Not Just Another Pretty Face: They ain't crazy, they're my parents

Thursday, January 04, 2007

They ain't crazy, they're my parents

I've never thought of my parents as being your average, conventional parents-next-door.

They’ve never been people who thrived on doing things following the norm. Hence, more often than the average child, I find myself frustrated and failing to understand their reasoning for doing many things or seeing eye to eye on many matters including curfews, studies, relationships, work, which most of the time, dosen't stop them or me, albeit reluctantly, from doing what they want.

The most recent example happened this Christmas.

When you picture a typical Christmas, you’d think- Christmas tree, presents, log cakes, fairy lights and decorations, the spirit of hope, joy and peace for all of mankind.

Clockwise from top left- 1. Yummy chocolate log cake at Coffee Bean in MV 2. Pretty poinsettias at Cameron Highlands 3. Christmas Deco outside Robinson's on Orchard Road, Singapore 4. Christmas carolers at Times Square, KL

Huge christmas tree outside Paragon Mall on Orchard Road

This Christmas, my parents in the spirit of true blue Christmas unconventionalism, announced that we would be moving out of our house of 23 years into a new one!

Lorry load of stuff at my old house on Christmas morning, the official moving day

Precious holidays aside, I guess I should mention here that first of all, I hate packing things. And that second of all, I’m allergic to dust: I start sneezing uncontrollably and my eyes get all puffy and teary. No kidding.

In trepidation that the combination of factors, namely, previously stated reason No 1 + previously stated reason No 2 + stressed out parents + stressful period at work would equate super stressed out me with the sniffles, it was unsurprising I wasn’t exactly enthusiastically, jumping for joy to come home this Christmas.

Nonetheless, as I’m writing this in the wee hours of Boxing Day on my laptop, flopped on my bed with it’s pretty violet sheets and embroidered bedspread (that my mum specially picked for me) in my new room that still smells of spanking newness, a revelation of sorts kinda dawns on me.

My new room

L-R 1. I love my bedspread! 2. The walls of my room's bathroom are a pale muave

I’d not have spent this Christmas doing anything else other than the packing, mopping, wiping, sweeping, scrubbing, lifting that I’ve been doing since I got home to Ipoh on the 22nd.

Clockwise from top left: 1. Compound beside house with plants we planted ourselves in the flower beds 2. Dining room with furniture still under protective wraps 3. Old-school charcoal stove boiling water at the new house, a Chinese tradition for peace (I think) when moving house 4. Tang yuen in sweet ginger soup at my old house for Dong Zhi (Winter Solstice) on 22nd of Dec 5. Super sweet red bean soup at my new house, another Chinese tradition to cook something sweet so everyone will exclaim "It's so sweet!" for good wishes 6. The hall with furniture still under protective wraps

Perhaps it’s the feeling of togetherness working together as a family brings. Perhaps it’s realizing that no matter what crises may occur, we’re in it together- through ups and downs, we’ll pull through as a family. Despite arguments, short-tempered bursts of angry words, blood runs thicker than water.

Perhaps because I had already prepped myself for the worst case scenario, things at home weren’t as bad as I had expected.

Or perhaps, I realized that in their own way, my parents do really love me and want what’s they think is best for me.

And it dosen't matter if I don't understand WHY they want me to do it, because maybe, just maybe, the happy look on the faces of the people that you love is enough.

Hope everyone had as good a Christmas as mine was unique and here’s wishing everyone a Happy New Year!