Someone once told me that true love is hard to find. And once you find it, you'll never ever let it go because it practically fills the gaps that were missing all along, in your life.
I may be too young and may never experience true love, but I sure do know how similar it is to finding 'The Ideal Home' (coincidentally, Micheal Buble's 'Home' is playing on my Itunes).
When someone asks you, "What's your ideal home?", how would you respond?
Many would shoot away at the location of their house, then go into the details; from the exterior structure to the interior structure; from the exterior design to the interior designs; from the basic necessities to the decorative preferences.
Now with this image of your future home set in your mind, most of you would set sail, to go in search for it. But many never get to see the finishing line. Why? It's either they gave up halfway, or because they are not satisfied with what they found.
But what exactly is an Ideal Home? Just walk by the streets one day and try to spot a homeless person (just watch some clips/videos from the net if you can't find any). Ask him/her where his/her home is and they might even show it to you.
True enough, it may be a plain old cardboard to you. But to them, it means the world. Because it not only provides cushion (although very little) when they sleep, but it also shields them from the Sun and rain.
So what is you Ideal Home again? To me, an ideal home is all about feeling it. It does not even have to be an infrastructure. Just like in this the homeless person's case, it was his/her cardboard.
So what exactly do I mean by 'feeling it'? Well, I believe that an ideal home is about the welcoming feeling once you step into it. It is about belonging to it. And don't you want to head to bed knowing that you're safe from robbers/crooks/thieves/boogeyman?
Home is the place where you grow and learn. To me, an ideal home should feel like the love from my mum, the one who nurtured me. That is how my ideal home is.
So people, the next time someone asks you what your ideal home is, close your eyes, and envision the love from your family and friends. That is what your ideal home should be like. So don't let the materialistic world brainwash you into slogging and then spending tonnes of money buying houses just because the majority population wants their home to be like that. Stay true to your heart and no matter what type of home you get, cherish it and love it with all your heart, just like how your mum took care of you.
Because you never when the world turn their backs against you. Who will take you in? Your home of course.
Loves.
When my family and I first shifted into this home a few years (more like 7 years ago), we thought we found the perfect house. It had the cozy, gloomy but comfy look. It was near the MRT station and bus-stop. There were fast food outlets nearby, and a food court too. There is a 7-11 and two supermarkets that were 24 hours open. And there is even a 24 hour clinic just a block away from my home, and two (or was it three?) clinics nearby. There is also a Cash Converter now.
It was like a dream come true. A perfect place for lazybums like my brothers and I.
But as soon as we shifted in, we realized that we were in for a roller coaster ride. To begin with, the previous family spilled their cat food all over the cabinets in the kitchen. It smelled like vomit, and to make it worst, there was cat pee all over. Such imbeciles I tell you.
But that wasn't the worst part.
After all tedious cleaning and shifting in was over, we had a 'House Warming' ceremony. It was pretty cool, and many of the neighbours popped by to welcome us. We thought we would pretty much blend in with the crowd.
But we were wrong. Because the next day, we got to meet our nightmare, the neighbours that were staying opposite my home (literally opposite. The 'open your door and you see nothing but their door' kind).
It was in the morning, and having parents that believe that 'opening windows and doors in the morning brings in 'Good Luck'', we had our door open. Only to be greeted with the neighbour doing the same thing. My mum was in a perky mood, and being a mannered person that she was, she greeted the neighbour, only to have the door slammed right in front of her face.
Oh, and did I mention that she's not alone? She's an elderly lady, with a husband and three kids, a son and two daughters. And she used to have a dog too, but I think she killed it. It used to be barking like mad, but one day, it just wasn't barking anymore...
My neighbour's ill manners doesn't stop here.
She covers her nose with her handkerchief or a piece of tissue whenever she passes by my home to head to the lift. At first we thought that it was the joss sticks that my dad puts whenever he does his prayers, but we soon realize that she does it even when she walks past us. It was really hurtful at first, but we can't really be bothered anymore. Her daughters and son used to be like that too.
