Ah Meng.

Ah Meng died over the weekend.

I really didn't know what to make of it when I read it in the papers. She was an icon of my childhood, something that I'd always associated with the Singapore Zoological Gardens and a cultural icon to many Singaporeans and even visitors from overseas. She'd met celebrities, heads of state and dined with starry eyed children whose parents paid for breakfast with an Orang Utan. And she was the one primate that I really looked forward to seeing whenever I made my way to the zoo. As a child, this was mainly because she was "sponsored" by HSBC, the bank that my father worked for, which I guess by natural extension (by the intellect of a 5 year old) made her family.

As a child of 6, I read in wonder as Ah Meng, in an act of rebellion, climbed up a tree in MacRitchie reservoir and stayed there for three nights before falling off and breaking her arm. I look back at that and I wonder if Singaporeans cheered as our national icon thumbed her nose at authority and just decided to do whatever the hell she wanted. Perhaps that act of defiance planted a seed in us and despite our concerns for her safety, we celebrated her short-lived freedom along with her.

Like the icons of the past, she's gone on to a better place (one would hope), one with trees where she can hang out for a day or three. Or for all eternity.

Fare thee well.

May durians line your way.