Since getting married over a year ago, Chinese New Year has changed for me in some ways as compared to my previous 28 years of celebrating CNY as a swinging single.

Here's how!

1) You give more thought to this ang bao-giving business

Instead of looking forward to CNY where you used to (literally) get money for doing nothing, now you end up having to give out money for nothing.

Not to mention the associated hassle of queuing at the banks to get fresh bills of different denominations and asking for more ang bao packets (auntie much?).

And then having to remember which are the $6 angbao packets and which are the $20 ones and hiding in the toilet to repack ang baos when SUDDENLY a lot of random kids appear and all you have are the $20 packets left. #truestory

2) Having to eat two times reunion dinners

Especially in Singapore when our families are rather small so it's hard to just have dinner only at the husband's side. (Like my parents who have two daughters -- if we both eat out, they will end up having reunion dinner with each other. So poor thing.)

So what usually happens is that most couples end up eating reunion dinner twice to make everybody happy, which means having the first dinner really early, usually at 5pm and then having to do a mad cross-country rush to the second dinner by 7pm.

3) You have to address everybody by their proper titles

Gone are those days where every woman you see is Aunty and every man Uncle.

Because now that you're officially in the family, it is time you start addressing them properly such as Er Yi, Xiao Yi Zi, Da Gu Zi -- say what?!

4) Learning new customs and practices

There are so many superstitions and practices when it comes to CNY and it differs among the dialect groups and from family to family.

Getting married into a new family means having to learn (and unlearn) some of these practices.

For me, it's things like staying up the whole night on New Year's eve (no problem -- more time for mahjong!) that weren’t typically practised in my own home, which I now follow according to my husband's side of the family.

My friend was telling me how she had to get up at the crack of dawn to eat a hardboiled egg for luck and prosperity in the new year.

But above everything, I think it's actually quite fun and interesting to learn more about our Chinese culture and a great way to bond with your in-laws.

And of course, saving the best for last....

5) Being asked repeatedly, “When are you going to have kids ah?”

-.-

Related articles:

How much to give for ang bao this Chinese New Year 2015: A so-called ang bao guide

7 recurring experiences non-Chinese S’poreans face every Chinese New Year

This is how you carry out the most hardcore Chinese New Year Lo Hei ever

10 CNY outfits that will flatter every body type

Flora spends most of her time on her blog floraisabelle.com where she writes about her travels, food adventures and life as a military wife.

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