i am quite a Chinese!

got this from candice...

You unwrap Christmas gifts very carefully, so you can save and reuse the wrapping (and especially those bows) next year. [ribbons and bow, definitely. wrappers, if they look exquisite and/or pretty.]

You only buy Christmas cards after Christmas, when they are 50% off.

When there is a sale on toilet paper, you buy 100 rolls and store them in your closet or in the bedroom of an adult child who has moved out.

You have a vinyl table cloth on your kitchen table. [we're moving on to glass table tops now right? but grandma used to do that.]

Your stove is covered with aluminum foil. [mum insist on it. dad lays newspaper on the floor when he fries so that he doesn't need to clean up.]

You use the dishwasher as a dish rack. [dishwashers in homes are almost unheard of in singapore...]

You keep a Thermos of hot water available at all times. [does a thermal air pot count? for the occasional 3-in-1s.]

You eat all meals in the kitchen.

You save grocery bags, tin foil, and tin containers. [reduce, reuse, recycle. we have been trained well.]

You use grocery bags to hold garbage. [as above.]

You always leave your shoes at the door. [behind the door to be exact...]

You have a piano in your living room. [sitting there and collecting dust since bro and i quit in primary school.]

You twirl your pen around your fingers. [i prefer to doodle... helps maintain my creativity.]

Even if you're totally full, if someone says they're going to throw away the leftovers on the table, you'll finish them.

You don't own any real Tupperware -- only a cupboard full of used but carefully rinsed margarine tubs, takeout containers, and jam jars. [we do have tupperware, but we have the others mentioned too. *snigger*]

You also use the jam jars as drinking glasses. [wouldn't that be really heavy? anyway, our family ain't a fan of jams.]

You've eaten a red bean Popsicle. [ooooohhh.... love it. it's called potong!]

You bring oranges (or other produce) with you as a gift when you visit people's homes. [only for chinese new year.]

You have a collection of miniature shampoo bottles that you take every time you stay in a hotel. [we call it mum's private collection. i usually wash out the contents and refill the bottles with my own stuff.]

The condiments in your fridge are either Price Club sized or come in plastic packets, which you save/steal every time you get take out or go to McDonald's.

Ditto for paper napkins. [no need for that now since ikea sells them quite cheap. dad uses them to blow his nose. he complains that normal tissues are too thin and flimsy.]

You never order room service. [the room service menu is one of the first things i check out when i enter a hotel room.]

You carry a stash of your own food whenever you travel (and travel means any car ride longer than 15 minutes). These travel snacks are always dried. As in not just dried plums, dried ginger, and beef/pork jerky, but dried cuttlefish (SQUID).

Your parents vehemently refuse the sack of gold coin oranges that their guests just brought just to be courteous.

Your dad thinks he can fix everything himself. [that explains all the ikea furniture...]

You majored in something practical like engineering, medicine or law. [that's when i went against the norm and opted to do marcom at poly. everyone thought it was airy fairy.]

When you go to a dance party, there are a wall of guys surrounding the dance floor trying to look cool. [oooohhhhh.... so true.]

You live with your parents and you are 30 years old (and they prefer it that way). Or if you're married and 30 years old, you live in the apartment next door to your parents, or at least in the same neighborhood. [with all the government grants, why not?]

You don't use measuring cups. [i don't cook/bake but parents do. quoting : it's called aga-ration...]

You feel like you've gotten a good deal if you didn't pay tax.

You beat eggs with chopsticks. [not that powderful yet. still use a fork for that.]

Your parents' house is always cold.

You have a teacup with a cover on it.

You reuse teabags. [for the occasional eye bags and dark rings.]

Your mom drives her Mercedes to the Price Club. [no money for mercedes lah...]

You tip Chinese delivery guys / waiters more. [nah... they tend to be more rude. unless i am in hk, where service staff seem so happy with their work.]

You're a wok user. [dad swears by the non-stick pan. but we do have a wok.]

You like Chinese films in their original undubbed versions. [i don't mind... not that i prefer.]

You have acquired a taste for bittermelon. [yucks!]

You like congee with thousand year old eggs. [i love the taste... but hate the eggs. i would painstakingly pick out all the bits of century eggs.]

You prefer your shrimp with the heads and legs still attached -- it means they're fresh. [so that i can suck on the heads... yumz!]

You never call your parents just to say hi. [i see them every night. but when i'm overseas, i will msg them.]

You always cook too much.

If you don't live at home, when your parents call, they ask if you've eaten rice, even if it's midnight. [not eaten rice, but have you eaten???]

Your parents tell you to boil herbs and stay inside when you get sick. They also tell you not to eat fried foods or baked goods because they produce hot air. [hot air?? haha.... direct translation: re qi. more like heaty. but they boil it for me.]

Your parents never go to the movies. [that's quite true...]

Your parents send money to their relatives in China. [genetically, dad's peranakan. grand-dad from mum's side still has a sister in hainan.]

You use a face cloth. [nope! tissue all the time!]

Your parents use a clothes line. [we use what we call gala - meaning bamboo poles.]

You eat every last grain of rice in your bowl, but don't eat the last piece of food on the table. [as the old wives' tale goes: the more rice you leave on your plate, the more pimples your future husband/wife will have.]

