Are You Ready? Happy Chinese New Year!

Hello, Spring! My favourite season of the year, because it indicates the biggest Chinese festival: Chinese New Year. Time to enter a brand new year, throw away all the old unhappiness and welcome more prosperity, luck, success and wealth in this auspicious Year of Serpent! 

I just came home from hell yesterday-- Two weeks of torturing final exams for my second trimester of second year of degree. Days and nights of locking myself in the chamber for this exam makes me sound like a crazy woman, but it's TRUEEE! How many more years to graduate? Two and a half. Full stop. You know how many rounds of self-torturing I would have to go through for the next few years...

So yeah I'm finally homeeee. BUT I have missed all the family moments :( :( From the day my sister got married around mid January 2013 (Congratulations to her, but I haven't had time to properly blog bout her big day!), the pre-wedding chores had occupied a large portion of our daily life. My family had been busy preparing for the wedding ceremonies and then followed up by post-wedding clean-ups, spring cleaning and finally now they're gearing up for New Year. 

Life has been really hectic for them, but I kinda missed the days where they went for CNY grocery shopping-- Stocking up all kinds of food, new year cookies, sweets, drinks and alcohol. Also, the entire months of January and February left me with no time to shop for my new year clothes. I have actually predicted it, so I already bought over 20 pieces of outfits during Christmas shopping last year, so those are enough for me to wear from CNY Day 1 till Day 15. HAHA!

Shopping dates with family didn't just end here. Daddy and Mummy prepared lots of items for praying purpose. The altar in my house is overflowing with abundance of fruits, sweets, and loads of symbolic items like Kuih Bakul, Huat Kueh, and mini hand-written new year wishes. Every year on the first day of CNY we'd be heading to the temple, so tonnes of joss sticks and ang pow packets would be needed to express gratitude to dear God for taking care of us throughout the year, blessing us with lots of happiness and prosperity. Thank You for listening to our prayers =')

What's not to be missed during CNY is the dried barbecued meats from Wing Heong, but this year we had some from Bee Cheng Hiang instead. Not much difference I can tell, because in my eyes each thick, oily slice of burnt meat appears as a fattening and high-cholesterol food that I'd avoid as much as I can during the year, BUT eat as many as I desire during this festive season! HAHA. 

Okay you may not need to spend so much on new clothes and festive food but do not ever be stingy when it comes to giving festive gifts. Nothing beats the precious bonding time with the relatives and friends! Don't forget to visit those from far and near during this CNY and tell them that you miss them! =) We still have to catch up with each other no matter how.

Okay lah, I admit that all these kinds of shopping are kinda aunty, but I really enjoyed them because it gives me the CNY feel!! It feels like I am readying myself physically and mentally for a change in my life, for another year of excitements and uncertainties along the journey of life. Do I sound old again? Ah yes, but I am truly enjoying every bit of moment like this :) 

So yeah I have missed all the precious moments that come only once in a year :( But nevermind, I have 15 more days during Chinese New Year to enjoy the festival tremendously! But still I feel better as I did something I felt great to compensate on these 'losses'. Lol. On the same day just before the reunion dinner (which means today, JUST NOW), I managed to add some festive feel in the house by making DIY decors. It's time to doll up our plants in the garden with lots of red ribbons, golden chains and ang pow packets. Then I created this: 

财 : Wealth, made of ang pow packet leftovers last year.

We already have 福禄寿 to bring about prosperity, health and longevity,

so adding another element of wealth would be perfect!! 

Home decors. Checked. New clothes. Checked. Cleaning my room, wardrobe, book shelf and study table. Checked. I think that's all for me to complete? I am really considered lucky because I don't do much house chores, although not as lucky as you guys out there who have maids / housekeepers to do everything for you. BUT I'm thankful for what I own. Always do.

For the upcoming 15 days of Chinese New Year celebration, there's a little change in my life because for the past 20 years Sis and I will doll up and head to the temples, hometown, relatives' houses and collect as many angpow merah as we can :) This will be the first year of change, the first time in my life I'll heading to these places with only Daddy and Mummy, and Sis will be one of the 'elder' people who are eligible for angpow giving. Imagine how time flies =')

Perhaps this year is meant for breaking our family traditions, because we will not be driving up to Bentong, Pahang for a reunion lunch with my paternal relatives, because Grandma will be coming to KL to celebrate New Year with us. Well, I believe celebrating New Year in KL would be as great as before despite of me yearning to visit the green hills, chaotic kampung markets, to stroll along narrow streets in the small town. Wherever we are, as long as family members are around you, each moment could be lively, happy, and mesmerizing :)

How about you? Many around me will be out of town for a whole week, some even have holidays until the 9th day of CNY (That's loooong!). But something you can't be jealous of-- I will be having trimester break till 10th of March; Meaning an entire month of 31 days to celebrate Chinese New Year. LOL! Does that sound too much of me? I hope I won't be lazying around, and I'm currently in need of a part time job badly. Lovelies out there, please be good to me, do spread the words and spare me some jobs to earn little pocket money alright? :D

Oh ya! What's missing in my Chinese New Year celebration every year? Yes, you're right, it's GAMBLING. We used to play cards and chor dai di when I was younger (back to 10 years ago I guess), but things changed and we don't play anymore since then. Anyway, for those who are playing rounds and rounds of poker cards, chips, mahjong or going up to Genting for more luck and wealth, then I wish you HUAT ARR! Lol. That's the famous Malaysian phrase recently, isn't it?

Well,

I guess it has been awhile since I last blog about my personal life. There is absolutely no great food pictures in this post to keep you drooling and hungry especially when reading my blog at late nights, or pretty make-up products that attract you beauty junkies. But sometimes I need to blog about my daily life and things around me, to remind myself that there are so many things out there that is worth a blog post. These little things in life are worth to be recorded so that I know what I am doing myself, besides studying and being a food cum beauty blogger. 

So how many of you have read from the beginning down to the very end here? Don't scroll down please even though my pictures this round aren't as attractive as before :( Even if you don't read, please appreciate it because it takes me 3 whole hours to write up this post  =P

Anyway,

HAPPY CHINESE NEW YEAR,

my dear readers! 

Wish all of you be blessed with abundance of prosperity and love. 

I promise, Year of Snake 2013 would be a better one for us, 

more $$$, and more giveaways for you guys!!!