This week, my spotlight falls on the very people at the helm of Aries Gold itself, as I’ve been tasked to take on a very unique role of ghost writer for the son of C K Woo, current Marketing/Creative Director Elijah Woo. In light of the approaching Father’s Day, the younger Woo had taken time off his hectic schedule to pay tribute to a man he most deeply respects – the man responsible for carrying the mantle of the last surviving watchmaker in Singapore. Without further ado then, take a moment to reflect on his musings, and perhaps your own relationship with the man you call dad.
Dear Dad,
I know you seldom hear this from me, but I’m sorry. I’m sorry that you’ve always had to be the unsung hero of the family, and that you don’t get as many compliments as compared to mum. It’s easy to overlook your contributions, and penalise you harder for your failures, perhaps due to the fact that I’ve always looked upon you as a figure to lead the way. In some ways, I’ve had unrealistic expectations of you as a perfect human being who’s exempt from making mistakes, and it’s only after becoming a father myself that I realise the fallacy of doing so.
As a child, there were moments where I wished you’d have done certain things differently, and quietly criticised your actions. Funny thing is, you probably had hopes that I, as your child, would have done certain things in another way too. It’s fair to say that during the company’s trying moments, where issues of workplace mismanagement cropped up, you still succeeded in providing me with an excellent education, as well as living expenses, never letting the business succumb to ruin.
For all this, I’m grateful. Thank you, dad, for being generous, resilient, compassionate, sometimes to a fault. But that’s who you’ll always be. Thank you for always doing your best to preserve the art of watchmaking. In honour of you, here’s my gift: the promise to keep your legacy going, by bringing Aries Gold global, and making you as proud of your children, as we are of you. To you, and the millions of dads out there, Happy Father’s Day.