Quek Pheck Thar

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March 24, 2023

One of my saddest moments was to learn of her passing. It was so sudden to me, and to this day, I still feel the pain at the mention of her. This death anniversary no doubt evokes the memories of her.

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March 24, 2023 · via mobile

Pheck Thar passed on 3 years ago today ....

Though she may have passed away,
Her love and light still shines each day.
In memories, she's always near,
Guiding and watching, calm and clear.

Her laughter echoes in our hearts,
Her warmth, a flame that... more

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March 24, 2021 · via mobile

Today marks a year since Pheck Thar finally found peace and left us for a world without pain and suffering.

All of us in the family still think of her with fondness. Whilst we miss her kindness, generosity and wisdom and counsel every day, we also know... more

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May 11, 2020 · via mobile

A message from Tati...

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March 27, 2020

I knew Quek Pheck Thar as the wife of Teo Kwee Leong.

We first met 40 years or so ago when we were seeing Teo off at the airport. She struck me as a meek, pleasant and friendly person.

There was once when I needed a quiet place to study for a test,... more

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March 27, 2020 · via mobile

Recently I thought about you. The current COVID-19 situation triggered my memory of the sticker labels you put on your cubicle wall during SARS when we tracked our temperature twice daily 😊.

Little did I realise that I would soon hear about you... more

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March 27, 2020 · via mobile

Sent Phek Thar aka Mummy off at Marina South this afternoon. May she rest in peace.

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March 26, 2020

I used to work with Pheck Thar on IT support for our school Examiners' Meetings. She was very kind and always gave advance notice and we would do trial run to ensure everything was working fine. She would be patient with us when we encountered problem... more

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March 26, 2020

I met Pheck Thar when I joined Ngee Ann in 1987.
She became my Big Sister and taught me the ropes.
I remember vividly her sweet smiles and her genteel spirit.
I was very sad when Pheck Thar decided to leave us for Temasek Polytechnic.
In her patient... more

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March 26, 2020

We moved here together, from the known to the relatively unknown, to chart out a path at TP.
Quiet, gentle, with a smile - that's how I remember you moving around the campus.
Kind, patient and modest - that's how I remember my interactions with... more

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March 26, 2020 · via iPhone

A patient and caring mentor whom I admired and respected. Thank you for your guidance. We spent many late nights working together for exam processing. You were really the guru. RIP

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March 26, 2020

I had the privilege of working with Pheck Thar. By then, she was a staff with AA, and I am with the school/diploma.
Her advice, experience, eye for details and professionalism in advising us, in our paper submissions are invaluable. Because of her... more

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March 25, 2020

Though I am not a lecturer in her department, we were able to communicate easily with each other. My dear sister, you are so kind, gentle, sweet and friendly. I missed those short chat we have when we meet at Business School and Tourism Academy @... moreThough I am not a lecturer in her department, we were able to communicate easily with each other. My dear sister, you are so kind, gentle, sweet and friendly. I missed those short chat we have when we meet at Business School and Tourism Academy @ Sentosa. I remember you sharing with me that you were also a Buddhist. Would like to share with you and your family a famous parable of Buddhism Kisa Gotami and the Parable of the Mustard Seed
It is found in the foundational texts of Theravada Buddhism. It revolves around a woman named Kisa Gotami, who lived during the time of Buddha’s life when he had already achieved nirvana and was traveling to impart his teachings upon others.

