Tuesday, September 28, 2004

Smoky Dark Night Sky

The Chinese readers of this post are likely to know that today is the Mid-Autumn Festival. It is common practice for many Chinese to celebrate the Mid-Autumn Festival by carrying lanterns while strolling under the moonlight, and by eating a confectionery called mooncakes.

My nose is rather hyper-sensitive, and I can't help but attribute my sudden increase in coughing tonight to the smoke emitted from the candles found in some kinds of lanterns. I also observed people have been celebrating the festival by lighting candles up without the lanterns, and by lighting up sparklers which can create a mini-version of a fireworks effect.

Tonight, as I returned home from a very long day at work, I saw that the night sky was smoky and dark. Visibility was lower than usual. I secretly wish for a clear sky without the smoke.

Mid-Autumn Festival isn't quite fun for me at my age. To begin with, I don't quite like most kinds of mooncakes. Furthermore, I don't quite wish to bite on mooncakes after my recent wisdom teeth removal. At the same time, I know my nose will get sensitive, and I will cough badly if I have carried those lanterns with the candles. I think I won't enjoy carrying battery-operated lanterns even though they are smoke-free and more safe.

So, even if I am aware that there are many people who are trying to celebrate and make a joyous occassion out of the Mid-Autumn Festival, I don't feel much involved. I could only practice understanding and tolerance, and hope that by tomorrow, the celebration will be over. No more smoky dark night sky, but a clear night sky with fresh air to enjoy.

Happy Mid-Autumn Festival, anyway.



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