We don't take pictures no more

It was supposed to be a very simple task. I got a cute picture frame chained to a funny cow, and I thought it would be cool to display a family pic inside. Sounds cheesy but that seem to be the most appropriate item to put in my living room. After much dusting, cleaning and digging, I realise there was really nothing suitable I could put up. And that we haven't taken a family picture together since our last vacation together, which was more than 4 years ago. That seem to me a rather sad thing. I could easily imagine which book I wanted to bring with me on a plane ride, which friends I wanted to pack into my luggage (you know who you are ;p), which brand of instant noodles I would surely miss in Australia. Maybe it isn't such a big deal. After all, what's a photo but just a momento? Still, I couldn't help thinking, it would be nice if we could make an effort to set some time aside just to have fun together as a family. Although Chinese New Year seems to provide that opportunity, as Ah Yong would testify, all it seem to do was make me, Ah Boy and Mum extremely tired :s Maybe my graduation (haven't start school already thinking of graduating!) would be a good chance for us to relax and update our family picture database. Going to help out with my reunion dinner now.

sigh..

What's the hardest thing to change about a person? Answer: his mind

Finally, almost ready to board the plane. Tickets settled, luggage almost done.. except that it's the non-tangible things that I can't really seem to get a hold on. My granddad's been raging none-stop for the past hour now, and it all started off when my Mum asked if he's joining us for reunion dinner. He declined, saying that he'll rather eat outside than tolerate unfriendly faces. Have you ever got the feeling of trying to explain something so plain and obvious to someone who just don't get it no matter what (well, sometimes my dense brain tends to give ppl a similar frustration, but this is a whole different story!). Well, things have gotten worse recently with my granddad. He thinks that the son whom he's been living with for the past 60-odd years (that's my uncle's age) is out to cheat him of his money, and that my poor auntie is his conniving partner-in-crime. The more he tries to argue with my exhausted mother, who nonetheless bravely tries to argue her point across, the more insane, and somewhat sad, I find the whole charade. I seriously think my granddad needs a doctor, but my Mum just thinks he's a hard-headed stubborn old fool. Which could possibly be closer to the truth than I thought, but then again, he didn't use to be like this. Although he has several vices, from women to gambling and has many areas lacking when it comes to fatherly duties (he was largely an absent father during my mother's childhood), he was quite an alright granddad to me. I could still remember when I was in kindergarten, when he was my constant companion to and from school. No matter how heavy a bag I carried, I could always count on him to lug it all back home. Now, looking at him, I could only see a befuddled and stubborn old guy who refuses to listen to anyone other than himself. How on earth did things manage to get so bad? My Mum is almost at the end of her tether, what with my granddad coming up to our place every week to complain. I tell her that in his current frame of mind, the more we try to defend my uncle, the worse he would appear to my granddad. Such is the irony, for my uncle and auntie are the most filial and loyal son and daughter-in-law anybody could hope for. I really pray for a miracle that things would improve slightly, and my family would be at peace and harmony once again.

Happy New Year folks..