Normally, people will have to eat the leftover CNY goodies after the new year. For me, I think I should have to continue with my leftover spring cleaning (the keyword here is "should"). Another way of looking at it is this - I'm starting next year's spring cleaning early...very very early.
Really, we ought to plan some of the spring cleaning chores like washing sofa covers and curtains early, especially when the next CNY is going be on the 26th Jan 2009, according to the lunar calendar on my hp. And if the coming December rainy season is going to hit us late like the last one, there won't be sufficient sunny weekends for us to do all the "special laundry" in time for the CNY! Talk about planning ahead!
Oh shucks! If my hp is correct, then the first day of the CNY will be a Monday, which means we will loogi (forgo) the half-day or 1-day off on CNY's eve!
:-(
Showing posts with label Festive. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Festive. Show all posts
Friday, 22 February 2008
Thursday, 21 February 2008
元宵节
Today is the 15th and the last day of the Chinese new year, or 元宵节.
The SO asked me what's the significance of this day. I can't quite remember, but as a single living with my family, it would be the day for another reunion dinner of sorts, usually steamboat. I was told recently that this is more usual for the Teochews.
Then what about the day when single, unattached men and women are supposed to throw Mandarin oranges into the sea, so as to get blessed, or have their specific orange(s) get picked up by an eligible party? I know there's one day in CNY meant for this, but can't remember which day.
I also vaguely remember this practice of throwing oranges was done during the Mooncake Festival (中秋节), unless I am getting all confused with the different festivals as age catches up. :-(
The SO asked me what's the significance of this day. I can't quite remember, but as a single living with my family, it would be the day for another reunion dinner of sorts, usually steamboat. I was told recently that this is more usual for the Teochews.
Then what about the day when single, unattached men and women are supposed to throw Mandarin oranges into the sea, so as to get blessed, or have their specific orange(s) get picked up by an eligible party? I know there's one day in CNY meant for this, but can't remember which day.
I also vaguely remember this practice of throwing oranges was done during the Mooncake Festival (中秋节), unless I am getting all confused with the different festivals as age catches up. :-(
Wednesday, 13 February 2008
Happy Valentine's & 拜天公 day!
I guess the people who will be smiling away all day and saying "Huat ah!" would be the restaurant owners, hotels, florists and chocolate retailers. The SO and I have never celebrated valentine's, not even while we were dating. SO says it's too commercial, or maybe he's just stingy...keke!
As a kid who lived in an old shophouse among the mostly Hokkien community, praying to the sky God was a very fun, boisterious event. It was really 兴高采烈! Both sides of the street would be lined with red colour tables, each tied with a pair of sugar cane branches by the side and filled with lots of goodies, including the obiquitous roasted 猪头, an assortment of meat, fish (to be converted into fish floss), fruits and candles. Old men playing flutes would come by to visit every household to play a short, auspicious tune for a small red packet, and lions would come dancing and add to the festive air! We kids were happy to stay up late till 12am, and that's when mom will sliced up the long-awaited, yummy home-made Ngoh Hiang (五香) and chopped up the sugar cane for us to sup on! Yoohoo~!
I'm reminiscing, but those were really memorable days. Once we moved into HDB flats, the feel of the celebration was never the same.
:-)
ps: Ok, ok, I must attempt to learn to make the Ngoh Hiang this year; must not let the yummy home recipe be lost. Mom has probably forgotten the exact recipe, but I shall try to re-create it by trial and error. :-P
As a kid who lived in an old shophouse among the mostly Hokkien community, praying to the sky God was a very fun, boisterious event. It was really 兴高采烈! Both sides of the street would be lined with red colour tables, each tied with a pair of sugar cane branches by the side and filled with lots of goodies, including the obiquitous roasted 猪头, an assortment of meat, fish (to be converted into fish floss), fruits and candles. Old men playing flutes would come by to visit every household to play a short, auspicious tune for a small red packet, and lions would come dancing and add to the festive air! We kids were happy to stay up late till 12am, and that's when mom will sliced up the long-awaited, yummy home-made Ngoh Hiang (五香) and chopped up the sugar cane for us to sup on! Yoohoo~!
I'm reminiscing, but those were really memorable days. Once we moved into HDB flats, the feel of the celebration was never the same.
:-)
ps: Ok, ok, I must attempt to learn to make the Ngoh Hiang this year; must not let the yummy home recipe be lost. Mom has probably forgotten the exact recipe, but I shall try to re-create it by trial and error. :-P
Tuesday, 12 February 2008
Do you like to lo hei?
Or more specifically, do you like to eat the yusheng salad (raw fish salad) from the lo hei? I've never really like this dish, as I find it has a weird taste, machiam too sweet and too citrusy. I like to eat salads but I think the overpowering taste and smell of the preserved orange peel and perhaps nutmeg, and what-have-yous thrown in kind of turn me off a bit.
So, it was to my surprise when I had a very pleasant home-made yusheng at the SO's cousins' home recently. The yusheng had lots of fresh vegetables (mainly shredded cucumber & carrots) and did not have the overpowering taste of any one herb or seasoning, so it was quite tasty. They'd even added thin slices of abalone in the lot.
