it's
chinese new year!
ok fine, im about 2 days late but still! it's chinese new year! :)
there's so many things related to cny, objects, things, occasions, themes, taste, emotions, etc. from the top of my head: reunions,
ang pows, relatives,
yu sheng, spicy prawn crackers, steamboat, abalone, oranges, splendid time (actually any time's good) to wear your loveliest, red, orange, pineapple tarts, the many many many pretty
ang pow packets i get to help my mom choose. see! and this isn't thinking hard enough :)
it's the time when suddenly the car parks and driveways are all lined up with cars as relatives and friends all drive over to visit homes. and though it seriously jams up the road around my place, it puts a smile on your face to know your neighbours are soaked up in the spirit of cny too.
the tiresome running around on the first day of cny to visit relatives' homes, consume all those fattening tasty goodies and the ang pows, are really the only tangible returns :)
i dont know about you, but even the yearly affair before cny - the spring cleaning - really gets to me. it's when all families scramble to do that extra cleaning, selling the heaps of newspapers, giving away old clothes you cant fit but are still trying to then changing to crisp bedsheets, bathing, cutting and cleaning before the stroke of midnight. that's when all sweeping and knife-related things arent suppose to be used for a day. it's all in the spirit and ive been doing all these bits since i was a child :)
oh and on cny eve, i was walking home, past all the houses, it's a nice feeling to see reunions taking place - families all gathered round their dinner tables, having steamboat.
sure, many say that with the standard of living, many or even most can do all that regardless of needing the public holiday. wearing a new item or eating steamboat or meeting up with your relatives could be a normal common occasion. but somehow, it feels extra extra different during cny.
i get thankful during cny. the grateful feeling that i get the chance and blessing to enjoy cny the way i have been looking forward to it every year.
even if it means tolerating the blistering heat of the sun that every first cny day seems to have, going through the same topics that all aunts, uncles and cousins talk about every cny, the post-cny of sore throats from all the sinful delectable treats. the feeling of the season is just intangible.
plus the fact that you get to use the excuse (again) to buy new heels. how can anyone resist that you tell me ;)
Labels: announcements, nostalgia, ponder
