Gong xi, Gong xi

It's Lunar New Year Eve and I am (still) at work.

My Filipino colleague dropped by for a chat while waiting for her conference call. I asked her whether she is off for the week and she says that she has to work throughout the holiday. Before she stomp off, she wished me best of luck in 'whatever you chinese do during Chinese New Year.'

(Eat bak kwa and gamble our angpow money away......)

A colleague marched by my minion cubicle and handed me two red packets. When I clasp my hands together to wish him whatever it is we chinese should say at such moments, the words just wouldn't come out. I realised I don't know any of those greetings!!

("Gong Xi Fa Cai. Year year got fish??")

The HR manager just popped by to announce that the company is allowing us to leave at any time today PROVIDED THAT we do not have any urgent work to do. I looked up from my pile of papers and told her that I fall squarely into that exception.

("Oh, you poor thing")

The Boss is especially disgruntled. He is supposed to be on leave but had to come back to the office to take care of a stupid report. He wore a T-shirt which says: "I am grumpy because you are dopey."

Happy Dong-Dong-Qiang, folks! Hope you guys manage to get off work early today.