Chinese New Year has become somewhat of a SOP for me. Meet relatives, greet, collect red packets, have reunion dinners, being asked the same things over and over again – particularly NS and education. Amazingly, no one bitched about BGR this year round.There is little festive mood to it. Perhaps the pursuit of academic excellence has taken its toll.

I think our society has become less collectivistic on a whole. I can almost feel the invisible veil of barrier between cousins. A multitude of reasons definitely accounted for this, a major one being that we are all now so distinct, so different, leading so varied lifestyles. Interactions seem to be aligned towards topics of formality now.

Is that strange? Not really. While they say blood is thicker than water, the proximity between close buddies appear to be far smaller than for familial ties. People often claim “hey its the generation gap”. But the very same effect occurs between cousins who are but a few years apart. Why? Because we only meet almost once a year now? I see my bro everyday, and he see me everyday, but its probably safe to concur that we see each other as enigmas.

No matter what is the true reason, we are here to support one another. I struggle to think of the last time I shouted at my bro, and the last time he shouted at me. Now that is a positive sign. Have we grown up? Perhaps… but the occasional raising of the voice at parents still occur. Hmm, I’ll like to think that its not because I am rebellious. It is because I am still human, I am still deeply affected by the threads that weave between us. I love you daddy mummy.