On Saturday, I attended the famous Chinese New Year parade in San Francisco.  Apparently over 600,000 firecrackers were set off!  We got there early to secure a spot, though I felt badly and let the height disadvantaged people go in front of me.

I had never been to a parade before just for the heck of it.  I’m not sure what the purpose of a parade is.  Here are a few things I remember from it:

1. There were many kids
2. People clap especially hard for kids that are in the parade
3. There was a snake and a dragon made from recycled material (cleverly done by the recycling company Recology)
4. There was a weird green person in a group that was clearly supposed to be members from the story Journey to the West
5. There were people in lion leg pants waiting to take over for other lion legs when they got tired

Correspondingly, I have made the following notes to myself:

1. When I have kids, I will use the parade as a babysitter
2. Alternatively, I can build my kids’ confidence by making them dance on the streets in an orderly manner
3. When done well, parades can be a good way to advertise your company
4. Where possible, get a knowledgeable person to review something before submitting it
5. Respect the person doing the ass of the Chinese lion more than the person doing the head

It was nice to see my heritage portrayed with such prominence in a land so far away from its origin.  Some of the floats and the acts were really well put together and they served as a reminder for me to live out this year with vigor and energy!