Monday, January 30, 2006
It's not right but it's OK - Whitney Houston
There were no traffic jams on Friday evening caused by people going back to their home towns...
It was a quiet Saturday nite and when it turned midnite, there were no firecrackers...
Saturday nite dinner consisted of instant noodles...
Instead of a Jacky Chan rerun, we watched The Two Towers...
Only one other person besides me wore new clothes...
I went for classes today instead of going "pai lyn"...
I have Tesco's value salted nuts and choc digestives instead of pineapple tarts and me sis's choc chip cookies...
There were no receiving of ang pows...
I had tuna sandwich today instead of "yee sarng"...
Something is just not right. It just doesn't sound like Chinese New Year, does it? I was talking to a mate in the north and she said she cried all nite on Friday. It's her first CNY away from home. O well...
In a way, it's quite good that it just doesn't feel like CNY here. I mean, Christmas was really bad for me cuz it felt like Christmas and I felt so homesick. So, without things to remind me of CNY, I dun feel so homesick. Out of sight, out of mind?
But how long can I keep the things "out of sight"? There are only so many things that can keep me mind off CNY and home.
CNY has always been special. I love the buzz and the atmosphere in office when the hour draws near to closing the office before the long break. Some of the clerks will be changed into their travelling clothes. Cookies are exchanged. There's almost an air of festivities then (the big boss is usually not around - guess who has to be around to close up the office before the long break and re-open it after the break???).
The situation at home is slightly different - not so laid back. There'll be lots of hustle and bustle - a nice kind! Cleaning and baking and cooking and shopping. Yeah, shopping for foodstuffs, gifts, deco, new clothes.
Then there'll be the meeting up wif mates - some whom I'll prolly have not seen since the last CNY!!!! The catching up, the hanging out, the stuffing of our faces :-)~
Yup, none of that here. And I miss it so much.
Anyways, there have been moments and things which brought me "back home":-
Listening to Canto-pop songs by Sam Hui (the most played song? "Choy Sun Toe" of course!!!!)
Mandarin oranges! Really good (albeit expensive) ones from Tesco.
Wearing red!!!! (Of course, the AC Milan Fan, Alberto wasn't too pleased to see my red "Champions of Europe" shirt!).
The smell of good Chinese food being cooked in the kitchen by the China students.
The sun was blazing the whole of yesterday!!!! Typical CNY "sun". The temp was like minus 2 degrees, tho...
Chatting wif family and frens online, phone, face-to-face.
Receiving CNY greetings via sms from me mates.
The smell of cookies baking when I got back yesterday!!!! For some reason, the American girl decided to do some baking!
Dragon dances!!!! Yup, in London. And today, the China Students on campus organised a Lion Dance here!
Dragon dance at Trafalgar Sq (Pic obtained from BBC Online)
It was a quiet Saturday nite and when it turned midnite, there were no firecrackers...
Saturday nite dinner consisted of instant noodles...
Instead of a Jacky Chan rerun, we watched The Two Towers...
Only one other person besides me wore new clothes...
I went for classes today instead of going "pai lyn"...
I have Tesco's value salted nuts and choc digestives instead of pineapple tarts and me sis's choc chip cookies...
There were no receiving of ang pows...
I had tuna sandwich today instead of "yee sarng"...
Something is just not right. It just doesn't sound like Chinese New Year, does it? I was talking to a mate in the north and she said she cried all nite on Friday. It's her first CNY away from home. O well...
In a way, it's quite good that it just doesn't feel like CNY here. I mean, Christmas was really bad for me cuz it felt like Christmas and I felt so homesick. So, without things to remind me of CNY, I dun feel so homesick. Out of sight, out of mind?
But how long can I keep the things "out of sight"? There are only so many things that can keep me mind off CNY and home.
CNY has always been special. I love the buzz and the atmosphere in office when the hour draws near to closing the office before the long break. Some of the clerks will be changed into their travelling clothes. Cookies are exchanged. There's almost an air of festivities then (the big boss is usually not around - guess who has to be around to close up the office before the long break and re-open it after the break???).
The situation at home is slightly different - not so laid back. There'll be lots of hustle and bustle - a nice kind! Cleaning and baking and cooking and shopping. Yeah, shopping for foodstuffs, gifts, deco, new clothes.
Then there'll be the meeting up wif mates - some whom I'll prolly have not seen since the last CNY!!!! The catching up, the hanging out, the stuffing of our faces :-)~
Yup, none of that here. And I miss it so much.
Anyways, there have been moments and things which brought me "back home":-
Listening to Canto-pop songs by Sam Hui (the most played song? "Choy Sun Toe" of course!!!!)
Mandarin oranges! Really good (albeit expensive) ones from Tesco.
Wearing red!!!! (Of course, the AC Milan Fan, Alberto wasn't too pleased to see my red "Champions of Europe" shirt!).
The smell of good Chinese food being cooked in the kitchen by the China students.
The sun was blazing the whole of yesterday!!!! Typical CNY "sun". The temp was like minus 2 degrees, tho...
Chatting wif family and frens online, phone, face-to-face.
Receiving CNY greetings via sms from me mates.
The smell of cookies baking when I got back yesterday!!!! For some reason, the American girl decided to do some baking!
Dragon dances!!!! Yup, in London. And today, the China Students on campus organised a Lion Dance here!
Dragon dance at Trafalgar Sq (Pic obtained from BBC Online)