Tales of Tai Tai Land

This afternoon at NTUC, I had another one of those encounters that made me think I should really go back to work soon. I was navigating my shopping cart along the crowded passageway towards the cashier – there were other customers pushing their carts in the opposite direction and some just strolling along in the way of those who have a lot of time – when an auntie, whom I did not see, chiong-ed in front of me. My cart nudged the plastic bag hanging off her elbow, which contained one of those plastic boxes which crackle loudly when you press them. You know the kind.

So there was a rather loud crackling sound, upon which the auntie turned not once but twice to glare at me (I’m sorry to say I glared back in a most un-Christian manner). Notwithstanding the glares exchanged, I am very humchee at heart and I took care to queue at a different cashier. Although I did watch her to see whether she would glare at me again (she didn’t, but she had a most displeased look on her face the whole time). And as I was waiting to pay I thought to myself: I never want to become one of those frowny aunties.

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It’s been a nice three months or so of setting up a home, and finding out new things about myself. For instance, I have found that I CAN and WILL withstand the wiles of uncles and aunties promoting all manner of household goods guaranteed to make your non-financial contributions to the household that much easier to carry out. I have survived NTUC on a Saturday afternoon and Giant on a public holiday (the latter experience in particular is not one I wish to repeat unless absolutely necessary), and I have found delight in other Korean dramas besides Secret Garden (although they can’t compare, not really).

I have also been vehemently denying that I am a tai tai, but since I now know when the tai tai-dom will come to an end, I have decided to embrace it. After all, chief among my activities is going to the gym during tai tai hours. It first struck me that I was in Tai Tai Land when I went for a mid-morning spinning class and I realised the ladies to my left and right were rather more well-coiffed than the usual after work crowd. Some even had light make-up on. For spin class!!! The experience which really takes the cake however was the time I noticed one woman doing her make-up as I went off to shower – and she was still doing her make-up when I came out.

Funnily enough, the two above encounters also sparked I should really go back to work soon feelings. And although people kept saying I should just enjoy my time in Tai Tai Land because I would never have so much time to myself again, I often felt that I was “too young” and should have been doing something “useful” and “earning money”, after all got law degree what. Not that cooking and cleaning is not useful, but again, you know what I mean.

During those moments of self-doubt, I thought about how God has blessed Jon and me greatly in these early months of marriage, and how they would not have been half as happy and peaceful if I had not been home to manage things. I am thankful for having had this time to think and reflect, apart from the noise of the world; God has been present when I take long meandering bus rides just because I can, when I sit in silence on the sofa wondering about life and things.

And I am assured that I did the right thing by leaving practice to go to Tai Tai Land, to “cook for my husband and clean my own house” (yes, I said that at my job interview).