SNL 2020

Changes

Qing prepared hot pot for me. He made the soup extra savory, i.e adding good amount of salt and seasoning on it. We scored some good beef on the supermarket. The marblings on those meat are a thing of beauty. Qing sliced them thinly. We also bought tiger prawns and prepared a basket full of greens, two kinds of mushrooms, lotus roots together with plates of tofu, flat fishcakes, sausages and more vegetables. And egg noodles. The noodles alone is good for four people.

Hot pot is a dish commonly eaten in Chinese households. The base is the broth where you dump everything and bring it all to a boil. Then you eat...its that simple. You can make the broth spicy or mild spicy. Just, make sure the broth or soup is tasty. Then you can spread dipping sauces around the table as well.

The hardest part about the whole thing is waiting for the soup to boil and cook the ingredients so you can start digging in.

Now, the question is...why did your Baba prepare a hot pot for us? Well...

Qing: (while we are waiting for the soup to boil) Your appetite has been shot to pieces this past week. I know you are busy and all, but you still need to eat. You always eat a lot when hot pot is placed before you.

I do. I love hot pots. I always feel excited to eat when I know I can slurp some soup that will warm me up.

Me: (chopsticks on the ready) Its not that I am busy. Its that I don't find anything appealing to eat nowadays. My thoughts are all jumbled up too. I haven't written anything on my diary for days now.

Qing: (frowning in concern) That is bad. The moment you stopped writing your ramblings is the moment you start talking to yourself. And the more you mumbled under your breath, the more your ideas go crazy. That is bad...for me mostly. I mean...

Me: (snapped at him using my chopsticks like they are crab claws) Don't be cheeky on me, Sir. Now, dump those tofu in. That's hot enough for the tofu.

Qing: (dumping a bunch of tofu on the soup) What is it you're worried about anyways?

Me: (licking my lips in anticipation as Qing added the mushrooms and fishcakes on the soup) Me, worried? Nah...

Qing: (chuckling) Yes you, worried. Thats a hobby of yours, remember?

Me: (sighing while stirring the simmering pot) Nothing much. I'm just thinking...what if I stopped being an actor and do other things...you know, like be your househusband.

I heard a soft clank as Qing's hand slacked and his chopsticks fell on his bowl. Then a smile appeared on his face. I scowled at him.

Me: Are you really this happy that I am thinking of early retirement to simply be your husband?

Qing didn't say anything. Instead he just nodded with that touched expression on his face. He looked really please at the way this conversation is going. I should pull him down a peg or two.

Me: (rolling my eyes) I'm just thinking about it. You know, using my brain. Have you met my brain?

Qing: (hope deflating from his eyes) (sounding dejected) Oh, your brain...is thinking again...

Me: Oi! Wang Qing! My brain and I will start to feel insulted. (pointing my chopsticks at him) I'm warning you.

Qing: (smiling as he picked up his chopsticks) I'm just teasing you. What is it you are thinking about, really?

Me: I just...I cannot find the right role to motivate me to act. I have been offered roles and I've read scripts but nothing is jumping out to take my interest. So, I'm thinking...what if I focus more on performing rather than acting. I'm thinking, how about being a choreographer?