CNY post

Chinese New Year was different for me this year, or perhaps for my whole family. We had to celebrate CNY this year without my mahmah, because she passed away last year. Chinese New Year was, to me, waking up in the morning, going to Thanksgiving service in church and then going down to mahmah's place. Squeezed in the not-so-big house, relatives from the matured to the infants, gather and share the love and joy during this day. We have the usual vegetarian dish, the tea ceremony, and a few rounds of black jack or mahjong. The gathering was never quiet, the house is filled with laughter, the sound of cards shuffling, and munching of prawn crackers. What the children (like me) really anticipated were the angpaus given by our aunts and uncles (:

After mahmah's place, we usually visit my cousin's grandma's place which is located nearby. We normally have lunch there and hang out with them. We normally hand around there until the evening, and then head home.

On traditional manners, families usually visit the family of their mother on the second day of the CNY. Same goes to us. Kung and Po normally have their open house on their second day. Being their granddaughter, I am normally there in the morning to help. The second day is spent with my two grandparents, ma's family, pa's family as they are also invited, neighbours, family friends, and cute cousins. This is a eat-non-stop day for me as the food prepared never fail to let your saliva slide down your chin.

We usually visit our family friends, or friends of my parents on the third day onwards. Visiting open houses are frequent too.

And then, we pack our bags, leaving our angpaus behind, and go back to school with panda eyes and a flabby tummy.


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This year, we didn't go down to mahmah's place (the house which my youngest uncle is living in with his own family). We did have the vegetarian dish, did eat prawn crackers and played cards.

Kung and Po did not have their open house this year because they've decided to celebrate CNY in KL, since their children (my aunts and uncles) are not coming back because they holidays are short.

No visiting family friends either.

Like I said, it was DIFFERENT. Different in a sense that I felt a huge part of CNY has been taken away from me. Why?

That's because we, as a family, didn't gather around as a family to celebrate this important occasion. We spent it with a few of them, but not all of them, and the feeling is just totally different.I don't feel the sense of togetherness, neither do I feel the joy that we once shared.



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Thankfully, I had friends that were so generous that they let me in their houses during CNY. (: Or else I will be bored to death/stuffing butter cookies into my mouth at home ALONE watching American Idol replays.


Went to Audrey's house CNY Day 2

Picture taken at Audrey's grandma's place. It's a nice village house with very big land. And tasty food (:
From left: Franson, Audrey, Siaw, Mei Kwan, Shnwei, Marie, me. Huang's the one covering his face with an iphone, and that tall dude's Ronny.
He's one head taller than all of us =OOOO

The guests invited. haha. Missing Xin Si and Tam Kang in the picture.

Oh, there's Audrey!
*What's wrong with my hand?!

Spent the third day at Marie's place.
Pictures in her blog.


Fourth day at Joey's place. How sweet of her to invite me.
*This was also a reunion (of some sort) with Reuben. lmaoo

Group photo. All girls one dude. lmaoo

Oh! the poses..

Back row attempting to jump but failed miserably.
0 timing bahh...

Reuben and I.

I look so @#$% with that smile. Was laughing like mad before they snapped this picture because I was helping the others take their individual shots with Reuben. He superstar lah that day. haha


*Most of the pictures are taken with the self-timer on my camera that is totally the BOMB! My camera has its flaws but the self-timer which can take up to 10 shots at one time is totally the best thing ever installed into it! I know many of the other cameras also have it but.. I JUST LOVE MINE!!!! =P