LOVE, Kloudiia

Two shocking news jolted me. One came when I was watching the news yesterday night and knew Singaporeans’ beloved orang-utan Ah Meng had passed away due to old age.

Powering up my notebook and about to blog about my story related to Ah Meng, I got another shock. My uncle too passed away yesterday. But he wasn’t that old, yet.

Life really has it’s moments. Maybe my uncle’s family were more prepared for his leaving, as I heard from my sister that he had been hospitalised for some time, though not to our knowledge. I remember him as a very thin and lean man (no, he’s not mean) with moustache. He liked to joke around with us.

I haven’t met him for a very long time. We used to see each other every day when I was very young and lived in our shophouse. He was one of the barbers at our barber shop owned by our whole family. After that entire area was taken back by the government for redevelopment, we parted. On special occasions, we would gather again. But now it’s eternal farewell.

That’s one sad note on a happy festive occasion.

Now, what personal relation do I share with Ah Meng? Well, not that personal. It goes like this…

Once upon a time on the first day of CNY, my uncle would bring all the children, me included to the Singapore Zoo. We would leave all the adults in my auntie’s home where they would eat and joke and gamble, and the little ones would scamper off to visit our dear “relative” – Ah Meng.

You see, my uncle owns a fashion boutique that opens from Mondays to Sundays. So effectively, he has no rest days except during the long break in CNY. Therefore, he would make use of this holiday to bring the kids around, and the zoo would be an inevitable stop. This annual routine then became a joke among our families that he is visiting his good friend Ah Meng again.

Gradually as the children grow up, the annual visit stopped. Though the joke about him visiting his buddy never ceased till many years later, after which they would still come in bits and pieces every now and then.

Not that I am a psychic, but a thought flashed across my mind that Ah Meng might pass away. This was towards the end of last year. So maybe we should go and see her again. That was just a thought. Naturally, when this came to my mind, the joke about my uncle’s annual visit resurfaced, and I laughed. I guess that’s why I didn’t pay too much attention to this, until I learned about her death yesterday, and I recalled this brief mental scene. Instantly, I regretted not listening to this voice of mine.

May peace be with the deceased and their bereaved families, friends and loved ones.

Celebrating births. Mourning deaths. Joyous gatherings. Lingering memories.

That’s how life is. A mixture of happy and sad, sweet and bitter. But, life still goes on…

[tags]Ah Meng, Singapore Zoo icon, life lessons, reflections, thoughts[/tags]