Sunday, January 21, 2007

Its gonna be 10 years this week, aye, 10 years since Granddad's passing. He's missed; still spoken about in revered tones. My memories are sketchy, and most of what I know is taken from the stories my relatives tell me. But even then, at 8, I knew he was a giant among men.

He loved children, and would spend his Sundays playing with us. Bouncing the little ones on his knee, or tickling us till we teared. He was selfless, and put off starting his own family to help look after his brother's brood, which numbered 20 in all. Eventually, he had 6 of his own, and despite earning a pittance from his work at the shipyards, he managed to put them through some form of education. He was a pious man, and often helped out at the temple, especially during big events. Even when he was close to the end, he stood fast to his beliefs and his faith, and never gave up believing. He was active elsewhere in the community, helping the neighbours, or at various organisations like the union. He had a band of close friends with whom he would go gallivanting around Singapore. To places such as the airport, or to take in some new place somewhere. It might not seem like much to many people, but he did that without being able to read, and being able to converse only in Hokkien. He must have had a way with people, charisma, or perhaps it was simply down to his caring heart, for at his wake, there were many people who came by, each one bemoaning his passing, each one having a story to tell about how he made a difference in their lives. For a man who led as simple a life as he did, the number of people who turned up over those 3 days was overwhelming. Aye, he was a good man, a great man.

When people talk of men they admire and aspire to be like, they usually mean men of great fame or fortune, sometimes both. But my choice is a simple man, a humble man, but without a doubt, a man of strength, of honesty, of integrity.

Tickles just haven't been the same.

i heard the crickets at 9:57 am

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