Chinese New Year 2007 and Its Orgy Of Photos

As if I wouldn’t have any photos to put up of the festive season. Most of the pictures were from my dad’s camera as he did all the work and him being an adult had more authority to gather everyone around for photos. (Not so easy when you are not that close to your relatives. You feel a little bit weird about wanting photos all the time.)

I’m not going to elaborate on how I find repeated questions boring. My poor cousin sister Fiona received this gem from my dad: “Girl! Fiona is working already you know!” “Yes, dad. You said that last year.” I gave her an apologetic look. We are so looking forward to next year’s set of questions. All the forgetful adults. Sigh.

Alot of you who ask me in real life about my dentistry course, would hear me whine, “5 years in Kedah!!~~~~”. It was like a template answer. Ready to be handed to whoever who needed it. Don’t know, just suddenly thought about the way I would emphasize on the pitifulness of being stuck in Kedah for fiVe YearRrss.. but it’s not so bad. Now I just give a casual nod and say, “3 and a half years more lor. Mm.” So nonchalant already.

But yealah, next year I’ll just wear a t-shirt that says 2 and a half years. And to get a better discount from the t-shirt printing shop I’ll print one 1 and a half years t-shirt and a “Half a year more” t-shirt while I’m at it. Makes thing so much easier.

I just don’t like small talk sometimes. I don’t know, anything apart from studies and relationship status.. I wouldn’t mind discussing about the way I did my eyes, or maybe allow me to indulge in some family gossip. 😀 That’ll be nice.

–

Anyway, Chinese New Year always starts out the same way for us. Every. Single. Year.

We wake up in the morning, and would usually head over to USJ where my grandparents used to live. But now that they are not around anymore, our home has become the meeting point for the rest of the family to congregate before going out to the other relatives’ homes.

Dad taking a picture of me in my outfit. A new top but a really old skirt.

Mum posing next to the only chinese new year decoration in the house- chinese new year cards.

And I heart my new shoes!!

Comfy heels, for once.

Dad and his t-shrirt which camouflages with the sofa.

My Aunty/Godma Susie came with Shevie and my Uncle/Godpa Alex. Angel gets a RM2 angpow. Mum had to give one back to Chazzy. Even dogs get angpow. What’s the world coming to. Some sort of thank you gift for being the mascot of the previous year?

Wolfing down some chai choi before heading out to do the usual rounds. Not much la because we eat alot more at the other relatives’ homes. Yum.

Mervyn taking angpow from dad.

My angpow from mum!

Mum and Mervyn

A rather cool family photo before we left.

The next stop would be my granddad’s sister’s family.

The oldest cousin brother, Kwan Hou and his family. I have twin nephews who are eight this year and a niece who is one this year!

Aunty Adelin in the really authentic looking kitchen.

Let’s see, three uncles, two married and one aunty. Then three cousin brothers and one cousin sister. Pity I don’t know the two older ones that well.. I think their names are Kwan Hou and Kwan Nin. Seeing how close we are in age(the younger one is 1984) it’s a real pity we don’t know each other. I only know his name. that’s all. At least I’m closer to Kwan Hoong(who I sort of grew up with- as in we play with each other every now and then. He is only younger than me by a year, but as always, he gets a big shock whenever he finds out, again, that I am older than him by only a year. I’m not that old looking la..) and his younger sister Kai Ning(who always kacaus me on MSN.:P)
Next up would be my grandma’s eldest sister’s place! Very boisterous family over that side.

top l-r: Cousin Sandy, Me, Shevie, Aunty/Godma Susie, Aunty Fong Si
bottom l-r: Mum, Cousin Fiona, Cousin Lai Lai, Aunty Lai Yeng, Grandaunty Peggy(grandma’s younger sis) and Grandaunty Dolly(grandma’s elder sis.)

If you’re intrigued as to what my grandmother’s english name was.. it is Maggie. Hehe. Don’t know lah, those days why they got such names for themselves. Influenced by the media kua?

One with the men.
top l-r: Dad, Mervyn, Cousin Lai Lai, Mum, me, Shevie, Uncle/Godpa Alex, Aunty/Godma Susie, Cousin Sandy, Cousin Ah beng/Ivan, Cousin Fiona, Aunty Fong Si, Uncle Jeffrey
bottom l-r: Uncle David/Hock Huat, Aunty Lai Yeng, Grandaunty Peggy, Cousin Han Jek, Granduncle Ah Tiau Kong, Cousin Han Meng(he’s in SMK Subang Utama now! Form1! I can finally say I have a cousin in my school. After graduating for four years. -_-), Grandaunty Dolly, Aunty Margeret.

Ooo! My Aunty Lai Yeng’s sister, Aunty Jenny, married by Uncle Yew Hee, who is my mum’s eldest brother. And my mum, duh, married my dad. My dad’s cousin is Hock Huat who is Aunty Lai Yeng’s husband.

For easy referencing: Cousin Fiona is Aunty Lai Yeng and Uncle Hock Huat’s kid and Cousin Hong Fei and Cousin Hong Weng are Aunty Jenny and Uncle Yew Hee’s kids.

