We’ve all been there at some point.
You keep your head down to finish the mountain of tasks at work, or the endless to-do list any parent will be familiar with. The moment you look up for a 2-minute breather, you find yourself caught in headlights that you thought were much further away. The Lunar New Year is coming around the corner faster than Takumi in his 86, and you haven’t done a single thing to prepare for it.
Before we go on, let’s take a quick minute to address that. If you often find yourself getting caught in situations like this, try going back to basics with a to-do list. You can use the Reminders or Memo app in your smartphones, or go old school with pen and paper.
By noting tasks down, you don’t need to keep part of your mind open to remembering and managing your lists of things to do. And when that happens, you’ll find that you can give more focus and attention to your current task, with less distraction or worry. It’s far from foolproof, but we think it makes for a great start.
In the meantime, here’s a checklist of CNY basics to get you sorted! Most of these items can be delivered pretty quickly, but remember to act fast all the same, and mai tu liao!
New clothes
Batik fabrics have a truly unique ability to display the best of traditional techniques and patterns, while fitting right in with today’s fashion aesthetic. Check out the collections from Rianty Batik and Kemeja Batik via Indoexpress, and look sharp this CNY.
Paper decor
Welcome the lucky winds of fortune and happiness into your homes with these door or wall ornaments! Choose between adorable Pig Year-themed designs that are sure to delight, or intricately printed cutouts that’ll blend beautifully into just about any background.
Ang baos
Most of us are typically content with using complimentary red packets given out by corporations since, you know, it’s what’s inside that counts.
If however, you find these corporate ang baos tacky, check out these awesome ang bao sets we found. Pamper kids with colourful cartoon designs, or subtly flex on your family with surname-embossed red packets.
Mandarin oranges
You can’t even hope to survive Chinese New Year without mandarin oranges. How many of you can already hear your parents lecturing you for neglecting to bring oranges while visiting your friends over the CNY period? Or nagging you to present your pair of oranges to the owner of the house before you’ve even crossed the door’s threshold?
Get your supply of lukan mandarins here, or here.
Bak kwa
Oh bak kwa. Sweet, savoury, tough, microwaveable, sandwichable bak kwa.
If you simply have no time to join the endless queues for the insanely priced bak kwas in Chinatown (or just don’t want to), check out New Peng Hiang‘s range, and Xi Shi‘s range. Both stores offer flexible delivery options, and a whole variety of inventive flavours to boot.
Alternatively, if you want to get fancy, check out Natural Brand’s Iberico Black Pork bak kwa.
Tidbits and snacks
Finally, what are Chinese New Year house visits without a variety of snacks, cracks, and bakes on the coffee table? Get your fill of local favourites at Gin Thye, TheNutsWarehouse, and Lao Ban Niang‘s online shops.
