Don't Scare Your Neighbours
The other week, hubby had borrowed a mahjong table and a set of mahjong tiles from our neighbour upstairs (hubby's colleague came over for a quick game, itchy fingers they said). So just a few days ago, we returned the table and tiles to our good neighbour. Usually, as courtesy, it's always polite to give a heads up before we pop over to someone's house, right?

So we carried the table and tiles up to the 2nd highest floor. Upon reaching our neighbour's unit, we were surprised to see their grilles opened, with the padlock hanging, keys in the padlock, and the main wooden door was slightly ajar. We rang the doorbell, but no one answered. Eh?! We just SMSed them 5 minutes ago. press the doorbell again, takde orang kot~

We opened the grille and I pushed the main door open to take a peek inside. The living room lights were on. The kitchen was litted by the lights from the aquarium. I could hear the sounds from the traffic on the LDP as the balcony door was open, with a gust of wind blowing in. I shouted my neighbour's name loudly... "Mermie!... Mermie!..." No one answered. I shouted again, this time louder. Again no answer.

Where could they be? You don't just leave your doors open right? Hubby rang the doorbell again a few more times, and even shouted their names again. I walked into the house and checked out all the rooms. I was half expecting to see a body lying down somewhere HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!! Too much imagination I know :P But seriously, my heart was kinda pounding at that time lor. Did Mermie passed out somewhere? OMG where the heck are you people?!?!?!?!?

Strange. Ben's wallet was on the table. Mermie's handbag was on the couch. I caught sight of her mobile phone in the bag and picked it up. I was searching for her hubby's contact when I suddenly heard my hubby shouting outside at the corridors...

"Oooooiiii!!!! Where did you go laaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhh?????????"

It turns out, Benben had gone down to his car to bring something up. He had left the doors opened for us. I then asked him "But if you went down, where's your wife?!". He looked at me "Isn't she inside the house?"

".... Dude, we shouted both your names, rang the door bell gadzillion times, no one answered!"

"My house can't be that big, right?" *giggling*

So BenBen went around the house searching for his wife now, and it turns out... She was at the balcony THE WHOLE FRIGGING TIME!!! Mermie was playing with the little man-made pond and had decided to keep the balcony lights shut because it would scare the tiny prawns away. And due to the noise level from the traffic, she couldn't hear the door bell ringing NOR our shouts.

%$&#@*$%#&@$%&@%$#&$%@#&$@%#&$%@$#&%$#@

We bid our neighbours good night, and had a good laugh over the whole incident. Please don't scare your neighbours like that.

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English VS Bahasa Malaysia
I think it's really really ridiculous (not to mention fucking lame) that the debate of whether or not to continue teaching Maths & Science in English is causing certain groups to actually fight and submit memorandums. These people have their personal agendas, and the language is just being used as an excuse to create an opportunity to argue.

My heart goes out to all the students in school now. They're being used as guinea pigs for this little experiment, started by the Ministry of Education. And now everything is stuck in a cross-fire, and the ones feeling the most pain are not the politicians or the many protesting groups that have sprung up to protect whatever language they're protecting... But our Malaysian students themselves. The ones going to government schools and would later contribute to our economy and society.

I pity the lads really. They're being tossed about a dice.

During my school days, everything was taught in the national language, which is B.Malaysia (even the term was talked about among politicians, with some saying it should be B.Melayu instead of B.Malaysia). And then, some years back, the MoE decided to teach the subjects of Maths & Science in English, as a means to prepare our future leaders and globalisation. So, if you're a student now, Maths & Science is tuaght in English, while other subjects remain to be taught in B.Malaysia.

Now this idea didn't go down very well with certain quarters, for they felt the national language was being threatened. Threatened? In what way, I asked. Out of so many subjects a student has to take these days, only 2 are taught in English (not counting the English lessons ok). Yes, we're in Malaysia, and B.Malaysia is indeed recognised by all as the national language. But that's where things stop. Once you step out of the country, English is predominantly used and spoken.

These pathetic groups that have been protesting against the idea of teaching Maths & Science in English, I would have to say they have very shallow agendas and even shallower minds. We're supposed to be moving forward, not backwards. But maybe that's why their thoughts are backwards. They're not willing to adapt and embrace the future.

