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Tag: Chinese New Year

Happy Horse-picious Chinese New Year & Gong Hei Fatt Choi

CNY14 // Happy Horse-picious Chinese New Year & Gong Hei Fatt Choi – First time in my life, I don’t get to eat a sumptuous reunion dinner with my family. I am going to miss some of the least seen faces of the distance relatives, the ang baos are either being ignored or being kept in mom’s ‘pocket’ and will miss out tons of gathering, food and a mind out of anything. I am in the UK, an ang mo country, and there’s no such thing as Chinese New Year. I am just so proud of being a Malaysian that I celebrate festivity of multiple ethnicity.

Of course, I do miss home, looking at the CNY ads on Youtube, and listening to the CNY songs will some times roll some tears in my eyes, the tear of missing home. But hey, I chose to come here to study for a year, means I’m prepared to experience the CNY away from home. It’s a tough one and I am grateful that I am here for only a year, so the distance of heading back home is not far away. Nevertheless, CNY is still ON for me, reunion dinner is off but a big feast with Malaysian is on! A visit to London’s Chinese New Year’s festival is also on and of course, the tune of CNY songs will be blasting out my speakers throughout the 15 days of the celebration in my dorm room. Dong dong qiang!

Happy Chinese New Year to all of you. Stay healthy, stay wealthy, and have a horse-picious Chinese New Year!

January 30, 2014
Penang Dragon Chinese New Year Miao Hui 2012

Penang Dragon Chinese New Year Miao Hui 2012 – Last year, I did not go to check out the Miao Hui in Penang because I was in Kuala Lumpur, studying. This year, I has a long holiday and I get a chance to visit this super happenings, crowded, fun cultural festival in George Town, Penang.

庙会, Miao Hui is a Chinese New Year cultural event and festival that happens in Penang yearly. This introduces the Chinese culture to everyone, Chinese, non-Chinese, tourist, anybody. It’s fun because that you can find good food, have many opportunity to try out your photography skill, learn some Chinese culture that you don’t know, play games, see performance, join the crowds and more. It’s like a big carnival, at the same time can explore the old city of George Town. Most of the Chinese clan houses are open for free during that day.

I have been there for a few years before during my high school time, but it still doesn’t feel bored to me. Hueisean, as a Penangite haven’t see the Miao Hui before, how can that be? So I brought her to check it out and she was excited.

The zodiac for this year is Dragon and so the Miao Hui were dragon themed all over the place. The crowds were huge, newspaper reported there’s more than 100,000 visitors to the Miao Hui. That’s really a lot! I armed myself with Lumix LX5, Canon 60D + Sigma 30mm f1.4 + Sigma 8-16mm and a tripod, then I started shooting around at there.

I went there at about 6.30pm, found a parking spot and started exploring around with Hueisean. Met some friends too. Although it’s almost the same every year, I felt it has become better, with more food, more games and better decorations too. We walked until about 9pm until our leg were tired, then we went back home. We didn’t really explore the whole Miao Hui as there’s too many activities and we were tired. There were a firework showcase at 12am too, but we missed it. Overall, that day was fun and tired. Good job to the organizer and Penang State Government.

Entrance to the central performance stage, a “red carpet” for VIP too. (Pitt Street / Jalan Masjid Kapitan Keling)

Kids looking at Penang’s Chingay performance. Chingay is an activity that involve balancing a huge flag with hand, and head. (Pitt Street / Jalan Masjid Kapitan Keling)

Chingay in action. (Pitt Street / Jalan Masjid Kapitan Keling)

The entrance to the main stage with red carpet. (Pitt Street / Jalan Masjid Kapitan Keling)

High school student dressed in traditional clothing leaded by VIP at the back to the main stage. (Pitt Street / Jalan Masjid Kapitan Keling)

Look at the crowds! Hueisean and I were following the VIP on the red carpet. =D

Look at the amount of camera!

Tiger, the zodiac for 2010.

Hueisean biting on Taiwanese sausage.

Entrance of Leong San Tong Khoo Kongsi.

Leong San Tong Khoo Kongsi Clan House.

Leong San Tong Khoo Kongsi Clan House.

“One for one dolar.”

Students dressed in traditional clothing, selling food like herbal eggs, my favourite!

Chinese-style alcohol container.

Chinese-style alcohol container. The word read as Jiu, which means alcohol.

