Dreams, Illusions, Bubbles, Shadows

On a noisy wagon.

On the second day of Chinese New Year, behind the wheel is a multi-tasking Mummy who has to

1. keep a close lookout for Uncle's car.
2. navigate on unfamiliar roads.
3. steer clear of speedsters speeding 180km/h. These youngsters came in throngs, mind you. Manoeuvring between the three lanes and screeching their way up front. It was a miracle that their overworked car tyres didn't drop out in protest.
   Mum: "Look at these youngsters. Only the old ones are driving at sensible speed."
   Me: "That explains why they are still driving on the road (and not lying somewhere else)."
4. concentrate admist the kopitiam football chitchat and noisy kids games. What do you get when you have two football punters together? Deafening noise with spits, sensational exclaimations of wins and dismaying losses, self-justifying accusations at the team manager, goalie and striker, all thrown in disarray. It puts you on 1-week football abstinence and you go into hysterics at the briefest mention of foobol.
5. calm her nerves and pretend she's cruising around the neighbourhood alone.
6. check that I was dilligently jotting down the directions and prominent landmarks. Mum didn't have to worry about my efficiency at that point. It was really quite impossible to doze off in the midst of a lively post-foobol match commentary and 4 kids + 1 teen playing some highly audible children games. For your information, we had 9 people on our roomy MPV aka bread van aka barney's bus.
   

2006 lunar new year has deviated from our usual routine. The angpao revenue wasn't spectacular but little things have made my cny unexpectedly meaningful.

New year's eve was a frentic rush - to digest the sumptuous food in time for the next meal - which is only 2 hours away. I had on average 3 full-course meals in 6 hrs. This glutton act started from saturday and only came to an official close yesterday, spanning over 4 delightful days. My girth has [thus] expanded generously to a middle-age spread.

The most memorable event is having reunion dinner with shifu. I still feel guilty for not emptying my stomach fast enough to fully show my appreciation for shifu's homemade vegetarian cuisine.

Happy Chinese New Year (or happy public holidays if you prefer)!

posted by Michelle at 12:59 AM