© Chris Leong 2010

Thursday, October 21, 2010

If I Die Young - Sam Tsui (The Band Perry cover)

Sam Tsui covered this song so well that it was added to my iTunes playlist immediately… its so poignant to me coz I can imagine my late brother saying those words…

"… send me away with the words of a love song... make me a rainbow I'll shine down on my mother... she'll know I'm safe with you and she stands under my colors... oh and life ain't always what you think it ought to be... no ain't even gray but she buries her baby... the sharp knife of a short life... well I've had just enough time…"

We miss him very much… there are times when I still can’t believe he’s not here with me physically anymore…  the parents are slowly coming to terms with his absence too but its still painful to talk about him in the past tense…

In my mind’s eye, I can still see him so clearly on the day of his funeral… it feels so surreal… like it’s a movie I am watching… I felt so detached that I wonder if its normal to feel the way I do… I feel guilty some days thinking maybe I could have done or said something that could have resulted in a different scenario from now… I asked myself if I had done enough to protect my baby brother… there are so many questions which I have no answer to… at times, I don’t know how to comfort my mum when she asks the same questions I asked myself…



If I Die Young

if i die young bury me in satin
lay me down on a bed of roses
sink me in the river at dawn
send me away with the words of a love song
ooh ooh ooh ooh

lord make me a rainbow I'll shine down on my mother
she'll know I'm safe with you and she stands under my colors
oh and life ain't always what you think it ought to be
no ain't even gray but she buries her baby
the sharp knife of a short life
well I've had just enough time

if i die young bury me in satin
lay me down on a bed of roses
sink me in the river at dawn
send me away with the words of a love song
the sharp knife of a short life
well, i have just enough time

and I'll be wearing white
when i come into your kingdom
I'm as green as the ring on my little cold finger
I've never known the lovin' of man
but it sure felt nice when he was holdin' my hand
there's a boy here in town
who says he'll love me forever
who would have thought forever could be severed
by the sharp knife of a short life
well I've had just enough time

so put on your best boys, and I'll wear my pearls
what i never did is done
a penny for my thoughts oh no I'll sell 'em for a dollar
they're worth so much more after I'm a goner
and maybe then you'll hear the words that I've been singin'
its funny when your dead how people start listenin'

if i die young bury me in satin
lay me down on a bed of roses
sink me in the river at dawn
send me away with the words of a love song
ooh ooh the ballad of a dove
go with peace and love
gather up your tears and keep them in your pocket
save em for a time when your really gonna need em.
oh the sharp knife of a short life
well I've had just enough time
so put on your best boys, and I'll wear my pearls

My Abode of Peace...

Have been back in the land of my birth for more than a month now… so far, the weather is my biggest gripe coz its too hot and humid… n quite a number of my friends are not well from it with coughing, sore throats… I am trying to make sure I don’t get the same… though my main complains so far are headaches and soreness of the back n hip… posture and no proper chairs at home contributed to these…

I miss my bed in Perth… I miss my kitchen stuff too… besides that I miss the fresh n large choice of mushrooms, tomatoes, cheeses, bread… I also miss Aussie Coke, Smiths Original Crinkle Cut Chips, Doritos Supreme Cheese, Domino’s Pizza, Hungry Jack’s Whopper, McDonald’s Angus burger… I miss my wheatbags for my sore muscles… funny enough, I also miss the domestic cleaner coz there’s no such thing here except for floor cleaners and bleach… no disinfectant too besides Dettol…

I have been to the movies more often here compared to while I was in Perth… the ticket price difference is the major reason why I hardly go to the cinema… Have been catching up on movies too since I have been home…

In Perth, I frequent clothing stores… in Brunei, I frequent textile stores… in Perth, I have chips for snacks… in Brunei, my snacks are biscuits… coke n fruit juice in Perth, flavoured tea in Brunei… what a transition…

Note to self, buy ribbons when in Perth by the roll coz ribbons are too expensive in Brunei sold by the metre… 

Watched too much AFC on Astro and its frustrating me coz am not able to cook like the way I do in Perth… oh yes, I miss my stove and oven in Perth… the microwave too…

I baby talk with CB in Perth but I have to negotiate with Whiskie here in Brunei… missed CB’s 1st birthday on 10 October… Whiskie is 17 yrs old going 18… both are black and white, CB being a ruffian in the guise of a Persian while Whiskie is a grouchy DSH… I miss my daily play time with CB and also my afternoon tea session with his mum, June…

I suppose I will have less time to miss things when I start working… hopefully soon… need to clean up n organize the house before then… give me strength and patience…


Wednesday, October 20, 2010

Garage Sale...

Never had a garage sale before but I had 2 over 2 weekends end Sept, early Oct… main purpose is to clear the house of excess stuff that the family accumulated over 15 years or more… can’t believe the amount of stuff that came out of the shed… had to pack some of them too coz they were quality stuff… things I have a use for when the house is ready for entertaining…

Friends told me my garage sale is different from others they have been to… they said mine was organised like a shop with shelves n properly arranged… guess that’s the scorpio in me talking… either that or I have developed an OCD for cleaning and organising… hope it’s the former… :p

It would be such a shame if the stuff are not found homes coz most of them r still in good nick… hope the Salvos and St Vinnies will want them if no one else wants them… There’s furniture to go too…

28 August 2010
29 August 2010
4 September 2010