The Gift

Call me unfilial. The thing is, I did not get my parent any presents for christmas. Not that I actually knew what they wanted so I thought to myself:

" Maybe I clean my room they happy liao. Anyway it is the thought that count mah."

The thought of not spending than more money than necessary set me on track for a neater bedroom.

After one hour I was still rearranging some books and so I thought:

" Heck, might as well clean the veranda as well. After all that is the first area guests see when entering our house. First impressions always last."

And I got down to it. I swept the floor , folded the socks, rearranged the hangers and pegs and half an hour later, the veranda as i know it was at its cleanest since Chinese New Year.( OK. I admit that was an exaggeration on my part.) One thing was certain though, it never felt or looked this good.

Seeing the neat veranda and how the rest of the house paled in comparision, I decided to -gasp- tidy the whole house. And so the next hour or so was dedicated to the dinning room and the living room. Notice that I deliberately left out the kitchen( danger area 1), my sister's room( danger area 2), my parents room( danger area 3 ) and the store room( danger area 4). What is so dangerous? When I clean their room, I am bound by the clause on page 5 sentence two of the Official Cleanning of the Kang's family Act( OCKA) stating as follows:

" 2. Should anything be mysteriously lost from the rooms, the party involved in the last cleanning would be undeniably held responsible. "

This essentially means that should be lost, they would find me. Now this is not shrinking from responsibility mind you. This is called protecting ymself.

Anyway, after about two and a half hours of cleaning( during which my father and sister did their own things) , I finally rested on the Sofa I had so neatly arranged early on. In fact I was rather hesitent on sitting because the Sofa looked so good. In the midst of the drilling ( they were building a lift on our floor, the phone rang. My sister ran for it.( Sometimes I wonder if she has a boyfriend.)

"Hello.hello."

The permanent static on my mother handphone gave all who answered her call a taste of what answering radio sets in World War 1 must have felt like.

"Mummy ah."

" Diana, can you call Daddy to sweep the floor this afternoon?"

" But korkor already sewpt le."

" Really ah. Thank him for me ok? Anyway, did you eat the salad I prepared for you this morning."

For first timers, i understand that this question may seem a little mandane, normal even. The truth was my mother thinks herself an a cooking gura and should her " did you eat (food)" be answered with a "No" ,then one which be prepared for a more intense interrogattion during which a japanese water torture would surely be an easier route. The same goes for her :

"how did you find the (food) ?"

" Where's the fork?"

" Should we go for a japanese or Thai dinner."

" Have you eaten your (meal)? "

As such, I have already compiled a book on how to tackle her questions which should be out in all major bookstores come late 2005.( I heard Harry Potter's sixth book will be lauched on the same day and purposely set it on the same day following a comment that I should write a book from a certain reader of my blog.)