Saturday, January 28, 2006
` Saturday, January 28, 2006
For some strange reason, I suddenly see the wonders of having the ability to spend Chinese New Year back home.
A year ago, it was in wintry London that I had to trawl the streets in search of a good Chinese restaurant to take my ex-manager and his girlfriend to. I was really appreciative that they had so kindly offered to join me for dinner on the reunion dinner night to make up for the lack of companionship that I would have experienced while having steamboat back home. The sense of loneliness and isolation was possibly self-inflicted, but boy was I glad to be on the plane home after the conference ended.
It's not about the actual festivities of visiting homes and taking red packets (I'm way over the so-called tolerable age limit anyway) that I longed for, but more of the ability to mull at home while your mum nags at you mildly about not helping out with the spring-cleaning, the cheesy CNY songs constantly blasting over the radio and in the streets and the festive munchies that don't re-appear until the next year.
I'll be off to Sydney on the third day of CNY for another 3 weeks, but in the meantime, it feels real good to be home. Doing absolutely nothing but wait for an enjoyable steamboat dinner.
Happy Chinese New Year!