nai's rhetoric

my granddad was 77 when he passed away from a stroke. correction, he didnt pass away from the stroke but the stroke got him suddenly and he fell and hit his head against the side of the table and died from brain hemorrhage. it took a couple of days before his body was discovered cos at that point of time my grandma was in the states visiting my auntie. so when his neighbours didnt see him around for a few days, they called the civil defence and broke down the door. this was 7 years ago.
today, i went to visit him for the last time before i leave and for the first time in all these years, i broke down. i just thought about everything in the past, my grandad, my friends, family and stuff. i guess the enormity of the fact that im really leaving singapore sunk in on me.
he taught me to play chinese chess when i was young and i would insist on using the red pieces to go first thinking i had the initiative. whereas later on in life i found out that going second is also good because it allows you to react to your opponents move.
therefore i thought it would be kinda fitting if i left a black 'jiang' on the alter (is it called an alter?) as rememberance. it was the same marble chess set he gave me when i was young.
gong gong, if somehow u can read this just know that while the family misses your jovial magmanious presence, we hope you are in a better place where you can play chess all day long and karaoke the night away. rest assured that that 'tong' blood still flows strong and from wherever you are, we will do you proud.