My Cousins..

We cousins used to be very close. Weekly meetings were held without fail at each of our houses. We played almost everything together. Board games (Risk, Cluedo, Monopoly), sports (badminton, swimming), childish games (hide-and-seek, catching, 5 stones, barbie dolls, lego) and card games (UNO, Donkey) were the most common activities we engaged in. However, the weekly meet-ups were slowly reduced to monthly meetings due to something called exams. A certain aunt felt that studies were more important than maintaining bonds.

Things got worse when we entered secondary schools. As each of us began a new chapter and started building our social lives within our own network, the need to meet-up between us cousins was greatly diminished. Within a few years, we were practically reduced to meer strangers who met up only during the first 2 days of CNY. The first day of every subsequent CNY was not so bad. After all, having not caught up with one another for such a long period of time, there were bound to be matters to talk about. However, by the second day, we would run out of things to say. Some cousins won't even bother turning up while others disappear to their gf's/bf's place leaving behind the younger ones (which obviously includes me) being bored to tears.

Now that almost all of us have graduated, the meetings have suddenly came back. That same aunt who initially reduced the meeting-up sessions has been the organizer so far. Things are no longer so awkward now that we've grown older and that some of us are going to share the same profession in the near future. But having been apart and not constantly keeping up-to-date with one another's lives, I find it hard to maintain the ties that we once shared. Each of us is so different now. We each lead our own lives. We each have our own priorities in life. We no longer have as many common interests. We are no longer the small kids who will get together just to play games and have fun. Some of us would rather not meet-up as there are other more exicting things lined up in our agenda.

I feel that my aunt's actions have come a bit too late. Re-building bonds between a group of dissimilar adults would definitely be an arduous task.