Pressure
I know I haven't really posted for a while, but don't feel like a thoughtful post right now... so instead, an amusing one...A few months ago I was surprised with an MSN message from the mum of one of my childhood friends (I guess we're still friends... just that I don't have much contact with NZ anymore). We chatted a bit... and then... well, here's an extract from the history (I call her an aunt):
(aunt) R u have a girl freid yyet? (i.e. do you have a girlfriend yet?)
(Son) no, i don't have a girlfriend yet
(aunt) why u dont looking for 1
(Son) haha, right now i have no time for one
(aunt) haha u have to spend time after work
(Son) haha, has to be someone to spend time on first. Besides, I am very busy after work too
(aunt) ok wait ur busseniss setup normal and go to fund one dont wai to long (i.e. wait 'til things have settled down with the business and go find one)
(Son) haha, it's not so easy to find one
(aunt) I think have so many girls in auzi not like NZ
She had to go soon after that, but certainly a bizarre occurrence... that she MSNed me for one... and then the whole girlfriend thing.
And to continue the theme... last Sunday, I talked to my dad for a bit. He was asking about the business, and I told him that my staff had left and that I was working on my own at the moment. At some point, he made a semi-joke about finding a girlfriend so that there'll always be someone to help out at the shop.
A little while after that he was telling me to not take too long finding a wife. I asked him about the family moving to Sydney, and that lead to him asking me whether I'd move back to Sydney if the family moved there. I said probably. He said something about Canberra being so quiet and a comment about there being more chance of me finding someone in Sydney >.<
Now, I'm not sure if this is something my dad made up on the spot, but he sort of finished the conversation with something like this (remember that this is in Chinese, so translation's a bit off), "while you're still young you can still be the doing the choosing (able to choose who to court), whereas when you're older you'll be the one being chosen". Rough translation, but the meaning was along the lines of, while you're young, you've got options and can pick and choose a "good" girl. Things aren't so good if you leave it too late and then you're left with the dregs and whoever will have you. He was only half-serious, and was chuckling a bit, but strong hint, no?
The benefit of living here in whoop whoop land, away from family, is that I'm somewhat insulated from these sorts of pressures. I can imagine that if I were living at home there'd be a constant, subtle pressure about me being single. It's not that my parents' sole purpose in life is for me to father grandkids for them, but I think these last few years they've been just a touch concerned about my apparent inactivity in these endeavours.
Anyway, like I've told my parents before, it's not like shopping at a supermarket. Besides, even if there were options, I have no time for a courtship right now...
posted by Son @ 00:11
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