Chinese New Year is like a rountine for me. And this year is no difference.

I woke up late because I only slept like at around 3 or 4 am on New Year Eve. So at around 10, I finally dragged my lazy arse out of that so warm cocoon of blankets. My mother would have been preparing to go to our maternal relatives, you know, packing the ang baos, preparing for the feast for dinner when our paternal relatives arrive. Whatever. So I bath and get ready to leave while my brothers sleep in for a longer while.

Finally at say 11 plus, we're all presentable and stuff. Then we swipe the closest oranges to exchange for the red packets which also is a predictable amount that I shall not disclose. Then we can head out.

We'll reach Hougang at around 12 plus and have lunch there. And then sit around and look bored. Because my cousins don't tend to socialise with me, I don't know why... they'll just be in the rooms, playing blackjack and... I will be outside, like an outcast. I think they don't like me or something.

This year, I noticed that there are three people that I have never seen before... and I sat there, wondering whose kids are these and how on earth have I never seen them. Luckily, light was shed upon this mystery. And yeah, I have never seen them before. So my memory fails me not.

Then we'll go to my fourth aunt's house and sit for a spell. After that, we head home to find that my paternal aunt would have arrived and began to prepare the food for dinner, while an old family friend would have been seated and waited patiently for us. Commence the small talk then while my brother escape back to his computer, and the other brother went off to meet his girlfriend.

Soon, my other aunts and uncles will start flooding the house and yeah, more talk and stuff. Exchanging of ang baos, the usual. At around 7 plus, dinner will be done, and like 13 plus people will have to squeeze around the dining table. Comfortable? Not really. But the food's always pretty good. Abalone, fish maw, shark fin, etc.

The only difference this year is that... my spectacles broke! The damned frame snapped into two when I was travelling back from Hougang, so... I spend the rest of the day half blind as I have no replacement pair...

Labels: family