Music: Secret Valentine - We The Kings
When I was younger, I used to dread traveling on the North-South highway back to my father's hometown in a little town (almost village) called Lubok China in Malacca. Yes, even the name sounds positively "backward" to you.
I've remember that town almost all my childhood. My grandmother's house was placed nicely on a fairly large sized piece of land. Large enough to hold one rambutan tree, one durian tree and a few bushes of lime trees. She had enough space in the front to fit at least 7 cars. I kid you not.
It was a comfortable house, half made of stone and half of wood, equipped with 3 rooms and a patio. As a child, I loved that place. It was the only place I could run barefoot, picked at fiery red ants and build things from my imagination using dead leaves and twigs.
We sold the house a couple of years back and tonight, I miss it.
Though I always kicked a fuss out of going back home during the New Year's, I wish I could've gone back this year. Run the front lawn with sticks of fireworks that sparkled. Countdown the New Year's and light up long boards of loud red firecrackers. Sit around the hall, watching stupid chinese movies that national television played.
I wish there were more atmosphere in town. I wish I'd appreciated more of that little town had instead of constantly complaining how there was no heater or how there were too many mosquitoes or how there was hardly enough space to fit all of us.
Happy Chinese New Year to all of you celebrating, and to all going back to that stupid little town that has no Starbucks, I am envious.
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I spent the afternoon sleeping, instead of cleaning or helping. My mom must be exhausted by now.
I also made a short trip to Coffee Bean because I was craving an ice-blended chocolate, and apparently, they had pretty good ones.
I didn't like it.
But sitting outside, I recognized the white European lady who sold books near my college. She had a market trolley beside her, smoking Malboro lights and drinking a cup of latte, I'd presume. She looked absolutely happy, soaking in the heat wave that has come upon us.
I wouldn't mind ending up like her one day. Nearly 50 with cupboards full of books. I'm quite sure she's unmarried. Or widowed. Or neither. I don't know. I shouldn't jump to conclusions. I guess what I'm trying to say is, it's not that bad being alone.
Happy Valentines Day to all celebrating. And to all who are not, it's just another day in the year. It'll be gone as soon as it came :)
