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APPARENTLY I HAVE LOST THE ABILITY TO REMEMBER TO MAKE LIVEJOURNAL POSTS. Don't panic, I'm sure it's temporary. Just letting you all know I haven't died.

I'm off to Chinatown to see the New Year's parade. I promise to bring back mysterious pastries and brightly-coloured things!

(no subject)

(no subject)

Well, I just committed two illegal acts, got showered in firework remains, and ate a cream bun. I smell like black powder and pastries. It's been a busy afternoon.

The Lunar New Year festival in Chinatown is different to the ones I've been to before; it's basically the parade, and that's it, no vendors or anything. I got there early and didn't want to stand around, so I walked down the parade route and ended up not entirely intentionally sneaking past some cops to where the step-off was. I thought I'd go back a bit, but they stopped me the second time, because the area I'd snuck through was laced with firecrackers and nobody was supposed to go through there.

Oops.

Anyway, it meant I got a nearly-front-row seat to the firecracker display that kicks off the parade, and was promptly enveloped in a cloud of smoke and red paper. Then I got to watch men taking their lives or at least their ability to walk in their hands as they kicked the firecrackers around to make sure they'd all gone off.

The parade was cool enough, and people were handing out free stuff so now I'm the proud owner of two Tsingtao Beer can-cozies, but after the second marching band and fourth very-boring-float I decided I'd let someone else stand in front. Plus I had legitimate concerns I might be getting sunburned, because this is the dumbest winter ever. So I started back up the route, but I hit an impenetrable mob somewhere near the emcee booth, and ended up nipping down an alley. I have photos of all the other people who were climbing the fence too, so I swear I wasn't the only one who went over the alley fence to escape.

Then I went shopping in the Chinatown Centre for a bit, stopped off at the Chinese Bakery, and accidentally cut in line -- I swear to god, I didn't mean to -- to buy a cream bun. I ended up stopping at Belmont to buy a comic book as well (Iron Man, and a very-cheap-sale copy of Ultimates Vol 2) and now I am home.

With a faceful of aloe just in case.