This Christmas

I couldn't make a post about every little memory because there's just so many and I'd be here forever if I did. I picked really random ones to blog about too, LOL. Let's see if you remember them all? Most of them (or all of them) were from childhood before Junior High.

Merry Christmas Sharon, my one and only big sister who I will love forever no matter what happens. Because of you I'm who I am today, know what I know, and am forever grateful for all the time you spent with me growing up. Pictures will fade, but I hope that these memories do last FOREVER. It really feels like you do so much for me and I do so little for you, but I hope in our new future I'll be able to do a lot more for you ^^ since I'm not a helpless, clueless, over-dependent girl anymore!

I hope 2012 treats you well, and that you'll keep pursuing what you want in life. I know you don't go to church anymore and you're not in the mood to be religious right now, but know that I pray for you a lot and I believe that you'll do really amazing things with the gift you've been given that is your life. God knows it too. He has a plan for us all, and even if you can't always put 100% faith in that, I have 200% faith in it which will make up for it :D! ('Cause I'm so cool lol jk)

Try reading from the earliest post to most recent ^^.. Well actually it's not in chronological order so maybe it won't matter anyway..

Hope you liked your Christmas present!
Sooooo BEAST~ (like how B2St says it when they introduce themselves on shows and whatnot)


~Esther

{Seventeen}

You and my brother loved eating contests. Or that's what I remember. We went to buffets a lot while we were traveling and you two always had eating contests. Who could clear the most plates. I joined in sometimes but after losing so much I kind of just left it to the two of you.

{Sixteen}

We traveled a lot together too. To Kelowna and Toronto and Quebec, Banff, all those cool places that I still keep in photo albums at home. When we were touring Ontario and Quebec, you ordered a Tim horton's iced cap and that was the first time I ever tasted one.

I didn't like it at first, but after we came back and I tried it again I guess the taste started to grow on me.

You taught me how to pick cherries too! And I remember us getting in a fight over something dumb one time, but we made up before we got back to Calgary. Even our parents got in a fight but over something stupid they made up. Plus our hotel rooms were right beside eachother and there was a door in between, which was kind of cool.

{Fifteen}

You're always the person who corrupts my childhood (it's true!) because before I even had sex ed. in elementary you told me what a period was and everything. I remember sitting on the floor in your room while you explained it to me and it was hard for me to understand that peeing out blood was normal.

After you told me all this I felt like twitching and running away. But I guess your early warning was a nice heads up for sex ed since I already knew what they wanted to teach because of YOU. Nope, Wasn't my mom who taught me these things, it was YOU. How awkward LOL

{Fourteen}

When you learned how to french braid hair, guess who you tested it on? Me. Honestly though, I actually really liked it when you played with my hair. I'm not big on make up and all that stuff but I always liked doing hair, and I liked different hairstyles that I always saw people have.

We were sitting in your living room and you french braided my hair, and then your mom helped you do yours because we loved being "twins" back then. It was really fun, and it's funny that I only learned how to french braid last year.

There was also that time you liked to stick things in your hair, like chopsticks and pencils and what not and I thoguht you were the strangest person for sticking a chopstick in your hair.

{Thirteen}

You had a phase of nail polish, and when I was a kid I liked it too. You used to always paint my nails, and like any kid would, after it dried and a few days later I'd start picking at it. I still thought nail polish was fascinating, and you're the one who introduced me to make up and nail polish and hair straighteners/curlers and all that other girly stuff.

This was probably one thing that never surpassed time, because in grade 4 I swore never to wear nail polish again and look at me now, still make-up free. One experience with you that didn't carry on into my teenage years, but a fun trial as a kid of course.

{Twelve}

One summer you wanted to teach me how to ride a bike because pathetically I couldn't. Pathetically, I still can't. But hey, at least we both tried.

You said we'd go slow and steady, that you'd hold onto the bike so that I wouldn't fall, because that's what I was scared of--falling. Since I trusted you more than anyone else in the world I decided to give it a shot (not to mention whenever you decide to do something, no matter how much I argue it'll end up going your way because I ALWAYS give in). your bike was a bit too big for me, but I managed to get on. I don't remember the starting as much as the process, but you held onto the handle and helped to pull me along. I started pedaling on my own, but I was scared of losing balance because I knew if your hands weren't there i'd fall and who knows what would happen?

After a while of pedaling I had gotten a little used to it and you started singing "Just keep pedaling~ just keep pedaling~" In the tune of "Just keep swimming~" from Finding Nemo. I thought it was the funniest thing ever and started singing along. And then you said you were going to let go because you thought I could pedal on my own. I had no time to object because right when you let go, I fell.

