Hello everyone! I'm back after a super long absence. Yes. And three guesses what kept me away.
Last two weeks or so have seriously been crazily busy...sorry for not keeping in contact with everyone. =( The heart is willing but the time is short. 力不從心.
I'm really on cloud nine now that all the stupid project deadlines are over, and I can take a breather before the last-minute cramming and mugging begins. My first paper is in ten days and I've got three consecutive papers before a 12-day long break, then the last two papers. Luckily (or unluckily, depending on the way you see it?) the first few papers crammed together are all core modules which are at least 50% not new knowledge for me, so I should still be able to finish. Even if cannot also must finish la. *crosses fingers*
Today is my self-declared break day. I deserve it! I will start mugging tomorrow.
Ok. Now on to less boring news.
Woke up at 5 am today for our annual tomb-sweeping tradition. We managed to get our whole family to come this year (usually either one of my brothers would be missing), and the usual crowd (my cousins, aunts, etc. whom I'm closer to in my extended family) was there as usual. This year, two "new" people came. One of them is an aunt of mine, and the other is...I dunno if she's my aunt but I know we're related. Hahahaha.
The confirmed aunt is one who was v. v. nice to me and Kenneth last time, and we liked her quite a lot. In fact we were a bit upset when she got married because we felt that she would like us less now since she's married and have other commitments. I was only like 10 or 11 then? And Kenneth three years younger. Haha. Everything changes, but nothing ever changes eh? I was like this since young. Scared of people leaving my life.
So anyway I hadn't seen her in 20 million years, somehow manage to always miss her in almost every Chinese New Year gathering a couple of years after she got married. I was happy to see her today, happy to see that she hadn't aged much, still as pretty as ever. Didn't say much to her, though she asked me the usual questions about whether I'm in uni now and so on. She and the other relative said I looked like I'd shrunk! I protested by saying it's because I'm standing next to my stupid 1.8m + (can't keep track of his stupid height) brother Kenneth. Haha. I wanted to ask her whether she had any kids now, but I didn't dare. Distance makes things awkward. Sigh. And it seems I will forever let such distances take the wheel and drive.
While we were going about our usual joss stick and joss paper burning and such, we (the usual crowd of close cousins) started talking about how we'd be doing this ourselves next time.
Ro: Next time no more adults then we'll have to do this.
Me: What next time no more adults...we will BE the adults next time.
Ro: Ya la next time when we are the adults. We must start allocating work!
Ken (points at all the adults): Wa lao next time we got so many leh!"
*all the "kids" laugh*
Then we saw how Ro's brother Mervin was quite enthusiastically helping the head honcho of tombsweeping duties (and a lot of other praying things, actually, although she's the coolest soccer mum you can ever hope to have), my aunt Angela, with the arranging of offerings and all that on the tomb. So Ro pointed at him and said next time he can do everything since he knows.
Mervin replied that he is learning so that next time he can direct -_-.
As we marched on, the adults were saying how we must observe some tradition while burning joss paper or some such like, I can't remember what exactly it was. I was behind him, so I said "Nevermind! Things will be different when it comes to us!" with that evil muhaha grin on my face.
And we discussed about how things probably would be much different. Everett or Thomas said that in our time we will probably have to go to the temple since the government wants to stop burying people and burn them instead cos it takes up less space. I said even if there are cemeteries they will probably be much smaller, air-conditioned places. But as we were discussing this I knew that there was a good chance that my mother would be right and the tradition would end here since we are still quite clueless about this whole process. We can learn, but there are many things we fail to see the point of and even the adults don't really know why they are done. And when young people fail to see the point, they don't do it. But try, try we will.
Shockingly, there were very few people and cars today, so we finished up pretty soon. Usually we'd be held up by all the cars driving slowly into the cemetery and causing a general huge jam. But no jam today! So weird.
As usual we ended by going to McDonald's for breakfast. My parents had the new McGriddles thing, which I'd thought looked exactly the same as the sausage mcmuffin, except with the M logo emblazoned on the bun. But once the order came I knew it had to be different cos it smelled very nice. My parents said it's not bad too. But expensive.
On a random note, Ro said she'll buy something nice and expensive for my 21st! So happy...I'll hold you to it, Ro! ;p
Haha yes, I've noticed how I never fail to blog about every tombsweeping outing, but somehow some interesting things always happen and I have to pen down the interesting thoughts that they trigger. =) Ok got to go meet the Tous now for dinner, we haven't met in three million years. Bye!
