Wendell came home with cup noodles last night. They were from his boss. The other day, he gave Wendell a snack-size packet of preserved/dried plums. "For your little boy", he said. He's always giving small goodies like these. A floss bun, a packet of drink, durian candies... These are very small non-essential things, and I thought of how benign they were. How insignificant 'junk food' like these were... yet this morning, I did a complete turnaround. I realized that his boss's intentions were wholly meaningful behind the 50cent, $1 snacks. For, it is in all of these small non-essential gift giving that enables the Asian in us to thrive, to feel that we're fostering sense of community wherever we are/go. And why not, I thought, since back home, I grew up in a culture seeing my elders occasionally but in a constant flow of giving samples of things that they have, whether they had harvested, hunted or bought them, and in turn, receiving like things. Many thanks are passed around. People talk at length about the over-abundance from their durian trees, or whatever. Yes, I remember again that people like to do this sort of thing among themselves to solidify friendship and continue that human bonding. A 50 cent cup noodle therefore is equal in value to a $50 worth of bumper durian crop. However small the gift, I am reminded that it is the thought that counts. And it is that selfless tradition to reach out and put aside our own cares for awhile, to say 'Hello, how are you?', is the brotherly love that makes the world go round.