The Teh Tarik Monologues, Part 2

J: What movies made you cry, and why?

R: Haha paiseh to say lah!!

Z: C’mon lah!!

R: Errmmm. Let’s see. I remember watching a Japanese movie called ‘Crying out for Love in the Center of the World’. There was a boy and girl, they fell in love and suddenly the girl got sick and was slowly dying. When the girl was vey close to death, out of true love the boy proposed to marry her, in hospital and on her deathbed, even though he knew he wouldn’t get to see her again for another day. I remember he even brought the marriage cert for her! And when she said yes and he cried, the music and all came on and I started crying too!! Hahaha…Very very touching. Luckily it was in the cinema haha, still very dark inside, can’t see can’t see…

Z: Hahah, got no “sob sob” sound one meh?

R: Got, but make it sound like I’m having a flu lah!! HAhaha

J: Like that also can!!

R: Hahahha. The other movie I remember I cried abit was also a Japanese movie called ‘Cyborg girl’. Also called ‘My girlfriend is a Cyborg’, or ‘Cyborg She’ I think. There’s this guy that met and fell in love with a girl, and that girl turns out to be a cyborg or robot, built by himself in the future and set back in time to met himself!! I think why he did that was because in the past he met this girl and fell in love, but he didn’t have the guts to approach or talk to her. Ever since then, he grew old and alone, he really regretted it until his dying day. So, he being a brilliant scientist made a cyborg of her to bring back to the past, to allow himself another chance not only at love, but in life, to show him the mistakes he had made and hopefully learns to rectify them. In the end, when the girl had to ‘shut down’, the boy was reminiscing about all that he had experienced and learned about life with a second chance, and when the music came on, I just cried hahahaha….Quite a meaningful movie, if you really look into it. But luckily I was watching it alone.

Z: Ooooooh.

R: The other one was…Jeng jeng jeng!!! Titanic hahahahaha.

J & Z: Wahalooooooooo….

R: Eh, when watching it the first time it was so nice ok!! Then it got so popular until everyone was singing that song and all. Sigh, spoil the movie already haha. But the scene when Jack was clinging on to Rose on the water after the ship had sunk, Jack had died from the cold, Rose kept calling him to wake up, but he didn’t, she still kept calling him to wake up, hoping he would, but in the end she had to let him go, and seeing Jack fading into the water, and that music started playing, I cried hahahhaa….Lukily, the person next to me was crying also, so no problems hahaha…can share share tissue paper hahaha….

J: Aiyooooo!! Any other movies?

R: Got la, quite a few lor. ‘Winter Sonata’ was so good, and then ‘1 Liter of Tears’. Wahlau, that one really can make you cry 1 liter of tears out from you one haha…

Z: Hahah, not corny or cliché meh these shows?

R: It’s clichéd lar, but sometimes you just have to open up and let it all in. Allow yourself be taken in by it, and when you start to believe in it, then it shows you emotions that you can only dream of haha…And sometimes, who knows, you can maybe learn something from these shows too.

J: Like what?

R: Like opening up to love, I mean I see some people always so cool, like too cool for sentimentality, too cool for love. But, why not? But then again, they might have gotten hurt from love…and love is not welcomed.

J: Yes true. People are the way they are from their past experiences, the way there brought up, etc. So many factors.

R: True. So thank God I didn’t have to go through many bad experiences.

Z: So that’s for movies, what about in real life? What touched you most and made you cry?

R: I think it was only recently. It was during my wedding and it was at the tea ceremony. There’s this auntie that I know since I was a kid. She cared for me and saw me grow up since young. And on that day, when it was her turn to present the tea to her, I was touched. There she is, from the day when she walked me to school when I was a boy in primary school, fetched me in to secondary school, she was there when I graduated in the UK, she came all the way there, until now, I am married and here she is, in front of me. When I said the words to ‘cheng yamca’ I was touched then, but after finishing her drink, she put the cup aside and got up and hugged me. And it was a long hug, it was a hug many, many years in the making, and I cried. It was not a sobbing cry, it was a cry of comfort and assurance, that we reached so far in the journey together, and hopefully for many years to come. Many people didn’t notice I think. I looked away & continued on with the day…

Z & J: Awwwwww….ahahahhaa….

Z: Wahhh so much crying, and nothing to do with your wife one ah??

R: Hahahah. Well, for me, the most romantic thing la together with her is when I proposed and she said yes, we spent the first moments engaged underneath the sky of fireworks in Disneyland, Hong Kong. I think for me, the feeling was just perfect. The fireworks were out of this world, and the feeling with her was out of this world. And just walking around Disneyland with her, with the fairy lights and innocent laughter all around the park, it was just special for me. It was ‘A Whole New World’!!! Hahaha.

J: Ooooooo…Interesting interesting…shall we talk more about your love life hmmmm? Your ex, or ex-es etc hahaha…

R: No laaaahhhh…..enough enough ahhaha

Z: Yaya, how many ah? 2? 3? 4? 5?

R: I’m a single-lady person ok!!

J: YEAH RIGHT LAHH hahaha…

Z: Quick quick tell, how one your love life. In UK sure got one ler? I heard got, Ben say one hahah…almost want to start, but didn’t start one rite!!! The girl got bf already somemore!!!

R: Whatever lahhh….


The rain slowly subsides, but the questions linger much longer. Much more was said, but that’s all for today. But after reminiscing through all that was asked and spoken, it’s amazing how a few cups of The Tarik can bring about so many emotions, so many questions, so many words spoken. I guess it’s just one of those peculiar pulls of the teh.
Coffee shop talk and all that. Until next time….