what happened in these few months, part 4

moving all my stuff back from penang cost me RM500, including 2 movers. the lorry owner's james neighbour. i kinda get the feeling it wasn't really that expensive, and that he probably put some in his pocket, but i'm just relieved that things were settled. i tried to sell off the queen-sized mattress, fridge and aircon before moving, but couldn't manage to. so these 3 things are actually lying around in ipoh now, not being used. if i ever need to move to an unfurnished house again, i might bring them with me. another RM500 for moving is cheaper than buying them again.

earlier in january, mom discovered termites in the wardrobe in my room here. a lot of my old stuff were infested and totally damage. i guess probably around half of the stuff i kept in ipoh were thrown away because of that. the rest were all moved and packed into huge plastic boxes that we bought later. most of the wooden stuff were disposed off, just in case. and so, all the stuff that i moved back from penang were also repacked into huge plastic boxes.

around a week before chinese new year, i was finally able to move back upstairs. bro was giving a lot of trouble by then, not willing to help dismantle the bed and move the mattress upstairs. mom got really pissed with that and had a friend helped. i was totally useless in that. at the time, i still needed both crutches to be able to walk. anyway, we managed to get the living room back to how it was supposed to be a week before chinese new year. i know mom takes pride in how she designed and kept the place looking good. it'll be a pity if it doesn't look well when a lot of people are visiting during that period.

anyway, bro was giving a lot of trouble to everyone at home. truth is, he's been a total different person since coming back from the UK. before that, he was always good to mom, very helpful, and kind. after he got back, the good part was only to his friends. he's gotten this attitude that somehow says "i've been overseas for 6 years. i've seen more than you and i'm better than you". very bad attitude when talking to mom too, as if he's feeling that mom's more of a burden as she gets older.

all this while, he's telling his friends and our relatives that the reason he's back from the UK, and the reason he doesn't want a job outside of ipoh is because of mom. the truth is, he's hardly home and is always out with friends until late at night during work days, and out the whole day when he's off. i've seen the looks and the tone of voice of his when mom's asked him to drive her anywhere or help her with anything at all, and it's not nice. i feel like slapping him sometimes when he pretends to be all good in front of other people.

he's also became very lazy - doesn't make his own bed when he wakes up, doesn't help with chores around the house, doesn't even keep himself clean. i've been telling him that mom likes the place clean. chores like mopping the floor, cleaning the windows, fans and toilets need to be done. there're only 3 of us, and i'm mostly in penang, so it's either he does it or let mom do all these at her age herself. it's like i'm talking to a wall. he just doesn't listen at all.

mom got really fed up with his attitude the day before chinese new year, and scolded him. instead of realizing his mistakes, or just taking it in stride, he yelled back at mom. i tried to stop the whole yelling match, but i guess mom got it pent up inside too long, i couldn't do much. that ended in him just driving off and mom crying the whole afternoon, then asked him to move out after chinese new year when he got back. after that he never even spoke to mom throughout the festive season.

i spoke with him about the whole thing a couple of weeks after that, after he had enough time to really think about it and cool down. he still insisted that he did nothing wrong, did everything he can for the family, we just don't know how to appreciate him, and that he is too disappointed to care anymore. he said he'll move out soon and is already looking for a place. i made it clear to him that we can't stop him from moving out, but he should at least make peace with mom. if he just moved out like that, it'll be showing that he really doesn't want the family anymore and there will be no turning back. i left him thinking about that.

it's been one and a half months already, the two of them are still not on talking terms, more like avoiding each other. bro's still living at home, but is out everyday, doesn't come home for meals at all. i'm now the person to relay messages between them. both of them are just too stubborn to make an obvious first move to resolve this. i wonder how long this will go on.

i'm posting this from my mom's pc, while waiting for a new graphic card for my newly assembled pc. :)