This is another reason why I hate Chinese New Year (hereby referred to as CNY).
The shopping.
That’s right. The shopping. A lot of people will tell you that it is so nice to shop, and especially during festive season. They say they got to go to many places and buy a lot of things, and the retail therapy is just great for them.
My ass, a very cute and perky one at that.
I will say, “wait till they are the one who is forking out the money to buy those stuff.”
Yes, when we were kids, we used to say “Yay! Its CNY! Wooohooo!” because of few reasons. First is, of course, there won’t be any class. The school will take a break of about a week. Imagine that, ONE FULL WEEK WITHOUT CLASS! So that’s the best reason to be joyful. Secondly, there will be plenty of Angpow money [see related post for more information about Angpow] and that’s our only income for being a cute little angels. So why not? Third reason is, we will get many new fancy clothes because it is a custom to wear only new clothes (yup, that means new shirt, new pants, new underwear, new socks and new shoes) during CNY, so that’s plenty of reason to be joyful.
And the best part? We were just receiving the Angpow money, and we didn’t even have to spend any on clothes (these will be provided by parents).
But I have stopped buying new clothes (except underwear) for the past many years for myself during CNY. Yup, I don’t see the point of that. Nowadays CNY is just a break from work, which I dreaded and hated because I always want to spend more time growing my business.
And all these unnecessary spending…
You want the best example? Let me show you the list of things that I need to buy in the course of next few days…
- 4 cases of Mandarin Orange
- 6 cases of Carlsberg
- 1 case of Guinness Stout
- 2 cases of 100 Plus (bottle pack)
- 2 cases of Coca-Cola
- 1 case of red wine
- 3 boxes of Pineapple tart
- 3 kgs Pork jerky
- 1 can of quality coffee powder
The list goes on and on and on. Mind you, this is just a partial of the list that I was given by my mom. I mean, I don’t mind the beer or wine or jerky or tart because I know I will drink/eat most of them (unless when my mom stops me from eating and drinking excessively so there are some left). But so many boxes/cases?
Apparently in the customary tradition, relatives and friends will visit our house to wish us prosperity and wealth, so we must be good host and provide plenty of food, tidbits, drinks and other shit to pamper them. Now I don’t mind to treat these guests with niceties such as those beer and stuff, but do I really need to buy so much?
Let’s put it this way:
1 case of Carlsberg = RM 120.00
1 box of Mandarin orange = RM23.00
1 kg of pork jerky = RM 76.00
1 case of red wine = RM 800.00
(Price is approximate and RM3.25 = USD1)
Can you see how much I had to spend just for this fucking CNY alone? Furthermore, when I go home that time, my car boot will be filled with these things, and I have to even use the backseat to load the rest of the things.
Oh come on! If I am in a festive mood and want to celebrate this CNY, then I will be joyful to spend these money. But now I am not in the mood at all, so I get angry just to spend these unnecessary money. The fact is, I have stopped celebrating CNY many years ago when those relatives started asking me silly questions such as “So when is your turn to give out Angpow?”
Can’t these guests just drink plain water or something?
Niamah!
I would rather spend the money to buy new clothes, new pants, new underwear, new socks, and donate them to some orphanage association so these poor kids will have something new to wear. Yup, that’s what I call CNY spirit.
Unfortunately, this year I am spending so much on buying these things, I don’t have money left to donate. And I dread the day when I am married because that means I will have to give out Angpow….
Related Post
Married vs. Single on January 24, 2008
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