Chinese New Year « KTAL's – A joyful journey to parenting

Days before Chinese New Year (CNY) 1st day: Daddy and Mummy were busy before the 1st day Chinese New Year, daddy putting up the twinkly lights and chinese lanterns. Mummy busy with Yi Por making CNY cookies. All of us going out shopping for food stuff.

“Sa Chap Meh” or 30th Night or Chinese New Year Eve: Yi Por prepared a small simple reunion dinner for us. It was only a small group of us as Ah Kong was away on holiday to China. Jiu jiu was back from Kuala Lumpur to visit. Daddy would say that CNY during his time was more livelier as there were more relatives and cousin around because his grandparents were around and the children will gather around for a dinner. Nowadays, family are smaller and more dispersed.

CNY 1st Day: In the midst of the night while I was sleeping, Daddy slipped an “Ang Pow” or Red Packet beside me like Santa Clause would bring presents during the night of Christmas. Daddy gave the ang pow the same way he received it when he was young where Yeh-Yeh would give him ang pow at night on the 1st day and he would wake up with ang pow either in his pajamas pocket or beside him. I also woke up and found the ang pow beside me. I wondered what it was and again my curiosity got the best of me.

My 2nd ang pow was from my Yi Poh. After that we got ready and dressed up to go visiting. 1st stop was to my daddy’s Ah Koh house but there was no one home as she went to her son’s house instead. So we went over to Yeh-Yeh’s house where I could crawl around and play there. We ate lunch over there also. After that I played with Yeh Yeh in the afternoon.

Daddy and mummy also gave ang pow to yeh-yeh and mah mah as a sign of respect for them, I was the postbaby. One day when I am old enough I will be working and earning money to give to my mummy and daddy also as a sign of my respect for them. That is still so far away still. Lucky me and I get to have fun collecting ang pow for a long time still.

After that we went out for dinner to the Hainanese Restaurant at the 1926 Hotel. Mah-mah made a big fuss over the place we were sitting and the numerous mosquitoes around. I guess it was for my well being though it did not bothered me much. After dinner we drove downtown to see the lanterns put up in the heritage area of Georgetown.

CNY 2nd Day: We went over to BM (Bukit Mertajam) first to visit my tai-tai and to my ah kong and jia-jia‘s house to put flowers for my jia-jia. I did not know my jia-jia but I know she spent her final 1 month with me after I was born. Mummy said she was so happy to be able to see me and carry me for 1 month. We put flower for my jia jia and again my mummy is the bigger bulldozer version of me and broke the pretty flower from the stem. Not lost yet as we manage to put it in a bowl and it still look very nice.

We went over to tua pek kong place and had lunch there. I collected so many ang pows till my hands were full. I still manage to hold on to most of them. I feel bad for my daddy and mummy as they have to give out so many ang pows also as the relatives have greater numbers of children to my daddy and mummy’s one which is ME! I got lots of ang pow but in terms of quantity but not the monetary quantity amount. Oh well, lesson learned for my daddy and mummy. We spent the whole afternoon there.

CNY 3rd Day: We did not do much, just went out to visit my daddy’s ah koh and 3rd uncle. I got some more ang pows also. We went home and went over to daddy and mummy’s friend’s house across the street for steam boat dinner. I had some fish there and vege which are my favorites. I met my Ling Li jiejie there also and watched her play fireworks with her parents and my daddy and mummy. My daddy is so afraid of fireworks nowadays, I guess from bad experiences.

CNY 4th Day: My mummy made me special kiuh bahulu which had the shape of a teddy bear, rabbit and heart shape but too bad I cannot eat them yet as they have egg but they smell good. I will wait till I am older and then eat all I can eat. The kuih looks so cute. We had steam boat for dinner with yipoh and jiu jiu and his girlfriend. I ate lots of fish and vege again.

CNY 5th Day: We spent the time sitting at home and in the evening mummy and daddy took me for a walk and I saw for the first time a lion head used for lion dance. It was so pretty and I tried to grab it but mummy said no as it was dusty. It was so pretty.

CNY 6th Day: Ah Kong came home from China. I did not see him much as he left at night. We went to visit Pastor Clement and Aunty Julia. Pastor Clement married both my mummy and daddy and that allowed them to have ME! I am so glad for that happening. The last time I saw Pastor Clement and Aunty Julia was when I was just 1 month old. They had a Korean family visiting and the children sang songs for us. I like to hear songs. Aunty Julia gave a hamper with a beautiful teddy bear and an ang pow also.

CNY 7th Day: We went over to BM again for a gathering of my mummy’s friends. I had so much fun with mummy’s friends and received ang pows from her friends. Again they also have to give out ang pows.

CNY 8th Day: We wanted to go up Penang Hill on the train but it was crowded, so we went visiting around Penang Kek Lok Si Temple and went to various sites and did some shopping also. Went along with YiPor.

Daddy had to go back to work on the 9th day and we did not do much for the rest of the week.

CNY 13th Day: Daddy’s cousins and uncle came visiting to Penang. We went for dinner at the Hainanese Restaurant near Park Royal Hotel. I met Gabby jie jie for the first time. I would not let anyone carry me except for mummy and daddy and Uncle Daniel once only. After that we went to Hard Rock Hotel for a visit. We went back to Aunty’s June’s hotel for coffee. There Gabby jie jie shared her books with me and drew pictures for me.

CNY 15th Day or Chap Goh Meh (Also my daddy’s & mummy’s marriage registrations anniversay – Feb 28th): We went shopping again with Ah Kong and YiPor as I love to go out shopping. After that we went out for dinner with Aunty June and family at the Corner’s club.