My grandpa's 83rd held at some restaurant at East Coast Park on 17th Oct!
Not exactly his birthday but it's somewhere in the month of October.
He hails from China, Fujian province.
Don't really know his exact birthdate cause almost a century ago the farmers weren't particularly interested about it. Just the birth hour and year would suffice.
Little interesting information about him lest I forget in future:
(we talked about his background the other day in hokkien and he was very much enthusiastic about it. december 29th 2009)
He has a dad who married 2 wives. One in Chickety China and the other in Indo Mee.
One younger brother died at the age of 15 within a day of complaining of stomachache in the afternoon.
Most unfortunately, his mum breathed her last the same night.
Ah Kong also has 2 elder sisters (one from Indo, same age and currently lives in China. Her daughter comes to my house every now and then) and 2 elder brothers who passed away (one of whom smoked opium, a bummer who wasted away his life)
His other Indo Mee siblings, 4 in total, are still living in Indo Mee, as farmers.
Before Ah Kong left for Singapore at 21 or 22, I can't remember..he worked as a farmer who had to pick cow dung to fertilise his crops and trek several kilometers fer water every day.
Sweet potatoes and watery porridge were his daily staples. (he still likes them now and cooks them for lunch occasionally. I asked him why don't he eat potatoes instead, they're nicer! he replied his land can't grow them)
At age 16, he worked as a salt farmer, spending long hours under the searing heat, barefoot.
He mentioned that during that period, he was as black as an Kilingia (Indian boy).
It was extremely hard work, but he needed money to support his family as his dad had left China for good. (when his dad passed away, he went to collect his urn, saw his other 4 estranged siblings once and hadn't visit them since.. o, my great grandpa's urn is at my house)
After 3 to 4 years as a salt farmer, his uncle loaned him money to set sail for SINGAPORE.
(who is this uncle? It's khek mei's dad, the one whom we visit every Chinese New Year - terrace house at old Tampines road)
Next, it was a torturous journey to Singapore (conditions aboard the stinkin' junk were horrid, many died onboard), Ah Kong landed his first job as a trishaw puller.
He married his wife, my Ah Ma, at 25 (I think) and had 7 children subsequently. (my dad's the 3rd in the family and the firstborn son. The last was almost aborted because the difference between the eldest and her was 20+! Everyone pampered the baby of the family except one green-eyed daughter.. guess who? haha.. but that was the past)
Over the years, Ah Kong strived to learn almost every transport license possible. Lorry, motorcycle and car. He failed his motorcycle test a few times!
He also gained a taxi driver license and managed to save up to buy a taxi of his own.
Soon, Ah Kong made profits and started to own a fleet of taxis, 2, 3,.. 4.
He rented them out and often had to sleep at the five-foot way of his shophouse to wait for the drivers to hand over the taxis late at night. (o yes he co-owned the shophouse and I remembered visiting it when I was younger.. He later sold it off for a handsome sum of money)
In 1973, he made his first trip back to China.
He was very proud of it and was away for a month (including weeks of travelling by ship and being quarantined for a day at an offshore island before settling back onto mainland).
All these while, he had been faithfully remitting money back to China to support his relatives. (especially Yi Mian Du's family as his dad passed away early. His dad is Ah Kong's elder brother who waste away his life as mentioned earlier. At the moment, Yi Mian Du is a wealthy construction magnate in China)
After a few years, he returned to China again in 1984, 1986, 1987 and since the 1990s, he went back regularly every year. (thanks to the wonderful invention of aeroplanes)
Ah Kong has since retired (only after his recent bout of illness.. see below) from his businesses (not taxi.. he sold his last taxi when I was in primary school)
However, he is still actively involved in his temple activities. (when the migrants from the same hometown of his first arrived in Singapore, they acquired a large shophouse and turned the first floor into a prayer hall. the upper floor are rented out)
Today, he and his fellow kinsmen registered the temple group as a clan, (damnit, I need to ask my dad what's the name.. and he'd tell a mother long story about how the government demanded a large sum of money from the old folks to have their clan registered) and my dad is roped in as vice-treasurer as well.
That's all for now. I won't divulge much, (go engage in small talks with him - you sisters/cousins) though I know the above already seemed like a really long grandfather story.
(Hey, get to know your roots, a piece of history, before it's all too late.)
And dear all, do visit your grandparents often!! At least once a month?
They'd only be too glad to see you unless you're the kind that pisses their dentures off.
Ya, back to Ah Kong.. He looks like a cute ol' man right?
You can't see his teeth in the top right photo but he has a set of purrfect teeth! - Dentures to be exact. (SCROLL UP la-dey)
However, only about a month before his birthday he was kinda ill.
He suffered from a bad bout of gout, and was literally in tears as his limbs were swollen.
Went from a healthy active geriatric to someone so feeble that he'd to confine himself in the house.
Before that he was still driving about every day and took his daily walk at the park!
Currently he's back to zipping about everywhere now and nags at me fer being fussy with food etc. Haha
But not before spending a bomb on specialists, x-rays and what nots.. He believes in Western medicine and not the Chinese's! *rolls eyes*
Finally, with the persuasion of my da gu, he went to see a Chinese sinseh at Eu Yan Sang for his gout condition. After $1000+ in a month, he's up and about (may I add his booming loud voice)!
P.S.:
Papa then shooed his ladies to EU YAN SANG at South Bridge Road to 'tiao yang' (regulate?) our bodies.
(Apparently the female doctor, Qin something is really skilled and even Din's schoolmates go to her to help clear their teenage acne problems! Before that I thought Eu Yan Seng was just famous for their bird's nest. Did I tell you I LOVE BIRD'S NEST with Rock Sugar? Hallelujuah, heavenly tonic)
Papa spent a bomb on us, his ladies..
So you calculate, mummy, Din and I. (Jasmine was too lazy to wake up in the morning and go) It's a ticket to Europe mon!
Health is indeed a blessing and wealth.
May I wish everyone to be blessed in health and wholeness, always..
in Jesus' name, Amen.
