2ND DAY OF CNY

Traditionally mumsie and dadda will invite all the staff and their family to the house on 2nd day of New Year. So this year is no exception.

In Chinese culture, the lion is considered a devine animal. It is noble, brave, protective and powerful; it is alble to ward off evil and to guard truth. The importance ot the lion is so far-reaching that Lion statues are found guarding side streets, entrances to homes, palaces and temples, and even to restaurants and banks. It is an icon that abounds throughout Chinese communities the world over.

So Lion Dance is based on an ancient Chinese creation legend. The gods sent their messengers in the form of heavenly lions, each depiciting the five elements of metal, wood, fire water and earth. Out of the harmonious union of elelments, the earth was created. The journey of the lions from heaven to earth is depicited in this dance of blessing, rejuvenation and new beginnings. Lion dance are typically accompanied by clamorous shounds made by the drum, cymbal and gong because they represent the gods of wind, thunder, rain and lightning. Lion dance is believed to bring good luck and happiness. So for quite a number of years....(? over 10 years) the lion without fail has been coming to mumsie's house on the 2nd day of CNY.

Not one but 2......(more abundance of luck and happiness)

A special "lay out" was displayed for them to dance round their goal (ang-pau) This is the dramatic climax of the lion dance...."Cai Qing" or translated literally in English is 'Picking the Green'. The green here refers to vegetable leaves which are placed next to a red packet containing money.

This is their goal (don't think you can see the hidden ang-pau)
After the lion's attack it becomes 'mumsie's goal'
- A Big Golden Pot sitting on the "flowerly" pomelo.....Lots of prosperityand luck!!!!

Mumsie's family took a photo of the "goal" before the lion's attack. Happy happy mumsie....the whole family in red...a popular tradition for the New Year is for everyone to weak brand new clothes. With red being the colour that symbolizes good luck...

The crowd was being entertained by the lion who hoists and heaves and tosses to the audiance "abundance of prosperity and luck" (oranges were thrown to the happy crowd!!!)

Chinese New Year flowers symbolize growth and rebirth. So tradionally mumsie's house will be filled with live blooming plants to symbolize rebirth and new growth. Flowers are believed to be cymbolic of wealth and high positions in one's career. Lucky is the home with a plant that blooms on New Year's Day, for that foretells a year of prosperity. The Chinese firmly believe that without flowers, there would be no formation of any fruits. Therefore, it is of the utmost importance to have flowers and floral decorations.

Chrysanthemum symbolizes longevity.

They are the emblems of reawakening of nature, they are also intimately conected with supersition and with the wish for happiness during the ensuing year.

Oranges and tangerines are symbols for abundant happiness.... Here as the lion dances he tosses tangerines 'abundant happiness' to the audiance

Ko-Ko's friends...(and Jie-jie's friend Liling brought her relatives...brother and his friend, her cousin and cousin's husband at the other corner)

Lying on the floor the lion "eats" both leaves and the red packet. The leaves are "chewed" by the lion while the musicians play a dramatic rolling crescendo. The lull is broken as the lion explodes back into activity while spitting out the leaves. This is a symbolic act of blessing by the lion, with the spitting out of the leaves signifying that there will be an abundance of everything in the coming year....

He is is "chewing and chewing"

Here mumsie is trying to catch the "chewed leaves" spitted out by the lion.....gosh " what an abundance of everything"

This is what we got from our "heavenly messengers" Good luck wishes and a pot of gold"...happy happy mumsie....(jie-jie we miss you)

The procession continued and the lion proceeded into the house

Traditionally, from the first to the 15th day of the New Year, lion dance groups would go from house to house to perform, because the Chinese consider dancing lions to he the vehicle for channeling all the good blessings of heaven to the community. It is believed that the lion dance if well performed , will bring good luck and happiness. The lion dance represents the hopes and aspirations of the Chinese poeple for all the good things life holds.

