Some words for this special occasion英文美文欣赏

2006 has come, and here we are again speculating what the New Year is going to bring along. Some of us are hustling around doing our last minute shopping; others phoning to their much loved parents living in another corner of the Earth; some are booking tickets ready to have a flight on holidays. The bumblebees are busy brimming their agenda; the snails day-dreaming through their shiftless idle youth. The very final days of 2005 are pulling themselves one-by-one out of our time and space. For me, every time New Year comes, I find myself falling in the same old tradition of: celebration; reflection and projection.

Born into a Chinese family but living in west Europe, I (and my family) celebrate both the universal New Year and the Chinese Lunar New Year. While we have fireworks, songs and wine for the former, we have red envelopes and a family party for the latter. There have been a lot of activities that I have attended. Sometimes, I can be in the middle of a bursting square, screaming to the resplendent colour lights, counting down to the very first second of the new beginning. Another time, I can be sitting around the dining table, in my house, laughing to old folks jokes. I can be also with some friends or colleagues, toasting to the harvest of the year. Wishes for good luck, good health, longevity, and prosperity are passed from one to another, adding charm into life. I have my utmost appreciation for all this celebration. After all, we don't have the luxury of this all year round. Why not enjoy this to the full? I simply love the atmosphere of joy and prospect; love the wonderful company of family and friends; love the wishes I give and receive.

Behind the dazzling flashes of parties and toasts, I often spare some time simply for reflection. It is like flipping pages of a book or reviewing a tape on the recorder. Here they come: the memories of good times and bad times; the accomplishments and failures; the laughter and tears; friends and colleagues who have passed by - some have dwelled and others have gone. My dad keeps a neat collection of photographs which is chronologically arranged in a wooden cupboard. I love to look at them, time and again. Little children have gone to school; the kids grown into teens; little sister telling me she has an admire and 3 year-old brother now speaking a lot; grandma and grandpa still happy and well. It amazes me how I have grown with time and how the surrounding world has changed. It takes a little courage, though, to look into yourself, scrutinising the very life you have been leading. It takes you a year to grow and one second to realise that you have.

Since we cannot stop the clock from ticking, we all have to be ready for the next thing that happens. New Year is a time when you receive best wishes for your future. Nonetheless, the best way to succeed is to plan it. My mum often calls me the creator of all plans; the maker of all schedules and in the end, the one rushing to meet homework essay deadlines. It is what everybody may see on the surface. Actually, the purpose behind all this planning is to set a poignant reminder to myself that I always have to make good use of my time and space. It can be a source of self-encouragement or a form of self-discipline. After all, my ultimate motto as I visualise my projected life path is "Smile to greet the new day!". You may not believe me but the sanguinity of your New Year moment has an enormous impact on your coming 365 days. It fills you up with future prospect; daring you to take leaps and bounds in school or at work; carrying you through hardship and pulling you up from pitfalls.

I believe New Year is a special occasion. No matter how we celebrate; how much we reflect upon our past memories or how many deadlines we mark on the fresh pages of our agenda, let New Year come to us naturally and let us welcome it wholeheartedly. Let us all smile to greet the New Year and hope that this smile will be on you, on me and on everybody the whole year through!