Happy Bor Lor Yau Birthday Di! * (^______^) *

Dear Di,

Happy Bor Lor Yau Birthday!!  Bet it’s the first time you’ve been wished one of these hehehe.

This is the very nice bor lor bao (pineapple bun) that we ate in HK last year, together with a thick slice of butter (thus making it bor lor yau).  It’s seriously YUM.

If we ever go to HK together, I will bring you for some Di!

GM and I both wish you a very fantastically fun and prosperous year ahead!                 * (^_______________^) *

Still the Third Day of CNY Where I Am!

My boiler’s packed up.  It’s not been working for 3 days.  The man came to repair it today and left with it in “full, working condition” but when we got home it was still broken!  What a debacle.  This means that GM will have to take a day off work tomorrow, what a waste of time.  I’m really annoyed and they will be hearing from me soon.  But only after they’ve fixed my boiler for real haha.

Talking about complaints, this made me laugh for a long time….. and I was at work!  Good job the boss was somewhere else hehe.

It’s Ah Pa’s birthday today!  Well it’s still Ah Pa’s birthday over here but I guess it’s not Ah Pa’s birthday anymore where he is.  I kept thinking that today is the second day of CNY not the third day because there are absolutely no CNY celebrations over here and it’s so hard to keep track of where we are in the Chinese calendar.  Oops.  Sorry Ah Pa.  Happy Birthday =)

Gong Xi Fa Cai!

A very Happy Chinese New Year to everybody!  May the new year be a happy, healthy and successful one for all of us, and may we all survive the financial crisis unscathed and emerge stronger and richer!  Haha!

As is befitting Chinese New Year Eve we did a bit of spring-cleaning this morning.  Actually Sunday morning is normally our “housework time” so we weren’t doing much out of the ordinary, but the most important thing is that we did it with thoughts of Chinese New Year in our hearts, right?

My little Chinese New Year decorations get an airing again.  I don’t have many but even just a couple of little things round the house give me satisfaction.  As I’ve said before, I don’t care if practically all of the general British public aren’t celebrating my festival with me and, in fact, don’t even know it’s happening, I’m celebrating it, GM’s celebrating it, my family and friends are celebrating it in their countries, so I’m happy!  * (^_______________^) *  I feel like it’s a holiday!  Although I have to go to work tomorrow.  Actually I’m on a course tomorrow which is good, what better way to start a new year than to start it absorbing more knowledge?

This year I have somewhere proper to hang my little string of zodiac animals.  Last year I hung it off a door handle but in 2008 we put up these little wall decorations.  I think my zodiac animals really adds to the whole look.

Hello Year of the Ox!  Hopefully in the new year I will be able to see all of you and spend some time with all of you again.  My wish is partly coming true in April because I will be seeing Jo and Di! * (^_______^) *  I’m so excited, I can’t wait!!!

I haven’t got any Chinese New Year goodies though =(  No kueh bangkit, no pineapple tarts, no kueh lapis.  I’m celebrating by eating our English goodies instead.  Actually GM and I were given this box of chocolates from Charbonnel et Walker over Christmas.  I’ve always loved the look of the round boxes of Charbonnel et Walker truffles – mainly for the box since we don’t normally get to see the truffles inside – but have always been too tight to buy them for myself since a little box can cost almost £10.  Anyway, since I was given them I was finally able to try some and this pink truffle was so yum that I had to take a photo of it even though I’d already eaten half.  It tasted of creamy strawberries.  And it helps that it’s pink and pretty.  Almost makes me feel like a lady eating it!  Haha! * (^_________^) *

This box of chocolate biscuits was given to my parents by Di’s best friend, Yee Sze, whose bf bought them from Japan where he resides.  As my parents had way too much chocolates and biscuits on their hands seeing as how we’d all bought lots of goodies back for them, they told me I could have this.  I remembered vaguely that my friend, Ange, was raving about these after her trip to Hokkaido so I accepted.  The box is quite pretty.

The inside is pretty too.  All in all, top marks for packaging.  The snack itself is a square of chocolate sandwiched in between two crispy biscuits.  I think some people might like it but it’s only so-so for me.  The biscuits are delicate and quite crumbly.  The chocolate is the let-down for me;  it doesn’t seem to have much cocoa content and generally gives me the feeling it’s not for more mature palates.  Regardless of that though, I’m happy I got to try it and am seeing the new year in with famous biccies, how cool is that?  Hahaha.

This was a present from GM’s little cousin.  He bought it for us as a souvenir when he went to Japan a couple of summers ago.  The lucky little cat gets to come out and play this month cos he fits the whole CNY mood!  In fact I feel like my colour for this year is pink.  I feel very pink!  And red too.  Is it just me?

We’re off in a little while to have reunion dinner with GM’s folks.  So we’re not actually only having Japanese biscuits and English truffles for CNY haha.  I’m hoping we get abalone hehehe.  Abalone, abalone, abalone, abalone, abalooooooooooone…………………………….. is a song we like to sing in Jo’s car! * (^_____________________~) *