Jedi Franz Pocky (Chen Po Chen) Tribute

I can't credit myself as her longest or closest friend throughout her lifetime, but I knew her long and well enough to know what a beautiful, strong and intelligent girl she was - and how she always had a knack for being there for the people she felt were 'real' enough to be deserving.

As all of us here reading this site every other day would know how we all know pieces of her life that she weaved through, touching us in her quirky personal way - and through her passing, we're slowly forming the entire story to her short, but sweet time on earth.

Please send in more points we can add to this...

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Pocky was a straight A student who was very bright and learned really fast. Spending her secondary school life at St Anthony's Canossian Secondary School, popularity and trouble were her two greatest allies. It was here she met many of her closer girl friends - Lovelynne, Audrey, Celine, Sheena and of course, myself.

Following her secondary school days of intelligent notoriety, she ventured into the arts class of CJC together with Audrey and several other friends. Here she met many new friends that she weaved in and out of and began experimenting in design of her own clothes. She graduated with flying colours (A,A,C) and began her term as an undergrad at NUS Arts (National University of Singapore).

What many failed to know, was that Pocky was on the road to bulimia - and denied an eating disorder despite constant badgering by her friends. She started to embrace the world of philosophy - and began retracting into her private comfort zone of herself.

She spent her first NUS term in constant thought of life - at the expense of our very narrow education system basing it's students on attendance, and Pocky left NUS six months into her course.

Meanwhile, her bulimia escalated - and the more friends pried, the more she retracted - into a private world of alcohol, kafka and nietzsche. Questioning the meaning of her existence for most of it, she marveled the cogs of society and questioned endlessly at the redundancies significance of working for a living as opposed to working your life away.

The malnutrition from her bulimia resulted in her body giving way to a condition called 'bone death' - where blood stopped following to her bones, causing her bone mass to deplete rapidly. As most would recall her in crutches, it was due to her hip bone needing an operation for metal replacements. She was placed on a waiting list for the operation for over six months and never managed to get it done.

In January 2008 - the month of her death, Pocky quarantined herself at home, something many friends understood as her needing her own private time. According to some, she was making efforts to steer away from alcohol - as it was deteriorating her further.

On the morning of the 23rd, her closest friends received phone calls from her mobile phone - only to hear her father break the news that she had passed away due to respiratory problems.

A very straight-forward, strong-willed and real friend - she was true to those who deserved it.

We believe she is having the time of her life in heaven. (Preferably somewhere with good music)

Rest in Peace Chica. <3