In 2021, to use the term "festivity" sounds like an overkill. Especially with the restrictions imposed on visiting due to the Covid-19 situation. For once, I have zero plans for the second day of the Niu (homophone to "new" which refers to the oxen year we are welcoming) year when this itinerary had been fixed since I can ever remember.
But Chinese New Year (CNY) had really changed in terms of its significance for me. From the carefree childhood when it was all about angbaos to vainer times when I spent time and money to find new clothes and shoes to now when all my grandparents had passed and I no longer buy in to that "necessity" to get everything new. I had expected this CNY to be subdued.
Unless marketing delicious CNY goodies can count as part of the festivity, I had not intended to do more than sending out bright cheery CNY cards (from MFPA) to all the relatives I cannot visit this year.
However, I was unexpectedly gifted with a CNY plant that is gorgeously decked out in red. 😍 It immediately brought in the CNY atmosphere at home.
Then, I received a surprise CNY goodie bag of mandarin oranges and pineapple tarts from the tuition centre I am teaching at. I was so touched by this gesture (never realised till now how much I missed similar gestures by all the schools I had taught at!) that I was inspired to DIY some angbao lanterns to help enhance the CNY ambience at the centre. I really wanted to make this beautiful flower ball but square angbao envelopes are so rare!
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| Seven Star Lantern |
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| Easiest Lantern Ever! |
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| Lucky Star Lantern - great for students in a tuition centre! |
Finally, in a rather out-of-character fashion, we ordered drinks by the carton because they were on sale. 👉👈 I was just eyeing my favourite Sparkling Fuji Apple and maybe some beer but the hubby added on for future drinking sessions! The cheap deal and free delivery are hard to resist! 😝
So if you are similarly free during this CNY, my house has drinks, Bee Cheng Hiang bak kwa (another gift received by hubby), pineapple tarts and a more livened than usual CNY ambience to welcome you! There is also mahjong, Harry Potter scrabble and Netflix available for entertainment 😆 Or for a healthier option, Bukit Timah Hill is a stone's throw away!
Oh! And to really add on to the festivity, here's a CNY song by MICappella!
Gong Xi Fa Cai!!
