I read that you’re a nostalgic person… me too! Photos just bring back so much good memories that replay right before my eyes as I briefly steal a look from them. I also adore viewing photos of my mom when she was young and energetic, when she was babysitting for my aunts (so they kind of reciprocated her care for them to their care for my mom’s kids, teehee). My mom will also start sharing stories, of joy and of sadness, of excitement and of disappointments to us. It’s surprising that there is so much history in my extended family, how one family slumped into backruptcy and rebounded again, how they cope with rebellious daughters, how mother-in-laws deal with marriages and etc. Funny, and yet very uplifting tales.

Death is something I’m morbidly afraid of when I was young. I kind of surprised my parents (not a good thing) when I locked myself in the toilet and starting crying that I don’t want to face death… and I was only four or five at that time, still seven decades (or more) away from my last breath. It’s funny that I worry so much about death when I’m not even 2000-days old, haha!

Many people couldn’t cope with death, especially the passing of close ones because so many aspects of their lives depended and revolved around those that has been gone. I think the best we can do is to occupy their minds on other things so that they won’t be remidned too much – I won’t want to coax them out of the whole mourning thing, because I know how hard is it to wean a person off the memory in a short while. After time, they’ll be able to cope with death.

Cancer runs in my dad’s family… kind of scary, but makes us more health conscious as well. Having knowledge of a highly probably chance of genetic predeposition to cancer, we learned how to eat and live healthily (of course, one McD meal a week won’t kill). At least we’re well aware that early detection of cancer leads to a very high survival rate, around 60~70%.

I’m honoured to be one of those very few people who you shared your first memories with. I’m sorry that you lost your grandpa at a young age, but it’s comforting that he visited you. Sometimes, dreams are so eerily true! Time to share my first memory – it wasn’t a dream though. I was crying in the backseat of the car and I remembered biting on one of my ulcers when I was rushed to gulp down my lunch when we’re late for kindergarten. I was wailing and still looking at my bloodied mouth in the car rearview mirror while mom frantically backs out from the porch and slams on the accelerator. Haha, what a memory!

It’s nice that you have a lot of cousins that are close-knitted too :) in this era, it’s really hard to find huge families that are still close together – the culture encourages the formation of nuclear families, typically a couple and a few kids, with little interaction with other extended family members. That’s kind of sad, and I feel sorry for so many kids deprived of such interaction and love.

It makes me smile so much when I read about your uncle. Just knowing that he is so very much loved and well remembered is so wonderful. I am so glad that you have accepted what happened and found ways to see the positive out of it. So very few people are able to do this! It’s something I have always wanted to help people with. Because sometimes deaths can do tolls on people, especially family.. and it just shouldn’t be like that, y’know. We have to celebrate their lives, the person they were! And when we don’t do that, it’s their deaths that continue to haunt it. It’s just so sad. :(

That’s terrible about cancer running in your family. :| I’m glad to hear that they are all getting frequent health checks! That would worry me so much knowing that someday I may get it.. geez. But I guess knowing about it and getting check-ups would increase the chances of finding it sooner.

That’s so cool that even though you were so young when your greatgrandpa passed, that you are still able to get that flash of a memory. Those are so special! Even if it may be more or less and imaginative scene, like you said. It’s still so wonderful, I’m sure, to be able to picture you two together. :)

My very first memory that I can remember is a dream, I think. I’m not sure when I had this dream but I know I was about three in the dream. We were in our old trailer, I was running around playing while my grandpa and his buddies played cards. I went to the bathroom for just a moment and when I came back.. my grandpa was up from the table, every one else was gone, and he was standing at the front door. I remember in my dream that this amazing yellow-golden light surrounded him and I was asking him where he was going. He told me he had to leave and I remember watching him float away towards the sky.

I have shared that memory with very very few people. I don’t think I even told my family about it. I guess I was always afraid of their reaction. I did, however, ask my grandma if my grandpa ever played cards. And she said yes, often with his friends. Which I never knew, besides in my dream!

I always thought, being so young at the time and losing two family members back to back, I’m sure I was confused. But I do think that my grandpa’s spirit came to be in a dream to reassure and comfort me. And ever since then.. whenever I think about that dream, it does just that.. it comforts me.

Ohh, your aunt’s (Sorry Nann’s!) house sounds so lovely and unique! Not to mention gorgeous. (I seriously love her style!) That is so wonderful how many aunts and uncles you have! Wow. And even more cool that you guys are so close. I think it’s my cousins that make my family so large, lol. I have tons of them!

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@Oridusartic: Yea, me too! Her house never failed to mesmerize me every single time I visit, and I’ve been there many times!

It’s actually not a really big get-together – my grandparents, grandaunt, mom, my brother and yours truly. It was a really lovely afternoon though – I love reminiscing over family photos, looking at how people change over the years. My mom would be too thrilled to hear that, hah! I guess that’s because she spends quite a lot on cosmetics… and I’m trying to tell her in a soft, indirect way that I’d love moms who age gracefully. Well, I hope she’s getting my hint. Oh, don’t get me wrong – it’s not as if she’s the hardcore kind of plastic-surgery fanatic, teehee.

It’s okay. We’ve all come to terms with his passing, I don’t feel particularly sad that he’s no longer around, because I know deep inside that he’s in a lovely place playing his beloved guitar :) I’m sorry to hear about your loss of your uncles and grandparents – it’s not easy to cope with deaths, especially those that are particularly close to you. Everytime when I hear of your mom, I cringe deep inside. Yea, my uncle is the kind of goofy guy too! He got really funny jokes to share during our weekly (or fortnightly) family gatherings, it’s super nice to have him around.

My paternal grandparents are no longer with me too – they passed away before I was born, and both lost their lives to cancer. Speaking of which, my dad and my paternal side uncles and aunts are getting healthchecks frequently because there’s this genetic predeposition to cancer running in my family. So far so good though, and the survival rate of cancer is well above 50% (except for a few nasties like pancreatic cancer). My greatgrandpa was still around when I was born, and my mom would always tell me that I enjoyed caressing his shaved head. The prickling sensation of the stubble on his head made me laugh – I don’t remember any of those because he passed away before I turned three, but whenever my mom tells me that the imaginary scene would flash across my mind.

My aunt lives in a split-level home, and her house has two parts – the front and the back. Both parts are half a floor apart, with connecting stairs in between – so that’s lots of climbing if you would want to move between the kitchen and the bedroom, but it’s just too fun! I love houses like hers.

Yeap, that’s the aunt I hang out with all the time. I haven’t even introduced you to each other! Trina, meet Aunt Yong (she goes by the nickname Nann). Aunt Yong, meet Trina :) I have quite a lot of aunts! My grandma has three sisters and four brothers, and we’re all one close knit family. I think I have a dozen of aunts and uncles!

Thanks for the best wishes, I will take care of myself, no worries. I hope you’re enjoying your job at BAM – nothing beats being able to read during work hours, right? Heh. Take care!

A bull running into your home will leave an aftermath of one running into a chinashop – you’ve got so much precious things in there, and I knew it – you would by hook or by crook, stop it in its tracks. Moral of the story: Don’t mess with Aunt Yong, and her house.

The photo of the credenza is actually a pseudo HDR – the lighting is somewhat artificial (as far as I remember, it’s not so bright over there) as I tweaked the camera RAW file for the effect. Nonetheless, it’s one of the favourite corner of your house. Another favourite corner is Aunt Tang’s washroom – I remembered going in there a few times and the tiles are too lovely!

p/s: I can’t wait for our roadtrip to the Perhentian Islands too!

And you’re right, the living room area is so gorgeous!

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