Happy Lunar New Year everyone. Hope everyone is enjoying themselves, eating, visiting, exchanging greetings, spending time with loved ones and simply enjoying the time off from work and school. CNY is an excuse for us to put on the weight and enjoy all the new year goodies and sit in front of the television set and enjoy all the CNY programmes. All the fireworks and various performances at the many different locations are indeed beautiful and splendid and really keep me glued to the television sets. All the new year goodies are so delicious that I couldn't stop eating them. The lightings at Chinatown are really beautiful and pretty. But the crowds there kept me away. If I happened to be at a crowded place, I'll be more concern with how to get out there rather than with shopping. Then again, I doubt I'll ever be at a crowded place.
I do understand why some people choose to get down to Chinatown or any place for celebrations and countdowns. It's the crowd and the festive atmosphere that entice them there. Talk about the attraciveness. Well, and I do know that some people do go to Chinatown on CNY eve to get new year goodies at a cheaper price. But, I prefer to stay at home and watch countdown programmes. Think about the comfort of your cosy sofa set and air-conditioning at home. And nowadays, more and more families are going to restaurants for reunion dinners; because of the convenience. All the commercialisation and money earning opportunities. Restaurants are competing for more patrons and hence many are offering compeitive prices to attract more patrons. Well, after all, the consumers are those who benefit the most out of this. Anyway, while more and more are going to restaurants for reunion dinners, I still prefer the good old traditional reunion dinner at home. The joy of every family member coming together for an extra long dinner; the smile on every person's face; the bits of perspiration rolling down the cheeks; the warmth generated when everyone sat so close to eat; all these, definitely make the preparations and the so-called inconvenience worth it. Not that you can't experience the joy and warmth when eating at the restaurant; it's just that you can take your own sweet time eating at home without worrying about the next batch of patrons. Also, you don't really have to care about your table manners when eating at home; when we are eating outside, we tend to talk more softly and more conscious but at home, we tend to be less conscious about all these and enjoy ourselves more. Plus, home always serves our favourite dishes.My brother alone ate 4 bowls of rice that night. These make eating reunion dinner at home enjoyable; a tradition I really hope that we will observe every other year.
Here's wishing everyone a Happy Chinese New Year. May all your dreams come true.