As a child or even a teenager, any sort of caffeine was off limits - that includes tea. Probably this restriction explains why I compensate so much for its absence now. I wont say I am an obsessive tea drinker, but I admit that I am dependent. On average, two cups. One at the very least. 2 Twinning Everyday tea bags, water, 1 cube of brown sugar brewed for 2 minutes. Then, add in a splash of milk. Perfection in a cup. Thinking about it, tea signifies some important things in my life.
1. The ritual of winding down
I'm not a morning tea drinker just because I am not a morning person. I rush out the door everyday, and I hate tea scorching hot. So, I almost always drink tea when I get back home from work or right before bed. It draws a close to the busy nature of everyday life. Especially when I get home from a hard day, like today, drinking a warm cup of tea on my bench at home becomes such a treat, that that becomes something that motivates me to keep going. It is somewhat a prize, telling me, "Ayne, well done for surviving." Lately, I have even started dunking cream crackers into my tea. Ah, the bliss!
2. A family affair
This pertains to a specific type of tea. Chatime bubble tea - specifically, roasted milk tea, slight sugar, less ice. I can't really remember the exact point of when the frenzy started, but the womenfolk in my family are recurring customers of this specific brew. When one of us visits, we must always buy 3 - one for mama, one for me and one for Ezryn (Fytri isn't allowed to drink tea, but she participates through finishing the "bubble" pearls at the bottom). The men in the family aren't such fans. Maybe it is a genetic thing? But as Papa's office is located so close to a kiosk, he would bring back cups of takeaway bubble tea home, earning him extra brownie points with Mama! Especially in Ramadan, cold tea is so good at relieving the thirst from fasting all day. And the grass jelly bubbles, are just right. Not overcooked or undercooked, just the right taste and consistency to accompany the tea. Tried so many other chains, but I always come back to Chatime. Anyway, tea here is truly a family affair - we bond over it. And good luck to anyone of us who dares to bring back only one Chatime takeaway home!
3. You, me and two cups of tea
A personal memory for me and A. It was winter in my first year of university. He sent me back to my student accommodation, and we were sitting in the kitchen. Each of us with a warm cup of Lady Grey tea in hand. That was our beverage of choice at that time - tea with a hint of lemony goodness. We were just chatting when suddenly A became quite serious. We always planned to get married at the end of my 6-year stint in university. But in that moment, out of the blue, he said, "We should get married earlier." I was taken by surprise, but I knew that in my heart of hearts, I wanted that too. So, it was there in that room, over two cups of tea, that we hatched the plan of getting hitched. Instead of 2017 as originally planed, we aimed for 2014. That was when I was due to finish my first degree and when he was due to finish his first year of working. And ever since then, we worked toward that common goal - and Alhamdulillah, with God's grace, we achieved it! Looking back, we were so young to commit, with me being 20, him 22. And we were also comparatively young to get married about 2 years after. But we just knew. And I guess, if not now, when?
Whilst writing this, I have my favourite mug next to me. One that I purchased from a dream of a store called Anthropologie in Regent's street. It has the perfect brew in it, to accompany me through the imperfections of life. Logging off to take another sip!
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