The advent of air travel effectively heralds a new era... An age no less epochal than the Electric Revolution itself. With that, scribes around the world have found themselves continually assailed with a plethora of terminology as weird as they are new. A "shrinking" world? I would have half expected the Church to interdict you for wrongfully proclaiming an Apocalypse. Burning at the stakes, anyone?
The horrors of the Dark Ages aside, travellers have discovered their new found ability to travel further and faster. What was originally a six-month-long journey has been shorn to a six-hour trip... Despite the reduced length of travel, travellers are still bedevilled with what was long a bugbear of travel- homesickness.
Heck, i continually nurse feelings of homesickness even as i reside in Mt Barebones, a mere 2-hour journey from home sweet home. You can expect a native Alabama practically churning if he were to travel half way round the globe to say, Vladivostok? So much for the song, Sweet Home Alabama eh?
This is where stuff like comfort food and even comfort clothes come in. By definition, anything that vaguely reminds you of home. It could be that old parka you wore as a kid, the familiar ribbed inner fabric or the nice floral fragrance from the good old fabric softener used at home. I've read similar musings of people who grabbed with them, an old toy, an old bolster or even better, home-cooked food. Nothing can warm your heart better than a well-satisfied palate...
For me, it is neither of those i mentioned. It is just a short phone call that does the trick. Really, i understood what the Copywriters were trying to convey when they did the IDD Commercial for Singtel. It just struck a harmonious chord in me right away... The cold barren walls could have literally melted away to reveal my own room. Oh well, it's not harmful to nurse a powerful imagination right? For the great Einstein once said, "Imagination is more important than knowledge."
I have this 2 year-old nephew called Jouverse but i defiantly call him Jovas. (Somehow i felt i have written about this before...*shrugs shoulders) He's got a sister elder by a grand 2 years but nonetheless both spent a significant amount of their infancy and childhood in my household. As you would expect, both of these two tots are very close to us and especially to me who holds the grand old title of "Ah Gu" at an equally grand age of 19 years old. What endears them to me? I have no idea... Perhaps kids are naturally attracted to clowns, albeit without the outlandish costumes and facial paintwork... Yeap, if you are still in the dark then perhaps i should just switch on the lights for you. *Flick... Yes, i am a clown in my family.
I have all along held suspicions since my colourful childhood that there was indeed an Arcane Brotherhood named the Clowns. Boy, my dad could be part of the Order! That could explain the humour blood in me, given the natural passing down of the humour blood. Wow! So you learnt another secret about me huh? Haha...
Well, back to my nephew... So there i was at a decrepit corner of my bunk. i made a call to my nephew who picked up after much ado. Apparently he was tuned into an Elmo sing-along session on TV judging from the "la la"ing in the background. After some coaxing from his maid, i got to speak with him!! Haha, it's always funny and exciting to speak with little kids. You know, sometimes dwelling too long in an adult environment dulls one so. Side effects include feeling larger than life (Which practicaly means you have an ego the size of a Hot-air Balloon...)and feeling disdain for practically the simple things in life. Talking to my 2 year old nephew is oddly, therapeutic sometimes. Gee... Can you picture my nephew propped upright in a leatherback chair, composed and erudite while i lay defunct, flat out on a horizontal couch? (Okay, i'm getting a little neurotic here, folks...)
Yeap, sorry for the digression earlier yet again... So i was waiting for the usual greeting from him...
Me:"Call me!"
Jovas:"Ah gu!"
Me:"Which Ah gu?"
Jovas:"Army Ah gu!" (He's got 2 ah gus for the record, hence i got the dubious term...)
Me:"Jovas eat already?"
Jovas:"Yes!"
Me:"What did Jovas eat just now?"
Jovas:"I eat rice, prawn, carrot, long bean, monster!"
Me:"Wu liao Jovas!! How can you eat Monster??"
Jovas: *lol "Yes, i eat monster!!"
Me:"Nonsense Jovas!! Ah ma got eat Monster or not??"
Jovas::"No!"
Me:"Mummy, daddy and jie jie leh?"
Jovas:" Mummy daddy zhuo4 gong1... Jie jie school!"
Me:"Orh... Jovas got beat ah ma or not???"
Jovas:*lol "Yes!!"
Me:"Chan3 liao3 la... Ah ma got balugu or not??"
Jovas:*lol"Got!! Ah ma blue black, bleeding!!"
Me:"Jovas naughty boy la...tsk tsk..."
Jovas:*lol" Ah gu naughty boy!"
Me:"okok, ah gu want to put down the phone already, pang kiss!"
Jovas:*Pang kiss "Bye bye army ah gu!" *puts down phone...
*A typical phone conversation between me and Jovas...
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