If they haven't noticed, our fellow leaders from the past, all studied in English. And they all, well, most of them anyway, turned out pretty well.

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Al-Fatihah
My deepest condolences to my dear colleague on the passing of her beloved mother. I hope she finds the strength to stay strong to weather this sad incident. Your friends are always with you, sweetie *hugs*. There will be no further blog posting today.

Read more about it here.

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Random Thoughts
I'm suddenly thinking of a lot of things... Not in any particular order...

Food.

Yoga.

Sex.

Work.

Boredom.

Sien-ness.

Love.

Ice-cream.

Snacks.

KFC.

Pay day.

Peace.

Mint.

What are you thinking of today?

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Garbage Enzyme - Part 2
Previously I blogged about our recent experiment on garbage enzyme, its process and benefits. So here's a little update on our little experiment.

After a day, we could see the gases building up inside the tightly closed bottle. Tiny bubbles were oozing to the surface. The plastic bottle was also quite hard when we tried to press it a little. And when we released the bottle cap slowly, we could hear a hissing sound. It's kinda like opening a bottle of carbonated drink. Pssssssstttttt~~~~ There's also a sourish smell from the fermentation process. It doesn't stink, but rather, the smell from the fermentation process is kinda similar to apple cider vinegar with a tinge of tangerine fragrance to it.

One is lonely, two is company, three's a crowd!

Over the weekend, we also made 2 more bottles of garbage enzyme, hehe! Leftover tangerines from CNY ma, might as well make use of them :)


The picture above shows the first bottle of garbage enzyme which we made last weekend. You could see some tangerines had sunk to the bottom of the bottle, mostly the tangerine skin. The tangerine flesh were all at the top and looking really swelled up. Both the skin and flesh were already looking rather mushy. Tiny bubbles were actually oozing to the top, but you can't really see them from the picture. The colour of the solution has also changed from a dark brown to a lighter brownish mixture.

Hubby's elder brother had been using the enzyme for a few months already, and he told hubby that ever since they mixed the enzyme with their cleaning detergent to clean their house, there are hardly any insects like ants or even lizards around. Sounds like a great repellent :D They would even pour 1 to 2 tbps of the enzyme into their bath water (they have those big water containers at home for the bath) and bathe using that water. The enzyme is said to be great for the skin, and even helps to reduce the sensitiveness.

I'll keep you guys updated on the first bottle in another week or so :D Till then!

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Benefits Of Garbage Enzyme
Some of my friends have been asking me about our latest garbage enzyme experiment. As Doc put it, eat full nothing better to do, play with rubbish XP (I'm not playing with rubbish!). After doing much reading about garbage enzyme, hubby and I felt that it's a really doable thing, so let's give it a go. I've extracted some information from the some of the websites I've read, hopefully it'll give you guys a clearer picture of what garbage enzyme is, the process, and its benefits to Mother Earth.

What is garbage enzyme?
Garbage enzyme is a complex solution produced by fermentation of fresh kitchen waste (fruits and vegetables), sugar (brown sugar, jaggery or molasses sugar) and water. It is dark brown and has a strong sweet sour fermented scent. Garbage enzyme is a multi-purpose liquid and its applications covers household, agriculture, animal husbandry etc.

Who developed garbage enzyme?
Garbage enzyme is developed by Dr Rosukon Poompanvong from Thailand. She has been actively involved in enzyme research for more than 30 years and encourages people to make garbage enzyme at home to ease global warming.

How does garbage enzyme help Mother Earth?
From day one you start making garbage enzyme, its catalysis process will release ozone gas (O3). O3 can reduce carbon dioxide (C02) in the atmosphere and heavy metal that traps heat in the cloud. Hence heat can be released from the Earth, reducing greenhouse and global warming effects. Enzyme convert ammonia to nitrate (NO3), a natural hormone and nutrient for plants. Meanwhile it converts carbon dioxide to carbonate (C03) which is beneficial to sea plants and marine life.

