Long Ago and Far Away

My residential suburb lacks having accessiblity to buy Nyonya Kueh (Straits Chinese snacks) and Char Kueh Kak (stir fried savoury radish cake)- but makes up in other things which I should not take for granted. I just came back home having as takeaway, freshly made soy milk made by nice middle aged China lady, a Vietnamese salmon fillet claypot pack, a Bahn Mi made beautifully by an expert baguette maker and a goat curry serve ( all from Eastwood in north west Greater Sydney). There can be this inherent longing for things Asian when one has migrated long ago and far away. It can all come back intensely during celebrations for the Lunar New Year. In Singapore and Malaysia, it is called the Chinese New Year, in Vietnam, Tet and in Korea, Seolall. What are the things for this festive season that are no longer done around the world, or less of it? The customary duty and joy of giving red packets with cash inside to those younger than you, handed over with encouraging blessings. The visits to each other's abode on the first day of the 15 day long celebration. The sending of greetings on cards posted through the government run mailing system. The vocalisation of traditional and well crafted greetings when meeting up with each other. The obvious absence of fruits with good omen and meaning, when one lives in the hemisphere opposite to that of East Asia. The increasing disregard for several things one must avoid doing during the New Year period - for example, taking brooms out, using sharp implements, wearing clothes of unfortunate colours, gifting of items like clocks which can signify negative things and cutting your hair. Buying and cooking with tight schedules for the reunion dinner on the eve of Lunar New Year. Many reunion dinners are now taken outside the home at commercial eateries. Not coming back to the family home for the New Year's Eve reunion dinner, especially when there is no public holiday, when it is a school night and when one is overseas. The careful choosing of which lucky direction to face and what indicative time to first step out of your abode on the morning of the first day of the New Year. To not visit each other on the third day of the festive season, to obtain a much needed restful time after the hecticness of socialising during the first two days. To not honour our best four legged friends on the second day of the Lunar New Year, for it is said that dogs were created then, earlier than human beings, who came into existence on the seventh day. At the same time, new practices are emerging in this contemporary world of over 8 billion human beings. Online electronic transfers of money are the preferred method of delivering good luck and blessings instead of utilising the traditional red packet. The over commercialisation of gifts that are given to elders, family members, business clients and politicians. People are becoming more health conscious and discerning when consuming particular traditional festive snacks. People leaving the city or country of residence to go on overseas holidays "just to get away from it all". The Lunar New Year coincides with the earnest start of mainstream business, school and corporate execution in Australia and New Zealand. So celebrations can get low key when the Lunar Year begins on a week day. Celebrations are therefore moved to the nearest weekend. What has not changed throughout the years are increased consumption of hard liquor and lobster; increased traffic jams; airport congestion and rising air fares; significant wifi use, video communication and app clicks; and opportunities to catch up. Acrobatic lion dances, dragon parades and fresh blooms continue to rise in popularity. The use of fire crackers and fireworks in public and private places is decreasing, as drones and AI imagery get more sophisticated. More individuals find themselves working on festive days in societies that do not close for the holidays. It may be convenient to purchase goods and commercial services during Chinese New Year, but prices asked do spike up. Festivals are a significant occasion to reaffirm political, commercial.and personal relationships. There are addresses by national leaders to their people. Bosses throw a sumptous meal and gathering to reward their staff. Bonuses are given. I do not take for granted that we can celebrate festivals in a relatively peaceful world - and also acknowledge the suffering of our fellow human beings in continuing unresolved conflicts. The Lunar New Year is best celebrated by seriously reflecting what truly counts in life. #yongkevthoughts