The vegetables were very finely and evenly shredded, and when I asked if they were chopped up by machine, cousin's hubby pointed to his FIL and said: "There! That's the machine." LOLs!
Cousins' mom says they would make and eat this dish several times over the CNY period. Lucky, lucky cousins!
Saturday, 2 February 2008
Aarrgghhhh!!
It's the last weekend before Chinese New Year and there's still much spring cleaning and packing to do!! *Drats!*
My new mantra for now is:
Must reduce the clutter,
Must Reduce the clutter,
MUST REDUCE THE CLUTTER!!
:PPP
I was envying a friend whose company has closed for the CNY festive season since after work last Thursday...until she told me they will get 3 days deducted from their annual leave. It's a compulsory thing, no questions asked, and non-negotiable!
Waa...in that case, it's not enviable at all.
Okie...back to housework. :((
ps: after that last sentence, Coco apparently agreed that I should return to doing my housework, as she promptly stepped over my keyboard and shut down my pc for me. *Hmph!*
My new mantra for now is:
Must reduce the clutter,
Must Reduce the clutter,
MUST REDUCE THE CLUTTER!!
:PPP
I was envying a friend whose company has closed for the CNY festive season since after work last Thursday...until she told me they will get 3 days deducted from their annual leave. It's a compulsory thing, no questions asked, and non-negotiable!
Waa...in that case, it's not enviable at all.
Okie...back to housework. :((
ps: after that last sentence, Coco apparently agreed that I should return to doing my housework, as she promptly stepped over my keyboard and shut down my pc for me. *Hmph!*
Wednesday, 30 January 2008
More CNY goodies
From Baker's Story:
Pineapple tarts and Hae Bi Hiam for MIL
The HBH is extremely good...I took one bite from their sample jar and was hooked!
HBH and biscotti for my coffee break
Pineapple tarts and Hae Bi Hiam for MIL
The HBH is extremely good...I took one bite from their sample jar and was hooked!
HBH and biscotti for my coffee break
Sunday, 27 January 2008
The festive air of Chinese New Year (2)
Celebrating festive occasions is never complete without food, and there probably isn't more eating and drinking on any festive occasion than CNY!
These are just a teeny, weeny sampling.
Pineapple tarts from the cake shop; got lots of pineapple filling and very little pastry...I like.
Even before CNY starts, we start eating and sampling already. Who can resist those yummy CNY goodies that appears so abundantly during this time? Hehehe!
LCG bak kwa - this is NOT my favourite brand, but my father likes to go and queue up for hours just to buy kilos of burnt bak kwa *roll eyes*
I threw all these burnt bits and pieces away....lousy, lousy, lousy LCG bak kwa!!
It took a lot of resistance so that I could take home less of it...coz still on diet. Actually, my fave bak kwa is the brand with the "Ah Pek" face - Kim Hock Guan.
Pineapple tarts from Spud's mom...hers got more pastry than pineapple filling has a milk powder taste in the pastry.
More yummy goodies from Spud's mom - Kueh Lapis. :)
I have yet to really buy the goodies, and I think it's better not to buy too much, or else we'll end up having to eat them ourselves later or throwing them away.
These are just a teeny, weeny sampling.
Pineapple tarts from the cake shop; got lots of pineapple filling and very little pastry...I like.
Even before CNY starts, we start eating and sampling already. Who can resist those yummy CNY goodies that appears so abundantly during this time? Hehehe!
LCG bak kwa - this is NOT my favourite brand, but my father likes to go and queue up for hours just to buy kilos of burnt bak kwa *roll eyes*
I threw all these burnt bits and pieces away....lousy, lousy, lousy LCG bak kwa!!
It took a lot of resistance so that I could take home less of it...coz still on diet. Actually, my fave bak kwa is the brand with the "Ah Pek" face - Kim Hock Guan.
Pineapple tarts from Spud's mom...hers got more pastry than pineapple filling has a milk powder taste in the pastry.
More yummy goodies from Spud's mom - Kueh Lapis. :)
I have yet to really buy the goodies, and I think it's better not to buy too much, or else we'll end up having to eat them ourselves later or throwing them away.
The festive air of Chinese New Year (1)
Tung-tung-tung ciang!
Tung-tung-tung ciang!
Tung-tung-tung ciang-tung ciang-tung-ciang!
Pretty lion set up by the stallholders at the shops nearby
More grand this year
Another pretty lion above!
The stall sells mostly the stuff for Chinese festive prayers and CNY decorations
Elsewhere, there are pretty, pretty flowers sold at the DIY shop
I can never resist putting them near my nose to take a whiff...be they flowers or soaps, or toiletries. :P
The flowers give out a very strong perfume!
So they're from the Hyacinth family.
Lovely!
Tung-tung-tung ciang!
Tung-tung-tung ciang-tung ciang-tung-ciang!
Pretty lion set up by the stallholders at the shops nearby
More grand this year
Another pretty lion above!
The stall sells mostly the stuff for Chinese festive prayers and CNY decorations
Elsewhere, there are pretty, pretty flowers sold at the DIY shop
I can never resist putting them near my nose to take a whiff...be they flowers or soaps, or toiletries. :P
The flowers give out a very strong perfume!
So they're from the Hyacinth family.
Lovely!
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