CNY Dinner in Aberystwyth

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Quote of the day:

Hard work pays off, complains don't.

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So, how does a bunch a multicultural students celebrate Chinese New Year?

It falls on the same day as Valentine's day for year 2012 CNY. Love birds are out celebrating while other chinese had their min-house reunion dinner. But for me. I'm not in a relationship neither can I cook. So I attended a Chinese Orchestra from China. How else can you celebrate CNY by having an evening of overflowing Chinese culture. And they are playing my all time favourite, Butterfly Lover!!!

And how can Aberystwyth University's Malaysia Society do nothing about CNY right? We organised a CNY dinner in one of the chinese restaurant in town. And it is lovely. Very lovely. Theme is red, but not much members get the notice. So some turn up in blue because that night Chelsea is playing.

As the tradition and belief for some chinese, breaking a fortune cookie before dinner is a must. So we all did. And my cookie says this: 

Don't bother asking if opportunity knocked and whether I opened the door for the opportunities. Because I believe every decision and every move is an opportunity. 

So, we took pictures before the food is served. While the food is served. After the food served. What else can we do while outside is freezing cold and we have hot tea in the building right? 

What we did after the dinner? More pictures. And we had round 2 at the pub down the road and it's call Salt. It's a cosy and chic pub. And guess what we did there. Drinking without game is just pure boring. So we had a night of truth of dare. And it's a night I gave blow job to a bottle and gave a girl love bite. Not pleasant experience but it is a fun fun night.

But the night did not end just like that. We then proceed to the local club after Salt need to close for the day. We get more drinks, took god knows how many vodka shots and we're good to do silly stuff. And yeap, we all started doing silly dance and showing off all our moves. The night only ends when the club need to close and it's already dawn.






Love,
Nichole

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Chinese New Year '08

Day 1

Same old. Woke up really late, almost 12. We practice vegetarian till noon on the first day of CNY every year. But by the time we are ready, its almost noon already. So, had vegetarian breakfast, took ang pao, burning fire cracker and ready to visit our ancestor's house. DADDY'S VOLVO COULD NOT START THE ENGINE!!! Daddy got so mad and call his foreman immediately. But, till next working day, they have no extra car to borrow, so we have to use mom's Vitara. Not too bad lar.... Drive RED car mar.... RED is a good colour wert.... Anyway, due to hygine purposes, we did not have our lunch at the ancestor's house. Instead, we went to dad's eldest sister's house for lunch. Loves having lunch there. Auntie Sim will always buy the freshest, crispiest, yummiest fried pork (siew bak) for us. And she will boil some really cooling and healthy dessert (Tong Sui) for us. The dessert she prepared is made of natural sweetness, aka, sugar cane and herbs, not sugar. Hmmm.... She's always very nice to us... But I don't really like her second son. He's around LK's age and he's very humsup. There was once, he wanted to date LK, he approach her and say he saw LK at ss2's food court. The truth is, all the while, LK is in Melbourne and she just touched down not long before she visit Auntie Sim. Lame pick-up line. Then, he wanted to flirt with LM. LM ignored him and gave him hint that she's under aged and no way she'll date him. For me, I'm not sure he's trying to flirt with me or just being friendly, he ask aloooooooot about my phone (K750i) and keep asking till I turn to him and said, 'hey, you know what, why not you go and search it online or go and ask those phone seller instead of me. I'm an idiot for technology. Sorry.' Yea, I may sound mean but I doesn't wish to give him any chance to talk to me. I'm just protecting myself after seeing him flirting with my siblings. 

After kampung trip, we visited dad's god sister, Auntie Josephine and Auntie Yap. Auntie prepared nasi lemak and lots of cakes and tarts. Auntie Yap has the best cooking skill besides dad. Actually, daddy always exchange recipe and skills with auntie yap.

We had salmon sashimi for dinner. It's a gift from Uncle Chan, our neighbor. hohohohoho... Nice.... 

Day 2

We will hire lion dance troupe every year. So is this year. LM invited her foreigner friend over to watch. Actually I invited Naeem, Manisha, Kulthum, Kulhen, Sid and Brindha as well. But I'm too lazy to drive them to my place. So I did not. I'm the camera-man for the lion dance this year. Usually, it's LK's job. But LK is working at Melbourne and could not make it back to celebrate CNY with us this year. Too bad. Anyway, mom's relatives came over to watch as well. Weepeee.... My cousin, Pei Jin, from Johor came as well. She brought along her new born baby and her husband. And another of my cousin, PJ's bro, Bibeh, tag along as well. The last time I saw them is few years back when I'm still a high school nerd. The only cousin that I'll meet every year without miss is Hui, big brother of PJ and Bibeh. He's the one that I keep saying he look like David Tao. And I think both David Tao and big cousin are good looking. Hui keep claiming that he's muscle look like Rain's. RIGHT.....~~~ 

This year, mommy allows me to gamble!!! But I can only bet RM1 each round and I promise myself to stop after losing my RM10. And guess what, I did lost all to Uncle Bobi. GERAM!!!

