PETALING JAYA: With Chinese New Year just a few days away, youths cannot wait to return home for family reunions, but they are also armed with “strategies” to get out of “tricky” situations.
Administration trainee Chan Jun Hong, 27, who is still a bachelor, is dreading the “usual question” of marriage from relatives during Chinese New Year. However, he has devised a strategy to handle it.
He is planning on engaging them in their favourite games of mahjong and poker to shift their focus away from the topic.
Despite his apprehension over answering the question of marriage, Chan is looking forward to spending time with his three nieces. Since returning to his hometown in Ipoh, Perak, annually during the eve of the festival, he has grown closer to them.
Excited for the festivities: (From left) Chan, Lee, ZJ, Tay and Koh are looking forward to spending quality time with their families over CNY.
“They are adorable kids who always ask me to play with them as they think I’m of a similar age due to my short height. It brings me joy to spend time with them and other members of my extended family since my parents are no longer around,” said Chan, who lost his mother when he was a child and his father to a heart attack almost 10 years ago.
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Engineer Nixon Lee, 27, is hoping to finally get a well-deserved break and some extra cash from ang pows as he heads back to his hometown in Kluang, Johor, ahead of the festive rush.
“It has been a turbulent and stressful past year due to relationship issues with my girlfriend, that was made worse by financial woes from constant car repairs.
“Going into my first senior year at work has also been stressful as I have been assigned more responsibilities too,” he said.
As he navigates through the inquiries about his marital status, Lee plans to simply unwind and savour the joy of family reunions, setting aside his worries for a while.
“I’m too tired to explain,” he said, adding that he hopes to get at least RM500 in ang pows this year.A 21-year-old student, who wishes to be known as ZJ, remains optimistic about her annual journey home to Kuala Lumpur from Australia for the celebrations.
She said that sharing meals with family members across generations and tossing yee sang has always been her favourite memory from the holiday.
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“Seeing the joy in my grandparents’ faces, the liveliness of the reunion, all the talking and laughing is very special to me,” she said.As the only granddaughter on her mother’s side, she is hoping to teach her older relatives some viral dance trends on social media and some modern Gen-Z slang.
However, ZJ said she hopes to avoid questions from relatives about her weight, but rather enjoy the meals together this Chinese New Year.
Meanwhile, newlywed Christina Tay, 28, is looking forward to spending more quality time with her husband and his family in Muar, Johor, this festive season.
“I can’t wait to spend my first Chinese New Year with my husband’s side of the family to get to know them better. It is also my first time handing out ang pows, so I hope I don’t mess up when deciding how much to give for different relatives and friends,” said the church administration worker, who is also from Muar.
Based in Kuala Lumpur, project lead executive Jesslyn Koh, 25, said she can’t wait to catch the annual lion dance show at her grandparents home in Bukit Rambai, Melaka.
“No matter how many years I see it, the lion dance that my grandparents host at their home every year remains nostalgic. I look forward to seeing it again.
“Although my family gathering is quite small, it’s really meaningful as I get to see all my relatives from different states or countries,” she said.
Koh also said that some of her family members will be bringing their partners along, so this year will be more boisterous.
“I can’t wait for the loud and exciting moments with everyone gathered,” said Koh, who is still single.
