I'm listening to Vienna Teng, courtesy of Sam. Life has been playing tricks on me for the last few days. CNY used to be a time of joy and unfiltered fun, of family and food and sugar-filled hazes. But this year i feel cheated. No school, no lab going sessions, no homework piles bordering on the edge of mania. No scary competition-chasing teachers breathing down my back. No suffering. Equals:
No breath of fresh air during CNY.
There was a bird. She flew and flew to find a nest. Expecting an egg any day now. A flap of wings, a flurry of grey. Perched on a window sill. Partially sheltered from the rain. A critical scan with a beady eye. She flew off.
1
The nest was built of twigs and straw and dried weeds. It looked absolutely pathetic. Heaven, home, in the bird's eyes. She settled down and laid an egg. Two. Pearly white and spotted brown. She place her bottom and stayed. The wait had begun.
2
The second day of CNY was ... muted at first. So many old people i can't keep track of the hello aunty/uncles that i had to spew every few seconds. Food at another uncle's house ... whom i can't remember. BUT at around 1:30 Garrick and Danny came, and things seemed a little brighter. Talked to them, quizzed Danny about his butt ugly hairstyle and NS, and then since we were so damn early played a few rounds of NFSMW. I think Garrick managed to break a total of 10 roadblocks in a chase lasting 7 minutes, before he 'shift breakered' (his words) his way through a spike strip.
Brilliant.
At roughly 3 we moved off to Paul's house, Garrick timing his drive (to Danny and my horror, of course) - and we proceeded to deplete the Lim family's store of chicken wings. And before we knew it it was 4 o'clock, we set off to Samantha's house for another UGS cny gathering (it's apparently tradition). Due to a very dicky sms to guide us, a confidently fast moving driver and a conversation about Utopia at the back, we ended up on the way to Normah. Conversation between me, Sam, Aldrin and Raymond:
Me: Garrick is bringing us to Normah
Sam: What! Okaaay. Urm, do you know stapok badminton court? Or 100% discount store? *mutters in background: they're at @#% Normah!*
Aldrin (comes on phone): Wow. Where are you now?
Me: We're on the way to Normah.
Aldrin: Man! You're on the wrong side of Kuching!
Me: What? Okay, directions, directions.
Raymond (comes on phone): Ha mik ah? Aiyorr! Normah! Okay, do you know where-
Me: Tell you what we go to Jalan Kereta Api and i'll call you from there, kay? Then you give us directions.
When we finally arrived (no thanks to me spotting Chung Hwa No.6, but entirely forgetting the area), we were met with Sam, Sam's mum, Shuzzle, and Nickki wrapped around Shuzzle.
Sheryl was somewhere at the back.
We moved to the den, talking about the impossibilty of locating houses based on dicky SMSes. Sam opened the den. I stepped in, and -
-was met by an assault on the senses with Viv, Erna, Alicia, Sharon, Nickki, an indian girl whose name i didn't catch and a little dude named Ryan running, shouting, laughing, camwhoring, playing tekken 5, pillow fighting, moving about, drinking and generally making a total ruckus the intensity of which was something even Cirque du Soliel would have trouble emulating.
Joshua needed my instructions to find Sam's house. Apparently the sms i forwarded to him was dicky, too.
Then Kenny came. The rest was a slight blur, the highlights of which was 'How Many Sheep' - an annoying game introduced by Nickki, a major pillow fight between me and her, with kicks, pinches and hair messing, a game of Mafia in which there was no Mafia, and then no Medic. Then a game of Choi Tua Ti (no idea how to spell this), followed by dancing on the PS1. For which Garrick duly provided mats.
Sheryl poked me from behind and asked if i wrestled with her last year.
I did not. Tay was the one whom she accused of 'biting her tongue'.
I told her that Paul was Paul. She asked me who i was. For kicks, i said Paula Abdul.
She and Nickki ganged up on me with pillows for the next 30 minutes or so.
Dang.
We left after 7, for which i must apologize to Sam. Overstayed. There was fireworks, a very amusing display of Father Daughter bonding, and magic ("Can you conjure a handphone for me?"). Paul apparently bamboozled the sense out of Sheryl. Poor Sam.
The eggs had hatched. Featherless and bald, naked to the wind. Hungry, ever so hungry. Necks stretching for food. And then feathers growing like grey down. Beady eyes opened, just like their mothers'.
3
This was marathon day. I woke up at 7, went to Uncle Voon's house, and promptly collapsed on the couch. Paul, Daniel and i were the first, and soon the others arrived.
- Max and Jason
- Jason John
- Daphne and friend
- John Chok
- Elaine, and a girl called Francoise (this Max had problems pronouncing - Daniel was suggesting 'Franchise' until i muttered 'Fwansua', still half asleep)
- Ashley
- Three girls whose names i can't seem to remember - older youth, probably one of them Daphne's sister
- Lavine
- John Mark
- Daphne
- Bernard
- Godric
- Julian
- Joanna
- Darryl
- and of course Vyner and Kevin, who were Uncle Voon's sons
- Godwinna
- Ian, Sean and Maryann
- Eddie
- a Josephian named John (from aunt Jennifer's house)
- Genevieve
- Aileen (lodgian, surprised to see her there)
- Goldon
- Uncle Voon's house
- Father John Sim's house
- Uncle Chris's house
- Uncle Ivor's house
- Deaconess Elanor's house
- Ian, Sean and Maryann's house
- Julian's house
- Aunty Jennifer's house (saw Erna looking bored)
- Uncle Dennis Wee's house
- Eric's house
- Uncle Jeffrey's house
- Bernard's house
- Elaine's house
- Ashley's house
1. For some elaborate reason probably tied to a painted pinky and Maryann's handbag, i was called gay innumerable times. I was very ... annoyed, for want of an understatement. It was fun for awhile, but after that it became tiresome, seeing as i have never doubted my sexual preferences in my entire life. *glowers at Francoise, especially*
2. Father John Sim gave a very relevant message during our visit to his house. He told us about one of the current problems of the Malaysian church, that our Government actually has every right to shut down religious organizations operating out of a commercial area, since those organizations are not built on predetermined land. Plus he pointed out a lot of happenings in the Western world (secular policies, probably?) such as occurences of young people boldly challenging the Clergy in church to prove that God exists.
3. There was prayers at every house we visited, for the family, and for safe jouney to the next destination. I prayed at Deaconess Eleanor Goh's house, and i was nervous for the most part - what to pray for what to say what if i freeze up and pause and make mistakes and forgot that this is about God and not public speaking and -
But i did it. And i realized then how many generations of youth both Aunty Eleanor and Aunty Mag have seen grown up, moved off, marry and/or never come back.
Aunty Mag was crying as she said goodbye. We were, afterall, another generation of youth, another generation to be leaders, another generation that can so easily be led astray.
The nest was empty. Off to the skies, blue arms welcoming them, they were free. Little birdies were no more.
