Granpa's Birthday

Today is grandpa's birthday, and as usual, my mom got busy the day before. She prepared the special "sugared drink" (read in cantonese), got ready a few dozen quail eggs and boyght a load of other stuff. On the big day itself, which is today, the entire family (well, minus a few this year) came to my grandfathers house to eat the special lunch my mom toiled away at making. Then after lunch, everyone stayed behind to chat and catch up on old times. A lot of my family now lives away from the hometown, in places like KL. For dinner, we had the usual, a family outing at one of the chinese restaurants, chinese dinner style, until welll after 9 pm. This happens twice a year, every year, for as long as i remember; once for grandma's birthday, the other for grandpa's birthday.

I am saying all this, because these are details i have come to cherish. Only during recent years, do i realise how lucky i am to have these kind of homestyle "almost-holidays", these household traditions, a festival of sorts. Especially after my year in Melbourne. I have met people who only live in nuclear families, little more than strangers to other members, i have also met people who has a large family, like me, but with a bit of bad blood in between. I also know some friends who tell me they just lie in bed all day on days like Chinese New Year, a boring day just like any other day. There are some who even told me they sit awkwardly next to their own cousins, strangers all. This is a lifestyle that is quite devoid of family traditions. It is kind of sad that these friends of mine don't have any "family tradition memories" to look back at, to discuss them proudly, to recall them fondly. Which all makes me feel very lucky that those scenarios did not happen to me.

I guess i have my grandfather to thank for this, for i think he has managed to keep the entire family together. And that is no mean feat, considering that the family is 45 members strong. I t is my grandpa who always insist that those families still living in Ipoh come over to the house for dinner. When i was still a kid, i used to think this very tiresome. But now, i actually see the sense in that. Thanks to my grandpa, all of the kids in my generation (all 20+) refer to each other with familiarity. Also, thanks to him, all uncles and aunts maintain close ties and relationships. And lastly, thanks to my grandpa, i have a series of fond memories to look back upon, be it Chinese New Year, or his birthday, or any sort of a celebration.

So, to my grandpa, i want to wish you a very happy 80th birthday, and thank you for all these years of family and joy.

Current mood: sleepy (stuffed)