The Warm Winds of Spring Shall Awaken The Wide Earth
The Lunar New Year is just two weeks away now, but you'd be forgiven if you thought it's still two months away. Despite the red-boxed cookies, and the even redder decorations being sold everywhere, the usual air of urgency normally connected with an impending major festival is simply not there.
Barely anyone stops to check out the decorations and gift stalls, there's no queue at the bak kua shops, there's still crates and crates of mandarin oranges everywhere, and heck, was that a Christmas song still playing in FF?
Times are tough indeed and it would seem that everyone's already spent their last dimes celebrating the end of 2008. Looks like it'll be hard to get anyone to spend lavishly on the Chinese New Year preparations, though we hope that's all for the sake of conserving money for those all-important ang paos. Yes, we Chinese are ever practical and keep our priorities where our wallets are.
In a way, it's a not a bad thing to forego the glitzy and the gaudy, and get back to the true spirit of the celebration - reunion.
And economic woes aside, it seems everyone's flying back to the homeland from all continents (well, maybe not Antartica). Perhaps it's that bad times bring people together (it could also be said that bad times push airfares down).
Well, old schoolmates are coming back from Oz. Wandernut is already back from China, reuniting with her family (present and future!). JT is scheduled to be home from the UK by the end of the week. And I do hear there'll be a special appearance from... the Cute Cousin!
So what of the lack of crackling ang pao (red crackers) and the is-that-all-that's-in-it ang pao (red packet)? There'll be still be food, family and friends, and that's what festivities are all about.
Barely anyone stops to check out the decorations and gift stalls, there's no queue at the bak kua shops, there's still crates and crates of mandarin oranges everywhere, and heck, was that a Christmas song still playing in FF?
Times are tough indeed and it would seem that everyone's already spent their last dimes celebrating the end of 2008. Looks like it'll be hard to get anyone to spend lavishly on the Chinese New Year preparations, though we hope that's all for the sake of conserving money for those all-important ang paos. Yes, we Chinese are ever practical and keep our priorities where our wallets are.
In a way, it's a not a bad thing to forego the glitzy and the gaudy, and get back to the true spirit of the celebration - reunion.
And economic woes aside, it seems everyone's flying back to the homeland from all continents (well, maybe not Antartica). Perhaps it's that bad times bring people together (it could also be said that bad times push airfares down).
Well, old schoolmates are coming back from Oz. Wandernut is already back from China, reuniting with her family (present and future!). JT is scheduled to be home from the UK by the end of the week. And I do hear there'll be a special appearance from... the Cute Cousin!
So what of the lack of crackling ang pao (red crackers) and the is-that-all-that's-in-it ang pao (red packet)? There'll be still be food, family and friends, and that's what festivities are all about.
冬天一到尽头
真是好的消息
温暖的春风
就要吹醒大地
恭喜恭喜
6 Comments:
Gosh I'm not even home till day ten or so of CNY. :( Well so long as I'm home right?
oooh cute cousin's come home? How about this? Let's round up the gang for a 'reunion' dinner, with yee sang and karaoke thrown in for good measures. Is 19/1 too early or should we save it for the 1/2 weekend?
When you going home?
QR:
Yeah, so long as you get home :)
qwazymonkey:
19 should be too early lah. see what the cousin's cousin says :D
Hey at least you have a red New Year banner! :) But yeah, it's been a quiet celebration.
oooooh who's this cute cousin?
im curious too as to who this cutie is...
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