No more CNY getaway, for once

This is the first time in two years that I am spending my Chinese New Year (CNY) at home.

Not that I had gone abroad for studies or anything like that in the past two years, but because my family used to visit Bangkok on our “new year getaway”.

Some people make their “overseas escape” during the Chinese New Year season because they do not want to spend too much money on hongbaos for their relatives' children. Others do so because they want to avoid being questioned by their relatives on sensitive issues like: when are you getting married (for the bachelors and spinsters)?

For my family, the reasons are none of the above.

My parents work very hard the whole year round, while my siblings and I are busy with our own stuff. It is only during the CNY period where we can all take a nice, long break. My grandparents (both paternal and maternal) have passed away in recent years, and being a small family, CNY celebration is a simple affair for us.

That was why we rewarded ourselves with a vacation during the CNY holiday for the past two years.

Celebrating CNY abroad is pretty interesting.

There is no need to rush to the supermarket to stack up on food because shops are closed during the first few days of CNY. There is also no need to sweat over spring cleaning (yeah!) since we would not be at home during the new year.

In Bangkok, we shop wherever we like, eat when we feel hungry, rest whenever we are tired. There is enjoyment to the fullest.

But, it just feels more like just a happy holiday abroad, not really CNY. Although the shopping malls and hotels in Bangkok do put up some New Year decorations, somehow, the feeling of celebrating New Year away from home is different.

This year, because of work commitment, I was unable to make time for an overseas trip and as my family cannot bear to “abandon” me, we decided to spend our “long-awaited” CNY together in Singapore.

While I have to endure my mother’s constant nagging (for me to clean up my room) and the hassle of tidying up my desk (when I know it will become messy again in a few day’s time), to be at home celebrating the Chinese New Year, there is only one word to describe this feeling:

GREAT.

Here’s wishing you and your family: good health, harmony and prosperity for the Dog Year ahead!

Gong Xi Fa Cai!