and went into my mother's room to see how she was doing. She was sleeping peacefully. I am now back in my room recording what I can still remember of my dream - for a 'dream' indeed it was, as it cannot be classified as a nightmare.

For two years and three months already, my mother has been too weak to get out of bed. But in that brief moment in my dream, I saw her again as she had been - physically normal.

I wished I could have dreamt on, and after some time, together with Mama, vanquished the monster in the dream and then walked off together.

In dreams, everything seems possible. That my mother appeared magically in my dream did not surprise me - either while I was dreaming or when I awoke. This is because between Mama and me, there was always some form of telepathy.

Once, when I was staying with my brother Hsien Loong, my toothbrush was worn out and needed to be replaced. I hardly ever shop, so I did what I had always done before: I told Mama I needed a new toothbrush.

Since we were in different houses and I did not want to wake her if she was sleeping by calling her on the telephone, I e-mailed her: 'Ma, I need a toothbrush.'

She e-mailed back: 'I am telepathic. I just got a toothbrush for you. But one day, the commissariat will not be around. If you don't know the word 'commissariat' go look it up in the dictionary.'

She was correct: I did not know what the word meant. And since I did not know where the dictionary was kept in my brother's house, that evening at dinner, I asked him what the word meant.

He knew, of course. 'Commissariat', he explained, is a department in the army charged with providing provisions to soldiers.

Now Mama is no longer in a position to be my commissariat. Worse yet, she is bedbound and no longer able to read - a favourite activity of hers.

Mama had wide interests. She knew things that even many highly educated people would not know or be interested in, as would be obvious if one rummaged through her bookshelves, as I did recently.

There were several books on the flora and fauna of Singapore. There was a hardcover book of children's nursery rhymes, which she had used to read to her grandchildren. Of all her grandchildren, my albino nephew enjoyed reading the nursery rhymes with her the most.

There were several books on Buddhism and Hinduism. There was a King James version of the Bible printed in a large font so that she could read it even without her reading glasses. There were many books on the Indian caste system, and a book describing the ancient city of Harappa in the Indus valley. The city dates back about 4,600 years ago, and was an important trade centre in the ancient world.

Mama was interested in the Silk Route long before it became a fashionable subject of interest. She had a book chronicling the travels of a Victorian lady on the Silk Route.

There were six Malay kamus, or dictionaries. There was a book on Chinese customs and symbols. And of course, there were many books of poetry, including a collection of Rudyard Kipling's poems.

There were also books relating to the early days of Singapore, including The Battle For Merger, a collection of radio talks my father delivered in 1961, detailing the early history of the People's Action Party's struggles with the communists. It is now out of print.

There were many books, too, written by others about my father, including Lee Kuan Yew In His Own Words, excerpts of his speeches from 1959 to 1970, edited by S.J. Rodringuez.

Mama also had the kinds of books one would expect to find on the bookshelves of someone so cultured: among other things, The Tale Of Genji, Ruth Benedict's The Chrysanthemum And The Sword, Etsu Inagaki Sugimoto's The Daughter Of A Samurai, the novels of Jane Austen, and a book I enjoyed tremendously as a child, Anne Of Green Gables.

Mama didn't just collect these books, she read them.

It is now 5.30am. I popped into her room again a while ago and she was still sleeping. I comforted myself that at least when she was sleeping, she was unaware of her unfortunate situation.

Now I am trying to go back to sleep myself, but I cannot do so - not because of the dream but because of Mama's unhappy predicament. It is acutely felt by her three children, my two sisters-in-law, and my cousin Kwa Kim Li, who is my mother's favourite niece. But the one who has been hurting the most, and is yet carrying on stoically, is my father.

It is easy when thinking in the abstract, to conclude that being born, growing old, falling sick and eventually dying is what happens to all of us. I accept these facts with no resentment that life is unkind. I have had more than my fair share of bad luck, but I never resented it, for I think suffering built up my resilience.