In the middle of the card game, there's an uninvited guest turn up at our door step. Yes, the evil family. They're our (Low family and Uncle Kiong's) enemy. She cause dad's company to lost business. Anyway, that's story of centuries ago. Because we hated them but we can't ask them to go, dad have to go and entertain them as we continue our game. Pity daddy. 

After the uninvited guest went home, daddy start to prepare dinner. He's cooking he's new dish. Include buddha jump over the wall(it's the soup with tons of expensive stuff that I don't know the name), wish come true (in canto, sam shiong xi ceng. It's actually pork dumpling with all kind of sea food and wrap it in a triangle shape with brown-golden abalone sauce), vege (he did not name it because he thinks it's useless), Qi Ling prawn aka seremban prawn and a 2kg big fish which I don't know the fish's breed and the dish's name. It sound very little, but everyone got stuffed after the first dish, which is the soup. Everyone is very satisfy with the dinner. 

I got lots of funny pictures after dinner and we talk like we'll never meet again. Well, just to inform you guys, there's a total of 5 families which mean 20 adults and 7 kids. And 3 dogs!!! Eheheheheh....

As the night got late, us youngster went for mamak. But the toufu siblings are so boring. Nope, no grammar error. They are boring. They seldom talk and just smile at us. Other than the toufu siblings, everyone talk non stop like we are not going to see each other anymore. In fact, I may not see them for the next 2 years. Sigh... gonna miss them....

The clock strike 1 am and they went home all together. The house is back to the normal silence.  I'm so tired!!!    

Mom's 2nd sister, Auntie Helen.

PJ's baby boy.
Hui and ma..
Dad and mom's funny pic. Imitating Ah Beng and Ah Lian.
Deren and I
PJ and us
Hui and us.
The troupe
Mom's brother, uncle Kiong and wife.
Uncle Kiong and family. And amber!!!
The brotherhood yoy!!!
Well, half of everyone.
LM and friend.
Ma and crazy baby
Daddy and crazy baby
The crazy and smelly and naughty and ugly baby.
Ma and I

Day 3

I can't remember.

Day 4

Can't remember either. Went someone's house to visit, that's all I remember. X-)

Next Week

Class start!!!

Thats all I guess...

Love,

Nichole @ Lai Yin 

Transferred from my Xanga: Chinese New Year Post

Day 1:

I woke up by 8am because I knew Il take my whole sweet time to get ready.

As the tradition of the family, wel practice vegetarian for half a day. We can only eat meat after 12 noon. So, my aunty cooked a pot of vegetarian mix vege for us. Usually my dad will cook it by him-self but this year he did not. When I finished make-up and everything, I went to the diner room to enjoy the first meal for this new piggy year. When I walk down the stairs, I smell some thing salty and sour; at least I think it smells like it. I saw my dad and that pot of vege. He woke up later than me but he finish shower and done everything earlier than me. He does not have to make-up, do not have to put on lotion, no toner and moisturiser, no blow-dry, no waxing and no spa to do. All he has to do is just normal 10 minutes shower and shave. That is why he can finish earlier than me. Anyway, back to that breakfast. It happen that the smell is come from that pot of vege. It had spoilt. Hence, we do not have breakfast to eat. I wanted to eat some cakes, my dad doesn allow. He says cakes are made of eggs and milk. Than I wanted to drink my 3-in-1 milk tea, he stopped me as well. He says milk tea is MILK tea...!! Than I have nothing to eat. All we have in our house is all non-vegetarian food. We just love meat. But we have to keep our tradition that passed on since the great grand generation.  Oh ya, my mom once told me that her granny is those rich lady who wrap her leg into super small and have a ui chai?(maiden in Chinese) follow where ever she go. And my dad great grand pa is one of those rich guy who own a petro station. So why are my both side grand parents all so poor? That is because great grandma married to a poor guy who she likes. So she has no more money supple from her family. And for my dad side, my great grandpa is addicted to gambling. He lost all his money is gambling. He even caused my grandpa to work like a cow and so is my dad. And his wife, my great grandma, she a very generous and nice lady. Because my parents both have to go to work and my both granny do not have the effort to take care of her, she sent to the old folk home near my house. In my memories, I remember that mom bring my sisters and I to visit her after our school when I still in my kindergarten. I miss her although I do not actually remember how she looks like. The thing about Chinese New Year is that it reminds you of your ancestor and brings up all the sweet memories of them.

