Gone Bananas

Yes, because I took two days of medical leave for the first time since I started working in June 2009.

Ok, but that’s not the point of the post. Falling sick (viral cough,  doctor says) gave me some time to write this post as I’m supposed to stay home and rest.

In keeping with the festive theme of the previous post, I’m talking about bananas and good fortune for the Chinese. Singaporean Chinese, at least, because I do not know if the same applies to other Hokkien-speaking Chinese elsewhere in the world, such as those in China’s Fujian province or in Taiwan.

Anyway, my mother bought a bunch of small bananas and hung them at our kitchen window for Chinese New Year. That’s uncharacteristic because our family prefer eat only the bigger varieties such as those from Del Monte, so I asked her why she bought them...

Why are you hanging at my window, Mr Banana?

“You mean you don’t know? Hokkiens believe bananas bring good fortune. Gim jiou! Gim jiou! Kuai dian zhao, kuai dian zhao!” she replied enthusiastically. (My mum is Cantonese though)

Gim jiou is Hokkien for banana, which is read the same way as “bringing in gold”. The latter bit, in Mandarin, means to hurry up and bring in (the gold). There was something about the way my mother said it that made me and my sister burst out laughing, but I guess that explains why some Chinese in Singapore hang banana-themed ornaments in their cars and houses.

Hmmm maybe that’s part of the reason why I had a relatively good Year of the Tiger. Work-wise I had the chance to go to Pakistan and Japan for work assignments, and also got a chance to write my first opinion piece. And last month, I got promoted and collected my first proper bonus (along with the rest of the company, of course). As for my personal life, I met Joanne and so far had some wonderful times with her both here and on our overseas vacations (three so far, and much more to look forward to this year). To Joanne’s sisters: nope, I really didn’t have to sell my organs to pay for the trips so far. Haha.

You see, I’d bought a new watch last June as a birthday present to myself, from a shop in Ion shopping mall in Orchard Road:

I call it my “banana watch”, and I wear it every time I go out. The design is apparently based on a famous banana painting done by the father of pop art.

From what I understand, the painting was featured on a legendary rock album by Velvet Underground, and that was probably part of the reason why it became so famous.

While I would have loved to get a Jaeger LeCoultre from a luxury watch shop, I figured it was not the right time yet and settled for something slightly cheaper. Actually I was attracted initially to another Andy Warhol watch at the same shop in Ion but settled on the simple but elegant design of the banana watch. I also like it that it’s quite thin and light, which makes it less uncomfortable to wear throughout the day. Get it here if you want! (Please don’t wear it when you meet me though, it’ll be awkward.)

Oh hey, there is a banana on the watch dial too!

Yes, yes, this is all superstitious nonsense, you may say. I’d be a fool to count on my watch for good luck too, but every little bit helps, I suppose? :)

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PS: I’d discovered a good Hokkien online dictionary as I was confirming the Hokkien pun, since I know only a little of my dialect. For those who are keen to become Hokkien experts, click here.