Chinese New Year has been great so far with lots of chinese new year goodies, yu sheng (lo hei), sumptuous meals and red packets (money money)!
So this post will bring back the time to the eve of reunion dinner 21th January because that was the hectic period before the long awaiting holiday. Lots and lots of spring cleaning and grocery shopping to stock up food for reunion dinner and CNY. I calculated the days spent on spring cleaning, at least a week. Seriously, spring cleaning is the hardest part especially when you have tons and tons of stuffs at home. After packing my stuffs, I realized I have 4 big boxes of fabrics piled up in my brothers' room because my room is fully occupy. Have to start taking those fabric out and make good use of it.
Conquering the last toughest stage, store room. Wondering how many of you hate doing spring cleaning just like me?
That day weather wasn't happy at all, dark clouds, strong wind, drizzle that followed by heavy downpour. After a heavy deluge that might had spoilt alot of people mood, the most magnificent and amazing thing happened. There was a huge double rainbows after the downpour at around late afternoon. This happened just before CNY.
Isn't it pretty? How often do you get to see rainbow and a double rainbow some more. In Chinese culture, a double rainbow is considered auspicious and a reason for reflection and meditation.
So did a little read up on rainbows. They are an optical and meteorological phenomenon in which a spectrum of light appears in the sky when the sun shines on droplets of moisture in the earth's atmosphere. Double rainbows means double reflections of sun's rays inside the rain drops which refract the rays just like a prism apart from reflecting them once(single rainbow) or twice(double rainbow).
After doing some spring cleaning and the heavy downpour, headed down to market place the second times of the day to help my mom with the last minute CNY shopping. Interesting stuff about neighborhood wet market during CNY is that even after late evening, it is still crowded and filled with CNY songs played over loud speakers and seller calling for clearance sales. The night suddenly seems so happening compared to normal days when only some food stalls are open and the night market is dim and quiet.
So below this photo is one of my favorite shots. It was some road side stall selling all the chinese style furniture, house furnishing, flower vases and feng shui items. And very obvious enough it was tended by china seller. To clear all the stocks, the seller is definitely an artistic and creative person to have written a sale 'banner' in chinese calligraphy and pasted it on some unwanted crate, placing the 'banner' upright at a very eye catching spot which successfully caught my attention.
That night, didn't really sleep well, only had 2 hours of sleep because have to wake up at 5 am to help my dad out at market place to settle all the orders for CNY.
Early in the morning even before the dawn, I was already heading down on the cold and silent street. In my mind I kept thinking of one thing, time to pass fast so I could get back home to have a bath and ready for reunion dinner.
And finally on my way home after a tough half-day work. Back for reunion dinner with my family and relative!!
Our reunion dinner- Its's has been a tradition in our family (dad's side) that all will come to my place for prayer and reunion dinner because the ancestor and grandparents tablets are at my place. Every reunion dinner, a few of my aunties will come early to my place and help my mom out in the cooking part. There will always be at least 15 dishes for the offering and after the prayer, the youngster will have a buffet style reunion dinner while the senior/elderly will sit around the table for dinner.
After dinner is always what I am waiting for, receiving ang baos!
Just reunion dinner itself, I have already received these much ang baos. So happy!!
will update CNY day 1 and 2 on next post.
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