when you smell your neighbor aunty's heavenly pineapple tarts in the oven and the annoying electric mixer doing its noisy job,
when you see red lanterns and "fu" stickers hung in chinese convenient stores,
when your parents ask for your help that other night to help put in those brand new, nice smelling notes into ang paos,
when you go to the Spring for last minute shopping for clothes, shoes and food and drinks,
when you hear everyone in class inviting everyone else to their open houses and explaining how to get to their own houses,
when you follow your parents to the ATM to withdraw splendid cash,
when you receive cards from relatives and friends wishing your family a prosperous new year,
when you start to worry about the clothes you bought earlier last year, whether you could still fit in them and moreover whether you could still find them!
when at night, you dream of those glorious food you'll be stuffing yourself with,
when you secretly compete with your siblings to see who receives the biggest amount of money in ang paos,
when you anticipate the lion dances in front of your grandpa's house on the first day,
when you search crazily for your ho lo chim, cards and fire crackers for "certain reasons",
when you and your family actually tidy the house for once,
when you go to the airport numerous times to welcome your brother from Singapore, sister from Australia, aunt and family from Sibu,
when you mentally plan out the houses to visit on the 1st day and look forward to friends' open houses,
when you paint the fences, your brother clean those mossy and dirty floors with the jet spray which doesn't seem to be working well, your sister in the kitchen along with mum, grandma and kakak baking kek lapis,
when your mom goes around the whole town looking for a perfect restaurant to book to accomodate your whole family for a glorious dinner,
when you and your family stay home and admire the beautiful fireworks go off in the wee hour of the night,
you'll know that chinese new year is here,
happy chinese new year people
somehow, this reminds me of......think think think..
