背包走天涯之纽约

A Tribute to Dad

A while ago I was informed by my HR that the company was going to send another person to NY for internship. I could understand the new guy would have a lot of queries in his mind--after all I had a terrible time feeling lost for my trip--so I offered help by meeting him over lunch and giving him some tips.

He appeared to be streetwise and outgoing so it wasn't much of a surprise that he was an active diver and sailor. I was impressed. We had a hearty chat and expenses were a huge problem to him, it seemed.

"I would suggest you borrow 20k from your dad first. “I wouldn't expect the company to transfer you the money any time soon." I said and added,” At least not until the 2nd month."

"I would probably have to borrow first. My father doesn't have that kind of money to lend me." he replied.

It then dawned on me that not every family has that kind of cash. In a way, I have taken my dad for granted. Considering the ease of which he had lent me the money, it was a remarkable feat taking into account that he was a taxi driver, not some english-educated manager or director. It was upon realising this that I felt the impulse to type this blog entry.

To be honest I used to dislike my dad. He didn't bother to celebrate birthdays, much less know how to communicate with children. Toys were also non-existent. To him, the rules were simply "I provide your rudimentary needs. You study hard. There was no need for anything else". This kind of character was typical of a father from a traditional Chinese educated family. However, there was a day he brought home a toy jackpot. My Brother and I were elated, only to find out that he conveniently brought it back after it was left behind by a customer in his cab. There was only one word to describe him---stingy.

When I grew older I realised there are always two perspectives you can look at things. Stinginess was thriftiness; strict was discipline. It all boils down to how you count your blessings I guess. I had a dad who paid for my education, provided me a comfortable house and I know I don’t have to worry for his finances and I am really appreciative of this fact.

The way history is written has been changed by technology. Where in the past archeologists had to dig for evidence beneath tons of sediments, the rise of internet has made information easily accessible for future generations. In fact, I would like to think that I am leaving behind digital footprints on this blog, and my grandchildren and great grandchildren, if any, can take a peek into what my world was like and how I perceived this. I am treating this blog as a time capsule and I hope it works.

posted by wayne @ 5:39 AM