Today, at about 3:50 a.m., my brother boarded a Yellow Cab Taxi to Vancouver Airport for a flight to Chicago, then back to Wisconsin. Originally I booked a MacLure's cab but it was 15 minutes late already, the operator didn't call back as she had claimed earlier and I couldn't contact her. Thinking that they might not even have a cab available, I called Vancouver Taxi and the operator told me one is coming in 2 minutes. After I end the call, a cab stopped by - a Yellow Cab. Don't know how it got there, but my brother took it anyway. 3.50 a.m. as opposed to the originally planned 3.30 a.m. So after hugging my brother farewell, I cancelled the Vancouver Taxi and went back. At 4.02 a.m., guess what? A Maclure's came, 30 minutes later than requested and without advanced notice, and my brother's catching a flight! What if he missed the flight? What a mofo! I'm really disappointed at their service, but I still said sorry - without meaning so - to the driver.

My brother's departure signifies an important event: the end of my winter break. Although it officially ended on 8th of January, but with my brother around, I'm still more or less in the holiday mood. We couldn't do much because I was studying. But we grabbed some really good food and walked a bit in Stanley Park. He also explored UBC and Gas Town - even I haven't been to Gas Town. Too bad the snowstorm during the winter screwed up our Capilano trip. I felt sorry that I hadn't had the time or initiative to bring him to more places. But at least he got to taste some really really good Chinese and Malaysian food.

It was nice to have him around. Although sometimes it's frustrating when his hearing fails, it feels so natural and ... I don't know how to describe it. And because of his visit, I got to travel to places I've never been before, and we even went to a Chinese supermarket.

Here's some pictures by the way:

Wun tun noodle, ngau nam min, loh hon zai, wok tip from Hon's Won Ton House. Cheap and nice!

Found some familiar products in the Chinese supermarket, T&T...

And some frozen durians....ewww... poor Canadians...

Some nice dim sums at Sun Sui Wah. The service and food quality is excellent, but the price is unfortunately directly proportional to those. Most expensive meal I've eaten.

We also tried out some Malaysian food at Orchid Delight and Banana Leaf. While the price is slightly higher in Banana Leaf, I think the food is better. The rendang lembu and coconut rice were excellent. The satay wasn't that authentic, but it tasted good in its own unique way. My brother's nasi lemak also looked very mouthwatering. Since my brother's visit, I've come to learn about one of Vancouver's strengths - good food. There're several good spots in UBC too, like Vera's Burgers and the village. The dining hall's seem like cut throat in comparison. Poor white people....

Now that my brother's gone, I'm alone again. There'd be no people blocking my wardrobe door (my brother insisted on sleeping on the floor); my room would be colder; there'd no people washing my dirty dishes and doing my laundry for me; no people to help me carry shopping goods; no people to speak Malaysian Chinese with; no people to make silly jokes which only my closest friends would understand; no person ... I've lost a brother, a soul mate, a tutor, a partner..... a servant and a slave. Funny? I'm actually crying now.

Stupid old cliche: You'll never know how precious something is until you have lost it. I miss the company of people who talk to me in IM, who would want to hang out with me, who approach me even when I don't approach them, who truly want to listen to what I want to talk about, who doesn't pretend not to know me, whose conversation with me doesn't end with "Hi" or "How's it going?".

Perhaps I'm just imagining or exaggerating these things, just to find a reason to cry. To cry over the loneliness of typing a blog at 5.00 a.m. thinking of his old friends and his family, to cry over his social impotence, to cry over his reluctant indifference over things, to cry over the helplessness and the frustration and the powerlessness over the complicated problems that never ends...

Perhaps this is just one of the nights he gets emo or gay or whatever. Better wash his face and his eyes, it'd be embarassing if other people find out.

p/s: I'm just joking about the 4 last paragraphs. Nice eh?