Sara: What should we toast to?Hitch: Never lie, steal, cheat, or drink. But if you must lie, lie in the arms of the one you love. If you must steal, steal away from bad company. If you must cheat, cheat death. And if you must drink, drink in the moments that take your breath away.Taken from the movie Hitch
Early last December, my paternal grandpa passed away. I didn't get a chance to talk to him for the past five years, and my last grandparent just went off. Five years, and i made no effort to contact him.
A couple of weeks after that, before Christmas, my cell group member's brother passed away in UK due to pneumonia. Both my friend and husband, who's our cell leader, arrived there only to discover it was too late. He was a photographer in a Chinese daily in the past.
The memorial service was held in church on Jan 1, and we're happy that he accepted the LORD before he left us. Though, we all agree, that at the age of 28, it's just too young to go.
A few days back, a jovial counter-part of
Melissa D and i passed away due to liver and kidney failure. After being in ICU in the whole of December, he was finally ready to let go and meet his Maker.
Here's the article about him:
A Tribute to the "Punny Guy"
By NG SU-ANN
ng_suann@thestar.com.my
Jan 6
HE was known as the ‘punny guy’ and he was proud of it. His tongue-in-cheek wit never failed to bring a smile even to the gloomiest face. Mine included.
Assistant chief photographer Lim Hong Leong who passed on at the age of 50, is fondly remembered for coming up with several quips. Instead of the usual “jom pi makan (let’s have a meal),” he would entreat us with “let’s go stuff our face” or “we go for CKT (char koay teow).”
When asked about his interests, he joked: “fast cars, women and wine but not necessarily in that order.”
Another of his mischievous remark was “God gave us relatives but thank God, we can choose our friends.”
Even in Facebook (a social networking website), his humour was distinct. He named his virtual pet which was a crab - “dinner.”
Reporters could recall him entertaining them while waiting for VIPs during assignments. One could say, he was the life of many events.
Lim, who joined The Star’s Penang office in the late 1970s, was described as a Jack of all trades. He worked as a driver, a paste-up artist and a clerk before joining the photo department in 1981.
A senior journalist said: “When he was a clerk in the Butterworth office, he showed a keen interest to learn about photography.
“So, we let him take photos for us when we went for assignments. He did this voluntarily on his own time and never claimed for the photos.”
Penang chief photographer Ng Ah Bak said he and Lim had a good working relationship throughout the years.
“He was never the type to bear grudges. If he was upset about something, he would have forgotten it the next day,” he said.
Ng added that Lim was like a beacon of sunshine in the photo room and this attracted many reporters to come in and have a chat.
He was a jovial father figure to rookies and trainees alike. His positive outlook of life made him easy to get along with.
When reporters wanted to know which photographers they were assigned with, he cheerfully sang out: “Me, you and a dog named Boo!”
Apart from his wit, this instance clearly outlined his passion for music.
In his church, he also played his guitar when leading praise and worship sessions.
And there was never a silent moment in his car because his trusty CD player often had to work overtime churning out everything from jazz hits to ballads.
Another colleague Ronnie Oh said he noticed how neat and meticulous Lim was when they travelled for a sports event in Terengganu.
“He would put his toiletries in one corner and his towels neatly folded in another. His car is also spotless,” he said with a smile.
And when The Star was suspended in the 1987, the never-say-die Lim worked in his aunty’s textile shop temporarily while waiting for the company to resume operations. His faith and patience paid off after five months.
And in 1984, he won a gold medal for taking a photo of a nude man! To this day, many old timers remembered this photo which was aptly called ‘Sunday Streaker.’ His photo was adjudged by the Kedah Photography Society as the best of many entries from the northern region.
His constant advice to young photographers was: “take pride in your work.”
Lastly, his strongest attributes were being a devoted husband and a doting father.
Lim would always place family above everything else. He referred to his only child, Hui Ling, 22, as “my sim kua (heart).” She was clearly the apple of his eye.
His wife, Ong Lean Bee, 47, said: “He did everything in the house from winding the grandfather clock to paying utility bills. When I wanted to watch DVDs, he would switch the player on for me and later switch it off for me. I’m so lost without him.”
During his wake, one of my counter-parts asked,
"Kenapa semua orang baik mati awal, eh?"Another the cuts in, and said,
"So, semua kat sini jahat lah!?"Well, i asked myself this question when my mom left us over a decade ago. Yes, it did leave a void in me; a special soft spot that no one can fill.
But what i do know is live is too short to waste. Too short for us to sulk over regrets and mistakes. Too short to complain and whine. Too precious to lose.
Everyone should learn to cherish and savour the moment and people around us.
"....Raise a glass for ignorance, drink a toast to fearThe beginning of the end has come that's why we all are hereStrike up the band to play a song and try hard not to cryAnd fake a smile as we all say goodbyeGoodbye."Taken from Jars of Clay's Goodbye, Goodnight
Love & Peace!~
BC?
