Gong Xi Fa Cai!

Happy Chinese New Year! Whee!

I love this holiday as a kid, back when we were still in our country. We would drive to my grandparents house, so do my uncles, aunts, and cousins, and we'd have a blast at the Grands'. We'd get there and the kids made their round of greeting to the adults, "Gong Xi Fa Cai, Qoong-Qoong, Gong Xi Fa Cai, Poh-Poh, Gong Xi Fa Cai Sook-Sook, Gong Xi Fa Cai, Sook-Mei," and so on and so on, all the while collecting the red Hong Bao they'd give us. There would be fabulously delicious food that Poh-Poh (Chinese for grandma) has cooked, and we'd fill our stomachs until we couldn't move.

Then relatives would come and the kids once again would make their round of greeting, this time we had to be reminded of all the Chinese titles we had to call them by. Afterward, the adults would mingle around the table, while the kids (my cousins and I) would go into the guest bedroom and count the money from all of the Hong Bao's we'd received. We'd play games, dream about what we're going to do/buy with the money, tell stories, laugh, and eat some more.

It was amazing.

Now, most of my cousins (and myself) live here with our grandparents. We'd still greet them, but there is no more Hong Bao, we're grown up now. There would be a dinner, but this year I'm going to miss it. Why?

Because my OB clinical is from 3pm to 11 pm. *headdesks*

Nevertheless, happy new year to you, may you be successful and prosperous.