Visitors

You know the saying ‘when it rains, it pours?’ Well, in May, for me, it was like ‘when one guest comes over from Hong Kong to visit, they all keep coming!’

Our first guests were our neighbours back when my parents and I lived in a townhouse in Shailer Park. Like our family, they too only had one mum (Winnie), one dad (William) and one daughter (Jasmine). Mischievous me tended to call Jasmine ‘Wendy’; I mean, if the mum’s name starts with the letter ‘w’ and the dad’s name also starts with the letter ‘w’, then surely the daughter’s name should also start with the letter ‘w’ too! XD Jasmine was a sport and responded to that name whenever I called her that; Aunty Winnie was silly and joined me in calling poor Jasmine ‘Wendy’. XD oh, and did I mention that their surname was also ‘Chan’, just like mine?

Jasmine gets the credit for the fact that I learned to play the trumpet for two years back in year six and seven at primary school, because that’s what she learnt to play too! I remember going to their unit back when I was still little and Jasmine bringing her trumpet out and inviting us to try have a go. Mother was basically useless, but I remember producing some sound, which led Jasmine to suggest, “Hey, you should play the trumpet too, when you reach grade six.” Uncle William (an accountant) and Aunty Winnie (a beauty therapist) returned to Hong Kong once Jasmine graduated primary school, but Jasmine remained behind, taking boarding school at St. Hildah’s.

We’ve kept in touch over the years, more recently through Facebook and whatsapp. Well, jasmine doesn’t Facebook because she’s a lawyer by trade, but Aunty Winnie uses an account.

Before they came to spend about four days in Brisbane with us, Uncle William, Aunty Winnie and Jasmine actually went to Sydney first!

My only regret is that I never got the chance to have a dinner out with them. The parents did, one Tuesday night when I was attending Toastmasters, but I’ll just have to content myself with the fact that I got to enjoy lunch with them at the Sushi Train once.

Aunty Winnie also bought us gifts from Hong Kong! For me, she brought over four tubes of Darlie toothpaste! Now, I’m unsure what brands of toothpaste are available in Hong Kong, but I recall using Darlie and loved his minty flavour. She also brought me this adorable ball-shaped, rainbow coloured bear! I named him (in Cantonese) Chan Choi Kou. Usually, whenever I receive a new stuffed toy, he/she will spend that first night in bed with me, before getting moved out to the sofa and meeting Bear Bear, but Chan Choi Kou stayed for several nights, until aunty Winnie, uncle William and Wendy all left! Daddy bear was most displeased about that. XD

After they left, our next guests were family!

First was my dad’s big brother, uncle William. He’s eleven years older than my dearest dad, and after the cruel and unfaithful God first totally destroyed my life with the disabling brain tumour, he actually came over to Brisbane to spend some time with us. The next time he came over (around 2009, I think it was), he asked me to open an e-mail account for him, which I dutifully did, opening him the account uncle.cheesecake@gmail.com. Why? Because back when I was first hospitalised, my parents would arrive at the hospital bright and early to spend the whole day with me, while my uncle William would wake up later, then make his own way to the hospital and join us. Now, one morning, my uncle William was hungry, and because Warrigal Square hadn’t been built yet, he caught some bus to the nearby Centro Pinelands and bought himself HALF A CHEESECAKE for breakfast! XD

Soon after he arrived, my dad’s youngest older sister, aunty Kitty, arrived too. She’s only two years older than my dad so basically, they grew up as playmates together. Her Cantonese name’s Chan Lai Pui, which the family shortens to call her just ‘Ah Pui’. Indeed, when I was younger, I honestly thought her Cantonese name was ‘Chan Ah Pui’! XD

Aunty Kitty arrived very early one Sunday morning (like, 12:50am). They day before, I’d spoken with her over the phone, and she told me to tell my dad that she was coming over on flight CX 157, and to make sure my dad remembered to pick her up. I told her, “Gee, fourth aunty (in Cantonese culture, you usually number your aunties and uncles), your English sounds pretty good. You said ‘CX’ very clearly just then.” She storms back at me, “Yeah? Well, that’s all I know how to say, so you’d better make damned sure that your father comes to pick me up, else I’ll be stuck at the airport just saying “FX! FX! FX!” to some airport worker, who’ll think I’m crazy!” XD I reassured her that my dad would definitely come to pick her up, and after she arrives, I get a peck on the cheek from her before she goes upstairs to sleep in one of our spare rooms.

Our final visitors this month were my cousin Carrie (she’s my first aunty’s youngest daughter) and her husband Rolls! Well, his name’s actually Royce, but he says I’m allowed to call him Rolls (short for Rolls Royce XD). Like Jasmine/Wendy, they humour me. XD

Rolls is actually a boat-builder by trade, and because there was this boat expo being held down at the Gold Coast this month, the company rolls works for sent him over to Brisbane to buy boats for their company. Originally, their little daughter Ashley was to come over also, but isn’t this ridiculous? Her school refused to let her go because she has to prepare for some entrance exam for her to get into kindergarten next year! And sheesh, she’s only turning THREE next month! ><”

So as you can very well guess, our house has been very busy over this past month!