That was the end of trying to teach Esther how to ride a bike. Since then I never tried again. (:

{Eleven}

One time our parents actually let us go to a park without supervision.I'm not sure which 1 you took me to, but we were playing around and you went down this 1 slide, slipped and fell hitting your elbow on the gravel. You were bleeding like crazy and I swear even to this day it was the most bloodiest thing I've seen. your elbow had open flesh and rocks were stuck to it, it was so disgusting. I don't have much to say about this memory LOL.

{Ten}

Then you had some weird urge to lead every hobby in my life, because you decided to be some sort of athletic coach or something. You always made me do jumping jacks, laps around your backyard or basement, and remember the uneven ceiling in your basement? You made me jump like 200 times and touch the ceiling counting out loud promising me I'd grow taller.

Up until now I'm not even sure if it worked. My mom always asked me why I looked so tired out and sweaty after going to your house. Answer was, PHYSICAL TORTURE. Just kidding, I actually found it kind of fun.

Even my brother got dragged into this sometimes. And when you started taking karate lessons, I was SO jealous of you. My mom wouldn't let me do it because she said "Id break my neck".... she also used that excuse when I joined Wrestling .__. Anyway, you felt bad for me and tried to teach me some of the things you learned from karate lessons. You practice in front of me and I always thought" oh my god you're so cool you can kick butt".

{Nine}

Remember when we used to always play kickball in your basement? With my brother and your brother? We always used your strange watermelon toy that I honestly cannot remember the name of. Okay maybe it wasn't a watermelon, but since it lost all its limbs it looks quite like one to me.

See? It looks like that but with a face.

(I also remember how mad you got when we called it a watermelon)

Always in your spider infested basement, too. x]

{Eight}

Then there were those warm summer days when we had nothing better to do than set up random obstacle courses from your living room extending to your backyard. We jumped on couches and did all these weird things, ended up outside, ran laps, crawled through your little treehouse thing and played on the swings to see who could swing higher and jump off further.

You even set up a little corner behind 1 of your couches as a prize area and everytime I completed one of your insane obstacles courses you'd give me something from it. In fact, you ALWAYS gave me free stuff. Thinking back I kind of feel bad. You were always giving me things, and still kind of do, but I can't remember a time when I returned the favour.

Then there was the time when Mabel entered into our lives, well, mostly mine since I didn't know her before she came. I didn't like her. apparently neither did you. You made us have an obstacle course competition for a prize we both wanted, and you secretly gave me hints to win. It was unfair, but heck, I never cared of fairness not did I have much integrity at that age. I just wanted to be better than her.

{Seven}

Sometimes, the things you made me do were completely ridiculous, but you'd always tell me you made me do dumb things for my own good and though I never realized it at the time, it actually turned out to help me a bit. Sometimes when we got bored you'd pull out math workbooks and taught me how to do things like subtraction ages before I learned it in school. I hated math back then, and I still do, but along with life you taught me some academics too.

I remember in class in like..grade 3 we were just learning about 3D shapes and the teacher wanted to test our knowledge on the names. I knew each and every one of them before we even learned them because of you. I guess I should really thank you for making me feel a bit ahead of the game in elementary xP

{Six}

We loved looking at animals. And fish. In fact, we both got siamese fighting fish on the same day.

 Mine looked something like this. I thought you chose a very interesting place to raise yours though. The washroom. We used to overfeed them for fun. I named mine Rainbow and it died after like a year.

Back then, maybe it was summertime but we always had phone conversations lasting quite a few hours. I always felt kind of honoured whenever we spoke on the phone, like I was worth your time and it meant a lot even if it sounds ridiculous now. You could be thinking "Why wouldn't you be worth my time?" but little kids thought dumb things like that. Including me.

We talked about our fish and other random things. It was really fun even if it was a short phase.

{Five}

Then came the day when we used that mini oven thing to make pizza bites and being the idiotic me I burnt my hand. I actually still kind of have the scar from then, but now it's much more faded. Goes to show how long scars stay xD (i'm so irrelevant)

After that accident happened, I was pretty much in tears and you taught my mom to put toothpaste on the burn. Again, I thought you seriously knew everything. To get me to stop crying you taught me origami. I knew you made origami, but I never thought I could do it myself.

The first thing you ever taught me to fold was a turtle.

I still remember it. When I went home that night, I was really excited that I had a new hobby to work with. You gave me some origami paper to practice with and I was really frustrated when I got home because I kept missing a step. I felt a little ashamed that I forgot already, but I remembered soon after a few tries and began folding non stop. It was like a new obsession. The next time I went to your house you asked if I still remembered. Of course I did!

