After more than a decade in the technology industry, I would say that other than a few unsavory encounters, such as an end user who insisted on talking to a male colleague when I was working technical help-desk, most of the people I’ve met at work were great people who wouldn’t think lesser of me just because of my gender. I’ve have had the good fortune of having some of the most incredible bosses and peers (some whom have become life-long friends and a spouse) who truly believed in my capabilities, and saw possibilities in me.
I’m constantly amazed by how blessed I am to have these people in my life. People who were willing to take countless leaps of faith with me and gave me opportunities when they didn’t have to, rendered help voluntarily, shared inspiring insights, and simply the chance to see them do their magic.
So this Women’s Day, I would like to pay tribute to the 4 most incredible women in my life. My mom, my mother-in-law, and my 2 late grandmothers.
Starting with my paternal grandmother. She was born in a totally different era and spent her younger days learning how to sew, pounding spices into rempahs, looking after her younger siblings, and honing her skills as an incredible susek cards player. Being the 2nd kid in the family, she didn’t get the chance at education, unlike my other grandaunts. But being the feisty lady that she was, she taught herself to read and single-handedly brought up my father, after leaving Malacca for Singapore. She had so many dreams for me and encourage me to finish college and become a dua-zai-hu (or accountant I think) – an occupation that apparently came with a lot of prestige and made a lot of money in her days. She was enterprising and would sew little pouches to consign them to the medicinal hall (whom she spent a lot with) in our neighborhood to supplement the household income.
My maternal grandmother on the other hand was the complete opposite of my paternal grandmother. She was soft-spoken but I never misinterpreted that as a weakness. She had a silent resolve that still amazes me whenever I think of her. Having her around is so reassuring and even if you’ve given up on yourself, she would go down that rabbit hole for you, drag you out, and be with you all the way, even if you were too afraid to.
And my mother-in-law has been nothing but a blessing to my married life. We didn’t get into the huge MIL-DIL conflicts that everyone talked about and what I was so afraid of. Her kindness and willingness to empower me was something that I am forever grateful for. Standing in as a caregiver for my children so that I can pursue my professional growth and concentrate on building my career with peace of mind.
Last but not least, my mom. She is the epitome of lifelong learning. Switching careers mid-life so that she can provide better for us, learning how to use a smartphone at the ripe age of 65, and recently, learned public speaking and the use of video conference tools while at it. She is my greatest supporter in the things I undertook and the one who encouraged me to take up computing at its infancy when all I wanted was to be an accountant like her. And understandably, she is one of the reasons why I’m in Technology today.
Do you have any inspiring women in your life?
About Kaye
Grew up in Singapore, stood on the cusp of the internet revolution, and surfed it (literally). My “cloud” was made up of FTP servers and free VM software, my “WiFi” was LAN cables that ran across the walls in trunking that my dad hand-laid. I learned to code in Turbo Pascal, and subsequently, Delphi (if you know them, you’re probably as old as I am, or older). 🙂
I’m fascinated by all things digital and still bear nostalgia towards childhood gadgets. My first Pentium-I PC that ran on Windows’98 which I hand-coded my entire A-Levels computing project with, the comforting sound of the 56K modem, the fun I had with the Nintendo Popeye Handheld, the fights with my siblings over who got to use the landline, and my original Nokia 3310 that’s still sitting somewhere in my mom’s house. Not to mention the grande dames of the living room – the television sets that I grew up watching.
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Connect with me:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kayehau/
Twitter: @kayehau
Email: kaye.hau@generaltechtalk.com
Photo by Kostiantyn Li on Unsplash