With the Chinese traditional funny face clown.

Entrance to Cheah Kongsi.

There’s a stand-up comedy talk show by Penang’s stand-up comedian Kim Sir at Cheah Kongsi.

Girl checking out the “wishing-CD”. It’s just plain CD where you can write your wish, then stick on the dragon. It’s a way of decorating with recycle item. (Cheah Kongsi)

Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng arrived and lousang.

Very funny. There’s a section which introduces you about Chinese festival. At the Cheng Beng section, there’s a Chinese grave, writing “someone’s grave”. Cheng Beng is a Chinese festival where people pay respect to their ancestor.

A gift shop at Armenian Street.

An antique bike shop on Armenian Street.

The uncle was playing on a Shanghai’s guitar which need to strum and press on the key.

Yummilicious deep fried street food. There’s my favourite fried siu mai.

Entrance of Tua Pek Kong Temple, Armenian Street.

Tua Pek Kong Temple, Armenian Street.

Exhibition of Baba Nyonya culture at Hock Teik Seah Tua Pek Kong temple.

Playing congkak, a traditional Malay/Baba Nyonya game.

Showcase on how a Baba Nyonya wedding is like.

If you haven’t check out the Miao Hui before, come back next year during Chinese New Year season, it’s something that must not be missed in Penang. =)

February 29, 2012
Tiger Chinese New Year Celebration in Penang, Miao Hui 2010

This year is Tiger year for the Chinese, very cute because many Chinese will use Tiger as their mascot or buy Tiger bear for fun, or even drink more Tiger beer. So every year in Penang, my hometown, there’s Chinese New Year Celebration and Open House for everyone to visit, play, eat and drink in town area, which is known as Miao Hui 庙会.

Every year also has that many people come to this place, somewhere around Armenian Street and Pitt Street. They set up stages, lots of booth and everywhere at there are well-decorated with Chinese New Year feel.

This year would be my third visit already. I was there in 2008 and also in 2009. Actually every year go there also is take photos only, and go for fun to join the crowds, since there’s so many people. This year was different a bit because I shoot with a different lens, the Tamron f/2.8 17-50mm. Hehe. No idea whether I will be there or not next year. If I got a new lens or a new body, maybe I’ll go again.

Actually nothing much one, it’s the same every year. Cultural booths, game booths, food stalls, lion dance, fashion show and many Chinese-related thing. There’s youth doing treasure hunt and found me because I had a “Tiger” tooth that they were looking for. I guess joining the hunt is funner than photo shooting.

Cultural dancer.

Something not very comfortable was that this year’s weather went crazy. It’s very hot. Alvin, Andy and me were there at around 5pm, it’s almost sunset already, but still very hot. Luckily I had just t-shirt and shorts.

Andy Ooi.

Starbucks Coffee had a booth there too! Java Chips Frapuccino!

Compare to last year, I feel last year has got more people, there’s people like sardine cramming on the street, but this year didn’t have.

Met Cai Qian.

Met Chin Keong, Kelvin, Kok Sheng and more.

Met friends but not many. The Magnificent SIX was not there, they went to a movie and there’s only me from the SIX was there. But I saw a lot of Leo Club friends. ROAR.

What was Kok Sheng doing there?

I like happenings place. If there’s place in Penang that’s always so happenings then it will be nice and cool. I don’t like to see a dead city or dead town, it’s not fun. I know some people like to be alone, but do go out some times to take a look what’s happening and go back again. Me, myself is a weird person, I like quiet but I also like happenings, weird right. Haha.

Found Spongebob hanging somewhere. ^^

Happy faces for CNY!

There’s cultural dances on the stage but every year, I didn’t bother what happen on the stage. Feel bad for all the performance, I know their tiredness and effort in performing and I am talking cock. Haha, but anyway, if got chance, I will check the stage performance again.

Governor of Penang, Abdul Rahman bin Haji Abbas was there too! For like less than 15 minutes. He came here to “hi and bye”. So high post and high class people, at least must come and “hi and bye” for a while to give face.

Cool CM.

My favourite Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng stayed a little while longer than the Govenor for media interview. Hehe.

Boss! a.k.a. Lion Alan Thoo, my Leo Club’s District Chairperson. Rocks!

I like to call him Doctor Yew. I.T. support man for Digi.

My employer did actually ask me whether want to work on that day or not because Digi was a major sponsor for the event, but somehow, I decided to go for photoshooting rather than promoting. =)

Pinky.

