Sunday, January 29, 2006

年年有餘

The New Year's Party was a grand success and much joy was had. We're a relatively small department, and a good percentage of us turned up at the hostess's tiny little apartment. We ended up cramming about 14 people in a room that should comfortably fit 10 - tops. The hostess was a whirlwind. She had been cooking since dawn. Two friends dropped by at about 3pm to help, so by the time everyone started arriving around 6-7ish, there were literally mounds of Chinese food. Everything from eggplant dumplings to bitter melon and the most delectable veggie delights (we've got several veggie folks in the department, including the hostess - She did make some kick-ass pork dumplings and a couple of other meat dishes though too).

Various adult beverages flowed, and soon, T was telling about his exploits as a reporter cum actor abroad. H was explaining how close she came to settling down as a vineyard caretaker before she came back to school. G, the most kindly man in the room, was explaining his long history of fistfights as a younger man. B, naturally, was trying to get all the dirt on the new and previously unknown date that R had brought.

I guess I'm not emotionally able to enjoy things completely, because I kept thinking, in the midst of all this wonderful warm friendliness, that it won't last. A good percentage of the group will be moving on after the spring, myself included. I'm a hermit by nature, and it's taken a while to get comfortable with these people - my friends. I'll have to start all over again soon.

Things eventually started to break up, of course. I was riding back with a friend who was carting home the car-less. On the ride back I built up a little more self-pity. I always feel envious when I see all the couples pair up and head home. Since I'm moving on to who knows where so soon, I feel that it would be futile to be dating right now, but maybe that's just a rationalization so I don't have to take any chances. I really don't have the time for a girlfriend right now, but wouldn't it be nice...

All in all, a great time, and a wonderful start to the year of the dog! Now, to solidify my good day, after the run, I'm diving back into my thesis goodness.

7 comments:

jayfish said...

Gung hay fat choy!
(did i spell that right?)

Overread said...

I'm not sure - Cantonese has never been my strong suit :)

You could go with:
Gongxi Facai!

or maybe

恭喜發財!

:)

zerodoll said...

I was wondering about the dating situation as you apply for other schools and face the prospect of leaving fairly soon. Thanks for sharing.

Overread said...

Yeah, it really sucks, frankly. But, like I said, leaving soon is a nice convenient excuse I can use so I can remain a hermit.

sheepish said...

I've been there with the dating thing. It does suck, and yes it is an excuse, albeit a pretty good one. One bright thing to think about as you contemplate the coming friend diaspora: you will soon have friends scattered all over the country (world?) so that you will often have people you can visit when you travel.

mendi-la said...

i'm hungry now - sounds like you got to eat some yummy food

mendi-la said...

oh yeah, friends whether girlfriends or not take some nurturing but are worth it in the end - take that from another hermit who also finds too many excuses to spend time alone