Happy Chinese New Year 2010

13Feb2010 - SaturdayOn CNY eve, we had our family reunion dinner at Tai Pak’s house. This year KongKong, PohPoh and Yi Yee joined us. The previous year (2009), they joined Sam Yee and Sam Yee Cheong together with Sam Yee Cheong’s family.

It was a potluck dinner where everyone including PohPoh cooked a dish. This year, PaPa prepared the Yee Sang and steamed fish. Mummy had not recovered from the heavy and delicious food during Christmas 2009, and now Mummy indulged with CNY food. This being the first big CNY meal and Mummy could imagine that there would be many more lunches and dinners for the next 15 days. Help, any effective diet pill for sale?

14Feb2010 – Sunday
We went for 8am Church Service where the kids wore their Chinese Costumes. PaPa and Mummy were on our Blue Collared T-Shirts and white jeans.

After church, we met MahMah, Tai Pak, Tai Pak Leong, Sam Sok, Topaz and Orion for breakfast in PJ State. Then we went to Thai Kow Kong’s house where MahMah’s family would gather including Ah Thai (MahMah’s Mummy) every year.

Lunch, we went to Ku Poh’s house for lunch and late YehYeh’s family would gather there. This year, the family gathered for the first time without Ah Thai.

As for dinner, we ate at KongKong and PohPoh’s apartment with Yi Yee, Sam Yee and Sam Yee Cheong. Then home to pack and pack till the next early morning…

15Feb2010 – Monday
We left for Alor Setar about 615am. Our Iswara Aeroback booth was completely full that we left the stroller at home. Sam Yee Cheong drove his car with Sam Yee and PohPoh in the car. KongKong did not join us this time to settle some matters. Yi Yee drove her own car because she would be going to Haadyai on the following day.

We went to Ipoh for a McDonald breakfast because not many Chinese hawkers would be open on the 2nd day of CNY. We reached Alor Setar about noon and unloaded our bags at 4th Ee Poh’s house. We went to have lunch with Ah Chor (Ah Thai in Hokkien- PohPoh’s Mummy) who is staying with PohPoh’s youngest brother’s house.

Then, we went back to 4th Ee Poh’s house to meet up with our old family friend – Pastor Perez and his family who was on their way back to Bukit Mertajam from Kangar. It was a great short fellowship seeing Pastor Perez aka Uncle Ling Ling’s two kids Charis and Zoey had grown up so much. We knew Pastor Perez even before he got married with Pastor Jenny. How time flies when we still can remember when we three sisters followed Pastor Jenny for her pregnancy check-up…

Dinner, 4th Ee Poh had steamboat and grilled meats where Piu Kow’s family also joined us. This was Mummy’s eldest cousin brother. For information, PohPoh had 10 brothers and sisters. This Piu Kow was PohPoh’s eldest nephew from her eldest brother. Mummy had fun catching up with Piu Kow Moh whom Mummy called her ChiChi (Big sister in Hokkien). Would you be surprise if Mummy said that we three sisters actually followed Piu Kow and ChiChi for movie during their courtship time? Yes, we were the three lampposts.

16Feb2010 – Tuesday
Breakfast, we went to Ah Chor’s house to eat home cooked nasi lemak. Ah Chor’s maid was a great cook and she was a very cheerful maid. Our Ah Chor was and is such blessed to have this maid. This maid cut short her holiday in Indonesia and rushed back when she found that Ah Chor was sick.

We visited 1st Ku Kong and 2nd Ee Poh houses before we drove up to Kangar where another family friend Dr Lee and her two kids joined us for lunch at Pokok Sawah, Mata Ayer. Mummy missed the food a lot especially the ‘ikan keli’ that Mummy took more than two. The only sad thing was there was no ‘petai bakar’ which Mummy loved a lot too. The bill was only about RM6X (for 8 adults and 1 child). One whole jug of ‘Sirap Cincau’ was only RM 3.60.

After lunch, we went up to Padang Besar (Malaysia-Thailand Border Town) where we bought some mangoes and two small Zebra Stainless Steel mug for the two kids. PohPoh bought some pots and steamer. It was extremely hot and we went back to Dr Lee’s house to chill out in an air-condition room and cold drinks. She even served us with homegrown delicious papaya, while PaPa relaxed on Ogawa massage chair.

