When Dolly got divorced after seven years of marriage and no children, she made a choice not to remarry. “I didn’t want to be tied down,” said the 84-year-old. This also opened up an opportunity for her to travel long-distance to places like Italy, England, Scotland and Australia, without any family commitments. She opined, “I liked seeing the world and I really cannot keep still.” She would take leave or sometimes, she would quit her sales job just so she could travel. “Sales work is easy to get!” One time, Dolly shared, she went to Scotland for one year as her younger sister was living there and she could get free lodging. “It is good to travel as it opens your mind and you get to see the world around you,” she said.

She is not one to be cooped indoors either. She was working for several years as a saleswoman selling Boh tea leaves to shops. “I am an inquisitive person and I like to know what is going on.” And for years, she was contented living on her own and enjoying her independent spirit. However, she got sick and the hospital recommended her not to live on her own any more. “I thought of Ling Kwang Home for Senior Citizens as I have three aunties living nearby and when I visited them, I always passed by the Home,” said Dolly.

Even though her mother had a large family – seven brothers and three sisters – Dolly is clear she doesn’t want to live with them. “[I believe that] I come alone, I go back to heaven alone, my duty is done. I don’t want to burden anyone. At the Home, no one objects to anything I do and I can do whatever I want.”