Ang Pau-rina Greets!

Gong Xi Gong Xi!

Very quickly, the rabbit year has taken its place again after a 12-year cycle. Just as how the little creature is timid, the new year has been pretty gentle on me so far. This year’s celebration has been different but adaptable :)

My first year as Ang Pau-rina (the Chinese Santarina), I’ve been giving out a decent amount of Ang Paus. Still not too used to it, it’s hard to keep track of who might have received, how many packets to bring along with me each time, who’s married and who’s not etc. You know occasionally you come across people who are that much older than you, but are not yet married? Haha, those moments make me feel quite “old”.

CNY eve dinner was spent at home with my in-laws. We did some simple cooking but man, there was so, so, so much food for just us 8 adults. The 10-seater dining table was filled from front to end! I know I shouldn’t be complaining about the abundance of food. Afterall, being well-fed is definitely a blessing :)

New Year’s morning saw us going to church first thing in the morning. J had to interpret in church, so pretty much everyone was well dressed and ready to usher in the new year. The afternoon was quiet, with many of my in-laws’ church visitors over. We did a little bit of socializing (show face, we call it, hehe), then adjourned upstairs. Later in the afternoon, J decided to take me for a massage. Yeah odd I know, to go for a massage on the first day of CNY, but hey, giving out Ang Paus can be quite tiring! :)

After another round of home cooked dinner, we went over to Joe’s for a session. The boys as usual did it the hard core way, but few of us girls put our hands on a few rounds of Gin Rummy. Haha, remember how I said that the rabbit year has been pretty gentle on me? Well, I made RM30 from it! I know, I know, RM30 to most of you must be a laughable amount, but a rare gambler, that’s already a blessing! J also has been pretty blessed so far, up in his games of Black Jack and Poker. But I hope that he has taken his forewarnings seriously, it better be just for CNY fun-sake! Well at least he has made enough to cover some of our new year costs, firecrackers/fireworks and all, haha.

On the second day of CNY, relatives and some of our friends came over to visit. This time it wasn’t just show-face, I did the full-on entertaining bit! Fun, but tiring, I was pooped by the end of the night.

Third day was rather impromptu, but because of some changes in plans, I managed to visit my brother and my parents. Nice afternoon spent with Ollie and back home for a little bit. Never thought that we’d go clubbing during CNY too, but we did! Zouk was pretty full for such an occasion, but not as packed as usual.

Finally on Day 4, went home for CNY dinner with the Kwoks. Have been missing Mom’s cooking for the longest time and was really glad to finally taste it. After dinner, we met up with some friends at Bangsar, then headed home in preparation for work today.

CNY’s gonna take a back seat for J and I. Heading off to Maldives tonight. Fill you in when I get back ok? Who knows, there might be some dong dong chiangs and lions dancing amidst that clear blue sea. Have fun everyone! :)