CNY Cultural & Heritage Celebration

Last Sunday I went to town for the CNY heritage celebration. It's held a little after CNY every year, but the last time I've been to such a celebration was more than 10 years ago. I couldn't remember much about what I saw that time, save for a lion dancer falling off a pole.

Don't worry, he got back up and completed the performance amid thunderous applause.

Anyway, fast forward till Sunday when I decided to check out the event that jammed up Georgetown.

I went early. So the streets were still pretty empty. The roads were closed to traffic.

Teochew Association. First stop.

Chinese Opera costumes on display in the Association.

Cheah Kongsi. The architecture is awesome.

The legendary Khoo Kongsi. Too bad the building was sealed off.

Seems the God of Prosperity was giving a speech in Khoo Kongsi.

Seriously, if you haven't been into these Kongsi-kongsis before, do go. It's like you're seeing ancient Chinese architecture in Malaysia. The structures were well-maintained and I enjoyed walking around inside.

Drinks, anyone?

Baba Nyonya performances at Poh Hock Seah.

I think that guy was singing in a language I did not understand.

Met Uncle Lim later that night. Only managed to snap this photo.

Later that night it got crowded. I mean sardines-in-a-can type of crowded. It got quite impossible to move around, so I decided to leave before the end of the event at 12am. It was quite an experience. Certainly worth going if you haven't been to the celebration before.

Some Photos from CNY

Here are some photos from my Chinese New Year. I've eaten so much for those few days I can barely type now. Haha! I tend to get lazy and rounder around festive seasons. So here are the photos with minimal explanation in between :P

Mandarin oranges at Ah Ma's house. I love those.

Cousin's son. I told him peaches are white inside. He said white's not a colour. Cute!

CNY snacks. Everything in that round thingie has a meaning. I know groundnuts represent a long and happy life. That's what Ah Ma told me.

I get this as breakfast every CNY. Eating this means you're a year older, says Ah Ma again.

Now that CNY is over, it's time to catch some sleep. Above all, it's also time to exercise and lose those extra kilos! So good luck on that!

Baking for CNY

My Mum makes the best butter cakes. I've grown up eating them every CNY but I never get sick of them. I decided to try my hand at baking this year. We needed a total of 3 cakes, and Mum decided I could mess one up.

No complains from me here.

So with some pointers from Mum, I went about the kitchen mixing flour and sugar and a whole bunch of other stuff. It's a pity I forgot to take photos of myself in action. I only have some photos of the final product.

That's my cake in the oven.

Unfortunately there was a miscalculation involving the heat, so the cake came out like this...

Okay it was little black on top, but the inside was just right.

In case you're wondering, that ugly cake tasted GOOD, and I'm not saying it just because I made it.

Since I have no photos of myself in action, I'll post some photos of my Bro in action. He was in charge of cake number 2.

Egg yolk and egg white, before.

SuperBro works magic with super noisy tool.

Egg yolk and egg white, after.

THAT WAS AMAZING!!! :O

I'm going to ask Mum for another baking lesson. Probably after CNY when we're not so busy. Hopefully I'll have better luck with the oven next time. Then, I'll open a chain of cake houses and retire with enough cash to buy a private island in Hawaii.

Yeah right dream on. Anyway Happy Chinese New Year and Gong Xi Fa Cai!

CNY Cookies!

Back when I did not understand calendars, I used to depend on these cookies to know that Chinese New Year is around the corner. They only appeared around CNY, so every time I saw them, I knew it was AngPow time :D

Some traditional treats, some modern ones.

The taller jar on the left contains Kuih Rose, also known as the "Beehive" in Hokkien. These can taste pretty bland, since they're basically just crispy pieces of rice flour. Fortunately though, the person who made these did a very good job, so I had a great time munching.

Next to it is the well known Kuih Kapit. If I'm not mistaken, they're also called Love Letters. It's a treat you may classify as old school. The jar in front has almond cookies in it. Bet they didn't have this 20 years ago?

CNY is coming to town!

The downside to buying cookies this early is by the time CNY arrives, we're left with less than half of what we bought. My bro and I have a good appetite for such stuff. We figured we should eat all we can, since we only see them once a year. I've got a feeling mom will have to visit the cookie lady a second time before the new year.

Lembu Nak Jaga?

I stumbled upon this on Facebook. A parody of Moves Like Jagger. Original song was by Maroon 5, featuring Christina Aguilera. Credits go to Twitterjaya for this video.

Notice how "moves like jagger" sounds like "lembu nak jaga" when sung.

How's this for Malaysian creativity? Not bad eh? :D

Siput and the Beach

Doing excavation work at the beach is always a good way to start the year. More so if you haven't been digging for clams (siput) for a long time. The downside is after the action, your legs hurt from the squatting. A lot. It's okay though. I could use some exercise after warming my seat at work 8 hours daily.

Yield for the moment.

Yield for the day. We filled about 2 inches of that pail.

Mr Fisherman has come home.

Love this photo! Twilight without vampires!

I'll have to grab every opportunity to go to the beach. After touching down in Australia I doubt I'll ever have the time to hunt for siput. That is, even if they do exist in Kangarooland. My new year's resolution is to enjoy every bit of Penang to the max before I leave for a year.

Wish me luck folks!