Jewel in the Family

Last Wednesday, after the end of the Toastmaster's meeting at Dennis Wee's office, I insisted on taking the train back on my own, and not trouble my colleague, Aveline, for a ride. I enjoyed taking my leisurely ride in the train and reading my book. This was such a far cry from the previous month when I had hurried Aveline to rush me home, just so that I could be on time to watch my favourite program, "Jewel in the Palace" or in Korean "Dae Jang Geum".

I seldom make time for watching serials. I prefer to watch Animal Planet, National Geographic and Discovery Channels. During my last trip to Penang, I had noticed that my brother and sister-in-law were watching Dae Jang Geum on TV, but thinking it was some costume serial, I was not interested. However, when I read in the papers how even some of our Malay and Indian folks were keenly persuing the serial, I thought I must join them too! After the first evening I was hooked! Since then, I had never missed an episode. My clients laughed when I told them dinner had to commence early as I had to go off at 9.30p.m. when I invited them for dinner. All my friends and clients knew they could not phone me between 10.00p.m. to 11.00 p.m. as I would not pick up the phone. I was following this marathon serial with the same intensity as "Oshin" which I watched some 18 years ago.

Perhaps it is for this reason that I do not often like to watch serials To me, either I watch with all my heart and soul, or not at all. Hence, now I limit myself to watching Hindi or Tamil movies. Every Saturday or Sunday afternoon, if I do not have to view properties with clients, I will go to the club, and the staff there will know my request to switch to Central Channel. It is less boring to exercise when you are watching a movie at the same time.

Once I called my sister-in-law to tell her that I was watching Jewel in the Palace.
She told me that my brother was also like me - never missed an episode if he could help it, and literally all his entertainments on weekdays came to a standstill.! I am glad that my beloved elder brother and I are so similar!

I have learnt so much from "Dae Jang Geum". I am not great like my heroine, but I hope I can at least be the Jewel in my family!

Gan chau :-)