Basket.

Chinese New Year is about to creep up on us all in 20 minutes, so here I will in advance wish everyone a nice and peaceful (forget happy, because it's always too much to ask) Year of the Dog. Especially all the guys - hope the lot of us stay whole and healthy and ORD in serenity!

I'm currently on a pack-a-day habit - of Polo mints. I don't know, I always get addicted to them. I must thank my miracle teeth, which are called that because despite the fact that I only brush once a day, never floss and care nothing about restricting my diet, I do not have and never have had anything worse than plaque. Wisdom teeth don't seem to be a problem either. I can't really understand, but it's a good thing, and we should not question good things because they are so rare.

In any case, I always manage to discover intriguing things about family Chinese NewYear traditions - the main one being, why does my father's side of the family not seem to have the reunion dinner custom? It's been this way for just about as long as I can remember, and hints to me about things better left unsaid. What was that about the Chinese and silence? A lesson driven home far too often.

A comment though: Chinese New Year is the time of year when Singapore's odd juxtaposition between modernity and superstition is most visible. Think about that.