Happy Mother's Day!

My mother was quite sad when I kept giving hint that her gift was our tour to Guilin. So no more gift for her. 


On last Saturday, Mother's day, we had steamboat for dinner. Suddenly my sister and I surprised her with a big box and a carnation. My mother feeling like she is showing off carrying a big box out of the restaurant to parking lot. We purposely let her carry the big box. Who does not like carrying their own big gift around and smiling ear to ear?

Although it is a big box, it is not heavy at all.


It is a portable mini sewing machine. So our mother can mend our clothes. HAHAHAHA!! JUST JOKING~~~~~

Happy Chinese Valentines Day! Who want to pick up my orange?

Today is Chap Goh Meh,

15th day of Chinese New Year,

the last day of Chinese New Year,

and also Chinese Valentines Day.

Today, every family would have a big dinner. As usual, crowds of people flooded the wet market. In the wet market, sellers not only sell raw meat and vegetables, they also sell braised pork knuckles and other cooked foods.

A stall of fishmongers have a sweet thought by putting some candies for all to take.

In ancient chinese custom, today is the day singles looking for their love one. The ladies would write their name and contact details on a mandarin orange. In the old days, they didn't have mobile phone or house phone line, perhaps they write their house address on the orange. Then they would throw their mandarin oranges into a lake.

No worries! The guys already await for the oranges by the lake/ in a boat with a net catcher. They would try to pick up the orange from the lake. Whichever orange they catch, the owner of the orange is their destined love. Sweet, isn't it?

HAPPY CHAP GOH MEH!

Things that made my whole body sore (3-8 Feb 2011) - CNY

Something that happen during first 6 day of CNY (3-8 Feb 2011)

 Holiday Villa Subang Jaya

 

KLCC

Guess... 

Welcome to visit my house!

Happy Rabbit Year! Enjoy the decor! - 2011

If some of you still remember, last Chinese New Year, I posted a youtube of me singing (http://ghostynana.blogspot.com/2010/02/homemade-chinese-new-year-greeting.html). I am sorry that your ears are spare from my voice for this year. 

This year I have no voice.

This year, I am a decor.

Happy Chinese New Year!! rbit.. rbit...Happy Rabbit Year!

Fast fast fast, not the speed but it is all about empty stomach

Today is the first day of fasting month for muslim. I never fast according to muslim rules before. As much as I know, I only know that they have 'Sahur' at early morning and open fast at late evening. Between Sahur and late evening, those who fast can't eat and drink. During sahur, they would eat sufficiently to endure fasting period. Open fasting time is the best, because we can eat as much as possible. Yes including me.

My 1st open fast during my 1st year in uni, my friend brought me around the open fast market, educating me with all Malay cakes and food. As a newbie to Peninsular Malaysia, I was lucky to have a muslim friend who introduced many Malay cakes to me. As 'sakai' as I can be, I was amazed by the blue rice, BBQ chicken with funny name, the hot food, if I was alone, I won't buy any of those food. They just look bad for my stomach. Since I ate kuih lilin, I kept waiting for fasting month. Hard to get a good kuih lilin in Miri.

My favourite is kuih lilin (candle 'cake').

Fasting month is kind of good to me today. As early as 4.30am, who would be awake to entertain my insomia. I get to have a nice chat with my friend just because she have to wake up for Sahur. Lucky me.

Fasting month indicating Eid is approaching!!! Too bad no green angpow for me.

Happy fasting! You are welcome to DHL kuih lilin to me.

Gawai Holiday / Harvest Festival

Did you miss me?

Since last Friday, it is another festive season for Sarawak (a Malaysia state in Borneo Island).

28 May Fri - Wesak Day. It is Buddha's Day celebrated by Buddhist and it is public holiday.

             Sat - Public holiday.

             Sun - Public holiday.

            Mon - Working day
  1 June Tues - Gawai Festival (Harvest festival). It is public holiday 

                     in Sarawak only! 2 Days!!

            Wed - Gawai!!!

          Thurs - Working day

               Fri - Public holiday, replacement for Our Yang Di-pertuan Agong's
                     birthday which fell on Saturday.