And this whole complete circle wasn’t even intended. One of the coolest coincidences ever.

The last stop was Shah Alam, but I don’t seem to have any nice photos of the shah alam…so I guess we’ll just have to make do with your imagination.

We headed down to Malacca on Sunday night and I woke up to find the entire family awake at 12.30pm. As always, the last to wake up. So horrible. But another close knitted family over this side. I mean you’re always closer to your first cousins, no?

clockwise l-r: Cousin Hong Weng(faster get married), Me, Cousin Jacqie, Cousin Hong Fei, Cousin-sister-in-law Kwee Fong(baby boy is due in May!!), Aunty Jenny, Uncle Yew Hee, Por Por, Aunty Ping, Uncle Yew Pun, Aunty Doreen, Cousin Derek, Mervyn and mum.

The family is missing my two older cousins Yong Yong and Yan Yan who are both in the US… and of course my late grandfather who has not been around for the past … six years. But he wasn’t already with us in mind long before that as he suffered from Alzheimers. Haih.

I love the longness of the table.

Yeesang! Even though such a small bowl, most importantly is the whole family happy happy(or if you like, open open heart heart). Wah, Jolene so know how to think. Please translate to cantonese, my english is not THAT broken.

Lou ar!!

One whole family of posers.

Cousin Hong Fei was enjoying himself ALOT with my dad’s DSLR.

Hahaha. So cute this photo.

This photo needs so further explanation. Just that my aunty will probably kill me for putting this photo up. Wahahha. But it is so cute.
My Aunty Ping was sorting out some old photos as her eldest son, my cousin Yong Yong wanted some childhood photos to put up on what I assume to be a presentation during his wedding.

The photos were sorted into four baskets. One basket for each family. Here are a few cute ones I found in my family’s basket.

l-r: Derek, Mervyn and Myself. I think this would be….when I was four, Derek three and Mervyn two. We were so cute! (self praise, is NO praise. So you all faster praise me lah. Say I so cute please.)

And this is me, when my Aunty Ping dragged me into one of her chinese opera performances. I was only a mere five years old. Should have took a photo of the one of me and my cousins on stage next to my Aunty Ping. I was supposed to be a little maid lah. I think I’ve put up photos of that play before. And this is my ex-Filipino maid, Aunty Theresa. God, I miss her. I wonder where is she now? I remember clinging on to her at the airport when I was nine years old .. me and my brother that is..crying and asking her not to go. She was crying too. So heartbreaking lah. Last year I had a dream about her.

In real life, she used to be a manicurist in Manila. She had such lovely talons that I would flick every now and then when I am bored. She would shape my nails for me….. even though my love for nail art didn’t come from her.. but I always wonder how she’d feel if she knew that I was once so passionate about nail arts and other nail things as well.

My Aunty Ping rents chinese dance costumes to anybody who has a performance in Malacca. She makes all this costume herself. My Aunty is also a high school teacher, a seamstress, an iron wielder(she built half the four storey house herself..no shit), a singer(she has a singing group which she tours around with), a devout Buddhist, she indulges in handicraft(she once turned my granddad’s funeral into a beautiful one by REALLY decorating the thing..even making a beautiful elaborate wreath for my grandfather’s photo..lol), she bakes…. the list is endless. We always joke about how long her signboard would be if she ever decides to set up a shop.

oh, back to the point. Here I am playing with some of her costumes that were lying around(and some my itchy fingers dug out from the confines of their plastic bags).

A golden robe for god knows what. Don’t know what chinese opera character. Just thought it was rather beautiful.

Don’t ask me what lah, but also chinese something something.

Sexy Choi San Yea!(God Of Prosperity). The maid cooked some goreng pisang and asked me to bring some up to my dad. I went up in my costume and my dad screamed when he saw me. LOLLOLOLOL.

A close up of the Sexy Choi San Yeah. My Aunty had a beard to go with the Choi San Yeah, but I think someone rented it already.

Since it is Malacca, of course she would have some Portugese costumes in store.

And one fairy costume. Don’t know lah, chinese fairy. Don’t call me perasan, really one.

My aunty’s stash. When I was in kindergarten, she was on a costume making binge.(I used to help her pick up sequins that were ALL over the floor. And I was allowed to keep whatever I found. I’d say it was a rather innovative way to reward the little girl who loves shiny stuff who helped you clean up your dirty sequins laden floor.) She has slowed down ever since.

A good example of my Aunty Ping’s handicraft …enthusiasm. Hanging lanterns made out of angpow packets from the ceiling.

And one of the very nice photos of my grandmother that I found. So cute and pretty right? She was already married to my grandfather then! Like little girl kena married off like that. 😀

OKAY! Now for a few photos that my father doesn’t allow me to post up.

I have a password for the bottom post. I’ll give you a clue, it’s a four letter word.

It starts with B.

If you can’t figure out, email me (I check my email every hour on my handphone…so I’ll be able to get back to you asap).. and email me your number if you want so I can sms you the password. Don’t know if I will waste more money if I reply emails on my handphone.