Thursday, February 07, 2008 8:35 PM
Day eighteen.something is just different this year on chinese new year for my mum and us. it's just like any other day that sharon goes to school or when mum goes on the net to search for houses again or when im back on the bed playing neopets to fight my boredom . oh what a bore! not only does'nt australia celebrate this chinese holiday but also my uncle's family doesnt eat the bbq pork that everyone loves or even gather around the table for loy hei. so is this chinese new year merely for collecting the red packets?
i was still stuck in the early morning 'cant get up syndrome' when my alarm clock rang. well the surprising thing about my alarm clock is that it comes back every 5 mins to wake us up again. and it somehow lets itself be known from the shuffling of feet. my mum. yes, the distinct voice of hers calling us to get out of bed and to wash up for school. funny. it's only her voice that seems to wake all hers up. my other ring tones cant seemt do that impressive feat like mum can. the only thing that wakes me up is sharon slapping me up because i slept through the whole song and its somehow bothering her a lot.
we got up for breakfast with the rest of the household. even before we finished eating or before mum prepared her share, grandmere started giving out read packets to her grandson who was emoing on the sofa over something just childish i dont wish to get myself involved in. no oranges, no well wishes for her, he just lazes over the hand cushion and stares at her. at least, she could have sat down! she didnt, she only begged him to dont kick up a fuss on chinese new year's first day. i just dont get how the world is changing just because of young kids like him who just dont seem to show any respect for the elders.
mum didnt like what she saw so she made us do the usual things we did in singapore. i forgot some of my lines. sorry, my chinese seems to be getting rusty. i cant even seem to say 'have a prosperous business' or 'stay pretty forever'. the oranges here were much bigger and harder so holding them one in each hand requires stretching my fingers. after all the well wishes, sharon got off for school and mum called dad back home.
we left the house early at nine to catch the bus for school. the rains were adamant on holding us back with the strong winds and heavy downpour. it was crazy and mum blamed me for not bringing a bigger umbrella to shelter the both of us. how was i to know? summer never had rains and never that long either lasting the whole day or even for that matter a heavy one also. i smsed ansley on our late arrival to her place to sell off my second hand books for 2/3 the price. we went back 295 richer from the emptiness of our pockets.
and when we thought we were already nice enough to charge that rate, the school bulletin board showed different. others were selling off their second hand books for only 10 the minimum and 20 the maximum. okay, now i feel greedy but hey i needed that money for university books!
we went to visit my past teachers in canning college and at the same time to ask of a favour from two of my teachers. i finally found two referees for my job listing to help in supporting my statement. thank the lord! so now that all is solved, i can finally go back to the online registration and submit in my name.
third day and still no calls or smses for an interview. i must be losing my mind. i treat my phone like a baby not to be left alone. i couldnt afford to miss any calls. they could be my future employers and i just dont want to take my chances and miss out on a good opportunity. this is demoralising, not getting a job out of all the effort i've put in.
we skipped lunch since we had brunch at canning college, fries with gravy and hot chocolate for two of us. came home only just about after two to take a hot bath and soak in the hot water after getting the shivers the whole day from the cold winds. we only ate our lunch at three when sharon was home.
things have changed ever since sharon's went to school,
- she's no longer in bed with me till 10am when we wake up together.
- hairband fights are gone
- dinner times are with the rest of the family
- there's no more fruits time at the basin
- she has to sleep early for school so i stay up alone
- there's no one to look over my shoulder to watch my comp
- no one to wash the dishes after me
- i only make one milo now for myself when i get up
im going crazy with all these changes! they said you sldnt stay in your shell for too long, go out and explore the world outside. changes are something we take in our stride and get on with life adapting to them. i wish i could on this load of changes. soon enough, it's university for me, getting used to new friends, there's work and moving house with the family, our family is still separated with dad back home, getting a driving liscence and growing up into an adult.
i wish i could be peter pan, the boy who never grows up.
