chinese new year blog searching

i chose to search blogs on chinese new year and two of the sites were very interesting for the difference in experiences of the bloggers. i looked at this site; http://blog.sayoni.com/2009/02/
first and it is a really interesting, well put together blog site for lesbian, bisexual and transexual asian women based in Singapore. the story about chinese new year was a personal reflection about sharing the celebration with her partner's family, with al that entails in such a conservative society in singapore. there was much more on the site to explore and it was really interesting to see articulate blogging and a space for solidarity within the members of the group.
the second site: http://www.angryangmo.com/2009/01/20/chinese-new-year-singapore-guide-help-part2/
was also based in singapore but from an ex - pat perspective. in this sense the blog was much more conventional, with usual celebration type pictures and 'guiding' other bloggers, non chinese through the dos and donts of chinese new year. it was okay but very predictable with little contribution from visitors to the site. it reminded me of when i lived in hong kong and read the local english press and how outside of the local culture the ex-pats were, even though they made the effort to celebrate... .

i also viewed this site: http://myhawaiianhome.blogspot.com/2009/02/hilo-chinese-new-year-celebration-part.html which posted pictures of chinese new year in hilo, hawaii. very basic postings with not much info. interestingly this site: http://www.soniatasteshawaii.com/ has similar pictures from the same town and event. i didnt really get much out of these 2 sites except to reinforce the fact that hawaii is always sunny and exotic!

it was interesting to see the different sites and viewpoints, especially the 2 contrasting insider/outsider views in the first 2 blogs of the same place and time of year. the first site was very engaging and personal whereas the other sites seemed very much like showing your clse friends pictures of your hols, and sharing tips for trips. not very educational except the first site which serves as a platform so really already has an agenda to share and disseminate.