Tag Archives: Fireworks

Of Rain and Fireworks

10 Nov

Deepavali, or Diwali, the Festival of Lights, fell on Sunday, and Monday was a replacement public holiday. The extra day off disrupted my usual weekend routine, especially with the loud fireworks display in the distance. The night before Deepavali, fireworks went off past midnight, when I was comfortably in bed, ready to call it a night.

My routine of counting sheep before going to Slumberland was interrupted because the fireworks went on non-stop for a good half an hour! I kept track of the time and realized that fireworks during Chinese New Year earlier this year were shorter in comparison.

While it is great that people celebrate with such gusto, I do not share their enthusiasm because my sleep was definitely affected. It took me a long time to finally fall asleep, and I woke up feeling grumpy the next morning. Hrmph.

On Monday, it rained towards the evening. But it did not deter the merrymakers at all. There was still a fireworks display, but it was shorter than the previous two days. I had to tune the noise out and force myself to sleep because I had a golf game the next day and needed to wake up at 5:30 a.m.!

The monsoon season has kicked in. Typically, it rains from the afternoon or late evening until past midnight. For us golfers, such conditions are tough to weather (pun intended). However, such conditions don’t seem to discourage the fireworks displays on a very wet Deepavali! Bless those people.

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Year of the Fire Horse

17 Feb

Gong Xi Fa Cai! We have officially ushered in the Year of the Fire Horse at the stroke of midnight. The fireworks last night were non-stop and loud; what a boisterous way to welcome the new year.

The family reunion dinner last night was a gastronomic adventure. The spread was a test of our tummy space! I definitely gained a kilogram. Burp!

Decorated our Yee Sang to look like a horse!

Here’s wishing everyone a very Happy and Prosperous 2026 ahead! May you gallop into the year with zest and positivity. 

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Limping, Not Leaping into 2024

2 Jan

Several days before ushering in the New Year, I was out with a nasty cough and flu. It was most depressing. Even the New Year fireworks at midnight could not lift my spirits.

You could say I limped, not leaped into 2024. I have been sapped to the core, nursing a watery nose and teary eyes. The sneeze just cannot come out! Ugh. What a weak start to face the new year. I’m just hoping for a speedy recovery.

The good thing about this misfortune is the sudden weight loss. I have been trying so hard to shed some pounds towards the fourth quarter of last year but have failed miserably. With so many occasions and birthday dinners, it was hard.

But with my current situation, I have no appetite, and going out is too much of an ordeal. And the pounds are gone! It’s nice to know there is light at the end of the tunnel. I will recover and face 2024 head-on.

Happy New Year everyone!

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Starting Off with a Bang

2 Jan

The New Year started off with a bang, literally. Fireworks went off at the stroke of midnight, and 15 minutes into the new year, the fireworks continued. We have gotten used to this, having firework displays close to home.

For many years, we don’t even have to drive out to join the merry-making crowd to see the colorful displays and usher in the New Year. The comforts of home, especially from the bedrooms, give us the best views without the crowd and sweaty bodies.

My New Year did not start so smoothly. I injured my left knee while golfing. To make matters worse, I pulled my back muscle too. And at the end of the New Year game, I was in excruciating pain from the back injury. During lunch, it was horrible; I was nauseous and could not eat. We left so that I could recover from this unexpected ordeal.

I felt like a machete was chopping my back repeatedly. Even the painkiller could not help. Why is my New Year kicking off so dramatically? Ugh. Thank goodness all that excruciating pain subsided with rest and some roll-on medication. Lesson learned: do not pull weeds at awkward angles before a golf game. Happy New Year, people!

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Beginnings and Endings

3 Jan

The new year started off rather quietly for us. We stayed home that evening and had a fun time cooking together, preparing dinner for a very leisurely paced New Year’s Eve meal. I felt this was better quality time instead of going out and be squashed in the crowds.

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Ushering in 2020 with some wine and cheese!

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Sautéd mushrooms, baked potato wedges, honey-glazed carrots, pork steak, greens and a pasta. Quite a meal!

By midnight after seeing some of the fireworks that we could see from our windows, we continued to watch Netflix, waiting to Skype with M2. After we finally heard from her, we went to bed after that! No revelry beyond as it felt just like any other day.

