Yeap! those times..

As I stare blankly into the monitor, my eyes are teary yet I am filled with emotions. Something I cannot explain. I feel happy somehow. Glad.

For the past 21 years of my life, I have never wished my Dad Happy Father's Day. Every year people go out for grand dinners to celebrate their parents, but we always stayed at home. No cards, no presents, no dinner. Father's day (or Mother's day for that matter) was just like any other day of the year.

At first I didn't understand. Why didn't my Dad want to celebrate Father's Day? Why didn't he want to bring my Mum out for a nice dinner during Mother's Day? Why can't we celebrate our parents just like the rest of the world did?
So one Mother's day, I got fed-up and decided to ask my dad just that.

" Pa, how come you don't want to celebrate Mother's Day or Father's Day? What's wrong with going out for dinner and having a good time?"

He replied (and I will remember this for as long as I live), " Mother's day is just a gimmick people use to make money out of people like you. They overcharge everything and yet people still flock to the florist or restaurants. I don't buy into that kind of thing. It's a waste of good money."

then he went on to say,

"Why must you assign a particular day to celebrate your Father or your Mother? What does Mother's Day mean to you? Does it mean you love your mother more on that day? Does it mean she deserves your full attention and your love only on that particular day?
If you love your mother, you show it to her everyday. It doesn't have to be on mother's day."

My dad was right, as he always is. Why must the world choose one day to celebrate their Fathers or Mothers? I love my mum and dad and I love them everyday. I should show them I appreciate them everyday. They deserve flowers and dinners everyday. There shouldn't be a designated day the world 'appoints' for you to celebrate your parents.

After hearing what my dad had to say, I felt guilty. I never brought up that topic ever again.

I had just read my brother's blog before writting my own and I guess this was what inspired me to write about my parents. I am proud of my brother and myself. I am proud to think that my parents are proud of my brother and myself.

Growing up with my dad on the reigns was not the easiest. He screamed and yelled and caned us to the bone, but at the end of all that, he was still there for us. And most importantly, at the end of that, we still loved him and never despised his ways of bringing us up.

My parents has sacrificed so much for my brother and myself it's unbelievable. I truly think that this realization that we both have (my bro and I) is worth more than anything. My parents have been the solid foundation on which we built our lives on. Without them, nothing could have been possible. We would not be the people we are today if not for them. They didn't need a big house or a luxurious car or the newest mobile phone. They didn't want any of that. All they want and hoped for was that their children would grow up to be good people. My parents have provided us with the best they could and it just brings me to tears to think about everything they had to let go just to give us the best.

So, to my mum and dad, thank you for everything. You are the greatest parents anyone could have and I must have been born extremely lucky to have landed in your arms. I could ask for nothing more or nothing better.