But I find it difficult to accept my mother's suffering. The Buddhist principle of feeling compassion but with detachment is wise, but it is not an attitude that I find humanly possible to adopt when it comes to Mama. I cannot see her suffering with detachment.

But there is nothing I can do to get her back to where she was before she suffered a massive stroke on May 12, 2008. She has been suffering since then, and so has my father. But that is life, and we all plod on, fulfilling our duties as best we can. Indeed by focusing my mind on my duties, I manage to temporarily block Mama's suffering from my consciousness.

The writer is director of the National Neuroscience Institute. Send your comments to [email protected]
 
yes, worthy read.

Aug 29, 2010
Difficult to accept a loved one's suffering
Feeling compassion with a detachment is wise, but tough when it comes to Mama
By Lee Wei Ling

The writer is director of the National Neuroscience Institute. Send your comments to [email protected]

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Tk u bro Krafty ...

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
 
Title should be: MY DEAR KARMA

By the way, Lee Wei Ling has never been short of praises for all her family members. She even branded herself as a very compassionate person.
 
I have to be frank here.

Her mother may be suffering from illness here, but she has lots of privileges and power during the time she was well. I rather focus my sympathies on the old ladies that still have to pick up cans to sell despite being sick as well.
 
In my dream, I seemed to be simultaneously at home and outdoors at some unfamiliar place. Suddenly, a monster appeared and attacked me. I struggled with the monster but it matched me strength for strength. I did not utter a sound, nor was I frightened. Instead, I wrestled silently with it.

Suddenly my mother appeared. She walked towards us, but did not say anything either. Instead, she made a dismissive gesture and the monster turned tail and ran away.


Can anyone interpret her dream?
 
Awww, poor baby.

I didn't even read the article.
 
Veiled warning to Sporns that Gecko still wields enough mystical power to help Daddy kaput the Oppos? Anyway, other interesting read here:

http://young-pap.blogspot.com/2009/01/we-have-been-brought-up-to-be-frugal.html

http://www.tangtalk.com/hplchart2.html

<TABLE border=1 cellSpacing=2 cellPadding=8 width=723><TBODY><TR><TD vAlign=top width="15%">17/10/1995
</TD><TD vAlign=top width="7%">20-05
</TD><TD vAlign=top width="14%">Lee Kuan Yew & Kwa Geok Choo
</TD><TD vAlign=top width="10%">
189​
</TD><TD vAlign=top width="10%">
2033.64​
</TD><TD vAlign=top width="10%">2,791,500
</TD><TD vAlign=top width="10%">$1,372.66
</TD><TD vAlign=top width="22%">Senior Minister Lee and wife
</TD></TR><TR><TD vAlign=top width="15%">18/10/1995
</TD><TD vAlign=top width="7%">19-05
</TD><TD vAlign=top width="14%">Lee Hsien Loong & Ho Ching
</TD><TD vAlign=top width="10%">
189​
</TD><TD vAlign=top width="10%">
2033.64​
</TD><TD vAlign=top width="10%">2,776,400
</TD><TD vAlign=top width="10%">$1,365.24
</TD><TD vAlign=top width="22%">Senior Minister Lee's Son, Lee Hsien Loong and wife
</TD></TR><TR><TD vAlign=top width="15%">17/10/1995
</TD><TD vAlign=top width="7%">17-05
</TD><TD vAlign=top width="14%">Kwa Kim Li
</TD><TD vAlign=top width="10%">
189​
</TD><TD vAlign=top width="10%">
2033.64​
</TD><TD vAlign=top width="10%">2,716,000
</TD><TD vAlign=top width="10%">$1,335.54
</TD><TD vAlign=top width="22%">Niece of SM Lee's wife and a lawyer in M/s Lee & Lee
</TD></TR><TR><TD vAlign=top width="15%">17/10/1995
</TD><TD vAlign=top width="7%">16-05
</TD><TD vAlign=top width="14%">Andrew Ang
</TD><TD vAlign=top width="10%">
189​
</TD><TD vAlign=top width="10%">
2033.64​
</TD><TD vAlign=top width="10%">2,700,900
</TD><TD vAlign=top width="10%">$1,328.11
</TD><TD vAlign=top width="22%">A lawyer in M/s Lee & Lee
</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
<TABLE border=1 cellSpacing=2 cellPadding=8 width=723><TBODY><TR><TD vAlign=top width="15%">17/10/1995
</TD><TD vAlign=top width="7%">18-05
</TD><TD vAlign=top width="14%">Lee Wei Ling
</TD><TD vAlign=top width="10%">
189​
</TD><TD vAlign=top width="10%">
2033.64​

