The year 2015 is coming to an end, and it seems to have been a year of tears for me.

Was coming to Japan really the right thing?

Earlier around April or May, I got the news from dad that one of our neighbours who was battling cancer, had passed away.

He was dad's colleague and long time friend, I had known him since I was a child.

I shed some tears for him on the train back from work upon hearing this news.

He was a kind uncle and in some sense had seen us grow up, and while not integral, he was, in his own way a part of our lives. I will always remember him as the uncle who car pooled with dad, and that helped dad punch his card at the office sometimes.

I really wished that I could have attended his memorial, and was really worried about dad, since this was his long time colleague and friend.

But while I was sad, there wasn't much I could do, and life seemed to go on, and dad seemed okay.

May you rest in peace uncle Teck Loong.

After that in October, my precious left me, despite our promise that he lets me send him off when his time comes. Probably he did try to keep his promise, he probably thought I was home for good when I came home in September.

Since my precious has been with me for almost half my life, I am still unable to take it easy, and I still cry almost every day over him. But tomorrow part of him will come to me, and hopefully that makes it a bit easier for me.

But I write enough about him every day that I don't need to reiterate that in this post.

And well today, I found out from my brother that my primary school's headmaster. Mr Yeoh Boon Keat, the Headmaster of Sekolah Rendah Kebangsaan Taman Megah, had peacefully passed away at the age of 74 on 20 December 2015.

He retired in the year 1994, I was probably in primary 2 then, but I still remembered him, remembered talking to him, remembered crying and running after his car when he left the school during his retirement.

I even remember some students telling him not to go. I have always remembered him as a kind and sincere man.

Again while I would have liked to attend the memorial service of this great man, who after 2 decades since I last saw him, could still bring tears to my eyes upon hearing about this death, I am unable to since I am now in Japan.

Mr Yeoh was a great teacher, now a days you won't find any teacher who would go around picking up rubbish and cleaning the drains. I think I remember picking rubbish with him once and having a short chat with him.

He was also a teacher that would go round talking to the children like they were his kids. He genuinely cared for the students. Even though there was so many of us.

The world doesn't seem to produce teachers like that anymore, well at least not in the cities.

Mr Yeoh, may you rest in peace, know that you are much loved by all your students (who are now probably spread all over the globe), even now at least 2 decades since we have left school.

-サヤカ-