oh, this rootless generation!

we found this fancy bottle of Cognac XO at Pa J's house, and checked out if the world would indeed look rosier filtered through its happy spirit

Over the weekend Ma J returned to her home in a wheelchair from the hospital and received a visit from her youngest brother, the family jester (we amps are keen to inherit this role). Uncle Jester started it all by teasing Ma J on her resemblance to Lu Hsiu Lien. This triggered Pa J the opportunity to launch into one of his favourite topics..."THE EVIL THAT IS AMERICA".

Uncle: Wah, when you go out, doesn't anyone stop you and say "Lu Hsiu LIen ah!"
Pa J:[smiles and nods wisely] Yes...Lu Hsiu Lien... That Chen Shui Bian, won't last for long.
Uncle: [does an impersonation of the Taiwanese President, raises his fist and punches the air]
Pa J: But THAT AMERICA, they just want to split China up into 7 kingdoms.
Y [puzzled] 7 kingdoms?
Pa J: Macau, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Inner Mongolia, Tibet... all independent, then America will be happy. They scared of China. Just like what they did to USSR.
J: No leh, I think Taiwan deserves its independence - right, Y?
Pa J: What nonsense, Taiwan rightly belongs to China. This is just what America wants you to believe! Taiwan is China's...you know the story of Taiwan? Mao Zedong didn't want to destroy the Kuomingtang completely, so he let them remain in Taiwan...you know -
Y: I think it's because Mao had too much on his hands to deal with in China, he couldn't have managed to get to the Kuomingtang in Taiwan.
Uncle: [laughs] Yah, yah.
Pa J: You all don't know. All you young people in Singapore, you people under 40, you are all "XX不定" (trans: I can't remember the phrase he used, but I think he means "rootless" or "fickle").
Uncle: You don't know ah, your father could have been a politician.
Pa J: All you young Singaporeans, you are a rootless generation! ("XX不定") You don't know anything that happens before the 60s.
Uncle: Remember? Last time in the 50s they wanted to ask you to stand for election, remember?
Pa J: ...
Uncle: But in the end, you didn't have secondary school education so in the end didn't...
Pa J... last time in Singapore, that MP Lee Lien Ying [sic?], he was a barber...they asked me also...aiyah, you rootless generation!
Uncle: [laughs]Maybe today you would be our Minister of Environment!
Pa J: ...
The Rootless Generation: Minister of Finance is better!

Well, some pioneers in Singapore make it into the National Archives' records, and some just get to repeat their story in their dining rooms to their rootless descendents.