Pre CNY...

Anything I would most want to avoid is driving around for the past and coming weeks. With Chinese New Year just around the corner, the crowds everywhere are maddening.

Wet markets are flooded with sea of people buying goods especially for the reunion dinner on the eve. Everyone's stocking up the essential vegetables and fish and meat. We just had ours today but one of our neighbours start piling up her stocks since last week. How I knew? I can hear her cartons of oranges and boxes of seafood being moved around and piled against each other and listened to her mother continuous naggings. heheee... anyways, as usual they sent us a box of mandarin oranges as a gift.

The queues are extra, extra long in supermarkets. I even had difficulty getting a push-cart! Parking is even worst. Sungguh mencabar.

When my late grandparents were still alive, we have our reunion dinner with them. Since they past away few years back, we'll join one of my mum's sister nowadays. Since it's two family combined, we usually cater and cook some as well. It is after all the New Year and well, being lavish once in a blue moon doesn't hurt.

After the dinner, we would usually drive around to the rest of my mum's siblings' houses and simply menyibuk around. My parents would usually fall asleep before midnight but when the fireworks are launched at the strike of midnight, they are usually up too. We do have our share of contributing to the noise and air pollution. heheheee... Fireworks display will usually last till 2-3am. Crazy ay but that's how it is. Traditionally people would usually continue playing the crackers till the 15th day or Chap Goh Mei and once again on that night are a few fireworks highlights.

Next morning you’re again awaken extra early by the deafening sound of firecrackers and lion dance troupes doing their boogie. Watching their performances were such a treat for children.

The last few days to New Year. Done with the biscuits and cake-making this week. It's with the on-going renovations that really tires us out with the extra cleaning up.

Dear little bro is arriving with the morning flight later. Now, I'm reminded of an incident. One thing is when you see someone buying an awfully lots of Gardenia buns and breads, BIG possibility that someone is from East Malaysia. We don't have those Gardenia buns with the corn and vanilla cream tuh. Unbelievable? Believe it! =P We would usually buy a few packets for my mum. But, there was one time when this guy queuing in front of me bough RM50 worth of buns! Boy, that's a lot dude. I think he was given the biggest paper bag Eraman had.

Why do they keep on playing Aishah's Tiada Lagi Tangisan. It's been a long time I've not heard the one by Misha Omar and I think Misha did a better rendition of that song. Kan?