A New Years Eve spent in Hongkong!!
December 31st, 2025 - Prologue, before main events
When Mum mentioned about the breakfast buffet , it was excruciatingly hard to hide my enthusiasm over it. I beamed as I enter Cafe Circles, fists out with a silent "Yess!" with the sight of food. I could eat an elephant.
As usual, there is an assortment of pastries, toast, with choices of jam and spreads to go along with it. My eyes trail over to the Asian section, and my mouth is drooling just right about now. Porridge, soups, fried rice, but the main prize of all...
"I'M GETTING TTEOK-BOKKI." As a proud Asian, I stride over to the steaming pot of tteokbokki, grab myself a piping hot bowl of it, get back to my table, and consume it. This particular cycle continues before coming into the realization that...
Several bowls of tteok-bokki later...
"Uhm, guys? I think I ate too much tteok-bokki." I sheepishly admit as I pat my stomach, and all I get is a disapproving look from Mum. Fair enough I guess...
*
The amount of excitement that's coursing through my whole body is at a concerning point where I'm currently losing my sense of direction.
It's the afternoon, and growing a little bit more conscious of time, there's a few more hours left before New Year. We emerge out of the crowd, and it finally feels like we can breathe properly again. And although we, as in all of us, are in full awareness that this is a significant event, we still can't help but mentally groaned at the fact that we can't snap a photo in peace without a crowd brewing behind us.
From where we stand is a scenic view of Tsim Sha Tsui Waterfront Promenade, which is where the fireworks were originally meant to be held. Boats consisting of astonished tourists float through the blue, the sales chatter of promoting boat rides for unaware tourists just to my right. I stare at the sight. And for once, I can actually think straight. Just me and my thoughts. I wanna stay like this forever...
Each of us take photos with this familiar glee we always seem to have. No matter how tired we are, we would never be so exhausted to not laugh at cheesy jokes or sarcastic retorts. And I'm grateful. I'm grateful that I get to start the new year with my amazing family by my side, and its a feeling that could never be replaced. Not in a million lifetimes.
*
My cortisol is at its maximum level.
 |
| My uncle, myself, mum, grandma, godparent, aunt with her daughter |
Tito Ram (AKA our tour guide and photographer) briefly takes a photo of me, and then I proceed to continue pacing back and forth at the highest point of the hotel; the Sky Lounge. As if the hotel couldn't get even more costly, this lounge also holds the venue of WEDDINGS. And to top it all off, it's fancier, grander and the view from here is leaving me speechless. Speechless because I'm too nervous to talk and speechless because of the view. It goes both ways.
Ninang ushers me in silence to the area near the reception, and without her even saying it, I already know what is to come.
I gulp and risk a glance at my watch. 5 more minutes left. I tap my foot repeatedly, and between the small groups of people, it seems like I'm the most stressed out. It's kind of embarrassing to notice that.
Minutes feel like hours, and seconds weirdly feel fast. It's a side effect when you're anticipating with a whole bunch of people too. 1 minute left.
WE ARE DOWN TO THE LAST 6O SECONDS OF 2025 AND YET PEOPLE ARE NOT STRESSING?!
"...10..9..8..7..6..5..4..3..2..1..."
I holler as loud as if I've won the lottery and doesn't have any social anxiety. "HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!"
We blare out our horns and scream like maniacs. Except we aren't, and we're celebrating the first seconds of 2026. "WOOOHOOOOO HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE AHHHHHH-" I don't even care about anybody's opinions anymore. It's a new year, and so people should start acting like it.
This is probably the only time where I purposely screamed in front of everyone without any regrets. Shyness involved, but nonetheless. No regrets.
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