Round the Corner

Oooh! Mid-Autumn Festival is just round the corner!

Well, nothing so exciting about it. I'm not a kid anymore. Which is sad...

anyway, there's bad and good news. The good news is, we've got mooncakes to eat! YUMMY!!

And the bad news, I can't move into my new house yet.
All because of the damn contractor. Trusted him, yet he betrayed us. And the house will most probably not be done before Mid-autumn.

So, no house-warming on Mid-autumn Festival lor. Gagaga...

I like the festival a lot. Other than Chinese New Year (in terms of Chinese's festivals), this is an important day for me. I don't know why. Usually it's only "celebrated" with eating mooncakes. Which can be quite boring. And because of the last 5 years in high school, the festival is almost always near exam time, we couldn't really find time to celebrate it.

Looking back, I kinda pity myself. Comparing to many other Chinese children in the country, I (and my sisters) have the least celebrated the "Lantern" festival.

All those years in China, I have never 'played' lanterns during the festival. In the first few years, there seemed to be no big deal about it, besides having lotsa mooncakes. My dad got them as gifts from his friends. How greatly we missed the lovely times with lanterns, and the mooncakes which are made in Malaysia.
*Indeed, mnay of chinese mooncakes don't taste as good. =) *

In the final 2 years or somewhat, some local Chinese community held Mid-Autumn Festival parties at the basketball court right behind our apartment block. Woohoo... imagine eating mooncakes and looking all over for the full-moon in the freezing wind! maybe that's how Ice-cream mooncakes came about!

And that's it. Fancy living in China without having to celebrate a chinese festival.

Well, we really did hope to drag our lanterns out (oh, and we have at least 7 of them!) and hang them at the windows. we just dread that either the candle will be out in a second, or the whole thing will turn into a fire-ball!
*So, never stay in an apartment! Haha! not funny...*

Talking about lanterns, many might feel that technology has 'improved' it. Nowadays I seldom see kids playing with candle-lit lanterns. Instead, they have electronic ones! They come in all shapes and sizes, with everything from the simplest fish models to favourite cartoons such as Mashimaro and Hamtaro. And many of them come with music too. My neighbour has a grandchild who played with it last year until we got tired of it.

I would say those stuff are marvelous... if they are not so-called "lanterns". what are lanterns really? To me, the joy lies in the 'traditional' lanterns using candles, where a dim light is seen through some colourful papers. It may be tiring and frustrating to keep the canle flame from going off or burning the lantern, but overall, it just seems so peaceful and romantic, doesn't it?

If you were to use the electronic ones, which you can shake them, throw them, swing them, turn them upside-down, and 'fly' them across the sky, well I guess our ancestors might as well replace lanterns with light-bulbs... protected by layers of plastic. why take the trouble to make delicately beautiful non-fire-protection lanterns?

Okay, enough of bragging. It wasn't all nonsense, but don't take it hard. Just my opinion, don't mean to insult.

Anyway, Enjoy the festival. It's gonna be a sweet festival, either big or small celebration.
Try to go home to unite with your family.
Or else, call them, to wish them well and happy.

May happiness be with you always.
Sadhu, Sadhu, Sadhu!