@Echo Regardless of the squabbles, the “you stole my shirt”, or the exchange of harmless insults, deep down, there’s an unspoken bond that ties us to our siblings (unfortunately *eye roll*). However, it’s no secret that many of us fail to express this affection verbally, and often regret it when it’s too late. Therefore, in celebration of International Siblings Day, Echo wishes to extend few heartfelt and borderline hilarious messages to their own siblings, with the hope of inspiring others to do the same!
The catch is these messages are conveyed under pseudonyms/nicknames, enabling some have the leeway of being emotional without fearing the judgement. So, if you’ve been holding back your feelings, consider this as a nudge to finally send that ardent text you’ve been drafting, or summon the courage to take those few extra strides down the hallway and knock on their bedroom door. Don’t miss the opportunity—seize the moment and pour your heart out!
- From: Your Akka
Message:
Hey bro. I want you to know… you drive everybody in the house slightly insane by broadcasting your TF2 YouTube mix. Country Roads (my beloathed) plays when I wake up and you’re in the bathroom literally next door. Wellermen or Engie Main in the afternoon, Spy Jazz remix in the car, and literally so many video game background scores. Anyway, I’m still a proud AI-hater, no matter how ‘lolz’ it is.
(Meme voice) Stop it. Get help.
Happy siblings day. It’s like your birthday, but I don’t have to buy you a present. Bonus kudos for that. The short version? I love you. But because I’m also a theatre kid at heart, here’s my anonymous soliloquy:
Related by blood, verbal punching bags by choice.
The greatest gift I have ever given you is my sass. I’ve been wounded by a weapon of my own making. This is a glorious death.
You make people laugh. Even through their pain.
You’re smart, you’re brave, you’re everything I wish I could have been.
I would give my kidney, my right arm but definitely not my PS4 for you.
But if I have to weigh chocolate milk cartons or cut another air-fried otak-otak in two with a ruler, I swear-
But never mind all that.
I would have followed you, my brother, my archnemesis, my best friend.
- From: Mei Mei
Message:
I know we are not siblings in the most technical sense, but i grew up calling you my “gor gor”, and you share my surname. in my eyes, you will always know better than me, and in my ears, you will always know what to do and what to say. i miss our friday night dinners, and even though we only ever went that one time, playing laser tag together. i miss being a child and having my ipad taken away by you so you could blow up all the houses i had built on minecraft. i miss selectively avoiding dishes at the dinner table, only for you to throw them on my plate, with the prawns’ shells peeled off. i want so desperately to name my hypothetical firstborn son after leslie cheung, but you just had to go and take that idea away. now everyone will think that i’m naming my child after you. what an ego boost. when i was going through my letters the other day, i found the letter you had written for me when you left for university. god, i don’t think i’ve ever cried for anyone like that ever since. fingers crossed, i will join you there one day, in the little island across the causeway.
- From: Shamalamadingdong
Message:
Hey Kuya! First of all, I’d like to wish you a Happy International Siblings Day, secondly, I just wanted to say that even though you suck and you annoy the heck outta me, you have a special place in my heart always. Thank you for all the heart to heart talks and for truly having my back when I need someone in my corner. You’re a 10, but you don’t remember to turn the tap off, so please remember to turn the tap off, thanks 😀
- From: Your favourite sister
Message:
Thanks for being so silly and annoying that its actually entertaining. As much as you annoy me and make me angry and upset and disappointed i think i would have had a very boring life without you. I hope the best for you in your life, but may it not be better then mine obviously. Hope you know that every insult and punch i throw at you comes with love, and a bit of hatred too hehe
- From: Your meimei who never calls you kajie (im sorry) <3
Message:
Hello my lovely sister! It’s me, your favourite annoying little sister. Happy siblings day! I think I rarely ever express my gratitude to you for everything that you have done for me. Growing up, you have always been my support system and my source of inspiration. I know you, and really wish you would believe in yourself more often. I believe in you more than you know. You are my role model in everything that I do and you are everything that I am not. Every day I wish I could be a bit more like you, in your level-headedness and your forgiveness. I admire your empathy and I always wish I could possess your understanding of others feelings. I am absolutely nothing without you. You have shaped me and moulded me into the person I am today, and without fail I will always seek your approval in things.
I am always grateful that our relationship is the way that it is. I love that we are so open about everything. You truly get me like no one else can. Thank you for being my safe space for expressing my emotions.
