Happy Chinese New Year

Note to Readers:

Dear,
Happy Chinese New Year.
Wish you good health, lots of happiness & love and all the best in the Year of Dragon.
They say the Year of Dragon is a year of changes for everyone (all the 12 animal zodiacs or whatever they are called)
But no matter what zodiac sign you belong to, stay fierce and strong! Fight hard! Just like a dragon!

Much love,
N

Post:
Life can be so unexpected.

This time, in a good way.

I have had enough of large family dinner parties, with more than 40 people and 4 generations in total.

Getting dolled up, being asked the same set of questions by almost everyone every single time,
listening to boring and actually hypocritical conversations,
feeling obliged to smile and maybe talk rubbish back,
or remain silent and wait for people to shoot me a disapproving look.

This particular time, I completely gave up on the hope that a family gathering could be warm and filled with laughter.

Purposefully, I wore tight skinny trousers instead of a formal dress. (Even though I still wore heels)

What you wear really does affect how you feel and behave.

I felt comfortable and free. And warm.
Sometimes I do want to tell people that getting dolled up itself can be uncomfortable.
It's cold and stop expecting women to wear chiffon or silk or satin, sweetheart neckline, off-shoulder or bare-backs and THEN stick warming pads all around our bodies just to keep ourselves ALIVE!

I thought no one would notice the change. But obviously they did noticed.

The biggest change is on my face, not what I wore. 

I was smiling; genuinely happy and relaxed to be in my own skin.
I was happy because I don't care.
After all, why should I bother to impress? 

One of the best things about being a young adult is that you get to do things your way, and by this age, you are careful/smart enough to do so without making people feel like you lack etiquette.
Or to put it simply: style develops.

And I guess it's true: Smile and positivity attract attention.
In fact, so much attention that I was surprised.
Being the 'center of attention for the night'  (as my grandparents put it) doesn't mean much to me.
I couldn't recall most of the conversations I had already.

The best thing is that since I'm not in a floor-length gown or tight mini, I was able to have more fun with the little ones. (5 of them, aged from 2 to 5!)
Being the only one they welcomed excitedly was my crown.
Obviously I could not run around with them because of my heels and due to the occasion, but I was so happy to be surrounded by them.
They drew me lovely pictures, quietly came to my table to talk to me/ask me something during the dinner, held my hands, hugged me, etc.

A 3-year-old girl quietly came to me during the dinner to ask me to try on her headband. It's her favorite and she thought it would look good on me.
Well, it's a red one with plenty of ribbon roses. It won't look good on me, nor it is age-appropriate.
And my head is way bigger than hers. (and in fact my head is larger than a lot of people, which my boyfriend always finds funny)
But then I still tried it on because I just couldn't let the sweetie down.

Every child is a wonder in his/ her own way.

I wish one day, people would stop underestimating the 'awesomeness' of children.

Not only are they adorable, but also incredibly smart and creative.

One of my favorite things to do with children is just to watch them do their own things and ask them questions.

I asked them a few questions, based on what they drew.
Then they gave me incredibly creative and amusing answers that put a smile on my face.

Love,

N

P.S. My grandparents said the atmosphere changed. There were more laughter and warmth.

Mood and emotions affect perception, but I'm glad I wasn't the only one who felt the change.

Dinner was good.
Some of us go to that hotel on a weekly basis (which is way too frequent for me).
And this dinner is one of the best I have ever tasted in that hotel.
Our request is that we don't want typical CNY dishes like abalone and definitely no shark fin soup.
So, we got plenty of surprises from the unconventional combinations.
For example, black truffles with Berkshire/ Kagoshima black pork. (and yet it's a Chinese dish!)

Wait! Didn't I said I wanna try out a diet?!
Oops! : P