Pre-CNY (Chinese New Year)
Friday, 27 January 2017 23:13![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
elusivekIt's the "last day of the year" again today. I'm in that part of the world where we celebrate 2 new years. The calendar New Year of 1-January, and the Chinese New Year (CNY) whenever it is according to the Lunar Calendar.
Officially, with the lunar new year tomorrow, starts the Year of the Rooster. I think some countries like Japan just start the new chinese zodiac according to the calendar new year.
This is the time of the year where I'm glad that I'm still single. All these red-packet/Lai-See/Hong-bao things... really a headache. Married people will give "red envelopes" with money inside to single people. It's a kind of, I don't know, good luck charm or talisman sort of thing. Then superiors also need to give these to subordinates, but then it gets tricky when you have a single superior and a married subordinate. If there are kids involved, then it's easy, it's just giving to the kid (like a seniority thing, the elder gives to the younger).
Though I also have somefriends acquaintances that just rub it in and will say things like "I hope next year you get to give out red packets too."
Well, when push turns to shove, I have a trump card - I'm not Chinese. *smug*
Anyway, the last week I was mostly busy with helping my boss scour for spiffy new shiney notes. I hate new notes. They tend to stick together and I have to really rub them to make sure it's just 1 note in an envelope. Then on the 3rd to the last day of the year was big cleanup day... but I had no time to do any cleanup. So my work desk is till a sorry mess. But this morning I managed to put some things together and it looks slightly better.
We also had our "year end gathering" lunch today, and geez, my colleagues are crazy.
That was absolutely spicy! It's a Sichuan dish, fish slices cooked in some chilli oil concoction. I wasn't able to eat much of that, but it was still damn good.
Just nearby my apartment, a new pet shop opened. Well, 2 new pet shops opened, but I only passed by this one that is part of a pretty well known chain over here. They had some spiffy new toy that I thought would suit my dog, so I got him one.
That bloody dog has already crushed the device inside that makes it bleat like a sheep. However, I'm pretty happy with the overall constitution of the toy as the toy/doll itself is still intact. Well, maybe a little wet of the dog's saliva, but still. No holes, no errant line, that is a win.
Also feeling a little over the moon, as mom bought this Chinese New Year specific cracker!
I have no idea what it's called, but it's a very light sweet, not overwhelming at all. Yum yum!
And now I have to try and go sleep. During these CNY holidays, people are allowed to play with firecrackers and small pyro stuffs. Absolutely annoying. And civil servants are allowed to go into casinos these 3 days. It's gonna be packed. Private businesses will usually be closed because the labor law requires staff be paid triple on these days, so everyone goes to hotels and casinos for food.
I get a slightly extended weekend, with Monday off as well, and I have 2 compensation off days as "the statutory public holiday falls onto the same day as my regular day off" (and there's 2 days), so I can use it in March when I go to Japan.
Oh yeay.
Anyway, Gung Hei Fat Choi!!! Wish everyone Best of Health and a Prosperous New Year!
Officially, with the lunar new year tomorrow, starts the Year of the Rooster. I think some countries like Japan just start the new chinese zodiac according to the calendar new year.
This is the time of the year where I'm glad that I'm still single. All these red-packet/Lai-See/Hong-bao things... really a headache. Married people will give "red envelopes" with money inside to single people. It's a kind of, I don't know, good luck charm or talisman sort of thing. Then superiors also need to give these to subordinates, but then it gets tricky when you have a single superior and a married subordinate. If there are kids involved, then it's easy, it's just giving to the kid (like a seniority thing, the elder gives to the younger).
Though I also have some
Well, when push turns to shove, I have a trump card - I'm not Chinese. *smug*
Anyway, the last week I was mostly busy with helping my boss scour for spiffy new shiney notes. I hate new notes. They tend to stick together and I have to really rub them to make sure it's just 1 note in an envelope. Then on the 3rd to the last day of the year was big cleanup day... but I had no time to do any cleanup. So my work desk is till a sorry mess. But this morning I managed to put some things together and it looks slightly better.
We also had our "year end gathering" lunch today, and geez, my colleagues are crazy.
That was absolutely spicy! It's a Sichuan dish, fish slices cooked in some chilli oil concoction. I wasn't able to eat much of that, but it was still damn good.
Just nearby my apartment, a new pet shop opened. Well, 2 new pet shops opened, but I only passed by this one that is part of a pretty well known chain over here. They had some spiffy new toy that I thought would suit my dog, so I got him one.
That bloody dog has already crushed the device inside that makes it bleat like a sheep. However, I'm pretty happy with the overall constitution of the toy as the toy/doll itself is still intact. Well, maybe a little wet of the dog's saliva, but still. No holes, no errant line, that is a win.
Also feeling a little over the moon, as mom bought this Chinese New Year specific cracker!
I have no idea what it's called, but it's a very light sweet, not overwhelming at all. Yum yum!
And now I have to try and go sleep. During these CNY holidays, people are allowed to play with firecrackers and small pyro stuffs. Absolutely annoying. And civil servants are allowed to go into casinos these 3 days. It's gonna be packed. Private businesses will usually be closed because the labor law requires staff be paid triple on these days, so everyone goes to hotels and casinos for food.
I get a slightly extended weekend, with Monday off as well, and I have 2 compensation off days as "the statutory public holiday falls onto the same day as my regular day off" (and there's 2 days), so I can use it in March when I go to Japan.
Oh yeay.
Anyway, Gung Hei Fat Choi!!! Wish everyone Best of Health and a Prosperous New Year!
