The earth beneath my feet is turning either very, very slowly or unbelievably fast, depending on my mood and the time of the day.
Ramadan is over. Hanim’s family invited us over to celebrate Eid, and it really felt like a holiday compared to last year’s Eid, where we just stayed home and savoured a day off from work. Children opening gifts and the buffet-style lunch reminded me so much of Christmases back home.
Speaking of which, it’s been 6 years since I last spent the holidays in Manila. I spend so much time in front of the computer but I’m not the best person when it comes to keeping in touch. Writing emails is a rare occurrence in my family; phone calls, even rarer. Most of the time I don’t know where in the world we all are. I find out that my parents are no longer in Manila but have gone off to the US; I find out that my brother has switched college courses two years too late, that my sister’s moved house. That sort of thing.
My family has never been and will never be a vocal family, with the exception of our eldest, Dr. Doom. A show of emotion is met with an awkward pause; throats are cleared politely and topics are switched.
We are just one of those families that survive on telepathy: a group of people who don’t intentionally steer clear of each others’ paths, but are just very good at the hiding part and very lazy when it comes to seeking.
Currently listening to:
Mùm
Yesterday Was Dramatic, Today is Ok