Bits and Pieces from Here and There.

Time really flies and I've deserted my little corner on the cyberspace for more than two weeks. Let's pick up the bits and pieces which I left off in the previous post, shall we?

Bits and pieces...of the long, red firecrackers, aftermath of the Chinese New Years Eve Countdown War. Just to refresh my fellow non-existent readers' memory, I am back at home in Kuching for Chinese New Year and holiday, an escape from reality.

-Chinese New Year 2012 from Day 1 大年初一 until Day 15th 正月十五-

Family tradition: Sticky rice cake 年糕, mandarin orange 柑 and hot cup of chinese tea for breakfast to mark the start of a new lunar year.

Dad ordered LOADS of satay (beef and chicken) to go along with dad's FAMOUS Chicken Curry and Pork Leg (refer previous post.) just to serve any visitors that comes to our home on the first three days of CNY. So attention if anyone of you wanna have a really tummy filling visits, comes to my house on the first three days of Chinese New Year next year!

Usual tidbits and such ready for visitors. Mom and Tate (no.3) made all the cake we have at home!

Acar: must have for keropok!

Day 2: Went to temple with family for usual prayers for our grandparents' blessing. Spotted this interesting hamper on sale: Angry Birds has made its way to temple offering too.

Day 2 also happens to be the only day I actually made any meaningful visits with the taukes (Owen) and taukenio (Bei Shan)...unsatisfied but on the flipside, better than none and got to catch up with long time classmates in high school: Anna. who obviously missed Scotland especially Irn Bru! Reminiscence of the good ol'day besides updating each other about everybody else but with extra twist of matrimony or rather, people around us that got married by ogling at their wedding photos and videos! Intimate session indeed. Continues until late night with a lil gambling for entertainments purposes over Mssrs. Kho's place. Tried Umeshu 梅酒 or Japanese liquour for lady. 

Day 4: The day in which people start working. Traditional chinese business will open their new working year with lion dance troupe performing in their premise, such as Hong Leong Bank right here, wishing yet another productive year ahead 开工大吉.

Day 4 is also the day I spent my daytime loitering around mall after sending/visiting Tate's friends. Tried to pull out a last minute CNY visiting plan (messaging and what not) to no avail. End up at The Spring instead. This years CNY decoration features prominently of mandarin orange for some reason instead of Dragon.

Spotted an art exhibition over The Spring. Interesting way to utilizing space that hasn't been rented out yet for local artists both professional and students to exhibit their crafts. As usual for art, there will be a few articles that will boggles your mind such as those loofahs soaked in cement/plaster/etc.

The rest of CNY wents on pretty uneventfully as everybody else started working and gone back to peninsula and what not. This was taken on Day 7 初七 or as CNY tradition goes, 人日, the day human was born/created. I am so going to missed the endless blue sky teeming with clouds of Kuching.

Day 14: Barbecue to coincide Sebastian's (no. 4) birthday as well as some sort of farewell party for  Aloysius/Cola (No 1) because he will be heading back to KL on the last day of CNY.

That's pretty much all for CNY for me. Last but not least though: Ang Pow. It's getting lesser and lesser as one ages but at least this years was bumped up with extra angpows from across the ponds (my dad's side of family). Dad's trip back is not exactly planned though: the eldest uncle (from grandfather's first wife) passed away. If there's any silver lining from the funeral though is that the whole family is gathered at one place not to mention dad helping us to get angpows. Mixed feeling angpow so to speak.

-Tastes and Sights-

Let's start off with home cooked one:

长寿面 in minced meat sauce.

There's always good stuff whenever dad's at home: Laksa at home.

Just add whatever you want and eat to your hearts content!

Midin or succulent fern, cooked with a dash of white rice wine!

Tomato Mee is actually one of the easiest home cook meal one can do, provided that all the materials (note: deep fried crunchy mee) are ready. I made this all by myself, not much as it only features meat balls but good enough for one's breakfast!

Everything else, all mixed up!

Tried rollerskate for the first time in my life with Tate and friends...but my lack of balance, coordination and strength as well as inability to grasp the sport doesn't make it a good time.

The only thing I did however is grasping to dear life along the wall and inching along slowly with fear of keeling over looming at all steps and turns. At the end of the day, I am aching all over.

Watched CNY movie with Aloysius and Tate over The Spring. Proceed to Open Air Market for a lil supper.

Open Air Market and the famous siobee and soya bean milk stall!

Some official stuff to be done since I am around: getting myself (as well as Tate) a new IC. Renewal is only RM10. Parking over the Federal Building remains a pain. When are they going to built a multi storey parking!

Teeming with crowd and waited two hours (10am to 12noon) while the actual process only took like 10 minutes or so.

Fresh coconut over Bako. It's has been the longest time since I had one especially freshly chopped and served one. Used to have quite often when my uncle (mom's side just to be clear) live there and operate a sundry shop that happens to serve coconut.

Pork (and chicken) satay at Hui Sing Garden Hawker Centre. YUM. (Thanks to Tate and friends for that)

Song Kheng Hai Market at Padungan. A refreshing mug of freshly squeezed sugar cane juice after swimming at early noon. 

Must have whenever one is at Song Kheng Hai Market at Padungan: Kong Pia! (Attention to SISTAHood since this one left the best impression among all Kuching food).

I can't believe the first bowl of Kueh Chap that I had in Kuching is when it's less than three days to go before I head back to Penang again, away from all the goodness that is Kuching.

With that as last note and a personal reminder to impending collision with reality, less than three days to go before leaving my home on a jetplane again. Start to get sick of everything already. *sigh*

DO NOT WANT. Oh, by the way, God Save The Queen! See, I still pay attention to what's going on in real life too!

Epilogue: Before I forget though, Happy Singles Awareness Day for fellow solitary souls out there! That's all.