He could reproduce a drawing like a photocopier. What talent he had!. He also had a wood carving of the same character. Looking back I am so convinced that his drawings came to life because it had a soul in it.What an artistic genius and he was only 33 when he lost his life to a reckless driver who beat red traffic lights. It was a hit and run.

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This merciless driver took away a son, father and husband from our family. I wonder how the heartless and soulless driver lived with himself for the rest of his life! He destroyed a young family. My Kor Kor left behind a son 6 and a daughter 4. His wife was heavily pregnant with their 3 child. In hindsight both my mother and I had premonitions of my cousin’s death. I was overseas at the time.

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My mum recollected what happened at lunch during the first day of Lunar New Year. When she sat down for lunch with my father she had a chopstick missing. The Chinese NEVER set a table especially on first day of Chinese New Year with one chopstick.

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Chopstick is kuai zi 筷子, zi 子 is son. So a missing chopstick means our family will lose a son. I was working in UK at the time

I am usually the first one to arrive at work . It was rather quiet and I was alone in my laboratory. I heard a tapping sound on the glass window. I turned around and saw a crow. A visit from a crow is not exactly pleasant. I would have preferred the sight of a red breasted robin.

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Crows are known to be harbingers of doom. I was startled, felt a chill and a shudder. Later I asked my British technician what crows signify. She told me according to folklore crows carry the souls of the departed to the other side. Before the days of mobile phones, news came through a letter in the post or a telegram.It was only a week later that I received news of my cousin’s passing. The crow appeared on the day of his passing. I like to think that the crow must have brought my cousin’s soul to say goodbye to me.

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I always looked up to my cousin. I would follow my Kor Kor around like a puppy. I would sit and marvel at his drawings.

I always tagged along when he went to collect buckets of clean water on a shoulder yoke from the communal pipe.