Gong Xi Fa Cai, Xin Nian Kuai Le, Wan Shi Ru Yi...

Yesterday- 20 Malaysians and Singaporeans, 2 tables filled with meat balls, crab sticks, salmon, beef, chicken, pork, bee hoon, seaweed, prawns, tom yam and 5 rice cookers, 1 bottle of pimms, 1 bottle of wine, 1 bottle of rum and 1 bottle of absolut vodka... one Happy new year!

Chinese celebrations must be one of the funnest (ignore the grammar) ever! Or maybe in my case, anything that involves food and eating is always fun. But its only when you're a thousand miles from home do you actually pay attention to the details and traditions. The distance makes you stop grumbling about having to cook and clean and wear red. Forgotten lantern making skills are brought out and dusted. Traditional recipes are remembered even though not too particularly well prepared. I strangely feel a deep sense of Chinese-ness in this foreign land and I'm eager to share it with the ang mohs!

Eager enough to actually plan a bar party... although I fear horribly that everything will go wrong. The decorations will look loud and gawdy. The food will be weird. And the music... erm... well, seeing that it's not Chinese opera music I suppose it'll be bearable. And the ang moh's will ask "Why aren't there any red flags and pictures of Mao Tse Dong?"

...

Just don't get drunk tonight, guys! Please! Last night was bad enough with 2 people extremely wasted and a few more slightly off the edge...

... also realise I have not lost my 'mothering' ways and cannot sit still and let things be a mess but feel a terrible sense of urgency to always clean up, even when everyone is having fun. I swear I'm happy to do it... don't look at me as if i'm so ke lian.

ps: The Blogouts are on annual holiday... for Charme's witty sake, you can leave your comments in my Guestbook. I'll try to get a temporary commentor up soon... ok not so soon, probably after Chinese New Year...