They'd also leave the lifts if we happened to enter the same one as them. And splashing water near our door is liek an everyday thing already...
I thought their crazy psychotic evillness ran in the blood, but I was wrong, because one day, I met that old woman's husband. And man, was he normal and nice! He was actually sick and tired of his family for being such 'negative' people.
He was a pretty awesome man, compared to his rotten family. He always went for walks. And everytime he talked to my mum, the old lady would be standing at the window, "spying" on them. Then she'll start screaming and shouting at the poor old man.
But one day, he died. And no one actually knew what happened. Just like the dog they had.
Things after his death was pretty much, worst. There was this one time when they called monks (I have no idea whether the monks were 'Good or Bad'. Just read the later part). They had this ceremony at their home, and after it was all done, my dad saw the monks chanting at our door! It was pretty crazy and so we called the police.
Needless to say, the police told us that the police had received a number of complaints from this family. And adding that the old woman, had a history of mental illness.
What about her kids? We didn't really bother asking, but we were all quick on our feet, ready for anything that she might do to us.
Now, the hocus pocus chants and prayers didn't really stop. There were days when one of my kin wanted to commit suicide so badly. He was crying, and it was obvious that he was in pain. We did the "bomoh" stuff and actually found 'something' in one of my mum's potted plants. It was said that it was placed there by that old woman because she hated my dad so badly and wanted him dead.
After the ritual and seeing that we were all very much alive (that kin of mind was much better), the son surprisingly became a monk, and the daughters lightened up, sometimes even greeting us (depending on their mood).
But the nasty old lady has been even more bad mannered than she was back then. Then was a couple of times when surveyors/people asking for donations/random people who knocked on her home door. They had this really weird thing about opening their doors to strangers. But there was this time where this surveyor didn't stop knocking on the old woman's door. And boy was she frustrated!
She yelled at him, more like screamed at him for disturbing her. "Are you stupid? I didn't open my door means I don't want to entertain you right! Why you keep knocking? Are you blind? What if I'm not in, will you keep knocking till I come home? What if there is a baby inside (such a liar) ?!? You are disturbing us!"
And before the poor man could respond to any of her questions, she lashed out her arm before screeching a "GET LOST" at him.
The poor man was dumbfounded but luckily he managed to recover quickly, scurrying off before she could get a broom or something to throw at him.
And there was this other time, which happened last year, where a group of people, around her age, came knocking on her door. She was clearly at home, because I saw her at her door a few minutes ago. But she was indeed hiding from them.
After knocking on her door for a good 15 minutes, they decided to head home, only to see my curious mum watering her plants. Apparently, they were from this Buddhist association and the old woman only recently changed her religion to Christianity (I think). They came by to ask her for the reasons for the sudden change, but decided to ditch the idea since she was hiding from them. And they admitted that they didn't like her anyways, so no lost. Hahah!
And an older lady used to pop by her home every few days. She was, I found out, the old lady's mum. And it only happened recently, that the old lady decided to ditch her mum by locking her out of the house! Such a bitch. The older lady was in tears and begged us to allow her in so that she could call home. She seemed nice, and I seriously wonder how she got such a idiotic daughter. From that day, she never visited her daughter again.
Despite all these happening, and it being a few years already, the family still does slam their door at us sometimes. And it was only yesterday, when I was returning home from a trip out, that the old lady was on her way back too. So there I was, trying to fit the key into the lock, and there she was, walking towards my home (in order to reach her home). I decided to annoy her by taking my time, and I wanted to see what she'll do. And unsurprisingly, she waited a good 10 feet away from my home, till I entered my house, before rushing to hers. Wah lao!
I know that if you were me or my family, most of you would go find another home. But having to tolerate her for so many years already, I'm pretty used to it. In fact, I find it amusing that she does all this. And I find ways to annoy her even more.
It's crazy neighbours like her that make my Life so interesting. Hahah!
Loves.
