GONG XI FA CAI

GONG XI FA CAI!

Chinese New Year is here again. Everybody welcome the year of the golden pig. Talking about pigs, check out my little "fei chu" (fat pig). He should have been born in the year of the pig coz' he is getting so fat, fat, fat. Thanks to #1, best in the world breastmilk. But because he was born before the Chinese New Year, he is still under the doggy year.
And what is everyone going to do for Chinese New Year? My family, we are pretty laid back. Back when I was younger (meaning still in school, free and single), Chinese New Year included golfing. Shows how popular we are with visitors. Usually, people stay home the first day of New Year to receive guests. My family... well, my dad more specifically, says its the best time to play golf coz' no one is on the course.
Chinese New Year has lost a lot of it's hype. For me anyway. The reunion dinner is the only woo-hoo thing. Even then, with everyone married, sometimes not the whole family is there. It's different. Like this year one of my brothers will be missing as he will be with his wife's family.
Plus, the whole family don't hang around together very long too. Another one of my brothers always goes home after the dinner. And me... have to leave for my in-laws house the first day of New Year, except for this year. So Chinese New Year in my family has now been reduced to just the reunion dinner. Everyone comes back a few hours before the dinner, then many of us are gone after the dinner. If we stayed behind, it would only be overnight. We don't do the chinese prayers and rituals thing, so Chinese New Year has become... sad to say it, but it's quite boring.

Activities in the Lim family during CNY eve:
- Eating and snacking
- Collecting 'ang pow' (red packets with money in them) ... well for children this is still the kicker.
- Napping (like my little "fei chu")
- Watching DVD's to pass time
- Cooking and whatever needs to be done to prepare for THE feast (usually done by the women folk)
- Cleaning up

Well, here's wishing everyone a happy and prosperous Chinese New Year. Safe driving.