The two lions then dance round the whole house....even went up to the third floor!
Of course the first place is to mumsie's altar....to pay their respects....





Mumsie's gold fish must be wondering what is all the noise about....
If the music room door is open they might have gone in and dance....(next year mumsie must remember to open wide the doors!)

And they danced round the sitting room...

With the second lion following closely behind

Aunty Muthumah our mid-wife with her grand children and daughter....
Mumsie trying to catch some of the oranges 'spit' out by the lion...
And this little guy is snatching his orange from the lion's mouth

Danny boy and Linny with one of the staff's baby

This family though not our staff...(former patient) will be here every year...All the three children were CSM's babies

Our retired mid-wife aunty Hong with her grand-daughter and daughter

Nurse Jaitun and family She has been with CSM since she was a young girl....now she is a mother of 2

Azlan our driver and wife and daughter

Dr Ng and wife and another group of CSM Babies

Mumsie's goooooood friends....they never fail to visit us during CNY....

Two of the clinic staff

Natali (stem cell staff) and hubby and her sis-in-law

Another of our clinic staff with hubby

More staff and relative

Kevin our printer and our maids Asri and Yati

Sister Yap and her family

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

Kevin's wife and her family

LiLing brought her cousin and cousin's hubby. They just arrived from Germany...

S/N Siti and her family

Suzali and her children and hubby....She started working for us at age of 18 now she is a mother of three.....

Mariam and her family

Picture with the Boss

Some of the staff came from the wards that's why they're in uniform

Another staff who started with us when she was only 18 yrs now she is a mother of 3......(had been with us for more than 10 yrs!!)

Another of our staff.....now mother of 2 and one on the way..

Then we celebrated Rachael's birthday.... Kevin and wife...(David's friends)
So David's friends stayed behind to celebrate Rachael's birthday......

1st DAY OF CHINESES NEW YEAR

On the 1st day of Chinese New Year traditionally mumsie will try to wake up everybody early so as to attend Chinese New Year Mass...(The Chinese New Year Eve's mass we skip cause it is conducted in Mandrin...)
There was an air of joviality as the interior of the Cathedral was decked in red laterns, scrolls with auspicious Koil Fish (nine to be exact) hanging
and every body wishing each other "happy new year" be them Chinese or Indians or otherwise.

As usual mumsie likes to come early to get front seats...otherwise the family will "snooze" at the back...(they wouldn't dare to blink their eyes with all the priests so very near...But soon the Cathedral was fairly packed (the Chinese speaking would have attended their mass last night (with countdown and all) Even the priests was surprised BY SUCH A GOOD CROWD! Mumsie supposed like mumsie everybody came to ask God to shower His Blessings of GOOD HEALTH , AND GOOD LUCK on us for this Lunar New Year of 2009!!

The Roman Catholic Church sees the Mass as the most perfect way it has to offer adoration to GOD.

Today's mass was attended by five priests all dressed in Gold and Red....(cos it's Chinese New Year!)

At the far end this lady is doing the 'sign' language for the deaf....

After Mass the lion dance came in...this is their drummer!

Believed to bring good luck and happiness, the Lion Dance is typically performed at Chinese New Year's celebrations to invoke a prosperous and joyful new year.

The lion peeping from the "Koil" decor

Then he paid his respect at the altar

and to the priests seated behind the altar

The lion teaser

The guy up there is trying to tease the lion with his "goal" the ang pau.....

Mumsie was seated quite far from the entrance ..photo is no clear....

After the lion dance Father Peter blesses the oranges ....Chinese custom to take home something good so each of us got 2 oranges and an ang pau from our priests before we leave the church

Daniel....getting his oranges and angpau

Koh-koh's turn

The church choir was still singing whilst we queued patiently for our goodies

Traditionally after church we gotta go home to perform our "tea ceremony" Koh-koh serving tea to DADDA...(this year grandma is in Taiping if not she will get her tea first)

Mumsie's turn

Danny boy preparing his tea

This tea is expensive!

