Jon got back this morning with the first draft of Dad's invite cards and WOW! Wow oh wow oh wow!! It looks absolutely fabulous! I only gave him the text and said, "Please make it look nice and elegant" (Yes, that's me, the articulate wordsmith) and he did such an impressive job.
Jon is really talented at what he does. He always tells me that he is a Hokkien ah beng at heart and he may not look like the boss of a creative company, with his playful nature and his peroxide blonde hair but put that man in front of a computer and his fingers just creates magic. The best part is, I'm sure he took all of 10 mins to design the card.
A big thanks to my brother Jon, who has offered to do this for nothing just for me. Steady bom pe pe!
My dad's 50th birthday is coming up and my mum wanted to throw him a party so we have been discussing this for a while now. We wanted to hold it in a restaurant or a hotel at first but my dad told us that he wanted something more relaxed, where he and his friends could chill, have a couple of beers and smokes. So in the end, he got an chalet instead and that put an end to our protests. Well, it's his party anyway.
My mum as usual, has managed to off-load most of the coordination to me. She reasons that it's my line of work anyway. Great thinking, Mum! So I've been liaising with the caterers, the wine suppliers, the glassware guys, as well as arranging the invite cards (design & print), hiring the bartender, and managing the budget. My mum is in charge of beer and cake. My brother is ... hmmm, doing nothing. HMPH!
But the honest truth is, I am enjoying myself quite a bit. This is quite a walk in the park compared to the events I used to manage and the best thing is, it's for my dad so I'm happy to do it. I just want to gripe a bit, that's all :)
My dad is a quiet serious man who almost never laughs. Mama used to joke that if he ever opened his mouth, gold bars would fall out. He doesn't often show affection and when I was younger, I used to be so shit scared of him that I would cry if my mum left me alone with him. But as I grew older, I saw the dad who worked hard to provide us with the best he could afford. I saw him pay for my university education and he even gave me a chance to go overseas even though he was not in favour of the move. He was the one I went to with my first heartbreak and the one who would tell my mum not to be so hard on me. Growing up, I was always closer to my mum but now I would say that while I talk more to my mum, I have come to see my dad for the wonderful father and provider that he is. I feel bad that I don't spend enough time with him and I keep telling myself to, but it seems like every weekend there is always something to do. Enough excuses, it's time to make a start.
Whenever I travel for work, he will always make it a point to see me off, either to the airport or the front door at least. And in response to my usual, "Boarding plane now, see you guys later!" text message, he will always reply, "Take care of yourself. Love you, dad." But I always get too emotionally constipated to return the affection.
Anyway, I'm really looking forward to the party, not cos it's a social gathering but because it's my way of giving back to my dad. He won't be reading this but what the heck - I love you too Dad!
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