Virgo Sun Pisces Moon

My Love, are you okay?!

I’m fine, baby. I’m just in the after-yum-cha food coma.

After-yum-cha food coma?

Yes. Because I ate too much at yum cha. My body is… taking up energy trying to digest what I just ate. I feel like I need a nap. And even after I’ve had a nap, I’m still not hungry. I think I will skip dinner tonight. Or maybe just have a salad. I don’t need more food. My body is genuinely like, “That was a lot of food…”

I didn’t know that you eat yum cha like that. So you just basically stuff your faces until you can’t eat anymore and then you end up skipping dinner?! That’s how you eat yum cha — EVERY. TIME. — ?!

(Chuckles) Pretty much… I don’t think it’s healthy. I don’t condone this. But it just happens.

(Laughing) What did you and your friends talk about at yum cha?

Well… one of the friends suddenly brought up a joke about how we’re all the First Born Daughters… they are both big sisters. I’m not a big sister, but I am a First Born Daughter. We bear the burden of domestic responsibilities. Aging parents. Especially, now, as Millennials. We bear that burden for wider family dynamics. Many also bear the same burden for their in-laws too. I’m not sure if there’s even been many academic studies on this. But it’s just a societal default. Across cultures — Eastern and Western.

(Nodding) I saw you laughing a lot with them. It was nice to see. It was almost as if, you were finally around people who you’re truly comfortable with. Your authentic self could simply relax and be.

That’s true. These friends… they are… well, they’ve known me a very, very long time. They’ve seen me at my most bratty, obnoxious, ridiculous, CRAZY — they’ve seen CRAZY NICOLE — and like, even after everything, they’re still my friends?! I’m forever grateful to them.

Wow. I didn’t know you felt that way about these friends.

Yes. I feel that way about these friends.

Did they ask you about relationships?

No. I think by now, they know not to ask me about relationships because I told them a while ago, I gave up… something along those lines, LOL… but we did talk about kids. They had a lot of conversation about kids. They’re both Mums. I’m pretty much one of the few left who doesn’t have any kids.

Awww… (Devilish grin) Not for too much longer… You want a baby, now?! (Starts taking his shirt off) —

NO! (Laughing) Not like, right now this SECOND. (Laughing).

Yes I’m kidding. What else did they talk about? In terms of kids and stuff?

Well… pretty similar to what I already wrote about. Getting into a private school, it’s tough in Australia. Some schools — you have to enrol the day the baby is BORN!? Like it’s really competitive, even if there is a lineage?! Some other cities in Australia — it’s really, really competitive to get your kid into a “good” private school…

(Chuckles) WTF — the day they are BORN?

Yeah. My reaction too! LOL…

Are private schools even that important in Australia?

It’s hard to answer this question… Okay, if you’re a Slytherin, it’s the most important thing in the world. If you’re not a Slytherin, it’s a “nice to have” — but not the end of the world if your kid didn’t get on the list — THE DAY THEY ARE BORN. Okay? Well, for me, personally, it wouldn’t make that big of a difference.

But it sounds like, there’s something not openly talked about… in Australian society.

Classism?! Are you inferring classism?!

I don’t know, am I?!

Well… it’s not impossible, but it can be really hard to get your “foot in the door” of Corporate Australia if you don’t have an Australian private school on your resume with your application. I don’t know if there are any articles talking about this. And I could be wrong. But it’s a general vibe… if you don’t have a private school on your resume — getting into corporate Australia — it’s NOT “impossible” — but it’s HARD. — You’ll have to be… fucking exceptional… in a way that is like, mind-blowingly exceptional… I don’t know. That’s just… my overall understanding of the way it is structured… I could be wrong! I totally could be wrong. I haven’t even worked in corporate for a few years now. Things may be different. So I could just be projecting outdated belief systems…

Oh… that’s interesting… but I think if the baby needs to be enrolled the day it is BORN — you’re not wrong… (LOL)

Well… I don’t know… (shrugs shoulders)… it really makes me think back to the 90s, and like how did my parents get ME into that private school?! Get ME to sit for the Scholarship Test?! And then I sat through it, and I got in… like… (chuckles)… WTF?! You know?!

Yeah. You’re parents are very smart!

I don’t know about that. I guess it was a bit of good luck. I don’t think it was that tactical, to be honest. Maybe there were some other Aunties and Uncles, who did the same for their kids. It was just a trendy thing to try and apply for a scholarship at a private school — who knows who’s kids will get in?

You’re talking as if your parents’ friends didn’t enrol their kids in the private schools anyway even without the scholarships…

(Chuckles)

YOU’RE ALL SLYTHERINS!!! Omg! The lot of you!!!

(Laughing) No we’re not!!!

Yes you are!!!

Nooooo!!!

Yes!!!!

No!!!

(And so on…)