Top of The World
Monday, November 11, 2013 | 10:09 PM
This is another family related post. I think the top topics for my posts are in this order: friends, family, band, love-life, activities (CIP events or outings) and school work (I think I don’t really post about school work other than PW LOL). Anyways,
I think my relationship with my dad improved tremendously during this weekend. On Saturday morning, our family prepared for my grandfather’s (my father’s father) death anniversary. I did something that I have never done before. I woke up early and helped him in the kitchen, preparing the food for cooking. Normally, even if I wake up early, I will hide in my room and avoid my dad instead of helping him. But on Saturday, “I volunteer as sacrifice” and bravely went into the kitchen.
P.S. This is a post written by a drama mama so let yours truly exaggerate please.
Yours truly helped him wash the vegetables, cut the food, handle the fish and prawns (I greatly enjoy peeling the head off the prawns and pulling out the black things inside. It is a weird sense of achievement but nonetheless, it is an achievement.) My brother made the soup using the ingredients we prepared and my dad went on to deep fry his fried food. Now you may be thinking, “huh it’s just cooking what... she talks as though the whole family did something amazing together...”
It’s these simple things like cooking together/watching a movie together/cleaning the house together that make a difference. Cheesy I know. Cheesy but true. LOL. I could tell that my dad was really happy that morning from his aura and his tone as he speaks. Because the food has to be presented for my grandparents to “eat” first, my dad said: “Ah Gong is going to be so happy ‘up there’, he waited 10 plus years to eat a meal prepared by his grandchildren.”
Between you and me, I believe that he is the happier one.
Then, with my father’s elder sister and her family (minus the cousin Chee Guan because he’s busy preparing for his University exams in two weeks’ time), our families sat down for a meal together. It’s been ages since ‘that’ happen (‘that’ refers to my mum and my dad eating at one table) and I’m secretly thrilled inside though I hardly speak much. And I didn’t realize how much I miss having the reunion dinner every New Year where all the extended families gather and I get to meet all my cousins.
We used to meet up every New Year for reunion dinner in Muar, Malaysia when my grandfather was still around. He is like the anchors, pulling us down (in a good way of course) and keeping us together. We are based in different areas (2 families in Singapore, 1 in Kuala Lumpur, 2 in Johor, 1 in Muar) but we will come back together every New Year for reunion. But the last time I see ALL our families together, was at my grandfather’s funeral. Now we’re all on our separate ways and we hardly ever meet up anymore.
The other day I told my "friend" that one day, I want to bring him to my granny for "approval" and show her my dream guy. I would like to see the two of them cooking together in the kitchen (because both make mouth-watering food) and ask my granny to impart to him her secret recipe of her chili sauce which I'm really addicted to. I can eat anything with it. LOL. If you give me rice only I can also eat it together with HER chili sauce. :x I told my "friend", that I'm a failure in cooking which is why my husband need to learn how to make the sauce before it is too late. (My granny is getting weaker and older day by day...)
Anyways, after the meal in the afternoon, my dad brought me and my brother to stay overnight at Marina Bay Sands. *breathe in* Yeah...! I could tell his mood was really good since the start because my brother and I were quick to pack and was ready in no time so that he didn’t need to waste time waiting for us. (He HATES waiting. It gets on his nerve so much that it makes him shout himself hoarse and he can go on about it for HOURS. Sometimes it pisses him off so much that he will throw things around).
We took the train to MBS (because car parking there burns a hole in the wallet) and reached at around 4pm plus. I think we got a really good room that is spacious and has a wide balcony that overlooks Gardens by The Bay. After settling down, we went to explore the grounds and the top of MBS and waited for my aunt’s family to come over. Oh BTW the night’s climax is coming.
We were expecting my relatives to come at around 9pm ideally. So that we can take some photos together and they can go up to the SkyPark with us. In de end they say they can only come at around 10pm plus but the SkyPark closes at 11pm. So we went up for a swim first. It’s cold but the experience is very “high”. (Pun intended) And the Caucasian eye candies there are even more breathtaking than the night scenery itself. Lucky me! (It’s not me but my inner-bimbo talking).
But personally, the Jacuzzi is the best at the SkyPark. I can’t even put the feeling into words but man I wish I have stayed in the Jacuzzi longer instead of floating around in the pool. LOL (which is also pretty amazing to just float there and watch the night sky) Then we went off to wash up because it is 10:30 already. I took the room’s key (or card if you want to be more accurate) to return to our hotel room while my dad and brother went to wash up at the bathroom at the SkyPark.
But while I was in the hotel room, my dad called to tell me that my aunt has reached already. I assumed that my dad have the room’s key (the hotel gave us three) and went on to wash up. After I’m done though, I saw that my phone has 8 missed calls. ... I almost cried out then really, when I think about how angry my dad was going to be. Because apparently, when my dad called me, he asked me to go up to the SkyPark to pass him the room key. But I misunderstood his message. Let me reiterate: he HATES waiting.
Why does he need the room key?
1. The queue at the SkyPark bathroom is too long thus they want to return to the hotel room to wash up instead.
2. The lift at MBS is such that if you don’t have a hotel room card, you can visit the public floors (example: the SkyPark (57th floor) or the lobby (1st floor), BUT you cannot visit the hotel rooms’ floors unless you have the card to scan and then to press the floor level (it’s for security)
3. They cannot fetch my aunt at the lobby because they are in swimming attire (LOL)
And this is why, they need the hotel room key and all three are with me..
When I went to fetch my dad and brother, I thought it’s the end of me. That he will bite my head off or will not let me rest for the rest of the night or make me sleep on the floor. LOL. But I think because of the good karma that I have collected in the morning, I passed through this incident unscathed. So... Sorry guise, there’s actually no climax. LOL. Nothing exciting like him pushing me off the edge of the Infinity Pool or lock me out of the hotel room in my sleepwear or locking me on the balcony throughout the night or selling me off to one of the guests staying at MBS.
There was an awkward atmosphere at first though (with my dad being FURIOUS at me and me being scared to death about him exploding any moment) Anyways, my aunt and her family dropped by and then left. Actually I was hoping we can go up to the SkyPark together but it has closed by then. What we did together though, was attempting to solve this Mathematics question about finding the shaded area of this figure. My cousin suggested using algebra to solve but in de end integration was the answer to solve the question. ... We go all the way to MBS to talk about Maths... Mr Chng would be so proud of me... LOL
The next morning, I woke up at 5:30am, it was raining but my dad, bro and I walked over to Gardens by The Bay and all the way to Marina Barrage because my dad loves to explore. (Another Dora in the making) It was his first time at the Marina Barrage and he was very interested about how the dam there works. It’s not my first time there but going to Marina Barrage and Gardens by The Bay with him felt like a school trip because he keeps trying to figure out the mechanism of everything and teach it to us.
We go to Gardens BTB, he talk about how the plants there survive and grow on the structure, we go to Marina Barrage and he talk about the dam, when we go to the Flower Dome, he talk about the machines used to clean the exterior of the place, we go to MBS he talk about the foundation of the building and how the architecture works. It really felt like a school trip. LOL. But I think what I learnt most, is about my father and his mindset and morals. I daresay that despite his shortcomings, he is a good father. (:
One thing about him is his perseverance. He won’t rest, won’t stop until he comes to an answer. If only I have that perseverance when it comes to my Math... Anyways, after the field trip, my dad and cousin went to the SkyPark to swim and to soak in the Jacuzzi one last time (my cousin Chee Seng joined us when we were at Marina Barrage). They went to try out the sauna too (Thank you Rio for the suggestion!) :D Then we packed up and checked out at 12:30pm. And I came back to reality.
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