New Year Doldrums

It hasn't been a very good new year here.

Fear not though; nothing untoward has happened. Just been feeling a bit... off lately.

Have I fallen prey to the same seasonal malady like the rest of my peers who find themselves utterly disinterested with the unique charms of the festive season? Doubt it since I still find the time to decorate the house in bold colours of red and gold along with the mandatory spring couplets wishing luck and prosperity at my front door. There's even a papercut diorama of a Chinese lion dance on the cabinet.

Even play the occasional drum-and-cymbals Chinese New Year anthems without cringing.... too much. 

But this year hanging up the red lanterns does seem to be a bit more of a chore than usual. More a matter of habit than pure enjoyment. Perhaps the elders are right to say that the Chinese New Year celebrations were made purely for the young. All the flash, the colour, the noise - all seems to be geared towards celebrating the brash and the bold. 

Everything seems a bit darker this year. 

And admittedly without my brother and his family - who have moved way down south making it harder for them to confirm their attendance year by year, it has become quite a little drearier. Let's not even rehash the increasingly distressing political news in our country. 

Friend : Eh how long will you be back? 

Paul : Probably just a couple of days. 

Friend : So short ah? Why not take longer wor? 

Paul : Really, after the third day of new year, exactly what do you do? 

Really, there's only so much mahjong and kuaci you can take in after one week!

Sigh. Guess I am turning into a regular Scrooge this time of year. So do they have an equivalent for 'Bah! Humbug!' in Chinese?