Begining in CNY

Begining in CNY

I am enjoying the moment, with a seaweed mask and total relaxation - after a series of days filled with mahjong, rummy, poker, cuisine, home cooked meals, soft drinks, talking loudly, laughing uglily and cramming with a total of 8 family members at our little condo unit in Sunway :-)

Chinese New Year is always the time for reunions, and ironically, separation (at least, by the end of reunions).

This year, some family members came over to KL since my family did not return to Sandakan. Despite the less humongous number of people to visit and catch up with, it was all good :-)

With Dad, it was:

hello to house-design obsession and healthy eating.

reunion with suppers and golf channel.

bye-bye to sloppiness in his room and wearing less than flattering shorts around the living room (with Mum being there 24-7 now)

With Mum, it was:

hello to roundness, 12-am cookies session and a reasonably smaller wardrobe space.

reunion with "clean up the toilet!", early morning gossip phone calls with my YiMa.

bye-bye to treadmill habit and the old fibre rule for fitness of hers!

With Sis, it was:

hello to 24-7 sms-ing, totally made-up her (grown up wei!) and platform heels totting her!?

reunion with mood swings, crappy jokes which I 'despise' *ahem*, morning sleep-ins.

bye-bye to late night chats and . . . . . quality time?

With YiMa, it was:

hello to yoga-obsession, a slim body and sms-ing!

reunion with closed eyes in pictures, her extreme love of pampering herself and infectious laughter.

bye-bye to gluttony-eating (most of the time) and Rummy-skills/luck!

With Aunt Bing, it was:

hello to nice skin and bombastic hair!

reunion with her extreme gossiping skills and early morning wailing of "Choo, wake up/ shower/ etc!"

bye-bye to moodiness and heavy eyeliner habit!

With Grandma, it was:

hello to fashionable tops and her behaviour at my 'friend' (as called by her).

reunion with home cooked exquisite dishes (wild boar meat/ sweet n sour duck) and loving touch.

bye-bye to . . . .fights with my Grandpa? Not much actually!

With cousin Choo Choo, it was:

hello to the sudden increase in height.

reunion with her chatterbox characteristic, lack of teeth, her fondness of sticking to me.

bye-bye to baby fat, quietness and shyness.

With Amanda, it was:

hello to permed hair and made-up her!

reunion with her panicky trait and high-pitched voice :-)

bye-bye to report-writing-grumpiness.

With Cheryl, it was:

hello to a coupled up Cheryl!

reunion with her professor-like voice and SLIMness.

bye-bye to shyness about relationships!

With Su-ee, it was:

hello to miniskirts/ girly tops and HUGE eyes!

reunion with her brand of sense of humour and various unique perspectives on things :-)

bye-bye to sciencey-geekiness!

With Mel, it was:

hello to Mel's voice (MSN all the way before that!)

reunion with her slightly shift when shy eyes!

bye-bye to nothing (first meeting between us!)

It was just a year.

But so much changed.

Not big changes for some.

But if one pays enough attention and care enough, it can be seen through.

Chinese New Year marks the begining of another year. It can be viewed as a marathon with the next CNY being the end point. During this period, we live, we love, we battle, we win, we lose - ultimately, we change. Instead of CNY being a time for evaluation of an individual, I prefer thinking of it as a time for one to remain grounded - by being close to people.