Skating
December 1st, 2008
More childhood memories…last Saturday I met up with my Züriflickrdrinks friends for an evening of ice-skating, glühwein (mulled wine) and companionship. I’d told the others that I wouldn’t be skating since it had been more than 30 years since the last time I’d skated.
The first Malaysian ice-skating rink opened in the Asiajaya shopping mall when I was 8 or 9 years old – I remember going there with my Uncle Leong and my cousins John & Pin. It was a real struggle for me staying on my feet as I’m not the most well-coordinated person around. I still had lots of fun though.
The year that Uncle Leong and my cousins lived with my family was a fun time but at that age I overlooked how difficult it would have been for them. My uncle was recently divorced and was living with us while he found his own place. My cousins seemed to be unaffected but I was probably oblivious to any issues they were dealing with – I was always envious of the great birthday and Christmas presents they’d get, not realising why they were getting them.
Several years later John moved to the US for university while a few years after that I moved to Singapore, then New Zealand for my own studies. We were never back in Malaysia at the same time and I haven’t seen him for about 27 years. Pin, his brother, passed away 16 years ago from an epilepsy-related condition.
When we’re young we think nothing will change and we’ll always be friends with the same people, that our family will always be there. Unfortunately things don’t always stay the same.
Posted in Personal
Add a comment
I receive an email with your comment as soon as you've added it.
If you've not posted a comment before, I'll have to check it before it appears online.
Spammers are to blame!