Linny trying to say all her Chinese (Mandrin and Cantonese) auspious words ....

That's why the big smile from Dadda

And mumsie

It has to be both ways....the one who serve the tea will try to say all the auspious words.....and the receipient as she dishes out the angpau too has to say all the nice things to them and mumsie's favorite wordings....???? GOOOOOD RESULTS FOR YOUR EXAMS!!!!!!!

We had 'nien kau'...the tradition new year cake... a sticky rice cake. When eating these cakes, you are supposed to exchange wishes for a contiually higher standard of living (it's a play on words based on the name of the cake which in Chinese is pronounced 'gao' which also means "high," and "nien" (sticky) which also means "year" So this new year's achievement will be better (higher) than last year....(if you are an employee... promotion is most likely to be yours... or business will be better this year ect ect ect)

Last but not least...every year without fail mumsie will have the family to drink this sweet drink with five "auspious increadients inside... Pak hup

(more than a 100 good things will come your way) "long arn".. nin chee... quail eggs ...according mumsie's mum this is a must.......

Here we are enjoying all our Good Auspious Food and drinks....for our breakfast!!!!

HAPPY CHINESE NEW YEAR TO ALL OF YOU !!!!!

LUNAR NEW YEAR 'S EVE 2009

Eating reunion dinner is a must for all Chinese celebrating the Lunar New Year, and this is also a time when hotels and restaruants go all out to woo customers.
There is a belief that what happens during the New Year will be an omen of what the rest of the year will bring
And with the reunion dinner being the most important meal of the year, it is essential to start it on the right note.
Parents worked hard the whole year, so the whole family dines together on New Year's eve dinner which also symbolises wealth, peace and a year of goo wealth.
That is why chefs go all out to create special dishes for the reunion dinner.
Nowadays, eating out on New Year's eve has become a trend.
But for the past 5-6 yrs instead of sweating in the kitchen with the maids, mumsie has been
"tar pauing" the whole table of food from the restaurant home...Reunion dinners should be eaten at home and lots of left overs to be put in the fridge..."a sign of over abundance"
So after deciding on the menu mumsie would sent all her New Year crockery to the restaurant a night before and then collect the dishes on reunion dinner night.

This restaurant is very near mumsie's house..is at the golfing range...this is our 2nd year here.....

Needless to say the restaurant was packed.....

Mumsie brought her 3 maids to the restaurant to collect her food....

This year this restaurant was very very bz bz... with patrons fighting for tables and also they were so many waiting outside the restaurant

We had suckling pig Before we attack this dish

After the attack.....

The tradition yee sang dish. The Chinese, especially businessmen, believe that partaking of yee sang will bring them an abundance of good luck and prosperity.

Then we add our abalone and crackers

Toss yee sang as high as you can for good fortune and abundance of wealth

The dish after being tossed!

This lobster dish is not bad

The tradition black moss (fatt choy) and goose feet and abalone with brocoli

Braised shark's fins

Our Soon Hock fish...slightly over-cooked

Dadda and David struggling to open their wine

Danny boy with his new year red shirt...Good Boy

mumsie likes to see them in red...

Whyner...the children's god-pa (for the past 10 yrs+ he is the only invited guest...

Yum sing

Food was good (dadda's comment)

Happy happy mumsie

Every year after dinner Whyner gotta rush back to church to prepare for the CNY mass.....

Whilst we wait for the "countdown" And 15 mins before MN mumsie will ring home to mumsie's home to wish everybody A Prosperous and Healthy NEW YEAR.....TRADITION.....AND Mumsie's mum will wish each and everyone of us (the phone went round like musical chair for us to listen to her GOOD WISHES ..)At the stroke of 12 MN....fire crackers started around our neighbourhood...(MAYBE NEXT year mumsie will try to get some "black market" fireworks too....)

