Lunisolar New Year.

Call it Chinese New Year, Lunar New Year or Spring Festival. It's referring to the same day as this day is celebrated by so many culture. To call it Chinese is a little too specific. I prefer to call it the Lunisolar New Year, because really, the calendar is based on the moon phase and solar years. Here's my 9 days of long celebration.

Saturday

Doing my annual Spring cleaning. Funny how we call it Spring cleaning when there's really no Spring in Singapore at all. It's therapeutic to throw a lot of old and useless stuff. As I go thru my stuff, I wonder what prompted me to keep these stuff in the past. The only thing that I would keep is personal cards written to me. Hopefully they'll be with me till the day I die. Then my children and grandchildren can have a glimpse of who I was when I am younger. I think I need a bigger box. The current one is almost overflowing with cards.

Reunion Dinner

This year, it's me and Mom and Dad. All my sisters are married (Jasmine being the most recent) and have their own reunion dinner with their husband's family. I am not so good at creating atmosphere over the table. At times like this, I wish my sisters are around to make noise around the table. Maybe next year I can organise a steamboat dinner and invite my sisters and brother-in-law back to have a noisy dinner together.

Late nite communion at Eric's

Since the 1st day of CNY is on a Sunday, church has decided to conduct services in the homes, and the time and day to be determine by the groups themselves. We took communion after a sharing from Eric.

1 day of New Year

Lots of house visiting with my relatives.

Dinner at the Loo's

2 day of New Year

More house visiting.

I decided to open up my house and invited friends over for steamboat dinner. Steamboat dinner was quite a success because we manage to finish up all the food.

After dinner, the house was reconfigure for Mahjong and other games. I was playing BANG! At about 12 midnight, some of them decided to leave. There were 5 brothers who stayed. And we played BANG!! till 330am.

3rd day of New Year.

Slept in till 12pm. Today is gathering at my sisters place. THis year, the centre of attraction is Charmaine and Louis newborn baby girl Zhuo Xun. Sharon is in Melaka celebrating her own birthday with her family, so she miss out this year's sibling gather. After Charmaine and Louis, we hopped over to Jocelyn and Kim place where the mahjong game starts. I took over Kim for a few games. Luck was coming my way, I won Wu Tai Zi Mo (max win). That was exciting.

Secondary School Classmate gathering.

Yishun initiated a gathering this year. Since she is a mother of 1 girl and due for delivery in a few month, I suggest to gather at her place. I was a small gathering but it was good. I haven't seen some of them for a decade. I had a great time reconnecting with my good old pal especially Guohui and Fucai. He didn't change a bit!! Scary isn't it, come to think of it. Well, he made the same comment about me too. But I don't think that is totally true. I know I look alot more mature now.

4th Day of New Year

Today is Daddy's day. I spend the morning checking out the newly open Dairy Farm Nature Reserve with dad. It is connected to the Bukit Timah Nature Reserve. That's my favourite way to get time with dad.

Dad grew up in a Kampong so he is very familiar with flora. He can recognise a lot of them. If you walk along parts of the nature reserve especially on the cycling trails leading to the rock climbing cliff, most of the flora you see are "kampong" vegetation. Dad said most of these are planted by previous residence. Meaning to say that the trails were previously part of a Kampong.

I think I can recognise tapioca and rubber tree. I also know how to spot the leaves use from wrapping rice dumpling.

On the ride home, we were talking about the concept of currency exchange. I remember when I first learn about the difference in currency, I was quite clueless. Why is it that my 1 SGD when use in China becomes 5Yuan. One more amazing fact I learn from dad about Sing Dollar and Malaysia Ringgit. Do you know that as late at 1986, the exchange rate from SGD to RM is 1 for 1? I thought there was a disparity soon after Singapore gain independence and produce her own currency.That was only 24 years ago. Imagine someone who parked 100,000 SGD in Malaysia can now withdrawn 240,000RM. Check that out.

Another trivial here. Sing Dollar and Brunei Dollar is interchangeable.

Fifth Day of New Year

Slept in again. Then went to pick up bus ticket from Transnasional offiice on Lavender St. Spent a lot of time packing my stuff. Later on, met up with Zach and Victor to depart for our trekking trip to Berkelah Waterfall.