I’m referring to the Lunar New Year, of course, or the Chinese New Year as it’s more commonly referred to here (though the Chinese are hardly the only people to celebrate it).

Anyway, I’m still at work, but passing through town during the lunch hour, I was dumbfounded at the number of people who are already out and about. Sure, all schools probably ended the day early, which explains the hordes of teenagers flooding the shopping malls and fast food joints.

But it looks like a lot of working adults have been liberated too. A number of my friends are enjoying a half-day at the office, while others just took the day off. I’m not sure what there is to do besides last-minute New Year shopping or, well, regular shopping (practically the national pastime), but on Orchard Road, it looks and feels like the long weekend’s already kicked in.

Not that all the shops and restaurants will be open through the public holidays. I’ve had to call around to find a place that will be open on the third day of the New Year (next Tuesday), and I’m thinking I should stock my fridge with a little food for the first day of the New Year, lest I be left at the mercy of fast food delivery!