My Ah Gong
When it gets real hot, it felt as if I'm in a desert, hot and dry..arghhh..so..."The One" and I went to buy a fan. :) We came home happily assembling the fan and while doing this, it suddenly brought back memories of my ah gong (grandpa aka daddy's daddy)..
When I was little, I remembered ah gong as a quiet man, always la kopi (stirring and drinking coffee) and puff puff away on his cigarettes; eventually ah gong died from lung cancer in the hospital (I still remembered seeing his lung xray with alot of black black patches in his lung).
How assembling a fan brought back memories of ah gong?
Ah gong is a very hands-on man (just like my daddy, fix light bulbs, change sockets etc). I still have images of him, fixing fans. Whenever the fan broke down, ah gong will be ready with all his tools, putting out newspaper on the floor, dismantling the parts of the fan, cleaning, fixing all those parts back while we (kiddo and I) will be standing there, trying to be "very helpful". "Ah gong, here (the cloth), ah gong this one (screw), ah gong that one (screw driver).." Ah gong never got angry or impatience, he will always be nodding his head and smiling, taking whatever we give him no matter how "ka jiao" (disturbing) we can be...:PNow ah gong has been gone for a long long time, almost more than 15 years. Almost every year, during 'ching ming' festival (the festival when people will "clean" the tomb of their loved ones and pay respect to them), my aunties, uncle, cousins, mom, daddy, kiddo and I will be there to pay respect to ah gong and take some time to 'tell' ah gong things (such as who's getting married, he's going to have another great grandchild etc etc).
This year while kiddo is in Australia while I'm here in Canada, although we are not there to 'talk' to ah gong in person, ah gong will know he always live in our heart...Thank you for the wonderful memories ah gong.
Cheerios and keep smiling!
With Love from PoohBear
picture from http://www.lindamoran.net
12 comments:
Memories of our grandparents are still so real and alive in our hearts. I wrote something about my grandparents in my previous posting: Memories of Malacca - Mama and Papa.
My Mama was a hilarious lady. She was not funny with us but her antics always made me laugh.
May your Ah Gong rest in peace. :)
thank you j.t. :) I always think that it is true that most people do not always hv the fondest memory of things that riches can buy; but the fondest memories are almost always the emotional memories that money cannot buy..
have a good weekend j.t.
Dropped by from Jacqui's. Ah gong is always smiling on you.
You r in Canada? How nice! :)
Btw, who is kiddo?
thanks for dropping by tunku halim :) i remember ah gong's smile is always very fatherly and kind.
you have a great weekend tunku halim :)
kiddo is my younger brother poohbearee :)
have a great weekend poohbearee!
Hi Winnie, sounds like your Ah Gong was da man! I bet he could tell you stories too, huh.
My Ah gong travelled by bullock cart from Malacca to KL, took a week. That time KL Lake gardens had tigers running around.
He passed away when Armstrong said these famous words, "one giant step for men, one giant leap for manking...".
He was thrilled his lifetime to know man has set foot on the moon.
Ah Gongs? Bless them all. UL.
Uncle Lee, my Ah Gong is a man of few words but lots of smiles whenever he is with his grandchildren.
Ah Gong is always 'easily bullied' into taking us out for ice cream, fly kites, playground..whenever Ah Ma (grandma) or mom say 'cannot go, no one bring u all out..' its always Ah gong to the rescue. We will say 'ah gong bring us out' and drag ah gong's hand..he always smiles and nod nod, then its horray for us!
wow Uncle Lee, ur Ah Gong sounds like a 'man of steels'..I bet alot of his characteristic has rubbed on onto you his grandson :)
yeah..3 cheers for Ah Gongs!
It's been a long time since I tot of my Ah Gong. He used to buy sweets for us when he went for his afternoon walks. I am sure he knows you are thinking of him.
thanks FH, i think he'll be too..
i'd like to think that all ah gongs and ah mahs indulge in their grandchildren.
last time, whenever my momma came with her rotan, all i ever needed to do was to yell out loud for ah gong...yehhh....ah gong to the rescue.
nyonyapenang, our ah gongs are like the 'silent heros' always 'backing us up' when we needed them hor :)
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