The social media is abuzz with news that 33 year old Chua Boon Huat died in an accident with a lorry at the LDP Highway at 3.00am today.
How ironic can fate be as Chua dons the number 3 jersey and died at 3.00am and was 33 years old.
It is a tremendous loss to Malaysian Hockey and to me.
I received a text message from national team manager George Koshy who was trying to verify if the tragic news was true.
The fact that only hours earlier Chua was at a breaking of fast function with the rest of his team mates made it look that it was a nasty joke.
But alas it was no joke and a legend of Malaysian hockey has met with an untimely death.
Chua and I go a long way back, all the way to 1995 when he turned out for Yayasan NS in the MJHL.
He holds the record of the most capped hockey international in Malaysia having surpassed Nor Saiful Zaini and S.Kuhan after been given a new lease of life in international hockey by coach Paul Revington.
A quiet and unassuming person, my last conversation with him took place just a day before the World League commenced in Johor Baru and he enquired about my Mums condition then.
Chua, or Apek as he is known in the hockey fraternity hails from Malacca and made his debut for the national team at the 1998 Commonwealth Games.
Given a break by the then coach Paul Liseek, Chua has the distinction of playing in several overseas leagues, namely in Austria, Bangladesh, Germany, and England.
A bachelor who wanted to end his single life, Chua also ventured into coaching as he coached Pahang in the last Malaysian Games.
There is just so much I want to write about him but coming to terms with this tragedy is difficult especially since I am not in Malaysia at the moment and will not be able to pay my last respects.
To his family and loved ones, this is an untimely death, especially when Chua had made it clear to me that he was he'll bent to play on until the Rio Olympics.
Words are not flowing freely as I come to terms with this tragedy, praying that its not true.
I will indeed miss you my friend.