While driving around Kangar, which had developed a lot, brought Mummy down memory lane because Mummy studied here from Standard 1 till Form 5 when KongKong was posted to work in Kangar. From Kangar, our weekend would be a trip down to Alor Setar to meet up with PohPoh’s parents because PohPoh was from Alor Setar. We, three sisters were all born in Alor Setar General Hospital. Mummy wished Mummy had more time at least one whole day in Kangar to meet up with all Mummy’s old friends. Mummy told PaPa that one day Mummy would want to meet up with this person, that person and the whole list of people. PaPa must have thought Mummy was crazy or dreaming.

Sam Yee, Sam Yee Cheong and PohPoh went back to Alor Setar while we went to Jitra to catch up with a family who had taken care of PaPa when PaPa was studying for one year in Polytechnic Jitra.

After a short catch up, we rushed back to Alor Setar to freshen up for another family dinner. 2nd Ku Kong from Sunway and 5th Ee Poh from Johor had just arrived with his family to Alor Setar.

17Feb2010 – WednesdayBreakfast; again we were in Ah Chor’s house to eat fried noodles, half boiled kampong eggs (yummy…) and soup boiled by Ah Chor. After a fast breakfast, we hug and kiss goodbye to Ah Chor and continue on to Penang to meet up PohPoh’s childhood friend who happened to be Mummy’s (and also Yi Yee and Sam Yee) Chemistry Teacher.

Uncle Chin Aik would be going back to Kangar after lunch, so we took the opportunity to meet up since he was in Penang. His wife cooked us lunch at their cozy apartment in Penang. Uncle Chin Aik is suffering with Parkinson for many years.

He was the person who introduced me to Polytechnic Education, when during Mummy’s time; it was a place where a lot people are unaware of it existence. Mummy was looking for alternative to avoid Form 6 and going to private colleges were totally out of the question. When Mummy got offer to Polytechnic Ungku Omar, a lot of people was against it and said it would be a waste of time including KongKong and PohPoh. However, with Uncle Chin Aik guidance, Mummy went for it after suffering almost 6 months in Form 6 Science (Mummy was not a studious type of person). The story of how Mummy got Mummy’s degree would be another long story because in short, it took Mummy 5 years to get a degree from the time Mummy joined Polytechnic for Diploma Course.

After lunch, Sam Yee Cheong, Sam Yee and PohPoh went to check-in at Equatorial Hotel. Sam Yee got a good deal from the hotel where the 1st room was 50% and the 2nd room was 50% from the 1st room price. Average each room was less than RM200. Initially the rooms were for Sam Yee, Sam Yee Cheong, PohPoh and KongKong, since KongKong could not make it, instead of wasting the 2nd room; we decided to stay in the hotel. We were supposed to stay in PaPa’s Piu Kow’s house which was nearby Equatorial Hotel. JL was excited to stay in hotel. It was AL’s 1st stay in the hotel.

While they check-in the hotel, we went to Kulim to visit a family who had taken care of PaPa when PaPa was studying two years for Degree in UTM Kulim Hi-Tech Park.

From Kulim, we went back to the hotel to freshen up then to Balik Pulau where 1st Ee Poh whole family prepared us dinner. After dinner, they drove us up for a short trip to Bukit Genting. From Balik Pulau, everyone went back to hotel except four of us, we went to Piu Kow Kong (PaPa’s Piu Kow)’s house to meet up with Thai Yee Poh, Piu Yee Poh and PaPa’s young Piu Yee and Piu Kow who was 5 years old and 2 years old.

18Feb2010 – ThursdayEarly morning, PaPa and Sam Yee Cheong went for hotel breakfast at 730am because 2x breakfast was provided for the 1st room only. Then Sam Yee Cheong drove Sam Yee and PohPoh to the nearby market to pack breakfast. Then all went to the swimming pool for about 45 minutes then up to get ready to check-out.

We had lunch with another old family friend Uncle Alex with his wife Aunty Christine and daughter Clariss. Their son Andrew just went back to his university, so he could not join us. When Mummy was in Penang doing 6 months practical training in BHL Bank, Mummy stayed in their house and Clariss just a little baby. Uncle Alex was and always a cheerful and friendly person.

After lunch, Sam Yee Cheong went back via the bridge and PaPa decided to use the ferry to let AL experience the ferry ride but it ended up unexpectedly…..next post…

Mummy would like to take this opportunity to all friends who stayed in Kangar, Alor Setar and Penang whom Mummy did not visit, Mummy would like to say very sorry and Mummy wished Mummy had more time. If time permits, Mummy would plan another visit up North again to catch up with all of you…

We, the whole Family would like to wish everyone a Blessed Chinese New Year. Have a Blessed, Prosperous and Good Health Year.