Image taken from www.03enzyme.com

How do you use garbage enzyme?
Garbage enzyme has multiple usages such as natural household cleaner, air purifier, deodoriser, insecticide; detergent; body care; car care: organic fertiliser, etc (wah so many usages!). It also acts as a natural pesticide against insects and bugs. The enzyme reportedly, can also release residues accumulated in the pipe of basins or toilet bowls.

Now that I've shared with you some of the benefits and usages of garbage enzyme, perhaps you can also try it and share your thoughts on the idea. Or if you've any experience on using the enzyme, do share with me as well. It's really a small part that every household can play, and it cost practically nothing (ok, maybe you have to buy brown sugar/molasses lah). And since it's beneficial not only to us but the Mother Nature as well, why not :)

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Garbage Enzyme - Part 1
I've heard about garbage enzyme, but never really made an effort to read up more about it. During the last CNY balik kampung with hubby, we heard from hubby's relatives about making their own garbage enzyme. It was like a rage in the northern states. After listening to them, hubby and I decided... Ok, let's do some research on garbage enzyme, and if it's doable, why not give it a shot, right? Since we live in a condo, it's impossible to have a compost, so this garbage enzyme idea was pretty interesting.

I did some research and found loads of information about garbage enzyme. It's said that several people had learnt the method from an alternative medicine practitioner in Thailand by the name of Dr Rosukon Poompanvong. Since then, these people have been spreading the method and educating the community about the benefits of garbage enzyme. Preparations to make your own garbage enzyme is relatively simple. Just follow this ratio:- 1:3:10

1 part brown sugar/molasses
3 parts garbage (fruits make an excellent choice i.e: oranges, lemon, pineapple etc)
10 parts water

Here's a few website to make garbage enzyme at home:-
http://www.o3enzyme.com/enzymeproduction.htm
http://garbageenzyme.com/

The Star Online also had an article on garbage enzyme here.

Oh tangerine~~~

This is our little experiment with garbage enzyme. We had quite a bit of leftover tangerines from CNY, so it was a good opportunity for us to try making our own garbage enzyme. You will need to use a plastic bottle, as the fermentation process will cause the bottle to expand (glass bottles can't expand, hence they are not a good option). We used a 1.5 litre plastic bottle.

After adding the brown sugar/molasses.

After you've mixed all the ingredients in the bottle, be sure the screw the bottle cap tightly and keep the bottle in a dry place, away from sunlight. For the first 30 days of the fermentation process, slowly release the bottle cap a little to allow the air inside the bottle to come out. After 30 days, the fermentation process would be stable, and you won't need to open the cap. And after 3 months, you simply filter the residue out and your enzyme is good to go (so says the websites).

Since this is our first experiment making our own garbage enzyme, I'll keep you guys updated on the fermentation process ya. As of this morning, we saw tiny bubbles forming already. I added 2 extra days to the fermentation process because I'm going by the 30 days calendar, and February is short of 2 days. I've read some other blogger's garbage enzyme experiment, and some even use dragon fruit!

I think it's a pretty good experiment too, as it's also beneficial not only Mother Nature, but also to one's way of life. Not all waste is suitable to make the enzyme of course (meat is not recommended, unless you want the fermentation process to stink like high heaven~).

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Mossie Zapper
Off late, the weather's been really hot and humid. And living in the state of Selangor also means that any one of us could be prone to being bitten by mosquitoes. Judging by the increase in dengue and chinkungunya cases, it's advisable that every one of play our part to ensure we protect ourselves against the pesky insect.

The condo unit we live in faces the pool, hence we don't really have much of a serious mosquito problem, unlike some of our neighbours whose unit faces the other side (where there's construction going on). But that doesn't mean we're free from the pesky insect. Hence, hubby and I went on a hunt for a mossie zapper!

Mossie zapper, made in China.

I bet many of you are familiar with this racquet-looking contraption. It's a pretty ingenius design and concept. The mosquito zapper, as I would like to call it. It's shape like a mini racquet, except that it's "strings" are actually wires. These racquets come in 2 types: the chargeable type and the battery-powered type. The one we got is the chargeable type. It even has a torchlight built in!

