Ah, just enjoyed a nice Chinese new year feast with hong bao passed around and great auspicious signs everywhere, from the sun shining in these grey lands, to the red drink that was half my name, to the year of the cheeki breeki monkey being good for the ox. Good fortune awaits the future! It was slightly dampened by the youngest relation in my family, I'm not sure how old she is yet, around the age of 8-10? Anyways she actually rejected the hong bao given to her by her own father because she said it was not enough. I had never seen such disgraceful behaviour before, and it left everyone stunned with scathing reactions politely withheld out of respect for each other and the child's own youthful arrogance. Things moved on and everyone enjoyed such pleasures of heaven in welsh sirloins kissed by gravy and horseraddish, pork stomach cracklings sailed by boats of roast spuds and mint carrots, rich puddings of amber syrup and clotted cream, wild rabbit and roasted bread and a godly cabbage. I have not eaten so well since the great feast of Malaysia. It was great to catch up with what everyone was up to, with all either succeeding or making plans to further themselves, and all having avoided strife from complicated relationships, ha! Old family is the best company one can wish for, only old friends compare. It is a lasting happiness, one that is embellished in your memory. I could die happy tonight, and I might, considering how the Sunday roast went. I return to my plain oats and my tea knowing well the literal poison of the food poisoning I had yesterday has been purged, but also the psychological poison of excessive stress, personal relationship troubles, tempting but demoralizing rejected proposals and the villainy of inherited mental weaknesses. If this is cultural enrichment, this is life. To Monday I go! Even the small girl in the end found joy chasing after bubbles and having her hair highlighted pink. Now all I have to do is tidy up the house before tomorrow. And while I'm at it, tidy myself up today. To do so tomorrow would be bad luck.