Hero /ˈhi(ə)rō/ (noun): A person, who is admired or idealized for courage, outstanding achievements, or noble qualities
A lot of people fit that quality, in my life. Well, for one, there's Dad, my personal superhero, who never fails to make things right.
Since I was a little boy, Dad never seemed to have a temper - the one bringing out the "rotan" (rattan cane) last time was always Mom; the one who gets even angrier when I somehow hid the rotan in a safe place, yes, Mom again. Dad preferred to leave the disciplinary maneuvers to Mom. There were exceptions, though, I remember getting a slap on the palm with the leather strap of his belt, for putting my toe waaaay out of line. I forgot why, though.
Dad is - as Mom always tells me, a living Buddha; he's patient, caring, benevolent, omniscient, multi-talented, but heh, yeah, unfortunately a tad stubborn (guess there's where I got my stubbornness, haha). Don't even get me started on Dad's talents and skills; in short, Dad's a banker, an accountant, a financial advisor, a plumber, an engineer, an inventor, a builder, a chef, and a great father.
Well-known among Chinese, Malays and Indians alike among work-and-non-working environments, I guess Dad influenced me with the 1Malaysian spirit years earlier than our government ever did. He was the one that planted the spirit of multiracialism in me, unlike the uniracial schools I have attended for eleven years.
One life-changing decision that my parents have made for me was by making English my first learnt language. They somehowwww experimented on me by starting me off with speaking English first, letting me watch English TV kid's shows (Sesame Street, Barney the Purple Dinosaur etc), etc. Inevitably, I started to develop a liking for everything Western. Western food, Western games, Western countries etc.
And yes, I was called a "banana" - a Malaysian term for an Anglophile; who's fond about anything English, or more specifically, British. My relatives called me that in gatherings, in family reunions, and they even called me an "Ang Mor Sai" - (hokkien) one who only speaks English.
The little Ruiyou was of course, distraught, as I didn't know what I did wrong - I was merely conversing in the only language I could at that time, eating the food that I liked. But the name-calling ensued nonetheless.
Only my closest family members were on my side that time; Dad was the one that told me to ignore their criticism, shrug off their name-calling, as they'll be the ones regretting in the future. Mom was the one that asked me to stay strong, to continue moving down this path with my chest held high. Thinking back now, the nineteen-year-old Ruiyou is very glad that I started off with English, and never gave up on it.
Dad's a visionary - instead of just looking at the big picture in front of him, he considers the aftereffects, the implications that whatever actions will make in the future. Long ago, before I was even born, Dad made the decision for Mom, formerly a Mathematics teacher, to be a full-time housewife and take care of the kids instead. It was manageable that time I guess, what with my sister being the only child, but as my brother and I came into this world? I didn't how they could manage that. The role of breadwinner had fully fell unto the shoulders of Dad. It was risky, but well worth the effort. Dad always believed that investments in family and love are more worth it than investments in wealth.
Which brings me to my next one - wealth and health.
"What's the point of trading your health to earn so much wealth, and after retiring, trading all your wealth back for health?"
Dad was the one that taught us to see the value in things, not the price. He was the one that taught us that its possible to produce something good using skills rather than tools, well, he was the main person who inspired me to break into the world of photography, using only a Point-and-Shoot camera, a "Sha Gua Xiang Ji" in Chinese, literally "Dumb Camera"; my dream was to take great photos only by using a cheap camera. Whether or not I achieved that dream? You be the judge :).
Neways! Dad just recently celebrated his 59th birthday on the 24th of October, and I had the chance to have dinner with him a day before, the 23rd.
A simple cake, a simple note, simple gestures to show a meaningful emotion. Love you dad :).
And! Today's the 13th of November - my nephew Weizhe's 1st birthday, and my parents' first year of being grandparents! :) look back at all your journeys together, that single decision made around thirty years ago, that brought you two today - that brought us 3 siblings into this world, whole and happy. Love you, parents!
Though you guys might not read this, or maybe next time you will, it doesn't matter. I promise you, Dad and Mom, that I will make you guys proud one day. One day.
And, Dad? You're forever my hero.
Signing off,
Ryo.
