Chinese new year and other traditions

Today is Chinese new year, or you may say yesterday, depends on how you look at it. I usually consider 1 am part of the previous 24 hours. Merely an extension. Being in Edmonton with my immediate family who doesn't care too much for festivities and having two gazillions rehearsals for the concert on Saturday really take away the atmosphere and spirit of Chinese new year.

It has been 10 years since I last experienced Chinese new year in Hong Kong, and despite of my very well know amnesia, I remember it to be a week of relaxation. Sort of like reading weeek, except that everyone and every stores are on vacation. The entire city, which is usually as busy as you can imagine (think those video clips you might have seen in music video where they show you sped-up activities in Time Square x10 and it will be pretty close), for those few days, comes to a complete stop. It's almost like the whole world has stopped: the Earth has stopped spinning, time has stopped moving, and the universe has stopped expanding (or shrinking, depends on what you buy). It is quite neat, though minorly inconvinient.

Of course, my memory can be lying to me for all I care, and some of you maybe able to paint a better picture of how Chinese new year is like in Hong Kong. Feel free to give your 2 cents, or more, if you want to.

At least my parents have kept one of the more valuable traditions of Chinese new year: the red envelope. Simply put, it's a red envelope with money inside which the married or seniors give to the young and the singles. It symbolises fortune and well wishes.

Another Chinese tradition, one that is not limited to Chinese new year, that they excercise is the lack of respect for other family member's privacy. This rule is simple:

• you can go through any of the belongings, or enter the properties or rooms of your immediate family as long as such belongings, properties, or rooms are accessible and you have an appropriate reason.

• If the door is open: consider it a welcome and feel free to venture in.

• If the door is closed, but not locked: consider it a welcome and feel free to open the door and venture in.

• If the door is closed and locked: there's no way you can get in anyways, just wait til they unlock it.

• Appropriate reasons include, but are not limited to the followings: curiosity, simple nosiness, obssessive compulsive behaviors, and convinience.

Basically, roughly between 1130 and 1230 tonight, my dad was using the wired internet in my room with his laptop, though we have high speed wireless in our house; my cat was sleeping on my bed; and my mom was playing and talking with the cat, while I was trying talk on the phone with my friend. Sometimes I wonder why we don't just live in a loft, if we're all going to end up in the same room anyways.

I really should stop now and go to bed, for I'm going to A-Channel tomorrow at 7:45am with the choir. Yay! Going on TV on my birthday!! Maybe they'll give me a free camera, one of those big ones.

Until next time.

Nano nano.