CNY 2018

CNY is about familiar faces and routines.  While they be very similar year after year, I still took so many photos of the joyous occasion.  The year of the Dog, Lynnette's Chinese zodiac year.  I managed to condense this write up into one post, with 20 pictures and collages.
  
On the official light up day, we bravely visited Chinatown.  We did not get to see the light  up ceremony actually happening (crowd and road blockages), but we managed to eat, shop, buy and embraced the festive market spirit!


On 2nd Feb, we celebrated our wedding anniversary with a staycation at Parkroyal hotel, at Pickering street.  Nice deco!


This year, I came to know that Lynn had CNY classroom deco competition at school, so I helped her (class).  She told me that her form teacher called their deco pathetic.  I went to her school and class on a Saturday morning for a parents' briefing session, and I jokingly told her it's almost disgraceful, ha!  Well, we not only made an angbao fan, an angbao lantern (picture below), but also a "Yinliu fan".  But alas, I did not take a picture of it!  Well, I'm going to get this post published first, and shall see if I can patch up with any picture from Lynn's phone hopefully.  

We thought that with the "yin liu fan", there's a good chance that her class could win.  But they didn't.  I kept asking Lynn to go 刺探军情, which she did not, so I had no idea what the winning class did.  My guess is that the scoring was mainly on the piece of collective work that they did in class, which was to use 墨 to write and draw on a big piece of 春联红纸.



Random picture of CNY floral stalls in front of TPY library.


And finally I got a picture of the Chan family reunion!  We had not taken family photo for many year already.  The milestone this year was that Joyce is already taller than my sister (can't tell from this picture though).  I wonder if next year, Lynn will be taller than me??



And here's the yearly reunion tradition for the Yap family!!
The cute cousins and their beautiful mummies (hahahah!!!!)


Opps, a bit dark.  I should have done some editing before posting, but too lazy now..


We took turns to take individual family photos.  When it was our turn, WK's mum was standing on the stairs already.  After a few shots together, I actually wanted a photo of just the 3 of us, but didn't get the chance to.  When reviewing the photos, I like this a lot, so i did some editing :)


The final and actual CNY eve's dinner, with the Lim.   Out of the many photos that I can post, I choose this, ha. This was when Lynn complained that everybody instructed her to do things, scrutinised and criticised very step that she made, rather than do it themselves or trusted that she knew what to do.  Ha, I totally understood and empathised.


Again, a rare group photo of the yearly affair!!


Finally, it's 初一.  I thought that this was the last year that Lynn would oblige me to wear a cheongsam.  Sigh,  I can't be more right.  In fact, she only wore it for this day.  Subsequently, when she went to her cousin's place for 元宵，she chose another dress and didn't want to wear this.


About food!  Firstly, Wee San asked about the standard of this year's 算盘子 that she did.  Actually, it's the best that I had tasted after so many years since Grandma can't do it anymore.   Cooking needs talent, so no matter how many other folks in our family knew and cooked this dish in previous years, I think her's probably the best.


And this year, I "cooked" a lot at home, cos WK's mum went Malacca for a week.  We had a big spread of steamboat for 3 pax for 初一dinner.


In the mornings, we cooked noodles in the steamboat.  It was fun and heart warming.  Lynn took pictures and sent them in her class chat group.  She got some replies, and mumbled to herself "who doesn't eat leftovers?.."  For no great reasons, I felt touched by the sensibility.  And I quickly added on, that it is indeed Chinese tradition that we ate leftovers for several meals during CNY period.  We either re-heat leftovers from the previous day's feast, or cook the same variety of steamboat ingredient that's overstocked, which steamed from past practice.


初二，we made a trip to Kulai.  Other than visit WK's grandma, we were also very excited at the thought of playing with her cat, which we met for the first time the previous CNY.  We brought cat treat for the visit!

And we were happy that there's a new cat too!  This one's friendlier, so Lynn got to stroke her.  And the other cat was so much healthier than we first met her, more chubby and no more infection in the blind eye.  




Finally, we rounded up CNY with the Woodlands visits.  This year, aunt mainly invited our families, and much lesser friends, so it was less crowded and more cosy.


At Qiu Yun's house, JJ taught us new card games, and Qiu yun whipped up a last minute steamboat dinner for us!  Grateful that fate brought us together.


Finally finally, after CNY ended on Friday, Lynn and WK's mum went to May's house on the Sunday (初十七）for a replacement 元宵gathering.  And WK and I entertained Joc and Ginny at home.  We ate rojak, had chips, beer and whisky, and steamboat instant noodles, ha!



