No "Balik Kampung"

This CNY we celebrated in KL. Mother relented to our request and since she is the only one left in Taiping she decided to beraya in KL.

We were all rather happy that we did not have to drive in the heavy traffic which accompanies each and every festival in Malaysia. Happier still i was as this year i am able to have reunion dinner with my two mums. Previous years i had to do one and miss the other altogether. Dad did not join though as he has other fish to fry.

First day of CNY was usually a visit to my mom's place pai leen and then after lunch i hit the North South and head for Taiping to pai leen with mother. This year we pai leen at dad's and then the kids and the moms went off to Coffee Street, a new cafe which is becoming my sisters' regular hang out for CNY brunch. There was no cooking in either houses. A very relaxed and different from all those years past where ah por and the aunties would wake up early in the morning and cook up a storm. Then a mahjong table would be set up outside the house and all the food would be arranged on it with an urn for joss sticks right in front and 5 chinese tea cups of chinese wine placed right behind the urn and the whole family will take turns with joss sticks in hand to pray to the Heavenly King for a blessed year of health and prosperity and wishing him a Kong Yee Wat Sai (hailam for Gong Xi Fa Cai). Once the joss sticks are done burning...we eat!

The house will be filled with chattering, screaming of children, laughter, urgent screams to look out for the frying fish or the steaming chicken and the excited screams of cousins, uncles, aunties, moms and dads, brothers and sisters as we try to beat and win each others money over Black Jack or Three cards etc, all these happening while the TV is blasting away with RTM's Gong Xi Fa Cai fare.

I miss those days...