Everything & Nothing at all

For Moi, Chinese New Year means,

 

1. Food.
   My hands are possessed, so is my mouth. They’re perfectly synchronized into the ‘hand-pick-mouth-open-food-goes-in-and-food-goes-down’ action. Before I know it, another day has has passed and I consumed another 10,000 cals.
   
    
   Dai Kah Jie, Angeline.
   
   
2. Cousins.
   Mum has 9 siblings. Each sibling has 4 children & 2 grandchildren.
   All of us stuffed under one roof with food, drinks and a pack of cards.
   It can only mean a big pot of screeching, noise and laughter.
   
   
3. New clothes.
   CONFESSION, I bought new year clothes.
   Or rather Dai Kah Jie bought me loads. She says MUST wear new clothes.
   Since I was HAD to choose, I happily accepted and gratefully wore them.
   4 dresses and 7 tops.
   
   
   Niece, Jane.
   
   
4. Gamble.
   I was brought up that way.
   I learned it all on my own, without Si Fu.
   From Chor Dai Dee, to Black Jack, to Ngau Kah Sui, to Mah Jong!
   Once in a year, we get to play all we want.
   
   * This is the kazillionth time I’m mentioning this, but
   THE RED LINGERIE WORKS.
   I am living proof, and I wore polka, not plain red summore.
   
   Of course, the lovely brother-in-law who pays for me if I lose and let me keep the money if I win is one big advantage too!
   
   
5. Angpow.
   Small or big. It’s a gift from my relative.
   & This year, is the FIRST year I got an Angpow from my mom (:
   A generous one in fact, thank you Mama.
   
   
6. Grooming.
   I now have perfect brows, I NEED to show you.
   The process was Dai Kah Jie plucking & me wailing.
   
   
   
   Also, I now have red highlights, I NEED to show you.
   Dai Kah Jie experimenting with half a tube of dye.
   Homemade red streaks! For 15 bucks, aha.
   
    
   
   
7. Constipation.
   Because I’ve got it figured out, there is absolutely no way for exercise.
   Enough said.
   
   
8. Superstitions.
   No brooms, no sweeping, no black.
   The one Mii Jie and I detest is NO washing hair on the 1st day of Cny. Mummy says we’ll wash away the year’s luck if we do wash. 
   
   
9. Video Calls.
   With Melinda Lee, almost every night cause we need to have never-ending small talks about small things like what food she ate that very day.
   Cause I know she’ll kill me (really) if I showed her sulking face.
   
   
10. Variety shows.
    Hong Kong tok tok chiangs. With palm reading, horoscope, zodiac and the usual. And it’s family tradition to watch Cny movies. Like how I’m going to watch the 72 tenants show tonight.
    
    

In other words, kampung has been great.

 

It’s like Yee Sang, made of many ingredients.
From putting up hand-crafted Angpow  decorations, stocking up the refrigerator with soft drinks, trying out rows and rows of biscuits and crackers, eating seafood and siuyok, counting Ang Pows together each night, cousins laughing hysterically about I-don’t-know-what, to Seremban Siu Paus etc.

It’s like Yee Sang because when you jumble up these insignificant things, they’re a great mix.

And it’s like Yee Sang,
Because it’s the perfect way to start a new year for the Chinese, which is

spending time with family in love, warmth and many other blessings!