All the world's a stage

"All the world's a stage,
And all the men and women merely players:
They have their exits and their entrances;
And one man in his time plays many parts"

I met Dawn for dinner today with her family. Po po, uncle, auntie, Melvin, his girlfriend (mimi), Dawn and myself. Despite not meeting her for so long; I always manage to blend seamlessly into their family, and then and there, part of me wondered what it was like to be a REAL part of their family. Not that i'm not but it cracks me up when I think how my life would change if I really got successfully matchmade with Melvin Gwee. Haha... Hmm but I'll shove that thought 1) he is happily attached 2) Dawn is my friend, I don't think I'd prefer her as a sister in law. (although she's going to spoil me rotten!)

But it's funny how auntie creeps in the room and laments that I've missed my chance when Melvin was interested; why didn't I consider when.... -- how he flew all the way... oh but that story should be left for a whole separate blog post.

So I sit there, stoned, with Dawn on my left and mimi on my right at the dinner table. I like uncle and auntie a lot, they are great people. Dawn's a real important friend, I want her parents to like me.

The Gwees break out into occasional laughter, uncle talks about how Yanting should find a boyfriend at work and Dawn complains that no one from UOL dares to date her because they would never dare to date a CEO's daughter. I snigger under my breath, I've never heard someone complain about that before. But as every converation we have at the Gwee's dinner table, they all almost instinctively gravitate to the testosterone filled human couch potato (aka the male species), and so does this. Dawn starts matchmaking me with her freaking cousin, then runs through a mental checklist of her father's staff from the 1st floor to the "god knows what" floor.


I'm not really paying attention, but somehow I drift somewhere back in time, it's funny how our families can be so different, yet so similar. I think about how we as well, sit by the dinner table, eating and watching TV together. We too, tease each other at the dinner table, we laugh out loud, we talk about the most random insignificant things. Maybe families all around the world are alike. We may all speak different languages, eat different food, wear different clothes, etc, but we all speak the universal language of love. Perhaps its the same small acts of picking food for someone else, turning the lazy susan for someone's convenience, passing someone the table napkins, or passing the salt, sharing spoons (heck the serving spoon, we're freaking chinese!)

And then I snap out of it and plonk hard back into the real world when everyone breaks out into laughter when Dawn says something so abso-freaking-lutely her. The dinner would not have ended if she hadn't come up with something so "Dawn-ish" -- you get my drift.

"Got girlfriend, can break up, got wife, can divorce, got wedding ring, can throw away, got children, no problem -- can give to orphanage.. "

I look at her, in disbelief, then the whole table breaks down into incessant guffaws. Trust her to come up with that. She wears a smug look on her face. I don't know to laugh or cry... I end up rolling my eyes.

This girl needs help. :)

3 more weeks until she leaves back to freaking land of the koalas and kangaroos. I need to find a potion to stop time... How am I going to get my dose of stupid bimbotic jokes (noactually she;s damn smart la!) Somehow there is something comforting with your girlfriends around. Somehow, it's like I'm orientated again. (But that could be the effects of the Great Singapore Sale.. they both feel damn good). Some people I need to pen down to meet -- Jas, Jin, GeneV, Joyce, Shupz.

So may things to do, so little time! ....

"That ends this strange eventful history,
Is second childishness and mere oblivion,
Sans teeth, sans eyes, sans taste, sans everything."