Chinese New Year

Chinese New Year has come, and while officially, it's still on, in my mind, it's over. Next monday, the toil starts all over again.

What has it been like? Great.

As usual, 'sping' is when the flowers bloom en masse at home. It's good to be home this time of the year, if nothing, just to appreciate the beautiful blooms. Too bad I don't have a bungalow with acres and acres of space ... I'm sure I'll have a nice flower garden if I have the land !


The house underwent a minor sprucing up for the festivities. One of the best things to have happened was the unveiling of a very nice table runner I bought in Chatuchak, Bangkok. Look at the quality. It's about 1 meter long, and is supposedly hand made (I can't confirm that). Guess the price? (Hint: Cheaper than you think !)


This is also the time of the year to reaffirm family ties. My own reunion 'dinner' was a low key affair with my immediate family. But the following days, when relatives come a calling, that's when the banquet appears !


It's also good because it's one of the few times in the year when alcohol is permitted to appear in the household. This year, I'm rediscovering the magic of Cointreau in Coke. 1 - 2 shots of Cointreau in a glass of Coke is magic. *hick*


Also not forgetting the favorite past time during my childhood days on Chinese New Year - welcoming the God of Fortune !!! This year, we had a 'Wong Lou' situation - usually intepreted as God of Fortune actually COMING !!!! OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG !!!


And my favorite post CNY snack - the Nien Gao - the Malaysian version of which I discovered is quite unique to Southern China and South East Asians. The Northern Chinese version of Nien Gao has red beans paste fillings. I'd sure like to try that someday.


How was your Chinese New Year holiday ?