목요일, 1월 22, 2004
ok, so we all know what chinese new year, more affectionately known as cny, is for. one word: hongbao(s)! (to be more accurate, hongbaosssssss, but nevermind) yeah yeah, we've been told it's for reunion and bonding with the lesser known elements of one's party, but well, the material pleasures of this world more often than not supercede the age-old values that were (i reiterate, were) the corner stones of our ancient and glorious heritage.

while the rest of the chinese communities in all corners of the world start to celebrate the coming of spring, the blossoming of flowers, the arrival of luck, wealth and prosperity yada yada, here i am stuck in good old durham where the nearest thing you'll come to chinese is the oriental supermarket down the side of millburngate, there is little if no spirit of the thing at all, so i spent the night of reunion dinner sitting at home with my constitutional law textbook, chewing on a celebratory pineapple tart brought from home. ah, the heartache (no, not heartburn) of being on foreign soil, with no like-minded kith or kin.

which reminds me of the various abalone/random new year goodies advertisements back home. they'll always have some girl looking forward to the arrival of the postman or what-have-you, and when he does, he'll always be armed with a package from home, filled with whatever new year product that is being advertised, to which the girl receives with great joy and jubilation. of course, the food will then be more than sufficient to convey the love and affection that has been sent o'er the rolling main, straight to your heart, or some rather cheesy line like that.

ah well, i love cny when it does roll around on the calendar, but right now being away from it all just makes me feel a tad sad. maybe next year, then.