This weekend will be a blur of activities and people in the malls... well, all over town I guess. It's Chinese New Year, not to mention, payday weekend. We were at the Supermarket last Sunday and it was crazy... people stacking up on drinks... all sorts of teas (served either cold or hot), colas, and most especially the populace' signature beer, Tiger Beer... and food to complete the holiday feast. Let's see... there's kwih bang cake (flour cookies that melt in your mouth), kan pei (dried scallops), kwih kape (traditional cookies), lap chong (sausages), bak kwah (barbecued dried meat), and tong kuh (dried mushrooms)... to mention a few. I guess these goodies are pretty much Chinese New Year food items in the same way that hamon, queso de bola, ubeng halaya, embutido, morcon and pancit molo are traditional Christmas food stuff in the Philippines.



This time last year, we were home, where Chinese New Year is an event more concentrated in Chinatown. This year, we'll have a taste of the holiday celebrations and get a feel of what it's like in a predominantly Chinese environment. Since January, I can already see a lot of decorations... paper chains, ticker tapes, garlands... all in red and fashioned in characteristically Chinese designs. Walking along Orchard Road, you can see most of the bigger stores... Ngee Anne City, Wisma Atria, Heeren Shops... all adorned with red streamers. It's like everywhere you go, it's tinseltown. I have yet to see how they turn it all into a bash come the day itself.



Right now, watching the hustle and bustle of people preparing for the holidays, it feels pretty much like the '...ber' months in the Philippines. Our friends, Lau, Vivien, and their son Jian, are even home from Shanghai, passing over for several days here in Singapore, before proceeding to their hometown in Penang, Malaysia... like the exodus of Filipinos coming home during Christmas. For Papa though, it's going to be a lot of time to rest... he'll be off by Friday afternoon and won't have to be back until next Wednesday. For me, it's going to be a lot of 24 hours spent with him.

For now, 'Gong Xi Fa Chai' everyone!