Labbit Flens

Okie lah I think this should be the last of the CNY installments :D

I miss home so much, the mobility, the ease of mind and the contented belly.... :)

Sa zhap meh, dinner at a restaurant behind our house. All of us sort of decided to eat out because preparing food just isn't going to be easy on the remaining ones in SP, plus there is only ten of us having dinner that night :( Our number seems to be getting smaller and smaller...

Our family, minus Su Jen! It must have been more than a decade since we have taken a proper family photo! Kak SerJen cepat balik ah then we get a proper studio shot :D

This picture really occurred to me, how much I resemble Papa while Su En, mom.

Best aunties... Tua Ee really getting absent-minded! Hehe... we had to discuss, re-discuss about our dinner plans during the CNY so many times. But nevertheless, Tua Ee is my gateway to great nonya dishes! Don pray pray... when Ah Ma was getting weaker, Tua Ee was the one cooking. Ah Ma used to complain that Tua Ee doesn't give proper details to her cooking hehe, but that's how Ah Ma is, chef extraordinaire, to the smallest details.

It was a dinner like at a wedding... got old man hollering on the karaoke set in the background (in this case, more like in the foreground hehe), the usual 8 dishes. Food was not bad but the restaurant has made some really weird dinner arrangements, like, drinks are not provided. We were only given 2 bottles of sparkling juice. The waiters there were so busy that when our jug of tea finally arrived, we were already on our third dish.

First round photo of Sar Zhap Meh! Pickles look so saddddd! I think age is really getting to her liaw :( She's not quite the wriggly dog that jumps all over the place. Even Sien Ee commented that Pickles not so "cacing gila" oredy. Anyways when I was setting up the camera to timer shot, and everyone is standing in position, Pickles I think she was starting to feel left out or somewhat clueless and she went and sat right in front, facing the same direction as everyone else! Heheheh was really adorable but too bad I didn't get a shot of that.

Sisters jabbering away

First day CNY was a quiet affair, Tua Ee and Sien Ee came over early and then both Su En and I were over to Ah Ma's place later for the buah petai and perut ikan's labour work...

Ah well, 2nd day of CNY has far interesting events to report hehe. As the majority of work has been done the day before (ie the Pyramids-of-Giza-scale-perut-ikan). Su En wanted to make 'miang khan' which is a Thai appetiser. I was uninterested to help hehe so only Mom and Su En were at the market while I spent my time playing zombies and bathing Pickles again I think.

Our dinner that night is a buffet style dinner of sorts. Filled with some of my favoritest items! I think I prefer this way better.... than eating out, that is. Also a good opportunity to cheat Tua Ee into teaching me all sorts of dishes hehe.

Slaving in the kitchen for over 3 hours with the following results.

Su En's version of salted egg prawns. Boleh tahan lah noh.

Miang khan. Hmm... definitely needs improvement. Not a total failure though I think the sauce is a bit different from the ones we used to have hehehhe.

And the pyramids of Giza scale dish... that has been sitting overnight... each bite of the perut ikan has wholly infused flavors... I can't even describe how good it is :)

I name you my top favorite dish lah!

Tu Kha Sui

Unlike its darker counterpart Tu Kha Cho, TKS is a spicy-sour affair. MCC's nephew-in-law loves this one to bits.

Our quaint little buffet table :) Small but packed with goodness! This is where I yearn, great food that I love with people I adore.

Clockwise from 12 o'c - Perut Ikan | noodles to go with perut ikan | Tu Kha Sui | Salted Egg Yolk Prawns | Steamed Herbal Fish | Sambal Petai (got extra one dish but I still sapu this one lah, paiseh hehe) | Sien Ee's Kerabu Bok Nee | the not-so-popular Ong Lai Pajelis which Ji Ee bought | another bowl of Tu Kha Sui | Mom's frequently-mentioned and force-snapped photos Acar Hu and Cucumber.

If you're not salivating already, you either feed yourself through where normally food goes out; or you're a rabbit.

Gluttons Alert!

The very talkative and super funny sis-in-law of MCC, Linda Chi! Brought us all close to tears from laughing that night. Here, she states that she is trying to cheat those to lau lang hehehhe.

The guys acting cool and stayed well out of we girls punya gossip circle hehehehe.

Yummers!

When Linda Chi and family are about to leave, I insisted on a group photo, but alas, Ah Koo dunno already cabut go where so again, this year kurang one more person. This Ah Koo can't seem to sit still enough for a family photo hmmph.

Yeay! Decent family photo, but Pickles is not in! We didn't bring her over that night because Mom said MCC's in-laws may not like dogs :( Just as well, I suppose, cause Pickles sometimes gets too over-excited I fear she may hyperventilate.

Check out the attention hehe...

Linda Chi relating all sorts of stories for us... mostly paranormal stuff she's encountered. She has the greatest PR skill that I have ever come across hehe... Taught us a load of stuff during traveling and street-smart points, at the expense of me getting goosebumps throughout heheehe.

Mom and Tua Ee laughing. Such a pleasure to watch :D

And finally (my eyes are starting to droop) a mini Convent reunion.

Those girls haven't changed one bit! And for that I am glad. Too soon, I am forced to go back to the congested concrete jungle of KL. May the Year of the Rabbit brings all of us much needed Happiness, Fortune, Prosperity, Health, Wealth and Contentment!