Not goodbye, just see you later

Just came back from the airport, sent off a classmate leaving for Australia. It was kind of like rojak, with her friends from secondary school, JC, church and CCA, plus her family to see her off. I guess it was very emotional for her, seeing so many people who cared about her all together seeing her off, and makes it all that much harder to drag oneself to the check-in counter, and bid everyone goodbye just one more time. So here's to you April, for being so brave to leave the only world you know for another, and best of luck in Melbourne.

I'm probably not going to reenact that scene on Monday, a quick goodbye suffices for me. Plus, I'm only gone a month or two, think I can live through that without saying so many goodbyes. And, I don't think I'll be able to survive seeing so many people who know me together in one place, think cardiac arrest would make me depart this world earlier than I could make it to my plane.

We always say goodbye thinking we'll never meet someone again, like that last chance we have to see each other is right there and then. I think we take too lightly the power of coincidence, and since Singapore is such a small place, bumping into each other is almost an inevitability. I think I'll make this promise out to anyone who I treasure most, that the next time we're leaving each other, I won't say goodbye. I'll say, "I will see you again, soon." That's a promise, on my honour.

Your brother in scouting,
Don

Why I look like a tree

It's been some time since I felt like how I did today, that sense of clarity over why I have chosen my path as so. And of all the people to make me feel so special, you could not possibly guess who. A child, not more than 4 years of age, made me feel whole again today.

He's the son of my dad's friend, a little bundle of chaos. Running all over the place and screaming at the top of his lungs, hyperactive like any other kid his age. And then he saw me, in my No.4, with a military buzzcut, and the standard "mess with me and you'll know what's pain" look on my face. Catching him in the corner of my eye, I tried to salvage my image which had most probably seared itself into his young mind, with a smile. He took off for his mother's arms, all ready to burst into tears...

Curiously though, he didn't erupt into a pool of tears, but just kept staring at me, in the safety of his mother's arms nonetheless. And then came the torrent of questions which any toddler unleashes on his parent when he's in doubt.

'Why does that kor kor (Hokkien for brother) look like a tree?'
'He's a soldier, that's his uniform. Like your school uniform liddat, just that his have to help him hide.'
'Who he hide from? Teacher?'
'No lah, from bad men who want to hurt him, and us.'
'What does a soldier do mummy?'
'...To protect you, and mummy and daddy, and our country.'
'Why?'
'Because bad men will hurt us if he doesn't protect us.'
'Why?'
'They're bad men, they only do bad things remember?'
'Ohh, but daddy says bad men hurt people, kor kor not afraid meh?'
'I bet he is, but he loves us more than he afraid of bad men. That right Brandon?'

I give a nod, and just smile.

'Mummy, can I be a soldier when I grow up?'
'Why you want to be? Uniform very nice izzit?'
'No, because I want to show you how much I love you and daddy. I love you very much mummy.'

It's one of those picture perfect moments, the mum totally astonished by what her little kid has just said. As for me, I just smiled, which was totally spoiling my camouflage. After all, a tree doesn't have teeth does it?

Happy Independence Day, and let us all remember those who sacrifice themselves upon the altar of freedom, so that we may live to see another kid learn not only how to camouflage effectively, but also what it means to love someone.

Don