Good game. Good way to escape for a while.
Today we have to leave a little earlier, so I shower and put on the plain white tee with to keyboard print, brown jeans and my red shoes.
My grandmother's place is in Joo Chiat, and this time the direction of the carpark has changed, totally, the other way round. Its a bad system and should change back my dad says.
I agree mentally. Its a bad system. Change it back.
On the way to her place Mom and Dad argue about why mom only puts ten dollar notes in her red packets.
Dads justification for his argument is that there is a survey in the Straits Times that says the average is twenty.
Mom says it doesn't matter because a Red Packet is a gesture of goodwill.
Money and Goodwill.
And both of them don't stop until mom gets a little pissed, so I ask them to stop.
The food is always the same at my granny's, except that every year the quality dips a little.
Still, few other places offer home-made popiah.
Auntie Suat Nee (sp), Daniel, and Crystal arrive.
I wonder what life is like for them.
Will it be better for us or them?
I don't think you can say "better". Things like these are rarely valued in absolute terms.
We sit, and watch the Winter Olympics, and even though it isn't required of us, we pretty are much silent when the electronic box calls us to hold 1 minute's worth silence for some guy who died in the luge.
As we get up to leave the rest of my Mom's side pours in.
We wait half an hour more so we can get our red packets.
Then we leave for Aunt Judy's and on the way mom sneaks in some more verbal pinches at Dad's red packet ideaology.
Stop.
Sebastian isn't home yet, so my brother turns on the computer, and I introduce him to Sonny 2.
Then he gets home, so Dad, bro, Sebas, and I sit down to play dai di.
And I generally win about 90 dollars.
We stop to Lou Yu Sheng.
And I eat 3 bowls of it, cause our family's Yu Sheng is damn awesome.
Then the adults (Jeff, Mel, Jane, Dad, Mom, + Bro, Sebas) go in to play poker.
And generally my family members are quite loud and like to debate. Alot.
If you're cantonese you might know what I'm talking about.
So I sit next to mom and teach her how to play, and leech off some of her winnings.
And it comes to a point where JAne asks if K,Q,J is a pair or something (and its not..).
And everyone is cross-talking across the table really loudly, and:
(noise)
Jane: I just want to ask-
(noise)
Sebas: (motions with sweeping arm movement) SHUT UP!
(silence)
Jane: You don't talk to me like thdjfislanfdlafdskal;mv430.;' No respeccdl;sa,clsda.;''] I have/'d.;ca.;'d!!!
Sebas: ....
Okay, so I'm sitting in there and I think that that was really bad communication.
Sebas(tian, in case you people were wondering) was probably asking everyone else to shut up so he could tell her. And at the same time stopping her from repeating her question since he already knew what it was.
And my aunt being the way she is retaliated like that.
Still.
Picking a fight with a kid, real mature.
Not saying anyone is at fault, its just, with all respect, being the adult, you should have a bigger heart and bear with it. Just sayin.
Of course, saying is unfortunately most of what I do anyway. Just saying.
And as the parents watch TV, Sebas, bro and I play dai di, and I rake in more cash.
We go home with the Champagne (Moet and Chandon), and a Pinot Noir that Uncle Jeff bought.
When we reach home, we play poker and dai di in bro's room on the red table, drinking both and Asahi.
This is where I stop telling you what happened.
A child should never have to experience this.
This is the second day of Chinese New Year, 2010, 14/02/10
I will remember today for the rest of my life.
Labels: Silent
