My eyes exploded with delight as I opened the box. It was so nice this gadget. Something I have always salivated over. Saw it in countless magazine many many times, again and again, and yet again. So finally, I gave in to my basic instincts, I threw my credit card at the counter and greedily manhandled my latest mobile phone...a SE k630i. It had kept me wonderfully happy that one week, downloading themes, wallpapers and tones, so much so that anyone could almost feel these warm reverberations a mile away. As I trod-off merrily to the gym that very evening with my prized possession safely held in my pocket, I could just imagine the look on my gym buddies' faces as they too, gloat over my prized possession.."wah, so nice one your brother, bought you this phone ah" as I threw them a snigger...Jealous ah? but of course, nobody was actually that interested. And of course, there had been a few other brands since then and that was like just a couple of months ago.
Can't remember how many times it's been, or how many presents I have bought for myself, only to reveal that some sweet relative of mine had actually given them to me. And so I went, merrily merrily down the mall, showering gifts after gifts on myself, only to tell little white lies later. That one ah, aiyah that one my father gave me one, this one leh..this one my brother gave to me one. Wah..so good one ah your family, so nice one..are the typical statements I some times hear. And I would just play along with that good feeling, that soft light tingling sensation that one gets whenever something wonderful happens. It's that feeling of opening your very first Christmas present on a snowy wintry day and often times I would feel that The Good Man Himself had truly felt sorry for me and somehow found His way to present me with those things, never mind that the money came physically from my own pocket. It was nice just the same.
Speaking of Christmas, I remember a long long time ago, holed up alone in a small little room in the dead of winter, I could hear people singing carols a distance away and the soft soft tinkling of bells here and there...with the occasional raucous laughter and noise coming from the other bedsitter rooms within the house, and wishing that someone would just ring the bell to my door, and scream out loud..."Merry X'mas...!!!" as I opened the door...But in that strange combination of silent elegance on a Christmas night and the noisy exuberance of my partying nearby neighbors, I sat in solitude, taking comfort in the warmth of my smelly wool comforter and putting the occasional 50p into the coin operated heater to keep the wintry cold away and staring at a lighted candle to keep the Christmas spirit alive. I remember too how delighted and profoundly happy I was when I opened my door the next morning and found a small little present placed in a brown paper-bag with my name on it....
I just want to say thank you to that beautiful angel who lived up on the first floor...those cookies were wonderful and they have lasted me so so long...
No comments:
Post a Comment