32.

32 years of love, showered by none other than my uncle before he passed away in the fall of 2011.

As I never had much affinity with my dad, Koo was my father figure, and rightfully so. He wielded (some) political prowess, was a leader in all aspects of his life and more importantly, he was a Giver - of love and charity.

Hundreds of strangers globally have been blessed by his existence as Koo channelled his very own funds to them and each letter would be handwritten, often spanning across pages. He loved to read, and thus, he would send books to the unfortunate frequently.

Money was transient and he had much to spare. This spirit of generosity and love rang true within the home too. I was never deprived monetarily and could have anything I wanted. There was a condition - it had to be educational. Often, I'd try to weasel a random item or two into the list and some friendly verbal sparring would ensue. He'd wag his finger in a mock chiding manner and 'complain' to Mum, "Your daughter....such a swindler...." while laughing uncontrollably at my justifications as I flailed my arms, "But Koo, magazines do contain words and words formulate sentences. There's much to wax lyrical, right?" Such incidents were rife and in a way, it led to a love for debates and argumentative essays. Heh!

A stoic figure, he wasn't the type to blow his own trumpet and many good works went unnoticed even to us, until his death, when scores of strangers turned up at his bereavement, each with a tale to tell about how he'd helped them. Some political figures and a former Justice even appeared.

In short, Koo was an awesome role model.

He would have been 78 today.

Happy Birthday in heaven, Koo.

I miss you so, so much. :'(