The 7th Day Memorial

Last Chinese New Year, I blogged here about how the 6th day dragged into the 7th day and how my hero, my father fought bravely till the end at the emergency room of the KLGH.

This picture came to mind after the memorial lunch, when I sat in the dining room of our ancestral home where Papa spent alot of his years, growing up and growing old. I gazed around the simple room, it's walls filled with old photos of grandfather and Papa in various portraits, poses and official events when I spotted this one featuring Indiana Jones in The Temple of Doom but photoshopped in place of his face was my father's. He had gotten it done when he visited Universal Studios in California. He loved it enough to hang in on the wall and as I reflect on my Papa on the first anniversary of his death, he was sort of an Indy in our lives.

Apart from wrestling armadilloes, snakes, and other wildlife, he was much of a 'throat dog' when it came to affairs of principle and morals. He showed me how to stand for things that matters and how he tenaciously held on to things and people he believed in.

Being the eldest of 14 brothers, he had to stand firm to keep the rest in line. He always displayed the stern side alongside his gentle side to put his point across and it almost always worked to ensure respect and order in the large family. Save for one time, when I was witness to his youngest brother who got rowdy and hurled a chair at him over a misunderstanding. My father, although had to be restrained, displayed a level of composure that can only be described as cool, and he never retaliated physically.
Yes, he was my Indy alright and it's no wonder he feels so comfortable in that leather fedora and that whip, just like Indy. I will always remember you Papa.