Our neighbour ..Dato must have spent quite a few thousands $$$ this year....on his fire works...

Wonder where they got this illegal substance...

The children was wondering what happens to the policemen..????

Our street again was lighted up with red latterns

We watched the fireworks from our balcony....oops Danny boy....is being hidden...

A better picture of the family......

Mumsie wants to wish everybody a Prosperous, Healthy New year and May our Lord showers his BLESSINGS on all of you!!!!!!!

WECOME 2009

For the first time this year to welcome 2009 mumsie invited KFC'S family and Christine and Wen Lee & hubby Simon together with some of David's friends we had barbeque in mumsie's house whilst we wait for the "count down" to welcome 2009

Happy happy KFC with the children's favorite Aunty Jodie....

David's Friends

"Yam Sing"

Whist waiting for the 'count down' time some of us went into the music room to "rock" with "Guitar Hero"
Another rock band was formed! The chief cook for the night

Another new "rock Band"

We also had steam boat which mumsie thinks its more popular....easier & faster to cook!!!

And we ate and we sing and we drink!!!! Han, David's friend (the veterinary) kept on praising Dadda's 20 yr old whisky!!!

Waiting to open our special "champagne" to welcome 2009

Get READY to count.....

David's friens brought a cake tooooo...

"Happy New Year!"

And we got Simon and Wendy a cake to celebrate their wedding anniversary!!!

Then early next morning mumsie was able to wake up the whole family to attend church....tradition....every year on 1st of January..for the past many many years....mumsie and her family has been attending mass in church to pray for

"Good luck, Good health and God's Blessings" (That's why none of mumsie's little ones can "sleep over" anywhere for "New Year Count Down"
This year Christine mumsie's niece joined us for

this morning's Mass...she too was able to get up...Well done Christine!!!

A groupe photo in front of the Christmas Crib

Then we had breakfast here... Supposedly to be the best restaurant in JB for fishball and fishcakes

And for our New Year's Dinner we gathered at

George and Dragon for a typical English Meal

The ambience was not bad

Still quite Christmassy.....

Some of us had the typical English Roast Beef

After dinner we went home to try ot Dadda's Magic Sing (Dadda's newest "toy") The New Generation of Karaoke...It is magicsing Karoake cos No CD No DVD required...Simply Plug into your TV AND SING SING SING.......Not only does it helps you to sing to the right tune it also gives you marks...(so you know where you stands)

Here we are with ACTION AND VOICE....

guess what we were singing...Ya YMCA!!!!

Well we did had a beautiful day on 1/1/09!!!

Needless to say all of us got to bed way way past bed time that night!!! Hope to see more of you folks joining us to count down 2010...nest year!!!!

CSM'S/CHU'S CLINIC'S ANNUAL DINNER

Every year mumsie's clinic (Chu clinic) and maternity hospital ie Century Specialist Maternity (CSM) will have our Anuual Dinner..whereby the staff (100% of them) will come for the dinner..and the hospital will be covered by our "retired" or staff that have reisgned.

For the past years the dinners were always held in hotels...but this year mumsies suggested Rina Resort.... in Seelong JOHOR...At first most of the staff including Dadda was against it...Cos the place is very far from our usual venues....And Rina Resort is situated at a very very secluded place....in fact some ot the staff checked it out after the destination was announced and was very against it cos to get into the resort one gotta use a very tiny road ...no lightings....very narrow only one car can pass (gotta reverse if there is on coming car) and there were worries of waysiderobberies at night ect ect But mumsie found it difficult to tell the "owners" who happen to be mumsie's patient (yeah she delivered 2 babies with us and also attend the same church) So mumsie took 3 staff along to this place to check it out before cancellation and after snooping around the place the girls like it and return immediatedly with the BOSS and all of us agree to give it a "try" but gotta start the function earlier to avoid returning in the dark!!

