Time goes by, so slowly (in the office damnit!).
I'm gonna balloon to my pre-Australia state at the rate I'm munching on Korean tidbits Jean has placed on her table with the instruction, "Take take! Help to finish."
Lunch consisted of 2 prata kosong and 2 packets of guava. So much for losing weight after returning..
Another 1.5hrs before I get to go home. Well, not exactly since I've got a dinner appointment. And Chinky New Year's round the corner. Oddly enough, it sure doesn't feel like a festive season this year. Perhaps the annual routine of having steamboat at my place has been disrupted or maybe, we've all grown up. Afterall, both my sisters will be having reunion dinner at their in-laws', leaving me alone with the old folks.
I haven't bought new clothes (and don't intend to anyway), my mom hasn't bought pussy willows so I can't hang the red packets, no mandarin oranges have been delivered to my place cos Uncle Albert's nursery has suffered alot of damages due to the rain and my dad hasn't hung up the red cloth (banner sounds wrong) outside my door for the fear of Orange ripping it. Oh wait. I think he already spoilt it last year.
To date, I only have a stash of new year cookies and Bangawan Solo's Kueh Lapis in the kitchen and one miserable hamper with a picture of a lion's head. My niece is the only one who's intrigued by this.
I've made this list of what I abhor during CNY cos I'm very very bored at work.
- Relatives commenting, "wah!! hen da le hor?" -How much more can I grow? Puberty is so over for me.
- Relatives serving fizzy-less fizzy drinks.
- Relatives giving used notes in ang pows.
- People asking how am I adapting to Australia. For the twentieth time.
- Long car rides to visit relatives I don't like.
- People who shove ba kua in my face and when I say, "no thanks.. I don't eat pork", they say "you are muslim ah".
- Relatives saying "ni de jie jie dou jie hun le.. ji shi dao ni? ha ha!"- HA HA HA. I like your sense of humour.
- Disgusting remixes of CNY songs. I cannot emphasize enough on this point. It irks me right down to my bones.
I'm just thinking.. how long more can such traditions (ie, CNY, Deepavali, Hari Raya, Mid-Autumn Festival etc) carry on for, before the next few generations completely strike them off from their annual calander.
