Bonding

The very best way to celebrate the holidays is with family. No matter how exhausting walking and queuing up will be, the joy, excitement and humor that accompanies each moment more than makes up for the fatigue and as always, reenergizes one in a way that Gatorade can never do (never mind the searing heat and humidity!). And as the occasion calls for hearty eating of the most appetizing kind, weight gain is bound to happen.

It was the first time that I officially celebrated CNY as it is not recognized as a holiday in the Philippines. But who doesn't want to participate in a lively celebration of greeting the new year with the all the aplomb and fanfare of tossing raw fish and shredded vegetables into the air while wishing loudly for more abundance and good fortune? I discovered that Yusheng salad and CNY goodies were much to my liking. Sentosa was not the place to be when it's a holiday. The Buddha Tooth Relic Temple and Museum was a good place to find solace. Walking barefoot inside the Indian temple was like tiptoeing through hot coals (maybe). Bee Chiang Hiang bak-kwa was addicting. Patara Fine Thai Cuisine and Thai Express served authentic Thai food as attested to by locals.

And so it was that instead of being just an ordinary long break for me, CNY 2008 turned out to be a most special occasion that made me hope that the future could indeed be brighter.

"Family life is full of major and minor crises and all kinds of characters. It is tied to places and events and histories. With all of these felt details, life etches itself into memory and personality. It's difficult to imagine anything more nourishing to the soul."

Thomas Moore