My grandfather is one cool cat, and just like sunny days and pretty butterflies, my grandmother’s firm attitude balances out his happy-go-lucky nature perfectly.

He plays various roles in our lives, with “Storyteller” being the one he enjoys playing most. After years of tales of his past (he is a self-confessed school skipper), his memories, and anecdotes of our relatives (”You uncle never liked to bathe! What a smelly boy he was!”) told after dinners, my two sisters and I have a pretty good idea of what life was like when radio waves were a distant concept and electricity was a privilege.

A colorful history has he, accumulated from his many jobs and outgoing nature. With just one feel, he can tell if a fruit is good for the picking; with one glance, he can expertly choose the most succulent fish meat, with days of watering and nurture, he can grow a beautiful garden. As if being a fishmonger, fruit-seller and gardener is not enough, the tattoos on his inner thighs-a swallow and an unidentifiable Chinese character, always induce insane theories to sprout from his grandkids.

When prodded if he was ever in a secret society, he would just chuckle cheekily without tearing off his gaze from the pink Gameboy SP in his hands. Yes, my grandfather battles flying turtles in Super Mario, collects coins in Sonic and jerks along as his virtual car races against time.

Occasional trips to the “Gong Hui”, something like Clan Gatherings of Tans, recharge his Energizer batteries, and the assortment of snacks he brings back are always eagerly anticipated. Buying Hacks sweeties, sour plums, caramelized peanut snacks, whatnot at a steal never fail to make him very proud to display them in Tupperware containers.

Only three things ruffle his feathers : football, errant drivers, and a mentally unstable man who once attacked him with an umbrella (but that is another story).

We have learnt many dialect terms from him by sitting next to him as he takes us to savour the best bak kut teh/guo tiao/nasi briyani. Being an older man at 75 years of age does not stop him from whizzing along streets at speeds upward of 80km/h. Of course, now with the more congested traffic, opportunities for him to go fast do not come as often, but when they do..

Sports play a huge part in his life, (when he courted my grandmother, football stadiums were their choice of place) and the sports channels 21, 22, 23, 24, 27 and sometimes wrestling on 18, are his hot picks. World Cups and Premier Leagues never fail to see him stay up until unearthly hours to catch the matches.

My grandfather is never the skinny man he seems, and I feel blessed to have the chance to know who he is under the surface.