happy New Year!

 

I have a cousin named New Year.

(New Year, if you’re reading this, PEACE ü )

He is the son of my dad’s first cousin so technically, he is my second cousin.

We don’t see each other all that much but when we do, usually during the Holidays when we would all migrate to the great hometown, my sister and I would exchange nervous glances and elbow each other discreetly. How do we call him again? New? Or …Year?

But since he doesn’t carry a nickname…  Just call me New Year, he would announce proudly with his usual charming grin.

 

So…Hey…New…er…Year…er New Year…Merry Christmas and a Happy…New…YOU!…I mean YOU as New Year! hahahahaha…  At this point my sister would have already rolled her eyes or thrown me an Oh Shit! look at another one of my spectacular attempts to embarrass our side of the family.

So…sorry ayyyyy, biting my tongue.

But New Year was never annoyed, never upset, come to think of it, not even a slight tinge of displeasure in all those years we would fumble over his name. Instead, New Year would always greet me and my sister with bursting excitement, warm hugs and rapturous laughter.

 

New Year is third or fourth in a brood of about ten to a dozen, I can’t be sure now since they’re so many when come to the house. But they’re all boys! Their family reminds me of the reality show on TLC, 19 Kids and Counting, or the other one, Will & Kate Plus 8 was it…

But Dad would always compare me and my sister, both girls and it’s just the two of us, to New Year’s all-boys clan. How come their home is so tidy? And all of them know how to cook! True, the brothers would spoil us with exquisite dishes. But I’d also point out to my father that IF ONLY he would give my cooking a chance and the time I almost poisoned him with my potato and beef croquette was just an isolated incident.

They were such a tight-knit and spirited family so when we learned that their mother suddenly passed away we were heartbroken. After that, New Year and his brothers had to work to put themselves through school. Their father also left them to find employment abroad. It was one sad news after another that Dad would relay to me and my sister while we were away for college.

Years later when we came home again for the Holidays, I guess I expected to see a huge change in New Year. I was pretty sure that all the glitches that life had dealt them with would have dampened his naturally blissful self.

New Year looked older, taller too from what I remembered but still sported that naughty twinkle in his eyes. Same burst of excitement, more heartfelt hugs and even more rapturous laughter.

Sure he toiled mercilessly to put himself and some of his younger brothers through school. But then when he was done with that, he became an engineer, then a good engineer, then an exceptionally gifted engineer, then I learned later on that he was being pirated left and right by multinationals.

You’re worse than me, I told New Year, you’re just never sad!

Not really, he chuckled, but what’s the point in sulking?

Bah, I shot back, you’re a Happy Feet! (Yes, Mumble and his tap dancing was then the season’s blockbuster animation)

New Year looked like he couldn’t believe he was actually going to say what he was going to say next…

Uhm, more like a happy New Year!

 

 

 

P.S.

My sincerest wish is this:

May 2015 grant you all the things you deserve, worked hard for, prayed for, longed for…

You are destined to bring this fervor to the next level, otherwise why else would you still be here?

It doesn’t make sense, unless there’s something greater for you.

This I truly believe.

I hope you do too. 

♥

 

Cheers!