The Eternal Optimist

"Don't cry because it's over, smile because it happened." - Dr. Seuss

And that is exactly the fundamental philosophy that Little Bee lives her life by. This girl with the petite frame and a booming voice never seems to be deflated by anything. She trundles through life with limitless energy and infectious zest, and only worries about not having sufficient time to play!

She is like an eternal burst of sparkling sunshine, even at this stage in primary school where most kids are stressed up about academic performances. I remember an afternoon when she came back from school and told me she was the first in class for her Math test...a dramatic pause...and then she cheekily exclaimed, "From the bottom!!! Hahaha!" What an optimist! That night, at bedtime, I asked her if she was really happy with her Math results, and she cheerily proclaimed, "YES! Because I tried my best! Didn't you tell me to be happy once I tried my best?!" What undefeatable spirits!

From infancy, she is never one who cries much. She can fall down and scramble up immediately, brushing her limbs and reassuring me in her loud, clear voice, "It is ok, I am fine! I am ok!". She would look at the bright side of things, and love to greet strangers with a sunny smile and a bright "hello!" that would make even the stoniest adults smile back. At supermarket lines or in department stores, she would yelp out a chirpy "thank you!" to the cashiers, melting their typical icy expressions. And she would repeat herself unabashedly until she gets some form of response from the other party!

My little sunshine pill. My optimistic beacon of light. I hope her indefatigable spirits stay with her forever, and that she will not be assailed by stressful Singapore's education system, or life's multitudinous challenges!