In loving memory of a father who gave selflessly to his children and siblings

Those were the words engraved on my grandfather's tablet.

Today is the seventh day since he left us. It seemed that with his final struggle with death, he was reluctant to leave. He had so many things left undone.

Isn't it funny? How we are all so caught up in the rat race, directing all our energies into material pursuits instead of focusing on the things that truly matter? But when we leave, we leave with nothing. 生不带来 , 死不带去。I still think there's much more to life than the number of zeros in our bank account. My grandfather's passing has made me rethink my priorities in life.

He was a person with full of humour. Once, we asked him...

"Ah Gong, 你跟阿嬷的婚姻是事先安排的吗? 你爱阿嬷吗?"
"Ah Gong, was your marriage with Ah Ma pre-arranged? Do you love her?"

His reply was: "爱! 我看见阿嬷这么漂亮 , 就立刻爱上她。"
"Of course! When I first saw Ah Ma, she was so pretty, that I immediately fell in love with her."

Bouquets and dinners will never be the same again without him.
"好吃吗?" He always liked to asked this question. Cancer robbed him of his health and prevented him from eating many kinds of food, and he often stole food on our plates before saying, "Shh...不要让阿嬷知道。"

Once, during dinner at a restaurant, he walked over to our table and said,
"阿嬷说我来这里什么都不可以吃。我只是来这里付钱。"
"Ah Ma said I cannot eat anything at this dinner. I'm only here to foot the bill."

昨天屋子里冷冷清清的

我妹妹问: "阿嬷, 要不要看电视?"
阿嬷回答说: "阿公都死了, 我哪还有心情看电视?"

阿嬷一个人坐在黑暗中

当一个人死了之后 , 我们才发现很多东西都无所谓

Afternote: The seventh month is coming. During this time, the number of funeral wakes has increased. It's been said that during this period, the death rate is at an all-time high because the "relatives" have come to take their loved ones away, away from all the suffering and to put an end to all their pain. At the last count, three friends I've known have lost their loved ones. My heart goes out to each and everyone of you.