It is the pain that makes us human

Saturday started with me getting out of bed at 6:15am (very painful), then off the pick up my friend A, then off to the other side of town for an all-day conference. The conference was every bit as painful as I had dreaded. Even worse was that I forgot to bring the hip flask which I had filled the night before. I cursed myself when I realised this, as we were crossing the East Harbour Tunnel. A doesn't drink and she asked if I needed the whisky for medicinal purposes. She said she felt sorry for me and suggested we turn back to fetch it. I could not decide if she was taking the piss.

Sunday, woke up with a mild hangover. Then had dim sum with my dad, my brother and his wife and kid, plus assorted aunts and uncles. My brother and his wife announced they are expecting their second child next June. They were greeted with slightly dropped jaws. They are very rude buggers, these people from my clan. It was an embarrassing moment, to say the least. After about two minutes, finally, relative X said "you are kidding, yes?" My brother replied, "heheh.. no, why would I kid you about something like this." His wife's face has turned pale. After about five minutes, relative Y said, "so, who is going to take care of this baby?" My brother said, "we will get a domestic helper". "Live in?" "Is there another kind?" He was starting to get annoyed and no one can blame him. The conversation thereafter carried along the lines of relatives taking turns bombarding my brother and his wife with questions as to how they are going to manage with two kids and a meagre income, how they plan to supervise the domestic worker, how could they ever buy their own apartment, how are they ever going to get anywhere what with their reckless procreation stunts. My brother managed to remain relatively calm, and replied along the lines of well, things always have a way of working themselves out don't they? while his wife looked as if she was ready to rip relative X, Y and Z's heads off any minute now.

Then J whispered to me "I think I like my other relatives better", meaning relatives from his father's side. I wanted to tell him I feel the same way, but held my tongue and said in my best model parent voice, "well, they really love you very much and that is what really matters, darling. Now, eat this har gow like a good boy will you?"