CNY 2016 Visiting Relatives and Praying at Temple.

After the exchange of ang pows at Taman Midah, we were off to visit our relatives.

This is the only house we visited this year, as the rest have gone off our list for this year due to the passing of some uncles and some aunties went overseas.....

happy smiles of our beloved relatives (young and old!!)

giving ang pows to the adorable girls.!

 receiving ang pows from 4th Uncle

the house is so huge and lovely, we took some shots

this is the corner under the stairs

it has many rooms too and beautifully decorated corners

this is the AV room

this is the formal sitting room

 posing with 5th Aunt and the daughter in law

and saying goodbye...we are going to the temple now.

Seeing us off at the doorstep of her wonderful house.

on reaching the temple, she takes this customary picture to guage how big she has grown!

She visits this lion once a year! every CNY!

 then we get back to Midah for our lunch

 Yummy!!! Vegetaran lunch made from the vegetarian offerings that were prayed to grandmother!

Happy Chinese Monkey year!!!

With no more visits, having prayed and had our lunch, 

we are now on a road trip to Batu Pahat

my little hometown!!!!

CNY 2016 chor yat morning

It is chor yat, or the first day of the CNY morning, we are going to pai nian

or "pray Year"!!

First, we take a shot of ourselves at our front porch

 then we reach the front porch of our matrimonial house

 they are all waiting!

 Yin takes photos

 kids are grown, aunties have grown ..well...wiser...

 she used to be one of the youngest but she is in college now

 and they are  college kids too, sophomore and senior year

grandma with her daughter in law and grandaughters

 

 Yin asks me to take this pic because she says they all all in red

 morning offer tradition, after praying, we will have the longan drink for breakfast

 father and son

 Tai Koo in her 80s now

 2nd sis in law in her 70s

they are bringing out the longans for us to taste

 Beng takes photos because he is awed that we  keep to tradition

 yummy, taken ice cold

enjoying a bowl of tong sui and catching up with news for the year

 these girls are waiting for next thing on the agenda....which is.....

exchanging and receiving ang pow time!!!

Picture is Tissue, Felicia's cat!

(to be continued)

CNY 2016 : Chinese New Year Eve Steamboat Reunion Dinner

Every year for Chinese New Year Eve we have steamboat as our reunion dinner and this year was no different as we love to keep up the tradition.  And we also like to have it in the old house too.

 When I reached there, the tables had already been set, and we have 2 tables, as usual, though the number of persons have dwindled. 

 Note our antique glasses and bowls!

 this has been our table setting since time immemorial, hehe.

 I quickly took out all the dishes that I had cut and prepared earlier with my husband and maid.

 This year I am hosting, and I have bought all the ingredients 2 days before, and the fishballs right this morning!

 Everything was in duplicate for the 2 tables, and there was too much food which I ta pau-ed for 2nd sis in law and Beng.

  We are now waiting for everyone to arrive!

 So I took closer pics of the food to show you what I had bought: mushrooms, yee mee, prawns fried fish balls, wanton, fish

 chicken breast, foo chok, assorted stuffed fish cakes, tau fu pok

 shelled prawns golden needle mushrooms, shitake mushrooms,, squids and greens.

 finally, the last group arrived!

 Everyone is seated and we pose for photos, the elders are getting older, the young ones more mature and the younger ones shooting up fast. 

 17 of us who are in Kuala Lumpur, the overseas one could not make it this year.

 close up of the KL people

 Food is bubbling and ready to be served

 but first, pcitures have to be taken first for the relatives overseas to view!

 

 Loving bro and sis in law

 Loving me and my husband, 

we will be the thread that continues the tradition

 and be the ties that bind.