Sunday, February 10, 2008

Gong Hei Fatt Choy!

Wash toilets - checked.
Wipe the walls - checked.
Mop and scrub the floor tiles - checked.
Pack and organise wardrobe - checked.
Decorate the house - checked.
Cut and colour hair - checked.
Go for mani and pedicure - checked.
Change new notes at bank - checked.
'Bao' ang baos - checked.
Buy new clothes, new bags, new shoes - checked, checked, checked.
Order pineapple tarts, 'hay bee hiam', 'bak kwa', chocolate cookies, canned drinks, liquor, love letters, abalone, mandarin oranges - checked, checked, checked, checked, checked, checked, checked, checked AND checked.

I wonder why I allowed myself to be subjected to such frenzies every year before Chinese New Year.

And like a whirlwind, it hit and go. Without conscious realisation, the new year has arrived and I'm now surviving the 4th day of its celebration.

Suddenly, I'm done with the reunion dinners, the 1st few gatherings with relatives, half-way there with the angbaos-giving and still a long way to go with winning enough at the gambling table to call it quits.

We are now in the year of the Rat - a creature I detest and apparently, the feeling is mutual, accordingly to my fengshui book.

Horses beware, the Rat loves you not. This is a year to just tuck your tail in, keep a low profile and pray that you survive the year.



I've got my 1st hit from the Rat though - suffering my 4th day of the new year purging my stomach out. It's prolly Heaven's wish to cleanse me of the sinful food I've stuffed over the last week. That's one for gluttony.

Well, stop me from eating but not from blogging.

Here's random pictures taken over the last 3 days.

'Lou Hei' - I'm its biggest fan and can have it as staple food for 15 days straight during Chinese New Year. An achievement for a veggie-hater.



Cheery loves it too, like me. Preparing to 'lou hei'!



Nothing beats home-cooked reunion.



And I love my ma's 'ngoh hiangs'.



Cheery waiting for food in the kitchen.



Watching TV while we dine.





"I've waited a long while for you guys...ZZZzzzZZZZz..."



"Bai nian" to mother-in-law.



And Cheery's all dressed up too.



Bryan and Jessie.



The Yeo family.



The little white tiger meets the big yellow lion.



We found time to visit the new Terminal 3 for breakfast and took a few pictures at the departure hall.







That's for Chinese New Year so far, still a few more sinful lunches and dinners to go, a few gatherings to attend, a few more "when-are-you-giving-birth" questions to survive...

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