Without much analysis, you may noticed that there are only two working days for the week. Naturally people will ask for two days leave to get the whole week for holiday!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Wooohoooooooooo Yahooooooooooooo!!!

Why am I so happy when I am not working???????? Happy for people is also very happying!!

Of course I am happy because I get the chance to celebrate Gawai in Kuching! My good father willing to drive to Kuching for my mother's sake. My uncle is Bidayuh ethnic and he is celebrating Gawai in Kuching this year.

My uncle's hometown is in Bau. Bau means smell in English. Bau is the only place that has gold. Hence when you go Bau, you can smell gold. Yeah, you better don't trust me on the smelling gold part.

View of the village. Not longhouse style.

 When in village, with clean river, with no shit in the river, with many people who likes to swim in river, with kids, OF COURSE it is a must to go for a swim. It is actually my first time to swim in a river. Yeah we swam at Pedaun River. So cooling.....

It had to be cooling. If it is warm, you can start suspecting someone is peeing up the stream. This photo is the only photo which is not showing anyone with underwear. hohohoho.

After swim, get hungry? Then eat. nyam nyam. not nom nom.

Have to walk up hill everytime we went visiting. Why all uncle's relatives like to stay so high on hill? The atmosphere of Gawai is same as Chinese New Year, Eid Festival or Christmas. Everyone dressed nice nice, and many food to eat. For Gawai, the host always cooks for visitors, leaving visitor sitting outside talking to ourselves. Maybe they dare to leave us sitting in the living room by ourselves because we are their relatives. The rice they prepared usually is Dayak rice. It is like sticky rice and tend to make stomach bloated. So don't eat too much if you have gastric problem. Just eat small portion at every house, because there will be food at every house.

Nice wallpaper???

Finally, start our 13 hours journey back to Miri, including stop for meals, and careful driving. Saw many accidents on our way back to Miri.

Happy belated Gawai and Tadau Kamaatan!

Kong Min Teng Video

Ladies and gentlemen,

The video of Kong Min Teng has arrived. Please see related post here.

Did you hear that sharp voice? She is Jennifer.

Birthday in Taipei

18 years old, a flower.

22 years old, a grass.

27 years old, a tree?

8 March was Women's Day, it was also my birthday.

This year's birthday is as special as every year.

I think I experience small tremor of earthquake that early morning. I was in toilet, have much water just in case something happen... :P

I had a chance to witness a rare incident at Martyrs Shrine in Taipei, Taiwan.

"Worth mentioning are the military police officers who guard the main gate, and who have been rigidly trained to stand like expressionless statues and to remain unmoved by the teasing of crowds."

Yes. Yess... At first I thought of trying to make the guard smile by calling him 'handsome', but I changed my mind when the tour guide said the guard will be punish if he smile. After finished taking photo with the guard, while standing aside watching the handsome guard, the guard almost smiled!!! He tried his best to prevent from smiling. Lucky he did not smile, or else his butt will be in trouble. Men in army uniform are so cool!!!!

Miss Chan, our Malaysian tour guide surprised us with a birthday cake. The cake was also for Women's Day. Thanks, Miss Chan!!

We were brought to a Feng shui master. For fun, I let the master see my birth date, the small master said I am ambitious. Yeah, I am ambitious alright. My ambition is to become prettier inside out every year.

Happy belated birthday to me!

My Chap Goh Meh night, with lantern

On Chap Goh Meh night, few of us went to do an illegal event. It is very dangerous, yet so fun. It is playing Gong Min Deng. It is so called flying lantern, ancient flying balloon. I have a video of it, but will only post it after it successful loaded on youtube. Stay tune for the video. In the meanwhile, I will exposed photos of our illegal activity. It was banned after one of it hit a flying plane around 4 years ago. Now it can only be play, with a permit. RM 500 if get caught without permit.

 

Did you see something on the picture above? Someone wrote a wish for me... if you can guess which one.

On the lantern, we wrote our wish. If the so called 'heaven' get it, our wishes will be granted.

 

 Start to burn the candle.

Start to float. And it flew flew flew....

Chap Goh Meh

Tomorrow is Chap Goh Meh, 15th day of CNY. It is also Chinese version of Valentines day.

