Till we meet again

Sunday was a day full of different emotions.

It felt strange waking up in the morning, remembering that I've just sent my aunty and cousins off the night before. The house and cars felt empty and things seems pretty quiet. After spending 10 days straight with them, it felt weird to know that I won't be seeing them today. Or till another year.

And as we left home and was nearing church, we got a call from Mincey (grandpa's maid), who was obviously panicking, that my grandpa has stopped breathing. We immediately got Wy-Pun to get the doc to check on him, and immediately turned back towards home. No sooner, we got a call telling us that our grandpa had passed away.

I was shocked, yet kinda prepared. He hasn't been well the past 2 months, with his weakened condition and him being in and out of the hospital. Everyday when phones rang, I've always feared it would be bad news from the hospital or from Mincey. However, I believe such a timing is God's plan, and His timing is always beautiful. My grandpa got to see his daughter, son-in-law and granddaughters from Japan before he went. I guess he has been holding up till they came, and was at peace to go when they left.

I would always be thankful and grateful for all the things he has done for me and my sisters: taking care of us, disciplining us and bringing us up. He always said, (in literal Chinese translation) that he loved us till burnt... "Sek dou long".. I've never heard anyone else describe love in such a way.. but I've grown up listening to it my whole life, knowing it meant that he loved us alot.

And when we were younger, he would push me and Wei-Li in our special twin pram to his favourite coffee shops to "show us off". And when we were slightly older, he would always bring us to the same coffee shops to eat, and chat with the stall owners. 3 of us siblings sorta became famous, as everyone would recognize us in the coffeeshops, even till now. Due to that, when we were older, we would at times avoid going to those shops, as we always felt like we were being watched. The stall keepers were like the papparazzis, and we the celebrities haha.

From Yeh Yeh, I've learned how to drink hot beverages from the saucer and not the cup. I've also seen how he was able to make good friends out of people way younger than him. How he is respected in the neighbourhood, and how he was always nicely dressed with his long sleeved shirts and sunglasses. I've also learned a short song he always taught to us: " 爷爷爱我，我爱他呀".

He has also always told us that we are "Jeng Pai", loosely translated as being of the righteous kind, lol. That we should always mix with good crowd and not the bad. I also remember his constant worrying over us, calling us every night to make sure that all of us are back home. And calling again to check when we're not. There was also his constant "nagging" on not mixing with boys. Warning us that they might take advantage of us. This boy warning started since we were in primary school xD

And the most recent event I'll remember was my yum cha session with him bout 2-3 months back. That time his voice's audibility had already dropped, and it was kinda hard for him to talk, and hard for me to hear him. But that day, he still went on with his famous stories. Telling me about his past, and all the things he did last time. And what strike me most was his love for English movies! Apparently he used to go to the cinemas alot when he was in Hong Kong. And he was happily telling me the names of his fav old American actors, naming them one by one.

There were many memories, and many stories.. all of which I'll certainly remember and cherish. Though he was suffering during his last few days here, I believe he went away peacefully. And now he is safely in the arms of the Lord.

You'll always be in my heart Yeh Yeh.

Love,

Wei-I