The World of Suzie Wong

The World of Suzie Wong

In my overzealous rant at the latest surge of Hansonism, I neglected to mention a very important event that took place on the weekend: my baby nephew's Christening.

As my nephew's godfather, I was advised that I would be playing an important part in the ceremony. This worried me a little. My nephew was being christened a Catholic, and I have only a meagre knowledge of the Catholic traditions regarding baptism. What if I made a mistake, ruined my nephew's special day, and embarrassed myself in front of the entire congregation?

I needn't have worried. Eight babies were being christened during the same hour, including one set of twins. One large Philippino family had nine godparents (presumably, there was one for each day, and another two in reserve). The event was boisterous and unsystematic -- more like community service than a religious service. I have seen more babies than I care to ever again. Screaming, kicking, dribbling, gurgling. And that's just a description of the parents. I must say, though, that my nephew was the very model of restraint. He's really cute, too.

Yesterday, Keith and I had lunch and visited the new David Jones Food Hall, and for some reason we started to talk about tai tais, how they never do anything, and what they do to amuse themselves during a lifetime of spending their husbands' money. And then it dawned on us. Shopping, baby talk, facials. Am I turning into a tai tai? As Keith pointed out, I have to yet to find a husband/ benefactor -- or as I prefer to call it, "a patron of the arts" -- but in all other respects I fit the bill with alarming accuracy. I've always thought I was Carrie Bradshaw, but am I really just a latterday Suzie Wong?