CNY WITH MUMSIE'S SIBLINGS AND FAMILIES

We all have our regrets and if onlys...and mumise collected quite a few regrets along the way...There are the roads not taken, the chances not grasped, the people not visited, "the thank-you notes" not delivered and so on and so on. Through the years, mumsie have allowed life, work and other more "fun, and important" things to take mumsie away from family but that first "regret lesson" always reminds mumsie of the important things in life.

It was not because "the old woman " or "the old man" had nothing better to do...so they kept on ringing their children asking the same questions every time like "whether they reach home safely whether they have lunch and whether their exams are OK and when is the next exams??? Maybe they really cared...and just wanted to be sure they were okay..and not because they have nothing better to do... So all you youngsters out there appreciate and cherish those "tiresome phone-calls" It's not easy.. Sometimes you feel so guilty about some of the things you have (or have not) done... you cannot see what the lesson is.

Mumsie's mummy had time and time again reminded all her siblings that if husband and wife are very loving and wishes to be husband and wife again in their next life they can wish for that to happen BUT for siblings to be siblings again in their next LIFE is imposible....no such thing! Therfore the moral behind this is to appreciated and love one another as much as you can !!

Every CNY mumsie's sibligs from S'pore will come to JB to celebrate with mumsie's family..and this year is no exception...and of course the LO SANG DINNER will never be excluded.!!!

Mumsie's siblings and their famlies....

The ever important Lo Sang Dish...

with slices of salmon fish... Whether you like it or not it is A MUST MUST DISH!!

Before dinner a "get together photo session"

Hello cousin...

Koh-koh with aunty and uncle

All pretty girls in a row??? Who is the prietiest of them all???

Dadda is getting a bit impatient???? Time to leave for the restaurant.... Photograher is all ready..

Happy happy happy mumsie

Mumsie's sis & hubby with our "old" church friends Robert and wife Monica

It is nothing if you are holding your 19 years old girl-friend.......It is REALY SOMETHING IF YOU ARE STILL HOLDING HER WHEN YOU ARE 64!!!!!! AND YEARS AFTERWARDS!!! CONGRATULATIONS!!!!

The dish before the "attack"

then the attack...tossing of the lo sang dish

the higher the better

After the attack!!

This year we had SOMETHING VERY SPECIAL

"Buddha jumps Over the wall???" or "Fo Tiao Chiang"

For many years, mumsie have heard of this amous Chinese DISH...Maybe to the youngsters it meant some sort of Kung Fu technique from Saolin.....Any way this is a famous Fujian cuisine which costs a bomb. The ingredients list (more than 30 kinds) sounded like a pot-luck of left overs - shark's fins, sea slug, chicken, duck, dried scallop, mushroom, fish maws, squid, sea cucumber, pork tripe, ham mutton bamboo shoots, pegeon eggs and abalone ect ect ect seasoned and steamed separately and then put into a jar ixed with cooking wine and put over intense heat ect ect ect...Now you understand why it costs a bomb!

But , why the "Buddha jumps over the Wall" name? Mumsie's first theory was that the dish was too "sin'ful" for Buddha that he had to jump over the wall to escape! What a joke!

Well the correct theory is that while walking past a wall, Buddha smelled a delicious aroma coming from the other side. Unable to resist, he jumped over the wall to where family was preparing this dish and partook of the meal. This is despite the fact that the dish contans meat, and Buddha was a vegetarian! WAH!!!!

Must admit that it does taste yummy yummy

So rememember two things when you go for this dish....bring a fat wallet....and keep it away from your vegi friends....

Oh we had other dish too....this is a steam fish dish

Mr Kok mumsie's friend distributing "ang-pows"

Mr and Mrs Kok....with Bernie...their daughter (delivered at CSM)

After dinner we gathered back at the house for another "get-together"

? Thorn among the roses???

"Dr " to be and "Account" to be...He is mumsie's sister's son....

Chinese New Year Firecrackers complete the celebration of the New Year. There are many opinions regarding the importance of fireworks. One popular belief is that the noise will wake up the dragon that will fly across the sky to bring the spring rain for the crops...ie bring spring luck and prosperity... Another belief is that the exploding noise of the firecrackers will scare away all evil spirits and misfortunes, preventing them from coming into the New Year and one's house!

Even though firecrackers are illegal somehow one can get them...via agent and they even distribut them with magazines ect ect!1

The chinese likes the red "litter" on the floor after the firecrackers ...but gotta to sweep them away quick....just in case the cops come to ask for "ang-pow"

Then the fire works...

Gotta to light and run and run behind the gate..

Don't think these fire-works are legal

then back into the house again for get to-gather..

Brother and sister....do they look alike??

Happy happy mumsie

Jie-jie we miss you....
then some fooling around....

Happy happy mumsie

Dadda can be quite "funny"

the family photo...

The not-so serious photo...muachi posing with dadda's help..