Not My Favourite Aunt

A few days ago, one of my mom's three younger sisters called. It's the one who's staying in San Francisco, and who is coming back to Singapore (eww). And she's also the one who said, "Smoking is not fashionable anymore." No, I don't have a lot of respect for her, haha, *in a concerned tone* is it obvious?

Usually, once I hear her voice, I go, "Oh, hi. Hang on," and I yell in the general direction of my mom, "Phone call!" But sometimes, I stupidly get sucked into a conversation with her.

Snippet #1

Aunt: My friend sends me weird stuff (e-mail) from the Internet sometimes, do you want me to forward them? Sometimes I don't have time to look through all of them.

Me: Ya, sure. Maybe the things you find weird is not weird to me.

A: He's American, so maybe the things he sends is different from Singaporeans.

M: It's still from the Internet, anyone can access the Internet.

I kind of understand what she meant, but still, pretty much everything is out there. It's just a matter of whether you want to find it or not, and whether you can find it or not. Well, so long as you're not in China.

Snippet #2

Aunt: The other time when I came back, you didn't go out with me at all.

Me: Haha, uh, ya.

A: Next time, go out with me, OK?

Me: We'd see.

A: Why we'd see? Just come out with me. We'd have fun.

Me: Haha (fake awkward laugh), we'd see.

I said "We'd see" about 38,924 times more in the conversation. And no, I don't know why she keeps wanting to hang out with me. Maybe because I seem the most free out of all her nieces and nephews? >_>

Snippet #3

A: I will miss my friends over here when I go back.

M: Well, then stay. (Stops short of saying, "Come back for what?")

A: But I cannot. My family is in Singapore. And I am getting old. Family is different from friends.

M: Uh, ok. (Disagrees with some part of it, but am too lazy to talk about it with her.)

A: Do you want to come over? Maybe you can come here to stay, and go and study those free ones, but you don't really study, just go there to make friends, then maybe get married and stay here. Then I don't have to go back.

M: Huh?

A: *repeats a slightly paraphrased version*

M: You sound like my friend. :S And you really don't want my mom to hear what you just said. (Imagined reaction from Mom: "What did you say to my daughter? Did you just ask her to move over to USA when I am in Singapore?")

Her idea is that if I should migrate, technically she has "family" over there. And oh, being my aunt and the fact that she has been an American citizen for the past 20 over years makes it her duty to show me the ropes over there. At least that's how I interpret it. *shrug*

P/S I don't have a favourite aunt.



Further Reading:

• OpenNet Initiative's report of Internet filtering in China 2004-2005 gives the lowdown of how scarily efficient and good China is at Internet censorship
• A few screenshots of censorship on MSN Space Chinese blogs.
• "Firms face moral dilemma in China" on BBC News