Decorations for Chinese New Year

RED is the auspicious colour for the Chinese, thus all items of decorations for the Chinese or Lunar New Year are bearing the colour of RED! To name a few - lanterns of all shapes & sizes, banners, fake fire crackers (with or without lights), red lighting bulbs and many more.

Flowers and fruits are also commonly used as decorations in Chinese homes during this festive season and each have its own meanings.

The Peach Blossom or Taohua is a standard decoration for the CNY. The peach, an emblem of longevity, is of paramount importance in Chinese culture and is one of the most popular motifs found in Chinese art. It is the symbol of the venerable God of Longevity.

My home Peach Blossom or Taohua decoration

Mandarin oranges is a must in every homes as they are considered auspicious fruits and are important fruits for the New Year. All Chinese families will put piles of oranges in baskets in their homes as it stands for dai gut lai see "good fortune & good business". The Chinese believe it is important to have at lease one pomelo in the house for decoration, or better still, to have a pair, since good things always comes in pairs. To use a pomelo to decorate one's home during the new year implies a wish that the home will have everything it needs the coming year.

Our home oranges decorations (2008 CNY) & Pomelo decoration (2009 CNY)

Another favourite plant of the Chinese is 'Pussy Willow'. Since the Chinese like numerous blossoms on a branch, the many buds of the willow make it a favourite flower for CNY. The fluffy white blossoms of the pussy willow resemble silk, and they soon give forth young shoots the color of green jade. Chinese enjoy such signs of growth, which represent the coming of prosperity.

Choulyee & Karen with our home decorated 'Pussy Willow' during the 2005 CNY

Our dog, Darkie

We adopted Darkie from the street since she is a puppy and after her mother got run down by some unscrupulous driver. Since then I've been trying to dig into my photo album and my computer hard disk to get hold of her photo when she is younger, but couldn't find any. I just wanted to recall how she looks like when she's a puppy.

However, I was caught by surprise yesterday afternoon when I took out and browse through an old CD photo album........ "Oh! finally I found it!" At least I manage to get hold of two precious photos of our dog Darkie when she is still a puppy. Wanna see how she looks like now and 5 years ago??????

Karen loves to walk the dog, so Darkie only get the chance to be walked when she is back home in Kuching.

When Darkie is a puppy, its fur is short & thin, but now its long & thick, including the tail also. Now her tail looks like a feather duster and once a while we have to trim its furs in order to keep it clean & tidy.

My personal 'Kitchen Cooking' to share...... (continuation)

From top (left to right)
Curry Lamb & Suan Hua with prawn
Fried Chicken Wings & Midin Belachan (Shrimp paste)
Fried Clamp & Crab with eggs
Abalone with Chillie & Stir fry Leeks
Cottage Pie
Fruit & Prawn Salad

My personal 'Kitchen Cooking' to share......

Since I left working life more than three years ago, I've been trying out my cooking skills and I believe in the theory "Practice Makes Perfect!" That is why professional cooks or chefs always have fine hands in their cooking - such as they don't need to really taste their food before serving and everything seems to be at their finger tips no matter how many dishes they have to prepare within a short period of time with the long queue of customer's menu in hand!

Cooking can be real fun & joy if we really have the time as the preparation time is more tedious as we need to cut, chop, mince the ingredients according to each method of cooking each types of vegetables, meat, poultry, fish, etc......

On the part of marketing for the stuffs to purchase for cooking, it needs more of our thinking cap! Just imagine, the family's cook needs to think of what to buy inclusive of all the ingredients as short of an item will results in unable to cook that particular dish. It is more of 'one person do the thinking while the rest enjoys the deliciously cooked food'.

Here's some of my home cooked dishes for sharing........

to be continued........

Why children looks forward to Chinese New Year???

When I was a young child me and my siblings are always looking forward to the Chinese New Year Festival. New clothes, shoes, bags, ribbons for the hair, a reunion dinner with varieties of nice foods on the dinner table, enjoy the new year visitings with parents to relatives' homes and not forgetting the most look forward 'Ang Pow'.