To Go The Distance

Friends and relatives back in Asia do remind me of their relative convenience when accessing food they want at any time. It is often a maximum of driving out for only 30 minutes one way, before they are already physically in their eatery. Piping hot, freshly made and with appetite to be fulfilled. Staying in a large metropolitan area in Australia can mean very different circumstances. Getting to do anything in the course of daily life can mean the no choice but to commute for long distances. Whether it is to get to the latest shopping buzz, hyped restaurant, art gallery, preferred medical provider, niche grocery, not to be missed live concert, international flight, seasonal international cricket game, beloved relative or latest sensational bakery, one has to make effort and allocate time in travel before arriving at the destination and then again, before arriving back home. Several people I know with kids and elderly present book into accommodation close to their purposed venue - instead of having to drive several hours all in one day. Vehicle parking availability is increasingly a growing problem as well when one arrives at the destination. Australian mainstream populations continue to love their sense of spaciousnes, even if it can get increasingly expensive and not so practical to do so. New housing continues to spread out on the fringes of metropolitan areas. Those who live in units in the high rises in more densely packed city suburbs can on the other hand just take their elevators down to drop by the cafe or eatery that are commercial tenants in the same building. These same individuals can now also hop on to nearby street light rail ( even in Canberra) or sparkling underground Metro stations ( only in Melbourne and Sydney) to commute to all the fun out there. The two dominant supermarkets operating across Australia have branches in many suburbs. Such is their commercial power that it is easier to locate a Woolies or Coles than to find a post box, bank branch, butcher, pub or taxi stand. I must reiterate that I can find a refreshing and well maintained Nature's park in any Australian suburb, more easy than walking past a duopolistic supermarket. I am grateful that I can walk to several parks, small or large, near a forest or by the sea, within a 2km radius of my abode. It is important to carefully select the suitable kind of local community for your or family needs. Is it more significant that you do not need to use your private vehicle to travel to fulfil your variety of needs and daily use? Do you enjoy driving long distances or commuting for hours just to do things in your social profile? Do you make the long journey locally only once in a while and not on a regular basis? Levels of mobility, purpose of trip and easier means of travel do figure a lot in your decision making on these matters. Or do you commute only for work purposes? I know of individuals wh0 never venture beyond their residential precinct, except when going overseas for holiday or on a family reunion. More and more of today's population transact on line and in a virtual world, physically confining themselves to a particular site - getting food delivered to the door, obtaining stimulation through artificial intelligence and earning money on clicks and clacks. They do not have to commute much, except when they occasionally relocate internationally for better jobs, influencer nomadity and because of falling in love. #yongkevthoughts

Lowered Expectations

We are brought up mostly to see and think of the best in other human beings. My expectations on this has made me experience good encounters, but not entirely. In the current turn of the contemporary society and world, I now begin to mindfully lower my expectations in how people, community, society, government, authorities and well funded powers behave - this is especially towards the disenfranchised, the public and those who do not count in the larger scheme of things. Concurrently running along the seeming path to more meanness is the strong observations of individuals, businesses, politicians and organisations increasing self centredness. Commerce may have led the way, in the messages of only ensuring their own well being and having less concerns about the customer who buys and brings in the cash flow. Many large corporates have people at the top who do not even appreciate or understand the view points and experience of customers in the various stages in the journey of buying from such businesses. The falling emphasis in less human contact and rising use of device screen methods to sell or service has added to the lost art of consideration, civility and character when dealing with each other. In the process of dealing with residents, consumers and others who are the linchpin of how an economy works, the top down approach adopted by more and more operators seem to be to avoid meeting with them, send mass messages online, reduce communication access and enhance the importance of investors and highly paid management. In the process, such powers that are and can be, dehumanise the majority in human societal structures. This is especially evident when institutions and corporates dominate the market in an overwhelming manner, for example in New Zealand and Australia, with less competition and choice. Taking customers ( in the broadest sense of the word) for granted looks like the forte and rationale of increasingly more modern society structures, modus operandi and institutions. Why so? Because they can do so. So that is why it is significant that many people ( and not just me aha) are lowering our expectations. And that is critical - by lowering our expectations, we also begin to lose our attachment to such bodies. Do we really need to interact or buy from bad service and product providers? There in lies a potential solution. By decreasing our attachment to many useless things, irrelevant humans, aggressive businesses and impertinent structures, we allow our energies, time and hard earned monies go to more worthwhile causes and activities that truly do enrich our soul and inner joy. Life is a journey of change. When we change our expectations and attachment, we do not absorb the negative energy from parties who just want to take advantage of us - and who are not worth our energy to bother about. And the bottom line I must say, is that it is more meaningful and rewardinv to raise expectations of our own selves - not for the sake of others, but in our own personal journey. #yongkevthoughts

