CNY (Chinese New Year)

(Clockwise from top left: Deep fried crab, Dragon, Dragon isn't real)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Nb7JfM_7Y0

Chinese New Year is based on the lunar calendar which typically places the new year somewhere around the second month of the solar calendar. I believe this is why I am perpetually late; it's all in the ancestry. This ethnic holiday barely registers on the radar in the States, but in the Land Down Under there is a three week long celebration...it's almost like being in the motherland. What's more is the festivity and excitement isn't just isolated to the Asian contingency, people of all backgrounds embrace this holiday. Perhaps they are just looking for a reason to celebrate and party, or maybe they just want to extend the holiday season a bit longer. Thus, if they haven't started on their New Year's resolutions even in February,they're not too late. It's like a do-over, a restart of good intentions overtaken by procrastination.

I had the pleasure of sharing Chinese New Year dinner with my friends in Oz. We went to a Chinese restaurant, and we were visited by the dragon dancers. The video is much better than the pictures because the darn thing was so hyperactive I couldn't get a good picture that didn't look like a rainbow flourish. We fed it red envelopes filled with money as an offering for prosperity and protection, much like what you'd do if you were dealing with the mafia. But the money goes to a good cause...dragon catch and release.