Golb♥bloG

Its been raining endlessly these past few days and the weather pretty much sums up my mood since yesterday.

I was back in Melaka over the weekend as I had promised my sis we’d celebrate my dad’s birthday this weekend since she couldnt make it back last. Like last week, i took the 8am bus back, and arrived in Melaka a little past noon.

When i was almost back, i received a call from Sharon informing me that Ai Ling, one of our friends - a former classmate in secondary school, had passed away early that morning on her way back to Melaka from Singapore. I later learnt that she was sleeping in the back seat of her brother’s car when they collided with a lorry at about 1.30am on the North-South highway near Batu Pahat. The car swerved in time to avoid frontal collision but unfortunately hit the back where she was seated. She was not belted, and she hit her head on the roof of the car. Apparently she succumbed to her injuries and died almost instantaneously.

I was speechless from the moment I heard the news. I did not shed any tears at first, but was in a state of shock that something like this could have happened to a friend. And the saddest part about it all was that she had just been awarded a scholarship by the Japanese government to pursue her MBA there and was due to fly to Japan on 10th September.

This much I knew because I had received a message via Facebook from her the very evening before she left us. I had earlier in the day sent out a message to all my friends who were also in Singapore (including Ai Ling) for a gathering in view of the upcoming Mid-Autumn festival, for us to go carry lanterns together like little kids. And below was her reply, received at 6.31pm the same evening :-

Subject: Re : lantern fest celebration

Hi Jacinta,
wud really love to come, but I’m gonna miss the lantern fest dis yr….. i’m going to Japan on sept 10th, wont be back til nxt yr. why am i going there? main reason is for a 1-yr paid holiday, side reason is to take up an MBA. hehe….. actually i got a scholarship to go there study MBA.

so you guys hv fun, while i will probably study under the moon on that night!
——————–

I felt so bad for another reason, that me and my other friends gave up our chance to see her for the last time. She had invited a group of us out last weekend to go cycling at East Coast Park with her. And none of us could make it : ( On a hindsight, it felt like she had wanted to meet us for a reason, to bid farewell. Because she had been in Singapore since beginning this year but had never called us out for a gathering before this. Sigh.

I attended her wake on Saturday evening, after dinner with my family. Her funeral was meant to be on Monday morning so those who wanted to pay their last respects would not have much time. A majority of my friends went to the wake this morning, but i could not make it as I had to attend church and had a 2.30pm bus back to Singapore to catch. Hence my visit alone on Sat nite.

She looked so serene - there wasnt a single scar or scratch on her face. She looked so beautiful and there was a smile on her lips. I really wanted to cry when i saw her there, but her mum was beside me so I tried my best to hold my tears back. I was afraid that if i had started to cry then her mum would too, and i didnt want that to happen. I wanted to tell her mum about all the memories i shared with her daughter in my short visit. And so talk we did.

Ai Ling was one of the smartest and nicest girls i have known. The last time i could remember having a proper conversation with her was during another friend’s wedding. She had attended my wedding as well but we did not have time to chat then. We also met during Chinese New Year this year at our gathering, and i remember giving her a lift home after that. After that we only sent each other the odd email and never met the whole time she was in Singapore.

I remember in secondary school, my most vivid memory of Ai Ling was during our weekly swimming lessons. Both Ai Ling and myself were stuck at the shallow end of the pool since we were both beginners. And my uncle was the instructor. And how when we finally mastered the breast stroke enough to take us to the deeper end where the rest of our friends were, we abandoned the remaining lessons and went on to join our friends instead. Yes, those were the days. It feels like only yesterday - but its been 14 years.

Ai Ling, you will be dearly missed by your friends. You will always be remembered as someone dear, who never had an evil word for others, and who always put your friends first. My only regret is that I did not get to know you better when i had the chance to. Rest in peace, dear friend and may God bless your soul always.

Hi all, we’ve created a Facebook group in loving memory of Ai Ling. Please click here to join.

one of our last pics together, taken on 4th day of CNY 2008

at Mei Fern’s wedding, taken in October last year

during my wedding, taken in December last year

during my wedding dinner, taken in December last year 

and another table pic with the ex MGSS girls