</TD><TD vAlign=top width="10%">2,761,300
</TD><TD vAlign=top width="10%">$1,357.81
</TD><TD vAlign=top width="22%">SM Lee's daughter. Unit sold. Caveat withdrawn vide WCV/943F on 27.3.96
</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
 
Genesis 40 : The Prisoners' Dreams

Genesis 40 (New International Version)


The Cupbearer and the Baker

1 Some time later, the cupbearer and the baker of the king of Egypt offended their master, the king of Egypt. 2 Pharaoh was angry with his two officials, the chief cupbearer and the chief baker, 3 and put them in custody in the house of the captain of the guard, in the same prison where Joseph was confined. 4 The captain of the guard assigned them to Joseph, and he attended them.
After they had been in custody for some time, 5 each of the two men—the cupbearer and the baker of the king of Egypt, who were being held in prison—had a dream the same night, and each dream had a meaning of its own.
6 When Joseph came to them the next morning, he saw that they were dejected. 7 So he asked Pharaoh's officials who were in custody with him in his master's house, "Why are your faces so sad today?"

8 "We both had dreams," they answered, "but there is no one to interpret them."
Then Joseph said to them, "Do not interpretations belong to God? Tell me your dreams."

9 So the chief cupbearer told Joseph his dream. He said to him, "In my dream I saw a vine in front of me, 10 and on the vine were three branches. As soon as it budded, it blossomed, and its clusters ripened into grapes. 11 Pharaoh's cup was in my hand, and I took the grapes, squeezed them into Pharaoh's cup and put the cup in his hand."

12 "This is what it means," Joseph said to him. "The three branches are three days. 13 Within three days Pharaoh will lift up your head and restore you to your position, and you will put Pharaoh's cup in his hand, just as you used to do when you were his cupbearer. 14 But when all goes well with you, remember me and show me kindness; mention me to Pharaoh and get me out of this prison. 15 For I was forcibly carried off from the land of the Hebrews, and even here I have done nothing to deserve being put in a dungeon."

16 When the chief baker saw that Joseph had given a favorable interpretation, he said to Joseph, "I too had a dream: On my head were three baskets of bread. [a] 17 In the top basket were all kinds of baked goods for Pharaoh, but the birds were eating them out of the basket on my head."

18 "This is what it means," Joseph said. "The three baskets are three days.

19 Within three days Pharaoh will lift off your head and hang you on a tree. And the birds will eat away your flesh."

20 Now the third day was Pharaoh's birthday, and he gave a feast for all his officials. He lifted up the heads of the chief cupbearer and the chief baker in the presence of his officials: 21 He restored the chief cupbearer to his position, so that he once again put the cup into Pharaoh's hand, 22 but he hanged [c] the chief baker, just as Joseph had said to them in his interpretation.

23 The chief cupbearer, however, did not remember Joseph; he forgot him.



Genesis 41 : Pharaoh's Dreams


Pharaoh's Dreams

1 When two full years had passed, Pharaoh had a dream: He was standing by the Nile, 2 when out of the river there came up seven cows, sleek and fat, and they grazed among the reeds. 3 After them, seven other cows, ugly and gaunt, came up out of the Nile and stood beside those on the riverbank. 4 And the cows that were ugly and gaunt ate up the seven sleek, fat cows. Then Pharaoh woke up.
5 He fell asleep again and had a second dream: Seven heads of grain, healthy and good, were growing on a single stalk. 6 After them, seven other heads of grain sprouted—thin and scorched by the east wind. 7 The thin heads of grain swallowed up the seven healthy, full heads. Then Pharaoh woke up; it had been a dream.

