Tag Archives: Lunar New Year

But I Sucked the Tummy In!

24 Feb

I knew I gained some weight when we took Chinese New Year family pictures because looking at myself in the group shots, on both sides of the family, I cringe with disdain at how I looked. And both times, I sucked my tummy in but I guess it didn’t work.

Gosh, is that really me? I gotta stop eating despite the gaping hole in my molar!

When we got home on Saturday after a nine hours and 45 minutes journey (yes, traffic was horrendous), I stood on the bathroom scale and cringed again.

The scale must be lying! I can’t be this heavy. Ooohh… with Chinese New Year being celebrated for 15 days and just about everyday, there is a big meal because it is a celebration, I better do something about the weight gain than just sucking the tummy in…

CNY2015(2)

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Eat ’em and Weep

20 Feb

Two days ago, we left our home early for the Reunion Dinner at hubby’s hometown up north. In the early hours of the morning to avoid the anticipated massive jam, we thought this was best to avoid arriving late. All these years we have never left at 6.30am on the day itself, as it is usually a day or two earlier. Typical times when we leave home at this hour are only to catch a flight at the airport or going for a 7.30am tee off golf game.

Anyway, being so early, breakfast had to be on the go. I was chewing on a doughy piece of bread with nuts when suddenly, I felt a sensitiveness at the back of my mouth. Oh dear.

I probed the bottom left side with my tongue and to my horror, discovered a gaping hole in my lower molar! Did I just swallow a portion of my tooth? Or was it the filling? What bread was that that caused the tooth to crack?

Dear, oh dear. Being away for several days without immediate rectification work on it by my dentist, it will be a challenge to savor all the delicacies this reunion has to offer.

And because it’s Chinese New Year and we cannot be rude or not obliging to the family, it’s been an eat ’em and weep experience so far.

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Gong Xi Fa Cai

19 Feb

Today is the beginning of the Year of the Goat in the Chinese Lunar calendar. May the year bring abundance prosperity, happiness and peace in the world.

Here’s wishing all a Happy and Prosperous New Year or in various dialects (Mandarin, Cantonese, Teochew & Hokkien): Gong Xi Fa Cai, Kong Hey Fatt Choy, Sin Chia Ju Ee and Kiong Hee Huat Chai!!!

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The Reunion Dinner

17 Feb

The reunion dinner is very important for Chinese families during Chinese New Year. All, if not most, family members will make the effort to be present for this occasion if possible. Every year, hubby and I alternates this duty with our parents, even years with my mom here and odd years with his parents at their hometown. This year, it will be with his parents.

And every year when we have to hit the road, the typical four and a half hours journey doubles in its duration because half the country will also be traveling either for this occasion or simply take this opportunity to go away for a road trip holiday. It gets worse upon return because that half of the country that travelled earlier decides to return all at the same time, clogging up the highway all the way; there was a year we took 10 hours to reach home.

With such ghastly hours, I dread the journey sometimes but it has to be done. So we brace ourselves with all comforts thrown in: iPods, iPads and phones fully charged for entertainment and connectivity, several powerbanks for backup power for the devices, lots of snacks and water for survival. It can be fun sometimes but only if we make it so. The girls would bring along pillows and blankets to make their travel more comfortable.

Well, we can’t really tell the traffic volume until we hit the road tomorrow and regardless of the duration—be it five, seven or ten hours—we will be there for the reunion dinner with hubby’s side of the family.

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Fruitful Weekend

16 Feb

I feel as though I should give myself a pat on the shoulder for accomplishing quite a bit over the weekend. It wasn’t the big battle with the Chinese New Year crowd that I thought I’d have to do but my games!

The pat on the shoulder was for me finally crossing Level 185 of Candy Crush Soda, which was so difficult and also Level 821 of Candy Crush, which was even more difficult. I have been stuck at these two for sometime and perseverance finally paid off.

Honestly, I also managed to complete my Chinese New Year purchases without stressing too much. The secret? Online shopping! The bulk of the necessary was made easy with Tesco’s online services. With free delivery for this festive occasion, I totally took advantage of it and saved the hassle of going to the mall and fight with the last minute shoppers.

I am ready to usher in the Year of the Goat come Thursday.

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Blundstone Reborn

13 Feb

I decided to resole my busted Blundstone to give it a new lease of life before the Lunar New Year. Not quite the same in terms of the sole pattern and thickness, I should at least be happy that the boots can be salvaged. After all, the top portion of it is still good and can be used. It’s just the bottom that experienced hydrolysis and disintegrated.

Anyway, with the repair cost only one fifth of the original cost of the boots, I shouldn’t complain. Also I had a brand new replacement pair delivered and with this pair repaired, I now have two pairs of Blundstone.

This is how it looks with the new sole.

A new sole

A new sole


A comparison of the old (top) and the new (bottom).

A comparison of the old (top) and the new (bottom).

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Mushroom Head

6 Feb

As Chinese New Year is just around the corner, getting a haircut is one of the preparations. I visited my stylist three days ago, seven weeks from the last visit (I go for my haircut every six to seven weeks). For someone with short hair, that’s a lot of trips to the hairdresser in a year compared to the two girls with long hair. They have their haircut twice or maybe three times a year.

Whenever I come back with my usual short hairdo, it hardly gets noticed and when the girls do notice, they’d say,”Oh. You got your mushroom head!”

Eeesh.

This time, thank goodness they did not pass the mushroom head comment but instead admired the new color of the hair.

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Not Stuck on You

5 Feb

Candy Crush has been relatively easy. I completed Caramel Clearing rather quickly, the chapter after Fudge Fjord and have gone on to the next one, Candy Calaboose.

However, the same (ease) cannot be said for the other two games. I have been stucked at Level 653 for my Farm Heroes and Level 185 for Candy Crush Soda for a while now. Hopefully I can make some progress before the Lunar New Year comes around.

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Celebration After Celebration

3 Feb

Today is yet another public holiday, celebrating Thaipusam, but it feels like a weekend because we lined up activities that we normally reserve for the weekend. We did not want to stay in Penang until today knowing we will be caught in a big traffic jam upon our return, hence the journey back yesterday.

The next big festivity coming up is Chinese New Year or the Lunar New Year. It is approaching fast and there isn’t much time left to prepare for it. I should be doing my New Year shopping but as always, am procrastinating. It’s the same every year, Queen of last minute.

I may go fight with the crowd this coming weekend to settle the preparations once and for all.

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Tuesday Food Club

23 Dec

Sans music, this sums up the motto of our Tuesday Food Club!

Sans music, this sums up the motto of our Tuesday Food Club!

We’ve come to a point in our lives where food and friendship are shaping up to be the most important things, next to family. Realizing this, hubby’s group of friends—from his dinosaur childhood era—declared that we must meet once a month to traverse the city to eat the best, the unusual or the unheard of.

The group consists of 4 couples, with three occasional individuals—childhood friends as well—whenever their work schedule allows them to join us.

In the midst of the Lunar New Year celebration at the beginning of 2014, we kicked off our gastronomic adventure and termed it the Tuesday Food Club, meeting every second Tuesday of the month.

A year has gone by so fast and what a trip it has been! Every month, each couple takes a turn, on a rotational basis, to select the restaurant and all of us would meet over food to catch up. No matter how busy each one is, everyone makes the effort for this; such is the strength of the friendship and lure of good food.

Tuesday Food Club will definitely continue into the new year and beyond as we prepare to say goodbye to the good memories of 2014 and await to usher in 2015 with new memories ahead.

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