Today's been really great.

Went out with Shi Hui, Jolene and Yee Wen for a great time at Imperial Treasure Restaurant, and later at Bugis Junction.
Had a really great time catching up with each other, and discussing where life will lead us next.

I had that same warm, fuzzy feeling filling me up again.

To Shi Hui, Jolene and Yee Wen,
thank you
for always being there for me,
for waiting,
for understanding,
for the love that surpasses the passage of time,
a love that I hope will only grow stronger, and glow brighter no matter where we choose to go in life.

In other news,
We gave dad a huge surprise in the evening, cos it was his birthday today.
Poor papa!
He was so sad the entire day because he thought we'd all forgotten about his birthday!
Muahahaha, we'd pretended to have forgotten, and even told him we'd be going to my aunt's place for dinner.
All in good time, my mum then pretended to call my aunt and "discovered that she wasn't home!"
Oh no, what do we do then? Let's go to East Coast for dinner.
So we did have a hearty meal. No "happy birthdays," no hugs, no kisses. My father looked pretty disappointed.
Then came the crunch. "Let's have a walk by the beach," my mum said.
And so they walked and talked and sat down by the seaside.

My Brother, sister and I got busy. Whipping out the cake we baked yesterday night, while my dad was fast asleep, we stuck the "happy birthday" sign on, and the candle as well, lit up the candle, and our hands were trembling with excitement all the time.
A few quick photos for memory's sake, and we set off - My Brother carrying the cake, I the camera, and my sister sticking close by.

I didn't manage to get the first expression on papa's face when he first saw the cake, candle and all, but it was such a smile.
So five voices sang the birthday song, and we decided to cut the cake.
Alas! No cake-cutting knife!
Never fear for resourceful mummy is here.
She whipped out her credit card, wrapped it in food wrap, and proceeded to cut the cake.
We had a good laugh about the multiple functions of the credit card.

But that wasn't all, the cake, the milk and the crackers were just the start,
mummy had cleverly brought a huge sitting mat along,
and we spread it on the sand bed, and laid down on it, side by side.

It felt so great to be there, snuggled in between the people that truly care for me and whom I truly love.
We started singing songs, and everyone had a go.
I was surprised my brother could sing so well! It was the first time I'd heard him sing for years since he left the choir in his primary school days. His songs didn't sound so good behind bathroom doors too =P

When it was my turn, I had no idea what I wanted to sing, so my sister joined me for a duet, singing "Boston," then "Superman."
I sounded really horrible, with my post-throat infection voice, so thankfully my sister was there to cover up all the embarrassingly out-of-tune parts =/

This went on for quite some time, and I remember thinking I wanted time to stop
so we could lie there in the darkness, in the vastness of the sand and sea, away from civillisation and away from our busy lifes.

We are always all so busy, we hardly have the time to sit down together for dinner. Sometimes, I don't even get to see my father the entire day, and the only things we can say to each other are just about "what time will you have to get to school tomorrow?" "Oh 0700 as usual." "Make sure you wake up in time." "Okay"

What a sad sad thing!

As I discover the outside world more and more each day, I find the best place I want to be, home.
And not just home, but home with every one of my family members there, and everyone just busy with each other, not school, not work, not our own lifes.

I hope we have many more days like these,
and may we continue to grow stronger and stronger as a family.

It's been some time now, but Uncle Joshua gave me a book "The Family" by Mario Puzo, when I was embarking on my journey in IP.
I used to wonder why he chose such a book for me,
but today, as I was looking up at the stars and soaking in the beauty of our voices against the backdrop of the crashing waves, it all came back to me.

"We are a family" Alexander told his children, "And the loyalty of the family must come before everything and everyone else. We must learn from each other, protect each other, and be bound first and foremost to each other. For if we honour that commitment we will never be vanquished - but if we falter in that loyalty, we will all be condemned...

Mario Puzo, The Family

I love my family, very much.

Happy Birthday papa!...