Philip Khor

Here are some general Chinese New Year 2011 observations I made. Really good food for thought!

1. Angpow collection is my lifetime best. Outside of family, RM 10 is the “standard price” nowadays. Gone are the days of RM 2, RM 4 and such! That also means friend’s weddings no longer is RM 100, but maybe RM 200 at a good hotel? Ouch!

2. People are more opinionated.

3. Voices are raised as the annoying CNY songs play on the TV in the background. Question: Why not shut it off?!!?

4. I wonder what is the cut off age for receiving angpow? I mean, after say, 25 yrs, we would be shy to collect as we are expected to marry and be handing out and giving angpows to kids? Yea?

5. Common dishes we need to have for “Reunion dinner”: Salted vege duck soup, Jiu Hu Char (available at Little Penang Cafe) & lotsa PORK!

6. To prevent family conflict, try scheduling for good “nasi kandar” or exotic foreign cruisine on Day 3 of CNY. I mean, after the CNY celebrations with close friends and family on the first two days, naturally you’re gonna go out for some outside food yourself. Unfortunately, all Chinese Shops are closed. There are a few “sell-outs” ahem, BM YAM RICE!! :D But get ready some good food options.

7. Cameras. Please. We can’t smile for 2 full minutes as everyone wants the group shots on so many different cameras. We need an assigned photographer who is responsible for the family photos who will e-mail to everyone. I guess the problem in wealthier families, is, whether it’s the Nikon D90 of third uncle or the RM20k canon XXX SLR camera of forth aunt!! Le Sigh~

8. Surprisingly though, video is not that popular despite YouTube reportedly archives 24 hours of content every single minute!

9. Weather in Penang is heavenly. Sorry for the guys in the other areas having flooding issues.

10. It’s near impossible to snatch the TV viewing rights from kids :P If they want their Barney, they will get their Barney!!!

We had 14 people at our peak:

Dad (Peter Khor), me (Philip Khor), bro & wife (Alex & Pauline) + kids (Samuel+Daniel) + maid (Joyce), sister & husband (Joy & Peter), sister 2 & husband (Olivia & Anthony) + kids (Gabriel+Joshua) + maid (Maria)

It was memorable.

It has been one week since we landed in Kg. Tun Sardon near Lunas!

The clouds have been hanging, but rain has been smattering at best.

Our clothes are drying, and our plans have not yet been disrupted. Thank God!

Uncle Joel (@joelelim), Beng Seong & Dad carry the same dinosaur 20 year old bible.

It’s NIV, it’s super thick, and have additional bonus material (maps, etc)

Went for a walk at Penang Botanical Garden.

Dad took the RM 2 ride around the park. We visited the lily pond.

Bukit Mertajam’s best cendol. RM 1.60 now, inflation.

We had durian earlier at Balik Pulau. It was RM 12 / kg so we paid RM 30 for 2 biji.

This one is from BM Market (near Tua Pek Kong). Rm 6/kg, 4 biji for RM 33

Some were nice, but the smell wasn’t good. The taste okay lah.

The Balik Pulau smell & taste were good!

Olivia’s grocery shopping at Jusco Bandar Perda

Mengkuang Dam in Bukit Mertajam

Supplies fresh water for all of us!

Baby calf feeding time.

Mooo-ooo-ooo..

More pics here

Today is 1st February already. Another 2 more days to Chinese Lunar new year. And tomorrow is the Reunion dinner. Tonight we will learn how to cook Kilac. It is a curry of green leafs, slightly bitter but rectified with generous amounts of santan, ikan bilis and some belacan. It tastes like heaven!

Gonna help plan out the dinner menu, perhaps start a charcoal fire outside for the Salted Vegetable soup with “generous amounts of pork”, and more pork based dishes! Sinful, but ok!

Mark: You’re right. The good shit is “zhu yaw char”. In most Penang foods, either pig oil or pork lard is heavily used to make the food good. Hokkien Mee 222 when we’re back!

The past 168 hours (7 days) has been both exciting and eye-opening.

Before I get into it, kindly feast your eyes on the beautiful pictures I took throughout the past week, to aid me to explain the chain of events!

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Quoted from: http://www.chinesezodiac.com/tiger.php

Fire Tiger – Years 1926 and 1986

Expressive, vibrant and a bit eccentric, Fire Tigers are always looking at the positive side of every situation. Because they’re able to generate excitement in others, they’re considered excellent leaders. When Fire Tigers speak, others listen – and do what they’re told!

I was told that zodiacs and horoscopes use very general vague language to suit as many people as possible. This results in high “hit rates” when it comes to matching your personality. Oddly though, I wish to believe this analysis! hahaha..

and of course another element is….

Wood Tiger – Years 1914 and 1974

Not feeling the need to be in charge, Wood Tigers work well with others. Others enjoying being around Wood Tigers because they’re very giving individuals. They’re compassionate and willing to do whatever is necessary to help others.

Ha ha ha…

OH, check out this Facebook Video on the 3 types of English [FB...?v=177987672834]

And check out a local movie production WooHoo [woohoo.my] about the Tiger dance. 2010, by the way, is the year of the Metal tiger. And if you’re a Lillian Too or Joey faithful, then buy metal shares like gold, tin, aluminum and precious metals.

[cherrygoround.com]

Oh, and no offense to buddy John Sam, but couldn’t I buy 2 items twice to get 2 of those RM 20 vouchers? Or, is this a reverse psychology promo that we should talk about “offline” :) *wink*