What I Like And Hate About Chinese New Year

I think it is the weather. If only I had an air conditioned bubble surrounding me where ever I go during Chinese New Year, I’d probably enjoy it a whole lot more. 

Let’s start off with what I love about chinese new year:

1. I actually love reunion dinners the most.
2. Having Yee Sang and tossing it while muttering auspicious sayings for my own benefit (damn selfish right..haha).
3. The first day of Chinese New Year where it really feels like chinese new year. The festive mood dwindles down after the first day.
4. Counting angpows and breaking last year’s record. Very generous haul this year, even I am surprised!
5. Winning while gambling.
6. Cooing over new nephews, nieces and cousins young enough to be my anak luar nikah (malay translation: child out of wedlock)
7. Long yuk ftw!
8. Mandarin oranges, I think I have reached saturation point. I bought RM34 worth of mandarin oranges in two big plastic bags and ate and ate and ate in my room back in Kedah and I have not actively pursued one since. I just *might* be growing out of it.
9. The red confetti of a disintegrated fire cracker.
10. Being able to tell people that I’m graduating in July. I even don’t mind the “So I’ll be your first patient!” jokes. Just a bit worried about how many first patients I now have.
11. Having a little heart to heart or having a good laugh with relatives I hardly get to meet, realizing we can actually go more than small talk. Hey Michelle, Hey Fiona! 🙂
12. Wearing new clothes.
13. Once upon a time….fire crackers and sparklers.
14.  The lack of jam in Subang Jaya during the festive season. But soon, this will be THE hometown as our parents are gonna be grandparents soon and we will be moving out of this congested suburbia.
15. CHAI CHOI!!!
16. Yeo’s packet drinks.
17.  Beautiful angpow packets.

 

What I Hate About CNY:
1. Not having yee sang for reunion dinners.
2. Having reunion dinners at home with takeaway meals. I had KFC one year, still feeling rather sad about it.
3. Being called fat by relatives. I have SO much to say about this. I read Mel’s tweet on CNY eve about how her relatives can’t keep their comments to themselves about her being a little more meaty. So I suggested that we keep a tally about how many weight comments we get during CNY via twitter under the hashtag #cnyfatcomments. Also unhappy about weight comments, Kok Keith decided to join us.

Here’s our report:

CNY eve:

Mel: What business of everyone is it anyway if I’m fat or thin as long as I’m healthy?! Keep ya comments to yaself! *roar* 

me: @meowdee Let’s keep a tally how many fat comments we get tmr! Read yer tweets! 

Kokkeith: I also got my first! 🙁 RT @jayelleenelial: @meowdee Let’s keep a tally how many fat comments we get tmr! Read yer tweets!

me: @kokkeith : 1 @jayelleenelial: 2 @meowdee: 0 #cnyfatcomments

CNY Day 1:

me: @kokkeith : 1 @jayelleenelial: 3 @meowdee: 0 #cnyfatcomments complete with hand gestures..fml*
 

Mel: @jayelleenelial @kokkeith Hahaha OMG Jo kesian! Mine is still at 1, but I’m only at my grandaunt’s. #cnyfatcomments

Kokkeith: Kena gang bang by all my aunts. 1 even said she wants to pinch my cheeks! Zomg! @kokkeith : 6 @jayelleenelial: 3 @meowdee: 0 #cnyfatcomments

CNY Day 2:

me: Uncle predicted i put on at least 1 kilo. Mel still so lucky ah? @kokkeith : 6 @jayelleenelial: 4 @meowdee: 0 #cnyfatcomments

Mel: @jayelleenelial @kokkeith O boy 🙁 sorry guys. Think mine’s still at 1. #cnyfatcomments

me: Twice from the same uncle! Fuckanathan!! @kokkeith : 6 @jayelleenelial: 5 @meowdee: 1 #cnyfatcomments

Kokkeith: @jayelleenelial @meowdee I’m still at 6, they might be saying I’m fatter but its in hokkien so I just nod & smile. #cnyfatcomments

—

Throughout the entire duration of fat comments, I’ve had aunties who squeezed the fattest part of my arm, an old grand uncle whom we all thought can’t remember me coz he’s quite weak now, could mumble something that I can’t comprehend but it was accompanied with sign language with two hands firstly close to each other followed by the two hands moving further apart. Doesn’t take a rocket scientist to know what he meant. Then one uncle who sized me up with his good eye saying and in his most tactful and polite voice, “At least 1 kilo more than last year la you.” Then shot me again with round 2 after I was wiping my sweat complaining about the heat, “Especially people like you who are a bit heavier, you’ll sweat more in this weather”.

All the comments were more bearable by being able to update @kokkeith and @meowdee about my latest score.

4. Having to travel from house to house. I had FIVE houses to go to on Day 1 and when I came home, I slept on the living room floor.
5. How angpows don’t mean as much to me now. I was once excited about receiving Rm2 and Rm5 notes as I got to keep those and the bigger RM10 notes were to be given to my mum to be put into the bank for me. Now ang pow money is like loose change that never enters the bank. 🙁 Too paltry an amount, saves me time to just use it as part of my living expenses still the next time I need to withdraw money. 
6. Not knowing which of my new clothes to wear coz I got side tracked to pick out uni clothes/cocktail dresses instead of pretty summer dresses which are suitable to look trendy yet modest enough to not shock the older folks.
7. Tong tong chang music. I hate the ones that are sung by modern singers thinking it is cool to give a little remix to an old chinese new year tune. I like authentic ones, but I would most prefer the sound of the instruments played during a lion dance. 
8. My mouth working faster than my brain. I wish I could turn back time and un-say a few things to some relatives. 🙁
9. Getting pineapple tart crumbs stuck between my teeth. 
10. Losing RM40 one short during a game of In Between.
11. Not that I hate, but I’m not too keen when I have to attend a big open house. The host is far too busy and we have to make new friends instead of bonding with old friends.
12.  The smell of rotten mandarin oranges.
13. Having to endure the infamous chinese new year weather. This year is particularly worse. It’s humid as well!
14. The mere thought of having a stretch of houses to visit. (but it’s not so bad once the conversation flows)
15. Having to go back early to school without being able to absorb all of the chinese new year. 🙁

I think that’s about it.