new lease of life

the oven gets resurrected. it only takes five desperate calls over the festive holidays for us to finally get to our old electrician to beg him to show up to work the miracle. you are my first customers this year, he says. so happy to pay up! i want to say, with deep and heartfelt relief.

chinese new year fashion

observations this year:

• red (with shades and tones thereof) is the perennial favorite
• young families like to coordinate their togs. taobao is doing a roaring trade, is wot i say
• flowers are greatly popular this year. i see them on the gentlemen too, including the older ones
• the unseasonably cool weather allows more fancy togs this year, methinks

as for me, if i see you once a year, you would not know if i was wearing new or used, now would you?

extended family

time was when we met in someone's apartment on day 2, just two generations sharing a home made repast.

these days we are a swarm in, four generations with spouses and partners and various attendants to boot and we need the condo function room or the community gathering places for a professionally catered lunch, still on day 2. sans those who have departed.

it takes me 30-odd years to learn names and intricacies of relations that i meet once a year but i am getting there slowly.

rain

the wettest chinese new year in recent memory, is what i say.

lovely weather to snuggle under the blankets in,

or to have hot coffee and chocolates in,

or just to read a good book in.

but not for venturing out to visit in, unfortunately.

baby E

baby E arrives. through dangers toils and snares, it seems, to join her sister A.

be strong and courageous, child! be rich in faith and clear of mind! in kindness and in gentleness be your way!

the gladness does not fully sink in yet.

funeral wake

we always seem to meet long-lost friends at wakes.

the years are kind to some. grey suits them and they wear their lines well.

and not so kind to others. with more heft and sans hair. 

some are gracefully refined by time.

and some are harsh.

'tis life.

bonus date

usual sunday dinner quandary: where and what, somewhat circumscribed tonite by the funeral wake we attend in the evening hour.

we end up in the neighborhood hawker center near closing time catch two of her last bowls of yong tau foo sit amongst empty tables to the accompaniment of chinese oldies blaring from another stall's sound system on a wondrously cool and breezy night.

memories are made of stuff like this.