My Hero
Mr. Richard Tang Kian Bong
69
14.03.1943 - 05.09.2012
My father was my rock and the person who kept me grounded and reminded me every day that there is ALWAYS a silver lining to every dark cloud. For those who knew him, he was the cutest and friendliest father they've ever met; he made them tea, he flooded us with snacks and food, he shared with us jokes and tried to remember all their names to the best he could.
But behind all those smiles and laughter, he was truly a fighter. Many would say he fought for 10 years, but I say he's been fighting for 69 years. He was born a year into the Japanese occupation and had to fight for his life when he was growing up. He lived in a time where it was hard growing up because you never knew when there would be food on the table for him and his family. Not many kids can say their dads lived through the war they only studied about.
He went through the Retro years (60s), the Disco years (70s), the Hipster years (80s) and into the Industrialization and Modernization of the 90s and the Millennium 2000.
Yes, my dad rocked the bell bottom pants and tight tops like how John Travolta rocked them in Grease & Saturday Night Fever.
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| Farah Aurora Srikandi (my mom) |
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| that's me at 1 yr 10 months |
A year after I was born, my mother passed away and he was left to raise a daughter on his own with the help of my nanny. He was strong enough to continue loving me and not blaming me for the loss of his wife. Maybe because I remind him so much of my mother that he loved me so obsessively. When I was a child he would bring me to all his shoots and productions and he would let me play with the makeup artist, the actors and run around the set. He even let me shout, "ACTION!" before & that made my childhood so memorable.
When I was growing up he made sure I had the best childhood he could give me & tried to give me everything that I wanted or needed. Then when I was 10 my life turned upside down and my father's life too took a turn for the worst. He was diagnosed with complete renal failure and he came back to Singapore to get treatment. In 2001 not many people had kidney failure so all they could do was put my dad through dialysis and hope that one day a donor would come but by the time kidney failure became a trending illness, my father was no longer considered as a suitable recipient due to his old age. So he continued on dialysis for 11 years and during that time he went through more than what a man his age and in his condition could take.
Inclusive of complete renal failure, he went through multiple strokes, cancer (twice), diabetes, and high blood pressure, and for the first time revealed; he went to serve time in prison too for a really minor and stupid traffic offense. Yet, even through all this, anyone who didn't know him but saw him would just think my dad is old. He was so jovial, so full of life and never once said a depressing sentence regarding his condition. He still ate like a king, lived life to the fullest and had a sense of humor that even I can't match up to.
In my teenage years I will honestly say I gave him a hard time because once you've reached puberty you think you're old enough to live life & like any father-daughter duo, we fought, we shouted, we said things we didn't mean but at the end of everything we will still hug and tell each other other how much we love each other. At times he'll apologize to me randomly, saying he's sorry that he can't give me things that I want or shower me with presents for my birthday or Christmas and how he's sorry he can't give me money some times cause he doesn't have any but I always tell him there's nothing I can possibly need in this world besides him. He knows I'm a very contented child and since I was a baby I never demanded for anything but as a father he felt like it's his duty to provide for me and with that thought alone I knew I had the best father in the world.
I remembered spending my birthdays, my school holidays, my weekends, my evenings after school, my Christmases, his birthdays, Easter, Thanksgiving, and every other spare time I had at SGH to the point where even the nurses come up to me now saying "I remembered when you were THIS big and you were still in Primary school!" they even saw me grow up.
My dad was there with me through my PSLE, to my GCE O Levels, then I remembered going to the hospital with my laptop and going through with him all the tertiary schools together for applications. My father was there with me through my first break up and he saw the pain I went through and told me, "If he can hurt you like this, he's not worth it. No point crying over him, move on and find another guy." You hear that Sanjeev... So I hope you've apologized to my dad for what you did to me! But for the past year, he's come to accept Sanjeev and he asks about him at times and asks about his family and all that which shows me that he always puts my feelings and welfare first above all. Ensuring that his baby girl get's the best even though at times he'll tell me to look at all the other fish in the sea.
