Gems That No Money Can Buy

Once i bring up the topic of gems that no money can purchase, a lot of my peers responded in various answers. Names of all sorts of stones came out one by one but in my opinion our older generation are the sort of gems that no money can buy.

As an invidual i may be labelled as traditional or in our local slang known as kolot but i grow up learning from my dad to love, respect and appreciate the existence of our older generation such as our parents, grandparents, great grandparents, ancestors and other grand relatives that have long kicked the bucket and those that are still around.

I believe without the effort and contributions of our older generation, we wouldn't be able to enjoy such beautiful and unique heritage today. Hence, no matter how stubborn , childish,arguementative or unreasonable my older generation can be at times, i try my best to tolerate and reason with them in the nicest way possible . I consider myself fortunate to not possess a boiling temper such as my grand-dad from my mom's side. My grand-dad has a typical Baba temper and for those who grew up in peranakan household, you would understand the meanings behind my words.

Pardon me for segregating between my mom's side and dad's side for both my grandparents are still around. I find myself extremely lucky for i am able to chat, joke around and hao soon also known as stay fillial to my cho cho and gua mah for a lot of my friends have not the opportunity to meet their ancestors.

My sisters will tease me at times, nick-naming me the cucu kesayangan or favourite grandson for my grand-dad { the one with the temper} will occasionally call for me when nobody is available to babysit him. My grand-dad suffered from cardiovascular disease or a situation whereby blood clot blocks an artery and interrupts the blood flow to the brain also known as stroke or brain attack to medical students.

Bad temper will cause us to lose a lot of friends and it is sad especially during old age. My sisters are nice girls but i can understand the times they hesitate to look after this grand-dad of mine for although we try to be nice to him, all the words that comes out from his mouth are just unbearable and hurtful at times.

I am no God and i do admit that i hesitated at first too, but looking at his condition and how lonely he is, i just could not pretend that nothing happened and close an eye. Therefore, each time he calls for me, like it or not i ended up baby-sitting him unless i am really busy or i am not home .

Also, if i disagree to look after him, my grandma will not be able to go out and get some fresh air, meet some people and blend around. My grandma{ mom's mother} has got a heart of an angel. I grew up witnessing ways of her being tormented emotionally by my grand-dad and most women in her shoes will have just seek for a divorce but she stayed with him throughout all these years with patience, love and care.

My cho cho left us to be in the arms of God when i was ten years of age. Yet, memories of her remain fresh in my mind. I do recall that evening at about 8pm. Nobody was at home except for me and my little sister and i received a phone call from my grand-aunt informing us that my grandma has been certified to have passed away and i still remember how shocked i was at that time and every part of me started crying but my eyes could not shed any tears for i kept reminding myself that i am a guy and i should not appear panic or to be in despair.

I have learned to appear independent and responsible eversince i was seven. I chased away our babysitter and at that time i only had a sister, the youngest is yet to see this world. I told my mom that i can take care of my sister at home and we do not need to waste money on hiring a babysitter moreover she kept tailing me everywhere even to the toilet. The babysitter watched me pee and refused to allow me to have the toilet door closed. It was from that day onwards, that it was just me and my sister.

I am the oldest grandchild from both sides of my family and although i may not be the smartest { my sisters are academically better} but i believe i have this responsibility to set a good example to my sisters and my cousins when it comes to loving the elders. I am not a perfect individual or a row model for grand-sons all over the world. I do have my flaws and there were times upon the stages of growing up that i may have hurt the feelings of my elders but i am trying day by day to show them as much unconditional love as i can.

There was this time grandma{dad's mom} was warded in the hospital for almost a month. It happened more than two years ago and frictions of my memories can remember these moments for i just broke up with my girlfriend and i was still sad about it eventhough it had been months back. Upon being told that my grandma's feet lost its senses and apparently she fainted, we got an ambulance that brought her to the nearest hospital. I visited her day by day from the time she was in the ICU till she was transferred to the normal ward.

The whole month i was sitting by her bed , feeding her, and talking to her and eventhough i understood that i will not be able to change her clothes for her, or bathe her or care for her as detailed as the nurses but i still made an attempt to visit her day by day for i know she is rather lonely all by herself in the ward and visits from her grandchild might just cheer her up and true enough she was happy and had a better appetite. I am not trying to prove anything or to win an award for the best grandchild . I have always regretted for not being able to speak to my cho cho during the last hours of her life and i do not wish to repeat the same mistake.

My mom was hospitalised last year for a tiroid surgery . There is a lump that can be seen from her throat and i was so worried that i could not sleep for nights anxiously awaiting for morning to come so that i can pay a visit to the hospital. My whole point is , we would not be here if its not for our older generation, therefore we should spend more time with them especially when they are sick and in need of our care. Care does not mean just by paying for their expenses and hospital bills. It certainly does not mean by working overtime and earning more money to give them more allowances but not have the time to spend with them.

Old folks will be happy just by our presence eventhough we may not be able to buy them castles or mansions or treat them to abalone and sharks fin dishes daily. You know what makes our older generation the most happiest people alive? to be successful and bring up the family's name in a righteous way. To climb up the ladder clean and most importantly to visit them from time to time. Time to time does not mean one year once unless you're living abroad.