08 October 2003

-Raining-

It was a long long time since i last blogged.
Well, my PC at home went 'smoking'.. its time to change a new one. But when is my new one coming, Father?
***

Last week, i just went back to Malaysia to visit my grandparents. Brought my good friend, Jin along too. We had an enjoyable time. Did things we dont get to do in Singapore. For me, it was my first time climbing a mountain.. I mean REAL mountain.. not those concreted pavement, but on those really steep and brown earth. I feel good to have my friend with me. My life in Malaysia is the most precious time in my whole entire life. I dont want those experiences just to stay with me, its a pleasure to share my childhood with those who are really special to me. Friends, are to share life, isnt it? =o)

It is cold, extremely cold. I like raining days.
I miss my grandmum's quilt.

Every bed in every house of my relatives will have at least one colourful quilt.
My grandmum alone, sew quilts for every single person in the family. When i was waiting for my cousins to come back from school, there's always the sewing machine sound coming out from her room right from the end of the corridor. I have been sleeping under the warmth of her love throughout my life. And i love it very much. I remembered how i lost my sleep when my mum threw away the old and tattered first quilt which i have outgrown and how i shouted at her for doing so. I never felt that i had a good cover ever since then.

She's really a woman of strength. At the age of 82, she still works hard in her vege farm. Two weeks ago, she just fell in the vege farm and fractured her arm. To think, she even picked herself up and walked home on her own. I thank God for protection!! Her efforts and her love makes all dishes taste wonderful.

She used to plant lime in her vege farm and she likes to make those preserved lime. She would keep them in bottles and left them out in the sun. My cousins and i would 'steal' each piece everyday, thinking that it was only just a piece.. but before we knew it, the whole bottle was gone. Kids never like proper meal, i do not know why. Got worms in the stomach, maybe. *shurgs. Right outside my grandmum's house is a road. Every evening, my grandmum would carry a bowl full of rice and veges, she would scream and yell for our names, we will then run to her and get fed, then off we go, on the road, playing again and this repeat.

My grandmum loves all her grandchildren alot. She treats my sis and me exceptionally well. Because they seldom see us. I remembered there was once my cousins wanted to go to the shops and buy some things... i felt 'unfair' that they didnt bring me along. But one motorcycle can only sit two people. I do not know how to ride a motorcycle, so i insisted on following them by riding a bicycle. They refused. I stubbornly and wilfully insisted. My then young and 'cute' sis wanted to follow me too. So she sat on the passenger seat of the bicycle. They rode off quietly, not wanting me to know. I noticed and i followed tightly. They tried to mislead me and did a detour. I follow suit. I paddled and paddled, blaming my sis for her weight that slowed down the chase. Then suddenly, i felt light. My sis fell from the bicycle. OPs. Big touble. We quickly carried her home. My grandmum heard her wailing and she rushed out of the house. She got so angry and she slapped me. That slap was actually meant for my cousin. When she knew she slapped the wrong person, she teared. But im glad that she "mis-slapped" me. She never slapped the wrong person. That was the first and last time i receive "pain" treatment from her.

My grandparents used big oil drums to collect rain water for bathing. My cousins and i love to climb into the oil drum and submerged into the water. There was once we were almost caught. I cut myself while i tried to climb out of the drum before we were found. Because the cut was on a vulnerable area, and i was bleeding profusely, plus the blade was rusty, we had no choice but to owed up and asked for medical assistance. Ever since then, my grandmum eyes were on us everywhere we went. We never tried to conquer the drum again.

My grandmum will packed lots of home grown vege and chillies for us to bring back to Singapore. I have no problem with that of course, im not the one who was carrying them. My grandfather was. =P I didnt like vege. But my mum will always use "Popo zhong4 de4, yao4 chi1 wan2" as a catch to make me eat. I dont want her efforts to go to the bin.

When holidays were up, bags were loaded in the car. I hate the departure from my grandmum's house, to the extent that i hated SIngapore. I hoped it never existed, so that i do not need to come back. My grandmum will always cry when we leave. I always hold my tears and looked back until everything became out of sight.

Now i have grown older, she always says things that makes me cry. Though i know that what she said is the truth, but i do not want the truth to come so soon. God answers all prayers, no doubt about it. But i do not know if its foolish of me to pray such a prayer to God. It could be out of a good intention but an empty shell prayer? Can God transfer life from people to people? Yes, He can.. but will He do it?

Memories are the quilt that keeps you warm when you feel that the world is cold.