Benjamin C passed away suddenly last week. It was shocking for everybody, as he just got married a month ago and celebrated his birthday with his wife in Gold Coast recently. When I saw his motionless body lying in the casket, it was unreal. It is a weird feeling to see a friend who was normally smiling in that casket. Somehow, it is hard to accept that Ben is dead, and it has affected for me the past week.
I am not exactly close to Ben, but our lives overlapped a few times. I knew Ben during my freshman year in university, and we joined a faculty student club where he was the marketing director and I was reporting to him. We also took a same module in our freshman year, then we were in the same university program where we spent one year in Silicon Valley.
Ben was a smart and driven person. He was always smiling and concealing his emotions behind the smile. I got to know him better during the 1 year in Silicon Valley. He was normally friendly, but very opinionated as well. And he definitely had a kind heart.
It was 14th Feb 2002, and we were attending the music module class. As it was valentine day, quite a number of girls in our class received roses and gifts, and Ben suggested that we should buy a rose for our group mate (Cindy) who was unattached. It was a very nice gesture and intention.
After we graduated, Ben worked as a financial planner for a while. He sat down with me and explained the importance of financial planning. He told me that I should start saving and cut down on unnecessary expenses like dining in restaurant and overseas travelings. And I should start planning for retirement as he had already planned his own retirement. That's the irony of life. He was left the world at the prime of his life.
When we were in Silicon Valley, I had series of misfortunes. On the day that I purchased my car, someone smashed my window and broke into it. The following day, I got into a minor car accident. I did not have money for the repair works, and I did not want to get help from my family (as my parents were not doing well financially). I was really feeling down & sad, so I decided to stay at home that weekend. Ben came over to my place and offered to drive me from South Bay to San Francisco City to cheer me up. That is very kind of him.
A Photo of Ben that day in San Francisco, with his signature smiling face.
Ben had been successful in his life. It was quite shocking and sad that he left this world so suddenly. My sadness was deepen when I knew that Ben was very very unhappy during the last few weeks of his life. I am really sad that he left this world with so much unhappiness.
Bye Ben.
I hope you are in a better place now.
May you be free from suffering.
Rest in peace.
_/\_
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