A Family Weekend – A Rare Occasion

Last night I could not sleep. I lied in bed for six hours with my eyes closed but I just could not sleep. Not sure if I was nervous about today’s jamming session (yes, I treat each session with utmost seriousness) or I was going to visit my sister’s boyfriend Benny aka my ex’s brother and his family. It must have been 10 years since I have seen his parents. It is strange that I had dated his sister for more than 4 years and both sides of the parents have not met one another.

Let’s rewind a bit. Yesterday, my sister brought us to her new office at Nanyang Technological University (NTU) and it was my 2nd time there. 1st time I dropped off my sister for the job interview. NTU is so huge! And green … and some buildings are pretty artistic.

How time flies between the two visits. And since Lora has just gotten her first paycheck (thank God), it was time to give us a treat at Jumbo East Coast Park. My mother loves the chili crab there … and the sea view too.

Just to narrate on the photos … from left to right, up then down … my sister Lora, my wife Cynthia, and my mother just outside the building where my sister works. Then the next 3 photos were taken inside her office. Look, it is an office with a view! Not only that, it comes with a white board, a few chairs, and a sofa. And of course there is a name tag of … Senior Assistant Director outside her room. Power hor?

I am so proud of my little sister.

12pm-ish, we picked up our lead guitarist Jason. Had our lunch at our usual hawker center and time to jam (for new visitors of my site, “jamming” means our band get together and play music)! This time round, Jason did some setting for Cynthia’s bass guitar and it sounded much, much better. Full body and sounded grunge. We have also boosted up the instrumental tracks and I have taken some of Cynthia’s advice on my vocals. Overall, we did 2 runs of 9 songs and have recorded over 80 minutes of music. Cynthia has some interesting bass runs and Jason’s guitar … well, it is always divine. The final live recording is pleasant to listen to and our next step is for me to make a better transcript of my songs for Jason and Cynthia (current transcripts can be confusing at times). Snail pace to live performance but we are getting there, for sure.

Now, back to tonight’s dinner, Benny’s mother has cooked so much food (very delicious some more)! The last time I tasted her cooking was 10 years ago while I was camping at Benny’s room before I found a place to rent. Now that my sister is staying in Benny’s sister’s room (she got married), I am sure my sister is well taken care of. Benny’s parents are really nice.

What a walk on the memory lane tonight. Funny how life turns out to be. Every step we take … leads to somewhere … significant. To our oneself, and to people around us.