CNY 2008 @ Sitiawan

As i didnt get to spend Chinese New Year last year due to my transfer to Aussie, i was looking forward to this Sitiawan trip to celebrate CNY. Its been a while since i've seen all of my relatives together and celebrating an event together with them. =)

Yes i know this post is a little overdue. =P

My family and I was planning to start the journey from Penang at 8am during 除夕 (6th Feb 2008), but delays and late wake-ups pushed our journey start-up to 9am. Was expecting jams as it is the day everyone returns to their hometown. However, suprisingly, the roads were clear and the whole journey was smooth without traffic. =)

The reunion dinner was pretty good. All the food was prepared based on the theme of 老菜, which are the dishes my grandma used to prepare during CNY of the old days when my dad and uncle and aunties are still young. I would say that the food are all pretty good, something unique to us young generations who usually consume so call "city food" =P.

Food Preparation

Long-time-no-see Cousin Clara =P

Simple and Tasty - Chicken Gizzards (鸡胗)

Fried lotus root slices with meat in between it (莲藕片夹肉碎)

Steamed Chicken (白斩鸡)

Something with Cashew Nuts and Preserved Pork Sausage (腊肠)

Sea Cucumber (海参)

Fried BeeHoon

Salmon

Otak-Otak

Zai-Cai (斋菜)

Lou-Sang!

Lots of fun, chit-chats, and catching ups happening before and after the dinner. A very good moment for all us cousins and relatives to update each other on what's happening to our lifes at the moment =). And, of course, lots of fun with the two new members of the family, my nephew Timonthy and niece Lareina.

Lena trying, very hard, to feed Timonthy =P

Clara and the food.

SingSing, Clara, JiaHui, Me

Dad with Clara and JiaHui

Lecturing Session =P

Ah Pe, SingSing, Dad

Dad, Mum, BeeKuma

Me and Timonthy

Avin enjoying the food! =)

Eat Eat Eat

JiaHui and Lareina

"What you looking at?"

The next day (初一), we had another dinner, also something like a reunion dinner. But this time, we had it as steamboat and BBQ. =)

George BBQ-ing his pork while Avin looks.

The pork is marinated with a special recipe from Sarawak, tasted absolutely perfect. It is marinated along with the skin and fats, though fattening, but its worth all those extra kilos added into your body. Perfect perfecto.

Me cutting the chunk of meat into pieces

The meat, before being sliced.

The end product. =)

Anyways, that was the last night we spent in Sitiawan. Early morning the next day, we left Sitiawan and headed to Kedah to visit my mum's side of the family. Stayed a night there, and headed back to Penang the next afternoon, ending the CNY trip of the year. =)

More pictures from Sitiawan:

"Bl...ek"

Timonthy in the pool

Chilling and Chatting

Quite a nice CNY celebration i would say...as most of the family members are able to make it. Always the best time to have a reunion with all the loved ones in the family. =)