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Note: This article was first published on 16th Feb 2018 and has been updated for relevancy.
Would you rather stay at home and play video games instead of going through the annual routine of Chinese New Year interrogations? "Do you have a boyfriend/girlfriend yet?" "When are you getting married?" "When are you having a baby?" "When are you having another baby? This time try for a boy okay!"
Yes...us too.
Fortunately, with the help of some apps, services and a few gadgets, it's possible to spend your entire Chinese New Year weekend avoiding everyone, while still technically fulfilling your filial responsibilities.
Send people oranges from the comfort of your couch
Delivering mandarin oranges in person can be a lot of work. A bag of oranges isn't light, and you never know how to pick good ones at the supermarket anyway (what exactly does squeezing them do?). Fortunately, local website fruitclub.sg has you covered. You can order oranges from their website and they'll deliver them islandwide.
Send all of your greetings through an app
Avoid any actual face-to-face time with your relatives by sending them greetings through the Chinese New Year Greeting Cards app. The app lets you create very your own personalized CNY cards, so you can do all your well-wishing from home. Complete with photos and stickers to choose from and easy to share via your choice of social network too.
Beam your virtual self to your family reunion dinner
Attend your family reunion without actually attending your family reunion. Just send a telepresence robot in your place. Thanks to your grandma's failing eyesight, she won't even know the difference! You can control the robot via an app on your smartphone or tablet, and most robots offer an adjustable height, so grandma will even think you've grown a few inches since last year.
They're not cheap though, the Double 2, "the world's leading telepresence robot" costs a whopping S$5,521.20 from Activ technology.
Send out a QR code to receive eAng Baos
The only downside to staying at home and avoiding everyone is missing out on that sweet ang bao money. Fortunately, you can just send a handy QR code to all of your relatives (just use that family whatsapp group chat your auntie is always sending "hilarious" pics to) and they can easily transfer your ang bao money right into your bank account. Now you can even send QR ang baos!
