30.1.06
chinese new year celebrations!!
only 1 mnth after the new year had begun, cny celebrations kick in. this year, somehow, mum put in extra effort in decorating the hse. for what reason, i can only speculate. i'd like to think that its her little gesture to me b4 i go overseas :) anyhow, it did get me into the cny mood.
apart from that, this cny has started off no different from previous years. but of course, i'm not complaining. there is comfort in familiarity. chu xi was celebrated at my hse, along with other relatives who find it a hassle to prepare a big feast on their own too. hence we potluck and everyone is happy.. and not overworked.
top row: mille, shun4 shun4 li4 li4 (oil), zi3 sun1 man2 tang2 (sesame seed), nian2 nian2 you3 yu2 (raw fish)
recre time followed shortly after dinner, and though the cousins didnt play pictionary this yr, we were all well-entertained. i'm glad that despite the cousins coming from different age grps, we still manage to bond and connect better than one could hope for. this is smth special and i must say that we cousins have to continue the tradition of meeting up even when the older generation dwindles away. otherwise, our families will just get even more nucleated and that is, well, sad. not because i believe in the whole 'blood is thicker than water' axiom, but because we've known this all our lives and to lose it would be losing a part of ourselves, if not our childhood.
afterall, what is chinese new year? it encompass less nowadays as it no longer is a once a year affair of new clothes and good food. it gradually isnt even looked upon as a new beginning. no, we have new year for that. red packets are viewed simply as a delightful addition to our allowance - the wellwishes they embody quickly cast aside. so what, then?
well after todays reunion dinner, i would like to think of it as a time of bonding with family and relatives whom we take forgranted for. its not like we couldnt do it at other times of the year, but cny just gives us more excuse to. afterall, friends are the family we choose ourselves, and for that we invest alot of time in them. but then how often do we invest time in these ppl who are already family? and its not like i cant think of ppl who would rebuke me on that. true, your mum may scream at you all day, hurling abusive words. she may hit you, she may impose unreasonable restrictions on you. but maybe, maybe, if you treat her as well as you do your friends, things wouldnt be all that bad? at least, thats what i tell myself sometimes. i still hold on to the philosophy that time invested in others, is never time wasted. its always, always, well worth. ps. btw i gave my lil cousin this christmas gift and she gave me a cny card n momento in return! read what she wrote, its really cute. haha. 
i fluttered by;
1:06 AM
