In the first time since a number of years, I went to Chinatown with my parents to 买年货. I haven't done that in such a long time.

Things certainly changed a lot. Now, Chinatown CNY shops are so... commercial. And similar. I mean, really. You see shops selling almost all the same decorations. You see so many shops selling those new-fangled Taiwan muah-chee sweets ("Come try come try! No harm trying! Eat all you want; buy all you want!!!"). I don't know. Last time, I remember the shops were much more unique. *shrugs*

Crowd-wise, well, it wasn't THAT crowded. Given that it is a Sunday, but it was also raining at the same time. I think the rain dispersed the potential huge horde of people away ba.

The only thing which interest me was the Buddha Tooth Relic Temple and Museum in Chinatown. I was fascinated by the tooth relic, and the museum itself. I went in there to look and explore around for 30+ minutes.

I was disappointed. I didn't get to see the actual tooth relic itself. It was encased in a gold stupa weighing 400+kg, and they only let the public see it during Vesak and CNY. But I learned a lot of the old Buddhist histories and their myths and practices. It was a pleasant learning experience for me. :)

Oh well. Maybe next time I won't go to Chinatown for CNY shopping. Heh.