6 more hours... or thereabout... a 30-year long sibling-ship would have a new milestone...
As far as recalling my very early childhood is concerned, I can't quite trace precisely the point in time where I could retain a large part of my younger days...
But I vaguely could still remember visiting my new born sister in a hospital... that's when I was barely 3 years old...
I can't quite remember the entire setting... All I remembered was that as I was still not quite tall, and I wanted to take a look at my new sister, I stepped onto the lower tray of the baby trolley and tried to pull myself up... And in so doing, I think I almost toppled the baby trolley, with my sister inside of course... And someone pulled me away...
But I couldn't remember how much hostility I received...
And much of my childhood around that time was just a blur... Till I was much older...
The next patch of memory I could now recall was when I was about 5 years old... I used to live with my grandparents, uncle and aunt... All 8 of us in a little Toa Payoh 2-room flat... As a kid, my family was pretty strict on my movements... On a very rare occasion, I was able to play with some other kids in my block along the corridor... My little sister was with me... And for some reasons, we went upstairs from our 2nd level flat, and I can't remember how high we went... And after playing around, I came back down to the 2nd level with the other kids... But my little sis was no where to be found...
My grandparents, and aunt panicked... And formed a search party up the block to finally find my sis crying at some staircase up some level...
But again, I couldn't remember how much hostility I received...
Another episode, also around that age, I sat my sister down in my grandparents' little room... And I played barber with her... Snipped off some of her hair of course, with a pair of scissors... The adults only found out after a while later in the day when they saw some hair on the floor...
And again, I couldn't remember how much hostility I received...
Of course... 'hostility' is an over-stated word as far as I am concerned... being the eldest boy offspring in the family, I was treated with much care and concern... My grandmother would give my sis and I small amount of pocket money... And she would give me a dollar note, while giving my sis a few coins... My sis couldn't count, yet... so she always thought that she has 'more' money than me...
Both my parents are the eldest in their respective families and they married relatively early... so my sis and I didn't have any cousins to play with until we were both much older... So we played with each other for a large part of our childhood... My mum didn't allow me to leave the house after I get home right after school... So apart from doing homework, I'd play with my sis... Not that I have a choice anyway...
Somehow, the adults all around me has brainwashed me to make me understand that I should take good care of my younger sis and look out for her... I can't quite remember if there were any occasions where we actually quarreled badly... There weren't even any sibling rivalry too...
Maybe it's just because I've been doing better in school than her, that's why I don't feel any rivalry...
But as we grew older, and as I went to do my National Service, entered University, stayed in hostel, started work, we chat less often...
She has been at home all those while when I was away... She's the one who's always with my parents, while I'm staying away...
And in less than 6 hours, or thereabout, symbolically, she would be away from us... for a new chapter in her life...
And I could foresee myself having to fill in some of the void that she would leave behind... my parents wouldn't have her with them when I stay away... I could feel that I would gradually slip in this void that I rightfully should have co-filled in the past...
When I think about it deeper, it's really amazing to know that in this whole wide world, there is this person, apart from parents, who is so deeply and closely connected, by blood... No other being could ever come close to such kind of bonding... And such thoughts reminds and humbles me to treasure this remarkable relationship in my life...
She is very different from me, in terms of personality, and habits... She's most organised and tidy and orderly... A comparison in the way we upkeep our own rooms would be more than sufficient to see our differences...
Yet, we share a common love for quality chinese music... Somehow, I'm not sure if I was the one who first influenced her, we share a same passion for the local Xinyao, and some non-mainstream Taiwanese songwriters' music...
Just today, my sis joined me in my room during lunch, while I was watching 陈绮祯 concert DVD... and we lamented how regretful we both were in missing 陈绮祯's concert when she came a few years back... And when I need to find someone to watch any non-mainstream taiwanese singers' mini-concerts, I know I could always ask her along when probably none of my friends would have heard of those singers...
Such were the quiet bonds that we share... We are not brought up in an environment where we keep all our care and concern on our lips... subtle actions say it all... all these 30 years...
Technically, in the eyes of law, a couple is legally married once registered at the ROM... That happened a year ago already for my sis... But somehow, the customary wedding is most symbolic... probably because of the sheer amount of preparations and number of people involved... and that's something good...
Very happy for her... to have found a man in her life... to have found a man for marriage... and I'm delighted to gain a brother-in-law too, at least he a Manchester United die-hard fan too ;)
So in less than 6 hours... or thereabout... I'll be busy capturing memories for her... To preserve beautiful memories on her biggest and most important day in her life... To give her as a gift, to remind her of the beautiful day in years to come...
To remind myself also, of how beautiful a sister I have in my life...
