Ox-y

CNY20092
Swiped from williamnyk.

It's the year of the Ox, and that makes my brother 36 this year. Already his 3rd cycle. How time flies. As I age, I notice the Lunar New Year being increasingly "faraway". The significance eludes me at times. I guess its true that festivals are really for the kids. However, this is not to say that I'm indifferent about the occasion. I try my best to absorb the atmosphere or if there is a lack of it, try to create some. Ever since my dad and grandma passed away and my sister got married, things have been getting simpler and simpler. No more annual pilgrimages and perayaan besar-besaran. Reunion dinner is normally just an affair between my brother, mum and I. Although its a small gathering, mum spares no effort in preparing a big spread. But as I age, my mum advances in age too, and I can see that her stamina has decreased and she finds it harder to organise things. I try my best to help her, but I find it best to always let her have the last say in how she wants things.



A surprise guest joined us for Reunion Dinner this year-- SK. She had decided not to enroll herself into the Forced Labour Camp back home in Kuantan this year. After mass, we got home and prepared for dinner. Mum cooked up a storm as usual-- stewed fish maw and mushrooms, drunken prawns (lotsa drunken laughs), fried fish, thai-style fish, steamed pomfret (excessive excesses! :P), healthy vege platter with fake foie gras (for SK's special dietary needs), chinese lettuce, old lotus root soup and mixed vegetables. A surprise ang moh dish made it to the dinner table this year-- herb roasted chicken, with me as the chef. jeng, jeng, jeng! Food was accompanied by Johnie Walker on the rocks.



On CNY1, woke up early and dressed in new clothes to wish my mum and brother a happy new year. Later, we went to church for the special Eucharistic celebration. Everything was decked out in red though it was Ordinary Time (plenty of cam-whore opportunities). In addition to the usual liturgy, there was a ceremony of ancestral commemoration that never fails to raise eyebrows whenever I tell people. After that, there was a red packet and mandarin oranges giveaway with lots of Lunar New Year songs in the air. Outside, there was a lion dance complete with choi cheng. Usually, the lion enters the "house" to pray at the altar, but that part is ommitted. Lunch was yesterday's leftovers, but for dinner, mum made chapati and curry chicken. Yummy! Argh, fat, fat, fat, fat! Oh yeah, I missed the eclipse but it was supposed to be a bad omen anyway, so no loss.