a little overdue.

the earliest memory i have of my older brother is probably playing in the back of the car with him. i remember how i used to hate to sit in the front seat because the seatbelt would kind of slice into my neck and it felt extremely uncomfortable, so i always opted to sit in the backseat with my brother. on the way to any food places or even on road trips back to my parents' hometown, we would always take time to play spaceship and pretend that the back of the front passenger seats had computers and that we were in a spaceship battling evil monsters/people/villains. i don't remember the exact details, but i remember having lots and lots of fun.

then came the high school phase, where he would often come home with a frown and lock himself in his room. the only times we would spend together were dinner or me watching him play video games. it wasn't the prettiest phase of his life, and at that point i even got scared of him sometimes, especially when he was frustrated with his gameplay and would just get angry. i think that's when we really grew apart, as he had to deal with all of his teenage angst and issues. i remember feeling pretty awful and beaten down when he would call me names that varied creatively from 'stupid', 'idiot' to the most magical of them all, 'brainless'.

today he is no longer a bully, a troubled teen, or an angsty kid. he is a runner, a teacher, a brother(not just to me), a friend, a son, a disciple, a leader and so much more, and he is damn good at being all those things. also, not to mention that even though he still teases his friends a lot today, words of encouragement frequently flow freely from his lips. i am thankful for the brother who inspired me to do English Literature and actually falling in love with it, hence making me develop critical thinking skills, unlocking the curiosity i had locked away for a very long time. i would never have visualized myself as the intelligent person who would question the way things are. i am thankful for the brother who has led me to Christ, who cried like a baby when he saw me accept Christ two years ago, and came to hug me for the first time in a very long time, for welcoming me into the great big awesome family of God.

i am thankful for even having a brother who constantly inspires the people around him. watching him do what he does in Kampar now always remind me of what i have to do with my own life at where i physically am. he is the coolest brother i can ever ask for, and beyond. right now i can only present you with a drawing, but i promise i'll get actual awesome gifts for you soon.

happy (belated) birthday, brother.

p/s: perks of having sibling(s) who major in English (linguistics or literature), or else you wouldn't get such a sappy post like this. heh.