Year of GU JI GU JI ...

It's Chinese New Year again. Have always looked forward to Chinese New Year since young, probably because I enjoy spending time with my relatives and cousins. But somehow, with each passing year, my Chinese New Year seems to lose its purpose and gets more boring. Though I am still look forward to the reunion dinner and visiting, but there is always this tinge of sadness, especially when I start scrolling through my Instagram feed looking at how happening my friends' Chinese New Year were.

Chinese New Year in the past were absolutely fun, probably because we were still young and naive - either primary school or secondary school students. As people always say, the best period in life was when you were still a child where everything is simple and perfect. I could never forget those last minute spring cleaning and pushing of trolley to the supermarket to do last minute shopping before the eve of Chinese New Year, followed by decorating the house before heading over to Granny's for the reunion dinner. Everyone would just gather around the table having steamboat, lots of laughter. Of course not forgetting Mahjong, the yearly affair. Though most of us were rookies and not good at the game, but that was never the main point as it was just to create the atmosphere. And then came the yearly countdown program where everyone will look forward to their own zodiac before the day ends. The first day will be heading over to SSA (which I had stopped believing in now) in the morning for prayers, before heading over to Granny's again and we were always the first as we live just around the area. We would usually spent the rest of the day at Granny's, either playing Mahjong or watching comedy movies or some other self-invented games. however, the best day will always be the second day as we will travel over to my grandma's house to do house visiting at my maternal side. but somehow, my sister and i do not seems to have much common topic with my cousins over at my maternal side, probably cause most of them are male? but it's somehow funny as we used to be very close when we were very young and gets more distant as we grow older. kind of sad, isn't it? so after visiting ended at my grandma's house, we would usually take a cab down to my granny's cause my aunts will be there too! the entire house will be filled with people and even more when my extended families are there as well. have always looked forward to their presence because they always have new games to introduce to us which made us reluctant to head home. yes, so that was my kind of chinese new year when i was still a student.

however, after my parents went separate way, things changed drastically. we don't head over to my granny's place for reunion dinner anymore, but instead head over to my grandma's. during the first few years, my sister and i will still head over to my granny's during the second day to show our respect, but somehow, as the years went by, both of us felt pretty ashamed as our presence meant that our uncles & aunts have to issue red packets to us, however, my dad always did not show up (god knows where he went). so we decided not to show up in the subsequent years which eventually leads to my chinese new year being reduced to only a single day.

so whenever chinese new year arrives, i could not help but think of those good old days and sadly, what remains will always be wonderful memories of the past. i do not know what the future holds and if i will ever have those kind of chinese new year celebration again, but those memories will always be etched in my mind for this lifetime. and i am also thankful that i have such wonderful memories during my childhood.

last but not least, i want to wish everyone reading this post a very happy chinese new year in the year of the rooster! gu ji gu ji!

#ChineseNewYear