I STILL REMEMBER the first time I saw her. A middle-aged Chinese woman in a plain T-shirt, no make-up, hair carefully combed and neatly clipped and wearing a pair of cosy slippers. She was definitely not what I expected.
I was 12 and she was my English tutor. Life was simple then. The only thing I had to worry about was finishing my homework on time. While her classes were hard work and it took me several months to catch up with the rhythm, I enjoyed them enormously.
Aunty Maida is an educated and entertaining woman. Her jokes would have the class in fits of laughter and her urge to learn never ceased. I remember the time she bought a computer, but had no idea how to use it. She brought out a thick instruction manual and the next day she was using the machine like an expert.
Every morning during lessons she would drink a bowl of soup while teaching vocabulary, proverbs and idioms.
What makes her so special is the way she treats her students. Her relationship with them is never superficial or nurtured for financial reasons.
She treats them like her own children and I admire her deeply for that.