First day of Chinese New Year
Year of the Boar
Ok, must start from the impt reunion dinner first.
We didn't have to be alone! The Korean lady from church who is such a wonderful chef invited us to her hse for dinner Sat nite again. The same lady who invited us to her house for New Year's Day dinner.
This time she prepared something like our Popiah but the ingredients and wrap are totally different. The wrap is made of rice, transparent and doesn't tear when wet. The ingredients included fresh oysters, prawns, pork, apples (yes!), garlic, cucumber slices, cabbage leaves, mint leaves, parsley, bee hoon and her babelicious yummy super ultimate sauce. I think it contains chili, garlic, soya sauce and maybe peppers and other spices. Spicy and tangy and salty, very drool-worthy.
Surprisingly the apple slices went well with all the seafood and raw veggies! It gave a nice sweet flavour which was refreshing. I asked her where to get the wrap already and will definitely try and do it myself at home.
We talked quite a lot and both my sons managed to entertain themselves with Spongebob on TV until they got tired and cranky, then we left for home. I forgot to take pictures and kicked myself when we reached home. I think I enjoyed every minute and was so engrossed with the way to wrap and eat, then with the conversation topics that I forgot...
ok, then fast forward to Sunday. Throughout the week I had been trying to decorate the house as best as I can to create some kind of atmosphere for the kids. I am afraid they forget these festivals and customs when we return. Then everyone will surely label them as "bananas"-- (yellow skin but white interior). Don't want that to happen...
So I fished out the ang pow paper my mom-in-law and mom sent as well as some I brought over myself. Strung them up, hung them up, displayed all the CNY cards. and cos they're a bit pathetic, i added on the cards you all gave me at the airport and also Val Day Cards. :-) Play "spot-your-card" game in the photo!
ALso I had photos of all those in Singapore on my walls. There are my recent graduating classes, 05S73, S75, S78 and S7B. Church photos, Ganma and Titus photo, family photos (dh clan and my clan), Hwa Chong trs photos, other friends' photos...
ANd then I brought S75's gift, the one they told me they made specially so I could pack it in my luggage cos it can fold and so on... So i hung it up, together with the Senior Prom Mag (can see it below the S75 montage?)
And of course, the goodies, traditionally presented in round container with segments? Oh ya, I have haw flakes from my sis too. hee hee. And chewing gum from Japan.
And on SUnday morning, we dressed ourselves up. The kids stole the limelight, naturally, with their bright Chinese costumes. Mary, here's the family photo outside the house you wanted, finally! :-)
Took another one in church, on the pew.
Then for lunch, we were invited to the Strickler's. She's ds2's Wed Bible class teacher and he's the one who fetched all of us from the airport on Dec 28 last yr. With all these visitations, it kind of seems like CNY! Thankful to them who so kindly invited us. The hostess wanted us to tell them all about CNY and CHinese traditions and customs too.
We had Cornish Game Hen for lunch, with rice and veggies. Lovely. And a lime pie for dessert. Her house was beautiful too... another different sort of beauty from yesterday's Baby shower venue. Hers was homely, and the decor seemed to have a lot of sentimental value. There were quilts made by herself, her hubby's great grandmother, mom and so on...
