Tag Archives: Celebration

Chinese New Year 2025

4 Feb

Kong Hei Fatt Choy! Wishing everyone a very Happy and Prosperous New Year. A week has passed going into the Year of the Snake, and I have lost track of time! All we do is eat and eat. Burp.

The Reunion Dinner was a gastronomic feast, with so much food on the table for our hot pot dinner. I think we all experienced a food coma after that meal! Hahahaha.

Toasting over the Yee Sang, our Reunion Dinner spread, and irresistible CNY cookies!

Chinese New Year is all about celebrating and merry-making with relatives and friends. And, of course, there’s the food—especially the New Year cookies and snacks. These delectable treats are dangerous and irresistible. Every choice is a must-try, can you imagine? How do we resist? Although they are only available once a year, the waistline is always in danger of being tempted by them!

We have eight days left for the Chinese New Year celebration, and I’m looking forward to the Chap Goh Meh dinner finale soon!

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Happy Anniversary

3 Sep

Last Friday, hubby and I celebrated our anniversary a day early. A toast and happy anniversary to us! I had a Frozen Strawberry Daiquiri, and it reminded me of the first time I had this drink. Ahh, those were the days.

It was during the Summer when I was still in college for my final year. That year, I visited the bar with my roommate, who introduced me to this delicious cocktail. Back then, it only cost a dollar!

A brain-freezing Strawberry Daiquiri. Nice!

The drink I had on Friday cost more than that without question. Nowadays, I hardly drink cocktails anymore, but an occasional one for a special celebration is always nice. Happy anniversary to us again, and many more to come! Cheers.

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Reversing the Fat Week

3 May

With April over, I sigh with relief, knowing the big birthday month is over. So, it is time to reverse the Fat Week. We are into May, and there are fewer birthdays to celebrate within my circle of friends and family. And when there’s no birthday gathering, this means no big meals or sinful cakes!

Golf has resumed full swing upon our return from the recent Singapore Escapade. And I give myself a month to shape up! Perhaps I should also consider doing some morning walks within the estate on non-golfing days to shed the fat and stay fit. Hmm, something to think about. One month to see the results! Yes, I can do it.

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Birthday Escapade

30 Apr

Every year, we go away for a twosome celebration for my birthday. Typically, it would be a golf game or two and a fancy dinner. There was one year, we went to Awana Genting.

This year, I opted not to include a golf game for the birthday escapade. Instead, it was a sightseeing and gastronomic trip. Where did we go? Singapore!

Taking the Aeroline bus to Singapore

It was pleasant, not needing to drive and deal with traffic for a change. We took the Aeroline bus, which was quite comfortable despite taking six hours to arrive.

The Jewel rain vortex waterfall

We had a super fun weekend exploring the Jewel at Changi and being mesmerized by the rain vortex indoor waterfall. Being a tourist at Marina Bay Sands, it was hot and superhot outdoors, trying to capture the perfect shot of the area when we ventured out from the air-con mall.

The perfect Singapore skyline shot?

But we were also super tired from the walking and being in the super humid outdoors. I guess you can’t have it all good. Humidity aside, we had some mouth-watering food discoveries. However, there was only so much we could eat as the short escapade ended too soon. 

We managed to cover fast food, community food court, mall foodcourt and fancy restaurant.

I’m glad this year we did this for a change. I look forward to next year’s birthday celebration! 

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Countdown to the Year of the Dragon

6 Feb

The new Lunar New Year, or Chinese New Year, is three days away! This year, the Year of the Dragon falls on Saturday. I thought I had time to prepare for it since it’s in February this year, but nope. I wait until the last minute to get my act together.

Getting ready to toss the Yee Sang

Somehow, the New Year feeling is not there. I’m not feeling the festive vibes, and I’ve done only two tossing of the Yee Sang so far. Businesses everywhere are thriving, selling Chinese New Year-related items, yet I find myself uninterested. One can also find temporary tents along the roads and street parking lots selling firecrackers and mandarin oranges.

Street vendors selling firecrackers

We used to buy a fair bit of mandarin oranges but never the firecrackers. There is no need for this purchase because we will experience firecracker shows (and noise) from the neighbors and beyond!

So, as we count down to the New Year, with the Reunion Dinner first this Friday, I take this opportunity to count my blessings for the past year. While health-wise, it was challenging – I am thankful to have come out of it without further complications.

