Frankly, I am tired of the yearly stress of pre-Chinese New Year prep.
This year it was time to say enough is enough... "I ain't gonna kill myself doing chores while trying to work my ass off to make a living," I told myself.
Memories of how the older folk in the family get sick cleaning and decorating their homes flooded my brain cells.
Being Chinese is a beautiful thing though... our customs are unique and extremely unbelievable to Westerners.
We are what we are.
The worse thing to observe are the do's and don't's peddled by feng shui masters.
After years of observation, my advice is believe it and don't believe it.
Just pray and be a better human being.
Stuff I realized I didn't need to fuss about:
1. Getting a haircut... So, I declared that I will be leaving it long this year. Doubt I will make it stick in this heat. And, the salons charge too high anyway!!!
2. Buying traditional CNY stuff... Buying Mandarin oranges, symbolic cakes and decorations never made me richer or wiser. Just overweight!!! ;)
3. Servicing the car... the workshops slap you with an exorbitant "CNY charge". So why bother. Take the bus or train lah if you can.
4. Buying new clothes... same realization as item No. 2.
5. Booking a table for reunion dinner... advised the folks that we should just potluck it. And we did. It was the best reunion without stressing on a venue or even worrying when the 75-year-old folks insist on cooking. Just too much for them!
More than anything else, the opportunists are just out there to charge us more.
The most important thing is to be with family or those closest to you.
So, was all the prep worth it for you?
This year it was time to say enough is enough... "I ain't gonna kill myself doing chores while trying to work my ass off to make a living," I told myself.
Memories of how the older folk in the family get sick cleaning and decorating their homes flooded my brain cells.
Being Chinese is a beautiful thing though... our customs are unique and extremely unbelievable to Westerners.
We are what we are.
The worse thing to observe are the do's and don't's peddled by feng shui masters.
After years of observation, my advice is believe it and don't believe it.
Just pray and be a better human being.
Stuff I realized I didn't need to fuss about:
1. Getting a haircut... So, I declared that I will be leaving it long this year. Doubt I will make it stick in this heat. And, the salons charge too high anyway!!!
2. Buying traditional CNY stuff... Buying Mandarin oranges, symbolic cakes and decorations never made me richer or wiser. Just overweight!!! ;)
3. Servicing the car... the workshops slap you with an exorbitant "CNY charge". So why bother. Take the bus or train lah if you can.
4. Buying new clothes... same realization as item No. 2.
5. Booking a table for reunion dinner... advised the folks that we should just potluck it. And we did. It was the best reunion without stressing on a venue or even worrying when the 75-year-old folks insist on cooking. Just too much for them!
More than anything else, the opportunists are just out there to charge us more.
The most important thing is to be with family or those closest to you.
So, was all the prep worth it for you?
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