Overcoming the stereotyping of the Paternalistic society.

I am a public speaker and a topic that my audience like is the role of women. I tell of the paternalist society where Chinese women are subjected to men and treated as second class citizen.

I tell of personal experience, Dad had 6 girls, Each time, one of us girls were born, my Bodai aka maternal grandmother would say," another MUI ZAI SEE," loosely translated as "bloody useless girl." When Dad sent me to study in Canada, she joked that Dad studied too much and became stupid in the head.

I am so glad that Dad became stupid in the head. Out of these bloody useless girls, and their bloody useless girls,  we have become teachers, principal, writer, professor, medical practitioner, computer expert, financial controller, lawyers, interpreters, musicians, university registrar, psychologist, and so on.

Bodai, Dad's studied too much has freed us from being second class citizen. I wish you are still alive to see us.

This post was inspired by a photo my niece Jane Kalang posted on her Facebook today. I am very proud of you, Jane.