Text by Lena Gidwani Translation by Emma Xu Photo by VCG

Making Sense of the Silly Season

Text by Lena Gidwani Translation by Emma Xu Photo by VCG

COLUMNIST'S PROFILE Lena Gidwani is a resident of Guangzhou for 13 years, selfconfessed networker,magazine editor and an avid writer.Lena Gidwani，網絡工作者、雜志編輯、作家，在廣州居住13年。

Christmas, end-of-year parties, letting your hair down, fi reworks… all of this happens in the silly season. And then, just before you know it, it will be 2018.

Another year is upon us, and as I sit here in the tail end of 2017 writing this, I'm fl abbergasted to be saying, Happy New Year, 2018! It's not as if it snuck up on us too; we've known it was just around the corner some months ago. A new year can be a delightfully inspiring thing. There's something about a clean slate, a fresh start to recalibrate our lives, set ambitious goals and plan novel adventures. It's also a time when you are inherently forced to step back and look at your life over the last 365 days from variant and broadened perspectives.

And speaking of perspectives, here's mine:the most exciting part of welcoming a new year is knowing that another one is just around the corner. That's right: living in China means that we don't just get one new year; we get two! In the coming February 2018, we will all welcome fi fteen days of vibrant colour, sounds and tastes as well as age-old traditions as we celebrate the Lunar New year. That's the beauty of being a part of two different cultures.

So, as you savour the last few moments of this crazy, exciting year, feel the coming wave of awe,excitement and hope. No matter what this new year brings, always be confi dent that there is more coming our way. If we all take small steps to empower and improve ourselves and our communities, 2018 will be brighter than we've ever dreamt possible. And remember… it's just a few weeks till we celebrate again.

May your 2018 be full of world travels, optimism,gratitude, proactivity, late afternoon sunshine and hugs. Happy New Year!