Elvinna's Journey To Womanhood..

ELVINNA. That's my younger sister's name. It was me who chose the name. I was 12 when she's born. I was with our mum when she's born. I visited her regularly in her hospital baby-crib, inside the incubator. She's so tiny, being born weeks earlier. I remembered being awed by her tiny and almost translucent skin. Her slants of chinese-like eyes. The soft, black tufts of shiny hair. Those tiny fists curled up, snaked with tubes with one going in inside her nose. So small and vulnerable. The nurses were saying: "Hey kid, here to visit your baby sister again? Don't worry, she's in a good hand. Will take good care of her. In three weeks time, you'd be able to kiss and cuddle her"  Three and a half weeks later, she went home and I was in awe. We call her Winna.

Winna - a year and a half ago..

2010..as a college freshman

a freshfaced college girl

She's now the youngest  in my family tree and the family has decided that as of now, until she's finished her school, she'll remain in my protective custody. Well, sort of..I must say that it's completely a challenge dealing with her transformation towards womanhood, teenage angst, boys trouble and peers pressures on 'how to be cooler within the cool circles'. I worried about her grades, about how she conducts herself living some kilometers away from my place (she's staying in a hostel provided by the college), on how she spends her weekly allowances, whether she studies diligently and many other questions that keeping me awake most nights.. In short, I've become some sort of a 'mother' to her.  Sometimes, I can't help it but I do nag her whenever she spends some weekends with me. I nag her about not buying too much unnecessary things like bags/shoes (she wears different shoes and carrying different slingbags every time she visits me!), roaming the malls once too often when there's no class, going to the K-Box with her classmates and  spending too much times on the internet - I could tell, because she constantly updates her Facebook status and don't the lecturers give her any assignments at all? Her cellphone rings and beeps endlessly too! She wears colored lenses and fake eyelashes too! Can you beat that?

Last Christmas: larking around..

with her classmates: towards the skinny jeans & sling bags journey

cradling our 3 months old niece in March this year..

we don't look alike, only sharing the same hair textures: straight jet-black hair

I guess, that's what have made her feels so reluctant to leave her hostel for my place every weekends! Nagging aside, I do understand her. After all, I was once a teenager. Albeit in a slightly different era (this makes me sound like ancient!) I do understand about the word freedom but in this case, she's only in her 19th years, a college student with a responsibility and like in many Asian countries, still requires protection/supervision by adults from time to time. Don't make mistake and judgment, we Asians of course not close minded.  Just treasuring and protecting our moral values from being trampled and stomped in today's moral decaying society! Well, my mum is not around to chastise her and I'm sort of like a 'deputy mom-sheriff'! 

she's 19 years old now..

I guess, this is some sort of a training to me. My sister made me believe and gave me glimpses on what kind of a future mother I'll be. Some weekends, I'll sit with her and have some sister bonding moments with her over coffees, windows/grocery shoppings, painting our toenails & go for movies. One thing for sure, I'm not going to be a pushover. I don't condone rigid and extremely strict parenting. Nowadays, I limit my nagging. I still do but not as much as before.  She's a woman now and I trusted her to make a better judgment. I have faith in her, her journey to a wonderful, successful life and ultimately be her own woman. My role is only as a back-up,  a supporting hands whenever she falls down. And..a giving and loving sister..

All grown-up now as a pretty young lady.. 19 years have passed by since I first  laid  my eyes on her..how times fly