8 In the morning his mind was troubled, so he sent for all the magicians and wise men of Egypt. Pharaoh told them his dreams, but no one could interpret them for him.

9 Then the chief cupbearer said to Pharaoh, "Today I am reminded of my shortcomings. 10 Pharaoh was once angry with his servants, and he imprisoned me and the chief baker in the house of the captain of the guard. 11 Each of us had a dream the same night, and each dream had a meaning of its own. 12 Now a young Hebrew was there with us, a servant of the captain of the guard. We told him our dreams, and he interpreted them for us, giving each man the interpretation of his dream. 13 And things turned out exactly as he interpreted them to us: I was restored to my position, and the other man was hanged. [a] "

14 So Pharaoh sent for Joseph, and he was quickly brought from the dungeon. When he had shaved and changed his clothes, he came before Pharaoh.

15 Pharaoh said to Joseph, "I had a dream, and no one can interpret it. But I have heard it said of you that when you hear a dream you can interpret it."

16 "I cannot do it," Joseph replied to Pharaoh, "but God will give Pharaoh the answer he desires."

17 Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, "In my dream I was standing on the bank of the Nile, 18 when out of the river there came up seven cows, fat and sleek, and they grazed among the reeds. 19 After them, seven other cows came up—scrawny and very ugly and lean. I had never seen such ugly cows in all the land of Egypt. 20 The lean, ugly cows ate up the seven fat cows that came up first. 21 But even after they ate them, no one could tell that they had done so; they looked just as ugly as before. Then I woke up.

22 "In my dreams I also saw seven heads of grain, full and good, growing on a single stalk. 23 After them, seven other heads sprouted—withered and thin and scorched by the east wind. 24 The thin heads of grain swallowed up the seven good heads. I told this to the magicians, but none could explain it to me."

25 Then Joseph said to Pharaoh, "The dreams of Pharaoh are one and the same. God has revealed to Pharaoh what he is about to do. 26 The seven good cows are seven years, and the seven good heads of grain are seven years; it is one and the same dream. 27 The seven lean, ugly cows that came up afterward are seven years, and so are the seven worthless heads of grain scorched by the east wind: They are seven years of famine.

28 "It is just as I said to Pharaoh: God has shown Pharaoh what he is about to do. 29 Seven years of great abundance are coming throughout the land of Egypt, 30 but seven years of famine will follow them. Then all the abundance in Egypt will be forgotten, and the famine will ravage the land. 31 The abundance in the land will not be remembered, because the famine that follows it will be so severe. 32 The reason the dream was given to Pharaoh in two forms is that the matter has been firmly decided by God, and God will do it soon.

33 "And now let Pharaoh look for a discerning and wise man and put him in charge of the land of Egypt. 34 Let Pharaoh appoint commissioners over the land to take a fifth of the harvest of Egypt during the seven years of abundance. 35 They should collect all the food of these good years that are coming and store up the grain under the authority of Pharaoh, to be kept in the cities for food. 36 This food should be held in reserve for the country, to be used during the seven years of famine that will come upon Egypt, so that the country may not be ruined by the famine."
 
But there is nothing I can do to get her back to where she was before she suffered a massive stroke on May 12, 2008. She has been suffering since then, and so has my father. But that is life, and we all plod on,

Mama has been suffering since 2008 because of ill health. This poor guy suffered for more than TWO DECADES simply because he had a different vision of what was right for Singapore. :rolleyes:
 

I don't know what is wrong with some forummers here. When it's appropriate to post her lovely pic at a time like this you don't see it, but not when reminded not to do so.


 
In my dream, I seemed to be simultaneously at home and outdoors at some unfamiliar place. Suddenly, a monster appeared and attacked me. I struggled with the monster but it matched me strength for strength. I did not utter a sound, nor was I frightened. Instead, I wrestled silently with it.

