Since I was born, it’s always been like this. We’d head down to Malacca a week before CNY for our family’s company annual dinner and days later we’d be down again for Chinese New Year!
This time around, Dad allowed me to drive all the way down to Malacca!! But sad to say I took half an hour longer than what is usually takes. Well, I was going at 90kmph on an average and Dad didn’t seem too happy with my performance. 🙁 The aircon was so cold and I think I am down with rheumatism. Didn’t get to take any naps as dinner was at 7.15pm and we reached at nearly 6pm. Sigh. Arm was aching.
That’s me, my aunt, my grandma(adjusting the bra strap for my aunt) and my mum getting ready for dinner in front of my Aunty’s uber cool mirror. It’s for her to practise her dance steps apparently.
One of Mervyn waiting for every one to get ready on top of the stairs.
This is my Aunty Ping and a very unflattering photo of me! Don’t you just love her top? It’s from Bangkok and it enhances her cleavage so well my grandma was like scolding her asking her if she could wear a coat over it or something. You should’ve seen the both of them bickering. It was so cute!! My aunty was like, “haiYa, ng Sai la.”(HaiYa, No Need La!) and my grandmother was just shaking her head and grumbling. LOL. My aunty is so cool. She is actually 50 already and yet I cannot fit into some of the shorts that were “too big for her”. *sits in a corner to cry*
My Aunt’s place in Bukit Beruang Heights! Could still remember the excitement we had as we were driving down to Malacca back in 1997 wondering how the new house would look like. My Aunty only paid half a million for the house as most of the interior was done by herself. Like the flooring in the rooms, she did it herself. Bought parquet and glue and did the flooring. The banister was done by her. Most of the painting was also done by her. Basically the entire house was almost DIY.
Dinner was held at Ramadha and the food was mediocre.
Uncle Pun and Aunty Doreen. Uncle Pun takes care of the family business which is based in Malacca.
bottom l-r: Ted(Jacq’s Bf), Jacq, Me, Derek
Top l-r: Aunty Ping and Mervyn
l-r: Uncle Hee, Dad, Cousin Hong Fei, Cousin-In-Law-To-Be Kwee Fong, Po Po
Ah, Uncle Pun and Aunty Doreen learning the art of camwhoring.
Not too bad for newbies eh?
Every year grandma would give out lucky draw prizes/appreciation awards to the employees.
Mum gets to choose a number to see who wins the lucky draw.
Mervyn and Derek trying to reprise their poses from last year’s Annual Dinner photos. *sigh*
Jacq and Ted. Ted plays in a rock band. They are more into J-rock! He was telling me about his plans to break into MTV Asia Awards next year! That’s so cool! They have a recording contract and everything. They even have groupies. lol! And then he was telling me about how his band members come and go, “One left to become a model, one got married, one died etc..” LOL.
Uncle Hee is always the first among us to get tipsy. Uncle Pun brought Chivas for the dinner. Uncle Hee loves to drink but he gets tipsy after 2 glasses! He’d become so fun and talk the loudest, laugh the loudest. During one of the photo poses, I was kneeling down and he walked in front of me and I felt drenched. He accidentally spilled whisky on my hair and my clothes. Thank god alcohol evaporates! There was a funnier time when he drove us down to Bangsar once, he’d drive like a demon on the road. Like driving on the oncoming traffic lane and swerve back in at the last second. After a mug of beer, he’d drive oh-so-perfectly well. hahaha!
All who came.
Family photo minus 3. 2 cousins in the states, one cousin left in Subang because he couldn’t get away from work.
top l-r: Dad, Derek, Me, Mervyn, Aunty Jenny, Jacq, Aunty Doreen, Kwee Fong, Hong Fei.
bottom l-r: Mum, Aunty Ping, Po Po, Uncle Hee, Uncle Pun.
After returning home, we left the adults downstairs to ..erm, sing chinese karaoke song. Uncle Hee was tipsy already and continuously sang chinese songs and Aunty Jenny(his wife) would get annoyed and say, “Sau Seng La!”(Shaddap la!)..Wahhaha.
We went upstairs to go online(mervyn) and sit out/camwhore at the balcony.
Derek and I wanting to jump over the ledge of the 2nd floor balcony.
Jacq and Ted doing one for us too.
Aunty Ping brought us for lunch at her friend’s restaurant somewhere near Mahkota Parade. The food was SOOOO good. It’s a vegetarian’s restaurant and it was far better than dinner the night before.
Had this funny conversation between Dad, mervyn and me on the way there.
Dad: Don’t marry kwaipo’s(white women) when you grow up ok?
Mervyn: I’ll marry those from the country.
Me: Buy from Vietnam la!
Dad: Don’t marry women like Cyndi Lauper. *proceeds to sing in falsetto, “Girls just wanna have funnnn..” and does a little dance whilst driving.*
Mervyn: Hahahaha. Why? Country girl what! Should be alright!
Me: Nola, Daddy say later girls like Cyndi Lauper will have affairs ma.
Dad: Yala, with milkman la, grasscutter la, newspaper man la.
Mervyn: hahahahaha.. ha?
Dad: That’s why I cemented the grass. HaHa!
Mum: Ho Sui Ga Lei!(You so bad la you!)
Isn’t this field pretty? It’s right opposite my cousins(Jacq and Derek)’ home. Years ago I’d watch them have their taekwando classes there. *sigh*.
Mervyn said he wants a picture of himself under the shade at Aunty Ping’s/My grandma’s house.
This is the hall in my Aunty Ping’s house! She made the cushions herself, the curtains herself, the wooden frames for the windows herself, the sofa herself etc.etc. DIY, that woman, DIY. She’s a secondary school teacher who just loves DIY!
This is the bigger balcony that nobody goes to/remembers on the 3rd floor.
THe entire 3rd floor is a studio room that was supposed to be my Aunty’s room. But she has since shifted downstairs to my grandfather’s room after he passed away. My aunty say I can bring friends here to bunk in if we ever want to go Malacca for a trip!
The view from the smaller balcony on the 3rd floor. That’s the Malacca’s Governer’s Residence in the distance. Towards the left hand corner.
The view from the third floor. That’s our Carens below!
Another angle.
The house opposite is so cool. It has a swimming pool behind and the owner bought the land next to it JUST to make it into a garden.
Coming down…
The balcony where it’s really breezy in the nights. But hella lot of mozzies too.
Came home just in time to get ready for Sush’s surprise party. Esther came over before heading out.