I bet you were out partying last nite, or wining & dining at a classy restaurant somewhere overlooking the panaromic city landscape, & by midnight, watching the fireworks display.
I bet you wouldn't be able to guess where we were last night.
We were having an 8-course (I think) dinner at a dilapidated Foochow restaurant which got stuck in the 70s, with walls that smell of lard accumulated over a span of 4 decades. Adding salt to the injury, the food came late (the management insisted on 8pm when we inquired).
And there we were, not fitting in at all with the 7-8 tables of Foochow aunties & uncles who seemed to be having the greatest time of their lives, karaoke-ing away the whole night with speakers blasting, and even sharing poetry in hokkien (which I found amusing). I saw 3 bags of party hats on the next table from the corner of my eye. Do we have to stay till midnight?
At one point, a particular uncle at our table (who got louder once they started serving him red wine in a liquor glass & he asked for ice) started dipping his used chopsticks into the shared platter. There was obviously a common ladle there but he didn't seem accustomed to it. So we shared more than the meal that night.
After that event, we had to be at the cafe to close down (cos Nee's brother was away in Singapore & probably partying & countdowning away). But maybe that saved the night, cos it was drizzling, the air was cool & both of us sat out there with a hot chocolate in hand & a smoothie in hers. At least it still felt like a date.
That night I slept like a log before the fireworks came out, not even aware of the sms-es that came pouring in. Another year has passed & we're really getting older.
Happy New Year Everyone!
p/s Kuching Mandarin Restaurant is officially my most hated place to be but I have no means to avoid it since it's my mom-in-law's absolute favourite. We hope that God forbids the baby's full month to be held there. Just the thought of it is traumatising enough.
