Role Reversal

While eating dinner one night, I noticed how things are different. I was eating at the dinner table and my mom was in the living room playing Wii and I asked her when she's going to eat dinner. She said "just one more game."

If someone could go back in time and tell the 12 year old version of me that my mom would one day be playing video games (and to the point of not wanting to eat dinner). I'd never in a million years have believed it. Come to think of it, back then my mom probably wouldn't have believed it either.

It's funny because I've stopped playing video games. It's not because I don't have time. It's more that they literally make me sick. Last year I tried playing Halo 2 (maybe 3?) and I got motion sickness after 20 minutes. Recently I tried playing a game called Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare (what's with these long ass names? What happened to names like Q-Bert, Dig Dug, Frogger) Anyways, that game also made me sick after about 30 minutes or so of playing. I'm thinking maybe the graphics in these new games are too realistic. The last games I played for longer than 5 minutes were Grand Theft Auto 3 and the original Counter-strike circa 1999.

Call Of Duty 4: Modern Warfare on the left, Counter-Strike on the right


I guess this is like a forced retirement from gaming. Oh well, there's always doing something productive with my free time. Yeah right!

I'm glad there's still Solitaire and Minesweeper.

Xing Nian Kuai Le

It's Chinese New Years, i'm off for a whole week! Feels so nice. Most of the family together, lots of great food.

I spent Saturday morning at my family's ancestral home in the countryside. I think that's what you call it. It's kinda like a little private temple for my family's ancestors. I think most(?) of the family gathers there and brings some food as offerings, light some incense and bow a few times, light some firecrackers, and burn a bunch of fake money.

The point of burning the fake money is that it will go to the heavens and our ancestors will be able to use it. But I always think to myself, what if it's causing massive inflation. . . because everyone burns stacks and stacks of fake money. I imagine one of my ancestors in some old style chinese clothing going "When will they STOP with the money already!?! A freakin' taco costs like 20,000 fake pieces of money now!"


Those things on the right are where we burn the money. Most of my relatives have left by this time.

This is the original house, which is right next door. My ancestors actually lived there a long time ago. Amazingly an old man still lives there, the taxi you see in front is owned by him. A few of my relatives and I were watching him having a heated argument, lots and lots of hand gestures, except we knew nobody else was in that house with him. Yeah, i forgot to mention, he's certifiably crazy.

My mom is funny

My mom always compares herself to one of her close friends. A long time ago I started referring to her friend as Tim Allen because for a small asian woman she looks a lot like . . . well, Tim Allen. Now I feel kinda guilty because it's not very complimentary and now even my mom refers to her as Tim Allen. Also because I actually don't think she looks like Tim Allen that much anymore, so it doesn't really make sense. Anyways, sometimes when my mom is bored she'll ask me silly questions. . . this past weekend she asked me who looks better? Her or "Tim Allen". I always reluctantly say "you look better" because it's kinda true. She always gets a sense of satisfaction from that, i don't think it's healthy, and frankly it isn't a huge accomplishment. Then she asks for specific number, 1 out of 10 or something like that for both her and her friend. That's usually when I stop participating in this stupid game. But she kept on asking and insisting. . . that's when i jokingly told her about a website called hotornot.com. If you're not familiar with that site, click on the link. You'll figure out the concept in two seconds.

I think you all know where this is heading. . .

Here are the results after 127 votes:


8.5??? Who the heck is voting 10 for my mom!?!?!