Something in the Air in March

Her artistic hands delicately drew the outlines of a Chinese word so easily recognised for a single meaning. Then, sitting in amazement, I watched her tenderly sliced the ruby red paper into a symbol that immediately introduces a heart-warming form of elation.

She could not find a perfect one, said she, and it must be for such an occasion, so she decided to take things into her own hands. Traditions run deep in the soul, her love for craft too perhaps, or maybe her way of expressing her congrats and offering her help.

There is something in the air in March.

It hit me finally. Something will be up this month! And not one, but two blessed ceremonies! And with that comes four conventional Chinese dinners. We knew what that means: time to ransack for SIX different outfits (Humbug! We're girls after all!) and lots of jogging before we take in the food (Humbug! Who likes feeling bloated?)

I count the days!

Your wound

Sometimes your eyes wonder to that wound, and your heart will seize like a lime being squeezed to a pulp, and its juice so acidic burns the walls of your stomach. Sometimes your memory, it takes a wrong turn, onto the broken road your feet vowed never to step upon again.

Perhaps you had a wound, a deep, deep one. Though time nursed it, a part still hurts and aches. Back then, curse your mind to still remember, the gnash dripped of poison. Its acrid saliva seeped into the veins, and there was no cure but to hope that when they uttered the words"what doesn't kill you only makes you stronger", they actually meant it.

By and by, the wound gets bigger, as if the Romans were answering Alexander's call. You may have had to bite and zip your lips. Only very few of your friends were aspirin you could reach out and gulp down.

All you needed was time to break those coils, set you free, and drift you away to a new world. The wound, you long for it to slowly heal. Yet sometimes, you throw a glance at it and you feel the poison gurgling at your throat once again, the lime juice still sizzling down your gut, and the twenty pills trying to fight the agony but in vain.

I suppose we all have a dark side to our past, and a wound unseen yet unexplained. Mine still hurts, for my memory ceases not to remember, though I know, or I hope, there may come a time when I peel off the scab.

To Sue Hui and Puei San

Dear Sue Hui and Puei San,

Happy Belated Birthdays!

I'll start with Sue Hui,

You're the first person I knew in secondary school,

And we know what happened then, so we shall not go on.

Ever the calm and poised lady,

Always there to listen to our woes

And lift that burden off our backs,

Ever ready with rational advices.

Puei San!

You'll be the one injecting laughter at every conversation

Throwing witty remarks to brighten our day,

It is so comforting when you're around,

For you judge no friends,

And stand your ground.

With such a year of change,

may your dreams shed a light onto your path,

may both of you continue to make other lucky souls

know the worth of great friendships...

Remember our little adventure at Genting? How the five of us let loose after PMR, raced straight towards the theme park, got repeated doses of adrenaline from roller coaster rides, shared and discovered shhh...secrets, and the ghostly incident....

I feel a sudden chill. We'll let that pass.


PS I'm really sorry I could not make it for the double birthday outing. I REALLY AM! Honestly I miss you guys so much! We'll make it another day, okay?

Tagged : Random

Tagged by Sabrina

1. What is your name? Rachael

2. A four letter word. HOPE

3. A boy's name. Vincent

4. A girl's name. Joyce

5. An occupation. Mine? Or some random one? Nevermind. Student.

6. A colour. Green

7. Something you'll wear. Contacts

8. Favourite spot. Home (no, seriously)

9. A food. Oodles of noodles!

10. Something found in my bathroom. Sink!

11. A place. Library

12. A reason for being late. Traffic jam. I know, I know. Typical Malaysian! But I despise lateness.

13. Something you'd shout. HI!!!

14. A movie title. Reading Room

15. Something you drink. Juice

16. A musical group. Westlife!

17. An animal. Chicken licken.

18. A street name. Name? What name? Sesame street. Haha..

19. A type of car. Great. Why must we go to engines? Rolls Royce.

20. Title of a song. Hmm...the song in my head now is Belinda Carlisle's "Heave is a Place on Earth"

I'll be fair. And entirely kind.
Controversial, the last tag was, so I'll let this pass.

