Happy Chinese New Year

Celebrating Chinese New Years in Singapore was a big affair for me and my family when I used to live in Singapore. We would gather together on the first day of the 15 day festival, extending our best wishes for each other through an exchange of traditional idiomatic greetings, a pair of mandarins and for some, red packets with some money for kids.

Chinese New Year in New Zealand is subdued affair. Without a family gathering to go to for the first day of New Year, we focused our celebrations on Reunion Dinner, usually a weekend before New Year, eating at a Chinese Restaurant. But this year was different. Chris was back working for his company at the yearly Karaka Horse Sales and we had Artie to look after. I was house bound with no easy access to good Chinese Food.

And so it was that I find myself celebrating with takeaway fried rice with sweet and sour pork. When I moved from Singapore to New Zealand, I struggled with the lack of street food and easy access to good cafes and restaurants. I compensated for that by living in an area with an Asian food court and good coffee. Coming up to four years of a move from Auckland city to rural Auckland, I've learnt to focus on different priorities in life. Space, rural tranquility and better family life have taken precedence over good food. With a grateful heart, I wish you all Happy Chinese New Year.