A very different Chinese New Year

This year, things were very different. We celebrated the dragon year in a rather different and fun way but unplanned though.

First day of CNY
For many years, the first day of CNY was traditionally spent staying at home at my in-law's place, doing nothing but munching tons of crunchy junk food and watching hours and hours of TV.

For a change, we spent a few hours in the evening at the cool highland, Genting Highlands (which highland, if not Datuk Lim Goh Tong's?).  Daddy had thought that the highland may be a place to relax quietly as most would be back at their hometown.  He was wrong when we were greeted with throngs of people,just like us wanting to get some cool air or just to take the opportunity of a festive long break to 'hike' up there. We opted not to let the kids play at the outdoor theme park but Daddy had generously bought the kids Ezy Card to play at the indoor amusement centre.

A magnificent night view of KL from Genting 

We had dinner at Marry Brown, took some cool and refreshing air before we headed to Goh Tong Jaya for a teh-tarik (pull-tea literally) session at a mamak stall.  On the way down, we pulled over and enjoyed a view of KL.  With an E-72, this picture was the best quality I could capture.  What a waste! How I wish I had a powerful zoom camera to capture the magnificence.  Daddy didn't want to leave the highland so soon and just wanted to hang around longer.

Third day of CNY
We normally would visit Daddy's late uncle's house in a remote village at Tampin to 'bai nian'.  Most of the time, we would spend a few hours and leave before evening. This year, the men seemed to have more issues to talk about and we ended up spending the night until 10+pm.  The fun time came at around 9+pm when the kids started to play the ever popular fireworks.

Playing outdoor at a village, a new experience

 Wyng and Hoe, for the first time got to hold the fireworks and play.  Wyng used to only watch his older cousins play but this time, since they were outdoor and he is old enough, he was allowed to play along too, nearby a small piece of vacant land, with barely any vehicle passing by.

With adult supervision, the kids were having a whale of a time with the fireworks

CNY, the time for kids to have loads of fun

 

Lucky kids!  Valid angpow receivers, for many years to come.. And good playmates for Hoe and Wyng.

Fourth day of CNY

Hoe, pouring the plum sauce for the yee sang, for the first time

Why so special? I've never had such an expensive family dinner and the record was broken on this fourth day of CNY.  Of course, with the amount of seafood ordered, the bill may even be considered reasonable, if not for the CNY hike in price.  This meal reminds me that it's still home-cooking that entails more benefits. Apart from cost savings, home-cooking brings family members together.  Afterall, this is what CNY is all about.

Hoe, being the oldest grand son for the Daddy's side, was given the 'privilege' to pour the plum sauce on the yee sang.  He had never done this before.

Fifth day of CNY
Finally, it's visiting (or bai nian) to my house.  After usual makan (eating) session, Daddy suggested to the my nephew and niece to hang around longer to play fireworks, much to their amusement.  Staying in an apartment, they've never played fireworks since many,many years ago.

A small fireworks outside our home

This was also the first time any kids ever played at our house since we moved in. Quite an enjoyable experience for me and a fun time for the kids and their cousins.  While the fireworks were 'in action', my oldest niece, See, was video-chatting with her boyfriend (who was in Singapore) whilst allowing him to witness the CNY fun via her phone.

I didn't know that the pop-pop which are popular among small kids can even attract my oldest sister and my Mom.  As you can see from this video, my oldest sister was having so much thrill throwing pop-pop.  So, in my family last night, the pop-pop attracted players aging from 9 to 75. What a record!

'Yee Ma' going ga-ga over the pop-pop and enjoyed terrifying the kids and the poor ladies who went 'screaming' away at each pop.

My Mom joined in the fun too by throwing pop-pop not on the floor but AT people. I guess she had as much fun as the kids did. I've never seen her joined in this kind of activity before. I guess she's just grabbing any opportunity available to her to do whatever she still could.