Wishes for 2019

As 2018 draws to a close, I want to thank everyone for being a part of my life. 
Here's a photo I took which nicely represents the hopes I have for all in the new year. 

Wishing all my friends, my colleagues (past and present), my students, and my family (local and overseas) a Wonderful New Year in 2019! 

Chinese New Year's Eve 2017

It is the eve of Chinese New Year 2017. 
Time for our steamboat reunion dinner. :) 

Our own version of Lo Hei (seasoned seaweed, jellyfish and scallops) 

Chinese New Year's Eve 2015

My mother was busy since morning, preparing a number of dishes for offerings to our ancestors and also for our consumption on the 1st day of CNY as we have vegetarian food on the 1st day of the month. She didn't have to prepare much for the reunion dinner because we are having steamboat. She only had to prepare the broth for the steamboat, and prep the seafood, e.g. fish and squid. Something new for this year, she smoked the chicken instead of steaming it for our reunion dinner. It was delicious! :)

New Year's Eve, Cats and Food

It's New Year's Eve. I was invited to my friend, Vanessa's New Year's Eve dinner at her place. A small gathering of 10 people, nice and cosy. 
The food was good, the company was good and the cats are wonderful! :)

Chinese New Year's Eve 2014

It is Chinese New Year's eve 2014. The girls are at home because their school has declared today a school holiday because of the excellent results for PSLE 2013 and O level 2013. Yes, their CNY holiday is 5 days long!
In the morning, my family prayed to my ancestors and asked for their blessings for the year. In the evening, we had reunion dinner at home as always. :) Being practical, we feel it is not worth it to be fleeced by restaurants for dishes with over the top prices just because it is the Chinese New Year and it is also uncomfortable to eat within a time limit because of the crowds. For us, it is so much easier and comfortable to have dinner at home as we always have steamboat. :)

Preparing the Yu Sheng with seasoned seaweed, jellyfish and scallop

Yu Sheng all done up :)

Home-cooked steamed chicken and steamboat soup

Steamboat

After dinner, we just relaxed and watched television. Actually, it feels like any normal day lol. Oh yes, I gave out red packets to my parents and the girls, and also to our domestic helper. :) The next two days will be busy with visiting family and friends as well as hosting family and friends who come visiting.

New Year's Eve 2013

On the last day of 2013, I had Big Brunch Breakfast at Revolution Cafe, hoping it will inspire me to have revolutionary thoughts and resolutions for the new year. :P 

My Babycino with HUGE marshmallow - Sugar overload :)

Sour dough bread, scrambled eggs, bacon and sauteed mushroom - Food for the body, soul and thoughts lol

Nope, no revolutionary thoughts and resolutions yet but had very happy and sated thoughts after the brunch. :)
I was invited by my neighbour (former) and friend for New Year's Eve dinner at her house. It was an amazing meal with lots of home-cooked goodness - both main courses (beef, ham, chicken, vegetable curry, salad) and desserts (brandy fruitcake, summer pudding, chocolate cake)! The company was great too. Although it is the first time I met majority of the guests, it was a fun group to hang out with. :) I also managed to hang out with my friend's three lovely cats! :)

It is a really great end to 2013! Farewell, 2013.

Chinese New Year Eve 2013

It is our tradition to have our reunion dinner at home because it is more cosy and you can have dinner any time you want and for however long you want it to last. No need to fight with the crowd in restaurants, no need to eat in shifts, no need to pay extra. :) 
We always have steamboat for our reunion dinner. It is fun to cook your own food lol.There is also less wastage of food because you cook what you can eat and there aren't many left-overs. The soup, after all the food (pork, vegetables, fish, prawns, squid, fishballs) have been cooked in, is the best-tasting thing ever. :P

 

New Year's Eve

It is the eve of New Year. In another 3.5 hours, it will be New Year 2013.
Have you decided on your new year's resolution(s)? If not, there is still some time to reflect and think about what you want to achieve in the coming new year. 
I have decided on my new year's resolution. It is also a promise made to a good friend. I will do my best to achieve it. I really hope I can achieve it! :)

Chinese New Year's Eve 2012

It is the eve of Chinese New Year. Every year, my parents would follow the same routine. In the morning, it is praying to the ancestors and asking them to protect us, their descendants. In the evening, it is reunion dinner. Every year, it is steamboat lol. Being older, the girls are now enjoying steamboat more, especially cooking their own food.

Our reunion dinner with the ingredients for the steamboat and the Yu Sheng with abalone lol

Eve of Rabbit Year

The girls have an extra day of rest because their school declared today as a school holiday. The girls were extremely happy. But I wanted them to complete their homework first before they have fun. That's my fun lol. :P
For our reunion dinner, we have our usual steamboat. The girls, being older now, enjoyed cooking their food. :) Since we don't have to wake up early to go visiting tomorrow, I allowed them to stay up late tonight to watch the CNY programmes.

