GONG XI FA CAI...I'd like to begin by wishing all a very happy and prosperous Chinese New Year!! May this new year of the dog brings you and your family happiness, peace, good health, good fortune and everything nice and sweet!!

Celebrations of ushering the new lunar year has been a little different for me this year. Interesting in its own ways...I was not home for reunion dinner last night, but was at work and had the chance to witness for the first time Aussie-fied lion dance and kung foo! It felt strange initially as I guess I grew up seeing typical black hair and yellow skin under the lion heads all my life that this Aussie version was somehow pretty comical to me. However, after a couple of minutes, people started cheering and there were fire crackers cracking away in its very own typical way and man, I tell you it does feel good to hear something so familiar in a foreign place! I suddenly felt I connected with the crowd and for an instant, forgot that I was working! But that was all cool as we got our jobs done and quickly got out of there.

After we left from work, Jessie and I headed to Chinatown to have our alienated "reunion dinner"...Well at least I had Jessie and Jessie had me, ahahhahahha! And coincidentally, my dearest family called from home and although it did feel a tiny bit funny that I was here when I should have been home, everything was good. Jessie and I had a good and satisfied Chinese dinner (not forgetting the Chinese New Year songs at the background). Jessie drove me home after and as we drove up Durham Street, we saw my neighbour ushering/welcoming the goddess of fortune in a very Chinesey way like how we'd do it back home. Jessie and I had a good laugh about it and was more surprised than anything else to have seen something to similar to home here.

Anyway, today is the first day of Chinese New Year...I started by going to church for weekly dosage of spiritual food before the whole lot of us headed to one of the Chinese cafes in Sunnybank plaza for lunch. Lunch was good and yummy...we had a good time together...but of course it would have been better with our families...but well, at least we have a home away from home and we enjoyed each others presence as much as we enjoyed our food. So what more can we ask for? Erm...maybe the angpows to be sent over?!?!??! ahahahhahahahahah!! Anyway, I'm already planning to go home for reunion dinner next year. Nothing beats grandma's cooking and good time with family! =)

p/s: If you didn't realize, I decorated our place with bold, RED, Chinesey decorations just to make everyone feel more at home! ;)