Hopeful
I'm running a few days late but it kinda feels like the New Year is only starting today, for me.
I've been a nervous and worrying wreck these past couple of weeks as the due date for my assignments drew to a close. As it is my first time doing assignments as part of my law degree, I had no clue from head to tail as to how I was going to go about it and despite giving myself a head-start and spaced my time out carefully, there was no escaping the last-minute rush to complete it at the very end. That explains my erratic sleeping pattern and puffy eye-bags.
But as of today, having printed out and binded my assignments, they are ready for submission. I can finally catch my breath and sip on my cup of tea.
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The last two weeks of every year will and always will be the busiest of times, as once the rush of Christmas dinners and get-togethers are over, it's time to ring in the New Year. But pausing time for a moment to relive the events that took place...
1. The Annual Yong-Mani Christmas Dinner which took place on the 23rd of Dec 2015, where we were accompanied by a few close friends (the rest not being able to attend). Our dinner was made with love by none other than the Head Chef, Isabelle Yong with the help of her assistants, my sister and I. We helped her make everything from scratch - from the desserts of pretty little Cornflakes Wreaths , Eggnog Bailey's No-Bake Cheesakes and Brownie Christmas Trees right down to the Roasted Honey Chicken, Mac & Cheese, Stuffed capsicum and Oven-baked potatoes.
At 8pm when all the guests had arrived, we took our seats and the night just flew by with the air being filled with intoxicated laughter, ridiculous puns (from Delon, of course!) and I catch a glimpse of this simplicity that I relish - raw emotions that spread across the hall, untainted remarks and just good ol' bonding sessions with people whom I don't get to see so often to have a genuine friendship with, but still do.
2. Christmas Eve dinner at Uncle David's and Aunty Jo's house was another event for the books. Ever since meeting Aunty Jo, she continues to amaze me with her endless talents and one of them was definitely the art of cooking up a feast for over 50 people at Daniel's 18th birthday party a few months ago.
For the dinner they threw for us, she cooked up an elaborate spread - the kind even restaurants can't master. There was a slab of honey roasted ham at the head of the table, a colourful salad bowl, fresh-from-the-oven dishes of potato gratin, lemon-herbed chicken and roasted pork. When it was time for dessert, Claire brought out her alcohol-infused masterpiece that is Tiramisu and had it with one too many scoops of ice-cream. It would have been a miracle if we had any room left in our stomach by the end of that night.
What made it even more special was that it would be Dad's first Christmas with his long-lost brother, ever since their reunion in March 2015. We've all grown so fond of each other, starting Sundays together in church and keeping in touch throughout the week. It's definitely amazing how effortless we get along with each other. But I guess it's true what they say that, "Blood is thicker than water" and no matter how far you try to run away from it, the bond will always be there.
3. The Tale of the Tree People - 25th, 26th and 27th Dec 2015
Apart from being busy with the completion of my assignments, I was also juggling going for vocal practices and rehersals for this Christmas play. All the hours of doing vocal training and spending so many days in a week with the same faces, has definitely formed a genuine camaraderie among each and every one of us. All our hard work and hours of pratice just to perfect a song/ a scene sure paid off during the show dates when we witnessed the sanctuary being filled with hearts full of hope. So many lives have been saved and so many testomonies have been heard and to know that we played a small part in them sure makes my heart sing.
4. New Year's.
Every New Year's Eve, for as long as I can recall, has been spent in church alongside family and friends where we'd give thanks of praise to God for all he has done in the year for us and to begin another year with him placed first on our priority list. The service will go on until the countdon starts and the whole sanctuary will be filled with exchanges of warm hugs and wishes and then followed by supper after. But this year, as well as the year before (with Aunty Marie), we left a little earlier to make sure we were at The Toh's in time to watch the fireworks display. We even Skyped with Aunty Yvonne in London, for us all to celebrate together no matter the time zones. Once the fireworks died down, we all gathered around the dining table where Dad and Uncle David made a speech which ended with clinking glasses, toasting to an amazing year ahead.
A few hours later, we spent our afternoon rendezvous at the Majestic Hotel. The initial plan was to have Christmas lunch but since on that day itself, we had back-to-back house warming parties to attend, it was best to move it to another day. This luncheon was Aunty Yvonne's and Uncle Stephen's Christmas gift to us and Majestic Hotel was just the place where we could all be seated together at a table, enjoy each other's company and dine to a wide variety of scrumptious cuisines.
The year 2015 has been a year of great learning - where I gained new family members at the beginning of the year and lost them a few months after, teaching me that nothing good comes out of a relationship where ego exists; independence - getting the opportunity of a lifetime to spend a month in the UK with an aunt I was going to meet for the first time; courage - to stand up for myself and my beliefs despite the temptations that come my way; I even learned the art of letting go of people whom I've grown apart from, coming to terms with the fact that sometimes, you really do have to let things go to see if it comes back to you even if you know it won't. With all these lessons, perhaps the truest of all was learning that 'family is family' and it doesn't matter if you've grown up apart or together under the same roof because at the end of the day, family is what you make it.
I hereby end this blog entry with a full heart that's happy and with arms wide open for whatever 2016 brings my way. Cheers!
Love always, Krissy xx