This Chinese New Year has got to be the quietest one yet. Maybe it's because of the poor economy. Maybe it's because fireworks are banned. Maybe it's because of the decreasing number of lion dances. Maybe it's because my father's side of the family is really small in number. However, I had fun all the same. =)
The best thing about this chinese new year is being able to spent time with my old classmates from secondary school. It's been ages since I saw them and I was happy to be acquainted with them again. We started our unsuccessful 'ang pau hunting' quest in the morning and it lasted till evening, after which we had steamboat dinner. In the midst of the boiling chicken stock and the splattering butter and the fishballs and prawns and meat and fish and the dipping sauce, secondary school memories crossed my mind. I looked at each and everyone of them and tried to remember what they were like back then. Most of them didn't change much. The popular and beautiful girls are still the epitome of feminity and the object of desire of many. Old crushes still remained and perhaps have evolved to love. The strong, silent ones can still remain quiet and solemn amidst the noise and laughter, only giving out an occasional smile or a silly joke. The frank and honest ones are still not afraid to voice out their opinions, even though it'll hurt some people but make others laugh, as their opinions are basically true. The smart and intelligent ones are well on their way to build a successful future. The creative and artistic ones are already amateur designers. The chatty ones are still..well.. chatty. The few things that have changed are their hairstyles and for most of them, their status, as they have moved from 'singledom' to 'couple-land'.
Perhaps along the road, the weight of the world, religious convictions or circumstances will force us to evolve, change, grow up and lose contact with one another. Nothing in this world can last until the end. But I will always hope for another occasion where we will be able to meet again and splatter butter on the steamboat barbeque pan.
