Celebration of Spring

I was walking down in my neighborhood one fine evening; having walking my way to the nearby car-wash center to pick back my car, looking around, i looked, a woman was squatting down toasting something over the burning charcoal; she is making the "kuih belanda" aka "love letters". I continued walking, until i heard a voice calling over me with a kind of warmth and friendliness, "Oh boy...selamat tahun baru ya...." I know it sounded short and simple. It was my neighbour makcik calling over me to wish me; yes, its Chinese New Year again, though what the makcik have said was simple and nothing much interesting, yet, I felt there is a warmth and some special feeling in it. The makcik has been my neighbour when I was just little. She watch me grow, watch me walking back from school everyday and would chat with me sometimes. Imagine that I was such at a tender age, even before primary school, the makcik has been my neighbour.

Today, I heard she called me again with the same tone which she has been greeting me since then. I looked back and I saw her sitting on a "lazy chair" on the verandah, smiling to me without her foreteeth...age has wrinkled her face. I replied "Terima Kasih makcik, makcik baik?"...She replied "Baik...baik-baik jalan ye boy"....I smiled and continue walking. Sincerely, I was moved just because that she has the kind intention to greet me after so many years...even its just a simple greetings which its not extraordinary. For me, this scenario makes me feel that, simple greetings and simple words from the sincerity of the intention makes it extremely extraordinary.

HAPPY CHINESE NEW YEAR