Met colleagues a.k.a. friends that I’ve work before with.

Met Amanda the blogger.

Sometime I feel headache when I’ve taken so many photos, I don’t know want to put it up, obviously I have a bad mind in presenting it to you all. So I am splitting the post up. Stay tune for more about this Chinese New Year celebration evening, Miao Hui.

March 25, 2010
Visit Friends on Day 3 of Tiger Chinese New Year

Spent day zero, day one, and day two with my lovely family and there’s no more family day on the 3rd day. Everyone at home seems like have nothing to do and for me, I went out early morning to Air Itam to meet up Fang Juinn who came back from Singapore, Chin Tatt and Hua Ken who came back from National Service for a short period during Chinese New Year. It had been a long time didn’t see them already.

Hua Ken and Yong Chieh.

Woke up early and went to meet up with them at a kopitiam at Air Itam, talked to them but ate nothing because have got no idea what to eat at there. No feel.

Wuan Xin and her uncle.

OMG. Fang Juinn is getting taller!

Met a new friend, Wuan Xin, a friend of friends’. She brought us to her grandma house and her grandma was very friendly and chit chat a lot with us. She talked about her young and even showed us her traveling photos and photos when she was young. Real friendly old lady, can talk whatever with us, youngsters. I spent like whole morning at there, later on to another friend, Yong Seng’s house for a Chinese New Year visit.

Boys rape.

Dick shaped candy.

Noob fencing-kia.

Uncle’s Chicken are always yummy!

Yong Seng.

Kenny and Victor.

They’re all my junior in Leo Club. A year younger than me, we eat, we play, we gamble. Chinese New Year is always about gambling, but I lose that day. Damn. Bad luck, Kenny won the most. After losing so many, we decided to stop. They went else where and I went to Gurney Plaza to walk around because I didn’t feel like going home yet.

Min Xun and Jueqi.

Met people there. Walkaround and afternoon tea at there for a couple hour. Then it’s already evening already, went to another friend’s house again.

It’s Chen Yuen’s house at Perak Road. So nice that he was at home and I received ang bao again. It’s the last stop of friend’s house visiting of the day. Me, Ammerlynn and Chen Yuen was actually at there waiting other friends to come back to Penang so we could had dinner together. After dinner, I went to the cinema with my brother to watch Percy Jackson. It’s really tiring afterall, run here and run there, but then it’s fun and filled!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/nicholas-chan/4374707687/in/set-72157623477759372/

March 4, 2010
Second Day of Tiger Chinese New Year at Pengkalan Hulu

If you are a long follower of my blog, you must have already know that every second day for Chinese New Year, daddy will drive us down to Pengkalan Hulu, Perak, somewhere far inside, near to the Thailand border where my uncle’s house is located. It’s the same every year ever since I was small. Why there? It’s my grandma’s hometown.

My uncle’s house very boring one, there’s no Astro, no broadband, no shopping mall, no aircon, very hot at there. There’s only a TV with local TV station and my entertainment at there was watching local TV show and drove there around to see what’s around.

It’s very hot day, don’t know why so hot and there’s no air con. Dad drove us around the town and went as far as to the Thailand border. Too bad we didn’t bring passport, or else we would already get over it to check Thailand out.

Went to Klian Intan again, 10 minutes drive from Pengkalan Hulu town, it’s a kampung where my grandma’s real hometown. No idea why we went there, probably because we had no place to go already.

Very small little place, with population less than 400 I guess.

Back to the house again and watch TV. Still remember there’s Stephen Chow’s movie showing on that afternoon, it got rid a little bit of our boredom.

At 5pm, we had our meal ready, it’s a very early dinner for us. Usually I have dinner at later than 7pm, but at there, they eat at 5pm. Wow.

A very unfortunate thing occurred that night and that’s my mom’s handphone had accidentally dropped into the toilet bowl, luckily there’s no shit or pee. But still it feels yucky and dirty. Phone is dead and I dare not try to turn it on because it had been into the bowl before. A chance for mom to get herself a new phone. Hohoho. She always doesn’t want to change her phone to a better one and now there’s a chance for her already.

We went back to Penang at night and it’s late. Brother and I were hungry again and I brought him to Abu to eat Fried Maggi Mee. We were too hungry and we had double, in the end, full until cannot sleep that night. Shit.

