Tomorrow is a very special day. 24 years ago on 25th June, a little boy was bestowed on our family. My brother, 5 years my junior, Marcus.

It's your birthday again, and I wanna dedicate this post for a trip down memory lane of your younger days.

From the moment you came into this world, you were what we called a "happy" baby. With your striking resemblance to Mum and your big sparkling eyes, you made strangers stop in their tracks to comment on how cute and adorable you were. We were so proud of you... especially when Mum enrolled you in a baby contest and you came in 3rd place. I dun remember much of that day, only that we spent the whole day at the community centre, and I rubbed the insides of my thighs raw bcos' I spent the whole day on the slide in the playground.



I was quite the monster elder sister, terrorizing you into playing with Barbie dolls, sabotaging you all the time, and making fun of your clumsiness. But never doubt for a moment that I love you. Being in this family, you must know that we are genetically impaired to show affection and encouragement with nice words. The more we care about you, the more we scold you. I think it's called tough love.



I was jealous of you cos' Mum doted on you. Being the elder sibling, I was always expected to take care of you and look out for you. It was tiresome, cos' before you came along, it was all about me and myself. From being the princess, I became second priority cos' now YOU were the baby of the family.



When you turned ten and I fifteen, Mum left us for good. It was a difficult time, and I wanna say: I'M SORRY. For my thoughtlessness and selfishness, and for all the times when I should have been there for you, but was not. I was immature and only focused on my own pain, without realizing that you were feeling even more alone. I only knew how to direct my angst towards you and vent my frustrations on you. It must have been difficult for you, growing up without a mother, a father or a sister.



Then came the onset of puberty. You morphed into a 1.89m tall, gangly "THING". I was still wrapped up in my own needs and wants and never knew how to talk to you. Sure, we hung out at home together, but I was painfully unaware that you needed a role model and some direction in your life. I ask myself now: What if I had been more mature and handled the situation differently?



With the completion of National Service, you matured and suddenly, we could click again. I am so proud of your achievements every single day. I am impressed by how you picked yourself up and performed so well at the interviews in order to join your current company. Through the years, you have managed to grow up by yourself, and accomplish so much by yourself.

I only hope for you to enjoy life every single day and never waste a moment with regrets or thinking about things you cannot change. May God keep you safe all the time and give you the tenacity to meet life's challenges head on and emerge victorious.

You've come a long way, bro... HAPPY 24TH and I'm sure by now you must be having a blast at Zouk!