# New Year's Countdown **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [December 31, 2015, 3:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-years-countdown/741822 "2015-12-31T15:30:06Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2015, 3:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-years-countdown/741822/1 "2015-12-31T15:30:06Z")
It’s about 10:30pm on New Year’s Eve here. It’s turned midnight in New Zealand and Australia. Most recently was Japan and Korea half an hour ago. Next up is the Philippines and Hong Kong, then it will be our turn. I’m not a big fan of going out on New Year’s. If we’re not at our friends’ house upcountry, then we always go the roof of our building to watch the fireworks. Our building is 36 stories high and in the middle of Bangkok. Quite a view from up there. The pigeons living on our balcony are already getting the jitters from the firecrackers going off all night. They’re really going to freak when all hell breaks loose at midnight. ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2015, 3:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-years-countdown/741822/2 "2015-12-31T15:59:37Z")
And we’re watching the fireworks on BBC in Hong Kong and Taipei. One more hour to go for us. ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2015, 5:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-years-countdown/741822/3 "2015-12-31T17:35:40Z")
And Happy New Year from the future! (For all you west of here, that is.) I am typing this in 2016, you are reading this in 2015. The citywide fireworks were spectacular as always. A poor frightened pigeon flew past us up there. Not one of ours, as our crew are all still accounted for out there. It’s going to be a year of change for us. As mentioned elsewhere, the wife just retired, and we’re starting the process of getting her an Immigrant Visa to the US. We may be ringing in the next New Year from Honolulu. Happy New Year to you all! Here’s hoping you have a good year. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![NVME702-redux](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/a183cd/32.png) [@NVME702-redux](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NVME702-redux)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2015, 6:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-years-countdown/741822/4 "2015-12-31T18:19:47Z")
Happy New Year!! It will be 2016 here in 11 1/2 hours!! ---
**Author:** ![Suburban\_Plankton](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/suburban_plankton/32/219_2.png) [@Suburban\_Plankton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Suburban_Plankton)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2015, 6:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-years-countdown/741822/5 "2015-12-31T18:22:13Z")
> [@Siam\_Sam](#): > > And Happy New Year from the future! Happy New Year, Sam! Do you have \*real \*hoverboards yet? ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2015, 11:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-years-countdown/741822/6 "2015-12-31T23:46:27Z")
No, but I have become a cyborg. ---
**Author:** ![China\_Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/779978/32.png) [@China\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/China_Guy)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2016, 2:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-years-countdown/741822/7 "2016-01-01T02:51:30Z")
I just came in to say my family and I had dinner in Tokyo on New Years Eve, and getting ready to have dinner here in Seattle on New Year’s even in a few minutes. Time zones can be cool. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2016, 4:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-years-countdown/741822/8 "2016-01-01T04:58:44Z")
First! In eastern time zone :🙂 ---
**Author:** ![ekedolphin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ekedolphin/32/10003_2.png) [@ekedolphin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ekedolphin)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2016, 5:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-years-countdown/741822/9 "2016-01-01T05:15:22Z")
Happy New Year! ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2016, 2:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-years-countdown/741822/10 "2016-01-01T14:44:54Z")
Thais like to say “Happy New Year” in English. But they tend to pronounce “year” as “yia.” and one word for a wife is _mia_. So a lot of Thai jokers like to say Happy New Mia (Happy New Wife), then chortle nonstop. This passes as high humor in some circles here.