The new beginning is supposed to bring new excitement. We have not even fully digested the spirit of Christmas, New Year’s mood, suddenly at the turn, Chinese New Year things popped up! Decorations at the mall were updated, along with cookies, clothes especially Cheongsams and all things Chinese New Year related were on full display. I am so not ready yet for the next festive celebration.

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Roaring display of the lion dance at the mall

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The new beginning means an ending for us. The food trail is coming to an end as M1’s time with us is ending soon. It’s not sadness all over again but acceptance.

As we cherish the next two days before she leaves, we hope to spend quality time with her again in the future. It has been truly wonderful. Maybe we will visit her in the US again? Who knows? The year 2020 will be full of surprises.

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A Quiet Beginning

1 Jan

Unlike the nation and the world who ushered in 2019 with revelry, we welcomed the new year without much fanfare. In fact, no fanfare at all. It rained in the evening and spoiled the mood to go out. So we stayed home.

I decided to carved a Whale to usher in the year. Hubby has been down with a cough for several days, hence no alcohol for him, I didn’t feel like drinking or celebrating alone.

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Whale 14 in the making

Sure there were fireworks last night when the clock struck midnight which we could hear and see in the distance but I tuned them all out with my headphones and listened to Beyonce’s Listen, my favorite song.

The night before New Year felt like any other night in the week prior to midnight. And the first day of the new year is no different, a public holiday in the midst of a work week but kinda like a Sunday nothing-doing feeling. A quiet beginning is what it is for us.

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Happy New Year

1 Jan

Happy New Year folks! A brand new year and a brand new outlook. Does it feel any different? Honestly, no. I have stopped making resolutions because I know I cannot keep them, so no point in trying to kid myself.

We had a quiet lead-in to welcome the new year. Nothing out of sorts, the girls and I spent quality time together whilst hubby was with his friends for a bit. We actually went shopping and as usual, felt overwhelmed by the crowd. Then dinner was at my sibling’s home, a simple home-cooked meal, nothing elaborate.

We even managed to reach home on time to watch some fireworks display within and afar from our neighborhood in the comforts of the house. Unlike last year where we were at a friend’s place for a party and caught some dazzling displays up close but after that, was stuck in a traffic jam upon leaving the place.

A quiet usher-in, let’s hope 2018 will be an exciting and positive one more than anything else.

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Year In, Year Out

2 Jan

Happy New Year world! With the new year ushered in, let there be more positive vibes, more love and more stories to share!

This New Year countdown has been different for us. Year in, year out for the last few years, we would stay home for a simple home-cooked meal, paired with a bottle of wine and just relax. By eleven, we would be in bed and by the stroke of midnight, the fireworks in the neighborhood would go off and entertained us. Then in the horizon, there would more fireworks displays and we would ooh and ahh at the bursts of colors as well.

This year, a friend invited us to her house for dinner for the New Year Countdown. And what we had was a front row view of the fireworks display within the community that she lived in. We were only two streets away from the launch site; only the tall hedges between the two streets blocked the view of the actual launch.

For a change, it was breathtaking and simply awesome to see the fireworks display so up close instead of from the bedroom window. I think we ooh-ed and aah-ed for the entire ten minutes, definitely more than all the previous years combined.

It was all good positive vibes especially with the whole place organized as a carnival with lots of people, food stalls, food trucks and even a stage for live performances. A fitting welcome for the year in and curtains down to the year out.

Happy New Year!

   
    
   

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I Wanna Go Home

17 Feb

There has been an increase of fireworks display in our housing estate within a span of 16 days. From the eve of the Lunar New Year, the 9th Day (commemorating the belief that the Jade Emperor protected Hokkien ancestors from being caught) to the 15th Day, Chap Goh Meh, the family has had to endure loud crackling noises and explosions; yet at the same time, admire in awe the beauty and colors of these generous private fireworks by our neighbors.

Every evening Rooney comes out to the garden at the back to play. However, on these particular nights, my poor Roo is scared senseless and barks non-stop as if pleading, “I wanna go home!” and wants us to accompany him back to the kitchen. Poor fella. He may be a fierce looking pooch but he’s such a baby when it comes to simple things like being independent or going back on his own.

Well, the Lunar New Year is officially over and peace will prevail again in the skies and neighborhood until another festive occasion comes around.

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