Karaoke auntie

A few nights ago, my dad's eldest sister passed away after battling cancer for the past few years. Even though her prognosis had been grim, she slipped away much more suddenly than anyone expected, suggesting that maybe she decided it was her time.

My dad's side of the family is full of loud, boisterous characters who compete for attention, eat with abandon and are constantly laughing. Clearly, I inherited some of these traits. My aunt, in particular, was one of the louder, more happy-go-lucky of the clan and she was always the life of the party.

One of my clearest memories of her is at my grandmother's old apartment in Hong Kong where she and my father were belting out tunes on a home karaoke machine. Neither cared that they could have used an auto-tune and both were having a great time, just enjoying each other's company and singing into the night.

Due to my work schedule, I'm sad that I'll miss the funeral in a few days, but I'm glad we were all able to gather a few months ago in Vancouver when my cousin got married. She was in bright spirits during that trip, obviously weak from chemo, but definitely stronger than I had expected. Whether it was simply a brave face or a particularly positive period doesn't matter. She still managed to shine amongst the dozens of aunts, uncles and cousins who had gathered for the weekend.