I called home at 11AM US ET (Taiwan midnight) to wish mom and dad a happy new year. They were watching A-Mei, a local famous singer, singing in her hometown, Taidong. She put up a free concert which brought in NT$3 billion (~US$ 10 million) revenue for the local economy. That’s a great way to give back and open up a new year with joy!
For lunch, I went to Cambridge to pick up ordered Indian food for our New Year celebration*. I haven’t been to Cambridge since Covid lock-down started in March ’20. Not sure if there were more cars on the road today or the traffic lights were longer, a 12 miles round trip took more than one hour. By the time I got to aunt’s house, it was close to 3PM. The food smelt wonderful but was getting cold; there was no sun but wind. Everybody shuffled and dogged in the food; we ate faster and quietly than Christmas and Thanksgiving lunches. No birds came to visit us this time, too cold and grey, I guess. The food were drier and harden, quite different from last time I had them fresh and steamy at the place. I was disappointed for it to be our New Year celebration meal, especially the efforts I took. It was dark when we finished, no game this time; we walked to the post office and bank for an errand then said happy new year and good bye to each other.
I went home, a quiet New Year’s Eve (NYE). I went for a run, a healthy wrap of 2020, then made myself a fish tofu veggie soup as NYE meal.
Later I called an old friend to catch up. She was my MBA classmate and went back home several years ago. She is now a CEO of a small international ecommerce management company. I’m glad for her success and well-being through the pandemic. We talked about responsible business and dream to support Taiwanese companies to build global respectful brands (beyond making great products). She said will discuss with her marketing team and let’s re-group.
I checked Time Square online, no crowd gathering this year due to Covid. It will be a remote celebration of the ball drop. I decided to continue my class and keep the goal to complete today. I made it at 1:30AM (+1). Happy new year to Me!
Looking back…certainly a different New Year’s Eve and year. Due to Covid, I couldn’t go home or travel yet I’m grateful that my loved ones are healthy and I got chance to get to know aunt and her best friend & husband more during our special occasion picnics (fun to chat, play games, and hear news from them. Who says there is gap between generations?). I had tried many local restaurants and enjoyed cooking “creation” (no recipe but improvising from what’s in the fridge). I’ve found many interesting things to learn and do online, e.g. currently taking course from a university in Australia and have virtually visited 10 Toastmaster club meetings around the world. I’m thrilled to catch up with an old good friend in NYE and discovered our shared interests. I’m excited about 2021 ‘n forward. I know with growth mindset and positive attitude, we’ll make any year a great year!
*Due to Covid, only 4 of us to have a “social distance” outdoor picnic.