With all the nice, great, enjoyable things to look forward to, most children are really in the mood during this season of the lunar year.

In about three weeks from now, the Chinese will be ushering the year of 'The Tiger'. Every homes must be busy preparing for this festive season. Decorations are being put up in all shopping malls and Chinese New Year songs are being aired to gear up the mood for this festival.

I've got here an old photo of me and my sister Pauline during the 1973 CNY. What I recall is that my mum used to make the same dress for us two girls, which makes us look like TWINS!

The next photo shows Alex & Karen enjoying playing with their toy drum & cymbal.......

Then follow with the Lion Dance of the 70's...... heading the lion is my brother Simon & the tail is my sister Pauline. For information, this historic lion was hand made by my late father.

The beach is a happy place

I found this poem written by Amber Arnold very sensible and meaningful thus would like to share it with all my online friends........

The beach is a happy place

You know, the beach is a happy place,
Cause' its where you can have fun.

You can be around family,
and never have to run.

You can just sit on the beach,
and enjoy the sun!

You know the beach is a happy place,
Cause' its where you can have fun!

Here's some photos taken by my daughter Karen which best describe such a happy place.........

The little girl in the photo is our family photographer Karen
This photo was taken in 1989 when she's 2 years old

"Take My Breath Away......."

Being in the city day in and day out, I believe that apart from the fumes of air pollution, our minds must have been polluted and intoxicated from all the stresses of the hassles of life!

How many ever realise that, taking a drive to one of the many villages or kampung in Kuching itself can really help to ease our self and recharge our batteries......

Being a first time visitor to Kuching's very own Kampung Pueh or known as Pueh Village in English, really 'take my breath away.........' It is an attractive village in the Sematan area which can be reached by sealed road. So, let these photos captured by my daughter Karen, tells the whole story of this village.........

Oh! what peaceful views..........

The beautiful natural beach of Kpg. Pueh
"I just can't help it - stealing the beach away for a second!"

GOATS' morning walk, parading the beautiful beach 'Goat Walk!'
Not realising there's someone else behind that small cliff "Run for your life!"

The beauty of mother nature is really breath taking.......... It's like taking a long holiday even though it's just a passing through for a couple of minutes! Experiencing such great views makes us feel 'how relaxing life can be!'

A wet Kuching City!

It has been raining very heavily for the past three days, and we manage to get to see some sunshine this morning, but....... the moment I put my clothes out the sun goes off and suddenly the sky turns grey, then comes the rain again.

Kuching has been very wet these couple of days but suprisingly KL is the opposite, as well as Johor. When my son called this morning and learned that there is so much rainfall back home in Kuching, what he request is "Let us have some of your Kuching rain", cos it has been rather hot in KL. If only I can send some over, how nice that would be then.......

Whatever the weather is, there is nothing much that we can do, but let's put that aside and look forward to another wonderful and relaxing weekend..........

It's my 400th Blog!!!

Though unbelievable but....... I am now writing my 400th Blog! To be frank I haven't been blogging since the final quarter of Year 2009. Even my daughter commented "Mummy, your blog is dead!" It's just that I am real busy with the preparation of my son's wedding, at least it's now over!!!

Not much of a preparation for this coming Chinese Lunar New Year, as we are going over to KL to meet up with the rest of my children Alex, Choulyee & Karen and will be spending our festive holiday there. Really looking forward to it and just wait & see what are in store for us and will share with my online friends when the time comes.

My resolution for 2010....... "to get my blog going......" So, hoping to get full support from you all and...............

'Green Panel' Shell Petrol a scarce

Today, if we want to refill our car petrol at any Shell Station, we might not get the petrol that we require, thus we need to drive in, take a look at whether there is any 'Green Panel', if there is none, then we need to try other petrol stations again. Mind you, this morning I went into two petrol stations but both do not provide such petrol. It is really frustrating, especially when our regular petrol station is out of the way at that moment of time.