One morning, woken by dad, Aunty Kitty and Uncle William chatting by the front door, I heard Uncle William announce, “I’m going for a walk. Be back later.” Aunty Kitty asked rather worriedly, “Are you sure you know the way back home?” and I almost burst out laughing when I heard uncle William reply offhandedly, “Oh, don’t worry, if I get lost, Ah Em will know to go to the nearest police station and find me!” XD

Aunty Winnie, Uncle William and Wendy all left before my family arrived and Carrie and Rolls left right after the boat show had ended, but Uncle William and aunty kitty only left yesterday morning! And my dad even took two days off work so he could all take us out together before they left! Personally, I was just overjoyed because that meant I didn’t haveta see Vincent the bloody physio for my twice weekly torture sessions with him. XD

On Tuesday, dad took us all to Roma Street Parkland, where we all posed for photos. Uncle Cheesecake admitted to me before leaving yesterday morning though, that he didn’t know how to upload them onto Facebook! XD

As for yesterday, dad took us all out to several different places! Firstly, he drove us down the coast to some place called something like Broadwater Beach (Parkland, thank-you, mother); we all strolled along the jetty and took happy snaps.

For lunch, we had Japanese food! Personally, I thought the restaurant, called something like Asahi, wasn’t good value for money, because I only got to eat two wee slices of bef, three of chicken and one of inari – and did you know, our local Sushi Train makes better inari than they did! ><”

Next stop was Harbourtown! I remember the last time I went there, I browsed shops in Sparkless (my manual wheelchair), but alas, this time, the parents demanded I walk. That’s fine, but with my disability nowadays, whenever I get up and walk, it’s with the purpose of going to the next place where I can sit, and how on earth would I be able to browse items when I’m focused on finding a place to plonk my butt down? ><

Luckily, mother did the browsing for me. When I entered Converse (my favourite shop in Harbourtown because I almost always find something worth buying there!), as I was walking towards a short row of blocks that served as seats for people looking to try and buy footwear, I pointed out to mother which items looked interesting and/or appealing.

After I sat down on one of these blocks, mother went selecting clothing items for me to try, with me throwing in unhelpful comments like, “I don’t wanna wear that; it’s duck-piss yellow.” XD (in reference to how the Cantonese have a colour they call duck poo green, I decided that there must also therefore be a duck piss yellow; in actual fact, I have absolutely zero idea what colour duck pee is. XD)

Walking away from Converse with a brand-new jacket, we went next to Colorado, where I got this really awesome maroons Queenslander tee that has a cane toad’s tongue wrapped around a cockroach. XD

Our final stop was Jayjays, where Uncle William bought himself a pair of boxer shorts for only three bucks! As for me, Jayjays is like my favourite clothing store and I scored a tee, too! It had a rather complicated diagram of the scissors paper rock game, showing which hand triumphed over which hand. Only, it wasn’t just scissors, paper and rock; two more diagrams were added too: lizard and spock! Unsprisingly, the spock symbol was the Vulcan salute. XD

The day was drawing to a close, and dad was tootling us home when he decided he felt hungry. “Let’s have dinner at Fasta Pasta tonight,” he decided. Lol, that’s cool with me; the flourhead (say that in canto)’s favourite restaurant is Fasta Pasta!

When we arrived, mother took me once to the toilet, and when we rejoined the others outside, I made a beeline for the comfy sofa seat.

As usual, we ordered several dishes to share, meaning I really only got very little, but hey, no biggie. I had two yummy potato wedges (dad made a show of giving me the biggest two in the bowl; but I noticed how he himself ate many more than just two XD), some yummy white sauce pasta (my choice, called something like ‘sth bel paese’) and some ravioli in red sauce. Wednesday’s also my ice-cream day, meaning I tried asking mother could I please have one scoop of yummy choc mint chip gelato, but she refused, even agreeing with me when I accused her that she only refused because she knew at home, she would only give me barely one level spoonful! ><”

So that ended a great day and night out. Back home, mother demanded I shower before I plopped online for a miniscule amount of time before I was gleefully forced off to bed by mother. Bidding Uncle William and Aunty Kitty a very good night, they both promised to come say goodbye to me before leaving early the next day.

So after a great night’s sleep, I’m wakened by dad entering my room around 7:45am, followed by Uncle William and Aunty Kitty. We all three squish into my bed for an awkward hug goodbye, I tell them please to come back and visit me ASAP, because it seems like I won’t be able to return to Hong Kong anytime soon, which they promise they will.

Epilogue: they leave on Thursday morning. Thursday night, mother’s true colours return to the fore, and she immediately forces me to endure a painful fifteen minute standing calf stretch, before gleefully FORCING L me to plod twenty-five minutes on the bloody treadmill for her. Only, during that time, both Aunty Kitty and Uncle William ring to reassure us that they have made it back home safe and sound. Earlier, I had spoken over Facebook with Ching Ying, asking him was he going to pick up his mum (my fourth aunty) from the airport, and he said, “No, from the city one bus station.” And my uncle cheesecake was such a gentleman; he saw his youngest sister safely aboard a bus before he went and caught whatever public transport to wherever he lived~

So endeth the story of all our visitors to Brisbane this month! Will anymore come this year? I’m not sure, but I’m hoping Kin Ying Chan (fourth aunty’s younger son) or sunny kong (my three metre-tall cousin; okay, so he’s not really three metres, but a commanding 1.85cm, which seems like three metres to me, especially since I’m only a short 160cm short woman! XD) will come over next, coz I don’t think they’ve been over before!

Next post here … I think I’d better write a review of the latest Star Trek movie I saw with uncle Slam several Saturdays ago! Righteo, until then!

Cheers,

Em. ^^