According to tradition, single ladies will take this opportunity to seek for their prince charming by throwing mandarin oranges into lake. Of course before throwing it, ladies need to write down their name and contact number on the mandarin orange. In the meanwhile, men will be in that lake, they will collect the oranges. That is where the fate play its role. Whoever gets whoever orange, that mean that whoever is his match from heaven.

To make it easy to be pick up, make sure choose a big mandarin orange and floats well, and write with waterproof marker.

That is the tradition, but I don't practice it. It is because I prefer to eat those mandarin oranges.

Happy Chap Goh Meh to all! Happy Valentines Day!

Kampung.. Yellow house

Balik kampung means go back village.

Kampung is kampung lar. Where is typical kampung located? Typical kampung located in the middle of forest, surrounded by trees with monkeys, squirrels, buffalos. Sadly during festival, buffalo have to be send away to somewhere else.

Introducing the yellow house.. ta da da..

1st thing we do when we reach there is clean up the house, hang all red red stuff on wall, and set up my grandpa's photo gallery.

Then food preparation begun in kitchen. This kitchen with firewood is no longer in use. Now using gas stove.

During Chinese New Year, of course the next activity will be eating.

During day time before guests start to flood the house, not much to do for kids and old man like my dad. Watching Astro (Cable Tv provider in Malaysia) is a good way to keep all generations quiet and still.

Every house you go for visiting, they played crab gambling. I played once, lost all my RM 5. My dad won RM 200, having good luck in it. I think my dad's good luck in gamble started on the day he married my mother. The first and only gamble...

On 2nd and 3rd day of CNY, not much guest came visiting. It means it is time for camwhoring with cousins.

At night time, we tried to make the sky brighter with fireworks. See also the video here. Or trying to make our self deaf with blasting fireworks.

Can't help exploring our artistic side.

That is our kampung life. Many hidden stories to be tell.

If you want to know those hidden stories, you can by

-marry my brother if you are a lady.

-marry me if you are a cute guy.

(just kidding ok. This joke originated when my friend so eager to be in our family photo. So I told her, If she wants to be in my family photo, she would have to marry my brother or my cousin. When she is a part of the family, I will make sure she is in every piece of our family photo.)

Yellow house, miss you till we come again. Take care!

Boom boom for CNY.

Boom boom for Chinese New Year.

Surprise in family

Sending my sister to airport... a moment to treasure. When will be the next time I see her again?

This year is special as all of my family members came back for CNY, after 2 years. My 2 sisters tried to surprise my parents by coming home secretly. However, the secret leak out slowly.

On the day my 1st younger sister came back, my mother only told me that she is coming back. She said she also know on that day. I was so surprised because I did asked her to come back as another sister is coming back too (my youngest sister only told me that she is coming back). She told me she is not coming back. When she get home, I called my dad telling him, please come home to drive us to shopping mall because I want to buy shoes. My dad almost scolded me for wanting to buy shoes again, my sister saved my ears from a lecture by jumping out from the closet. His face expression was so precious. Mouth open, angry expression mixed with shocked expression.

My youngest sister flew straight to Sabah and stay with my auntie. As a good sister to my mother, my auntie called my mother telling her about my sister arrival tomorrow. That night, my auntie called again saying that my sister's flight is cancel. I did not dare to face my mother, when she told me my sister not coming back with a sad and broken heart expression. I can't told her the truth, and I can't look at her because I am very bad in lying. I may burst out laughing. However when my mother told me to pack more clothes, I suspected she knows. She is a mother after all, with great maternal instinct.

When we reach my grandpa's house, my uncle told my dad that he saw me in city. My youngest sister and me look much alike. My dad knew is my youngest sister. My dad was in pitiful state, because no one want to clarify the situation.

When my youngest sister reach village with my auntie, the only who was fully in shocked state was my youngest brother. He was sulking why no one told him all his sisters coming back from Peninsular Malaysia. So he can ask them to buy things for him.

