Wednesday, February 2, 2011

The Old Days

Chinese New Year is an event that I couldn't wait to celebrate when I was a kid. I was looking forward to overnight in my grandfather's house every year, all of the relatives will be there. It is a big family, so big that you may find it suffocating to fit in the small apartment sometimes, but I like it.

You can never get bored with the repeating routines every year, cause they happen once in a year. The aunties are so busy cooking and gossiping (I guess this year topic will be about my cousin brother's girlfriend) in the kitchen. The uncles make complaints about the government and as for us (kids/now teenagers) we glue our eyes on the TV screen at the back, playing PlayStation! Usually that is a non-girl area, so my sister is always forbidden there. She is one of the only two girls in the family, my cousin sister is too big to join us for PS. But I doubt my sis ever gives a damn to the rule? As sometimes she just hops in to cause interference.

Alex Lim and Benny Lim, my 2 cousin brothers, they are brothers, from Kuala Lumpur. Though we meet only once a year, but we never felt stranger to each other. They got everything, while I only got my PS One after I got 7 As for UPSR, and by the time PS One is outdated, everyone is crazy over PS 2, and now PSP and PS 3. They are brothers and they do what brothers do, they quarrel, every year. I take side, me and Alex will always gang up against Benny. We enjoy doing this.

Daniel and Alvin are older than us. They are brothers too, but no quarrel. Dan is a dentist, though I am going to end up like him but I seriously doubt we have any topic to talk about. Honestly I have no liking for him. Confidence is good but the excess of something good is bad, like him. In contrast, Alvin is humble, he is kind to everyone. Everyone likes him.

Hmm...I don't really know much about Han Xiang and Hooi Lin, not until recently HX started to FB chat with me. We talked a lot, about girls too, and he will always summarize by adding "Don't tell your mom, later she says I teach you bad" LOL.

This year might be the last year for me, to celebrate Chinese New Year here, after which I have to wait for a long time...very very long. Not only me, everyone is growing up, and going to different places. It is kinda weird to see Benny Lim playing PS at the back, ALONE, as Alex Lim is not coming back this year. You feel something definitely lost to not see the 2 brothers quarrel in the house, or fighting over the PS joysticks. The house is quiet this year, and will be more quiet for the coming few years...

Tuesday, February 1, 2011

Shy to Help?

Did something hold you back when you are thinking of helping a stranger? Hmm...like being too suspicious? (The old lady is going to rob me if I help her to cross the road!) Or feeling awkward to be good? Afraid that others may say you acting good?

Being good is hard, maybe the person doesn't want to be helped? Rejection...it is like spitting on your face. Also being kind can be dangerous, when you try to help a lost kid to find her way home, the next thing you know will be waking up naked in nowhere, for guys, you will see you kidneys hanging out there for sales. Nowadays bad people take advantage of good people, being kind is like exposing yourself to dangers, that's why there are so few kind people out there...

Me and Stephen were taking LRT that day, it was packed, like usual. An old man came in, maybe the others were blind or sleeping, only me and Stephen saw him, he held to the pole, as the rest were sleeping and no one stood up to offer him a place (forgot to mention, we were standing too) His legs were shaking terribly when the LRT moved. Seeing this we tried to be the heros, we approached 2 highschool girls and asked if they could kindly offer their place to the old man, it was awkward of course, maybe they will think we intended to flirt with them. Then this uncle, who was blind just now saw our doings and asked, not in a polite way "What do you want?" Honestly, I am easily pissed off with rude people, at first I was thinking of ignoring him but still I convinced myself not to get into any trouble, so I explained to him, not very pleasant though. He shitted back, "No need to be so good to him" I punched him hard, in my mind. What an idiot! Do you ever have a heart to care for others?

The happenings around don't really encourage people to be kind, like the old days anymore. Everyone is so suspicious, the one who tries to help or the one who will be helped. They don't trust each other... As for some cases, we are just too shy(?) to make the first step, offering help to a stranger, or we don't want others to misunderstand our pure intention.

I choose the people I am going to help, and I helped a lot of old people, especially old ladies (old men can be stubborn sometimes)
*Guys? No, I think they are good enough to handle their work, like, I don't really want anyone to offer help to carry my things, or it bruised my ego when a girl that I am helping carrying her boxes asks "Are you okay? Need my help?" I am a guy! Haha, my muscles are not dead.
*Ladies? Hmm...I help my female friends, but as for strangers, I feel like helping sometimes. That day when I just back from morning jog in Sun U I saw 2 girls struggling with their luggage. "Go, be a gentleman and help them out" "Hmm...never mind, what if they don't want my help?" Dilemma at that time, the girls are pretty, I should go, but if they rejected my kind offer, it will be very "no face"...I didn't help at the end, cause I saw their car coming, parked at 10m away.

Throughout my life, I met a lot of helpful people, and I believe that I am going to meet more. It is time, to set away the negative thinking that no one is kind in this world. Maybe the day will come, when people truly understand each other? There are few kind people, few, but not extinct yet...