March 3, 2010
Ang Bao (Red Packet) Makes People Happy

Chinese New Year is always so fun, I am so proud of being a Chinese because Ang Bao (Red Packet or aka Red Envelope) makes me happy. Actually it’s the same, in the west, Christmas gift makes people happy too, it’s just that we Chinese don’t buy gift, and cash is what we get. Simple and easy, no headache what to pick as gift for people.

Received quite a lot of ang bao in the past 15 days of Chinese New Year, now it ended and I got no chance to receive ang bao already. How much money inside the ang bao is not really important, the heart of giving and the happiness of receiving are more important. Some have good design too, mom purposely bought a lot of special designed ang bao from Guangzhou for Chinese New Year.

There’s also other not so pretty and simple design. I like to see good looking designed ang bao, but in the end I will still throw it all away. No point keeping it.

The best part is not the design it’s the-inside! =D

March 3, 2010
First Day of Tiger Chinese New Year

This year’s Chinese New Year fell on the date same as the Valentine’s Day. Still remember last year that I went to Chin Ping’s place to BBQ and celebrate the day together, this year is different already, I am single, no Valentine, and the whole day was with my brother, my mother, my father and everyone at home. Also it’s also the day people came to visit and received a lot of ang bao. Very fun.

Looking at the Star Map on my phone early in the morning. So bright, where got star?

I then only realized that I took not many photos on that day, perhaps that I was busy collecting money in ang bao (red packet) and eating Chinese New Year’s tidbits. Yummy.

This year was a little bit different, brother and I woke up pretty late in the morning, it’s almost noon. Freshen up, wishes my dear daddy and mommy and I received ang bao from them. Then same like every year, we will go to grandma place for brunch and gong hei fatt choi to everyone. What’s different was that we stopped there, didn’t go visit relative’s place already where the Chinese calls this kind of visit during CNY as bai nian.

Instead, relatives came over to grandma place and they talked and gave me ang bao. ^^

For me, there’s nothing much to do except saying GONG HEI FATT CHOI, eating and drinking.

Stayed there till late afternoon then we went back home to sleep. And at night, no idea where to eat and we ordered pizza and grandma and cousins of mommy’s side came over to my place to eat PIZZA. =D So weird. No cinema for us because it’s damn fully booked and sold out. OMG.

March 1, 2010
Happy Chinese Tiger New Year 2010

Wow, I am back. When I am not studying right now, I am so so busy with the Chinese New Year celebration and preparation. Finally, at this moment, I get some time off to login to my blog and write something up. So here’s the main point, I want to wish everyone, Chinese or not-Chinese, a Happy and Lovely and Funny and Shioks and Bombastic and Wonderful Chinese New Year! =) All the best, good luck always, healthy and wealthy always. Rocks!

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z-HbcXOwYio&w=500&h=307]

February 15, 2010
Last Sunday at Chowrasta Market

It’s the time for a yearly visit to Chowrasta Market in town. Every year, when close to Chinese New Year, mom sure bring me to Chowrasta Market for a walk. I also like going there because there’s many people, very happenings, I like!

Why before Chinese New Year? I also don’t know why, maybe there’s more Chinese New year-related stuff to see at there I think.

Woke up pretty early that morning, at around 8am, freshing up took me 1 hour then arrived there at around 93oam. There’s already many people there when I was there.

Oranges are healthy! You like? I only like orange juice.

I went to have breakfast at there, it was a plate of wan tan noodle and it’s not nice, wrong stall I went.

Selling glasses.

Thailand! Shirt.

After that just walkaround with mom and dad.

The most crowded stalls are the stalls that sell clothes, many ladies gathered and pick their favourite. Although there’s no fitting room, clothes bought can be exchange after you find it not suitable. Cool right?

Though, pasar malam (night market) have more fashion stuff then morning market, morning market is more about meat and vegetable.

Soya milk.

Very old fashion type of buying fish. Dad told me last time when he was small, he buys fish in this way and till today, it’s the same.

Chinese New Year stuff.

One very stupid thing is, I don’t know why people want to drive into this crowded street. It’s market and full of people in the morning, they knew it and they still want to move it, mindless. The state authority should road block the place during the market hour.

Mom.

Kitchen stuff.

Rock World yeah!

Do you visit your local market? Is it more interesting than this or not? =)

January 25, 2010

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