Happy Chinese New Year!

Happy Chinese New Year to you!

[caption id="attachment_1720" align="aligncenter" width="547"] Happy Chinese New Year!  I enjoy a bit of decorating.  A small touch - to bring some festive feeling into the home!:)[/caption]

It's the year of the Water Snake and boy - this is truly one of the wettest Chinese New Year I recall!  It's been raining pretty heavily for the past few days and when you think the rain's taking a respite, it starts all over again!  One thing great about the rain is that the weather's really nice and cool!

When I was young, Chinese New Year was a busy joyous event.  relatives gather at my great-grandmother's home (tradition dictates the younger ones visits the elder relatives as a mark of respect), and it was fun for me as a kid as there was a energetic buzz, red packets to be collected and also the thrill of meeting relatives you like - once a year. Of course, not forgetting the tons of snacks and eating!

Chinese New Year become a lot of a quieter event after my great-grandmother passed on, and relatives no longer gathered at the same place.  these days, CNY is a quiet event for my family.

Though a little nostagic for the old days - mainly for the wonderful people like my great-grandmother who is the nicest person ever!  and a super cute, cheery and happy grand aunt. i definitely miss the happy vibe they exude.  I'm grateful for the tone-down version too!  The hb and I visit the most important ones to us - allowing us more time with our own families and then we can head home to rest (and boy - do I get really tired even from just visiting just our own families!) I'm not so keen on visiting relatives that I don't really know cos' it's awkward and sometimes I don't know how to answer some of their questions.

Here's wishing you a happy chinese new year and the start of good new things!:)