To be frank, I had always been wondering what house moving felt like. I had read it in books, heard it from friends, saw it in the movies and series but had never really experienced it. I had written memorized essays in primary school about it---the thrilled and scared feelings with all the neighbors coming together helping to unload stuff and in the end got offered a lovely home-cooked dinner---yet I knew nothing about it. To me, it's an unfamiliar thing--- somewhat alien and vague. It had come under my list of things that I had long believed never would have ever happened. Yet, this day had come.
Too little time, yet so many things to do. Well, initially I thought that I had nothing to pack. I had always had 2 drawers where I kept all the stuff that I had. Easy task! 5 minutes will do. I thought, grinning with the confidence that it would be done in no time at all. 2 hours later, it turned out to be the worst job ever in this universe with me covering in sweats and piles of stuff which I had totally no idea whether to label them as Throw, Kept or Bring to Notts. This time, I gazed around in dismay and thought, I would be here until dawn.
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| Rescued this gingerbread man from my family's THROW list. |
While packing, I found a lot of stuff that sure did bring back lots of memories. Tuition notes from high school which I assumed had been thrown away decades ago reminded me of all the nice memories with my A1 gang. In the wink of an eye, all of us had gone our separate ways. I could still remember vividly the great time that we all had together especially the dinner and birthday parties after all those crazy tuitions. It was as if yesterday when we laughed so hard during Fat's birthday in KFC for the reasons that I had forgotten. Or that moment in the bus before we entered Sunway Lagoon when we talked about all the naughty stuff. And who could forget SEX AND THE CITY. I had always thought that we were so matured back then, until I saw what we wrote in all those yearbooks and only I knew how childish we were.
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| The photo frame I labelled as Bring to Notts eventually. |
My novels were all around the house so I had to search high and low for all of them. Never had I dreamt that I had so many novels until I was forced to choose among them which to keep. To be frank, it's indeed rather sad. Every book had its own story and I would love to keep all of them but I knew deep down that it wasn't really an option. Some of the books were still good as new but some had the faint yellow stain like the old books did. In fact, they had the old book smell too which I wasn't sure if it's a good thing or bad thing.
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| Part of my Charmed novels collection. Invested big bucks in them but worth the money though. |
I walked around the shophouse for one last time, trying to remember it as it was, locking it deep in my memories. Not many had been here as we hardly brought any visitors over. Its beauty lied beneath the cracked wall, the old paint, the grey-cemented floor and the faint lingering smell of the chinese herbs that had long gone. It had held every tear, joy, smile, story as seasons passed, capturing them as they were.
That spot was the place where I kept all my childhood toys. This corner was the place where I used to weep silently after a bad day. Here was the dining area where countless birthdays had been celebrated. There was the kitchen where the aromatic smell of the food used to waft across the house. Over that area was my favourite spot to blast my music. Behind that door was where 6 of us had slept soundly at night.
I had no idea whether I would ever step foot in it anymore. But I had a strong feeling that I would someday, but nowhere in the near future. As I drove away, I did not glance back as I imagined I would, focusing both of my eyes on the road ahead, knowing that it would always be a great part of my life.
Speak of memories. Speak of taking for granted. Speak of, that house.
Safe and Sound - Taylor Swift
