Happy Chinese New Year....

Today is Chinese New Year. Not forgetting we had just celebrated the New Year on the 1st and another celebration again now. I guess we Chinese are lucky, especially this year when our Lunar Year is in the month of January. What is Chinese New Year to me? Hmmm good to ponder a little.

When I was a small child, Chinese New Year was the happiest moment of time. No school for a week, father coffee shop was closed for a few days and mum would allow us to gamble in the house. On other days strictly no gambling. All children would be receiving angpow, red packets containing cash. The married had to give these angpow to the unmarried. Is a must! During this childhood, I learned to receive as many red packets as possible. Visiting all relatives, especially those who gave bigger packets. I learned to hunt and prospect from givers.

Later when I got marry, I no longer received angpow from anybody. All the little children and relatives were expecting me to give. So! Before the Chinese New Year approached, I had to work hard to save enough for the festival. I was told, the more I gave... The more I would be blessed. When I was a child, our red packets were only the coins. Time had changed. The packets had to be increased as well. Today I have to give 200 dollars each to all my little brothers. They are not shy to open the packets immediately. Anything less, they would demand for more. During this period of my life, I learned to give and to give happily without the pain.

After living this long on earth, and celebrated 64 years of our Chinese New Year, I learned to understand the word... Happiness. The saying goes.. "The beauty of life does not depend on how happy you are but on how happy others can be because of you". Today, I no longer wish to receive but rather to give as much as possible, especially to those who are not happy for some reasons.

Happy Chinese New Year to all my Chinese friends.