Happy Chinese New Year!

For most Chinese all the world over, Chinese New Year has to be the single most celebrated holiday for us. It's sort of like the New Year but celebrated with the entire family. And I mean the entire family, including 5th cousins and 3rd auntie-in-laws. People that I would never see for the entire year show up during this period.

It's also a custom for all married people to give an 'angpow' or red packet to all the unmarried people/children. But it's not so simple to just shove some money into a red envelope. The amount has to be right. Not too much for the people you'll only see once a year. A little bit more for relatives. And a big one for close relatives. And it's not just about guessing how much you'll be giving in total. I have to work out how much of each denomination I'd need to draw from the bank, for example 100 $5 notes, 200 $2 notes, 10 $50 notes and so forth. Then wait in line at the bank to exchange for fresh new notes too.

For the few weeks coming up to the Chinese New Year, I've been cracking my head over how much of my budget I could spare. And while lining up at the bank, I changed my mind like a ten times. It really didn't help when the teller told me that they didn't have any $50 notes. Maybe they had some $10 notes, all the $5 notes I need and only 100 $2. Anyway, after 15 minutes holding up the queue, I left, fairly satisfied. Now I have to hope that the amount of money I have is enough to last whole festive season.

Oh, and Gong Xi Fa Cai, Happy New Year!