Yet even at the last moments of his life he still wanted to make sure I was well taken care of and that I was able to care for myself. He told me that when he passes he wants me to buy myself pretty dresses, shoes, and accessories. Still joking about everything.
This past year when he was in hospital, the nurses at Ward 74 of SGH, were all truly touched by my father and he made a big impact in their careers. They've never seen such strength and perseverance coming from a patient who was going through so much pain and discomfort. They've also never seen such immense love from a father to his daughter that they can see him light up with joy when his daughter came to see him. They've also never seen such united strength coming from a father-daughter duo pulling through struggles and adversaries together.
I know all of you might already be bored by now because this is the longest post to date but even if none of you complete reading this post it doesn't matter because at the end of everything the important thing is that I am who I am today because of my father.
My father literally led by example. He was never a hypocritical parent who expected you to do something but was doing the total opposite. He let me make my own decisions, make my own mistakes because that's how he wanted me to learn about life. Even though he never said to me "you must always look at the bright side of life" he didn't have to because he SHOWED ME HOW. He never pressed his forgotten dreams on me, instead told me I could be whoever and whatever I wanted as long as I was happy. He heard me want to be an air stewardess, to an actress, to a lawyer, to an entrepreneur, and now back to being an air stewardess. (At least I'm glad to say he was there for my first disappointing SIA audition.)
There is so many things my father has done for me but it'll be way too long to write here.
I am strong because my father was strong. I wear my heart on my sleeve because my father wore his on his sleeve too. I don't care what people think of me (whether they hate me for how I am or what I do) because my father told me I should never care as long as I believe what I'm doing is right and as long as I'm happy.
And through all that he's been through, all those chronic illnesses that he suffered, my father passed away with dignity and peacefully due to old age.
He was my father, he was my mother, he was my support, my weakness, my strength, my rock. He was the reason I am who I am today... and he always will be.
My father was a true FIGHTER. And of as 5th September 2012, my father's official theme song will be Gym Class Heroes - Fighter. So from now on, whenever you all hear that song I hope you remember my father.
I love you so much daddy & I hope one day I can show you what I've achieved and that you'd be proud of me. I pray you're living the life of a king in Heaven in the beautiful white mansion with the fountain at the back that God promised and envisioned to you and that now you're walking the beautiful Garden of Eden eating from the tree of Life and looking at the beautiful roses there like how God promised and envisioned to me. If not I'll have a word with God and threaten him for breaking His promises to us!
I will see you soon daddy, I miss you every day & I will always love you. Also I hope your future grandchildren can feel your love through me too.
When I was growing up he made sure I had the best childhood he could give me & tried to give me everything that I wanted or needed. Then when I was 10 my life turned upside down and my father's life too took a turn for the worst. He was diagnosed with complete renal failure and he came back to Singapore to get treatment. In 2001 not many people had kidney failure so all they could do was put my dad through dialysis and hope that one day a donor would come but by the time kidney failure became a trending illness, my father was no longer considered as a suitable recipient due to his old age. So he continued on dialysis for 11 years and during that time he went through more than what a man his age and in his condition could take.
Inclusive of complete renal failure, he went through multiple strokes, cancer (twice), diabetes, and high blood pressure, and for the first time revealed; he went to serve time in prison too for a really minor and stupid traffic offense. Yet, even through all this, anyone who didn't know him but saw him would just think my dad is old. He was so jovial, so full of life and never once said a depressing sentence regarding his condition. He still ate like a king, lived life to the fullest and had a sense of humor that even I can't match up to.
In my teenage years I will honestly say I gave him a hard time because once you've reached puberty you think you're old enough to live life & like any father-daughter duo, we fought, we shouted, we said things we didn't mean but at the end of everything we will still hug and tell each other other how much we love each other. At times he'll apologize to me randomly, saying he's sorry that he can't give me things that I want or shower me with presents for my birthday or Christmas and how he's sorry he can't give me money some times cause he doesn't have any but I always tell him there's nothing I can possibly need in this world besides him. He knows I'm a very contented child and since I was a baby I never demanded for anything but as a father he felt like it's his duty to provide for me and with that thought alone I knew I had the best father in the world.
