[Post re-numbered since my sister is born on the 14th of a month.]
Writing this "31 things to say for a month" is really trying especially if I had not done much things in the day, talked to anyone in particular or had been too occupied to do any reflection or thought through what should be the post for the day.
So today, I shall talk about this person who has greatly influenced my life and my world would have been a very different one without her. It could have been better but it could also have been a lot worse but as a loving sister, I choose to believe that her existence has brought more happiness than sadness. This person behind me is none other than my sister.
When I was younger, I used to have feelings of disdain for this "creature" because I always felt that my mother was biased towards her. However, when I grew older and became more mature, I realized that siblings should not have any form of jealousy between them because we are connected by blood ties. To quote my grandmother, "a person's fingers are different i.e. have different lengths and width", so each child is different though they may come from the same parents thus we should not expect a mother to love each and every of her child equally. As I age, I also realise that since I can be the more capable and independent one and can afford less attention and TLC from my parents, it is also a blessing in disguise.
This change in mindset altered the relationship that I share with my sister completely. We start to share our perspectives of things in life and in a way, I find her opinions relevant and some of her suggestions turn out to be pretty constructive. Things took a bigger turn when my brother got married and moved out and I have one less confidant resultantly. There was also an air of competition between us, albeit it was a healthy one in all aspects of our life besides our weight (no one wanted to put on more weight). A little competition gives you the drive to accomplish things and persevere in face of difficulties. We constantly try to improve on our badminton game because we do not want to lose to each other, we teach each other Mathematics, we challenge each other in smartphone games, etc. Where academics is concerned, perhaps most of the time it was my sister having to play catch up with me since I often was the one who sat certain standards and by the time she grew of age, she had all these expectations and benchmarks to fulfill. I would say she did not do that badly, in fact she excels in a lot of different areas.
However, there are certain things which clearly define who we are and even though we are siblings, we can never be alike. I can never be as kind-hearted and patient as her while she cannot swear as much as I do and vent her frustrations like a balloon (inflate and deflate continuously just like my emotions). I will never develop the interest and motivation to do all those hand-made cards whereas she will never appreciate alcohol and football. She is portrayed as the angel while me, the devil. There is nothing wrong with being the devil honestly and somehow all middle child end up as the devil.
Over the years, through our healthy and subtle competition, we help each other become a better person. She helps me to improve on my badminton and my patience threshold, gives me opinions on the things I do in school - reads my question and comments on the difficulty level, listens to my grouses when I mark at home, helps me blow my hair because I am lazy and unwilling to blow it dry before sleeping, sat through my first ever lecture, etc. On the other hand, I teach her how to improve on her mahjong skills, listen to her singing (hohoho), give her travelling tips, let her spend my money (occasionally), troubleshoot the internet at home, etc.
Our relationship strengthened a lot the last few years and we truly enjoy each other's companionship. I am really glad that my mother had decided to not give up on this child 22 years ago otherwise I would have been a totally different person - for better or for worse, I do not know. I just know - sisters rock. :) She is a garbage track that takes in all the nonsense that I churn out on a daily basis and she is one of the few people who knows me inside out. Sometimes, we talk about life in old age and death and as usual, the angel promises and has to pray that she has to outlive the devil because the devil does not want to be the one who lives to see her loved ones depart one by one. However, often is the case that the kind-hearted soul departs first to be with God so our prayers are probably not going to be answered.
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