In memories of my brother. In my early childhood my 1st memory of my brother was that he was a mystic person because he only appeared once a while in my very young life. He was 15 years my senior, by the time I started to have any memory he had finished his lower Secondary scholl in Kuantan and left home to continue his higher education in Ipoh. He only returned home during school holidays. Just before each of his returns my mum would say to me " Your brother is coming home!" and I would always keep asking her "when is he coming home?". Each day I would long for him to come back until he is home. I don't know why. May be when he was at home then I felt I was not the only lonely child anymore and I got a brother who brought gifts from a far. That feeling always was short lived because soon he went back to Ipoh to continue his studies. He would always help my parents when he was home. As a child I was always fascinated by his abilities to repair and fix things be it a furniture, a radio or a record player. He was a keen photographer and took lot of my family and my childhood pictures. He putted them in a numbers of big frames and hang them on the walls. Number of years later, one day I got the news from my parent that he was going to Taipei University in Taiwan for 4 years to further his studies to be an Electrical & Electronic Engineer. My father was so proud that his son would be a graduate. As a child, I was happy and sad at the same time, knowing that I would not be seeing him for 4 years. Soon came the news of his engagement to my sister-in-law before he embark to Taiwan. (He was her family's lodger and the mother spotted a good future son-in-law so locked him in.) I remembered he showed me and my parents few pictures of his engagement during the last time he was home before he went abroad, that was the first time I knew about my sister-in-law. During the 4 years of his absent, he wrote to my father regularly. I could read & write then and often read his letters to my father. I too wrote to him asking him what life is like in a far away land and other things that were curious to a child but I cannot remember whether I did it on my own back or was I encouraged by my parents. I would get my father to post my letter in his envelop to my brother and looked forward to his reply. He would sometimes sent parcels of gifts full of Taiwanese dried fruit,biscuits, stationeries & musical records. My future sister-in-law then did the same sending parcels of new dresses to me on every Chinese New Year without fail. Those parcels from both of them were a real treats to me. By the time he returned to Malaysia, we had an added new member to our family, my little sister(玉菁)who he had not met. I have chosen her name base on my brother (旭芳) and my name(玉莲) both have 艹 character. He did not stay in Kuantan for too long and returned to his second home Ipoh, soon landed a secure job with Tasik Cement factory as an engineer where he worked 30+ years and retired about 10 years ago. Not too long after he had gain employment he married my sister-in-law and settled in Ipoh. I remembered my parents, me and my little sister all went up to Ipoh to attend their wedding. They visited us in Kuantan every Chinese new year with lots new year gifts for us all. While I was in my early teen I was given a silver Cross pen(it was a luxurious item then) as a present by my brother. I had that pen with me long into my adulthood only lost it during one of my returned home visit to Malaysia. My brother first visited me in UK was in 1980. My son QuanYee was less than a year old. He brought with him a gift of Wooden wall round plague from Germany. It was his first visit to London he told me he wanted to get a ring for my sister-in-law. We took him to one of the Jeweller around Piccadilly Circle and got her an Emerald & Diamond ring. Wherever he went he always think of his family first. The second time he visited was 10+yrs later in 1991-92 from Denmark where he was stationed there by his employer for 6 months. Again he brought us a Danish Post box piggybank. IT was he who provided me and my family an opportunity to visit Denmark that Summer. My two kids & I managed to cover every corners of Copenhagen & a brief visit to Sweden in 2 weeks. I remember his comment was he did not have the time to cover half of what I did in the months that he was there. That make me felt so proud of myself for my little own achievement. I am glad that he and his family attended my daughter,WayWay's wedding dinner 2 yrs ago in 2010. That was the last time I saw him in person. I first hear of him not being well was back in January this year from my sister. When I got the news I immediately call him, he sounded quite normal and did not worry much about it. Then I spoke to him on skype around Chinese new year and saw he has lost a lot of weight. I was naive hoping that he would recover soon with today's advance medication. I have not spoken to him since until Sunday,1/7/12 when I called my mum and she informed me that my brother has been very ill. I was sadden by the new and called his home number. My youngest nice, Wen Jie(文潔) answered the phone and told me that he has moved back with her 2 kids to look after her father a month ago and her other sister has been taking turns to look after him. She then handed the phone over to my brother, he was berely able to talk and was struggling for breath. Little did I thought that was the last time I could ever speak to him! I then spoke to my sister-in-law and was told he has been bed ridden for about two months. She told me that seeing my nices taking care of my brother had reminded her of my sister looking after my father at his later years in life. When my sister phoned me at work on Tuesday,3/7/12 to tell me he has pass away, I did not expect it at all! He was a dutiful son to my father & mother, a loving husband to my sister-in-law, a responsible father to all my nices and last but not least a caring brother to me and my sister. I wish him a safe journey home. Good Bye. So long.