The Tears of a New Year

It started as a little piece of breaking news - another earthquake had struck the seabeds off Aceh, Sumatra. While this little piece of news was broadcasted over the air, a tsunami was traversing across the surface of Indian Ocean at breakneck speed. Lying directly in these giant ripples' paths were the lives of hundred of thousands of people. So begun a week of tears - tears from heavens, that is to last a week long. The sun was veiled as tiny worlds were shattered overnight and the skies lie in gloom and shadow as the greater world grieves. Lives were swept off shores, towns and cities, while still basking in the joys of the holiday season; and what a sombre New Year's Eve it turned out to be.

Throughout the week, i didn't want to turn on the television, nor witness any accounts of reporters sent to cover the disaster in a myriad of South Asian cities. I could feel the devastated emotions, hear the convulsive cries of sorrow and see the grief-strickened faces with my waking eyes, and i need no more vivid pictures nor sorry expressions to reinforce those that i've had since the start of this week.

The heavens too, felt the sorrow that the human world shared with the bereaved, for they too played a long sad tune with the pitter-pattering of raindrops on the shelters of those still with roofs over their heads.

The mid-week recall did divert my attention somewhat. But when it continued to pour while the troops were learning how to clear rooms and buildings in a Built-Up Area, a peculiar sense of bereavement swept over the FIBUA area of Neo Tiew HDB Estate. For bereaved we are, not so far off from the sites of devastation, of little children with big dreams, teenagers of aspiring talents, and of lovers torn apart.

Friday's countdown was toned down somewhat, largely because of the rain and the cold. The few of us had been through many countdown barbeques, but this year was the worst. Not that the food wasn't up to standard. As a matter of fact, the marinated chicken wings were excellent and the fire, covered by two shelters that i've constructed, was hot and good. But our spirits, already dampened by the ubiquitous sorrow heralded by TV mobile's broadcasts of Channel News Asia's programmes, took a further dip as showers after showers swept along the coast of East Coast Park, breaking up our momentum of fun. But lucky for the little mercies in life, the actual crossing over to a brand new year was left undisturbed. We then settled for cards instead of singing tunes that inadvertently turned melancholic. Playing Bluff was much fun, for the last to finish his pack was made to perform outrageous stunts, accompanied by contagious roars of laughter. But as the crowd thinned deeper into the night, and the rain clouds gathered once more, we toned down our hilarity and turned to the loser telling truths.

Just as we finished our first set of Taidi, a belligerent yell was heard faintly off where we were sitting. We took no heed and carried on. The yell grew in volume and we turned to find a burly man looking in our direction. We still couldn't figure out what happened until i saw that a beam of light from our torch [unknowingly knocked over by Syarif] was in his eyes. i proceeded to apologize and turned off the torch. Just then Syarif returned from getting a cup of water and glanced at the stout dude. Syarif too has a ferocity that we all knew too well. Some kind of vulcanism must have occured in his eyes that the stout dude took to picking on. He duly stomped over and demanded an explanation for the beam. I was amused by his imbecilic insolence, which was idiosycratically accompanied by some incoherent english - a typical Beng. We took no offence to his insults and i explained the situation to him gentlemanly. But he was unappreciative of my patience and wanted to pick a fight.

He came over to where i sat but i guess i was comparable to him in stature, so he picked on the smaller Syarif instead. He was obviously tipsy, and his friends were trying to keep him calm but he maintained his seething anger and took ill of the glare that Syarif issued him moments before. He grabbed my friend by his neck and mounted insults after insults, slapping the cap that my friend was wearing, and eventually flipping it off arrogantly. Syarif was indignant but he was beyond his usual self then. He took it really well and managed to suppress his own ferocious temper commendably. Just then, Syarif's friends arrived on bikes and grew gradually in size. The brat knew that he will be overwhelmed should he choose to move a fist, and thus let my friend go. But Malcolm, a young soccermate of Syarif's team, decided to take it to the Beng with a screwdriver in hand. He threatened to call his police officer friend over the phone, and which he did as well. The Beng was very much shakened but still managed to keep his cool. He talked to Malcolm's friend and was even foolish enough to fiend as a police officer too, not knowing what to say when he was asked about his division.

And this thoroughly silly episode ended when the drunk in the Beng was replaced by some logic by talking on that phone. He and his friends then left us alone.

What incredulity! A near fight triggered by a silly torch! But i was then very proud of Syarif. He had held himself well; and that he displayed great self-restraint throughout the whole incident was amazing. I was thinking: 'This is it!' when the brat fliped his cap off his head. I was on my feet, ready to give the Beng a good twist on his wrist and send him sprawling on the floor should belligerence got the better of my friend. But what will happen next should the Beng's friends join in i do not know. In retrospect, my career and future could well be destroyed should i fling anything else in self-defence. Well-done Syarif!

What a way to end and begin the new year. The Beng and the silly torch, the Tsunamis and the rain. I recalled then that i have not seen the sun for this entire week! I returned home and lit a little candle on the first day of this gloomy new year, to thank the Heavens for their tiny grace in Syarif's patience, and to pray for peace for those who departed. All this while, the cold lingered and the tears of a New Year continue their descend onto Earth.