In the past, as long as we wanna refill our car petrol all we need to do is to drive in to any nearest petrol station to get such service, but it is not so today! With the increase in petrol price customers are expecting at least a status quo service level or even better, but it seems to be even less favourable!

Finally, I have to drive all the way to my regular petrol station, take my queue to get my petrol refilled. Long queues at petrol stations for the 'green panel' petrol is very common these days as the service to provide such petrol is scarce! Hoping that such service will improve in the near future.........

A tale behind such scenic views.......

To most people, such a scenery might be considered very normal and there is no big deal about it, but for me and my family members, there is a tale behind such scenic views!

To recap this tale, it's roughly about 15 years ago when our family is having a stay over at one of Kuching's one time popular resort - Damai Lagoon Resort. It was on one late afternoon and our family were taking a stroll around the resort, and all of a sudden my youngest son Aaron, who was only few years old then was pointing towards the mountain and shouting "It's going to explode!"

We were all astounded by his words and was looking towards the direction he's pointing and to only come to realise that it is none other than the heavy clouds ascending across the mountains, which is a very common sight at that time of the day as the air is getting colder. Our surprises suddenly turned to laughter.

From that time on, whenever we saw such views it will always brings smiles to our faces and we will always remind each other of the phrase.........."It's going to explode!" and if Aaron is with us he will sure give us all a 'shy' smile!!!!

A healthy Hakka delicacy

LUI CHA has been a long time healthy delicacy not only to the Hakka people but to all people at large who loves to eat vegetables. It is served with a combination of few type of vegetables, Chai Po (pickled turnip), fried beancurd, fried peanuts, rice and a bowl of soup comprises of grinded tea leaves & others.

Personally, for a very long time I wish to eat this dish but after two attempt I failed....... wanna know why?????? What kept me away from this dish is the strong smell of the tea soup. I know there are people who eat this dish without the tea soup, but for myself I strongly felt that eating this dish without the tea soup is better off than not eating this Hakka Lui Cha at all!

However, just before Christmas a friend of mine brought me to a place selling home-made Lui Cha. I was quite reluctant at first as I told her that "I really don't know how to eat". But this time I was really caught by surprise as the tea soup of this Lui Cha taste much more different than those that I've tasted before. Off course I started off with the not-so-bitter tea soup and after this first attempt I brought my daughter to have her first bowl of Hakka Lui Cha and will be bringing my mum and many other friends after this.

For those who loves this Hakka delicacy, I strongly recommend you all to have your favourite bowl of Lui Cha at Jalan Intan, Off Jalan Tengah of Jalan Pisang Road West. It is the first corner single storey house as you turn in to Jalan Intan. I believe that after your first attempt, you will be one of their regular customer. I've already had my third bowl since then, so friends, enjoy your Lui Cha!!

Surrounded by the rich, beautiful nature.........

It is indeed blessed for us who are living in a state or country that are surrounded by the rich, beautiful nature! Though in the city itself we might not be able the enjoy the beauty that nature has for us, but as long as we are willing to drive some distance away from the busy hectic life of the city, then we are able to breathe the cool, clean air, which is in a way like helping us to detoxify our lungs as well as unwind our life & getting rid of our stress level!!

Sematan, 110 km from Kuching City is a quiet little sleepy town which is worth exploring. Let me share with you all some beautiful and breathtaking photos taken by my daughter Karen when we were there, right after Christmas 2009.

Top (1st) The quiet little sleepy town
Top (2nd) It's rich, beautiful nature
Bottom (Left) Carefree folks (both men & women) enjoying fishing on the jetty
Bottom (Right) Stealing a snap shot

Cheers to 2010!!

2010

May the New Year 2010,
Open up for us new horizons,
Fill our hearts with new hopes,
And bring for us promises of brighter tomorrow,
Happiness & prosperity!