Kisa’s only child, a very young son, had died. Unwilling to accept his death, she carried him from neighbor to neighbor and begged for someone to give her medicine to bring him back to life. One of her neighbors told her to go to Buddha, located nearby, and ask him if he had a way to bring her son back to life.
Bringing the body of her son with her, Kisa found Buddha and pleaded with him to help bring her son back to life. He instructed her to go back to her village and gather mustard seeds from the households of those who have never been touched by the death. From those mustard seeds, he promised he would create a medicine to bring her son back to life. Relieved, she went back to her village and began asking her neighbors for mustard seeds.
All of her neighbors were willing to give her mustard seeds, but they all told her that their households had been touched by death. They told her, “the living are few, but the dead are many.”
As the day became evening and then night, she was still without any of the mustard seeds that she had been instructed to collect. She realized then the universality of death. According to the Buddhist verse her story comes from, she said:
“It’s not just a truth for one village or town, Nor is it a truth for a single family. But for every world settled by gods [and men] This indeed is what is true — impermanence” (Olendzki, 2010).
With this new understanding, her grief was calmed. She buried her son in the forest and then returned to Buddha. She confessed to Buddha that she could not obtain any of the mustard seeds he had instructed her to collect because she could not find even one house untouched by death.
Reflections on The Parable of the Mustard Seed
What can we take away from this parable? Losing a child or any dear loved one to death is a tragedy no one wants to face. When faced with such painful loss, we can feel like Kisa, with grief so unbearable that we wish for anything to make the death not be real.
But as Kisa learned when she could not collect a single mustard seed, death is universal. Nearly everyone at some point in their life loses a loved one to death. This is part of the impermanence of things that Buddhism speaks of.
Despite the fact that nearly all of us experience the loss of loves ones, this does not make the pain of these losses any easier to bear. How do we cope? It is different for everyone, but we typically find ways to carry on. For Kisa, it was her epiphany that she came to through the Buddha’s lesson that helped her cope.
It is one story among countless throughout human existence of how a person has suffered great loss and yet learned in their own way to move forward. Grief can often leave a person feeling isolated, confused, and as if they will never be able to cope. But reading stories like Kisa’s show that even long, long ago, others have felt the same way, and yet they found a way through. For the griever, it is a reminder that you are never truly alone in your experience.
Rest in peace my dearest sister less

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March 25, 2020 · via mobile

Many of us will remember Mrs Teo as a very kind and patient lecturer who taught us Managerial Accounting. Remember the days when we will discuss about the lesson at the benches outside LT21. Together with Mr Chua, she made accounting very interesting for... more

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March 25, 2020

I knew Pheck Thar when I first joined Temasek Polytechnic in 1992. I was then a newbie at teaching in a polytechnic and Pheck Thar was already an very experienced lecturer. We became colleagues for 20 years.

I looked up to Pheck Thar as a model lecturer... more

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March 25, 2020 · via iPhone

A good friend and colleague. Always calm, collected, highly capable and true to herself. I remember learning Year Leader functions from you, and your sweet gestures of buying snacks for us during the rush. Rest In Peace.

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March 25, 2020 · via iPhone

I learned a lot from you in my early days at Temasek Polytechnic. Great Lecturer. Great Mentor.
Thank you Pheck Thar.

During end semester e processing, many of us can relate to these:

‘What should we key in here?’
Ask Pheck Thar

‘What should... more

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March 25, 2020 · via mobile

Your gentle spirit will be greatly missed. Rest in peace and from your labour.

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March 25, 2020

Sadly sending off a good old friend. Fond memories of your gentle demeanor, sweet nature and patience. Glad that you attended the Macrame workshop on 2 Oct 2019 which was the last I saw of you. Rest in peace my dear friend Pheck Thar. To the family, take care!

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March 25, 2020 · via iPhone

I only knew you for a short while, but I will always remember your helpful guidance and advice - rest in His eternal peace

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March 25, 2020 · via mobile

Thank you for the flowers

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March 25, 2020

Dear Pheck Thar, I'll always remember your beauty and grace. Glad to have chatted with you a short while ago. With fond memories, Sue Lou.

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March 25, 2020

Fond memories of you from the occasional lunches we had and thank you for showing me what empathy truly means. You will be missed. Rest in peace.
Irene Chan (TP)

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March 25, 2020

You will be remembered as our most caring and patient Accounting tutor. Thank you always for the kind and encouraging words. Accounting is made easier to understand because you know our challenges as students. Rest in peace.