Who knows what lies ahead for the Year of the Dragon, but let’s take it in stride. Here’s wishing everyone a Happy, Healthy, and Prosperous Year of the Dragon!

Kung Hey Fatt Choy / Kiong Hee Huat Chye / Gong Xi Fa Cai / Happy New Year!!!

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Merry Christmas 2023

26 Dec

Merry Christmas, everyone! It has been a low-key festive time for us because of the wet rainy season. When it rains constantly, the mood is not there to do anything! Luckily, we did most of our Christmas shopping online, capitalizing on the 11.11 and 12.12 online sales blitz, and there was no need to go to the mall at all.

As usual, the family had our Christmas dinner on the Eve, and it was a good spread of choices. I baked a pork tenderloin and called it a ‘Pork Log’ because of its sheer size to feed 16 people!

The Pork Log process. I cut off a portion to fit the Pyrex!

Initially, I was fickle-minded about what to make, as recipe ideas kept popping up on my Facebook news feed. The final dish was my third choice after two earlier attempts at something different.

Here’s wishing everyone a wonderful time, and let there be peace. Merry Christmas once again!

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Double Happiness Thrice Over

9 Oct

This year seems to be a year of weddings! First was my nephew, then my niece, and now it’s my cousin’s daughter. The best part of such happy occasions is seeing the extended family again. And some new faces whom we’ve never met before.

Last night was another happy occasion, thrice over that we saw everyone, if not most, again. Everyone looked great, from the aunties and uncles to the cousins, nieces and nephews. We caught up from where we left off at the last wedding.

The lovely bride looked beautiful and blew my mind away from what I recalled of her during her younger days. The bride and her groom made a lovely couple. Congratulations to my cousin brother and his wife for having a new son-in-law.

As we grow older, such family gatherings become more treasured. The photo session to have everyone in becomes a priority. Perhaps there will be another such occasion soon, and I look forward to it.

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Double Happiness Again, Part 2

12 Jun

Saturday was an eventful day for the family. The fun part was when the groom and his merry best men arrived and had to overcome the challenges prepared by the bridesmaids before being allowed entry. There was laughter aplenty, and the expressions were priceless.

The Chinese tea ceremony went well in the morning. Before we knew it, the whole affair was over, and soon, we had to get ready for dinner that evening. The Wedding Dinner was a cozy affair. My niece was gorgeous in her gown, and her new hubby was equally dashing. They make a perfect couple. My heart is bursting with love for them!

Seeing all the aunties, uncles, and cousins again was a boisterous affair. I discovered I had a niece (my cousin’s daughter) that I never knew existed! Oh, my goodness. She lived in Australia all these years and recently came back to visit. It’s nice to have family celebrations to discover the family tree has grown.

Like the previous wedding dinner (of my nephew), we dressed to look our best. I opted for a Cheong Sam this time instead of an evening dress. I don’t dress up often, so it’s nice to be able to do so once in a while. And it will be a while before we all gather again for another family celebration.

Only for special occasions

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Double Happiness Again

9 Jun

My heart is bursting with love and joy as there is another wedding in the family! This time, it is the elder twin of my only sibling. It is another auspicious celebration as we welcome another new member to the family after the recent addition of the younger twin’s better half in March.

Words can hardly describe the excitement as we prepare for tomorrow. The Chinese tea ceremony will take place in the morning, followed by the wedding dinner in the evening. I look forward to seeing and raising my glass to all the aunts, uncles, and cousins again, making merry, and sharing the family’s happiness on this momentous occasion.

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Extended Holiday

28 Nov

It seems like the holiday is never-ending! It has been extended with a public holiday today. Unexpected but anticipated (because of the General Election results) and appreciated nonetheless.

From Ku De Ta to local delights, we tried everything!
The must-eat dish when in Bali

Bali was fun, and I was doing things, not up my alley, which was nice for a change. I got to know my high school friends better, and we did things together.

Throughout the week, we indulged, ate, drank, laughed, shopped, swam, and luxuriated in our private apartment and villa (we stayed at two different places) together. We also pampered ourselves with not one but two three-and-a-half-hour and four-hour spa sessions.

Our private villa

There was no golf, no playing tourist but merely enjoying the presence of each other and having a good bonding time to catch up. I am thankful that, at this age, I still have such friends. It was as if we were never part despite all these years.

After this trip, we understood each other better, with our friendship forged to a deeper degree. I look forward to the next trip with this bunch of besties.

Last local delight before we left
Goodbye Bali!

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