Chinese New Year 2021

 

Happy Chinese New Year 2021! Or should I actually say Happy Chinese New Year 4719 (according to the Chinese calendar)! The Year Of The Ox! (This is my year!)

 

"The Chinese New Year, also known as the Lunar New Year or Spring Festival lasts for 16 days, starting from Chinese New Year's eve to the Lantern Festival. The dates change every year because the festival is based on the Chinese Lunar Calendar."

 

 

 

 Well, CNY looks a bit different this year for our family because of the pandemic - no special dinner with friends, no lion dance, no lantern festival. But, Doug, Bri and I ate Chinese takeout, decorated the house and dressed up for the holiday.

 

I decided to buy Briana a new qipao dress a couple of weeks ago even though we planned to celebrate at home this year. I asked her if I could do a little photo shoot of her new dress and she sweetly obliged! Here are some of my favorite photos...

It was quite brisk that afternoon but she still smiled for me! A total trooper.

 

 I decorated our house for the new year...

We enjoyed delicious Chinese food...

 

 

Bri received a few gifts and some red envelopes...

Mei loves CNY too...

 

I got a bit nostalgic and started looking at old photos. Here are Briana's qipao outfits over the years (Ages 1-14)...

 

(Click on the pictures if you need to enlarge)

 

2007-2012...

 

An outfit I missed for the above collage!!

 

2012-2015...

2016-2021...

I also looked through all the CNY presentations I did for Bri's classes in elementary school (except for 1st grade - that year, Bri's teacher taught the class all about CNY and put together a Chinese play and a parade, and B got to lead the parade!)...

Gosh I miss those days. I was always so nervous before I spoke, but the kids invariably ended up appreciating the lessons and having fun making the crafts.

I hope that the Year of the Ox will be the year that life starts to go back to some sort of normalcy. I hope I can see and hug my friends soon. 

I hope you all have a safe, healthy and happy new year...

Xin Nian Kuai Le!!!

47 Weeks Behind Us (Weekly Update)

47.

47 weeks behind us since coronavirus hit the state of GA. There are times I cannot believe that the US is still dealing with this horrible pandemic on this scale - so many people dying, on vents and hospitalized. Then, there are times that I totally can believe it. Tr@mp was in charge for way too long, and that's why it got so bad and is still currently so bad. It's going to take a really long time to clean up his mess (and it may never be completely cleaned up because his unscientific mindset still lingers in so many).

I cannot wait to get my vaccination. I wish I could get it tomorrow.

This describes me to a tee lately...

Everything. Annoys. Me. All. The. Time.

I think I'm actually starting to look like Walken now - hair and all.

 

Doug sent me this meme and it really made me laugh...

 

Spot on I think!
 

 Actually, I think I look more like this...

Angry, sad, disgusted and graying. I desperately need to get my hair done. I am waiting until the end of March (I have an appointment), so hopefully the winter/holiday surge will be over when I go do it. Thank goodness for root cover up - just saying.

Unfortunately, I am dealing with another TMJ flair up right now. Ugh. My right ear is a bit blocked and my jaw kind of aches. I may look into physical therapy for my jaw soon. I can't keep going on like this.

On a lighter note, I've still been cooking a lot. I've been gravitating toward comfort food lately - due to the fact it's cold and I feel like I need lots of comfort.

 I've made chili...

Butter chicken...

Meat lasagna...

All quite yummy if I do say so myself.

 Our family has been watching way too much a lot of television lately...

 We are really into W@ndavision...

I've recently binge-watched (on my own) "The H@ndmaid's Tale" (dark but so good), "The Flight Attend@nt" (really good, definitely recommend) and "The Und@ing" (also really good). And now, I'm a few episodes into "Br!dgerton.

Last night, Doug, Bri and I watched the Superb@wl in our home theater (and ate chicken wings) - which was pretty cool. Bri and I made it through halftime and then we were done watching the game. Doug watched the whole thing...

Bri did a little paint project the week before last.

I got her a "Baby Y@da" color your own planter kit for Christmas just for fun. She started using the markers that came with the kit and realized they just weren't cutting it (there was no way it was actually going to look like the picture on the box). She decided to use her paints and painted it on her own...

So vibrant and fun! She did a great job!

Mei is still up in our business all the time...

I love her but dang, she's is one needy little furball (minus some fur in certain places)!!

Chinese New Year begins on Friday and sadly, our family won't be celebrating like we did in years past due to the pandemic. Actually, the Asian restaurants around here are still only doing takeout anyway. So, Chinese takeout for 3 it will be!

Even though we won't be celebrating like usual, I did buy Bri a new qipao dress and asked if I could take a few pictures of her. She sweetly obliged! I will post all the photos in my next post, but here is a quick preview...

Next week is Briana's winter break. And...we actually have plans! Safe, social distancing plans. I am looking very forward to them. I'll tell you all about them after winter break.

 

*****************

Now - I will quickly address some virus and political stuff.

First, case numbers for the virus have fallen in GA...

It's a positive thing that numbers are going down, but almost 3500 cases in one day still isn't good. And again, those are cases that are actually reported. Numbers are still so much higher than when this whole thing first started - and schools around here closed back then. Now, not so much. I know - I understand where I live. It is what it is.

And deaths are not good either...

 

229 deaths yesterday from Covid on Saturday. Just too many.

 

That's all I am going to say about that.

Now on to politics...

So on Friday, I decided for fun to check out two different news stations around the same time to see what was being reported. I checked F@x and then CN@

CN@ was airing the Covid-19 response team giving an important update on the pandemic crisis...