All this surprise surprise, is very hard to endure for me. I remember when I was in university, my older brother decided to surprise my parents. He was planning to go back secretly for the semester break. When he did not have money to buy the ticket and can't ask my dad for more money, me as a good sister have to buy around RM 350 ticket for me. When I asked my dad for more money, my dad scolded me for asking money at last minute, and money was tight that time. To survive those days with scarce money, I had to dig all pockets of my bags and used up all my coins. Every cents was so precious, because 10 of 1 cent is 10 cents, 10 of 10 cents is RM 1, RM 1 means a brunch.

The worst thing about surprise is that I have to hide my happy feeling. I can't shout to my mother, telling her they are coming home. I have to pretend that I was sad whenever my mother was sad that they are not coming back.

I am happy that my life is full of surprises.

So many surprise recently, keep my life interesting.....

Angpow

4th day of Chinese New Year... (CNY have 15 days)....

Total amount of my angpow only.. RM 25...

Stop laughing at me..or should I say "No laugh me" ( copycatting my young cousin).

The reason I got so few angpow is not because I am too old for angpow. I am still single and still eligible for angpow.

The reason is... they tend to feed you instead of giving angpow in Sabah's villages. Most of them who celebrate CNY in Sabah are no pure Chinese ethnic. At my mother's hometown, mostly are Sino-Kadazan. Wherever I go for visiting, there are many pretty girls and cute guys, but mostly are relatives. So cannot simply flirt..

20 years ago, I still remember when we went visiting in Sabah, we were invited into the house. Rice, coffee and a dish of wild boar meat will be served, while we sit on a floor mat. Now, we will be served with food and soft drinks, instead of coffee. Mostly, no angpow given.

No.. angpow...

Only ... food...

However in every house, you will see many interesting thing in the village.

Maybe you will get to see goats, mother pigs feeding baby pigs milk, monkeys, kid whose name is Badawi, different type of house structure,  and many more.

Update on 19 Feb 2010
My Angpow follow my sis to Peninsular Malaysia.... along with my 'precious'..

Homemade Chinese New Year Greeting Video

This evening, my sister and I paste paste red red stuff around my home. While we paste paste, we talked about how hard those singer of Chinese New Year songs have to perform for a video. They have to jump out of nowhere and sing, and suddenly disappear to let other sings. While we talked, laughed and imitating those singers, we had an idea. An idea is useless without any action to realize it. That is how we produced our very own homemade Chinese New Year greetings video.

Sorry for scaring you all with my voice.

I still can't figure out what screwed my mind.

Happy Chinese New Year!

Tomorrow balik kampung (go back to village)! To place where there are only trees, buffalos, kids, firecrackers, wooden house, Sabah coffee, sleep on mat, bla bla.

Red red red - Chinese New Year (not blood)

I am Nomi's shoes. My owner's fair and yellowish skin make me glowing and twinkling. Today, I walked proudly in fish market. The fish market is clean and almost without fishodour. Bravo for market cleaners and fish mongers! Nomi walked so ladylike, careful not to step on any dirty object. For my sake, she walked awkwardly, letting everyone knows that she rarely go to fish market. 

I know I am so cute!

Red red is coming to the town. Everywhere you go in Malaysia, I am sure you will be surrounded by red red colour. Those red red colour is here for a reason. Red red creates the atmosphere and aura of Chinese New Year. Chinese New Year is the time where families, who follows Chinese culture, have a nice and warm family gathering. This year, will be a special year for my family. There are news brought by wind that this year, every member of my family will be able to come home for the gathering. I am so nticipating for the news to become reality on 13 Feb 2010, Chinese New Year Eve, also a day before Valentine's day.

Meanwhile have a look of red red red around the state of Sarawak.

Red red red in Miri.

Red red red in Kuching.

Red red red in Sibu.

Had been busy traveling around the state for the sake for all those photos. Please drop some comments for encouragement. :P

Wish all who celebrate Chinese New Year, Happy Chinese New Year!

Mari Angpow angpow*!

To Married one, wish you all have a happy family and happy happy give angpow to me!

To Singles with have gd/bf, wish you all quick quick get married, So I can get your angpow.

To singles who are still available and truly single, wish us that love cupid may struck our heart this year!

To kids and teenagers, wish you all happy happy receive angpow. Be good and submissive to parents! So can get more angpow next year!

*Angpow - Red packet with money given by married couple to singles.