Spring has Sprung

China has 24 distinct solar terms recognised, emphatically for agricultural guidance and echoing historical and cultural significance and sophistication. The fourth of February in 2026 marked the arrival of Spring or Li Chun. In Japan, this same day is called Risshun. The Japanese celebrate Shunbun No Hi in March, also to signify the start of the Sakura or Cherry Blossom flowering season, first starting in Kyushu and spreading north to Hokkaido. Li Chun day has a touch of fun when it is said eggs can be placed standing up, but only on that particular date. Have you tried doing this? Zurich youngsters traditionally publicly burned the Boogg, an eleven foot straw effigy to mark the day of the Spring Equinox (21st March) in Switzerland. The widely used English word "bogeyman" comes from this effigy. Indians celebrate the arrival of Spring as Holi, a colourful riot of celebration marked by street festivities and the use of dyed powders. Persians celebrate Nowruz, a significant feature of Zoroastrainism, when an intensive and purposeful home spring cleaning exercise called Khaneh Tekani is carried out before the important date. Druids and Pagans gathered at Stonehenge in England. The Great Sphinx, ever mysterious south of Cairo in all its stone splendour through the ages, has the setting sun behind her right shoulder on the first day of Spring in the Northern Hemisphere. Human groups and cultures instinctively welcome the transition to warmer temperatures, especially from this current winter with blizzards and record snowfall in Canada, Siberia, northern Europe, western Russia, northern China and north eastern USA. The Festival of Scrambled Eggs takes place in Bosnia to mark the change to a warmer season. A bit later than in most nations, Canadians have a Tulip Festival to remember the gift of the Dutch flowers to Canada at the end of World War 2. Indigenous practice is to welcome the Serpent of the Light in equatorial Mexico on the day of the Northern Hemisphere Spring Equinox. Easter indicates rebirth and renewal. Bulgarians tap hard boiled eggs against each other in a game like atmosphere, but these have colourfully painted egg shells in the practice of Orthodoxy. Romanian and Maldovians exchange gifts of bright red strings craftfully tied up in a bow. Smigus-Dyngus or Wet Monday involves splashing of water in an affectionate and cleansing way by Poles to herald the arrival of Spring. It reminds me of the perhaps more boisterous water splashing in April on the streets of Thailand to celebrate Songkran. Meanwhile the largest ever annual festive migration of humans occurs in the two weeks before and after the Chinese New Year, not just in China but amongst the diaspora especiallly across South East Asia. Reminding me of salmons who swim back to where they were born in Canada, Scandinavia or New Zealand, the importance of family reunion is echoed in the massive movements of human beings on planes, trains and on the roads. The aim is to sit down and have a meal together as a family on that most sentimental of evenings - New Year's Eve. Chinese New Year is referred to as the Lunar New Year in Western media, as the same festival is also celebrated in Thailand, Korea, Vietnam, Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia and in Central Asian republics. When Chinese New festivities end on the 15th night of the celebrations, the Chinese farming calender indicates a change into another solar term - Yu Shiu or the period of Rain. #yongkevthoughts

Sundays Are Not the Same Anymore

Sunday mornings often offered a regime that sparkled. The schedule started with reading on paper, tangible sheer natural product that stimulated our fingers, coupled with the sheer pleasure of leafing through various content that contained more than just adverts or petty news in a thick weekend edition of a newspaper. The newspapers came to our front door early, often at dawn. If we went to the newsagent, its shelves were stacked with a sufficient stack of magazines. Today, Australian newsagents can be a sad shade of lotto gambling, limited stationery and a range of knick knacks. Going outdoors early in the day - or for that matter, anytime - was a sheer pleasure, whether as a pedestrain along footpaths or soaking in the freshness of a park. Although public spaces are to share, these days human walkers along footpaths do experience higher risks of confronting with dangers seen and unforseen. Battery powered e bikes are ridden fast whizzing past close to pedestrains by riders who do not have to register their vehicles or be licensed to operate. Human walkers these days notice more pet poo left deposited on public realms. Across Australia, there are rising casualties and fatalties reported of pedestrains unfortunate enough to have been hit by moving oversized vehicles with hyped up frontages. Even if I am just minding my own business, the other day I was vehemently told off by an obvious mental racist or mental case to walk on the left side along a public pavement. There were just two of us on a wide pavement in north west of Greater Sydney. Many public places are still relatively well kept in Australian suburbs. Occasionally, I still come across the illegal dump on an unassuming creek, a hidden bushy corner or in the wrong type of garbage bin. Beaches along the Illawarra are provided with complimentary pet poo plastic bags. Massive playing fields and public grassed areas are kept mowed and looking attractive by various Councils. The state of toilets for use by the public across Greater Sydney continue to cause concern. Bosses of eateries can drop the importance of ensuring washroom cleanliness when the going gets tough with the lack of workers, problems of ingredient supply, rising rents and financial pressure. The maintenance of toilets at T and M stations across the Sydney Rail network seems to have improved. Sunday mornings can be oppprtunities for pleasurely drives. These days operating your private vehicle on highways or suburban roads can be exasperatimg experiences instead of witnessing how oversized and self centred egos can transform driving into acts of putting others down in aggressive behaviour. If a Sunday happens to be a part of a long weekend, in Australia, be prepared to pay more when eating out - these can be to compensate eatery staff more on a weekend or public holiday, on top of whatever surcharges when taping a card. Busy dates at popular restaurants can also mean limited seating time when dining. Weekends were times to encourage greater socialisation in communities and generally across society. Now there can be greater congestion on the roads, less dependability and regularity of public transport schedules and a greater reluctance to go out on Sundays. So that is why I have sentiments for those beautiful Sundays many years ago. #yongkevthoughts