the tungkas and the hos

Made a round on wishing the Tungkas and The Hos Chinese new year tonite.

The Tungkas happened to gather in Jakarta.
My mother picked up the phone and passed it around.
My dad saw my picture last nite and told me I looked like a rooster.
Then to Oom Chan and Adi.. he just woke up and barely said a word.. seemed he fall back to sleep with the phone on his ear.
Mum made me call back for Dice because he was in the shower.

Sace was next.
He sounded happy. Good good!
I talked to Tante Lita, Anti, Iko, and Lucky.
God, they were all growing so fast!

Ako was in Makassar.
She seemed a little busy.
She was usually the cook for this sort of event.
I missed her cookies.
When I was younger, Ako used to take me on errands with her.
And she made me dresses which I loved and wore everyday until they ragged and my mum had to toss them away...

Next was Menado.
JC! Sice was so hard to reach.
And I hated his bodyguard or the screener!!
This time his machine picked up.
I left him a message.

I made the round for the Hos.
Called Uncle David and Dikimpo, they weren't home.
Then to Uncle David's twin brother Ampe Liong Ie a.k.a Dr. Ho.
He was sweet as usual.
I loved to hang out with him especially when I just arrived, I got to speak English at the same time gradually remembering the Indonesian.. oof!

Ako Chichi, Dr. Ho's sister in Roquebrune, was out.
I left her a message.
I loved Ako Chichi and The Rozands.
They were super sweet and warm when I was there.
I had never met her before, but as soon as she got the bus station to pick me up on her convertible, amazingly we recognized each other!
She looked like my late grandma.
She told me I looked like my mum but with straight hair.
I stayed with her for a week and met my cousins for the first time, Kim and You You.
They were gorge! Half Chinese, half French! Oh la la..
We went swimming on the beach everymorning.
M. Damien Rozand, Ako Chichi's husband, was tall with rosy cheeks.
He was gentle and funny.
I missed them soooooo much!

HK to go.
Bekukong, my grandma's brother, picked up.
He speaked just like my grandma did.
With a Dobo's local accent!
Hadn't seen him since... hmmm.. 9th grade?
I asked him to pass my kisses to Bekimpo, Connie, and Deepak.

Connected to Melbourne for my sweet Chen, Sice's daughter.
Another machine.
Gong Xi Fat Choi!! Gong Xi Fat Choi!! Gong Xi...
Hello?? Hello??
Are you screening the phone now?
No, I was about to jump in the shower! And I heard your crazy voice on my machine!
Chen told me, she'd call me tomorrow, because of the time lagged.
It is a tradition for the younger to call the older ones.
Well, I told her I was trying to reach her dad, but it was his machine.. so if she hadn't called, I'd like her to pass my new year's wish to him, too.
It turned out his dad had changed his number.. boof!
Eh, Rini dut? Was she at school?

Called back to Menado.
This time Sice's "screener" picked up.
He didn't even know who I was... I started to lose my patient.
This is his niece from NY!
I was Sice (and Ma's) little princess hence nobody mess with me! hahahaha~
Finally got through to Sice.. hooray!!
Then to Sicim and Lie.
The background sounded like a market.
Lie told me they were passing out angpao -- red envelopes with money, to the employees.

And back to JKT.
This time Tante Retno picked up.
Tante Retno was my partner in crime.
Married to my father youngest brother Oom Chan made her the youngest in the family of my father's generation.
Sudah jadi Encim Retno mi ini? Lebih cina loleng mi?
She laughed.
She reminded me that tomorrow would be 1st of Muharram, a Moslem New Year.
Darn! I had to make another round to my mother's side, the Mustamins a.k.a MuDaMa, tomorrow nite.
Dice finally finished the shower.
Annete had plenty of boys.
Jo was losing his mojo.
Lydia thought I had forgotten her.
Her brother, Aldi thought the same.
Of course, it was ridiculous!
I closed the nite with Tante Rille...

Completed the Tungkas and at least the closest of the Hos.

I love and miss you all..

Capung, Gong Xi Fat Choi yah! Wish you the best in life and love for the upcoming year..
kiss kiss~

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