 

The whole family, I mean dad, mom, Lai Ming and I, Lai Kwan went back to Melbourne, suffer hunger for the one whole morning. It New Year man. It should be a jolly good start. Oh well, we all do drink our 3-in-1 when the time strike 12. Than we greet our parents formally to get ang pao. Wel say lots of thing likes ong hei fat choi, man xi yun yee, heath and wealth, share market goes up etc?

 

After our drinks, we went to our kampong, which is located at Petaling Jaya ONLY. Than we visit my dad younger brother and his eldest sister, than his pet sister, Aunty Fong Kun. And there goes my first day of New Year.

 

daddy, mommy, yuki and baby

 

me hugging yuki

Lai ming and i... on our way to Kampung Chempaka

 

Day 2:

I wake up by 8am again. As usual, I need a lot of time to prepare. But today I have to use better make-up. No, not because Il be meeting cute guys. It is because my dad hired a troupe of lion dancer. This does not explain why I have to use better make up. Not because I interested with the guys in that lion troupe but because I know Il sweat like mad. So I have to use better quality make-up. Anyway, the lion dancers reach our villa by 10.30am as promised. My dad gave them ang pao and invited them to have a cold nice drink before they start. My dad says we have to let them to have enough rest so that they have more energy to perfume later. Among 21 unit in our villa, the lion dancer starts from our house first. Because my dad and that people in charged are childhood friends. That is an advantage when you grow up in a kampong like Kampong Chempaka. That Kampong moto is that e are all a big family?

 

Most of my relative (dad 3 siblings and mom siblings) came to watch the performance too. And I can meet my entire cousin who I can only meet them once a year if we did not go and visit them at other states. After the performance, they started playing cards game and chit-chat while my dad prepares light lunch for them. They finish those foods in about 5 to 10 minutes time. That is very scary I can tell you. They all claims that my dad cooking are delicious. Yeah, that just a very simple noodle dude; my dad can cook far more delicious food. They all leave at about 6 in the evening because they having a barbeque party to attend while Aunty Kum, Aunty Sim and Uncle Sing have to visit their relative as well. So we clean the house after they left. One more tradition for all Chinese to follow during CNY, that is no broom or mop or vacuum machine for the new generation. But we only follow for the first day of CNY, so we can clean the house happily with the entire cleaning gadget.

 

daddy and baby... daddy really love baby..

Lion dance

 

daddy, mommy and baby...

    

 

 

Day 3:

My mom siblings will be having dinner at our place today. So as usual, I woke up at 8am, but did not shower, because I have to groom my dogs. Why do I have to groom them again as Ie just finish grooming them two days ago? That is because Baby god mother, Tua Jiji, is coming to visit. And so is Ting En and another girl, I forgotten her name. So I prepared baked pasta for their tea. They leave quite early because Ting En will be hosting a barbeque party and he invited us as well. Too bad that we host a reunion dinner tonight. About 7 evening, mom siblings came and started the crowd. Daddy started to cook and the low family were so busy helping around as my parents sack the maid before CNY, nice move. We went through all the work and I only eat very little. Good thing I ate my baked pasta with Ting En and friends. Speaking of pasta, ou fu pok?do not eat pork, chicken and many many kind of food. She look so pale, we guessed she sick. Some scary hidden sick as those old wise man says. Anyway, she did not eat most of the dishes my dad cook, BECAUSE SHE CANNOT EAT!!!  As a result of her act, mom took quite a generous amount of my pasta for her to eat. And she finishes it in a tick of time. This show how hungry is she. They finish their dinner and good thing they helped to clean. Or not mommy, Lai Ming and I would die of tiredness.

 

They went back by midnight. I really enjoyed this reunion although we do not have a maid to help. In fact, it is a good thing. Every one helps out and the house is clean before they leave. This will be the last time we meet until next CNY.

 

I think Il miss them. I just love them so much, except for ou fu pok?and ou fu gon?

Sorry tell that but that the truth.

 

 

 

 

 

Okay, it is getting late, it is 2am now. I shall make it short from now.

 

Day 4:

Went out with Lai Ming friend to 1U.

Day 5:

Dad sibling came. And Aunty Kum bring her maid along. Yay.... siti rox. I don have to do the cleaning job.

 

Day 6:

Lai Ming fainted due to stress and tiredness. And chocolate and ice-cream.

But she okay now.

 

Day 7:

Alvin, liang, Wei Chun and Ting En came for Hokkian noodle.

Than ow Sang? with Ting En and Tua Jiji

 

Day 8:

Brunch at Kampachi, Japanese food.

Meet Aunty Fong Kun and another dad friend there.

Gossiped so many bitchy thing about Ah Lai Po and THAT Lady daughter-in-law.

 

Day 9:

Back to college. I the only one wear red. Except for Ms Grace. She seriously need botox.

 

Okay... that all....

Lai Ming bugging me to sleep... I typing in the dark now....

Il update my blog as soon as possible....