KUALA LUMPUR: A plate of the school canteen's fried rice is what SJKC Mun Choong Year 5 pupil, Lin Siu Man was looking forward to when classes resume on Jan 3.
However, Liu's wish will remain as such as the master cook behind her favourite dish, Gary Eng Choon We, died in the Dec 16 Batang Kali landslide, along with his two children.
She said the fried rice cooked by the canteen operator was the only dish she would buy from the canteen once a week.
"It is a treat for me. I cannot explain how it tastes but it is definitely special," she told the New Straits Times at the memorial held in honour of the 11 landslide victims linked to the school today.
A video filled with pictures of Eng, his 12-year-old daughter Huai Yi and Shao Qi, 11, was shown during the memorial.
It was accompanied by Eng's voice notes to teachers, with one heartbreakingly noting he had cooked a chicken dish and if anyone wanted to buy.
In a tribute, one of the teachers told Eng to take good care of his two children in heaven.
"They (the children) are safe in your hands. Go be angels in heaven. Do not worry about your family. We will take care of them," she said.
Equally, the sombre mood resonated for all who attended this morning's memorial. Tributes to those fallen were shown by pupils who will dearly miss their friends and role models they have come to love from the school.
The school's music band which featured flute and melodica players performed Amazing Grace in honour of their 36-year-old teacher Lim Wen Xin.
Year 6 pupil Chan Cheok Synn, who joined the band three years ago, said it was Lim's favourite song.
"We began rehearsing last Tuesday to ensure we gave her our best performance so that she will feel proud of us," she said.
Year 5 pupil Kanusha Mohd Sharif said she was grateful for Hong Mei Jing, one of the six teachers who died in the incident.
Kanusha said Hong had relentlessly guided her in her Science subject as she was weak in Mandarin.
"She never gave up on me and I love her for that. She told me to study hard and I will do that in her honour," she said.
The Dec 16 Batang Kali landslide claimed the lives of 11 victims, mostly teachers and pupils of the school.
Teachers who died in the incident were Fong Choy Kee, 43, Lai Lee Koon, 44, Lim Wen Xin, 36, Hong Mei Jing, 38, Lam Sook Man, 37, and Liu Pei Si, 44.
The pupils were siblings Eng Huai Yi, 12, and Eng Shao Qi, 11, as well as Tong Kai En, 9.
The bodies of school canteen operator Gary Eng Choon Wen, 43, and his helper, Nurul Azwani Kamaruzaman, 31, were also recovered in the nine day multi-agencies search and rescue operations.