Call me a sentimental fool or even a "softie" if you want to but spending CNY celebrations with family can be quite an experience. I dunno, maybe I have mellowed a lot but not the "angin" side ( that's what my wife says! ). I felt really........ blessed, so blessed ( yup! that's the word! ) being able to have lunch, dinner and even spend time chatting with mom, brother, sister, mom-in-law, brother-in-law, sister-in-law, cousins, nephews, uncles, aunties and relatives. It is not everyday or every week that you get to meet up and catch up. Every one and everybody from every nook and corner of the world is back for CNY celebrations. It's always special occasions that you get to see everybody and that's special. I can only think of 3 occasions where one ( Chinese community ) could actually catch up which is CNY, weddings and morbidly, funerals! BTW, if you are not married, you will be constantly hounded/bombarded with the ultimate annoying/nut-wrenching question of "When are you getting married?" followed by the impetuous question of " Are you okay ar? Is something wrong with you?" To me, my answer is simple and curt, " Oh! I'll only be a burden and trouble to the girl's family and my family if I get married coz' I'll laze at home and be a bummer!" and as their eyes almost popped out and jaws dropped to the floor, I'll continue, " Also I have too many old relatives while my parents are old. So each time, they pass away, I have to be my family's representative. It is quite taxing -lor!" Usually, by this time, the questions stopped and they would move away from me as fast as possible! Smart, right? 
For me, though we go through CNY every year, as usual, the wallet gets thinner each passing year ( bosses "complaining"/ making a big fuss of not making enough/no profit for the year and every inconceivable excuses available! typical slavemaster mentality! Sheesh! ) , the expenses goes a little higher each year, the restaurants charged higher for food each freaking year, the mandarin oranges get more sour each time but the fact remained that the children's smile gets wider or get more blunt each year! However, over the recent years, the "disturbing" trend of opening the ang pow packet immediately after receipt can be quite a harrowing experience for the givers rather than the receivers. I remembered one smart-alec opened the ang pow and proclaimed loudly to every available pair of ears in a get-together function, " Aiiiiiyyaaaaah! Five ringgit only ! " Then I hear another exclaimed, " Aiyooo, you are better. I have two ringgit only! ". Gone are the days when the red packets are kept in pockets; only to be opened in the safe confine of the room! Nowadays, it's like a public proclamation of kiasu mentality! Oh! How I wished I could spank that kids' bottoms till it fluffed up like "fatt koew" and tell them it's okay to be spanked on CNY day!! Hey, kids, it's not a business day, ok? It's Chinese New Year; for crying out loud! Be thankful-lar...
Jokes aside, CNY is a great day of celebration, seriously. This year, I really felt blessed though I feel tired at the end of the day. It's the dumb medicines anyway! I was glad that I had the opportunity to meet up and spend some time with my friends, Ramesh & Indra from Taiping. What a couple! Humble, down-to-earth and great friends. Yunno, each time , Ramesh and Indra are back in Melaka, they would give me a call. That's really thoughtful of them and I do hope to bring the family to spend a few days in Taiping and meet up with them someday. Then, there's meeting up with Kenneth Wong PL, our extended family. It is really nice to be able to meet up , speak to him and even get to hear of his plans for the new year. He treated all of us a sumptuous and a costly dinner. Thank you so much, Kenneth. CNY also brings about the picture of the physical growth of our family members and relatives. Some of my cousins and nephews have grown up; signalling the aging process for uncles like us! I guess, we can't beat the natural process, huh? Well, still blessed to be aging gracefully!
I took a picture with mom the other day. I really cherished that photo a lot as I looked into it daily. She's been a great mom especially her Hainanese food fare, culinary skills and her cares for me all these years. We hugged each other as we took the photo that day. That was really special to me and it meant a lot to me. The one person I missed the most and missing from the photo was Dad. I really miss his quiet ways, his humor and his humble ways. I must admit, I DO miss my dad quite a fair bit especially on days like this and that's why I've been under the weather for the past few days. I could never describe to you how I really miss my Dad. I miss eating sambal belacan with him - the simple fare in life. I also miss his favourite dish - salted vegetables with duck soup. ( he cooks it with such finesse that it would just blow your mind! ) Most of all, I miss being able to spend some time with him. He really meant a lot to me. He will always be a gem in my heart, always! Thanks for watching over me , Dad!~
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