Blaaaattttzzzz!!!

This is a good option if you're not keen on using insect repellents or aerosols. You just wave the racquet to zap the damn mossies to death :P Bright sparks will appear when you've hit your target, plus a really loud BLATZ sound, HAHAHAHAHAHA!!!! I'd like to dub it as sadistic fun :PpPpP Ashes to ashes... There may not even be ashes left after you zap them buggers LOL!

You can get these mossie zappers from hypermarkets. We got ours from Carrefour @ Tropicana City Mall for about RM20.

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Kutu Terterbang!

Image from Inmagine.com

Olivia Having flied lice + mata kerbau for lunch :D.via Twitter

CM: kutu goreng and buffalo eyes?

Ginseng: No... kutu terbang + buffalo eyes

CM: kekekeke...i think its kutu terterbang

Oli: mixed buffalo eyes kutu terterbang rice sedaaaappp~~~!

CM: i oso had kutu terterbang for lunch

Ginseng: wah... hari makan kutu terterbang kebangsaan is today issit?

CM: yes... did u eat kutu terterbang today?

Ginseng: yes lor... but kampung style lor. vely 2 spicy!!!

Oli: kutu terterbang should be a national dish!!!

TW: I toke kutu terterbang pattaya style today.. kap pun kap.

CM: Hari Kebangsaan Kutu Terterbang

Oli: Feb 13 2009 - Hari Kebangsaan Kutu Terterbang!!! We lurve kutu terterbang!

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Valentine's Day : The Ultimate Showdown
Once again, V's day is upon us. Bouquets of flowers will go on sale. Teddy bears wrapped in glittering ribbons will be on display. Heart-shaped chocolates go on sale. Hotels and restaurants will advertise their romantic candle light meals and champagne. Ahhh~~~ The sweet gimmicks of romance~~~~!

I was listening to Fly.fm yesterday evening while waiting for hubby at the LRT station, and the deejays were talking about why women make a fuss about V's day, and they were asking people to call and give their opinions. During that duration I was tuning in, most callers were women lah. And they were all making a really big deal, and felt that women SHOULD make a big deal about V's day.

One caller even got very emotional, so much so I thought she was going to cry on air. She was going on about how V's day, to her, is a big deal because she expects her partner to actually put thoughts into doing something romantic, maybe surprise her, take her to dinner etc. Then she went telling the deejays that her partner is not really the romantic kind, not really into all these mushy stuff so she felt like she was missing out on something. And while she was sharing her thoughts, she sounded like she was choking. Another caller said she makes a big deal too, and went on to share that after 2 years of dating, her partner was not so into celebrating V's day so much now bla bla bla.

One caller, a guy, said his wife would actually remind him that V's day is coming up, dropping hints that he should think of something to do. Come Feb 1st, the wife will gradually remind him "Valentine's day is coming... Valentine's day is coming...!"

Stress betul...~~~!

The month of February, according to this site, has long been celebrated as a month of romance. There are a few versions of the story as to who St. Valentine really is, with no clear indication to which story is more accurate. Somehow, romance is involved, hence the celebration of February 14th.

If you ask me, V's day is not really a big deal. It's special because it's been commercialised to be a special day. Hey, it's big money here you know. Flowers especially, will cost a bomb for V's day. And if you go to a mall on V's day, you'll see many girls carrying bouquets all over the place (look at me! I got flowers! You don't HARHAR!). Restaurants will be packed to the brim on V's day. Everyone will be out and about.

I think V's day should be celebrated everyday, not just on a certain date. We should always treasure the people we have around us everyday, right? Hubby and I will not celebrate V's day on the actual day itself, mainly because everything will be expensive, food and service will suck real bad. We would rather pick another day and enjoy. Honestly, I would rather kick a fuss on my birthday, because that's MY DAY :P

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Twittering + Yammering + Pinging
Do the 3 words in the title sound strange or familiar to you? They're just some of the free stuff available for internet users when it comes to communicating. Well, not exactly communicating, more like, keeping in touch with people.