Last Day of 2010

It is the last day of 2010. We decided very late to eat out for dinner. We made reservation at Blue Potato, Merchant Court Hotel. The girls were happy to eat out. :)


After dinner, we went home to watch the Countdown to 2011 on tv. We could hear the fireworks, "boom, boom, boom" but our apartment was facing the wrong side so couldn't see the fireworks live. At least we had surround sound for the fireworks lol. :P

Chinese New Year's Eve

It is the eve of Chinese New Year. For most ethnic Chinese, it is the culmination of the preparation of the past few days (and weeks even!). There has been lots of spring cleaning, buying of new clothing items for the Chinese New Year, buying of Chinese New Year goodies for family and friends (and for home), preparing the Ang Baos (红包) and preparation of the reunion dinner.

In the evening, we had our reunion dinner at home. My parents believe that we should always have reunion dinner at home and not at a restaurant. They feel it is more meaningful this way so they didn't mind the trouble of buying the ingredients and the cooking of the dishes. This year, we didn't have steamboat, instead my mother prepared and cooked dishes such as fish, chicken, prawns, double-boiled shark fin's soup with abalone, and various vegetables.

After the reunion dinner, I was buying preparing and packing the Ang Baos (a traditional practice) for my parents, my girls and for children when we go visiting during the Chinese New Year period. I gave the Ang Baos (红包) or also known as 压岁钱 (Ya Sui Qian) to my parents and my girls for good luck in the new year. We watched some of the special programmes celebrating Chinese New Year. There is a Chinese traditional practice called 守岁(Shou Sui) (usually practice by Chinese in China and Taiwan). It occurs when members of the family gather around throughout the night after the reunion dinner and reminisce about the year that has passed while welcoming the year that has arrived It is believed that children who Shou Sui will increase the longevity of the parents. I have no problem staying up past 2am lol. :)

Tomorrow is the First day of Chinese New Year. We will be going visiting. It is going to be a long day. :)

New Year's Eve

Accomplished a number of tasks on the last day of 2009
1. Sent out Happy New Year greetings to my mentors and friends
2. Sent out my revised chapters to my supervisors
3. Sent out the enbloc letter
4. ... ...

The rest, I think I will leave for the new year lol. As for now, just let me relax and enjoy the last few moment of 2009 in peace, quiet and reflection. :)

Chinese New Year's Eve 2009

It is the eve of Chinese New Year. We stayed home most of the day.

In the late morning, we paid respect to my ancestors. After that, I started working on revising my dissertation. That took up most of my time. In the late afternoon, we went out for a while to get drinks for our reunion dinner. Just before dinner started, we spoke to my brother and his family. The girls had fun seeing and talking with their cousins via the webcam. Our reunion dinner is the usual steamboat. Now that Marieann is older, she could get to boil her own food in the steamboat which she found was a thrill. :)

After dinner, I packed the red packets. Before everyone went to bed, I gave my parents and my girls their red packets. The girls were really happy to get their first red packets, not just from me, but from their grandparents too.

I stayed up late into the night, way past midnight, for two reasons: one, to pray for good health for my parents and two, to continue working on my dissertation. Killing two birds with one stone. :)

New Year's Eve Dinner

I was supposed to put up this post before the New Year greetings post but was too full to do anything, lol. Anyway, here is it now, a day later. :)

We had our New Year's Eve dinner at Carousel, Royal Plaza on Scotts Hotel. It was $88 per adult and $50 per child (5 - 12 years old). We arrived around 7:05pm. The girls were really excited with the party hats, the party masks, etc. I think those things attracted their attention more than the food whereas I was more interested in taking photos of the food, hahaha.

There were Salad bar, Sushi bar (sushi, sashimi, cold soba, chawanmushi), Seafood counter (lobsters, spanner crabs, crayfish, mussels, scallops, oysters, etc), Asian buffet counter (Chinese, Malay, and Thai dishes), Western buffet counter, Pasta counter, Roast counter (turkey, beef, roasted potatoes, Yorkshire pudding, roasted carrots, etc) and the indulgent dessert counter (cakes, puddings, chocolate fondue, fruits, ice cream, etc). Some highlights of the buffet, lol.

We took our time having dinner. For once, the girls were really cooperative and let us eat in peace, lol. I think, like me, they were also most fascinated with the dessert counter, lol. But we put our foot down, they have got to have hot food first before having their desserts. Here are some of the delicious food that I had.



The seafood was succulent, tender and fresh! They were tasty on their own without the need of any sauces.


Mediterranean Seafood Broth (on the left) and Crab Bisque (on the right). I preferred the bisque, it's more tasty and aromatic.


The various salad and cold cuts: foie gras, shrimp salad, mussel salad, etc.



Western: roast turkey, Yorkshire pudding, various roasted vegetables, seafood in garlic sauce, etc.


Asian: slipper lobster in black pepper sauce, duck in green curry, scallops and asparagus in XO sauce, braised shark's fin soup.




Desserts: various cakes and puddings (chocolate pudding, bread & butter pudding, pineapple crumble, crepe, etc). Most sinfully sweet. :P

Before, during and after the dinner, we managed to take some photos on this last day of 2007.









We finished dinner around 10:30pm and we went for a drive along Orchard Road for the girls to see the fairy light decorations. The girls were pretty enthralled with all the pretty lights. Unfortunately, I couldn't get good photos of the fairy lights from within the moving car. :P Maybe before they take the lights down, I should walk along Orchard Road to get the best photos, lol.