And, the final finally, I borrowed grandma's jade bracelet to wear for CNY.  I liked it a lot, but it actually didn't fit my wrist.  Still I hope that one day it can belong to me.



Looks like there's always "new" things to write about every CNY.

Outdoors

Jan and Feb '18 were hotter than December'17.  Nevertheless, I still went for some outdoor walks.  And I'm about to get busier with a new project work, so this is probably the last post of these leisure walks at least for sometime to come..

I picked these pictures, which are slightly lesser of plants and flowers, and more of insects, animals and structures.

Botanic garden:




Bridge over Eco Lake


Deep pink hibiscus plant, gives the illusion of cool and shade, when one walks down the overhead bridge at Bukit Timah road entrance.


Part of the garden's real hot!


Can't remember which part of the garden/lake that I saw this swan.


Walk from MBS to Marine barrage to Millenia Walk for breakfast with BFF - a healthy activity for my birthday celebration!


MacRichie Reservoir for the cousins to catch digital monsters!


Most passerby took photo of the workers cleaning the exterior of the dome at GBTB.  They looked like some special forces team if not like spider man.


CNY deco at Shoppe (MBS) looked classic, esp. when compared to those malls at Orchard.


Googled nearly half an hour, still can't find the name for this..  But I will make this right eventually, owe that to the artist!

Update: Cabeza Dorada, by Manolo Valdes
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Gh5XS46WMQ

Goodbye 2017, hello 2018

I wanted to write an update post about Lynn (her teeth to be precise), and saw that I had quite a few photos in my mobile phone spanning the festive weeks of Christmas and new year.  So here's what we did and where we visited.

23rd Dec.  Some of Lynn's cousins came over for an impromptu sleepover on Friday night.  On Sat, we took them to ice skating at JCube.  At the supermarket, we met this (rather weird looking) Santa giving out sweets (Mabel and Chloe were somewhere else in the supermarket).



On Sunday 24th Dec, the Yap family celebrated Christmas with BBQ and potluck.  Here we were posing with 2 desserts, Mango-sticky-rice by Lynnette (and MIL actually), and Black glutinous rice by MIL.


This year's gift exchange, the kids again 满载而归, but I'm extremely upset over insensitive people.  Not going to talk about it.

While we adults had a good time buying and wrapping, and the children receiving, I actually felt bad (guilty) when we created so much waste when tearing up the wrappers.   Hopefully by end of this year, we can come up with a perfect solution for my dilemmas.


At the start of the New year, I've been to 2 parks.  Firstly, it was Hort Park.  I've not visited it for a few years liao.  It's really beautiful.



And then Telok Blangah Hill Park.  It's shady and cooling to walk even if it's sunny.





View from Tree top walk


School started on 2nd Jan, Tuesday.  Lynn had at least 2 shaky teeth at the start of the school holidays.  Over the years, most of the shaky baby teeth came off by themselves.  By end of holidays, one did not dislodge yet, so I urged her to visit the school dentist after school hours.  When I came home that day, I asked her about it.  Firstly, she said she did.  Then she volunteered the information (very excitedly) that it was indeed the last of her baby tooth, as we had suspected!  Hurray, she is over the "bo gay" stage.  Finally, when I asked if the clinic was crowded on this first day of school, she answered with a resounding "yes"!

I try to keep all her baby tooth.  On final count, we have 15.  We googled, there are suppose to be 20 in all.  I told her that on one of her significant birthday to come, she's going to get these as a present from me, hah!!


On Sunday, 7th Jan, we visited CHIJ Secondary at Lor 1 TPY for the Edusave award presentation.  Surprising this year's monetary award is much higher than last year.  


This year's speech, Dr. Ng started by quoting the saying "It takes a village to bring up a child" and talked about how "Toa Payoh Village" supports children's eduction.  So, a photo of our home, in a larger sense:


That afternoon, we went for English/Japanese high-tea at Sheraton, after her piano lesson.


Lynn asked me if I have any new year resolution; I was at a loss of words,  cos I didn’t, but I believe that I should set.  2018 will be a challenging year for both of us.   2017 was a year that I loved myself above everything else.  2018, realty beckons, and I have lots to prove to myself if not my loved ones.

Happy birthday to myself.❤️

#HakkaLimsRnRInThailand2017 - Day 6

Day 6 itinerary:

Morning - (Free & Easy) - Chinatown

Lunch

215pm - transfer hotel to airport

9pm Home sweet Home (Changi)

Leisure (final) morning:

It was a free and easy morning, since we need to pack and do check out.  We (the Yaps) had nothing in mind for it.  Then we met Aunt YY at breakfast, and were happy to take her suggestion to walk to Chinatown (10-15mins walk from our hotel) to take a look.  

