Valentines day and Chinese New Year. The two days that people either look forward to or dread. Personally, I am still quite ambivalent on the idea of V-day (okay, maybe I do dislike it a little), but I LOVE LOVE LOVE Chinese New Year.
Let’s start with Valentines Day. Ah, a where men have to fork out their savings to please their partner/person of interest. A day where florist, chocolate stores and little stores which sells stuff like teddy bears have profits flying off the wall. Ah, valentines day what a lovely day.
First things first, I want to dispel the notion that everyone who dislikes Valentine’s Day is just bitter or jealous or single. I am not one of them. One of the many reasons why I am not so fond of this day is because of pathetic singles who won't stop whining about not having a valentine. What's so great about having a valentine? So what if your friends all have valentines and so what if practically every store is decorated with pink and red hearts? Life is too short for pesky little things like this put you in a bad mood. In fact, to me, having a valentine is a liability. In modern day society, it has become mandatory for couples, especially men to buy extravagant gifts like chocolates or a candlelit dinner for their valentine. So, during V-Day season, both partners will have to spend more on unnecessary gifts. Other than that, most restaurants will be packed. Your overpriced candlelight dinner might not even taste as good as you thought it will be. In the end, both partners will end up staring at their bank statement or wallet with furrowed eyebrows whereas the retail shop and restaurant owners will be counting their profit happily.
Next reason is the mere fact that we have made it a point that just one day we have to express our love for the person. Why do we have to prove how much we love a person based off how many teddy bears or roses they get? Why do we have to prove to people that we love them from little novelty gifts? Are gifts supposed to make up for lost times in an unfaithful relationship? We have 365 days a year and it is yet set by us that we have just one day to shower them with materialised 'love'. That is ridiculous. Love should be celebrated everyday not just with your love interest, but with your family and friends as well. Simple gestures like listening to them, helping out with house chores or making them laugh is equally, if not more valuable than lavish gifts like a Tiffany & Co. necklace.
Next reason is the mere fact that we have made it a point that just one day we have to express our love for the person. Why do we have to prove how much we love a person based off how many teddy bears or roses they get? Why do we have to prove to people that we love them from little novelty gifts? Are gifts supposed to make up for lost times in an unfaithful relationship? We have 365 days a year and it is yet set by us that we have just one day to shower them with materialised 'love'. That is ridiculous. Love should be celebrated everyday not just with your love interest, but with your family and friends as well. Simple gestures like listening to them, helping out with house chores or making them laugh is equally, if not more valuable than lavish gifts like a Tiffany & Co. necklace.
Valentine's day has strayed away from its true purpose and has risen expectations for women and men. People will be anxious on what gifts to buy for their partners because if they do not impress the other half, the other half will be let down and be angry and as time passes, expectations have risen. The media adds fuel to this fire. People will compare and measure their self-worth based on what they got as a gift and what the rich and famous got from their partners. People do not think cards/flowers are amazing anymore, it has risen to jewelry, expensive electronics, expensive gift cards etc. Isn't Valentine's day a day for us to appreciate each other's presence and love? Where is the sense of appreciation in modern society? Without appreciation and gratitude, we will never be happy. You will never know the true value of something until it becomes a memory.
Moving on to Chinese New Year. Have I mentioned before that I LOVE CNY? I mean, the food, the atmosphere, and the deafening sound of the firecrackers? What's not to love about this festivity? Well, its okay if you're not on the same page with me, I am Chinese after all and its no surprise that I'm so pumped up about it. Chinese new year is a lovely time for families to reunite and celebrate togetherness. As for youngsters, it is an occasion to receive money and eat our face off. As they say, every rose has its thorns. I feel like the reasons that I'm about to delve into on what are the things I dislike about Chinese new year are kind of absurd and vapid, but I have to cough up something for this assignment so please bear with me.
Absurd reason number one: spring cleaning
Spring cleaning is a must every Chinese household before the new year comes. I'm not too sure about the real reason why we must do it before the new year, but I think its because by cleaning our house, we will get rid of the bad luck from the previous year. I'm sorry I let you down, ancestors for I have not been a good descendant. I'm not too fond of cleaning nor am I good at it. Ironically, I like my house to be clean and tidy. I know some people do like to clean, but cleaning is not my forte.
Moving on to Chinese New Year. Have I mentioned before that I LOVE CNY? I mean, the food, the atmosphere, and the deafening sound of the firecrackers? What's not to love about this festivity? Well, its okay if you're not on the same page with me, I am Chinese after all and its no surprise that I'm so pumped up about it. Chinese new year is a lovely time for families to reunite and celebrate togetherness. As for youngsters, it is an occasion to receive money and eat our face off. As they say, every rose has its thorns. I feel like the reasons that I'm about to delve into on what are the things I dislike about Chinese new year are kind of absurd and vapid, but I have to cough up something for this assignment so please bear with me.
Absurd reason number one: spring cleaning
Spring cleaning is a must every Chinese household before the new year comes. I'm not too sure about the real reason why we must do it before the new year, but I think its because by cleaning our house, we will get rid of the bad luck from the previous year. I'm sorry I let you down, ancestors for I have not been a good descendant. I'm not too fond of cleaning nor am I good at it. Ironically, I like my house to be clean and tidy. I know some people do like to clean, but cleaning is not my forte.
Absurd reason number two: scorching sun and unforgiving weather
Here in Malaysia when CNY approaches, the weather becomes extremely hot. The sun will continuously fry you for at least a month before it decides to let you cool down. In this crazy weather, you don't even need to turn on the water heater to take a shower. As the water beats down on your body, it feels like Satan is giving you a seductive lick on the back. The temptation to eat of CNY cookies makes the worse. Typically, festive cookies and delicacies are 'heaty' in nature. When consumed at a slight excessive amount, you WILL fall sick. So, hot weather + heaty food = recipe for disaster.
Now, I know most youngsters' complain that their relatives are being too nosy or try to pry into their life. I beg to differ. When my relatives ask me about my life, or even the most unnecessary things, I know that they are trying to look out for me. Sometimes, their advice may seem too blunt or even insulting but I know their critiques may act as a guide for me so that I don't have to learn life the hard way like them. I try to filter out their criticism and use what I think is their form of constructive criticism as a guide for me to be a better person.
Time is a precious thing. I hope to learn and create as much memories as possible on my roller coaster ride of life.I try to savour and live every moment to the fullest because you never know how much time you have left until your roller coaster ride comes to an end.
Here in Malaysia when CNY approaches, the weather becomes extremely hot. The sun will continuously fry you for at least a month before it decides to let you cool down. In this crazy weather, you don't even need to turn on the water heater to take a shower. As the water beats down on your body, it feels like Satan is giving you a seductive lick on the back. The temptation to eat of CNY cookies makes the worse. Typically, festive cookies and delicacies are 'heaty' in nature. When consumed at a slight excessive amount, you WILL fall sick. So, hot weather + heaty food = recipe for disaster.
Now, I know most youngsters' complain that their relatives are being too nosy or try to pry into their life. I beg to differ. When my relatives ask me about my life, or even the most unnecessary things, I know that they are trying to look out for me. Sometimes, their advice may seem too blunt or even insulting but I know their critiques may act as a guide for me so that I don't have to learn life the hard way like them. I try to filter out their criticism and use what I think is their form of constructive criticism as a guide for me to be a better person.
Time is a precious thing. I hope to learn and create as much memories as possible on my roller coaster ride of life.I try to savour and live every moment to the fullest because you never know how much time you have left until your roller coaster ride comes to an end.
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