새해 복 많이 받으세요!

happy new year! went home to mom and dad's house to mark the start of the lunar new year, aka the Year of the Boar. for some reason i remember this holiday being much more entertaining as a child than now. yes, there was ritual and bowing involved, but it always ended w/a little red envelope filled w/money and an afternoon of playing. nowadays there's ceremony, bowing, and clean-up, but no little red envelopes. WHERE ARE THE RED ENVELOPES?!

in our house we start the morning w/a small ceremony honoring elders that have passed away (in this case, dad's parents). afterwards we bow to mom and dad, wishing them a happy new year and they in turn wish us the same. this part of the ritual is kinda funny cuz they also get to wish us something they hope will happen in the next year (read: parents can politely bash you and you have to take it). mom wished me good health. dad wished me to get married. OMG...

this wknd was kinda rough to begin with (we'll save that for a future post), but that was icing on the cake. ran away to the Apache Mall in a weak attempt (anyone that's been in Rochester's mall knows what i'm talking about) to find solace in Macy's shoe dept. 45 mins and $60 later (including a pair of kick-your-ass-pointy-toe-stilleto-heel boots for $21) i felt better. whoever said you can't buy happiness was obviously not able to find their size on the clearance rack...