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| Celebrated Kung Kung's 85th birthday with a treat to Ocean Green. |
This post will be about my grandfather, or what I call him, Kung Kung, in Cantonese. He was born in 1930, April 28th, the year of the horse, like how he likes to introduce himself. I was born 60 years later, also the year of the horse! And this is why he would say, we are alike. He is a strong willed, clumsy, generally fun and bubbly person I would say. Since I was a baby, both grandpa & grandma took care of me. Can't remember much but according to my parents, I was the only grandkid out of 5 who was taken care of by them. Poh Poh and Kung Kung love me very much. They technically brought me up until I was about 12...
My mom is a protective & caring person by nature. A 'worrier' some would suggest. This led her to telling Kung Kung NOT to take me out for jalan-jalan when I was little. Instruction was clear. We couldn't understand why she'd make such rule but hey, according to Kung Kung, rules are meant to be broken hah! He is a wanderer! Hates staying at home.
He always took me out. We would take buses to places. I can't remember much now but a few vivid memories remained. He used to bring me to Island Plaza. There was a restaurant that served good Western food. We both loved our lamb shoulder. Besides the mall, he would bring me to Esplanade or a village beside Tesco Tanjung Pinang to observe the fishermen. I even remember there was a crab that escaped from the net and chased after us. HAHA! You should give me pats on my shoulder for remembering this random incident.
Kung Kung was our (my little cousin & I) hero. Every time we went to the toilet to poop and when we were done, we'd shout "Kung Kung! Hou lo!" Which means "we're done" so that he could come into the toilet and clean our bum bums for us. What love is this? :)
He was also the one who introduced music to me and made me like music. He would record concerts aired on National TV on video tapes and then label them. I remember he used to play a lot of Celine Dion, Theresa Teng & Spice Girls' concerts and I would sit quietly to watch or at times, sing & dance along! Not forgetting the Chinese New Year songs by a group of little girls too! My sis and cousins would go crazy listening to those songs. Haha! During exams, he'd tell me that if I scored a certain amount of 'A's' he'd buy me my favourite album. And I really got what I wanted! He would bring me to the music store and I get to choose. I chose a compilation of songs that were hits at that time, (2000, I guess). I remember how happy I was, having the cassette. I'd play it on Poh Poh's radio everyday. Learn up the songs and sang with them.
As years go by, relationship with Kung Kung grew further apart as I no longer spend time at their house. If I did, they were during birthdays or family gatherings which was not often. I got busy through the years and also coz mom didn't want to burden them, I moved back to my own home. This means less yummy home cooked meals by Poh Poh too. So, back to grandpa, he was always this very funny (coz he's clumsy) old man. All my friends who know him can testify. They love him. He'd do things that are unthinkable. Once, he wore his dentures upside down and couldn't speak properly. Another time, during his birthday, he grabbed a 'knife' wanting to cut the cake but later on realised it was a baby corn that fell out from the plate. HAHAHA! I still giggle now thinking about this.
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| Poh Poh & Kung Kung - Taken early 2016 (Reunion dinner) |
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| Brought Kung Kung to celebrate his 86th birthday. |
Life is fragile and goes by so quickly. People age quickly too. This year, Kung Kung is 86 and had fallen down about 4 - 6 times. Twice I was there to help him in the hospital. The other times, my parents were there with him. It is now our responsibility. To be the ones to take care of him. However, as bubbly and fun as he is, he can be a pain too. Because of his lack of agility in his movements & inability to move like how he used to, it has caused him to turn a little bitter. Especially to mummy. She's always the one giving him advice, not to get out of the house looking at his condition now but he would again, not listen to her just like 15 - 20 years ago. He definitely has become a very frustrated person. Always shouting and very sensitive about every little thing people say (especially to mom). He still boasts to others that at his age now he still can walk to places run errands. Truth is, he is unstable. He trembles when he sees uneven ground and he would just walk on the spot (literally). I guess this is the result of having freedom for almost all his life and suddenly got 'controlled'.
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| His first fall was when he went to the bank alone and tripped. |
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| The second fall remains a mystery. Nobody knows where he fell but mummy suspects it's at the bank/otw to the bank. He had his bank book with him. |
This has put a strain on mummy. She's hurt. She's tired. She's speechless. And when I see her like this, I get affected too. Kung Kung is becoming someone we cannot understand anymore. You can't seem to make sense to him. He won't listen. The 1 person that I feel for the most besides him is my mom. She never gets to be in peace. It's almost like all her off days are filled with errands to run either for Poh Poh or Kung Kung. In fact, he just fell down again today (on mom's off day) and a kind soul called the ambulance and sent him to the hospital. He knocked his head and bled for the second time in just 2 months. He still has yet to accept that he can't move around or go wherever he wants to like old times. I guess he must be really frustrated too.
Mom and dad spent the whole day in hospital accompanying him. Another day without rest. I'm thinking of my mom's well being too. How she is always worrying for him. It's not good for her.
Seeing mom in this state kills me. She seems helpless. She did her best to his rescue but he doesn't really see that and would often pick fights with her. He would misunderstand her and jump into conclusions quickly. I can't even imagine how she would feel. Every time she sees a phone call from "Father" she would panic. I could only pray that God would intervene. That Kung Kung will accept his current physical condition. That he would be obedient to instructions. Pray with me...
Thank you for reading!
Love,
Sheryn
