Chinese New Year - A Whole Lot Going On!

Well, it's the 9th day of Chinese New Year and there was just a barrage of firecrackers going off just now at midnight-so much so that I could smell the smoke in the air. Time flies....soon Chinese New Year celebration will come to an end. I have been having so much fun the past 9 days and there's more to come for sure .... What happens during such a festive period????

• Get a surprise! Meeting up with relatives and still amazed to see "new" additions to the family tree even though it happens year after year.

• Get acquainted/re-acquainted and bonding time with new and old friends over more food and activities that mostly involved decks of playing cards and mahjong tiles :o). Hahaha...no pics for this one!

• Get a delight in seeing how cute some kids are and how they are becoming even cuter day by day (year by year)!

• Get a reality check by being reminded of my "real" age as my once little cousins/nieces/nephews left their childhood days behind and entered adulthood as their over 6 foot frame hover over shorty me.

• Get an overdose of "Yee Sang", but it's always a welcome "fix" during this lunar new year period.

Happy Chinese New Year!

It's Friday and most people at this time are on their way back to their hometown, in time for the family reunion dinner on Saturday. As the Ox make way for the Tiger, those celebrating have been busy - spring cleaning the house, shopping for waxed meat to prepare the traditional Chinese dishes, buying/making cookies, making sure there's an ample supply of snacks and soft/packet drinks for guests etc. etc. etc. This is also the time for meeting up with relatives, some whom you see now and then and some whom you see only once a year! Knowing how to address your relatives proper is a challenge in itself - e.g. Yee Sum, Sam Sook, Tai Koo, Say Koo Cheong, Sai Koo Ma (meaning - 2nd paternal uncle's wife, third paternal uncle, paternal eldest auntie, fourth paternal auntie's husband, youngest paternal auntie) Phew! And that's just to name a few! :p

I remember when I was a kid, I use to get a kick out of drinking Anglia Shandy, it made me feel like a grown up. But now that I'm all grown up (and sideways too!), I want to be a kid again! Hahaha....And it was also during that time, we use to drink bottled drinks that are no longer available now like Green Spot (remember how the jewellers in Petaling Street would give the customers a bottle of Green Spot whenever we patronize the store?) and my all time favourite - ice cold Magnolia Chocolate Milk (which is now available in carton form, but it just doesn't taste the same). Of course, I'll be holding a bottle of this in one hand and a piece of "long yoke" - BBQ jerky in the other. That was and still is, happiness at its simplest. Best of all, it is a time of family togetherness, I'm recalling right now as I write this post; our family would be visiting other families and friends. It was the longest celebration for me, as I got to stay out with my family (yes, with that bottled drink and BBQ jerky in my hands, hahahha). Those are the moments that I treasure till today :o) What do you remember most about Chinese New Year when you were a kid?

To those traveling back to reunite with their families or just simply enjoying a short break, I wish all a safe journey! To all those celebrating Chinese New Year.....

GONG XI FA CHAI!

Picnic @ The Presidio, San Francisco

Well, now you know that we had bought all the earlier stuff from Whole Foods Market for our picnic at The Presidio. It was a cloudy day but we decided to still go ahead with it despite the drop in temperature.

Well, The Presidio itself is a park within the Golden Gate National Recreation Area and within The Presidio itself is home to George Lucas' headquarters of Industrial Light and Magic and LucasArts. It was on George Lucas' 7 acre "Great Lawn" where we had on picnic - yes, it's open to the public! How nice of George! :o) But of course, there are security staff patrolling the grounds, so that things are kept orderly and proper. Nevertheless, mom and I were happy to have had the experience of not only visiting The Presidio but also picnicking in such a lovely area.

I was thrilled to see Yoda in the park! He's my favourite character from Star Wars

This time round though, Yoda was at "the office"! Hahaha....


The office was closed, being the weekend and all. We walked right up to the office to take a look inside, through the glass door ...


...and saw Darth Vader and Jango Fett! We fled from the scene, fearing for our lives! :p


We then reached the Great Lawn area ....