We try to fulfill as many gatherings, reunions and open houses as possible as we believe this is the time and season to catch up with old friends, schoolmates and relatives.
Steamed waxed meat with nga-ku, sweet and sour pork ribs, stewed duck, steamed kampung chicken, braised chi-ku, roast pork, mixed vege, braised sea cucumber and abalone soup. Lots of work to prepare the dishes and we are very lucky, the househelper is willing to work on the eve and cook us a storm.
After dinner, BIL will decorate the house with new lunar year banners and stick a rabbit poster on the main door.
One Day 1, we'll wake up for our customary brunch :
Hinghwa soh-meen with fishballs, maw and abalone slices. This is a traditional dish that the inlaws will indulge in on new lunar year, mid autumn and winter solstice festival. We are only back for the new lunar year and therefore, this is a once in a year dish for us. Amber loves it and she had 5 fishballs and half a bowl of noodle.
After brunch, we'll dress the kids up in traditional cheong sam. BIL #2 got the nieces identical chiffon cheong sam.
Nice ? I think they look cute :D
We'll pai-nien at eldest BIL's house before noon. Eldest SIL is goes vegetarian for half a day and we'll all binge on her wide selection of cookies. Eldest SIL & BIL will go back to the inlaws to have their serving of customary Hinghwa soh-meen. Hubs sister and her family will arrive from KL and join them for 2nd round of soh-meen.
Later part of the afternoon, we will all leave for Malacca for a complete reunion dinner at New Lagoon, Melaka Raya. I call it 'reunion' as hubs sis and her family will join us and the whole Ong clan will have dinner together. For the past umpteenth years, we'll catch a new year movie after dinner. This has been a family tradition too but this year, we decided not to go join the long queue at cinemas. The family went home and hubs and I went to Jonker Street to meet Chew Lee and her family.
Malaika could indulge in ice cream but Amber, who's allergic to dairy, indulged in ice cubes :D
On Day 2, activities slowed down. Hubs met up with his school mates, MIL went to her brothers, BIL#3 went to her in-laws and we too, packed for home after lunch.
A smooth and safe jouney home, lucky us, no traffic jam unlike previous years, where Day 2 is packed with cars along the north south highway
I went back home to fathers and brought him to visit my aunt and had dinner together
On Day 3, we visited hubs friend, Mr Lau, who helped us plenty when we were renovating our new home. Hubs had been wanting to visit him and this year, we could spare some time (4 days off -- that's a luxury for us). Hubs and I was thinking of transforming our backyard to a wet laundry area and we consulted him for some advise.
Since we were already in Cheras, I visited my schoolmate Jo. She's in town this new year as her dad is ill.
We stayed on for another session of loh-sang and lunch. Chatted while the kids played. Her maid cooked an eggless noodle for Amber.
Amber and Sherry having lunch and played princess and sorts while we chatted.
The cool pre-CNY days was coming to an end and Day 3 was scorching hot. Amber couldn't wait to hop in to the fridge for a chilling blast and I caught her like this :
We visited another friend, ES and his family, then went home to my dad's for dinner and later in the evening, visited my Taman Tun aunty.
Hectic day ?
You bet.. but CNY is all about catching up with friends and the older folks
