The red saga continues

When I received the 2nd call "ARE YOU HERE YET?", I knew I had to somehow orb myself to the party house, but I couldn't.

I was almost two hours late to the abovementioned destination, no thanks to the long queue at the immigration department. Arriving at the office close to 8am, the queue was as long as the longest snake could be, the line starting from the 2nd floor all the way down 2 flights of stairs and along the shops on the ground floor! To join in or not to join in the queue, that was the question. I soon became one of them.

Tucked in the corner was a man happily making profits by photocopying identity cards and birth certificates, as well as a woman merrily snapping away passport-approved photos at ridiculous prices. It's called the convenience price - most people pay for it anyway, including yours truly. The photo turned out rather sloppily because I had no makeup on and no cheek blushers on. And to add to the long-suffering photo I have to endure with for the next five years, the close-up photo accentuated my one-eye-big-one-eye-small deficiency! Yes I call it a deficiency! I shouldn't make a fuss of this, most people do not have two perfect sized eyes. Ahh yes I feel slightly better. Only slightly.

I finally reached SW's house, apologising profusely for being late. Nonetheless, we all had a good time hopping from one house to another, collecting red packets and eating to the hearts' content.

CNY Day 5, and still going strong

Those were the days

I have returned, having completed all obligatory visitations, both local and interstate, for the last four days. And with the ushering of the Year of the Golden Pig, which apparently only occurs once every 60 years, dishes such as the suckling pig, roast pork, and anything pork are must haves.

It has been a long while since I last celebrated CNY with great enthusiasm and joy. The time had come many CNYs ago when my cousins were too cool to play chasing bicycles or hide and seek with me and my brothers (dawn, I hope this time will not creep up to you too quickly). The dwindling ooomph factor, coupled with my cousins' new found boyfriends/girlfriends, really made a sucky CNY. I now find myself on the main dining table, talking with my aunts/uncles, about all things adults. No more sitting on the kids' tables and throwing fishballs at each other. No more children shrieks or baby yells. Everyone has grown up. And so have I.

So there we were, in Ipoh two days ago, to visit my maternal grandma. We arrived late in the afternoon, and an arvo nap seemed very inviting since the day was hot and I was tired from driving. My nap was cut short when mum woke me up to say 2nd aunt & uncle would like to see me. I was very reluctant, since I don't have much to say anyway with my broken dialect and mixed Canto/Mandarin/Hokkien sentences, and a few English words thrown in as well.

So there I sat, did all the official greetings and met my new cousin sister and brother in laws. Soon I realised that my cousin sister-in-law was somewhat sitting in the same boat as I was, except that she was further lost at sea at the conversation table. At least I could still understand what was being said, lest I was being mocked and I could stand up for myself! Just kidding. She only speaks Mandarin and English, which was handy for me, so we started talking. Not long after, photo albums were brought to the table and we all started laughing at how we all looked when we were young, how fat/skinny we were, and how mum was the prettiest of all the 5 sisters, which is certainly true! And I must say, I hated the way I looked and dressed when I was a kid/teen! Geez my sense of fashion was atrocious! And no, you are not getting me to scan any of those photos in.

Ahhhh the good old days. Happy CNY to you all.

The gluttony is about to start

Tonight's reunion dinner menu:

1. Salmon Yee Sang
2. Braised Shark's Fin Soup with Shredded Sea Clam
3. Barbecued Suckling Pig with Jelly Fish
4. Steamed King Garoupa Fish with Wolf Berries
5. Baked Prawns with Egg Yolk
6. Braised Sliced Abalone with Sea Cucumber & Fish Maw
7. Steamed Glutinous Rice with Waxed Meat
8. Deep Fied Butter Roll with Coconut
9. Sweetened Glutinous Rice Ball with Longan

First day observations

Small head, skinny body still. My brother needs more carbo. Appeareance is smarter, only slightly, with his nerdy looking glasses.

Front page national newspaper grammatical error: "An EPF withdrawal will take just two days once the process is speeded up."

A new sophisticated-looking fish bowl, kindly donated by a family friend. 8 out of 9 fish have died so far. I don't know who to blame on having been jinxed - the family or the fish bowl.

Extremely humid weather. The air conditioner is my best friend.

Bah Kut Teh is still the best in Klang.

Newly introduced Japanese bread variation, with butter kneaded into the dough. RM18 (AUD6.70) for a loaf!

Finding more silent blog readers. You know who you are.

It's not too long now

One more night's wink, and I'll be home.
Kosong Satu Tujuh - Dua Tujuh Lima - Enam Kosong Satu Dua

You've got no part to play

This week alone:
- My friend's mum was admitted to hospital in Spore due to fluctuating blood pressure.
- My girlfriend's dad was admitted to a Sydney hospital due to a detached retina.
- Another girlfriend's friend died suddenly in her sleep. She was only twenty and a newlywed.
- On that same day, her sister's friend's dad passed away.

In a way, my situation is nowhere comparable to what some of my friends have been through this week. How the devil enjoys inflicting pain and seeing people in agony! It's funny how so many tragic events happen at the same time our church recently launched a new revolution series, revamped the whole creative arts team, restructured the leadership team, and almost finished renovating the front of the building. Exciting visions and plans for the kingdom of God annoy the prince of darkness to a level he is so uncomfortable that he wants to find ways to discourage us from pressing on and finishing the race. He ain't gonna get what he wants, because we are much stronger and more persistent than we've ever been before. So step aside, S.A. Tan because we are going to claim this world for Jesus!

My valentine's day gift

My head is spinning. I know I shouldn't stress, but I can't help but worry. The odds are not looking good for me to be selected as one of the "lucky" few. And when I mean lucky in inverted commas, is that the job on offer is different and the fickle-minded, no brainer, running-round-in-circles, management are apparently, or so I hear, looking for senior people to fill that role. So much for their outloud determination to look after the graduates. I hate these crazy politics.

And I will be leaving for Malaysia next Wednesday, and on the same day, the announcement will be made on their preferred candidates, and mind you, only 8 out of 21 will be picked, 3 out of 8 from my group of 13. The unlucky ones left behind, or perhaps lucky since those abovementioned roles are not quite what most people want to be doing as a job, will be shoved somewhere. And if those somewheres are filled up or cease to exist at time of shoving, then it's please look after your own self, thanks for your work, see ya later.

My much anticipated holiday could not have come at a better time.

Today's prayer of the day, as I flipped the calendar page over before I left for work this morning, read "Thank you Lord for being so faithful". My all time favourite chicka had been waiting to hear from a job that she really wanted, one that pays well, is enjoyable, and in a good environment where she can be treated well. She was almost giving up, uncertain about the future and her career. But God is just awesome. After 8 months and 5 days (yes, she's been counting!), she heard back from the company yesterday, accepted the job and resigned from the company she really needs to get out of. The irony of it all, is that round about the same time, my job became uncertain. What a role-swapping experience this is going to be. Sounds like I'll be drawing on her strength instead.

I need to do something, but I'm too stressed out to do anything. I really needed this holiday, but the break isn't doing me any good now. Sleeping sounds good now.

Bono and soy

I don't usually remember my dreams, but I woke up having a fuzzy memory of U2's frontman holding a bottle of soy sauce. Don't ask me what brand it was.