Feliz Ano Nuevo Chino

Happy Chinese New Year!

To all who need to celebrate it or just bother to XD

May the Year of the Rat bring more luck and prosperity to all of us.

It would be freakishly lame for me to just end this post with a CNY greeting just like that so I'm just gonna go on describing the wonderful new year's eve celebration I've always had whenever i'm in the philippines. To be exact, only in manila perched on a rooftop. It had nothing to do with alcohol, food or people but it was the fireworks!

Yes people fireworks but nothing like what you would ever see in KL. Something worth mentioning though is how fireworks are actually not illegal here! They're only starting to ponder over a total ban on them. Then again there is always a loophole out of any rule of law over here if you get what i mean. An absence of a ban only translates to hoardes of filipinos and forigners alike =) buying boxes of fireworks. I repeat that its fireworks .. not firecrackers .. as in the huge ones we only see at like klcc or bintang walk.

They're even sold right by the roads. That was where I bought mine. Even stalls are put up in hypermarkets and almost every mall. Fireworks are sold all year long but sales are most rapid during the year end holidays. The dominant producer being Dragon Fireworks even has billboards put up along the highways. Sorry but I do not have pictures to prove how amusing it can sometimes be. Maybe next year then.

It was not my first witnessing this oh so loud happening so I was already perched up on our condo rooftop by 11-ish waiting for it all to happen. Some already started by then. To my surprise, a group of condo residents had even prepared to burn fireworks on the rooftop. It was kinda against the condo rules but I couldn't care less since I would watching these magnanimous fireworks popping literally in front of my eyes.

Jennifer and me

At the rooftop, you get a definite 360 view all around you. If im not mistaken I could even see parts of makati and surely eastwood from the top. People already started 'playing' and you could see fireworks popping here and there. However the amount starts building up as 12 am approaches and trust me when the new year came they were just everywhere. There was not a single neighbourhood without fireworks. It is hard to explain in words but fireworks were everywhere. It's like multiplying the amount of klcc fireworks by 100 at every location possible. So is the joy and exhilaration everyone gets once the clock strikes 12.

view of fireworks all around us

Four years ago, there were very few people who knew about the nice NYE views from the rooftop but this time around the rooftop had a much bigger and eager crowd. Going back to the residents launching fireworks on the rooftop, I had an impression they got rich the year before because the amount of fireworks they bought was worth scrubbing your eyes for a second look. There were bags all around off all colours and types. We even thought they were using their unsold fireworks but obviously they had better jobs than that to be residents at Phoenix.

fireworks on top of us

In addition to the 360 view of fireworks sorrounding me, I had fireworks popping right above me which is really something all of you must add to your "things to do before i die" lists. It was nothing like ever before .. they were so huge and loud that you were just left fascinated by it all. I even lost count of the number of times they launched those huge ones. The barrels contaning it all would shake vigorously with that *BOOM* each time.

fireworks on top of us

There you have it non-filipino people. You have now got a rather confuzzled but detailed explanation what a new year's eve fireworks display is like in manila, philippines. You'd better come experience it some day before some silly ban is implemented. Citizens rich and poor alike are willing to spend for this marvellous displays of colour. In the words of my mum, "The owner of Dragon Fireworks is now having his annual great laugh at how he's getting richer everytime someones starts burning his fireworks". His bank account must have grown three-fold in that one night.

Brenda, Mrs Yun, Me, Eric

News bulletins are especially interesting on the following new year's day with the usual 'fireworks related accidents roundup'. Yet another one of a kind 'only-in-the-philippines' kind of announcements. With an abundance of fireworks, these incidents are not at all rare. Back then, there would people going blind, losing teeth, losing limbs, dying etc. The funniest i've heard was when a drunk man placed some lighted firecracker in his mouth instead of throwing it. I doubt if I need to explain what happened to him. It was gory albeit being rather amusing.

Much to my surprise, it was announced this year that fireworks related deaths/injuries had actually decreased marginally compared to the previous years. Sounds sarcastic but its the truth. Another amusing filipino statement in my opinion. The story of 6 year old who has his arm amputated was by far the worst accident this year.

Hopefully the videos (if you bothered to watch) have managed to give you a better perspective of it all. I'll also upload a few pictures of everything that happened to leave you as intrigued and fascinated as you already are.

CNY on the other hand was very much more mellow perhaps to my dismay. Haha. There were a few at time but a majority burned the long red crackers. I believe these are the ones who need to proudly declare "I am Chinese unlike you other filthy ones". Do not be surprised but the Chinese community in the Philippines is substantially large with many already marrying locals. They make up a chunk of the population having first arrived to trade just like every other chinese ancestor who made a journey away from the mainland. My 'yew' is actually spelt 'yu' here. Only god knows why..

Another interesting fact about filipino chinese is how each and everyone of them are filty rich. I am proud to say that almost every large corporation here belongs to or was started by someone chinese. Google this up and you'll be very surprised. Therefore I feel much more respected even though im not filthy rich. Best thing is that there are actually NO LALAs here. Not a single one !! Most of the chinese dont even speak their mothertongue anymore.

Nonetheless, my very first CNY out of malaysia was not at all busy yet fun. Certainly is when i'm with my mum. We had our reunion dinner (3 of us) and waited till midnight. I woke up the next day to greet and receive limited amount of angpaus. Certainly not as much as I would have gotten back in KL but im not complaining. My sister helped me collect some. Thanks brenda!

We wanted to make a trip to chinatown in binondo to obtain some more authentic CNY goodies but couldn't make it. Well at least we have cookies from KL and oranges. Something new I found out was that koreans themselves also celebrate the new year like us chinese. So we still had our korean friends here to greet and celebrate. Jennifer came on the eve in her hanbok to greet us all. How adorable..

Before I end this post, one of me friends, the Peako we all know to well, will be leaving or rather has left for trinity in aussieland. Sorry I couldn't be there for your lil farewell but I wish you all the best for your studies and whatever that comes ahead. Don't ever forget me and all of us back home because we know where to seek for you. That sounded so tacky. By the way, I still have not catched cloverfield yet. Haha

-Adios y hasta luego-