Every New Year is prolific in novel resolutions. Smokers decide to quit smoking, junk-food lovers decide to get away from burgers and French fries, and everyone aims for a healthier life, to run twice a week, to enrol in a gym, or to swim every afternoon. You list all the things you should do but that you’re probably not going to achieve: to read X number of books a month, to watch some decent films, to regulate your sleeping and eating habits, to basically do anything you can to be happier.
Past years have taught me, not always in the easiest ways, that major New Year’s resolutions are usually a failure. Not that I don’t believe in fresh starts, but to use the calendar as an excuse to significantly modify my life doesn’t seem to have very effective results.
To change, you must want to change, and there’s no preferential day of the year for that. When and if you find reasons to do so, you should probably start with the smallest habits, the little simple things that make up your everyday life. Drinking tea is one of the things I have introduced to my routine.
Before coming to live in Asia, my relationship with tea was practically non-existent. To drink it was something rare. It got my attention, but it never convinced me. Coffee was always there to make tea look too pale, too uninteresting. But I was wrong, and nowadays my life is better because of tea.
In this issue of CLOSER we look at tea culture and try to understand why it is so strong and so appealing in China and particularly in Macau.
It’s true that tea is a simple drink, a perfect combination of water and leaves. But tea is proving itself to be an ancient drink capable of being reinvented. Nowadays, tea is an important part of some of the most renowned and luxurious restaurant menus in Macau. Not only are there wine sommeliers, but there are now also tea sommeliers, and in this issue we interview some of these experts and take note of their advice.
Chinese New Year is coming and it can be a good mark on the calendar for the ones who need it to try for a fresh start. Just don’t be too unrealistic. Aim for things you can really do. Spend more time with your loved ones, take some time everyday to do something you really like, plan a nice trip for summer, make it simple. As we all know, sometimes the simple things are the best.
P.S. – This is CLOSER’s first issue of 2014 and we’re coming to you with a revamped design and new sections. Our What’s On section is an extension of our new events website www.whatson.macaucloser.com, where we highlight some of the best happenings around town. Hot Spot looks for cool shops, bars and restaurants around town that you may not have found yet. In Delta Views we search the region for interesting exhibitions, music concerts and basically all kinds of things to do if you want to escape. And Gadgets gives directions to some of the most trendy devices and software out there. Enjoy reading and have a great Year of the Horse.
Kung Hei Fat Choy!