Afterwards you taught me the star box and then the crane. It's funny because people usually learn the crane first, but I'm happy I'm unique. I think the last thing you taught me how to fold was a ninja star? I still remember all these. Somewhere in between you even taught me a flower. Back in grade 4 I'd say origami was my obsessive hobby. The sanrio store owners knew me as the girl who always bought stickers and origami paper, and I always carried a stack in my pocket, folding when I wasn't walking or eating.

You told me about the myth of folding 1000 cranes and getting a wish after. I wasnted to test that challenge and you said you'd help me. I think together we got up to about 400 or 600 something before we gave up, but the effort was amazing. My room was filled with cranes everywhere, I ran out of jars and they just lay on the floor. Eventually my mom threw them all out and I think that was when we gave up.

This is one of the skills you've given me that I still keep. Thank you for teaching me origami.

{Four}

And then there were our kitchen adventures. I couldn't cook for my life, and frankly, you kind of couldn't either. But I didn't think so at that time. I thought you knew everything (literally) and followed you like ... an apprentice? I guess you could say, haha. One day no adults were home so we went to the kitchen and you wanted to show me how to make juice.

That grape and orange juice we made was HORRIBLE, you have to admit. But the process was really exciting.

Then there was what we called "the Sharon sushi". Back when I didn't like the idea of eating raw fish, you made this for me to try and it was good!

You put that stuff in it! Wow.. just looking at that makes me kind of hungry. My house doesn't have that anymore -sigh-.

{Three}

I wasn't good at singing, and probably back then when you forced me to sing I was still pretty shy. But I remember when we were on that trip to Kelowna, was it? There was a song you always had stuck in your head. It was "We Belong Together" by Mariah Carey.

You sang it on the bus constantly. I think back then when mp3's were still popular you had one and forced me to listen to the song a lot. I didn't mind though. This song was actually really good. Even though I'm almost completely isolated from Western music at this point, I still remember this song because it was a song you showed me.

It's funny, I remember the things you show me the most. There was also Mistake No. 2 that you showed me. Good song, I still listen to it to this day.

{Two}

I remember back when I used to go to your house at least once a week and you would teach me the most random things ever that I thought I needed to know in order to become a normal person in life. Back in your spider infested basement, I remember we used to jump around, sing or dance or whatever and you taught me this symbol. Remember it?

It looked something like that. I can't remember. But you said something like it was the symbol for eternal friendship. I thought it was super amazing, and you even drew it on a christmas card you gave me. It was a red card with gold trees, and I actually kept it up until a few years ago when my mom trashed my collection box of cards. Still, I probably kept it for over 7 years so that's an achievement to me. Your writing has gotten a lot prettier since then (obviously LOL... it should've!)

{One}

I'm not going to bother thinking of a title for any post because I'll probably just come up with something lame. Also, I can't guarantee the memories will be in chronological order because I don't think them up in order. ANYWAY, here's the first memory!

Do you remember this?

I do.

You made it and gave it to me, I think because I liked the glow in the dark wings? It's funny, even now when I'm 16 I still find glow in the dark objects very entertaining. Even I'm surprised I still have this, but I really love it.

There were a lot of things you gave to me... and I can't possibly list them all. Honestly I've tried to keep all of them, but my mom throws a lot of stuff away when she cleans. Thankfully at least I still have this, but also even more thankfully, it's not all I have to remember you by.

I always have and always will forever look up to you, you know that right? Even for really insignificant hobbies like making bead figures, I thought you were the coolest person on Earth. To me, you'll always be one of the coolest people on Earth. It doesn't matter what you say, what you do, what you achieve and what you don't. Just know that I'll always look up to you, because you're like an older sister to me.

"WTH is this?" You say?

So basically, there's a lot of things I want to say, reminisce with you about, and thank you for that just won't fit in a Christmas card. It feels like I owe you a lot for the person I am today (You can't deny that either!) so let this be part of your Christmas present--A gigantic thank you from me to you, Sharon Hoang! ^^

I guess it'll be like a scrapbook of memories. If you hate reading a lot then... SUCKS TO BE YOU hahaha! I write paragraphs like no tomorrow (: Whether you read everything or not is up to you, but every word I type is sincerely from the heart. I'll separate different thoughts into different posts. I'm gonna try to touch on every significant memory for as long as I remember, whether you remember them or not. If I remember the event then it happened and you're just forgetful! Just kidding, but seriously, let's see how far my memory goes. You might have fun comparing your version of the same memory with mine ^^.

You may have noticed that the first post is dated November 21, 2011. I decided to start early since this will be a "virtual card" that will be built as time goes by up until the day you finally see it (and hopefully you won't see it much earlier before Christmas).

[P.S.] Forgive any typos since I am a person who HATES editing my own writing. also if you're wondering why this is green, it's because green is a Christmas color and I hate red (:!

~Love, Esther THE ONE AND ONLY.