Happy Moments

When I first saw this question, I thought, “hey, that’s easy, lots of things make me happy”. A whole list of things started running through my head- passing exams, going back to Malaysia, spending time with my family, mom’s udang sambal or crab curry, going out for a movie, meeting up with friends, etc. And suddenly, it hit me; these things are just temporary, the novelty wears off after a while. And so, once again, I sat and thought about it. It took me quite a while to realize what really makes me happy.

It dawned to me one day on the way back from class- buying gifts for my brother, that’s what makes me truly happy. How do I know that for sure? Simply because even now, I can’t help but smile when I think about the reaction I’ve gotten from him when I gave him presents.

One such situation was on his 19^th birthday. He has always wanted a Liverpool jersey, and I managed to buy one in a shopping complex here in Russia. Since his birthday is in March, there was no way I could give the jersey to him on the exact date. However, I somehow managed to pass the jersey to a cousin of mine who gave the jersey to him at just before 12am on his birthday. When I called him (at 12am), he was SO excited. I can still hear him excitedly telling me “the moment I saw the Reebok plastic bag, I knew it was from you”.

His 21^st birthday, I passed to him, through a friend, a tie, since he was going to graduate that year. That tie is now kept safely in his cupboard, not in contact with any other clothing items. Even if my mom moves it a little, he has to put it back in its honoured place.

Last year, I managed to go to a sport’s shop when I was in London and I bought as many Liverpool stuff as I could get. And after that, I managed to get a Liverpool jersey with his name printed on the back. My parents said I was too much; ‘spoiling him’ were their words of choice. But the look on his face is all that mattered to me. There was another present though, one my parents didn’t know about. It was a magazine, one that cannot be bought in Malaysia (get what I am talking about?) and when he saw that one, he told me, with a shocked look on his face, “you are too much, you will spoil your brother (me)”. That was so amusing!!

These are some of the most memorable gifts I have presented my brother. You may wonder how giving presents make me happy, but you know what, it is true- it’s nicer to be the one giving than the one receiving.

There have been a few times that I have threatened my brother that I would not buy him anything if he doesn’t do what I tell him to, alas, he knows as well as I do that those are just false threats; he dismisses them without even thinking. Even this sureness of his gives me a good feeling. Weird, huh!

Sometimes, I think feelings are too hard to be written down. The word happy is just a word, but to me, it means much, much more. There are so many things that I can do to make myself happy, but not all of them give me as much satisfaction, as much pleasure as seeing my brother happy.

So, think about it, what makes you happy?

* This is for a happy moment’s contest. Click on the picture below to vote for me!!