Twitter is essential, micro-blogging. You communicate via short messages to the question "What are you doing?". You're limited to 140 characters when you twitter *twit twit* Hence the term, micro-blogging. The twittering phenomenon is nothing new in the internet world. It's in fact, growing at a very fast rate and is possibly the next big thing to hit everyone. Not only can you twit to your blog, you can also install the application in Facebook, and keep everyone updated of your status. You can also follow your friends who are on Twitter, and get updated with what they're doing. You can follow me on Twitter here. I'm using Twitterfox to twit, so I don't have to open the website each time I twit. And my updates are reflected in Facebook as well as my blog (on the top left column). Pretty nifty, eh?

Yammer is similar to Twitter, but the difference is in Yammer, you're communicating within a closed organisation/network. Where else Twitter lets you blast out your twits to the whole wide world, Yammer is limited to the network you in (in my case, the company I'm working with). When using Yammer, you're also communicating via short messages. The concept is pretty much like your group MSN chats, except with some functions only available in Yammer, such as the usage of tags. In Yammer, you also communicate in short messages... although some of my colleagues do get carried away and start writing karangans... ish!

Ping.fm enables you to remotely update all your social networks all at once. It's like a 3rd party freebie, just post your messages here and skali gus, all your social networks like Facebook, Twitter, Friendster (do people still use Friendster?! HAHA!), Yammer etc will be updated. Ping.fm has a long list of social networks, and they're currently adding more from time to time. Talk about connectivity wherever you are!

What does these 3 freebies tell us? It tells us that the world is getting a whole lot smaller. We're connecting with each other and a very fast pace. We're all busy bodies. We want to know what our friends are doing. We want to be kept updated frequently. We can just use one outlet to type our thoughts/actions, press one little button, and within seconds, the whole world knows what we're currently thinking/doing.

It's a small world after all~~~

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CNY Dinner @ Pantai Seafood Village, Kayu Ara
We had a fantastic dinner with some close neighbours of ours over the weekend. We had a private room to ourselves and had a feast to remember. Luckily we got ourselves a room too (thanks to Elaine who made the reservations before CNY), the restaurant was pretty noisy and crowded.

Instead of ordering the usual CNY set dinners, we decided to go ala carte, more flexible to the selection of dishes. And thanks to the generosity of one neighbour, we all had a chance to try Australian snow crab meat plus drink some good champagne! Wuakakakaka! Now we have to call him Datuk liao!!! XP

Moët & Chandon - from Datuk Lampetpet.

Veuve - from Datuk Lampetpet.

Bubbling champagne~~~

Salmon yee sang. Lou hei ahhhhh!!! (RM 60)

From top: Lemon chicken (RM 28) for the kids, vege dish with brocolli (RM 25) and deep fried kailan (RM 25).

Deep fried pig's trotter. Yumzzzz!!! (RM 35)

River patin. Nice! (RM 60)

The much anticipated dish of the night: Australian snow crab! (thanks to Datuk again for sponsoring this dish!) (RM 433.20, RM228 per/kilo)

Mexican geoduck clam slices. Dip it into the pot of herbal soup to cook, and eat with Japanese soy sauce. (RM 243.20, RM 152 per/kilo)

Mango cheese cake for dessert, from cakesforkicks.com

The bill came up to a little over RM 1000, with Datuk Lampetpet sponsoring the snow crab dish (excluding the cake as well, as I bought it for everyone to enjoy). Such a generous neighbour... Thank you Datuk Lam! Ahaks! Oh, and the champagnes to!

The snow crab and geoduck clam were really a first time for most of us. The snow crab was cooked in this special broth, and its meat was really sweet! You have to eat the snow crab meat together with the broth, as the broth brings out the sweetness of the meat even more.

The geoduck clam was thinly sliced and served on a plate of crushed ice. There's a pot of boiling herbal soup, for which you dip the sliced clam into the soup to cook. You just lightly dip the clam inside a few seconds, then take it out and dip into Japanese soy sauce + wasabi to savour. Or if you can't stomach eating the clam semi-raw, just keep it in the soup longer. The texture of the clam varies depending on which side its from. Some parts of crunchier. The herbal soup tasted really sweet too.

