Red

I wanted to express how our maturation dulls our sense of wonder. As we grow up in today's pragmatic world, we become more materialistic and less imaginative. So it's up to us to question if we still really want happiness in our dream life.

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You used to run up the steps so quickly and inhale the scents of ambrosial plates wafting through the front door. You used to be able to see streams of colour taking off from the nian gao and roasted duck assorted on the dinner table. They would dance in jubilant joy as dragons, twisting and turning till they reached the ceiling. And then you’d get your hong bao!

What about now, though? You might wonder where all the colour went.

Yes, you still walk through the front steps and knock on the door.

Yes, you still eat dishes that, in your opinion, are the peak of delectability.

Yes, you still get your hong bao.

But where did the dancing dragons go? Where is that warmth of auspicious spirit that made you giddy all day?

Do you want to be happy?

After all, two hours earlier, you were refreshing your university application portal. Four hours earlier, you were naming biology molecules. Sure, you probably have more things to deal with than you did years ago—but does that force you to equate your life to monochrome?

You say that you wish you had more free time. If you did, you would definitely “see things brighter and profounder”. Yet you still only look at the tangible like any other materialist, even if you try to seem esoteric. You may think that objective analysis makes you philosophical, but can you picture the inconceivable? Can you bask in your own created happiness?