23rd January 1994

A day of joy and suffering...

15 years ago, a woman was enduring great pain in the labour room. She was excited and at the same time, anxious to welcome the presence of her first baby after nine months of pregnancy. She did not scream, but kept her strength to push the baby out of her womb. Perspiration soaked her clothes and she was trying very hard to get through this faster so that the pain will be truncated.

A final push ended it all.

"Uah...uah..." The scream of a newborn drew pierced through the silence of the night. The exhausted mother passed out on the second her child was born...

The presence of this baby brought more happiness and joy to the blissfully-married couple. After three years of conjugal life, they were finally able to have a child. To them, this was the most precious gift from God.

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Fifteen years later...

This girl has eventually grown up and become a teenager. And today is her birthday. At first, she thought that no one will remember this day. But she was proven wrong. Her parents didn't forget about it, her friends wished her Happy Birthday, and she got to eat the famous "Mi Sua" or red wine mee which is a famous Hochiew delicacy, specially prepared by her mother.

She was happy!

But deep in her heart, she knew, and will always know that her birthday wasn't all about her own joy, but also about her mother, who suffered to give birth to her. If it wasn't for her mother, she wouldn't be here, standing on this Earth and living in this world. She is thankful to her parents because of who she is, and she will always treasure the gift which has been given to her since the moment she was born : her life.

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I declare right now that my birthday is officially renamed. From this year onwards, my every birthday, the 23th January will be changed into "Mother's Suffering Day".