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It has been quite a while since we lost a great man to fate. I'm a little late on this because I want to make sure I didn't miss out anything important and I did quite an amount of research just so I get the facts right.

A brief history of Lee Kuan Yew, he was born on 16 September 1923 and deceased on 23 March 2015. He was brought up in Singapore and later attended University in London after World War II. Through his years of studies, he topped a few times and won a number of prizes. Lee Kuan Yew then became the first Prime Minster of Singapore in 1959, stepped down and became a Senior Minister in 1990. He was the Minister Mentor from 2004 to 2011 and served Tanjong Pagar constituency for 60 years as a Member of Parliament.

When Mr. Lee Kuan Yew took over Singapore, he made English the common language so trading with the west was made easier. As a man that never forgets his roots, he mandated bilingualism in schools to keep individual unique mother tongue roots and cultural identity. Throughout his years of life, he has written many books since 1969, inspired and touched many people. For many people, especially non-Singaporean, Lee Kuan Yew is just a great leader but to Singaporeans, he is more than just a leader. He is the one that changed and loved Singapore; we call him the father of Singapore. Sir Stamford Raffles may be the one that founded Singapore but Lee Kuan Yew was the one that built Singapore.

Honestly speaking, I'm not much affected by his death but I'm very much affected by his actions. Every single one of his decisions affected Singapore, my life and every Singaporean's life. As mentioned in the book, 100 Inspiring Rafflesians, 1823-2003, by Guan Heng Tan, "Some of these turning points where had things gone wrong, The Singapore story would have ended differently." Lee Kuan Yew says, "There were seminal moments. I cannot afford to regret. I made the best decision I could, with the knowledge I had at the time. “ He did his best. Many ignorant fools have comments, negative ones, about his decisions and such but little did they know times were different. Our point of views and ability to do things are so different from back then. Who knows what would happen at every turn? Nobody, we all learn from people's mistake. Who or what could Lee Kuan Yew take as an example or reference? No one and nothing. He did his best with his knowledge back then and learns from his actions. Points of views nowadays are all filtered with the mistakes made by historical events, knowing what would work and what wouldn't. So, don't judge what he knew and felt back then with what you now know and feel, it was so different that even you might make the same decisions as he did.

When asked about LGBT, he replied it was for Singaporean society to decide whether or not homosexuality was acceptable, not for the government and they would not interfere or harass anybody, whether heterosexual or otherwise. He even asked doctors about homosexuality and was told that it was caused by a genetic random transmission of genes. Lee Kuan yew wasn't an atheist; he just doesn't deny or accept the existence of God. For someone that is so rational, I do not think he will do anything that is unfair or based on emotions or faith. I may be naive that he did no wrong but we should always train our mind to see the good and focus less on the bad. Whatever he has done, I'm grateful.

"What have Lee Kuan Yew done for us?” you asked. Well, he turned Singapore from a stinky swamp into a green city, pulling us out from the third world and made our lives a lot more comfortable. The Singapore River you are looking at now was not like this when Lee Kuan Yew was a kid. The Singapore River back then was stinky, muddy and filled with trash and waste. It was not somewhere you would want to take your Instagram photos. Imagine having to remove every single piece of trash in the river when trash completely covered the riverbed, it was not easy. He had the river cleaned up because he was determined.

McRitchie Reservoir, Bukit Timah Hill, Chinese Garden and Bedok Reservoir etc. All these would not have existed if all Lee Kuan Yew wanted was a rich country. How easy it was to cut down all the trees, clear up the water and build more properties over it, but he didn't. He didn't want us to end up like Hong Kong. Despite being a tiny island with high-rise building everywhere, we have greeneries wrapped around it. All the nature preserved enables people like me who love adventure to trek, kayak and jog in the parks easily. Not only it benefits us humans, it benefited the animals and insects too. It is not Lee Kuan Yew's fault that we do not have mountains and great waves for surfing in Singapore. He kept what nature gave us.

High-rise building first appeared in Ancient Rome. So, no, Lee Kuan Yew wasn't the one that invented high-rise building. He was the one that came up with Housing Development Board (HDB) and introduced housing ownership to allow every Singaporean to own a house because he saw home ownership as a path to prosperity. He mentioned, "The pride people have in their homes prevents our estates from turning into slums, which is the fate for public housing in other countries." Singapore's ownership rate is 90%, which is the highest in the world. This means that most people will take responsibility for their own homes and keep the neighbourhood clean and vibrant. He said, "Home ownership motivates Singaporeans to work hard and upgrade to better flats for a better quality of living. The HDB story reflects the social mobility in Singapore." HBD does renovation works such as painting, now and then to keep our buildings neat and clean. If it wasn't for HBD, our housing estate will be like Hong Kong's, cramp and dirty. And if it wasn't for Lee Kuan Yew, there wouldn't be HDB.

