Happy New Year 2005
Posted by Hello

Yeah, it's Chinese New Year's eve!! CNY is of my favourite festivals of all times, moreover, it's going to the Year of Rooster soon.. that's me! =)

This festival always have different meanings for me as I move into different stages of my life:

When I was in Primary School, CNY meant lots of fun and goodies, fire-crackers and happy times at M'sia (my ah-mah's place). I had many cousins to play with me when I was young, therefore I enjoyed the holidays so much that I always cried when its time to go back to home and school.

When I was in Secondary School, CNY still meant a lot to me.. but on the contrary, I don't get to play with my cousins anymore and I couldn't wait to go back home instead. I was in the school's DALT (Dragon and Lion Troupe), so the CNY period is the time for us to go 'plucking green' and collect more ang paos. It used to be one of the highlights of the year for me, and still stay as very fond memories for me till this day.

From JC onwards, I went for countdowns with a group of friends on the eve of CNY every year. We'll try to catch the fireworks near the Singapore River at midnight and then squeeze with the crowd along Chinatown. It was very sweaty and stuffy as there's always a big crowd going for very cheap New Year goods after midnight.... but it was lots of fun too! Sadly, most of us had became more homely and less adventurous as we got older, so this event had already stopped.

And now, ever since I started working, CNY is a very happy festival because of the long holidays. It's getting less of a family event but more of a on-going gathering times. There's a lot of home visits to friends' place, steamboat dinners and reunion dinners to take part in. Reunion, reunion and reunion.. Of course, I'm still eligible to collect 'ang paos', so hopefully more 'ang paos' for me this year!

Both my sisters had just came back from overseas this morning to celebrate CNY, mum's very happy and I'm so relieved that I'm not the only one entertaining the relatives at home. =)