It has been about a month since my grandpa passed on on 1st March 2009. The memory of him still lingers in my mind. He is one of the people whom I look up to and shared many hobbies and one of which is HiFi.
He inducted me into Hifidom at a tender age of about 8 or 9 years old. At the time, he had a Onkyo receiver with a Lenco turntable with an Akai open reel tape drive and I think a pair Heco german speakers. I use to spend some weekends at his place and saturday nights was where we listened. Some of the music that we listened to then was Mantovani and his string orchestra which are now difficult to find. I guess I was inducted into a virtual adulthood as I listen to the many old songs with him instead of the contemporary songs of my era. I still remeber that all I have at my own home was a mono portable Bigston cassette player but I treasure it as my parents went to great length to get me that as it was a big sacrifice to them already at that time.
Grandpa, I have one big regret in that as Asians, I was not very vocal in showing my love for you and I could have done more to show my love for you. I am going round town to find our favourite music like including James Last, Paul Mauriat, Ronnie Aldrich, Bert Kempfert, Diana Ross and many more. Give me time as such recordings are not easy to find. I have found some Mantovani and James last,Klaus Wunderlich and some ABBA. I shall also remember the old hifi shops that we use to go to like Atlas Sound, Martin Electronics, Hwee Seng, Tat Chuan, Ong Radio. Some of them are still around and I would go visit them also for old time sake.
I am playing Mantovani now as I write this blog in rememberance of you. Good night grandpa.
Your grandson Pete