Would you wanna be walking alone at 3am in some other countries like India or Malaysia? Having the constant fear that you would be raped or mugged anytime is the worst fear one could ever have. In Singapore, it's safe enough for you to walk alone in the dark at 3am without freaking out. Not saying we are a crime free country, but as compared to many other countries, we are one of the safest. I would definitely be locked in after 8pm if I were in anywhere but Singapore. Such safe and secure country, if Lee Kuan Yew is not the person we should thank then I do not know who else I should thank. Yes, those police officers play a part too. But hey! Every country has their police officers too, why aren't their country as safe as ours? Lee Kuan Yew was the one who instilled integrity, equality and justice.

Saving the best for last, thanks to Lee Kuan Yew, Singapore authorised certificates are easily accepted almost worldwide. "This would ensure our children would go on to become trustworthy trustees of our nation," he argued. From education to passport to driving license, they are all recognised in a lot of places. Being recognised is a big deal! Not having to retake exams and tests before starting a new life outside Singapore saves a lot of trouble and made our lives easier. No visa needed to visit most (170) countries is the best thing one could ever ask for. All these are due to high standards and anti-corruption. I know Singapore's education system can be hella stressful and certain licenses are hard to get but you think about it. If our education system is easy like third world country where bribery and corruption happens, how much do you think your examinations certificate worth? Not a penny, they are as good as nothing and where can you go with that? Nowhere - Imagine your certificates only have worth in Singapore and instantly turn into trash when you get out of Singapore, in other words, you're stuck in Singapore forever. Doesn't the idea sucks? And having to redo your Diplomas/Degree in a more recognised place sucks even more, it's a total waste of time.

What exactly caused his death wasn't clearly mentioned but it seems to be pneumonia, which is a lung disease. And why black ribbon was used as #TributetoLKY ? Choa Chu Kang GRC MP Alex Yam came up with the image wanted it to be a "simple Whatsapp message" with simple and dignified in the mind. "We honour the founding Prime Minister of Singapore in a simple, dignified way, that his memory and legacy will live, and to say #ThankYouLKY," Alex Yam wrote on his Facebook. The image later then went viral and was put up everywhere, spreading the message Alex Yam intended. About a week after the black ribbon was revealed, a red ribbon followed, served to remember, to pledge and take responsibility for our communities, our homes and our nation. Beginning with #IRemeber and end with #IPledge, Alex Yam wrote on his Facebook, "If you have time, give your time. Even if you don’t, just give a smile to a stranger. " Give what you have in hand; a quote I live by, constantly giving my time and strength to whoever that needs it.

His death brought out the kindness and unity in our country which was what Lee Kuan Yew aimed to achieve in his early days, harmonious inter-racial relationship. During the days of mourning, we have seen so many people from different backgrounds coming together as one and working towards the same goal. It sure was a touching scene but would this be what he wanted? He was a very thrifty man and it's also the reason why our currency is now this strong. He was careful with our money and I'm pretty sure he would have preferred something small and simple. Did people do it for fame, attention or pure gratitude? It's hard to tell but I personally feel that sincerity is more important. A 10 hours' queue means nothing if you're doing it due to trend. Sincerity comes from the heart, not the actions we acted or the words we spoke. I just hope everyone did it out of pure gratitude.

They say the more famous you are, more people will love you and more people will hate you too. Unfortunately, it's true. It's no surprise that there are people who aren't in favour of Lee Kuan Yew's past decisions and actions like CPF, ERP, COE, NS etc. Everything happens for a reason, he has his reason and it is ultimately for our own good. They can blame him for anything and everything and it is unavoidable because no one can please everyone, it is easier to piss everyone off. As Winston Churchill said, "You have enemies? Good. That means you've stood up for something, sometime in your life."

I might have missed out a lot of his great works but these are the few I'm really thankful for and I feel that it is important they are mentioned. Lee Kuan Yew sure did not do this much alone; he led a team, groomed new leaders and built a clean government. He was a remarkable leader that speaks his mind and changed many lives. Not forgetting his love for his wife, it is a relationship goal for every couple.

Everything happens for a reason and Mr. Lee Kuan Yew, you are the reason for Singapore's success. Thank you, Mr. Lee Kuan Yew. In our hearts, you will live forever.

For more info about Lee Kuan Yew, click here.

Eulogies delivered at Mr LKY's funeral service (Straitstimes) // 3 values from home ownership (Buiness.asiaone) // Lee's info (Leewatch) // 7 unusual facts about LKY (Ibtimes) // LKY wants a quick death (Yahoo) // Story behind the Remembering LKY ribbon (Channel News Asia) // Red version of remembering LKY ribbon (Straitstimes) // 100 Inspiring Rafflesians, 1823-2003 by Guan Heng (Books.google) // Remembering LKY (Todayonline) // Jurong Community LKY Tribute Site