You starve yourself before going to all you can eat sushi. [i try not to eat... but not to the extent of starving.]

You've joined a CD club at least once. [what's that?]

You know someone who can get you a good deal on jewelry or electronics.

You never discuss your love life with your parents. [my parents know the basics and stuff, not into the details though.]

Your parents are never happy with your grades. [that was in sec sch. when i went to poly and uni, i made sure i proved them wrong.]

You keep most of your money in a savings account. [definitely. but jon's gonna be my financial advisor with investments.]

You've been on the Love Boat or know someone who has.

Your toothpaste tubes are all squeezed paper-thin.

You love Chinese Martial Arts films. [can't stand them! the Jet Lis and Jackie Chans!]

You have Tupperware in your fridge with three bites of rice or one leftover chicken wing. [haha.... once in a while. dad hasn't been cooking lately.]

Shao Lin and Wu Tang actually mean something to you.

You love to go to $1.75 movies. [there are such cheap movies around? my first movie was $3.50 already.]

You love to go to $1.50 movies even more. [as above.]

You never order sweet-n-sour pork, egg foo young, or chop suey at a Chinese restaurant. [sweet-and-sour pork is a must have! everyone loves it!]

You hate to spend more than $5 for lunch. [definitely not a problem for me... i love to enjoy life.]

Someone in your family drives a Honda... with custom rims.

You have a Chinese knick-knack hanging from your rear-view mirror.

You like to eat chicken feet.

You suck on fish heads and fish fins. [fish heads, yes.]

You turn bright red after drinking two tablespoons of beer. [not a problem for me. but just that i hate beers.]

You can get a buzz on Coors O'Douls or Miller Sharps.

You look like you are eighteen.

You only buy used cars. [dad prefers young second-hand cars coz we can control how much we pay for COE without having to wait too long.]

You have more than five remotes in your house. [i already have 5 TVs in the house. let alone the 4 aircons. and stereos, dvd player, etc.]

You leave the plastic on the lampshade for ten years or more. [nope. but my mum does it to the less-used remotes.]

You can't bear to throw things away. [that's my mum for you. but dad and i secretly dumps stuff without her knowing.]

Your dad washes his hair four times a day, or never at all.

Your unassisted vision is worse than 20/500. [i'm glad to announce I HAVE PERFECT EYESIGHT! my bro too.]

You've worn glasses at least since the fifth grade. [announcing once again: I HAVE PERFECT EYESIGHT!]

Your parents (or some other close relative) own a grocery store or restaurant. [my uncle used to. oh... i think he now has a cafe in nz.]

You drive around looking for the cheapest gas.

You add twice the amount of water recommended when making orange juice from concentrate.

You've never seen your parents hug. [they are loving... i have seen them give each other pecks on the lips.]

Your grandmother lives with you and your family. [i used to live with her.... i miss her........]

You never order desserts at restaurants. [how can we miss out the best part of dinner?]

You always have water when dining out.

You say "aiya!" and "wah!" frequently.

You love Las Vegas, slot machines, and blackjack.

You love to play mah jong.

You have to read all your parents' mail written in English.

You are constantly being set up with uninteresting (and usually ugly) people by your parents.

You hate eating cheese. [i love them... especially mascaporne.]

You have a big aquarium filled with colorful fish somewhere in your house.

Your mother is strangely obsessed with plants.

White people look at you strangely if you tell them you are Buddhist.

You notice the main topic at family get-togethers is food. [actually that makes a good conversation starter.]

You seldom ever owned new clothes if you were a second child.

Your folks never speak under 10 decibels at family gatherings.

You never made the school football or basketball team.

You have two middle initials instead of one.

You grow your own bean sprouts in the kitchen.

Your mother made you peel water chestnuts and snow peas. [she peels her own water chestnuts... i never do a good-enough job at it.]

You have an lonely unmarried relative who frequently drops by during dinner time.

You received little red envelopes containing money on special occasions. [how can we refuse? it's not good to say no to gifts from kind-hearted friends/relatives.]

You use the underside of a porcelain bowl to sharpen your knives.

You cut your own hair… or had someone in your family do it.

Your grandmother has a lot of gold teeth… especially in front.

You keep fresh garlic and ginger in the kitchen at all times. [home-cooked food of the person who wrote this list must be boring and bland.]

You know what the term "lemon" or a "banana" means. [lemon? only heard of banana...]

You only have to shave every other day (maybe).

You wash and reuse ziplock bags.

You know at least three people named Alan Wong. [i don't know even one.]

You never drank milk after eating cherries. [why? won't it taste weird?]

Your parents collect jade jewelry.

You always drink tea after a meal.

Your dad owns at least one bird.

Your parents grow vegetables in a garden. [no garden to do so. but i used to have my own banana tree in my grandma's place.]

You use doilies to decorate your furniture.

Your grandmother rapped your knuckles with her chopsticks while reaching food with your fingers. [no... but she used to be upset when we don't use our chopsticks the right way.]

conclusion: the author of this list is definitely lacking a social life. he/she doesn't mix with Asians (or particularly Chinese) enough to understand our culture.

but by his or her standards, i am VERY chinese! and i'm not complaining....