Lunar New Year & etc.
By Min Jung. Filed in General |
2/14/02
Lunar New Year – Ash Wednsday – Valentines Day
So this week is the alignment of all holidays related to my identity.
Asian, Catholic, & Lovable.
Lunar New Year
I called my Dad and wished him Seh Heh Bohk Mahnee Bhadusehyo – loosely translated to may the blessings of the new year be upon you. When I was little, my mom would dress my brother up in his suit, and myself in my hanbok, the tradiitional Korean dress. For young girls this dress is mostly red with striped sleeves on the jacket.
We’d go to church, eat a delicious duk gook soup (with floating rice cake pieces & ox tails, garlic & scallions). Mike & I, and the other children would run around before all the adults that we knew, bow before them and wait for them to dig into their pockets, purses, and wallets for coin & bills for us. No red envelopes like the Chinese. If you were cute and dressed up, bowed slowly, and graciously, you could make some decent cash.
After going home, before stripping down to our every day clothes and stomping down before the atari system, we’d do the big slow bow.
Mom dressed gorgeously in her orange gossamer silk hanbok had it billowing in a fluffy cloud around her as she sat down. Dad sat crosslegged in his suit that he wore only 3 times a year and loosened his tie. Mike and I would then be put to the test to gracefully, completely synchronized, and excrutiatingly slowly kneel, and bow before them in utter respect and honor.
* From standing position, you tucked your chin in and lowered your head.
* While keeping your posture straight, you’d gently cross one hand over the other in
front of you.
* Then with a slow, fluid, floating guesture you’d let one knee, then the other, drop
to the ground at the same time that your hands landed in front of you.
* Then you lower your head down to your hands in front of you in a complete
“kow tow” guesture.
* Then put that whole thing in reverse – slow, fluid (not jerky) and gracefully.
* Repeat for a total of 3 perfect bows
If mom wasn’t satisfied with our bows she made us do it again. And again. And again. And again. And again.
I think Mom power tripped on this one.
Ash Wednsday – Lent Begins
Say, what’s that smudge on your face? Oh, ash. I haven’t been putting out cigarette butts on my forehead. Honest.
I was just going to try & give up smoking for lent but then Philo recommended I give up boys too. Hmmm give up smoking & breaking boy’s hearts?
Come *ON*. I’m human, yo. Some things just can’t be helped, ya know?
At the least, I’m going to cut down dramatically on the fumar. And praying more frequently. It’s a good combination actually though my friend connie’s husband, a smoker, refers to his little breaks as genuflection. 10 years ago when I was still living at home, my dad picked up smoking again. He was pretty stressed out as my mom was getting progressively sicker and was hospitalized full time then. I told him that if he was smoking then I’d pick it up. Up to that point in my life, I’d been the squeeky clean tee-totaler. I didn’t nag Dad about it again until well after the funeral. After Dad got remarried (four years later) he quit smoking again. Wouldn’t you know it, that’s about the time that I started (though I was already well on my way towards corruption by then).
This past week I spoke with my dad (to wish him happy new year) and he asked me if I was still smoking. “No dad, I’m not smoking (right now at this very moment).”. He replied “OK, because if you smoke, then I’m going to smoke again. Better quit.”.
History repeats itself, no?
Happy Vday,
Now love, ahhh love… love is a many splendored thing.
It can be joyous, swoony, goofy, sexy, dramatic, cheerful, sunshiney, tender, raunchy, ridiculous, corny beyond reason, and indeed precious. All love is good.
Romantic love is tricky and cosidered a danger zone for yours trully so I’m comfortable with the notion of yet another black Vday sans smoochie smooch. I am not as bitter as
last year.
So instead, I’ll hang out with a bunch of cheerful and gorgeous dudes in a totally non romantic social as I hit the queer guerrilla bar thing with Ernie again. It could be worse. I could be sitting at home drunk, in flannel, whining and crying into my tea cup while spilling chocolate icecream on my fuzzy slippers. Of course the choice between the two options was a tossup but Ernie needed some company, and hey, it’s Karaoke night.
Latest News
Will be contributing to Canadian pub BananaMag some time in the near future.
Got a call back from the Shaking That Ass company. Cross fingers.
Received Vday CD of swoonilicious liquid ear candy from Hwee Yee
Have not played SSX Tricky in 24 hours. – Thumbs have recovered
What do you do when you have PMS x 22?
Keep a bag of potato chips handy at all times.
Glare at anyone who even *looks* at your icecream.
Avoid talking to parents and those who cause you emotional anxiety
Try not to flinch, scream, or throw something sharp at any innocent bystanders when you accidentally bump a highly sensitive nipple with the too many things you’re clutching to your chest at the time.
Oy.
Min Jung
