Mom is so hyper these days. You know, most women get crankier as they age, but I think Mom just keeps getting happier. This morning over breakfast, we were eating pancakes and Mei finished hers first, so Mom was like, "Here, you can have my last pancake! I'm not that hungry." Then she balanced the pancake on her fork, tossed it in the air so that it landed on Mei's plate, and went "Yoohoo!" really loudly. The rest of us stared at her for a moment, and then Mei went, "Um, why did you say yoohoo?" And Mom answered, "Isn't that what Tarzan says when he jumps from tree to tree?"
So...in Mom's crazy mind...a pancake being transferred from one plate to another reminds her of a half-naked man swinging from tree to tree? I don't think Tarzan even says "yoohoo," he just yells "Aaawooooaaoo," at least in the Disney movie.
The waiters at Chevy's were really slow bringing our extra salsa, and Mom was getting really impatient, so after she asked a third waiter and got no favorable results, she lost her temper and accosted the next guy in a red polo shirt who walked by. "Excuse me! We have been waiting for extra salsa for over 15 minutes! I've asked three waiters already!" The guy looked a bit terrified and went, "Well...I don't work here...but I can go ask for more salsa if you want." Mom was so embarrassed--ha!!!
Oh, I forgot to mention that yesterday morning, J told me that she'd woken up a little earlier and heard a bunch of maids talking and bustling around in the kitchen. I was all confused, because we don't have any maids obviously, but she kept insisting, "No no, I swear there were like 3 or 4 women in there, and they were talking so much!" Then, I realized that it had actually been Mom in the kitchen, making breakfast and talking to herself.
I think it's kind of amusing how you can tell Mom's back from Taiwan by these subtle but noticeable differences in the kitchen. For example, the faucet setting is now always on full blast instead of the flimsy shower-head setting. There are tons of all kinds of dishes piled precariously on the drying rack, instead of a few sparse plates evenly spaced out. You can periodically hear the sound of the blender being turned on and off, occasional thuds and bangs of things falling to the floor, and at least 5 or 6 miscellaneous fluid containers spread over the counter. Whereas when it's just Dad at home, the kitchen is pretty much silent and empty all of the time.
Dinner was so funny today. Mei and I were asking each other "would you rather" questions again, and Mom kept butting in as usual and answering all the questions herself, even though she wasn't even part of the game. I asked Mei whether she would rather use a spoon or chopsticks for the rest of her life, and she chose a spoon, and of course Mom was like "Chopsticks!" I asked her how in the world she'd eat cereal with chopsticks, and it was hilarious because I can just imagine her trying to eat cereal with her portable chopsticks. Then Dad was all, "Would you rather wash the dishes or dry them tonight?" so we all left really quickly.
[10:40:46 PM] Sefen.Hsu: woo, i am excited
[8:45:36 PM] Sefen.Hsu: hi! are you home? I like your holiday spirit!! it's cute!
[11:16:44 PM] jenniferwey: what does dad want for his birthday?
[11:17:23 PM] Sefen.Hsu: he wants a car, but we are not going to care abouit that
[11:17:35 PM] jenniferwey: WOW a car??
[11:17:41 PM] jenniferwey: what kind??
[11:18:08 PM] Sefen.Hsu: I don't quite sure, something like porche
[11:18:27 PM] jenniferwey: oh dear...mid life crisis? is he serious?
[11:18:37 PM] Sefen.Hsu: no
[11:18:46 PM] Sefen.Hsu: I think he's joking
[11:18:53 PM] Sefen.Hsu: no one listen, anyway
And of course, my favorite video ever taken in the history of time: (you might want to turn down the volume)
She wasn't even...tipsy or anything. This is just her normal self.........
I mean, these are mostly silly memories, but laughs aside, my mom is really one of the best people I know. She is healthy and active, going on hikes every morning, doing yoga every night, and running up and down the stairs of our house all the time. She is so pretty--I don't think I've ever seen a prettier wedding photo than hers with my dad, and she is only improving with age! (Especially since afro-hairstyles and bottle cap glasses are out of style now, thank goodness.) She is intelligent, one of the only Asian moms I know who reads English literature...The Fountainhead, Pillars of the Earth, Kurt Vonnegut, Animal Farm, Harry Potter...basically whatever I recommend. And she is generous...a natural mother.
Through/within her weird jokes and hilarious habits and cuteness, her beautiful self is always shining through. Happy birthday, Mom! :)
