To Our Mee Pok Man…
Upon hearing that my old principal, Miss Heng, will be retiring from SCGS after the end of this year, my friends and I went back to SCGS for a visit last month.
Besides taking the chance to talk to Miss Heng, explore SCGS a bit (and exclaiming how tall the trees have grown over the years), reminiscing about the place, we also took the chance to eat at the Mee Pok stall in the canteen - a compulsory stopover for all SCGS pilgrimages. Throughout the years, the Mee Pok uncle has grown to become one of the "unofficial" symbols of SCGS. So many generations of SC girls have eaten and love his mee pok throughout their school life.
And when I went back a few weeks ago, the Mee Pok still tasted the same after so many years, with the exact ingredients and that strong vinegar taste in the noodles.
However, the Mee Pok Uncle had aged a lot over the years. His eyesight and hearing had worsen, and he seemed frail but determined as he wobbled around his wet stall trying to serve us his signature dish. I was so worried that he might accidentally slip and fall as his frail frame moved slowly around his stall, cooking those three bowls of noodles that had so many different "requirements" (one with lesser chili, one with extra chili and the other is noodle soup.)
Sadly, less than a month since I went back to SCGS, I saw from Daffy’s MSN nick that our Mee Pok uncle has passed away last week from a heart attack. It’s a shocking news to me, especially since my friends and I had only gone back to SCGS barely a few weeks ago.
I’m just so used of associating SCGS with our Mee Pok uncle. In most of my SCGS gatherings, one question that always pop up is "Is the Mee Pok uncle still there?" It seems like a small but significant piece of the SCGS jigsaw puzzle is now missing from the SCGS picture.
Another symbol of SCGS gone. But I am sure that his memory will live on in many kim geks throughout the generations that have passed through the SCGS gate.
P.S. Our Mee Pok Uncle is Mr. Ang Boon Chye. He passed away peacefully at the age of 68, leaving behind his wife, five daughters and a son.
