Machi Didi

My mamahood started 21 years ago on this day when a new bundle of joy arrived at home. I was 8 then and didn’t even know what labour pain feels like (anyway, I still dunno). But I picked up what a mum with a new born ought to know – preparing milk, changing diapers, cleaning the baby’s butts after poo…ok, before this entry turns out to be a Mother’s Day tribute to myself, let me introduce you to the F5 of the exceptional Chee family – my one and only DIDI who is everything his jiejie is not.

Under my care and upbringing, Didi has tasted all that nature has to offer, from poo to urine and the papayas plucked from the tree that flourished with the fertilizer that his rich excretion provided. While I’m sorry that I mistakenly served my poor Didi his virgin piss to quench his thirst on that fateful day many many years back, I must admit I’m not exactly remorseful that this has become a perennial joke amongst the Chees and our friends. Brudder, Jiejie knows you won’t be angry ;-)

The one thing I was really sorry about to this day was the one time I shouted through your ear while smacking you with the rotan for irritating the hell outta me when I was trying to catch some sleep. If your hearing was not as good as a result of this incident, Jiejie says A VERY BIG SORRY and bestows upon you an eternal amnesty for all (well, almost) the wrongdoings that you might make along the way.

I’m also apologetic for having ever doubted our blood relations. You can’t blame me cos you are everything against the family trend – you are skinny no matter how much you eat (do you know how exasperating that is for me?), you are ‘normal’ by normal standards with no nutty idiosyncrasy that your pa, ma and jie displayed and you don’t look like anyone of us – you are good-looking that even the aunty from 9th floor thinks you are F4 standard and the photographer of our family portrait thought you look like a rich brat from ACS! This said, I’m not suggesting that your jie pales in comparison with regards to the looks department. :p

This sounds clichéd but time really flies. I thought it was only yesterday that we pillow-fought, raced against each other with me proclaiming myself the champion all the time cos my legs were indeed longer than yours back then, watched Forrest Gump at Chinatown Point cinema together (and you asked me so many questions after the movie cos you didn’t understand) and shouted at each other every time I tried tutoring you that ma decided to send you to tuition class instead. Today, you walk faster than me, talk lesser than me, eat more than me and still shit more productively than me.

Now that we are both grown-ups, you beat me to several things like having a girlfriend (yes I know you’re attached ok) before the right guy can find me and I dare you to marry before your ah-jie settles down. You had won a prize at an open design competition when I had landed zilch despite being so talented. You bought me such an expensive gift during my last birthday when I haven’t gotten you anything so expensive to date (even on your 21st hatchday) cos I’m embarrassingly out of job again. Best of all, you stay firmly grounded and reliable unlike your sister who is in constant airy-fairy pursuit.

Happy birthday WeeWee! Thanks for being the brother that you are. You know I love you so. It would have been unimaginable to go through the last 21 years as the only child of this unbelievable family.