Welcoming The Tiger

The Blessed Four (from bottom, clockwise)- Almond Cookie, Peanut Cookie, Pineapple Tart and Chocolate Cornflake Cookie

One and a half weeks ago when I returned from Singapore, Chinese New Year was the last thing on my mind. Catching up on my sleep and getting the household back into the normal routine was. We had also quickly restarted our search for a better school for KK.

Now, as all of us began to settle back and we've more or less made a decision about KK's school, Chinese New Year, the most important festival for us Chinese, comes into focus. I'm not a very traditional person typically and down here, it's easy to just pass over the season without any hype or fuss. Already, only my second CNY in Australia, I feel I'm getting lazy. But I still hold on to that last bit of stubbornness that this festival must not be lost to my next generation. Afterall, Chinese New Year is part of what it means to be Chinese. There are some traditions that we must still uphold and creating memories are the greatest ways to make sure these traditions are passed on.

I remembered when I was a child, I loved wearing the new pyjamas after we bathed on New Year's Eve night. Even when we became older, my mom would make sure that every year, she'll sew some new nighties for us. She would also change new bed sheets. And of course, the next day, we'll wear brand new clothes. On New Year's Eve, she'll make a vegetarian dish late at night, so the next day, we'll have vegetarian for lunch. Up till now, I'm not sure of the significance of the vegetarian dish but it's just yummy, that's for sure. I would like my children to think back when they are grown up and have fond memories of how they spent their Chinese New Year when they were young.

Thus the baking of new year goodies began. Chocolate Cornflake Cookies, Almond Cookies and Peanut Cookies. Together with a jar of homemade pineapple tarts that my sister had given me and half a kueh lapis bought from Bengawan Solo, I think I'm pretty set up for visitors who might wish to visit me on 14 Feb. Just need to get some soft drinks and chill lots of ice!

Spring cleaning wise, I'm not very particular. (Where we are, at the southern hemisphere, it should be "Autumn" cleaning, technically.) The house will be kept, as per our usual schedule and standard. This is something that I'll not stress myself over though I'm aware of the significance and loved the idea of welcoming a new year with sparkling windows and speck less light bulbs. But if it's just a one person effort and everything has to be spic and span just before the big day, I'm practical enough to admit I'm not up to it. I'm not even sure if I'll change my bedsheets, considering it's just been done less than 2 weeks ago when we returned. As for packing up my closet and organising the clothes, I've been wanting to do that since last year. I guess I'll eventually do it when we have to move out. Well, we did vacuum the car today and I gave my laptop a good wipe yesterday, so that should count.

New clothes. The junior department is pretty easy to handle. For my boys, I just have to dig into my "stock". I've built up a decent collection of new clothes, mostly birthday and christmas gifts, just waiting for the right occasion and for them to fit into. This year, I realised that KK does not have a set of new pyjamas while XX has got 2 sets. We went shopping today and that has been settled. As for us adults, I'm at a dilemma. The children can justify getting new pyjamas every year as they do outgrow their old ones. But for us adults, it just adds on to our overcrowded wardrobe if we were to follow this tradition. Worse, with the 4 seasons in Australia, Hubby and I've accumulated sleepwears of different lengths and thickness, that I really feel I shouldn't be adding on unnecessarily. In the end, I bought myself a pair of sleep shorts. Cheap, small, cute and most importantly NEW...;-p

Looking forward, I think the year of the Tiger will be an exciting one for our family. It will be a year of new beginnings and I pray it'll be another peaceful, happy, healthy and prosperous year. Not just for us, but also for our family, friends and all of you readers out there, wherever you are.

恭贺新喜, 万事如意, 身体建康!