A quiet CNY

What a rainy CNY is has been. Raining non-stop since day 1 and now that it's day 2... it just won't stop. But I thank God for the showers of blessing He has on Singapore. At least the weather is kind of cool and its nice to sleep in :) 

CNY no longer holds the same meaning for me as compared to when I was younger. I used to look forward to CNY cause I get to stay up late at night while watching the countdown on tv. My parents would prep the angbaos they would be giving out when we go for visiting and I would help to count them. It was also a luxury to be able to stay up as late as 12.30am (back when I was in primary school). New clothes were still a thing and I used to dress up in new pieces of clothing, fresh (and uncomfortable) and I felt that I looked good. 

CNY was a time that I could catch up with my cousins, aunts, uncles, see the new gf that my cousin brought back, listen to their grown-up stories and if we had time, play some card games as well. I was a shy kid back then, didn't really know how to greet my uncle and aunts, took some time to warm up. Didn't really have impressive grades my parents could 'boast' about. But I still enjoyed CNY cause of the festivities. 

It slowly dwindled off when my grandparents passed on. We still had gatherings, but after the pandemic, it stopped. It became more of 'you settle yourself, happy CNY'. I didn't have much updates about my relatives, other than the occasional facebook log ins or what they posted on IG, if they had IG. I guess I am fine with it. At my age, large gatherings tire me. Especially when there is not much common topic to begin with. I relish being able to meet my cousins one-to-one more. More quality time spent, rather than just seeing everyone in a big setting. I am thankful to have spent my CNY day 1 at home, just doing nothing. A bit of cell stuff, a bit of drama. 

Day 2, which is today was not too bad either. I got to see my cousin's newborn. Talked to some of the adults who are in the same field of work. It was a simple gathering, not too taxing. Spent half the time being entertained/entertaining the baby. Simple is good. CNY is really no longer about the angbaos (last year to take already), nor the food (green bean cookies ftw), I think its really just having some time to be in the comfort zone, soak up a bit of extended family vibes and just be. I mean being sick right before the start of CNY also gave me a bit more time to rest up. Not sure if every CNY is going to be like that. Next year might be something different (okay, one difference is I need to give angbao already but tbtp). But I really enjoyed the pace of this CNY. Maybe this is adulting. Maybe this is just me being tired of festivities not feeling like festivities anymore. But no matter what, I still thank God for it, a quiet CNY. 

=do something right=