cookies, cookies, i want cookies

who buys over $700 in cookies alone? and not have even a single tiny eenie weenie bite? well, i do. for several years now.

it started out as a favour to the kindergarten teacher. a 'you-scratch-my-back-i-scratch-yours' kind of thing. don't torture my son too much and i'll play my part in helping to supplement your family income. deal? didn't quite put it that way, though on retrospect perhaps i should. then my son wouldn't have to suffer all those hand-hitting.

anyway, close friends and not-too-evil colleagues were bullied into accepting some, under the pretext of friendly new year cookies. i'm not much of a biscuit person myself (usually at this point women will usually oooohhh and ahhhhhh with envy because somehow it translates to less temptation, which in turn means less fat. this unfortunately is not necessary true because i am a huge carbohydrate advocate). it has never struck me to order some for myself. or even try one piece. for all i know, all these years, i have been twisting my friends and colleagues to accept horrible yucky eat-sandpaper-better cookies. perhaps that explain my lack of friends.

bystander 1: that girl is pretty sweet, i think i'll be her friend.
bystander 2: that one? are you sure? she gives out new year cookies that make you wish you were dead. or at the very least, tastebud-less.
bystander 1: ??!!!! errrrr....let's turn and walk away quickly, so that she can't see us. no! don't look! i think she's looking in our direction!

last year, the little one graduated from kindergarten. i thought i have washed my hands clean of the evil deed of bribing. no more backs to scratch. i can use a loofah now. however, it feels strange to celebrate chinese new year without a little heart-warming new year cookies; little bags of crunchy food stuffs with my well-wishes and thoughts from me to you. it makes me feel very adult too. though i'm constantly reminded that i definitely already qualify as one, age-wise, i still don't feel much like one. for one, i still fight the kids for their nds.

come every new year, since i was a little girl, my father as a businessman, receives many hampers and food baskets from associates, friends and relatives. my bro and i would often look forward to tearing those baskets open and greedily paw through the cans to see what goodies we have. it wasn't so much for satisfying our tummy, for inevitably we don't really care where the food ends up, but the suspense, the excitement of not knowing what lies inside brightens up the day. nowadays, however, it seems like i am the only one who has not grown up much whilst i sit alone in the kitchen floor, tearing the transparent wrapping, separating the yummies and the yuckies, the 'i-want-those' from the 'i-don't-care'what-you-do-with-those'.

i love the very idea of it. the warmth, the cosiness, the memories. i finally can be on the giving side. though i haven't graduate to the professional stage, a whole hamper of foodstuffs and goodies, my little paper bags of two tins of cookies are filled with my greetings for a good new year to the recepient, a little reminder that they are still my friend, eventhough we may not be able to find the time to sit and chat every day.

that and a few cases of graft as well.