where thoughts materialise.

So we're into the sixth version of my blog after the last version hung around for a year or so.

Now, a bit of info on this image. This photo was taken one lovely spring afternoon, featuring the iconic Old Well from the UNC Chapel Hill campus. I would like to think of this image as a tribute to my time in UNC Chapel Hill, the awesome friends I made and the memories I now hold dear.

A milestone in my life indeed.

I've dropped the tagboard cos its useless and taking eons to load. But thanks to Angela who helped me set it up, I still do like and will miss the pink interface.

So yeah, it's the sixth one you fellas!

Yours.

27 April 2008

you know you miss my older entries

October 2004 November 2004 December 2004 January 2005 February 2005 March 2005 April 2005 May 2005 June 2005 July 2005 August 2005 September 2005 October 2005 November 2005 December 2005 January 2006 February 2006 March 2006 April 2006 May 2006 June 2006 July 2006 August 2006 September 2006 October 2006 November 2006 December 2006 January 2007 February 2007 March 2007 April 2007 May 2007 June 2007 July 2007 August 2007 September 2007 October 2007 November 2007 December 2007 January 2008 February 2008 March 2008 April 2008 May 2008 June 2008 July 2008 August 2008

Tuesday, July 24, 2007

I remembered how, in the last months in 2004, right about the time I started this blog, that I was a much younger me, anticipating the end of my NS and looking forward to finally starting school again. I, too, at that time made the commitment to accompany my grandma in her weekly Sunday grocery shopping at the Yuhua market. The joy when she saw me in the market helping her with her plastic bags was distinct, not that she had no one to help her with it, my mom was always with her, but I guess its the whole grandson thing that made it extra special for her. Never did I knew that in less than a month, she would have been diagnosed with cancer and 16th January 2005 would be the last time she would ever step foot into Yuhua market.

Almost a year after she passed on, I had a lot of time thinking and tracing many of her "last"s - the last time she slept on her bed at home, the last time she had Mc/Donald's, right down to the last time she called my name.

As a young child, my grandparents would never fail to bring me to every new Mc/Donald's (hereafter "Mac") that opened its doors on our little sunny island. Well, there weren't many Macs opening in every neighbourhood in Singapore back then, so each opening created quite a showing, and knowing how much I loved Mac, they would carry me along, hop onto a bus to where ever the Golden Arches may be. Without fail.

Grandma also instilled the urban passion in me. She, along with my grandfather, would bring me to favourite urban haunts like T/angs, C/entrepoint and R/affles City, once a week the least. I guess why I keep telling people that I love R/affles City is partially because it reminded me of my weekly outings with my grandma. On hindsight, they were such cool grandparents. Hey, I'm a true blue C/entrepoint kid. Seeing how much of an urban freak I am now, and specializing in urban geography, it warms my heart to know that was very much a seed planted by my doting grandparents, and how their hard work - carrying me when I'm tired just so I can have a confortable experience in town etc etc etc - has translated into a pursuit of true passion today.

This amazing woman also showered us with birds nest every week. I didn't value the worth of bird's nest as a kid (not like I understood its nutritional value, but its sheer price) cos my grandma made it such a norm in the house to have a bowl of bird's nest for the grandkids. What touched me the most was how she saved her money just to buy more bird's nest for us. We had that till we were at least in our lower primary years, then after we insisted for her to only make it for us before our exams if she wanted to, which she always did without fail. I remember how even in her last few months when we gave her bird's nest to improve her appetite that she would not have her bowl until she made sure we were having some from her portion.

I can go on and on speaking of her love, it would never end. I still miss her so.

I feel much older now, having seen pain, suffering, tears and death. But along with that too, I've seen true love, sacrifice and resilience. They say the world is ugly and dark. Yes it is, but they only serve to make the beautiful things all the more brilliant.

nimgnoy let the night fall at 12:39 AM

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