Tagged : 16 Random Things

Directions: Once you’ve been tagged, you have to write a blog or a note on Facebook with sixteen random things, facts, habits or goals about you. At the end choose ten people to be tagged, listing their names and why you chose them. Don’t forget to leave them a comment (”you’re it”) and to read your blog. You can’t tag the person who tagged you. Since you can’t tag me, let me know when you’ve posted your blog/note, so I can see your weirdness.

1. I want to play the guitar! (love the way it sounds)

2. I hate mushrooms.

3. But love mushroom soup!

4. I miss Green House marching practices.

5. I believe in superstitions (don't walk under ladders in front of me!!)

6. You can see I like four leaved clovers, but ironically I've never found one.

7. I scare people. Apparently. But I don't know why...hmm...

8. I enjoy English lessons.

9. I can get lost in shopping malls.

10. Bus rides are fun.

11. I don't like it when people go overseas. (Don't go!!!)

12. Bookstores are to me what boutiques are to shopaholics.

13. One day I shall go bungee jumping!

14. Disney songs rock! Well, and certain shows.

15. I love trying out different designs when making cards. Don't mind me.

16. When online I would sometimes open several websites at once. So as this post is written, I am chatting with a friend, finishing an essay, checking my mail and playing with a game.

I tag

~ Joyce
~ Mei Shan
~ Hui Ling
~ Priscilla
~ Rachel
~ Hsu-Cherng
~ Je Hui
~ Adelyn
~ Shi Yun
~ Keith

If we've known each other since childhood, it's out of curiousity.
If we haven't met lately (days or weeks or months), I want to know what's up!
If we've just been acquainted this year, it's to get to know your 'weird' side.

To a lady of strong will

Dear May Ling,

This is to having a cousin with a mind of strong will.

You've always been the outspoken one whose actions speak louder
than words, ever the lady with the potential to chase any dreams you
can imagine. You are proof of woman rising higher than ever --- evidence of
pure girl power, packed with a punch.

Throughout our years of 'cousinhood', it is a comfort to have someone who
shares experiences with me, genuine with care and responsibility.

This is to a great year ahead, in all that you do.

Know that you can always place trust in yourself for one

can be the master if they reach for the baton.


Happy 19th Birthday, May Ling!

~May your dreams come true~

Between Guilt and Regret

Should I? Should I not?

Hmm... I have two advertisements in my hands.

Both caught my eye and glued them onto the sheets.
I feel like joining both. I can join both.

But should I? Should I not?
If I do, then I'll be subjected to a week's worth of skull cracking.

And head scratching. And deadlines.

Hmm...Well, it may not work out as I plan.

If I do I won't be sure what to do after that anyway.

GREAT. And with projects and assignments already tormenting me.

More than likely you have no idea what I am talking about.

Now that I think about it maybe I don't too.

If I join I'll feel GUILT.

If I don't I'll feel REGRET.

Wonder which one hurts more.

Await the paths to meet again.

Six years now, was it? Time slipped so suddenly from our fingers. Dust may have caught against our dark blue uniforms (which may as well be discarded by now), but the annual reunions swept off debris from our memories. Two days ago, it was all different; we marked our small and rather rushed reunion as a sentimental farewell.

Here we were waiting as patiently as possible at Tropicana City Mall...

Someone craved sushi, so we made our way to the nearest and only one we could find.

Thank you guys so much for your spontaneity! Congestion at 7 can haunt your dreams at night, and most of us had to shake ourselves into sanity after college and work. Quite a few of us were rather tired after a long day, yet here for those we intend to bid farewell.

As we had dinner, we took a stroll down memory lane. Back then, with such diverse personalities involved, a sense of sheer liveliness lingers within the class. And don't forget the comedy, or the drama. Six seasons worth of pure, pure drama.