At the same time, F@x News was airing Rep Gre@ne "conspiracy queen extraordinaire" moaning and complaining about getting pulled from all her committees (deservedly so for all her dangerous rhetoric, propaganda and lies). And yes, she comes from GA - we are all so proud. NOT. 

****Insert massive eye roll here****

There is a big power struggle on the political right between the moderate/traditional conservatives and the far right extremists (the mag@s/americ@ firsters/so-called p@triots). The far righters (both politicians and supporters) are the loudest, most obnoxious and most corrupt. There are a few moderate/traditional republic@n politicians who are finally starting to speak out and say what is right and true. And then there are the tight-lipped republica@ns who are too scared to speak out against the far right and continue to try to tap into the Tr@mp base...

I am so glad that people like Liz Ch@ney and Ben S@sse are finally starting to speak out...

Shame on those who worship Tr@mp - he's just a man. An extremely narcissistic, dangerous, flawed man who tried to overthrow a fair and free election by spreading the "big lie" and inciting a riot. Horrifying.

The second impeachm@nt trial starts tomorrow. I pray Tr@mp will never be able to run for office again.

*****************

So, I think I will wrap this post up now. I was a little more upbeat in this post than my last one, right? Sorry about that last one - I was feeling pretty down when I wrote it. I'm still not in a terrific headspace right now, but I'm better than I was last week.

(I want to say hi to Alice who commented for the first time a couple weeks back. Thanks for reading my blog!)

So, I will be back in a few days with a CNY post. Hope you all have a safe and peaceful week.

46 Weeks Behind Us (Weekly Update)

 46.

46 weeks behind us since coronavirus hit the state of Georgia.

 I had a post all lined up that I had planned to write, but I am just not feeling it now. This post will be strictly coronavirus based because that is what is first and foremost in my mind.

I'm sad. I'm angry. I'm resentful. I'm defeated.

 I wish I could write about the food I've been cooking or the things Bri has been learning in school or the shows I've been binge watching, but I just can't today. I'm finding it hard to post funny or uplifting things lately on FB or Insta because all those common "regular" things seem so insignificant in the scheme of things.

Two people I know (I'll call them "close acquaintances" for lack of a better term) and their families are currently grieving the loss of two moms/matriarchs who lost their battles to Covid on Sunday and today (Monday) respectively. It's beyond heartbreaking.

I also know way too many people who are sick with Covid right now. It's not the f-ing flu. It never was.

 Look how many people are now dead in the United States alone since this started...

The virus has mutated/is mutating. You know why? Because that's what viruses do. They look to get stronger and more devastating. How do they do that? By spreading - a lot. Because the world had no vaccine until recently, the only way to not spread the virus was through masking and social distancing. 

Guess what?

Too many ignorant people didn't want to do it - with the help of our last horrible last administration. That's why. And now look what is happening. 

 I know B!den is trying really hard to work on Cov!d relief now, but we are so behind on distribution. Things can only go so fast. It's going to take a while.

Briana's home public high school will be going back to a 3 consecutive day weekly schedule soon. All the kids. 2000 kids in one school with only suggested mask use and no social distancing. I guess I can't say too much because Bri doesn't go to the school now anyway and may never end up going there. 

I know that hybrid learning is difficult for some students, but unfortunately, it's really the safest alternative until this virus is contained. Of course wearing a mask while doing it is even safer.

I actually read someone from the community say "well, they can do it because we have herd immunity now." OMG. No we don't. Herd immunity only occurs with widespread vaccinations. This is where pure ignorance plays a huge part in the pandemic problem. People can get this virus again, and they can continue to spread it to their loved ones if they get it again. I honestly don't know why the school is doing it. Going three days makes absolutely no sense. If you are going to throw all those kids together, why not just make it 5 days instead of 3? It makes no difference. They are going to be shoved all together anyway. It's just ridiculous.

Here are just a sample of conversations that I am seeing from members of my local school community (and yes, some are shaming teachers who are afraid to teach during a deadly pandemic)...

How do you combat this kind of mindset? You can't. 

So many people don't understand this virus. And even if they do understand it, they don't care. I'm starting to realize that. If these people don't have anyone directly associated to them who has gotten severely ill, hospitalized or has died, it doesn't affect them at all. If they recover from it or have family members who recover from it, it actually solidifies their stance in not giving a crap. They just don't care even more. And I'm also realizing for some, even if they do know someone who has been hospitalized or has died, they still don't care. It's a "everyone dies at some point - so what?" mentality. It's one that can't be changed.

So you know what?

I'm done. I'm done talking about it. I'm done trying to inform about it. I'm done getting publicly upset about it. I'll just stay in my house like I've been doing the past year doing my own thing with my own family...

The mask-holes have won. The social distance refusers have won. They finally beat me down. I give up. In my neck of the woods, there are way more of them than me. I will get Briana through a few more years of school somehow and then I will pack up my stuff and leave.

I know that a lot of you who are still reading my blog are in "my camp." You think the way I do. You believe in the science. I know that. You are distancing and masking and being as careful as you possibly can.

I'm pretty sure anyone who has refused to social distance and mask probably isn't reading my blog anymore anyway.

It's hard for me to accept that so many people don't understand and/or care how deadly this virus is. Living through a pandemic is difficult enough without dealing with so many who deny or reject it. It's that double whammy that is starting to really kill my spirit.

This virus is bad (click the link)...

"'The end of the beginning.' The dark winter is here and Americans see no end"

 

There isn't much else for me to say I guess. Try to be safe. Wear a mask and social distance.

 

Be back next week.