Bitten by the Chinese New Year bug yet?

I took my DSLR to the morning market in Jalan Air Itam this morning. The morning market is very chaotic, very crowded but it is something very unique. Hence it is worth it to jostle with the crowds, weave along with the heavy traffic and buy some stuffs a long the way.

Even the fruit stall’s owner know that we are living in the internet age. Someone asked me which newspaper company I am from. I jokingly told him that nowadays, ‘Lang bo si kia poh jua liao’ (meaning, people nowdays don’t fancy newspapers anymore). So, the gentleman told this person, ‘Tong kim kah liao khi internet eh.’ (nowadays, all go up internet one) I answered, “Si lor, chuan say kai pun eh kua lu lang” (the whole world will also see you guys). So, they quickly posed for me. (in another photo)

The morning market is one of the most interesting place to visit. You get to see sexy g-strings that is not even large enough to cover your nose, you see snakes and tortoises waiting to be killed as foods, you see all kinds of foods and lots of herbs and stuffs from the kampungs.

Hubby and I walked the whole stretch of Jalan Air Itam, from the Kek Lok Si temple down to the Jalan Kampong Pisang area. We spent one and half hours there and now, I am bitten by the Chinese New Year bug. On the first day of Chinese New Year, I am preparing brunch for my in-laws’ side. There are about 30-40 people.

On the second day of Chinese New Year, my siblings and I are going to gather for dinner. I look forward to all the cooking and menu planning.

The above are all the plastic cups and plates used for offering tea and foods to ancestors and the Chinese gods. I remembered the times when I used to bath the kuan yin at home with Florida water (a fragrant water call ‘ko long chooi’) with seven different colour of flowers. That is after I had ‘sent’ her and my kitchen god back to heaven by burning some ‘green passport’. Then, I would buy all those lucky fruits like pumpkin, pineapple, keat la or calamansi lime, hor lor and etc to place on the altar.

Now, I don’t do that anymore but still, Chinese New Year is a very exciting time for me because I get to do some hardcore baking, cooking, gathering, meeting up with the families and of course, the eating part.

Since hubby and I are the youngest in both our families, I guess it is important for us to keep the family tradition left by my parents-in-law to get the family together each CNY. The siblings-in-law are all getting older each year and sadly, once in a few years, some members will be missing (as in passing away) but then, there are new members born too.

So….are you bitten by the Chinese New Year bug yet?