Sun Sun, where are you?!

It's barely one week to CNY and it's still raining, pouring to be exact, everyday!! There's no burning sun or strong hot wind blowing and there's certainly no CNY mood!!

My parents use to tell me when I was young that the weather becomes so hot when CNY is near coz the people at China back at the olden days need to sun the chinese sausages and prepare the household for CNY. It is the time of the year where everyone suns their bedsheets and prepare goodies for CNY, and it's also the season where mandarin oranges can be plucked.

But looking at the weather condition now, no one would be able to sun their bedsheets and certainly it does not bring in the mood to spring clean the house coz it's so gloomy everyday!!

and from what the restaurant chefs and shop outlet managers tell us, the economy is really bad. It's so bad that everyone is waiting till the last minute before proceeding to purchase CNY goodies or if the worst comes, they might not even end up buying anything! Business have gone from bad to worst from year 2004 to year 2005 and eventhough 2006 has only just begun, retailers are saying that business have already gone worse if compared to the previous year. I wonder what is wrong and if there are any remedies to it.

We, people who get fix salaries, who work for big stable firms, dont feel the economy pressure at all, coz no matter what happens outside the company wall, we're still paid for what we do for the company on the 26th of each month, and despite the terrible economy, bonus and increment still comes by...

My colleagues say everyone has no mood to buy CNY stuff and she hasn't done her CNY shopping despite the festival being just one week away! She said this time last year, her store was already full, packed with CNY goodies and she will be going home everyday with plastics and plastics of clothes, foodstuff, deco etc... But for this year, she hasn't even started clearing her store to put the CNY goodies yet! and she has yet to buy any new clothes for the festival.

Hearing her comments made me feel that festivals nowadays r getting further and further from its natural original purpose and the feeling of recepting these festivals are no longer as much anticipated as how it used to be.

I remember during our schooling days, the CNY spirit would be really great as everyone would be buying those 20cents CNY cards to send to teachers, friends, admirers, etc etc.. We, as some important people in certain organizations, will be really proud during these period as our desk will normally be over-flowing with cards from juniors!! Also, everyone would be discussing on the suitable dates to visit each other and whose house should the visiting start from and how should the path be like.

Unlike now, we did not have the luxury of cars or handphones at that point of time. We had to take a bus from Semenyih to Bukit Mewah, and walk from Bukit Mewah to Kajang Town for food, then proceed to the Sungai Chua area there after. The journey to each other's houses to collect ang pows, though hot and sweaty, was very enjoyable! Thinking back, those were really sweet memories as I don't think we, as adults now, would ever do that again! I wouldn't take a bus from Semenyih to Kajang now, and I certainly wouldn't walk from Kajang Town to Sg. Chua!!!!! Also, the joy of getting ang pows are no longer the same as it's merely just a custom now. Those were the days where an angpow of RM10 make us go "whoaaa... wahhhh". Besides, being a working adult now, I feel slightly shy to receive angpows from elders who arent working/have retired. I feel that we, as the younger generation, should be the ones giving them angpow instead. However, chinese being chinese and customs being customs, angpows they must give, and therefore, angpows I must happily receive! hahahaha

Also, another thing that makes the occasion different is the perception of us having the festival now. When we were young, CNY means a time where we get to buy new clothes, new shoes, get more spending money and get to play cards and sleep after midnight! However, for now, CNY means resting and having a break from our hectic jobs, spending money coz we'll have to bear some responsibilities at home and having a chance to gather and meet up with family members/relatives after a long long break. For me, CNY is the only time I can to meet most of my extended family members. It's also the only time where I get to see them every other night, back-to-back. I love seeing all my relatives and having to sit/laugh together as it gives me a very warm feeling that family ties are still very important to us.

Well, a little too long for one entry.. shall stop here and will see if I'll have mood to go for some CNY shopping tomorrow! :)