Ushering In The Year Of The Horse

Well, folks, this is it—today is the Chinese New Year eve. Some of you who're celebrating the occasion will be having a special family dinner gathering this evening. I'll be attending such a gathering at my dad's in Penampang. And then perhaps after 3000 to 4000 calories' worth of all the unhealthy food that you can think of, we would as always adjourn to the mahjong table, and that would last for at least 6 hours, if not more.

I dread the thought of mahjong against dad, my sister Audrey, and my uncle Tony, not because I'm afraid that I'd lose money. In fact, I enjoy mahjong a lot. But I know that I will have to endure continuous inhalation of cigarette smoke, which is why I've been shying away from mahjong this lately. The three of them are living chimneys, and no amount of warnings about lung cancer can make them kick the habit. We are all born with weaknesses, and smoking is just one of theirs.

I consider myself lucky because I don't have to travel a long way to celebrate Chinese New Year with my family members. Most of us are just several minutes away from each other and that makes things much more convenient on occasions such as this. 

Those of you who're driving long distance to visit your loved ones, please drive carefully, especially when I'm running on the road! Enjoy the holidays and come back rejuvenated in the year of the horse. On behalf of my family, may I take this opportunity to wish you all Gong Xi Fa Cai and all the best in the coming year!