Had we been a television series, we would have had episodes of mischievious outbreaks (I'll never forget the bubblegum 'Mr Superman' threw on Miyumi's hair), of scandals and 'love' triangles (which will remain undisclosed), of apparent flirting (kakaka...) and of accusations (how can teachers not trust?), of the many ways of punishment (not limited to canes then), of habits and stereotypes(and how everything changed), of shoes and supposed suicide (inside story; still cracks me up) AND exclusive first hand behind the scene episodes which I didn't know of...

Chieng Yee! Thank you so much for the muffins you gave us! Don't forget to remember us! Especially when putting on that hat!

Party of Eight (from top row to bottom) :

Yen Ni, Miyumi, me, Chieng Yee, Caely, Keith, Yi Chong, Jen Jean.

Time, please don't rush by so fast! You're going to send all of them (and possibly me) to across the seven seas, or paths that lead to where dreams may be! And I don't know if ever they should come back!

Now that we've reached the crossroad, we can but await the paths to meet again.

This is to Chieng Yee, Brian,

Yoke Yee and Zheng Yi,

May all of you meet in Australia,

and may your dreams unfold there!

All the best in all you do,

and be sure we'll be here to greet you again.

PS. Hug a koala!

And we shall build turrets.

The first lion dance I've seen this Chinese New Year, and hopefully not the last.

One thing about them that I truly admire --- the way the lion dancers swiftly prance and leap about with that bulky headpiece over them, contorting themselves with acrobatic movements enough to make my jaws drop with delight.

And yes, how on earth did they crack their heads to invent headpieces that can blink? *They come to life with their blinks*(Someone recently found out that there are people inside and not robots) The roaring music created such a festive feel too!

Adding to the ambiance was the serene sight of its shadow illuminated against the dusky sky.

The more the merrier! Such a cliche and yet it thrills us so to see not one, not two but THREE(!) of these almighty creatures.

Tradition overcomes it all, which is why one never gets bored seeing somewhat similar scenes over and over again. This (below) means that the lions are 'eating' the offerings. In other words, the poor guys inside are tearing apart every orange and pamelo for that effect.

The lion that stole the limelight was no other than this little guy! Shrills of delight --- "So cute..." drummed in our ears each time he appeared. How amazing that they actually take in child apprentices! This could be his training session, or maybe his inauguration!

One thing is for sure, they've caught Melissa's attention and liking, that she's been wondering if both of us could sign up for it.

Now to shed some light on the event. Last week, Joyce and Vanessa's classmate, Michelle, had an open house day at her house to which Melissa and I tagged along. We met up with yet a few of their other classmates and Michelle's siblings.

Here is the gang and the soon to turn sweet sixteen ladies. Thank you, Michelle, for the hospitality! The buffet was scrumptious, the tour was eye-opening, and your family was nice.

This is a twist of fate : Joyce and Vanessa got to know each other in the same Form 3 class and situation as her sister and I had gone through when we were in Form 3.

I particularly like this photo. What luck that both of us wore yellow on that day, and we blended well with the yellow room, the yellow walls (not wallpaper, phew! Sorry, inside joke) and a vintage radio.

Not wanting to disclose too much of the house, I shall show a single chandelier that sent radiant light bouncing off the walls, which I hope reflects what the house is like.

Closing scene:

Away from the hustle and bustle, Melissa and I stood staring with dropped jaws at the magnificent houses around the area, all of which proudly shone of luxury, security, comfort and aristocracy.

Us being in such cheeky moods, she threw the flower petals she had been collecting earlier on over both of our heads. Short, a blossom rain, it was, but I could vaguely imagine that in a scene of a movie.

And just like a scene in a movie, Melissa grabbed me by the arm with a hand, while pointing at some of the houses with the other. "One day when we grow up, I'll live in that house, and you'll live in that house."

Hopeful or far-fetched dream? I smiled at the thought. "And we shall build turrets." I added, and we broke into giggles.

Perhaps. In the future. One day.