On the way there we passed through thick growth

Of course we also passed through some kampong-kampong and industrial areas

The road going into the resort taken from our car

This is the front entrance when the gate is closed

This is the entrance...with its gates open ..it seems after 5 pm the whole place is surrounded with electric wire

This Nature Spa-Eco-Tourism sanctuary is loated in a tranquil agricultural friut orchard in Seelong Jaya village (approximately 3 acres land) about 30 mins drive from the busy city of JB

(ie if there is no traffic jams)

This place 's sole purpose to to promote a one-stop NATURE SPA services which included tradional Javanese & Balanese massages, natural hydrothery Spa, Herbal steam, traditional lulur, fitness program, fruit orchard tour, fishing bicycling as well as other nature recreation.

This is supposed to be our dinning area tonight.

It's called the outdoor Dining Pool

Our feet soaking whilst we eat....no ...no skin eating fish down there...the water comes from a mountain spring...natural water...so those tiny fish can't survive here (mumsie supposed the management must be thinking alone the same line when they plan this place)

Once the girls arrived they started to snoop around

Passing by one of their fruit farms...was told we should be tasting some of it tonight....The orchard is filled with various exotic tropical fruit trees such as durian, rambutan, cempedak, nangka, duku duku-langsat, magosteen, papaya, ciku guava, coconut, dragon fruit and jambu air....

Several natural ingredients used for SPA treatment can be found in the orchard as well such as lemon grass, turmeric, ginger, pandan leafs, & various medicinal herbs.

Other vegetables such as kangkong, sweet potatoes, sweet corns, peanut ect are planted for clients' comsumption.

Dr Ng and wife and his clinic staff

Bernie (in blue) is our TEMPORARY staff, and also our CSM baby (which means that she was delivered in CSM) She is home from Australia (Western Australia Uni) for holidays..
Mr Robert Yong (our administrator) and wife Monica

The night stafff...Midwife Muthamah and her grand-daughter, Nurse Siti Hawa and Staff nurse Siti with her two children

Miss Wong and Chan (who just completed her nursing training and is waiting for her results- ya - she was sponsored by the company for her nursing course) and Mu the ahmah.

Part of the outdoor dining pool

Boss with his two "little ones"

Ladies getting ready for the herbal steam bath After the steam bath ....

Koh-koh having his foot massage beside the swimming pool....was told that this pool's water is not chlorinated...cos the water is ever flowing from the mountain stream

Javanese Massage Hall...mumsie tried this ...

not bad...seems they used the herb from their own garden

Our air-con specialist with his new Wife of one Month old

Behind Robert and Miss Lee are a rows of chaletswhere one can stay (Miss Lee and her husband is staying in one of these for the night)

Dadda and Linny with the BOSS of Rina Resort.

The father of our patient...in fact mumsie knows him when he first migrated from Indonesia...

years and years ago.....

Dr Ng and wife (Ling Chu) preparing for the games for tonight....Dr Ng is the MC for tonight

Mumsie had her massage up there!!

The ward staff....

Staff nurse Tai with her hubbie and Asri and Yati our house - maids...Behind them is another big chalet....This is the balcony

All around the resort are placed many nice Bonsai

Then the BOSS gave the opening speech

The games started

The leader trying to give the "blind" instructions

To form these words!!

Get ready get set!!

Another team figuring how to win the game

The 'saliva' game

She trying to fan (snub) the candles...(by shaking her backside with a plastic sheet tied to her buttocks) and everybody is trying to give her instructions

Believe it or nor Mumsie's team worn ..Must be we got "Big Bumbs"

No way man she 's just too gentle...was not able to "blow off " any candle.....after 1 minute

Gosh she is really trying hard!!!

Then the balloon game

THE BOSSES TOOK PART IN THIS GAME BUT DIDN'T win (Dadda kept on whispering to mumsie...let them win!!!)