We went back our hotel room for a short while and met up with them at the lobby at the agreed time.  I was surprised to not see mum join us.  Later when I chat with WS, I was amazed and impressed to find out that although Aunt YY was roommate with my Mum for this and other tours, she managed to "keep sane" by ignoring my mum's lateness and will just proceed on her own without getting burdened.  For example that morning, as there was no tour-guide specified timing or activity to adhere to, so when my mum didn't want to abide to the reasonable-and-agreed set off time, she just left her to fend for herself.  So mum had her own leisure morning to do breakfast and packing.  

It's a little similar to our own Chinatown, with the streets slightly dustier, and overhead cables going across buildings and streets.  Walked, browsed (a lot), bargained, buy (a little), and pictures...  Then WS and us headed back, while the Lim sisters and brother continued to shop.      

The Lim sisters:

Me and WS had previously discussed the schedule for the morning, and had agreed on check out at 1145.  We knew that we had a lot of lax that noon, i.e. lots of time for lunch, as our transfer to airport need not be until 230.  

She messaged me from her room that Aunt Cindy (her roommate) was not back yet, so we pushed check out to 12.  At about 1150, on our way down to the lobby, we saw Aunt YY loitering at the corridor of our floor.  She was slightly agitated that mum hadn't packed yet, and said that she had asked WS to help out.  I was surprised, as mum's a rather regular traveller, thus I didn't expect her to have any problem with packing her won luggage.  Knowing that I will lose my temper at her, and having plenty of time to spare, I proceeded on to the lobby, to "kiao ka". 

At the lobby slightly after 12, we saw Aunt Cindy came back from outside.  She went up to her room to do her final packing.  At about 12:05, WS came down too.  She did not go to Aunt YY's room to help my mum, thinking that they should be done already since it's already about 1/2 hr after Aunt YY's initial request to her.  So she went back up.  Finally Aunt Cindy came down after 12.15,  Aunt YY & mum before 12.30.

So WS and I were catching up about that after the trip.  We are still puzzled over the why (the reason) mum was unable to pack (WS did not have any problem doing it for her).  But WS enlightened me about the other "mystery", which was how mum can be on time most mornings except the final day; it was due to aunt Cindy going to their room every morning to chase and to help.   So on the final morning, since Aunt Cindy was late coming back herself, no one babysit on mum. 

The old town of Chiangmai:

Anyway, the rest of the afternoon wasn't the least affected.  We took a local taxi and went into the old town for lunch.  

It's a pity that I didn't get to walk about in the old town, to actually see and take photo of the famous wall/perimeter/the water fountains that divide the whole city into old (inner) and new (outer).  That morning, after we left Chinatown, Aunt Cindy also took off to explore, so I got a picture from her to show here.   

We had late lunch (about 1pm already) at this restaurant, where the food was great.  Soon, we started to embark on our journey home.

Home sweet home, and after thoughts:

We went back to and then left the hotel at 230pm; finally touched down at Changi airport at 9pm.  Uncle Eric was so sweet, he was there to fetch us, at least 1/2 of the group of us that his car can take.

Aunt Cindy suggested that our next destination could be skiing in Korea.  I wonder if she's serious or just empty/exaggerated talk?  Can this group really manage such a challenging destination?

I know my mum, so nothing much on this trip that she did surprised me.  However, other than her reliance on others, I also think that age is catching up with her, thus skiing and heavy snow is also not suitable for her.     

I learned more about traveling with Aunt YY.  She has her own mind, but she comes to a decision too late.  She's a very thorough person, so she usually make better tactical decisions than us after deep analysis.  However, she only convey her views at the last minute, thus requiring last minute changes in plans, many times inconveniencing others.  Still I will go to tours with her in the future if there's chance.  With this experience, hopefully we can compromise better in future.  

Finally for Aunt Cindy, she is no doubt the leader among her siblings.  She not only organises family activities, has the influence over family decisions, but is also someone that the siblings turn to for help.  For that reason, she's can be overwhelmed and can be mean and hurtful in her communication with us, the children of her siblings, whom she expected more.  One one hand, I am grateful to her.  On the other hand, I don't care for her judgement and occational tantrums.  WS has this advice for me, which is to ignore her if I hear what I don't like to hear.  Hah, that's actually good advice, non-confrontational.  So, unless Aunt Cindy organises Korea, else if it's up to me and WS it shall be the easier choice of Taiwan!

Just to conclude, these people, my family, I love them all.  It's actually dreadful to think that one day they will become old and needy.  Until then, we should have our next trip!! (Wink wink to WS, I hope you still read my blog!).