Thank you for being the person I can go to without fear of judgement. Thank you for always trying to understand me. Honestly, I think that I am a terrible sister. I am bad at listening, bad at taking responsibility and bad at helping. If I have ever hurt you, please know that it comes from a place of love. My opinions may be harsh, but I just never want to see you get hurt. Take care of yourself and your heart. Be the strong but sensitive woman that we were raised to be. I love you so much my sister, my forever dance partner, my eternal soulmate.
- From: Z
Message:
I wish I had the capability to raise you. Wish I had maternal instinct and a child’s heart, able to fit in your hands. Wish we could build legos and code scratch games together. I rarely ever say it, but I do love you. I’ll give you my time soon. So please grow up well. Please be kind.
- From: Cheh
Message:
Hey! Taking the opportunity to be sappy here! Thanks for being the best built-in best friend one could ever ask for. I’ll make sure Ping is happy and cared for very well. To all the fandoms we share and adore, let’s talk about them all the time and lament on the downsides. And for the books, yes, we can discuss them and complain about what we dislike. I like how we can listen to each other’s opinions and go off from there. The fact that we talk extensively about almost anything and everything, brings me so much joy.
I know things haven’t been easy, but I hope you know you have people behind you, guiding you through stormy seas and keeping you anchored.
It’s funny looking back to think of all the times we fought as kids, and now we find it strange it ever happened. I like how we are now. You’re the best and my favourite person to ever exist. And I’m always praying and rooting for you.
- From: Tissue
Message:
I love you both with all of my heart. That’s all that I have to say. That’s all that I have to say. Growing up with you two wasn’t easy. Everyday was a battlefield. And everyday I gladly lost to the war.
As the eldest, I was fine with being the only child. I got all the attention, all the gifts, all the happiness. Then “T” was born. GOD, I REMEMBER HATING YOU. I loved you but I was also jealous of you. I wanted to be the first person to look at you after you were born. I was NOT the first, but everyone made me believe that I was. I looked at you and thought ” This is the dude I have to live the rest of my life with……hmmm….cute.” I never had to share anything until you came into my life. Eventually, I had to learn to share but I didn’t mind after being reassured by others that I was the special one. I was six, and I loved you more than anything in the world. I gave you constant attention, I gave you all my toys, I gave you all my love, but I also always took one thing from you. The opportunity to have solo pictures. Man, I always photobombed you. You don’t have many single pictures because I was always there. The only time people got to take pictures of you was when I was asleep. I sticked onto you like gum and never left you alone. I remember the night when you got into a shock and we had to rush you to the hospital. I saw the state you were in and I was crying so bad. I remember saying I would rather be gone than you. The second the doctor said you would be fine, I felt alive again. I have never felt that way before and knowing that anything could happen to any of us anytime made me love you even more. We were like Tom and Jerry, always fighting but we couldn’t live without each other.
Nevertheless, you grew up. I did too. That’s when things took a turn. We had screaming matches everyday. The first time you made me get hurt was when you were three. You bit me on my arm for asking you to get into the car. I thought you were a monster. *I still do.* I couldn’t stand you driving me mad. You always wanted me to play with you games that I didn’t like. And I avoided that. I would always scream at you for touching my stuff and drawing on them. I complained about you non-stop. Yet, whenever you got into trouble, I was always the first one to be by your side. You did the same for me. Even though most of the time, I get into trouble BECAUSE of you, you still had my back. I would always appreciate you for that.
A few years later, J was born. It was a surprise to say the least. I was worried about having another brother. One was already a hassle. Now, I need to handle two menaces. I was tense. But the moment I heard your heartbeat, I knew there was nothing I wouldn’t do for you too. You were already loved by all even before you were born. Unlike T and me, you were not doted on by many people. That made me sad and I thought to myself, I would never let you feel alone as long as I was there. You didn’t just had one person to take care of you, but two. I spoilt you. I gave you everything you asked for, which wasn’t much since you didn’t ask for stuff. So, I did everything I could to keep you happy. I never made you cry, but when you did cry, I always made sure you were fine again.
I remember the day when you saw me in the hospital. I had anaphylaxis and you thought I was going to die. That was the moment I realised that you loved me as much as I did to you. As you are growing now, I just wish we can stay the way we are now forever and ever.
I don’t know what I did to deserve the two of you but just know I would drop everything I have if I had to for you guys. So stop asking me to buy you stuff. I would drop everything but money. For now at least.
Let me get a job. I’m still broke.
All in all, the key takeaway from these messages is that it’s never too late to bear your heart, and allow yourself a moment of vulnerability with those you’ve shared a home and bloodline with since your earliest memories. After all, these are the people you would never want to share a charger with, but would readily offer a kidney in the blink of an eye.
Written By: Echo Members
Edited by: Ruby
