This is Gong Gong, my paternal grandfather.
In May 2022, I lost my grandfather. He had been in ICU for some time and was suffering. This death means a lot for my family and I; this is the first death in my family, all my grandparents are still around but now there’s one gone. Gong Gong raised us with an intimidating asian authoritarian front, and in spite of it all, he taught me photography, he drove us (grandkids) around, he was responsible for our mandatory afternoon naps in our preadolescent days, he bought us new phones every year, he bought us KFC. And I guess that’s how he expresses his love for us. Remnants of memories revolve around him driving us to school and all around, up until the time we all got our license and borrowed his Mercedes to drive too. My cousins often say I resemble my grandpa the most, with those protruding ears and strong facial features. I found that funny but the photos speak for themselves. It’s true.
In May 2022, I lost my grandfather. He had been in ICU for some time and was suffering. This death means a lot for my family and I; this is the first death in my family, all my grandparents are still around but now there’s one gone. Gong Gong raised us with an intimidating asian authoritarian front, and in spite of it all, he taught me photography, he drove us (grandkids) around, he was responsible for our mandatory afternoon naps in our preadolescent days, he bought us new phones every year, he bought us KFC. And I guess that’s how he expresses his love for us. Remnants of memories revolve around him driving us to school and all around, up until the time we all got our license and borrowed his Mercedes to drive too. My cousins often say I resemble my grandpa the most, with those protruding ears and strong facial features. I found that funny but the photos speak for themselves. It’s true.
More than that, we shared a love for photography and he tried educating me in traditional photography values while I educated him in photo editing. Perhaps that was how we bridged the generational gap of 57 years.
This feels unreal. Somehow, somewhere, I was mentally prepared for this. As my brother highlighted, its just a body now. But that’s okay, I tend to see life in a stoic lens at times and hey, there’s a start, there’s an end. Thank you for taking care of me.
Goodnight, Gong Gong. See you soon, some day.
This feels unreal. Somehow, somewhere, I was mentally prepared for this. As my brother highlighted, its just a body now. But that’s okay, I tend to see life in a stoic lens at times and hey, there’s a start, there’s an end. Thank you for taking care of me.
Goodnight, Gong Gong. See you soon, some day.
