Qistina's entry..

(a)

The last family gathering that I went to was the recent Chinese New Year festivities. Yes, it may sound weird that I celebrate Chinese New Year but I have a logical explanation for it. My dad is half-Chinese since his mother is Chinese. As a result, half of my relatives are Chinese, hence explaining why we celebrate Chinese New Year. Anyway, on that very auspicious day, we dressed up casually and then, we were well on our way to my grandmother's place in Holland Drive. We were the first ones to arrive. Grandma told us to make ourselves at home, which we did, and started eating the mouthwatering tidbits handsomely spread out on the coffee table. Soon, the rest of our relatives arrived and polite small talk began. Since, I have not seen them in a long time, it was awkward at first. Most of them kept asking whether I was still in primary school. Shock were displayed on their faces when I told them that I am now in Secondary 2 this year. It was an amusing sight. My sisters and I, along with Dad helped out with the food. The food spread was drool-worthy. My Aunt Rose and Uncle Michael was in charge of the catering. They catered nasi briyani and pizza from Pizza Hut. Seeing as how I have not eaten pizza in such a long time, my mouth started to water. What was more satisfying was that it was the cheesy kind and since cheese is a favourite of mine, I took two slices. The food was really filling but Grandma kept asking us to take seconds. I felt so bloated and walked it off by mingling with my Aunts and Uncles. We talked a bit about school. It was weird catching up with them, yet interesting. Finally, they started to distribute ang baos to my cousins and me. I thanked them and then it was time to go home. Overall, I felt that really contented that I finally got to catch up with my cousins and other relatives despite our busy schedules.

(b)

Jess's celebration and mine are different in terms of culture. During Christmas Jess celebrates it by exchanging presents with his family and Leslie but during Chines New Year,my uncles and aunts give my cousins and i money in red packets as it represents luck and prosperity. Mainly Jess celebrates Christmas with Leslie but for me, I celebrate with my family only. Another vast difference between Jess and mines' celebration is that he celebrates his with his family which is rather small whereas I celebrate with my big family. Furthermore, I have the luxury to relax and enjoy myself but on the other hand, Jess still needs to do his chores. The food choices in Jess' household was limited as he only had a meal of ham and sweet potatoes but as for mine, I had an array of feast to feed on.