The first memory that I had of my grandfather is that... he likes gardening. He likes to plant bonsai when I was little. And orchids. He likes to mix few different colors of bougainvilleas, let them grow into a big bush and cut them into shapes like airplane, birds and in a shape of bonsai. Oh, few months ago, he shaped on of them into a sea lion. No, he didn’t tell me what it was… it just looked like a sea lion. Very creative huh? But then around five years ago, he sold most of his bonsais to people who pass by our house every evening when they brisk walk. I remembered my dad was furious about it. Part of it is because he sold it very cheap to them. Part of it it’s because we had it for like…. 10 or 15 years? Since we moved in to the house. So we only had bougainvilleas.
Grampa likes to catch birds. He’s very creative in bating the birds into a cage that he made himself. He likes o hear them sing. But he never keeps them very long. I remembered there was one time; he caught a blue greenish bird. Very beautiful. But he freed the bird few days later...he said the bird doesn’t sing.
I also remembered when we’re kids, he likes to make puzzle toy for us. He used key chains and those thin steel wires whatever they called it. Very creative. Well, daddy said last time when grampa was in China, that’s what they make to entertain themselves.
We used to breed chickens at home. And I’ll watch him kill it when they’re big enough to make a dish during Chinese New Year. Oh, grampa also likes to grow vegetables in or backyard. He’ll use his urine as fertilizer. Sometimes, he’ll ask my brother to urine on the plant.. He says its better! So every time my dad cooks the vege that he planted, I don’t dare to eat it. But they said it’s normal to use urine as fertilizers. But I couldn’t help thinking about it and I swear I can even smell the stench of urine whenever daddy cook the vege... or maybe it’s just me.
Grampa’s 95 years old this year. He’s asthmatic and he complains of neck pain very often since last year. we took him to the hospital few months ago due to lung infection. I was in the ambulance with him. From HUKM to Klang GH. I remember the first thing he said when we got down from the ambulance is “Where’s my shoes? Remember to take it.”
I was damn nervous that time and when he said that to me, I don’t know whether to laugh or what. That’s my grampa. He doesn’t like people to hold his hand when crossing the road. Even in the hospital, I hold his hand when we’re walking to the toilet, he let go my hand and held the handle bar along the wall instead. I think he did that because he wanted to let us know that he still can walk on his own. He wanted to let us know that he’s still strong.
Yes.. he’s still very strong... few weeks back, he still have the energy to cut down a tree at our backyard. Few years ago, he still climbs up a coconut tree to get the fruits.
Grampa likes to catch birds. He’s very creative in bating the birds into a cage that he made himself. He likes o hear them sing. But he never keeps them very long. I remembered there was one time; he caught a blue greenish bird. Very beautiful. But he freed the bird few days later...he said the bird doesn’t sing.
I also remembered when we’re kids, he likes to make puzzle toy for us. He used key chains and those thin steel wires whatever they called it. Very creative. Well, daddy said last time when grampa was in China, that’s what they make to entertain themselves.
We used to breed chickens at home. And I’ll watch him kill it when they’re big enough to make a dish during Chinese New Year. Oh, grampa also likes to grow vegetables in or backyard. He’ll use his urine as fertilizer. Sometimes, he’ll ask my brother to urine on the plant.. He says its better! So every time my dad cooks the vege that he planted, I don’t dare to eat it. But they said it’s normal to use urine as fertilizers. But I couldn’t help thinking about it and I swear I can even smell the stench of urine whenever daddy cook the vege... or maybe it’s just me.
Grampa’s 95 years old this year. He’s asthmatic and he complains of neck pain very often since last year. we took him to the hospital few months ago due to lung infection. I was in the ambulance with him. From HUKM to Klang GH. I remember the first thing he said when we got down from the ambulance is “Where’s my shoes? Remember to take it.”
I was damn nervous that time and when he said that to me, I don’t know whether to laugh or what. That’s my grampa. He doesn’t like people to hold his hand when crossing the road. Even in the hospital, I hold his hand when we’re walking to the toilet, he let go my hand and held the handle bar along the wall instead. I think he did that because he wanted to let us know that he still can walk on his own. He wanted to let us know that he’s still strong.
Yes.. he’s still very strong... few weeks back, he still have the energy to cut down a tree at our backyard. Few years ago, he still climbs up a coconut tree to get the fruits.
Grampa likes to take pictures.. he always smile whenever he sees a camera. taken in 2005, my birthday.
Debb bought a walking stick for him from pharmacy last 2 years for father’s day. He didn’t use it.. He still prefers to use his own creation of walking stick, from a guava tree branch. He didn’t use it to help him walk. He can walk perfectly fine. But he just likes to hold it when he goes out for brisk walking in the evening. To shoo those stray dogs away..
2007 Chinese New Year.
Last Thursday, I got a phone call from my youngest aunt.. “Your grampa passed away. Come back now”. I’ve heard so many of my friends lose their grampa at a very young age. Some never even saw their grandparents. I’ve never thought about not having my grandparents around. I feared this call for so long that when it came to me, all I know is RUSH!
I rushed back home and while driving, I thought of the times when I talk to him by just doing hand gestures cos he has hearing problems, shouting doesn’t work. I remembered how we tested him in Chinese New Year, asking if he recognize each and every one of his grandchildren. He has a very good memory and eyesight. At age of 95, he doesn’t need to use glasses when he read the paper.
I really wanted to cry. But I didn’t.
He went to a better place.
When I saw him lying on his bed, he looked normal. Like he’s sleeping..
I grew up with grampa and it’s weird not having one now. I’ll definitely tell my children about their great grandfather, like how I used to dislike eating his vege, how he used to climb up the trees, how he used to like drinking Stout. Everything about him.
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