my ambivalent attitude

Friday, October 06, 2006

Since when have MAF not hold any significance for me anymore? I cannot recall.

I can only reminisce about the times when holding lanterns was still a novelty in my life and my not-too-selective tastebuds were still able to accept the sweetness and aroma of oven-baked mooncakes. Since then, growing out of lanterns was inevitable and mooncakes have long been evicted from my diet, as with many other traditional food icons of the major Chinese festivals, like dumplings during the Dragon Boat Festival and Nian Gao during CNY. I'm quite amused by my own repulsion for these "delicacies" myself, not to mention being teased and earlier on scolded by my parents for not giving these food a try.

Mooncakes originated from a regime of chaos, but this MAF has been ironically especially unhappening for me. Not only is my family not holding any reunion parties as usual, but I have also decided to give the MAF celebrations in Hwa Chong a miss. Bad news have further plagued my paternal side and smeared the atmosphere of the season as one of my uncles remain warded in ICU after undergoing 2 operations, one for appendicitis, and the other because of complication that arose from the infection in the wound. What's made the pain even more unbearable is that a third one is scheduled for a later date to sew the disjointed intestine into one piece! Aunt, be strong and see your family through this ordeal!

On a sideline, I have finally been enlightened on the custom of eating You Zi during MAF after watching Yu Le Bai Fen Bai this afternoon. You Zi has the connotation of people who travel around and on this special day of reunion, these mobile people will flock back to their families. Thus, You Zi became a fruit of this festival, I hope I'm right though it sounds a bit incoherent. Haha. May the haze clear soon to reveal the ethereal glow of the fullest moon at 11am tomorrow, oops I forgot, Singaporeans won't be able to catch the once-in-8-years moon because of some astronomical theory which I'm not interested in. :p

scribbled at 9:45 PM