My Ah Gong and his 'grandson'

I have never had an ah gong in my life, or at least seen any by the time I was born (as alike one of my friends), not until I got myself a part time job at KTPH. He is not an ordinary old man you observe on the streets (otherwise I would not have written this post) but rather someone whose inner and outer facet is filled with substance - something which even ah gong himself also claimed to have it in him. Now what would Ah Gong have possibly done to make him deserve the above description?

I won't dare say he's a man of few words as you might so perceive from one glance, but instead if you know him well, he is someone who knows how to give the gift of silence as and when necessary and talk when it comes to the right moments. Yes, you may find him irritating at times from all the stories that ah gong tell but there will be someone out there eager to listen to his comments and his take on certain stuffs - his 'grandson'

Ah gong may be seen as a sceptic in many things- He does not see things in the way ordinary people do, or rather see life in a way usual folks may view it to be like. What's with fast food, sugary stuffs, and even the management in the office. He simply dismisses the functionality of the office, the unnecessary rules and regulations and the false integrity of the people there which his 'grandson' will have to agree too. He even brought up the issue of the world ending soon given the rising sea levels from the melting of the polar caps. What is admirable is however much skeptical he is about life, he will try to put on his best performance, and of course a smile in whatever he does at all fronts and not raise tension unnecessarily.

Ah gong is someone with the tenacity, patience and brains to do big things, though it may be hard to see that in a place like the office. He is always constantly devising smart strategies to tackle problems and what his 'grandson' learnt from him is not only to do things fast, but slow too, slow enough to handle situations smoothly and steadily, something his 'grandson' will have to really pay hard attention to lest any misfortune may befall upon him. Ah gong was a medical student, at least he nearly graduated as a traditional chinese medicine practictioner but gave up all due to his passion for something else - carpentry. He has devoted nearly 30 years to overseeing operations that have got to do with carving out good quality wood pieces for the furniture industry and even though he may fail ultimately (due to heightened environmental concerns), he never regrets it as it is lessons learnt in life - you can do whatever you want in life and failures and successes of all sorts are bound to stand in the way. He is a determined man.

Ah gong does not garner his knowledge through the papers or books like the laymen do. Neither does he rely much on electronic gadgets like the television in his free time to obtain the daily digests or so. How then does his baffled 'grandson' listens on and on to what-may-seem-like ramblings of him fervently? T his is when Ah Gong depends on his true substance, something gathered throughout the passing of time when he embarks on his life journeys away from Singapore to other parts of the world - yes ah Gong travels regularly as and when duty calls - and as he practices his carpentry out there, the lessons he gleans and the stories he encounters, are far too bountiful to be recited in a day. Ah gong sure does not rely on media to obtain his information, but through the conversations he makes with his contacts, the gentle scan of the headlines along news stands and of course, during his mere relaxation moments at work on his old, outdated desktop computer with his faint knowledge of the internet.

Ah gong may think he is laughable at times when he tries his best to crack a joke on the spot, however oblivious to the fact that but the real comical him can't be seen by Ah gong himself, not least by his childish 'grandson' who grins, smirks followed by chortles for a short while before things resume to normal; and that is the time when his wrinkles contort, eyes agape and tone serious - when Ah Gong gets into his firm and unknowingly amusing stance which only to be teased at by his childish 'grandson' who may or may not seem to understand those real marks engraved on his face deeply enough.

Ah gong, I will miss you. Thanks for all your time, effort in teaching your 'grandson', and your biscuits too....