Friday, August 03, 2007

The Beginning Of Time

Sometimes I sit and start to daydream about events since the beginning of time…. for me it was 36 years ago….

I miss the live with no commitments ( except exam time )
I miss going out with my parents
I miss collecting rubber seeds with my brothers
I miss spider fighting
I miss flying a kite
I miss playing with my cousins
I miss the neighborhood kids
I miss playing football everyday
I miss Penang
I miss walking to the market with my Grandma
I miss my Uncle( he is the youngest in the family on my mum’s side )….I miss him a lot…

When I was a kid ( long time ago woooh ), I always make it a point to go back to Penang during the holidays. How I wish that my uncle is alive today…..can imagine the fun of having a few mugs and goofing off with him….

He has always treated me good…..I will generally get what I want…all I need to do is ask and he will surely have it in his hands when he comes back from work. He even left me his motorbike and riding jacket after he passed away….

It was who that taught me to be myself, to be independent and to speak my mind….a million thanks will not suffice…sigh!

My parents liked him a lot as well. It was he that helped us most during the economic downturn in the 80s. Don’t know where we will be without his assistance. I am not shy to say that I have been poor before…heck, I was not born with a silver spoon in my mouth but I am proud to admit the fact that my family has been through some hard times.

I remember following my dad to a secluded spot in the forest for the purpose of shoveling and bagging compost. We would then sell the bagged compost to the nurseries in Sungai Buloh for RM1 per bag and they in turn will sell to the consumers for RM2 per bag.

There was a time where I followed my dad to sell pre packed biscuits. He would drive to an office building where we would walk floor by floor and knock on every door just to sell biscuits costing RM2 per pack. Thankfully there were a lot of leng lui che che and aunties who would always help us out….my sincerest thanks go out to them and God Bless.

Within a blink, I was in my teens………

There was this particular uncle who would appear whenever it was the school holiday period to offer me a daily paid job as a plumber’s apprentice ( RM35 p/day ). I would always take him up on his offer despite objections from my parents. Mixing concrete, carrying concrete, hacking and joining pipes will always leave me flat by days’ end but I enjoyed the job and the company of my fellow workers.

Sometimes I wonder if the early experiences in life moulded me into who I am today. At least I can hold my head up high and say that I am proud to know that there are friends aka brothers out there that are willing to sacrifice a lot for me ( and me for them ). By saying that, I also know that there are people who can’t stand the sight of me BUT I am who I am…I can’t and won’t change for such a minority group…they can go to hell and back for all I care.

The most important things in my life today are my family……

I can still be a super hothead sometimes but I tend to pull the handbrake when I think my wife and kids. Come to think of it, having a family of my own has calmed me down a lot.

Neways, Jamie will always be Jamie….so go figure

2 every1 his/her OWN………………

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

as your cousin, u know i have a lot to say. I miss those days too!!! remember burmese new year?? although you pissed the hell outta me with your bullshit big gun, it was fun, huh? hauling around in the roads till wee hours of the morning drenched from head to toe (suffering from period pain and soaked san. pad eugh!!! dunno abt tampon yet mah). and we used to live close by when i was staying in Kepong Baru that time.

sigh....now you go and make me think about lask time!

I think the uncle who left your the bike was uncle ah poon, is it? after he died, the family sorta disintegrated. penang trips became non-existant. the whole gang fell apart.....

such a pity. that's my me, karen and damien said among ourselves, we'll try not to let that kind of thing happen to us. always try to stay connected, one way or the other (online count also, rite???)

din know u went around selling biscuits, cuz!!! really? wow.

and yes, all those things happened for a reason and have shaped you into the 'round' and 'shiny' person that you are today! Ha ha aha ha....sorry, couldn't help myself!!! :-)

neway, i know who you are and i know you'll always remain true to yourself and your family. no doubt about that!

Jamie said...

ya..its Ah Poon. bloody hell! Burmese New Year..I purposely gave it a miss and you go bring it up...arrrg cuz!

Those were the days huh?

Online kah...not online kah...everything counts...just stay in touch cuz

Anonymous said...

Jamie, sorry, sorry, come so late. I just reread the reply you left for me on Marsha's.

Aiyah, first time come here, already you make me teary!!

36 years ago, how old were you? :P

I also miss playing with rubber seeds, ang chi, flying kite, marbles.
I also miss marketing with my Ah Cheh, shopping with my parents.....sigh.....why must things changed?

Ah, so Marsha and you cousins? Live so close, must meet more often. :)

Jamie said...

judy: marsha is always busy...kekekeke

Anonymous said...

i miss playing 'hor li'(marbles), but now i miss Carlsberg more.....

Jamie said...

aloo m.a.c.k. - u are still playing "hor li" now ma...just a different type of "hor li"..kekeke...btw, wthat time did you guys finish last nite? u managed to get Jane's number? I can give it to you if you ask me nicely..or just by me teh tarik when we meet tonite...