Wednesday, December 2, 2009

I'm Feelin' It!

Christmas and New Year's is just weeks away and I'm definitely feelin' it! The Christmas carols playing everywhere. More Christmas food and desserts popping up on Youtube. Christmas-themed movies and TV series are out. Christmas trees, decorations and merchandise being sold here and there. It just gets you in the mood, ya know?

Anyhow, my family doesn't really celebrate Christmas lavishly. We don't have, or more accurately, we've never had a Christmas tree nor do we exchange gifts. Truthfully, we've never really observed the same traditional practices as our Western counterparts, except for the commercial side on Christmas. Putting aside the fact that mum and dad have been estranged for more than 10 years, we didn't really see the necessity to spend lavishly on decor or gifts, but would just rather spend time over good food. But one thing we still do (except for dad since he's Buddhist now), is sing along with Christmas carols! To me, Christmas carols are just instantly heart-warming and triggers a sudden sense of joy, mostly reminiscent of my childhood =)

Not THIS Christmas carol, but I love Jeff Dunham. Hilarious! XD



Usually on Christmas eve, I'd go out to celebrate with my friends. We'd hang out somewhere in town, usually around Gurney or upper Penang road and observe the masses, as people from all ages celebrate the countdown to Christmas. Some would get dressed up in Christmas hats or attire, and you might see some Santarinas around. It would be bloody crowded and things would get messy, especially when the youth get their hands on those pesky spray-on foam that come in cans. We'd usually take cover somewhere, probably in a restaurant when it gets closer to midnite to avoid being showered by foam and then, have graffiti sticking on to you. As soon as it hits Christmas, foam and graffiti hit the air and rain down everywhere. Everyone screams in unison and just goes besserk! It's really fun to watch (from a SAFE distance) and be apart of.

Then a week later, it repeats on New Year's eve celebrations, minus the Christmasy stuff! XD

On Christmas mornings, I'd go to church for Christmas mass with mum and sis, where there would be a rather corny but nevertheless, adorable show about the birth of Christ orchestrated by the Salvation Army's Children's Home's children. It would happen every year without fail, and it's sort of a tradition for my church. After that, we'd usually adjourn for Christmas lunch, usually somewhere rather fancy, and that's about it. Let's face it, Christmas in Malaysia is just like any other day. You don't exactly feel the vibe of festivities, as opposed to the other major holidays like Chinese New Year or Hari Raya. We are greatly toned down as compared to our Western counterparts.

As this year is coming to a close and the new year looms, it sometimes makes me feel kinda nostalgic and reflect on what I've or accomplished this year. Sadly, it wasn't much. A lot of tough times financially and I spent a lot of time battling my own inner demons. I guess I got too caught up in everything to notice the year slipping by so quickly and didn't manage to fully accomplish what I needed to do. I'm NOT gonna say a procrastinating thing like "there's always next year" nor point any fingers. My life is my own responsibility, and if I didn't deliver, I need to buck up. I'm just gonna get my focus back into gear and do what I set out to do. I aim to make my life better, not worse.

Also, I'm a bit torn on where to celebrate New Year's eve this year. Should I just stay in Penang or go party my brains out in KL? XD

3 comments:

William said...

Party!

Faisal Admar said...

tell joe to organize a party with xmas theme. haha! santa!

Mark said...

Wahahaha, I can come as sexy Santa XD