My Artlets know my best friend is their father.
But what they don’t know is that there are some things I can’t share with their dad. You know, like when I’m mad at him or I absolutely must have that limited edition bag.
This is when I turn to my sisters. And I am lucky I have two.
My sisters will kill me if they saw this pic here. But I decided to act first and worry later.
Left to right: That’s me at 7 looking ghostly thin, my second sister Marina, who thinks she looks like a Filipino maid here and my little-est sis Sarin, who hates her natural cockscrew curls which she said resembles bird’s nest.
When my hairstylist found out I was expecting a boy for my second pregnancy, she told me this: Having a boy and a girl is joyous for the parents but among siblings, they would prefer the same gender (a boy would prefer a brother; a girl would prefer a sister). She obviously did not say this out of jealousy as she has a son and a daughter herself.
I don’t know about brothers or having a brother but I do know there’s nothing like sisters. See, it’s perfectly ok for sisters to do “mushy” things like picking up the phone and crying your hearts out when you’re upset or gushing over the latest IT bag or simply saying I love you. I know my Ang will never be caught dead doing any of the above to his sister or his older brother even though he loves them dearly.
Sarin and me embracing at the majestic Great Wall last week. We must have texted a million pics to our very pregnant second sister back home.
My little-est sister, Sarin visited us with her family recently. It was such a joy to catch up with each other and spending quality time together – something phone calls or daily WhatsApp could never replace. My second sister, Marina about to pop her second child anytime could not join us (she popped on New Year’s Day, natural birth!). But she was kept in the loop every hour with snapshots of what we did, where we went and what we ate. I don’t know any brothers or brother & sister who do that.
My sisters are both working mothers in Singapore. As a stay home mum here in Shanghai, they give me reality checks when they share the struggles they face back home trying to outsource childcare while balancing their family and work life. This explains my utmost respect for working mothers.
Living overseas does this to a person. It makes you appreciate your love ones even more. Hence my dearest sisters, let me shamelessly profess here,
I love you both.
