Anny Chih

The Top 50 candidates for the Best Job in the World were asked by Tourism Queensland to write a short story / mini essay (300 – 500 words) which answered several questions. One question read “If successful in gaining The Best Job in the World with Tourism Queensland, who will be joining you on your journey to the Islands of the Great Barrier Reef?”

If I am lucky enough to be hired for the Best Job in the World, I would without a doubt, take my sister Angela! Ang is eight years older than me and has always been someone I look up to.

Inspired by the ’25 Random Things’ Facebook note that I keep getting tagged in, I decided I’d write 25 Random Reasons why she’s the best sister I could’ve ever hoped for:

1. When I was a baby, my parents used cloth diapers for me. Ang used to help wash my dirty diapers. That should be reason enough! lol
2. When she got her very first paycheck, Ang didn’t spend it on herself like most kids would. Instead, she bought me a pink teddy bear named Amy that I still keep by my bed today.
3. Even though there are so many other more exciting things a teenage girl can do, Ang planned my sixth birthday party, made the invitations, decorated the house, set up the games and bought prizes too! It was a big hit
4. Before I got a real desk of my own, Ang converted the bottom shelf of our shared closet into a desk and cleaned out a tin can to make a pencil holder for me. Mum wasn’t too pleased about this because I had thought that my new little office needed some decorating and took the liberty of helping out with some felt markers.
5. When I was around eight years old and we couldn’t go inside the house because it was being repainted, Ang let me go with her to Mac’s (a convenience store) even though she didn’t have to let me tag along. She doesn’t know it yet, but that day was pretty special to me. It made me feel like a respected big kid.
6. She used to play house with me even though she was already in high school and spent hours making construction board cut-outs of vegetables for my play kitchen.

   

   1989: Angela and Anny on a trip to Whistler

7. The first time I tried to make breakfast (it was mum’s birthday), I almost burnt down the kitchen. The first thing I thought was to wake Ang up because she always knows what to do. Although she wasn’t altogether pleased about the situation, she put out the fire before ratting me out to the parentals. We ate breakfast on the balcony that day because the kitchen was still smoky.
8. During my Moffatt’s phase (Canadian boy band), she bought me my first CD and took me to see my first concert (a pop tour featuring The Moffatts) even though she couldn’t stand them!
9. When I was 12 and too young to register as a volunteer at the local hospital, Ang used to take me volunteering each Saturday anyways to play bingo with the senior citizens. She taught me that it doesn’t matter how old or young you are — you can and should always try to make a positive impact on the world.
10. In Grade 8 when I got a rose-a-gram in class, I was too embarrassed to show her the card that went with it (the boy who sent it wrote a sweet poem). I told her that the rose didn’t come with a card and even though she knew that was a lie, she didn’t bother me about it.
11. Back in the late ‘90s, they used to air Laverne and Shirley and That Girl each night at 10pm. Ang and I would stay up and watch it every night and sing to the intros.
12. One morning we fell asleep on the couches and woke up over an hour late for her final exam. Even though this was a really big deal, she drove me to school first because she didn’t want me to miss class. Ang always thinks of others first, even at times when she shouldn’t. Her final exam was a lot more important than my first class (it was Grade 8 Social Studies).

    

    1993: Angela, Anny and Amy the Bear in San Francisco

13. We used to watch a lot of musicals and sing to those too! “The rain in Spain stays mainly on the plains da-dum-dum da-dum-dum” (bonus points if you know where that’s from)
14. She introduced me to Audrey Hepburn movies and classics like Roman Holiday, Funny Face, and (of course) Breakfast at Tiffany’s.
15. When I ran for Student Council in high school, Ang helped me with my campaign ‘Quacks for Anny’ (I had a mascot duck named Gordo). I was elected Public Relations Executive that year. Two years later at graduation, a classmate remarked that whenever she saw me, she still thought “quacks for Anny!”
16. Ang let me sit in on one of her university classes one day. I still remember sitting in the lecture hall at SFU’s Harbour Center campus listening to the professor talk about how “there is no ‘real world.’ THIS is the real world.” He was referring to the fact that many students believe school and their future careers are completely separate — that how they behave today has no impact on their future — and that this concept is incorrect. This lecture became the foundation on which I built my own talk with a group a high school students this year, which focused on the importance of being involved in extra-curricular activities and not simply skimming through the regular school curriculum.
17. Even though she was absolutely terrified of being in a car with me behind the wheel, Ang tried to teach me how to drive. I don’t actually think this was a good idea since she was freaking out so much that I was spazzing even more! I did end up taking professional driving lessons.
18. She let me borrow her car for a year before I bought my own.
19. Ang can almost always read my mind when we’re both in the same situation because we’re almost always thinking the same thing.

    

    2007: Morten and Angela at the Grand Canyon

20. She and Morten (my brother-in-law) always wait for me before watching a new episode of The Big Bang Theory, Dollhouse, or any other show they think I might like. In fact, they’re waiting right now for me to finish writing so we can watch yesterday’s episode of The Big Bang Theory.
21. Ang has let me borrow most of her jewelry pieces at least ten times more often than she’s ever worn them. And in some cases, she’s let me hijack her jewelry even before she has a chance to wear them! Heeheehee
22. Whenever Ang goes to a fair or market, she always keeps an eye out for things I might like (I LOVE fairs and markets!) and often brings me back a treat (usually a yummy snack).
23. When I told her that I wanted to apply for the Best Job in the World and asked her and Morten for help to film my application video, neither of them hesitated in saying yes.
24. Whenever Ang makes coffee, tea or gets a snack from the kitchen, she always asks if I want some. And even if I say no to snacks, she usually puts a bit more on her plate and brings it over just in case I change my mind.
25. And finally, Ang never doubts that I can do whatever I set my mind on. She is the most caring and supportive person I know and I love her to bits! <3