Yet another festival...

This year, Chinese New Year falls on 23rd January..so it feels like I just celebrated Christmas, then there was New Year and now, Chinese New Year. One after another..Frankly speaking, the thought of it makes me tired.

I do not like festivals for the fact that there is just too much eating and too many people. (I do not like gorging myself with food and I simply hate crowds)

However, festivals like these bring people together which is why though I do not look forward to it, I appreciate it. That is why in my own selfish mind, I wish I could just go on a holiday during Chinese New Year and flee away from all that visitations, but yet on the other hand, I force myself to stay in Singapore as I think that Chinese New Year is only once a year. How often do I get to some of the relatives? And because I appreciate family ties, no matter how much I want to get out of the country, I choose to stay and spend time with my family, relatives and friends.

On the first day of Chinese New year, always made it a point to eat rice with vegetarian chup chye (Cantonese Style). I would cook it every year for my family's breakfast. But this year, my mum cooked so much that she gave me some the night before to bring back home. Visited my parents after that to serve tea and to thank them for bringing me up. Its so old fashion but I like it as I want to show my appreciation to my parents and I think serving tea is quite significant. Will def want to instil that in my children.

We also managed to skype with my bro and his family in New York.

Even my dog, Ashley skyped as Janine missed Ashley alot.

First day of Chinese New Year is always the most busy day as we go to 6 houses for visitation..all my husband's side. And this time round, I was the driver as we took my brother's car for visitation since my mother-in-law came with us. So drove from Simei to Tampines, back to Simei, then Pasir Ris, then to Choa Chu Kang and then to Yio Chu Kang...from late morning all the way till 9pm. Exhausted but I have to say, I felt accomplished after that as it was a huge task which I never thought I would survive! Because every year, CT would be the one driving and I would probably sleep in the car during those long journeys. At our last house in Yio Chu Kang, we always have dinner there and the signature dish would be the pig's stomach soup which is the best I have tried so far as the black and red pepper corns my relative used is so fragrant and power! So at least, something to look forward to after all that visitations.

On the second day of visitation, we just go to one house where all my relatives gather. So it was a relaxing time. For this house, I called my relative, the 'carrot cake' aunty as she would pan fry yam cake and carrot cake for us. Its always so good and that would be our lunch for the day. The kids loved it too. After that, they would just spend the whole time playing outside the corridor!

Really hope they will all grow up playing with one another and maintaining that close relationship. My uncle also mentioned that when they are gone, its really up to our generation to maintain all these and we cannot stop meeting up. Yes, I totally agree and I will definitely love to do that as relationships are hard to come by and when it comes by, we have to treasure it and make the effort to sustain it. Definitely cant wait where our children stay together with their cousins for overnight camps like how I used to do that with my cousins.