11 Years.
11 Years have passed since my mother passed away because of stroke. She survived the first minor stroke but the second major stroke took her life. It took my family years to get back normal together.
Learned a lot along the way especially in cooking. My father loved my mother's cooking and since I'm the eldest, I am expected to be responsible to prepare and cook most of the meals back then and he expects me to prepare it the same way as my mother used to cook.
I still remember when my father come back from the wet market with some poultry, meat or vegetables, placed it on the kitchen counter and tell me to cook as he ordered. Me of course back then the word "I don't know how" or "How?" or "No" do not exist in his dictionary, left me clueless in the kitchen. Usually, I will call my aunty "Mak Lang" on the phone (since my mother learns to cook from her before). She will teach me how to cook thru the phone most of the time.
It took me a lot of time and effort to meet my father's expectation. A few times, if he finds that the food did not meet his standard (he's a Hotel F&B Director before), without saying a word, he will leave the food on the table, wash his hands, go to his room to change and start his car to eat somewhere outside. Some people may say he's heartless but he only meant good to teach us how to do better in life. Not many people will understand but today cooking is part of my hobby.
I would usually cook when I got the time. Today I just mix whatever I have in my fridge into the oven for dinner tonight.
Thanks for the Lesson Learned. Yes, things might be different if you're still around.
Till we meet again Mom!