I have to prepare my mind and body weeks before the departure date. Months before the departure date I have to control the stress level in brain, cool my emotion and the most important thing : lose some weight before I arrive in Bandung..!!
Those who read my previous blog would remember how I always get a greeting of : "You look fatter" during CNY reunions. While I am immune to this question now, I still need to lose some weights before I arrive in Bandung because I tend to gain a few kilos during my one-week-stay there. So if I don't lose a few kilos before I leave KL, I would definitely come back to KL like a balloon.
(just so you know.... I DID get that "you look so fat now" friendly remarks almost every day during my stay there)
This Chinese New Year holiday was super special because my sister came from Japan with her daughter. My parents were happy because the complete gang of children and grandchildren were there to enliven the house with non-stop noise from talkative daughters and screaming children, continuous mess of toys and shopping bags, and perpetual clutters of junk foods on the dining table.
The Chinese New Year day started rather quietly. My parents went to open their shops as usual and my children woke up a bit late than usual. My sister and I gathered at the dining table for our ritual coffee morning. By noon everyone was busy. We took out portable chairs, plates, bowls and glasses, arranged tables, put money inside angpao packets, fried the lumpiahs, cut the cakes, ironed the red dresses and prayed that it wouldn't rain that night.
6 pm... Everything was ready... The satays were grilled, the chaffing dishes were set up, my make-up was on and the fan was blowing. Everyone was ready to embrace the night.
I don't remember what time the first visitors arrived... But by 8 o'clock we had more than 100 people gathering in our house. My parents' siblings, relatives and friends came to the house to wish "Kiong Hee".
Married couple gave angpaos to the singles. Adults chatted, ate, munched, poked fun, and laughed while the children ran around, dropped objects, fought, screamed and cried. The boys shouted every time a round of poker game was finished. The children screamed, ran outside and wave bye-bye every time an airplane flew above our house and ladies took pictures and posted on Facebook.... (wink..wink.. you know who you are)
The noise level was unbelievable. The whole thing looked chaotic.... It was a night when everybody talked about everything but remembered nothing....
The whole thing ended just slightly after midnight.
We were almost sad to see everyone gone.
We need to wait for one year to meet again...
I need to wait until the next Chinese New Year to hear "You look fatter" again...
Between now and CNY 2015, a lot of things can happen....
Some of our relatives are old...
Some of them are not well.....
Some of us live very far away....
We may not be able to laugh and poke fun at each other again next year...
When I remember those moments, I feel really blessed. Those are the real loves. Chinese New Year should be the Valentine's day for the Chinese...!! It is the day to celebrate the real love.
I truly believe that love is not about saying I Love You or I Miss You....
It's more about being comfortable with each other
It's about knowing that we can rely on each other
It's about being happy even when my husband told me that I am fat like I was 7-month pregnant
Today is St Valentine's Day... Let's celebrate love in its purest meaning.... Let's love each other without boundaries... Let's make (literally) love...
Happy Valentine's Day my friends......
PS: I am addicted to this song "Counting Stars" by One Republic. The words stuck on my head for weeks.
I love the music... I love the lyrics.... (and the video sent chills to my spine as I experienced something similar to that long long time ago)
Old, but I'm not that old
Young, but I'm not that bold
(this is me... not so old.... yet too old to be called young)
And I don't think the world is sold
I'm just doing what we're told
I feel something so right
By doing the wrong thing
(I know it's wrong to eat Cheese Martabak at night but it felt so goooooood)
And I feel something so wrong
By doing the right thing
(It is the right thing to eat salads everyday but my palate says it's soooo wrong)
I couldn't lie, couldn't lie, couldn't lie
Everything that kills me makes me feel alive
(my dearest junk foods (cireng, combro, martabak, batagor, tahu gejrot and their families) do make me feel alive...!!)
In case you haven't heard or seen the video, click the picture below:
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