Keep the balloon on your chest no matter what and run to a

spotted spot....(like musical chair but we look for a spot on the floor)

Grandma and grand daughter

This is the only chance for mumsie to cling on tight to dadda in public!!!!!! Happy Happy Mumsie

Get ready get set!!!! Gotta to look for the spot on the flow once the music starts!!!!

The two finalists!!!

THE FINALISTS fighting for the first prize!

Price giving time!!

Then Makan time....was not keen to put their feet into water so they had their din-din here

Din-din on dry land

the dining pool

Wency (middle) our patient and manager of this place!

Our "FRIED KWEO TEO" CHEF

Another of the chefs

He does delicious ice kachang

Dr Loh (one of our Anaesthist and his daughter behind him..also our CSM BABY)

Dr Ng trying to teach us how to swim to our dining tables!!!

Koh-koh trying to search for a good spot

Mumsie took this photo from the upstairs dinnin room ..look in between the leaves you will be able to see Koh-kon's tble dining...

Enjoying their food....

Gosh mumsie got 'cold feet'

After din-din...more energy to 'flock' around!

? enoying themesleve????

Dadda and Dr Loh and gang were taken to the vegetable patch and herbal patch

Look at the amount of fruits up there!!

Then we gathered into the karoke room to fight it out....This is the Malay 'SONG' GANG
The 'ENGLISH SONGS' GANG

The Chinese SONGS GANG

After this is HOME SWEET HOME....the staff took home some "lucky draw" (in fact each and everyone got a "lucky draw" of either gift vouchers or micro-wave oven, fans ect ect other than the door gift...of goodies goodies...Wonder if they enjoy themselves but mumsie did have a good night.....

HAPPY NEW YEAR 2009!

Mumsie wants to wish everybody GOOD HEALTH, GOOD LUCK AND GOD BLESS!!!
AND MAY 2009 will be just as good if not BETTER than 2008!! (and before mumsie forgets Merry Xmas too....never too late eh?)

Well at loooong looooong last mumsie is back on the blog....Well as most of you already knows mumsie was away to Japan ..Hokkaido to be exact...mumsie 's 2nd trip to Hokkaido with mumsies littles ones and Dadda...

Mumsie must admit that after more than 20 yrs on hols mumsie has never seen so much snow before (of course it doesn't include mumsie's stay in UK (Leeds))
The last time mumsie went to Hokkaido was with KFC'S family, and mumise's mummy and one of mumsie's sister...and of course soome of mumsie's little ones and Dadda and mumsies really liked it.there ..the food and cleaniless and everything...so much so that everyday mumsie kept on telling dadda that mumsie doesn't mind coming back again....(USUALLY WHEN ONE IS ON HOLS well once is enough.) ..and as usual what mumsie plans....mumsie WILL DO....(DAY DREAMING IS NEVER IN MUMSIE'S VOLCABULARY!!)

So 2nd trip to HOKKAIDO... and with the same Tour AGENT...APPLE...(This time round mumsie source APPLE out via the internet...not via a middle man or travel agent!) WHAT WILL WE DO WITHOUT THE INTERNET??? And gotta know that this trip will be lead by their big BOSS DATO LEE! Gotta pay more ?much more dunno never ask....only heard from the APPLE that it will be BEST!! No itenary or whatever untill the day before you fly.....TRUST is the word!!

And the holiday???? Highly recommended to any body who wants to go to JAPAN FOR HOLS.
Go with APPLE....they really did a goooooooooood job!!!

The next trip will be to Scandinavia......Jordan....Latin America and the NORTH POLE...!!!
(Dato Lee promised us that as soon as he got the contact and enough clients...North pole is our next destination!!)

So once we touch down in JB....mumsie and dadda started to work work work..(needs $$$$$ to go to more hols) and mumsie needs to plan plan plan....make sure some of mumsies little ones are around...to go with us...(mumise's motto NO DAY DREAMING....WHAT MUMSIE plans.. MUMSIE will make sure that it materialised....NO MATTER WHAT...)