Ushering the Water Dragon 2012

It’s 22^nd Jan 2012. Today is the eve of Chinese New Year (CNY). We’ll send off Bunny tonighyand usher the energetic Water Dragon tonight. I wasn’t here in my hometown for CNY last year but this year, yea, I’m back… haha… I’ve been back for a week from Australia. Ever since then, mum and I have been running around town doing some last minutes shopping and preparation to welcome the new lunar year. It’s been tiring week but it’s fun. Doing shopping with mum enables me to know more about our root and family history, and of course, the latest happening (or should I say gossips) within our extended family members. Honestly, there’s no better way to chat mum than running errands with her.

I was shopping with mum in town and I came across this in an old shop. It’s the head of a dragon and it’s meant for dragon dance. The dragon head looks gorgeous, with its facial expression meticulously accentuated by the craftsmaster. Such art is hard to come by nowadays, not to mention the time and effort taken finish of this beautiful master piece. By the way, did I tell you that it’s hand-made? Dragon is an auspicious mytical creature in Chinese culture and dragon dance is performed during CNY or any other major celebrations in Chinese society.

Talking about CNY, how can one ever forget cookies? There are wide selections of cookies served in every house during CNY. From peanut cookie,love letter to pineapple tart, these are the must-have for the occasions and they happen to be my favourites too. So, these are some of the cookies we made this year.

We went to the wet market to get some food for reunion dinner tonight this morning. Man, the market was filled with heaps of people. While some may say walking in a wet market can be disgusting, with unbearable filthy air and fishy smell running into our nostrils, it revoked my childhood memories.

I’ve spent a decent amount of years growing up with the market and it sort of gave me sentiment nostalgia the moment I stepped into the market. From dry groceries to poultry products, you can find anything easily under the same roof. I remember the aunty who sells vegetables, the grandpa who sells pork, the uncle who sells fish, and not to forget the lovely grandma who sells Chinese pastries. It was like travelling back in time when I saw them. Well, of course, I see more wrinkles on their faces now.

Of all the things in Chinese culture, reunion dinner is something we treasure most in our heart. Regardless of where you are or what you do, reunion dinner is one thing not to be missed. It symbolises unity and union, and most importantly, it strengthens the family bond. It’s a gift having to eat with all the family members at the same table. Imagine how often we eat with all our family members? Perhaps not in the modern society when everyone is busy with their work. We work hard, we earn money in order to enjoy a better life but very often, we forget the very basic need of working: filling our stomach. Isn’t that what we are working for? For Chinese, a bowl of rice? While western society associates bread and butter with work, Chinese associates rice bowl with work. We eat rice, and that’s our staple diet. In fact, reunion dinner is a loose term as the exact translation should be Reunion Rice (Tuan Nian Fan). After working for a year, it’s time to sit and enjoy the fruit of our labour, the rice. And who would be the better person to share this fruit of labour with if not our family?

To my dear friends, I wish you a happy Chinese new year. May the water dragon bring you good health, success and happiness throughout the year. I’m hoping this to be a successful year for me. And my ultimate wish? I hope to see everyone dear to me healthy and happy always… Best wishes to my family…

Gong Xi Fah Chai

Chapter 2012...

Welcome 2012!!! You have arrived.... finally. I've been waiting for you so long. How was the trip so far? haha... Well, today is the beginning of a brand new year. Best wishes to my family and friends. May this auspicious new year bring joy, happiness, health and success.

It's the same old story every year... new year resolution.... new objectives.... new goals... bla, bla, bla.... I wonder what would my new year resolution be? Hmm... sounds pretty hard to tell coz each time I set a resolution, I'd never achieve it. Well, not to say I'm bad at keeping myself on track but usually as we tread we sometimes stray off the beaten track. That's what happen when you discover something interesting that you decides to take another road. That's good coz we have lots of surprises in life. You'll never know. Forest Gump once mentioned before " Life's like a box of chocolate. You'll never know what you're gonna get". As we get up each day, we look forward to the surprises and new things that await us. At the end of the day, you'll be amazed by how much discoveries are made through out the whole day and that made each day a beautiful day. Life is beautiful.

However. there are time when things don't work out as plan and that's when we need to take a step back and think should we continue treading. Or simple abandon it and take a new road? It's not an easy decision when you consider how much effort you've put into it and at the end of the day it's just not working. Come on... wake up and move on...

Well... I've decided to let fate take it course. Follow the flow of the river. Foolish it may sound but I feel that following the course of the road is more realistic. I can set high aims and hope on certain things but what if it doesn't work as plan? I've had a bad experience last year and I keep reminding myself not to repeat the same mistake. If it works, congrats... if it doesn't work, I've nothing to lose. But then again... if I don't have an aim in life, I'll never achieve anything. Ok, make it this way, lets make it more general. I'll achieve something this year. Be it big or small, it's still an achievement.

Neil Amstrong said " That's one small step for a man, a giant leap for mankind". So, my resolution? I want to make myself happy. I'll love myself more. Silly it may sound but hey, isn't it you who know yourself better? If you don't pamper yourself, who will? So, appreciate yourself more. I'll give myself a tap on the shoulder each time I accomplish something. I'll encourage the man in the mirror should I fall like a wounded soldier. We have ups and downs in life so tell yourself it's just a small hurdle. The show must go on even if the actor passes out as audience is still anticipating the conclusion, the grand finale.

So, the theme of 2012? Love yourself.... I will... and I'll never forget to tell my little heart "All is Well, All is Well...." after all, we need a little affirmation in life, don't we?

Happy New Year mate....

p/s: These pictures were taken in Nov 2011 during my trip to Melbourne with mum, bro and cecilia... I love Melbourne ^^