The lunar new year is round the corner, and I'm looking forward to oh-so-delicious new year goodies coming my way! It strikes me though, how un-chinese.. or rather, how intolerant of authentic chinese culture I am.

I mean, how much of "cheena" karaoke can one take in a night? As if it isn't bad enough that the tunes are so.. chinese, we have to have aspiring opera singers belting out those high notes with unparalleled gusto. There was a company function at the restaurant we were dining at today, and they were bursting with so much..enthusiasm.. I tell you, even the prawns could have drowned!

Oh and those chinese new year 'must-haves', a pair of paper cutouts decked in traditional chinese dress. Is it for real that that gaudy red dress is my traditional cultural costume? And, do I really want to see their plastered smiles hung all around my house?

I suppose because I am a chinese I get to poke fun at my culture (Hah!). But though I hope never to end up like one of those enthusiastic karaoke singers, there ARE parts of my culture that I appreciate. Come to think of it, it's funny how my larger-scale singing assignments are in mandarin! Oh boy, does God have a sense of humour..

Happy lunar new year, everyone!