In Memory of Pat Morita

I was so shocked when I read in the newspapers today that Pat Morita passed away last Thursday!

Of all the movies that he starred in, he is most remembered as the karate sensei of Daniel Larusso in the 3 sequels of 'The Karate Kid'.

I have watched 'The Karate Kid' since I was a very young kid. I still remember my Aunty used to bring me to the video rental shop near her house (when I came over to stay for a few days during my primary school holidays) & I would choose a few video tapes to watch. Naturally for most kids, it usually began with cartoons, followed by more fiction shows.

One of the shows that I watched at her house (back then at Dover Road) was 'The Karate Kid'. In fact, if I remembered correctly, I watched all 3 sequels at her house, over a stretch of a few years, whenever I came over during my school holidays. I also remembered that I watched 'Rocky IV' alone in front of the TV one late night... & I got so fired up during the boxing match between Rocky Balboa & Drago, that I got up from my seat & started punching along throughout the fight! Thinking back, those were sweet memories of my childhood...

Although when I got older, the storyline of 'The Karate Kid' began to become far-fetched, the heart of the movie still held strong. There was a cross-cultural content in it, where a Japanese handyman by the name of Mr Miyagi (i.e. Pat Morita) befriended an American teenager named Daniel Larusso. Mr Miyagi became a very good friend to Daniel, because Daniel didn't have any friends in that messy neighbourhood town. His mother was always at work & his Dad died when he was very young. Mr Miyagi was his one & only friend.

Mr Miyagi was always able to advice & help Daniel in his times of trouble... & even taught Daniel the secret of Miyagi's family karate, that enabled Daniel to win the All-Valley Under-18 Karate Championship. Mr Miyagi had strange methods of imparting his karate techniques & wisdom gained over the years. A humble man in his 60s, Mr Miyagi is really a man to remember.