“A family that travels together stays together.” – Unknown
I HAVE been busy for the past one week, creating memories with my widely dispersed family.
My younger sister, Ah Lan, came from Johor Bahru on the morning of April 5. Her daughter, Ah Hong, also returned from Singapore on the same day with her boyfriend.
The first memory we created during our reunion was having breakfast together at a popular food stall at Jalan Setia Raja, Taman Stutong Indah.
Both my sister and my niece feasted on Sarawak ‘laksa’, Ah Hong’s friend ate ‘kolo mee’ while I ordered Vegetarian Noodle Soup.
On April 6, my daughter-in-law, Amelia, took some of us to a photo studio for a family photo. It has been years since we posed for such a photo.
April 7 was an important day for my family. It was the day Ah Hong and my grandson, Raidon, celebrated their 29th and 5th birthday respectively at an all-you-can-eat hotpot buffet restaurant in Kuching.
Besides sharing a joint birthday cake, Ah Hong and Raidon also had a separate birthday cake each bought by different people. All family members also presented each of them with birthday presents in the form of cash.
The dinner ended with a family photo with the birthday celebrants.
Raidon had a memorable time catching live prawns for the BBQ dinner and eating his favourite ice-cream to his heart’s content. The rest of us ate as much of the food, especially BBQ beef and prawns, as we could.
On April 8, most of the family members, except for Raidon and his parents, spent the night at a popular retreat in Matang.
We did not have the BBQ dinner we planned initially because our designated cook, my elder sister, Ah Moi, who lived in Bintulu, failed to come to Kuching.
She fell sick on the eve of her proposed visit and was advised not to travel after that.
Like the rest of us, Ah Moi was sad she had to miss our reunion in Kuching. But we had to accept what the Bible said, “Many plans are in a man’s heart, but the Lord’s decree will prevail.”
Although we did not have the BBQ lamb meat and chicken wings we planned, we still had a wonderful dinner at the retreat.
My nephew, Ah Kiong, and his wife, Terisa, took the trouble to visit us at the resort, bringing lots of good food including BBQ pork, puffs, buns and cakes.
We had also brought a lot of home-cooked food like ‘sambal petai’ and ‘sambal belimbing’ and BBQ duck with us.
Ah Kiong had not met Ah Lan for years and their hugs and antics at the reunion made the rest of us laugh until our stomachs hurt.
Ah Lan used to look after Ah Kiong when he was a baby, and both like to play jokes on each other.
Ah Kiong and wife had dinner with us and chatted with us until quite late. They did not stay the night with us.
The next day , April 9, we visited the 200-year-old Chingsan Yan Temple at Muara Tebas, about 30 minutes’ drive from Kuching.
The Buddhists in the family burnt incense at the temple while the rest of us strolled around, enjoying the panoramic view of the sea and surrounding village from the hill top.
We concluded our visit to Muara Tebas with a meal at a seafood restaurant there. We had prawns, oysters and sea cucumber soup.
That night, we stayed in a popular apartment with three rooms in Kuching and had our dinner at a popular restaurant. There, the menu consisted of ‘midin’ (jungle ferns), crabs, prawns and steamed fish.
Ah Hong was very happy because no crabs were available at the Muara Tebas restaurant. Her boyfriend was also very happy because no ‘midin’ was available at the restaurant too.
Needless to say, besides forging closer ties and creating memories, that night my family members enjoyed the delicious and expensive dinner very much.
On April 10, Ah Hong booked a new three-room apartment adjoining a popular shopping complex. Many of us grabbed the opportunity to go round shopping for new clothes.
That day, we also visited the tomb of my younger stepbrother, John, at a Muslim cemetery in Kuching.
The next day, April 11, we visited St Peter’s Columbarium, the final resting place for my mother, as well as the Catholic cemetery at Mile 7, the final resting place for my younger brother, Seng.
Ah Hong was close to John, my mum and my brother. A filial girl, she still remembers all the departed members of our family while creating memories with the rest of the family.
Usually, I drive myself around in Kuching. For the past one week, I was a passenger in one of the cars driven by Ah Hong.
My niece and her friend flew back to Kuching yesterday. Ah Lan will return to Johor Bahru tomorrow. Soon, my life will be quiet again.
Whenever I miss them, I will look at the pictures we took in the past one week and relive the memories of our reunion in my heart.