I remembered spending my birthdays, my school holidays, my weekends, my evenings after school, my Christmases, his birthdays, Easter, Thanksgiving, and every other spare time I had at SGH to the point where even the nurses come up to me now saying "I remembered when you were THIS big and you were still in Primary school!" they even saw me grow up.
My dad was there with me through my PSLE, to my GCE O Levels, then I remembered going to the hospital with my laptop and going through with him all the tertiary schools together for applications. My father was there with me through my first break up and he saw the pain I went through and told me, "If he can hurt you like this, he's not worth it. No point crying over him, move on and find another guy." You hear that Sanjeev... So I hope you've apologized to my dad for what you did to me! But for the past year, he's come to accept Sanjeev and he asks about him at times and asks about his family and all that which shows me that he always puts my feelings and welfare first above all. Ensuring that his baby girl get's the best even though at times he'll tell me to look at all the other fish in the sea.
Yet even at the last moments of his life he still wanted to make sure I was well taken care of and that I was able to care for myself. He told me that when he passes he wants me to buy myself pretty dresses, shoes, and accessories. Still joking about everything.
This past year when he was in hospital, the nurses at Ward 74 of SGH, were all truly touched by my father and he made a big impact in their careers. They've never seen such strength and perseverance coming from a patient who was going through so much pain and discomfort. They've also never seen such immense love from a father to his daughter that they can see him light up with joy when his daughter came to see him. They've also never seen such united strength coming from a father-daughter duo pulling through struggles and adversaries together.
I know all of you might already be bored by now because this is the longest post to date but even if none of you complete reading this post it doesn't matter because at the end of everything the important thing is that I am who I am today because of my father.
My father literally led by example. He was never a hypocritical parent who expected you to do something but was doing the total opposite. He let me make my own decisions, make my own mistakes because that's how he wanted me to learn about life. Even though he never said to me "you must always look at the bright side of life" he didn't have to because he SHOWED ME HOW. He never pressed his forgotten dreams on me, instead told me I could be whoever and whatever I wanted as long as I was happy. He heard me want to be an air stewardess, to an actress, to a lawyer, to an entrepreneur, and now back to being an air stewardess. (At least I'm glad to say he was there for my first disappointing SIA audition.)
There is so many things my father has done for me but it'll be way too long to write here.
I am strong because my father was strong. I wear my heart on my sleeve because my father wore his on his sleeve too. I don't care what people think of me (whether they hate me for how I am or what I do) because my father told me I should never care as long as I believe what I'm doing is right and as long as I'm happy.
And through all that he's been through, all those chronic illnesses that he suffered, my father passed away with dignity and peacefully due to old age.
He was my father, he was my mother, he was my support, my weakness, my strength, my rock. He was the reason I am who I am today... and he always will be.
My father was a true FIGHTER. And of as 5th September 2012, my father's official theme song will be Gym Class Heroes - Fighter. So from now on, whenever you all hear that song I hope you remember my father.
I love you so much daddy & I hope one day I can show you what I've achieved and that you'd be proud of me. I pray you're living the life of a king in Heaven in the beautiful white mansion with the fountain at the back that God promised and envisioned to you and that now you're walking the beautiful Garden of Eden eating from the tree of Life and looking at the beautiful roses there like how God promised and envisioned to me. If not I'll have a word with God and threaten him for breaking His promises to us!
I will see you soon daddy, I miss you every day & I will always love you. Also I hope your future grandchildren can feel your love through me too.
I hope you two are sitting like this again in Heaven, spending the time that you two never got here & watching over me while waiting for me. I love you daddy, so much. & Mama, although I never knew you, I love you too & I know how much Papa loved you.
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