And yes, be prepared to pay through your noses when you order these two dishes as they are exotic seafood selections XD

An extra note for you guys out there. Be sure to double check your bill when eating at Pantai Seafood Village. Upon checking the bill again today (I took pics of the receipt), I realised they had billed us for 11 bowls of rice, when we only ordered 3 bowls. My neighbour did indeed check the bill and he remembered seeing only 3 bowls of rice, but they billed us for the wet tissues which we told them to remove before dinner. They probably did a quick switch and caught us off guard. Quite unethical if you ask me. Another friend of ours said this restaurant has a rep for pulling a fast one on its patrons sometimes. So be careful ya.

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Popeyes Chicken & Biscuits @ TTDI, KL.
A group of us headed to Tmn Tun, to try this new fast food hangout. We suspected that Popeye could be under the KFC Holdings, but that's just our suspicion lah. Same tomato and chilli sauce bottle, same serving size of side dishes...~~~

No, I don't like Popeyes. Portions are small and miserable. Popeyes may be popular in the South (southern USA), but it sure as heck quite failed here. Ok, their mash potatoes and coleslaw could give KFC a good run. But that's about it that I can say good about Popeyes.

Personnels are still pretty chaotic, getting the orders mixed up. Overall, just not good lah. Tak suka. And somehow kidney beans with rice.... errmmm.... Ok, I'm not into the Southern ways of food staples. To me, food stuff like kidney beans and red beans, should remain in desserts :P

KFC 1 Popeyes 0

*Note: I just found out Popeyes did open in Malaysia a very long time ago, ahaks! Too bad, I don't remember them. But I do remember White Castle, wonder when they will make a comeback?

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Could It Be An Early Sign?
We have a 29" CRT Panasonic TV at home. Yes, a good ol' bulky CRT TV which we bought when we moved into our love nest back in 2005 :D Yes, I know we're in the age of LCDs and Plasmas. But at the time (2005), a CRT was all that could fit into our budgets without breaking our piggy banks. It's only an idiot box anyway, and we hardly watch TV when we're at home. Except for the local news maybe.

CRTs, though bulky, are also durable. They can last a long time, much longer than most LCDs or Plasmas, some say. The 29" Panasonic CRT TV in my parents' place is over 10years old! (Yes, we're Panasonic fans, if you must ask :PpPpP)

Now, off late, our trusty 29" has been acting up very strangely. I've never seen any other CRTs acting up like ours at home. I could be watching the news and suddenly... *blink*... the TV shuts off... then turns on by itself.

When it first started acting up, I thought the electricity had tripped or something. Then it happened again. And again. And again. At first it would only shut off and on once. Lately, it's been throwing tantrums more often, going on off a few times several minutes apart. What hubby and I would try to do is, we'll manually shut the TV off from the main power button, leave it for a few minutes, then turn it back on. That used to work. Now it doesn't *grrr*. So now when it starts acting up, I would simply use the remote to power off for a few minutes, then power it back on. And wa-lah! No more tantrums XP

We really don't know what's causing the TV to act so strangely. It's almost 4 years old, still young in terms of CRT lifespan I reckon. We don't leave it on standby mode at all, always shutting it down properly and turning off the main power switch too. Very little, if no abuse at all. Could it be some sort of sign, telling us a subliminal message i.e: get a new TV?

Once a while, while window shopping, we would walk into an electrical store and just look at the many LCDs & Plasmas available today. With prices dropping like flies, anyone would be tempted to get a brand new flat screen TV. Although in my opinion, flat screens look so much cooler if you're watching high grade DVDs or Blurays. Quite a waste if you're gonna be just watching terrestrial TV or Astro.

I remember a neighbour of ours, the first one among the gang to buy a 32" Plasma, which set him back 6 grand. That was about 2 years+ ago. Now you can get a 32" for under 2 grand. He can bang balls now HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!

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No More Cold Chestnut Drink?!?
Couple of weeks back I went to Vietnam Kitchen @ 1Utama, wanted to order my favourite drink, Cold Chestnut drink. Waiter said not available. Fine. I settled for the 6 Happiness drink.

