It was a mess here. Well not physically, more like a family mess. My uncle and cousin had this ugly fight during dinner. It got so ugly that every person who's present at the dining table literally backed away and went to the adjoining kitchen. Everybody here knows that whenever my cousin throws tantrums, we'd better stay out of her way. The only person she's afraid of is her dad. So anyway there I was, trying to eat dinner, with the complete innocence of one who doesn't know anything about their fight. Of course, I can't help but overhear them. Besides, having lived here for over a year, I got a firsthand account of the situation. The problem with my uncle is he expects too damn much from my cousin. He expects her to be a straight A student, a bookworm, and to be this and that. It really isn't fair. Plus, he always compares her to other people: "Look at your friend Sasa. She has good grades. Look at your friend Jon. She's good at Biology. Look at your Ate. She reads a lot of books." And so on. Ewan... Because of what my uncle is doing, he can't see what my cousin is capable of, the rare gem that she is. He tries to measure her up with my cousin's friends (and even me) as guidelines on how my cousin should be. Why can't he just accept her for what she is? Sigh.

BTW Happy Thanksgiving!