ALL I REMEMBER ABOUT MY FATHER

If your Daddy is still alive and well, you're both lucky and blessed.
Because, as I have said it million times, I'm ready to give up anything to have my Daddy back with me. But I can't. And I shouldn't. Or I mustn't.
Well, life goes on.
And even though the last time I see him in flesh was nearly 17 years ago, I still feel a little lucky and blessed because I have some memories of him left with me.

My Dad loved to exercise.
He's a smoker, but he did morning run/jog a lot.
I remember used to run behind him.
And he did shoulder-stand lots at home.

He loves to do carpentering, gardening, or house renovating by himself.
We built cages for our chickens, birds, and rabbits together.
We covered the lawn with cement and turned it into a little pool, then a fish pond that we could fish from on the weekends.
Dad planted a few of fruit trees too.
Mom loved it, I guess. So he did.

Dad was an animal lover.
We went to zoo and animal market for fun.
And we had some pets as well.
He used to have dogs when he was a kid, then the dog died, he buried him on his house's front yard.
But one day when I came home crying because a dog chased me, he went to that (stray) dog and beat him. Poor dog. But also, GO DADDY!

My dad can cook.
He made the best fried rice.
When I sulked at him to cook me fried rice, he told me to wait and sit nicely while he cooks.

He could play guitar really, really well.
That one bit I can remember very clearly.
The guitar he modified himself, which he played with harmonica on his mouth.
Until today, he's the only person I know who could do that.
I also remember when I tried to pick up the guitar but I was too small for that.
He said he's gonna teach me one day.
The day that never came.

Still about guitar, in little village he grew up, no one else had guitar nor could play it.
He taught his friends how to play guitar and went to "Ngamen" (play music in the street side for money) with them all.

He's a history buff.
Yeah, guess whom I inherited that one from.
We were so familiar with museums.
Encyclopedias were our bed time stories.
If I had longer time with him, we would discover more museums in the country!

Since he's a geek already, of course he also loved to read.
He loved Tintin, very much.
He loved reading comics and had hard time growing up because like any other kids, he wasn't allowed to read comics and should be studying instead.
But he let me reading comics, or anything, really.
He encouraged me to read more, to read bigger, thicker book.
Gave me money to buy or rent books.
And we went to second-hand book shop together too.

I didn't realize it until now, when my uncle just told me.
My Dad was a huge movie enthusiast.
Well, this explain the bits of memories I have of him.
When I woke up in the night, I could almost always find him still awake, watching movies I didn't remember.
And from subtitles in the movie was the first time I learn how to read quickly (like an adult!).

My father was a great guy.
Despite of the fact that most of his brothers were scared of him.
Or that he fought a lot growing up.

Even though he's no longer with me in person, I'm very happy that I had him for the first eight years in my life.
And that I had him as my father.
And that I remember so much about him.

I miss you, Papa.