Steamboat

As expected, there was reunion dinner that was eaten. It seems that it is a chinese tradition to have steamboat. Thinking about it, there never was such a tradition.

It was some rich people who like their food soggy because their seafood should be placed in salty stock like the sea they originate from and hence steamboat. It is now unavoidable to eat sea cucumber, cuttlefish, prawns and abalone in a steamboat.

You all know how weird we Chinese people are, we believe luck comes from red underwear and burning paper actually makes your dead ancestors rich. So, besides steamboating, we have a mini bbq grill around the steamboat to add variety to the way we cooked it. So, we eat barbequed sea cucumber, barbequed cuttlefish, barbeque prawns and barbeque abalone. You can imagine it is a season to get fat and MCs from the doctor.

The Chinese New Year this year is very auspicious to some people. Falling on Thursday and Friday, they can avoid work and officially have a 4 day vacation, which most take the opportunity to go overseas as a reason so as to avoid giving hongbaos to people. Smart ploy .....

Since I'm on the receiving end for the past 18 years of my lifetime, I wonder when will I be a giver. When is the proper age of marriage for me? I'll take the journey of self-discovery and take events as it comes. Chinese New Year is a period of time where you question yourself like the one above. This is because you put yourself through two days of torture by receiving goodwill from your uncles and aunts, you also receive discerning remarks and probing queries about how you've been.

I have compiled 4 embarrassing questions/stupid & dumb comments and my reply from my past Chinese New Years. They are as follows:

4. Ben, you've grown taller each year.
Reply: Duh ..... I can see for myself.

3. Ben, where is your girlfriend ?
I considered whether to say yes or no, because both have it perks and reprecussions. If i say yes, they will ask me her family background, blood type and the type of toilet paper she uses. If i say no, they will ask me whether I'm gay, looking for a gal who must be perfect or whether I'm gay. I always say no, and my curt reply is still finding lah .... and I slap them on the head with a steamboat pot if they ever question my sexuality.

2. How is your studies?
Reply: Yeah, finishing soon. this will entail another question. So going army soon lah, going to become botak leh, followed by giggles. I can only restrain myself with the steamboat ladle.

1. Where is your brother?
Foreword: my brother has this bad tendency of coming to any function late. It has been this case for 7 over years, what made them think this will change. Reply: Don't know, coming later. (As if I am a GPS monitor)

I have gotten so much feedback from my relatives on how I have grown, matured, developed and looked. Chinese New Year essentially is like a Miss World Paegent for teenagers like me. You get grilled questions on what have you done for the past year and how your looks are. Your aunties sit at the steamboat table and using their chopsticks, they wave at you and critique your every feature aka Antonio Banderes in "Are you hot?".

I just hope I can quickly grow out of this phase at get married. I don't mind being generous and give hell notes to my young ones and avoid the glare and questions from watchful aunts.

Chinese New Year is becoming more jaded for me. I heck care about how much I reap in, I am immuned to the goodies on offer, I am aghasted at the soft drinks poured for me. I just want to get it over and done with.

When did Chinese New Year become so difficult? Sigh.

- Benjamin

P.S. I just cannot imagine the next two days. Additionally, to add to the misery, I have to study for my SATs which falls on a saturday at 8 am in the morning and my prepration as of now stands at 15%.