Suddenly my mother appeared. She walked towards us, but did not say anything either. Instead, she made a dismissive gesture and the monster turned tail and ran away.


Can anyone interpret her dream?

The "monster" seems to be a subconcious reference to the Singaporean people who have become increasingly resistant to PAP rule.

The fight she is referring to seem to refer to the struggle to remain in power in Singapore. At a subconcious level, she seems to be telling us that she feels that the PAP is slowly but surely loosing their grip on Singapore in spite of many attempts to reverse the tide.

The reference to her mother is a reference to a happier time when the PAP had the moral authority to make the current problems go away. Her mother was active and healthy during this time. Her mother therefore becomes the subconcious personification of something which the PAP once could had but which is now lost. The fact that the personficiation is in the form of her mother who is not expected to recover suggests a belief that the PAP is unlikely to recover the power it once had among Singaporeans.

In short, the dream seems to be less about Mrs Lee and more about her fear of the PAP losing elections and losing power in Singapore.
 
In my dream, I seemed to be simultaneously at home and outdoors at some unfamiliar place. Suddenly, a monster appeared and attacked me. I struggled with the monster but it matched me strength for strength. I did not utter a sound, nor was I frightened. Instead, I wrestled silently with it.

Suddenly my mother appeared. She walked towards us, but did not say anything either. Instead, she made a dismissive gesture and the monster turned tail and ran away.


Can anyone interpret her dream?



Is there a Brother Joseph in this forum who can interpret

Dreams .... ???
 
The dream is trying to tell Dr Lee something.

I'm not joking, but it means Mama is already gone. Mama's only worry is Dr Lee, and it was in fact a dream to bid Dr Lee farewell.

Sit tight.
 
Last edited:
The "monster" seems to be a subconcious reference to the Singaporean people who have become increasingly resistant to PAP rule.

The 'monster' refers not to Singapore people. The monster is actually the power behind PAP's iron rule. The Lees are "in power" and that power is the monster. The monster has possessed the souls of the Lees, and monster controls the minds of the Lees.
 
title should be: My dear karma

by the way, lee wei ling has never been short of praises for all her family members. She even branded herself as a very compassionate person.


>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

yes, worthy read.

aug 29, 2010

difficult to accept a loved one's suffering

...at that point, i woke up. i got up from the floor where i was sleeping and went into my mother's room to see how she was doing. She was sleeping peacefully. I am now back in my room recording what i can still remember of my dream - for a 'dream' indeed it was, as it cannot be classified as a nightmare.


The writer is director of the national neuroscience institute. Send your comments to [email protected]




>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
 
yes, worthy read.

Aug 29, 2010
Difficult to accept a loved one's suffering


Feeling compassion with a detachment is wise, but tough when it comes to

Mama

By Lee Wei Ling

... There was a King James version of the Bible printed in a large font so that she could read it even without her reading glasses....

The writer is director of the National Neuroscience Institute. Send your comments to [email protected]

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
 
The "monster" seems to be a subconcious reference to the Singaporean people who have become increasingly resistant to PAP rule.

The fight she is referring to seem to refer to the struggle to remain in power in Singapore. At a subconcious level, she seems to be telling us that she feels that the PAP is slowly but surely loosing their grip on Singapore in spite of many attempts to reverse the tide.

The reference to her mother is a reference to a happier time when the PAP had the moral authority to make the current problems go away. Her mother was active and healthy during this time. Her mother therefore becomes the subconcious personification of something which the PAP once could had but which is now lost. The fact that the personficiation is in the form of her mother who is not expected to recover suggests a belief that the PAP is unlikely to recover the power it once had among Singaporeans.

In short, the dream seems to be less about Mrs Lee and more about her fear of the PAP losing elections and losing power in Singapore.

Your interpretation of her dream is solid. You are a good psychologist.:p
 
The dream is trying to tell Dr Lee something.

I'm not joking, but it means Mama is already gone. Mama's only worry is Dr Lee, and it was in fact a dream to bid Dr Lee farewell.

Sit tight.

I agree with your version. Let's see what happens in the next week.
 
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