The Great Angpow Review
I have never the kind of person who got to brag about how much I've gotten from my angpow haul, simply because my yearly revenues were just on par with the average joe; but this doesn't stop me from writing a nice post about this year's haul : )
Admittedly this year's revenue was quite an all time high in spite of the anticipated recession, however this is not the factor which motivated me to write this post.
Cheeserland.com
At last count, I've gotten about RM1050 from a total of 33 packets, which comes up to an average of RM31.81 per packet. The larger chunk of the pie came from my parents, a couple of aunts and Nuffnang to come up to [undisclosed amount].
Surprisingly, I'm seeing more red notes compared to last year. Even the number of RM1s & 5s received seem to have dropped dramatically. Perhaps people are taking inflation into account, or the Malaysian economy has very low correlation to the global economic scene, or simply because people are understanding that spending money increases market liquidity.
This trait seems to be consistent in all packets received from relatives and family members; with the exception of my grandmother who has been traditionally giving RM6, of which the figure's significance I am unsure of.
***
I have been always the kind who would pay attention to the design of the packets and I noticed an increase in packets which are difficult to acquire, with sufficient attention paid to the details and design of the packet itself.
From my parents, I got a matching pair of dark red packets from Citibank Private Banking; I also got another matching pair from my cousin and his spouse from Standard Chartered Private Bank. Some sources indicate that private banks are only for individuals with high nett worth (asset - liabilities; not just plainly assets). Should these packets have been acquired from the givers' respective bank officers, it would be a Good Thing™
The other two packets falling within the class of having desirable designs would be from UEM Renong and McDonalds.
Both packets are printed on a peach background, with very subtle hues indicating that it is actually the Chinese New Year. While the McDonald's packet (surprising considering the nature of their business is all focused on volume) has been seen last year, it still retains a spot in me. The reverse side of the packet from UEM Renong is of similar hue as the 2 former packets.
The paper on which the four aforementioned designs are printed on are of high mass to surface area ratio, with unconventional matte finishing and semi-matte gold print. This exudes an aura of class not existant in many other packets distributed by lesser companies, which are usually printed with minimal costs in mind.
***
Local companies tend to be rather overenthusiastic in their designs of the packets and, well...honestly many of these packets just lack class either by the sheer gloss of their paper, or simply by carrying designs which we pretentious cultured people would deem as being very ah beng or kampung.
CW from left: recycled rat angpow, Private Standard Chartered vs. Standard Standard Chartered (heeeheee), crumpled CIMB due to uneven distribution of forces along the plane, out of fashion square packets.
One of most distastefully done packets would be one from a church which an uncle of mine attends. It flushes in with the surface of my aluminium notebook, making it silver which is as good as white. While the front has touches of distastefully reflective gold, the text at the back are written in black. Hardly fitting as a Chinese New Year element.
At the risk of sounding like I have something against churches, the said church should look into retrenching their design team with the looming economic uncertainties. What good would it do your revenues if your congregations' pockets are empty? Or if the size of your congregation reduces owing to the unprosperous / unhealthy colour of the packet.
There is actually a story behind this packet, I'll share it with you some other time.
***
One final trait noticed amongst packets in recent years are that printers are shying away from using traditional self adhesive packets. While this might be more of a hassle for the person wrapping the packets, it could be an environmentally friendly move to save penguins. For that I laud their initiatives because penguins fucking rock!
While I cannot cite any sources for variations in cost of production, using slits as opposed to adhesive seals exude an elegance which seems to marginally improve the ratings of the packets produced by local companies.
***
One difference between this particular Chinese New Year and the ones of the past is that, I have started working and thus have started distributing angpows to my parents, brothers and grandparents.
Nuffie packet FTW!
Big boy already!!!
Admittedly this year's revenue was quite an all time high in spite of the anticipated recession, however this is not the factor which motivated me to write this post.
Cheeserland.com
At last count, I've gotten about RM1050 from a total of 33 packets, which comes up to an average of RM31.81 per packet. The larger chunk of the pie came from my parents, a couple of aunts and Nuffnang to come up to [undisclosed amount].
Surprisingly, I'm seeing more red notes compared to last year. Even the number of RM1s & 5s received seem to have dropped dramatically. Perhaps people are taking inflation into account, or the Malaysian economy has very low correlation to the global economic scene, or simply because people are understanding that spending money increases market liquidity.
This trait seems to be consistent in all packets received from relatives and family members; with the exception of my grandmother who has been traditionally giving RM6, of which the figure's significance I am unsure of.
I have been always the kind who would pay attention to the design of the packets and I noticed an increase in packets which are difficult to acquire, with sufficient attention paid to the details and design of the packet itself.
From my parents, I got a matching pair of dark red packets from Citibank Private Banking; I also got another matching pair from my cousin and his spouse from Standard Chartered Private Bank. Some sources indicate that private banks are only for individuals with high nett worth (asset - liabilities; not just plainly assets). Should these packets have been acquired from the givers' respective bank officers, it would be a Good Thing™
The other two packets falling within the class of having desirable designs would be from UEM Renong and McDonalds.
Both packets are printed on a peach background, with very subtle hues indicating that it is actually the Chinese New Year. While the McDonald's packet (surprising considering the nature of their business is all focused on volume) has been seen last year, it still retains a spot in me. The reverse side of the packet from UEM Renong is of similar hue as the 2 former packets.
The paper on which the four aforementioned designs are printed on are of high mass to surface area ratio, with unconventional matte finishing and semi-matte gold print. This exudes an aura of class not existant in many other packets distributed by lesser companies, which are usually printed with minimal costs in mind.
Local companies tend to be rather overenthusiastic in their designs of the packets and, well...honestly many of these packets just lack class either by the sheer gloss of their paper, or simply by carrying designs which we pretentious cultured people would deem as being very ah beng or kampung.
CW from left: recycled rat angpow, Private Standard Chartered vs. Standard Standard Chartered (heeeheee), crumpled CIMB due to uneven distribution of forces along the plane, out of fashion square packets.
One of most distastefully done packets would be one from a church which an uncle of mine attends. It flushes in with the surface of my aluminium notebook, making it silver which is as good as white. While the front has touches of distastefully reflective gold, the text at the back are written in black. Hardly fitting as a Chinese New Year element.
At the risk of sounding like I have something against churches, the said church should look into retrenching their design team with the looming economic uncertainties. What good would it do your revenues if your congregations' pockets are empty? Or if the size of your congregation reduces owing to the unprosperous / unhealthy colour of the packet.
There is actually a story behind this packet, I'll share it with you some other time.
One final trait noticed amongst packets in recent years are that printers are shying away from using traditional self adhesive packets. While this might be more of a hassle for the person wrapping the packets, it could be an environmentally friendly move to save penguins. For that I laud their initiatives because penguins fucking rock!
While I cannot cite any sources for variations in cost of production, using slits as opposed to adhesive seals exude an elegance which seems to marginally improve the ratings of the packets produced by local companies.
One difference between this particular Chinese New Year and the ones of the past is that, I have started working and thus have started distributing angpows to my parents, brothers and grandparents.
Nuffie packet FTW!
Big boy already!!!
Labels: Personal
posted by 陈一豪 at
1:22 AM
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