Today, I went there again for lunch with hubby, and he ordered the same Cold Chestnut drink. Waiter said not available.

WTFWTFWTFWTFW!!!! How can it be such a coincidence that the kitchen can run out of the popular drink?!?!?!?!?!?

I asked the waiter, did they run out of stock, or is the drink permanently not available. He just answered it's not available. WTFWTFWTFWTFW!!!! The drink is still listed on the menu, and it's one of their top selling beverages!!!

BRING BACK MY COLD CHESTNUT DRINK!!! HOW DARE YOU REMOVE IT FROM THE MENU!!! HOW DARE YOU NOT SERVE IT!!!

Maybe my face not garang enough. I'm sending Fatty (my colleague) there to grill them nicely. Kekekekekekeke!!! Goooo Fatty! :PpPpPpP~~~

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CNY Stresses
Festive occasions are something everyone looks forward to... As well as the emotional stress it brings along. I think it happens to everyone. Every year, we have to figure out what sort of gifts to give our parents/families. Would they like it? Would they use it? It's big business for places like Eu Yan Sang. And after making the purchases, we pack our bags and head back to our hometown (in my case, it's my hubby's hometown).

Let's not forget the red packet preparations too. The various allocations of denominations, depending on their rankings, ahaks!

This is my experience and how typically, hubby's household celebrates CNY every year. Note that I'm not poking fun nor insulting the family. It's just different from the type of CNY I've been accustomed to.

Typically, some prayers would be done on the eve of CNY, around lunch time. His stepmum will then do some paper burning (CNY oso burn, Ching Ming oso burn, so much of pollution...). Then it's steamboat for lunch. And steamboat for the reunion dinner at night (which, I reckon, is the culture up north). I don't always agree with how his stepmum prepares the food. You know how defrosting and refreezing raw food can lead to some form of food poisoning sometimes (which was I went through last CNY, lausai case a bit). It'll be steamboat for the next 4-5 meals.

The house was really dusty this year, I guess they didn't spring clean the house. Which spelt bad news for me because all the dust made it difficult to breathe, especially at night. The air was stale. Couldn't open the windows at night because of mosquitoes, so the room was virtually sealed. I couldn't sleep well, which resulted in an aggravated throat by the 1st day of CNY. The 1st day of the lunar month was spent in his grandma's house, along with several other relatives, many of whom I probably only see once a year. Dealing with shrieking volumes is something I do not look forward to. And of course, the occasional relatives talking behind your back (since I don't speak their dialect much, they figured this KL chick is different. Little did they know I do understand basic words... Eh, she doesn't speak our dialect? Where she from? Ohh, KL huh? That explains.)

I badly wanted to go back to KL by the 3rd day, my nose was suffering from all the dust and smoke in SP. I was beginning to have a slight cough as well, no thanks to the dusty place. However, I had to persevere for we had plans to meet up with some friends on the 4th day in Penang. The 4th lunar day was probably the highlight. Spent it in Penang with some close friends. Had good ol' Penang food.

The next day we packed and headed back to our home sweet home. My cough was getting from bad to worse. By late evening, I was coughing until I vomited, tears streaming down my cheeks. Saw the doctor that evening and was prescribed some really strong medicine as well as some crystal menthol to inhale (Doc said it's a viral cold, starting from the nose. Which made sense cos of all the dust back in SP). The very next morning, I woke up with a fever, body was aching all over. Went back to see the good doctor again for some fever medicine. Overheard some parent at the clinic asking about dengue fever, as he had no clue just how dangerous dengue fever really was. Goes to show many are still very much ignorant about the dangers of dengue fever.

Spend the weekend recuperating at home. Also merajuk a lot to hubby (see what your house did to me! *sulk* *whine*). Hubby also kesian me, for he went through the same thing last year CNY (jatuh sakit from the same reason, dusty room & house). I'm gonna make sure he talks to his family about spring cleaning the entire house every year. Heck, it's CNY wei. Everyone should clean their houses and keep them clean all the time, right?

The next time we make our way back to SP, I'm so gonna bring face masks along! Heck, if the house is going to be so dusty every year, I rather not make the journey back. I'm putting my foot down on this.

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