Happy Chinese New Year!!!

Another year has passed. How fast was that? It felt like it was just yesterday when I celebrated CNY 2006.

Its 2007 now. I'm old. For those Chinese customs illiterate its the year of the Pig!

Tomorrow Chinese all over the world would be celebrating Chinese New Year. Tonight will be the reunion dinner. Since my grandmother passed away, the tradition is slowly dying away. The fun of Chinese New Year is not that grand anymore. The empress dowager is no more there to reign her supreme on to all her subjects. Therefore all her subjects are slowly leaving for other place when CNY comes.

On the first day of CNY, we would all get up early, put on our new clothes and head up to my grandmother's house. First we would have our vegetable curry which is my grandmother's specialty dish. That's coz you have to eat 'zhai' (vegetarian dish) for the em.. first day of CNY. I'm not sure whether it is just the first day or the whole week. She would cook a whole big pot of the vegetable curry and that would be our meal for the next whole week or so.

After that would be the 'zham cha' ceremony. (tea ceremony) My grandmother would sit on a chair while her children would one by one offer her tea. Starting from the eldest of coz. I remember I use to feel very awkward at those times coz I had to speak in Cantonese to her and wish her health and prosperity for the whole year. Coz only after that would I get my Ang Pau. No wishes no Red packets. =( My Cantonese was terrible and I always ended up making everyone laugh at me. My brother hated it even more. Wahaha..

We don't have this tradition anymore. Last year was the first year my grandmother wasn't around. One of my uncle din even make it for the gathering on the first day of CNY!

Luckily though we still uphold our reunion dinner. Though its just a family gathering but when there is like over 20 people, it kinda gets loud and noisy. Quite fun actually. Reunion dinner is the only time when I get to meet my dad's brothers and sisters. Though we all stay in KL but somehow everyone is so busy with their own lives that we forget to even say hello to each other.

My dad's younger sister will be in-charge with all the cooking. She's such a great cook. Learned all the family's secret recipe from my late grandmother. Its a lot of work you know. Cooking for 20 people. I shall tell you later what I ate okay? =)

I'll be going down to Malacca tomorrow to visit my mother's side of the family. And most importantly to collect Ang Pau too! Wahaha... Red packet with money inside! It will only be for one day though. Will be coming back on Monday. KL is so quiet now. It is scary. The usually busy street of this metropolitan is literally like a ghost town now. You can lie down on the road with no fear of anyone knocking you! Everyone has gone back to their hometown. Even the shopping complexes are close.

KL is boring now!

My Cody is back in Johor for the whole week! I'm left all alone.. Boohoo...

I used to compare the amount of Ang Pau I received with my other friends. They would get like RM 500 to RM 700!!! I would normally receive a mere sum of around RM 200. I used to complain that my relatives were selfish old scrounge. I know... I'm a bad ungrateful girl.

I shall change okay? =P

Chinese New Year to me isn't one that holds a lot of tradition. I know of a lot of families that do a lot of things come Chinese New Year. They're super busy when this time of the year comes. Cleaning the house, buying new stuff for the home, decorating the house with red stuff, cooking and making cookies.. etc..etc.. But my family, well... Lets just say my mother is not one that loves tradition.

I really hope though that when I have my own family next time it would not be this way. I would have my own CNY traditions.

One thing though, I have officially tidied up my room. SUper Big ACCOMPLISHMENT!!! Wahaha...

Okay... I need to prepare myself for the reunion dinner now.

Happy Chinese New Year everyone! ^.^

Gong Xi Fa Choi!!!