One day’s journey!

My initial blog post was going to be a rant but, I decided to be more positive and look at the brighter side of my glorious life. So rather than focusing on the immediate stresses which honestly will be over by the end of the day, I am looking forward to the festive week.

So its Chinese New Year week, previously this was a non event for me, but over the years it has formed special meaning to me.

During my younger days (7-12 years old), I looked forward to CNY, because there would be dinner at Mr. Lai’s house. It meant lots of cashew nuts, pineapple tarts and big king prawns. We normally do not eat prawns so to me this was a special treat and I loved going to his house. As times have passed, funnily I no longer like Mr. Lai anymore but that is another blog post altogether.

Post 14 years old till marriage, when my two younger sisters married Chinese, CNY was all about going to their in-laws place for the usual festive lunches or dinners. To me, it meant great Peranakan food, t’was where I picked up the love of Ayam Buah Keluak and it also meant collecting Ang Pows. My first year’s haul was quite lucrative and the subsequent years it got better until the arrival of the grandkids, then my haul turned to zero other than the ones from my sisters.

The Army years (which fell in between the above period) was interesting during CNY, it simply meant guard duty for the entire duration. Since all the Chinese fellas were with their families, it was up to non-Chinese to “hold the fort” and do guard duty in case…hmmm….just in case lah. But this was no ordinary guard duty as the rules were relaxed because absolutely no one was around. There was a temporary pool table setup at the guard room and there was usually lots of alcohol involved not to mention fun! Of course, it also meant no Ang Pows haul and no Peranakan food, but it was fun nonetheless.

Today being married into a Chinese family, CNY has taken on a whole new meaning. I am no longer just a visitor but I am a celebrant now. I am a wall flower no more but am part of the festivities. Also I am no longer a recipient of Ang Pows but I am a giver; it’s always better to give than to receive, truly. I get to attend Reunion Dinners and not just the consumption but to be part of the preparation as well. It’s really great the journey that life has taken me for this particular day; from a non event, to a "something to look forward to" and to now being part of it in an extended family, how can you top that!
This is the journey of one day!

M in a festive mood.