Reunion Dinners and Gatherings

Reunions dinners and gatherings are the highlight for me during CNY. This is the time "The Family" gets to gather and ask silly and stupid questions like, "When are you getting married?" by 25 different people from brothers, sisters to uncles and aunties and the occasional invited guest. That is one question nobody tires of asking or is it the only thing that comes to mind when wanting to make conversation.

I thought it was a "thing" with my family but from conversations with friends i have come to realise "IT" is the universal question of everybody, anybody and busybodies wanting to say something and the pitiful singles people become their unwanted victim. At the end the unmarried still end up the winners when they walk away with "ang pows" in hand. So i say unto thee...let them ask away as we walk away with "ang pow" in hand.

I love reunion dinners and family gatherings just cos i get to meet up with my brothers & sisters, my cousins, nephews and nieces and of cos my moms and dad. It is a time to catch up and be surprised at how the other has grown and matured and sharing tall tales of yesteryears and new added tales to our lives and eat good and some not so good homecooked food.

I'm glad this year i had plenty of opportunity to catch up and visit the rest of my family. I also had the opportunity to host a gathering at our new place too. This is a tradition i hope to preserve and continue. To be able to share a meal, a conversation and laughter is a blessing.

I am blessed.

Spring Cleaning 2011

Speaking of traditions...it is tradition and common sense to spring clean the house come Chinese New Year and this year is no different, the only difference being the house.

It is also good karma and auspicious to have the house clean so the God of Fortune will happily visit and hopefully drop in some gold ingots and such during the chinese lunar new year. The things we do for an added advantage in the receiving of good fortune. Oh i also forgot to mention the decorating of the house with red and things auspicious and synonymous with good fortune.

Spring cleaning leaves nothing unturned and uncleaned hence the furry animals hanging out to dry after a tumble in the washer.

Traditions

Jan 1st, 2011 began with Kit & I keeping to our tradition of trekking to FRIM's 1000ft above sea level peak and toasting the new year.

It is never my habit to drink atop a mountain or hill or in the forest for that matter but i make an exception on this one day to toast the company of friends and to bring in the new year together with good cheer and blessing. This is our tradition which we will keep for a long time to come. Whirlwind Wendy was back in her hometown and so it was just the 2 of us. It is also a time when we look back at the year before and look forward to the year ahead. Sharing ups and downs and sketching the future ahead. The colors to our sketch to be filled in thru the course of the new year.

2011 fills me with excitement, perhaps the dark clouds of yesteryear is but a dark memory and the bright skies and fresh breath of the new year fills my lungs with promise of a new adventure and a new journey waiting to begin. Exciting and challenging times await those who chose to explore.

An adventure begins...

Visiting Porn

The need to clear leave has led me to visit Porn Resort in Koh Lipe (pronounced li peh). It's a budget resort with colored sheets, mosquito net and a bathroom attached fronting the Andaman sea. Complete with guard dog and bed bugs. It's just the kind of vacation i like. Simple, frugal and beautiful. It's a beautiful island to visit and relax. I love the simplicity of such destinations. I am expecting a yearful of more such getaways as i have a partner who loves life under the sea more than on land.


I'm beginning to wonder if she is a mermaid...

Beginning 2011 in Abundance

It wasn't too long ago that the 2011 fell upon us and now we are in celebration of the new lunar new year. Gone is the year of tyhe Tiger to be replaced by the Hare.

I am compelled to write of the beginning of 2011 and leave the lunar year for later. Much of 2010 and it's ups and downs are a thing of the past. I came into 2011 dragging a heavy weight of burden from 2010. Much of it is due in part to my job, one which i have been working in for 12 years, but as the clock struck midnite much of that burden was miraculously lifted off my shoulders. How did a burden which i was literally carrying for 10 months of 2010 just dissapear like that? Much of the whining, whinging and bitching about it has brought me lots of pain and unhappiness and as the clock struck 12 it just dropped from my list of things to do. I guess i was tired of it and i decided to focus on ...what's next?

I ended 2010 in abundance. Steaming away over steamboat with a couple of friends over an abundantly spread table. Closing that chapter was important as it was unhealthy for me. This is not to say that 2010 didn't have it's wonderful and great moments, only that i was walking with a dark cloud over my head. The wonderful moments were a blessing and a distraction from all that darkness. 2011 began and we celebrated it in abundance.

Quietly i celebrated the abundance in my life as i noticed the shift. Quietly the dark clouds drifted away.