Tomorrow will be Ah Pa's 3rd death anniversary.
So I wanted to create a nostalgic tribute to this special man....called Ah Pa.
I hope that this post would spur my own memories coz one of my biggest fears is that I'm gradually forgetting this great person.
It is my wish that anyone reading this page will;
for a small moment in time, think about what Ah Pa meant to me.
Though three years had passed but I still miss Ah Pa tremendously.
On that afternoon of March 16, 2006, my phone rang. It was mama, calling to say that something was terribly wrong with Ah Pa. The medical team was trying hard to revive dad at the hospital. I could tell from the sound of mama's voice that things did not look good.
Ah Pa had suffered a heart attack. An empty feeling washed over me. I hurriedly got up and drove off to the hospital. I made most of that journey in total confusion. I couldn't think. So many thoughts raced through my mind.
I finally got to the hospital to find Mama, sitting alone in that waiting area. A while later, the door flung open and a doctor walked out and simply said, "I'm sorry, Aunty. He's gone".
With that, he turned and left. That was it.
Though three years had passed but I still miss Ah Pa tremendously.
On that afternoon of March 16, 2006, my phone rang. It was mama, calling to say that something was terribly wrong with Ah Pa. The medical team was trying hard to revive dad at the hospital. I could tell from the sound of mama's voice that things did not look good.
Ah Pa had suffered a heart attack. An empty feeling washed over me. I hurriedly got up and drove off to the hospital. I made most of that journey in total confusion. I couldn't think. So many thoughts raced through my mind.
I finally got to the hospital to find Mama, sitting alone in that waiting area. A while later, the door flung open and a doctor walked out and simply said, "I'm sorry, Aunty. He's gone".
With that, he turned and left. That was it.
We were in total darkness. All alone as if the sun had just boycotted our world. Ah Pa was gone…! Alive that night before when we had small talks over the phone, but now, gone. Both mama and I were all in shocked. We suddenly plunged into the depths of grief and loss.
The next few days were packed with friends and relatives during the funeral wake for this great man. We wanted to honour Ah Pa in a special way. We did our very best to celebrate his final journey.
Ah Pa was a simple man, a humble man who worked hard to provide for his family. He genuinely loved us and would have done anything in the world for us. I'll never forget how proud he was; the day he became a grandpa when his darling daughter delivered his grandson. His eyes sparkled as he grazed at the tiny baby.
Regrettably, I can't remember any long conversations or deep talks I ever had with Ah Pa. There weren't really many father-daughter talks we engaged in.
Maybe deep inside as a small kid, I yearned for that or maybe I didn't. I do know that these days I hunger to have known him better, to have connected more, to have communicated soul-to-soul.
Perhaps that's why the words of that doctor, "He’s gone”……are permanently etched in my memory. I can still hear them ringing in my ears. Life is so short. It passes so quickly. It can be over in a flash of time.
Ah Pa was a great man. I always felt secured, loved and cared for.
All these and a thousand other memories I shall cherish till my life ends.
I miss you, Ah Pa. Still is, after 3 years.
I'll meet you one day, over there. Yes, we will surely meet.
Amithaba.
The next few days were packed with friends and relatives during the funeral wake for this great man. We wanted to honour Ah Pa in a special way. We did our very best to celebrate his final journey.
Ah Pa was a simple man, a humble man who worked hard to provide for his family. He genuinely loved us and would have done anything in the world for us. I'll never forget how proud he was; the day he became a grandpa when his darling daughter delivered his grandson. His eyes sparkled as he grazed at the tiny baby.
Regrettably, I can't remember any long conversations or deep talks I ever had with Ah Pa. There weren't really many father-daughter talks we engaged in.
Maybe deep inside as a small kid, I yearned for that or maybe I didn't. I do know that these days I hunger to have known him better, to have connected more, to have communicated soul-to-soul.
Perhaps that's why the words of that doctor, "He’s gone”……are permanently etched in my memory. I can still hear them ringing in my ears. Life is so short. It passes so quickly. It can be over in a flash of time.
Ah Pa was a great man. I always felt secured, loved and cared for.
All these and a thousand other memories I shall cherish till my life ends.
I miss you, Ah Pa. Still is, after 3 years.
I'll meet you one day, over there. Yes, we will surely meet.
Amithaba.
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