Tag Archives: Cousins

Double Happiness

14 Mar

Double happiness is when two people discover each other for a lifetime together. Double happiness also means during the wedding, the extended families can gather merrily for a happy celebration.

Two nights ago, my nephew tied the knot. Congratulations to him and his beautiful bride! My heart is bursting with love for the newest member of our family!

It was a heartfelt, joyous occasion for everyone present. The younger twin of my only sibling is now a married man and will be starting his family soon. There was so much love and affection throughout the Chinese tea ceremony, which was steep in tradition. A boisterous close family affair that morning.

Then the wedding dinner that night was equally a heartfelt and joyous occasion for the family. I was ecstatic when I reconnected with my cousins again, having not seen them for ages. It was such a nostalgic trip down memory lane as we caught up, reminisced, squealed, and giggled like teenagers until we teared up about the growing-up years with our grandpa around.

Grandpa was the center of our universe, but there was so much fear in us whenever we visited him and Grandma. Nonetheless, my cousins and I have happy childhood memories. Now only our memories remind us because, during the dinosaur era, smartphones to record every moment did not exist yet. Today, the wedding is a memory filed away but captured in print, video, and almost everyone’s smartphones.

As I have said, there was double happiness for everyone during the wedding dinner – not just for the newlyweds but for all the aunts and uncles meeting up again. Many a time, I felt emotionally moved to see the elderlies hugging each other affectionately and catching up, something we all could not do, especially during the peak of Covid. It takes a happy occasion to reconnect with everybody again. And it takes a pandemic to reevaluate the importance of family and being in touch.

A cousin lamented that the clan should not meet only for weddings and, sadly, at times, for funerals, but it should be more frequent now that there are no longer lockdowns and restrictions. Time is precious, likewise family members and our extended families too.

As such, efforts are underway to spur the next generation of cousins to get to know each other better and ensure their bond grows, just like it has been for my cousins and me. As for the newlyweds, a toast to their happiness and the start of a beautiful life together.

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The Tea Drinker, Part 2

14 May

It’s a known fact now that I drink tea rather than coffee. My favorite cousin gifted me with a lovely Crabtree & Evelyn tea & cookies set when we caught up over Chinese New Year. The packaging is just so lovely. And I am sure the tea choice is equally lovely to enjoy.

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The tea came with cookies! Yum…

Besides my usual two tea choices (Japanese green tea and decaf Earl Grey), I recently bought two other types of tea to drink – Tesco’s Peppermint Infusion tea and Mark & Spencer’s Empress Grey, the peppermint for the office and the Empress Grey at home.

Very refreshing!

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It’s All About Family

27 Nov

The trip to Malacca last Friday to attend a nephew’s wedding was really a good one. I think it’s all about family more than the wedding dinner because we got to see as many uncles, aunties and cousins. Not everyone turned up though but it was good to catch up. I guess this has become important as we grow older.

Cousins whom I have not seen for years came from near and far. Nieces and nephews whom I have never met before were introduced for the first time. The three generations were fairly represented.

The camaraderie and reminiscing was better than ever with conversations as if we were never apart despite all these years. Grandpa was mentioned often. Such nostalgia. Of course Mom had a good time catching up with her siblings. And M2 shyly got to know her other cousins.

Indeed, it’s all about family. And everyone agreed that while an occasion like this is great for everybody to meet, we should make it a point to gather more often to enable especially the new generation to know each other better.

There’s talk to plan another big family gathering and not wait for another wedding to do so. I am certainly looking forward to it!
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The Little Black Dress

24 Jan

In the midst of all this Chinese New Year preparation, we also made the effort to attend an uncle’s birthday celebration last night. Reaching the 70 year old mark, it was only respectful for us to grace the event.

I thought I would don my little black dress that I haven’t worn for ages. What was I thinking? I am certainly not little anymore! Hubby was being honest, when I asked if he could help me with the back zipper, he said that they were three inches apart and most unlikely to meet. Oooh… cringe.

So I ended up wearing something else, a big black dress that had a different effect. Sigh…

I guess not only the fingers became fat, other parts of the anatomy as well. My ego hurts…

I definitely have to do something drastic if I intend to don the little black dress ever again.

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Another Wedding!

16 Nov

I enjoy family wedding dinners whenever there is an invitation. It is more for the people than the food honestly. Two weeks ago, we were just in Penang for hubby’s cousin’s wedding dinner. Over the weekend, the latest honor goes to my side of the family. However, it is not a cousin but a nephew!

The groom is my First Aunty’s grandson, my cousin sister’s son. So this makes him my nephew, to simplify matters. Unlike the Penang occasion where we went through the Tea Ceremony because of the cousin hierarchy, we were not required to do so this time.

Mom has nine sisters (Mom ranking number six among the aunties) and five brothers, and I have a ton of cousins! Over the years when a happy occasion comes around, the whole clan comes together for the happy gathering. It would be a boisterous time seeing all the aunties and uncles, and catching up with all cousins who showed up.

As time passes, most of my older cousins are married and this created a lengthy lapse in meeting up. Then last year, came the turn of the last few younger ones and the family gathered for two more wedding dinners. It was wonderful. With this latest occasion, marking the third within a year and the first of the next generation, it was a great time for everyone to once again come together and make merry. Until the next occasion…

 

M2 was able to attend this time!

 

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Chat

The Wedding

2 Nov

We actually drove to Penang over the weekend to attend a cousin’s wedding dinner. As the invitation came our way many many months ago from hubby’s uncle, we readily agreed. Unlike the last time where we missed out (we were in Bangkok) when the same uncle invited us for his daughter’s wedding, this time we made sure we would come for his son’s happy occasion.

Penang is always a lovely place to return to especially for the food. We had to have the obligatory Char Kueh Teow on Saturday night for dinner. But time was not on our side and there wasn’t much opportunity to eat other stuff because on Sunday morning, we were busy with the traditional tea ceremony.

By the time the morning session was over with a light luncheon served, we rested. Come evening, a light cocktail took place before the dinner. So there was no time at all to sneak in a street food.

The banquet was held at E&O Hotel, a lovely colonial place. The bride and groom were lovingly radiant and it was good for the old generation to meet up. Occasions like this are running out as most of hubby’s cousins were married.

Dinner ended late as always with Chinese wedding dinners. Thankfully we stayed another night before making our way back to the city today.

   
 

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