It is 2012. The Lunar or the Chinese New Year 2012 is finally here. It is indeed an auspicious day for the Chinese where they get to celebrate the new year in the Chinese calendar. To me, it is like celebrating two new years where else those that only celebrate the western new year on the Julian calendar only get to celebrate it once.

Chinese New Year 2012 is a little bit different this year. Why???? Come let me tell you why is it different for me!

We have a simple “yee sang” (raw fish) mix but WITHOUT the fish. Why is it different? Well, previous years even when there are no fishes, we have jellyfishes. Well, that is why my 2012 yee sang is really different. So funny that this year no one seemed to rush to eat more yee sang as it is all vegetable. Knowing myself, I am not a fan of vegetable (I know… I know… vege is supposed to be good for us), so I had very little vegetarian yee sang this year.

Though strange enough, it seems as years go by, I am not that picky on certain food at last. Last time, to get me to drink salted vegetable soup with duck is like making me drink something yucky. Suddenly it is totally the opposite this year. I can definitely drink a lot this year though.

What is a salty vegetable soup? Every year I will return back to my hometown in Melaka (Malacca for you English speaking dudes) to visit my relatives and to get some taste of nyonya food.

Itik Tim (Duck Salted Vegetable Soup) is one of a kind. Talked about it last year too. The above has Hennessy VSOP mixed into the soup. The soup is delicious. For those halal people out there, you can get this soup in Nyonya Restaurants out there but for a hefty sum. For us baba nyonyas, it is a normal dish we can have every year. Hehe…

What is so special then? Ducks that were used are ducks that were rear in villages. That is suffice to say, that there would not be a lot of fats like you get on commercial ducks being widely bred. The taste would be superb, the meat might be little but there is definitely very less fat in your soup.

Did I mentioned that you can also use Remy Martin for your Itik Tim? Let me say it again, YES!!! You can!

One good thing being back to Melaka is also the abundance of fruits there. One of my favorites though is the Rambutan.

I have just found out that there are two species being grown here in the place I visited. They are Kawan Sekolah and something else…. errr…. which I cannot really remember right now.

The only problem with the rambutans is that there are Red Ants making their nest on the trees. So getting bitten once or twice is kind of normal to us folks here. Does not really bother me much. Just love the ‘kampung‘ life!!! Give me a farm or a shopping complex, I would rather visit the farm than the shopping complex. (Though give me a house to sleep and a farm, I would rather be at the house!! Hee hee…)

After all, Chinese New Year is usually celebrated and associated with card playing, mahjong. Surprisingly this year, I did not bothered to take part in any of those activities. Maybe I felt that it is more important to embrace the part of life where mixing with people without gambling is good enough. Though one change did happen!!!! Wait for it… wait for it….

The BOOZE!!!!! We have Sheridan!! We have Kahlua!! We have Bacardi!! We have some other kind of alcoholic drink my weird younger brother bought from somewhere which have a weird plum in it. Anyway, let us all have a great Chinese new Year 2012 this year and have a prosperous new year!

Anyway here is to the new year 2012 and looks like this is how I greet the new year with a new look!

KAM PAI!!!! YAM SENG!!! GONG XI FA CAI!!!

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Chinese New Year 2011 was celebrated by my family with a Reunion dinner before Chinese New Year. There definitely has to be somewhat of a reunion dinner even though both my grandparents are not around and this year, we have BBQ (Barbeque) for dinner in our home.

Some will find it strange to have BBQ for a reunion dinner as most will either cook home cooked dishes Chinese style. Well, it pays to be different. There were like 20 people over and with a Teresa Teng background music to accompany (obviously Dad’s chosen song).

Now onwards to the following day, it was time of the year again to go to Malacca to visit relatives and friends to collect angpow to wish them a happy fatt choy new year. Considering the Year of the Rabbit, it has its significant of being the luckiest animal around. Well, onward with the post, being able to go back to Malacca during Chinese New Year is one of a kind. Where else can you get authentic Chinese New Year Nyonya/Peranakan dishes?

Yes, it’s home cooked. Authentic. Some of the notable ones are listed below.

Itik Tim, the ingredients inclusive of home farm duck, “Kiam Chai” (Salty Vege), Brandy (if there is). Art of boiling this superb tasty soup is to boil it for long hours in order for the taste of the duck and the vege to mix together to add to the flavor of this soup. This food can be found in nyonya restaurants but loses its authenticity when it’s boiled with gas and not with charcoal.By the way some of these Itik Tim would also include the inner parts of the duck. One fine example is the blood of the duck.

Boiled Duck’s blood in some of the Itik Tim dishes. Not everyone cooks the same, so I got to try a variety of Itik Tim in a few houses.

It takes about one day to boil this soup and the longer the soup stays in the pot boiled, the better the taste.

Second dish would be Acah. Preserved Cucumber and Chili in sweet and sour sauce. Mind the photo quality as it was taken with my HTC Hero smartphone. One of a kind, usually only served during Chinese New Year.

Another Nyonya delicacy would be the Ponteh, a mix of home rared chicken, mushroom, ginger and secret sauce known only to the family. Some will also include bamboo shoots for the flavor.

Finally a dessert which is actually different from what we usually eat, the Taibak. This dessert is something like the Cendol, made of flour and sugar water.

The TAIBAK is usually served as a prerequisite of a Baba Nyonya wedding. One of the reason though it’s because it cools down both the groom and the bride (well from what I was told) before hmmm… hmmm…

So now you have it, the food from the Baba Nyonya era. These are the kinds of food I look forward every Chinese New Year other than the usual kueh.

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Small Talk
The Chinese are back to work this week, or rather gamble in the office

Back with a pow, ang pow, hung pow, or rather Kung Pow?? Well, it seems the title is a bit misleading, well for starters I am still in the Chinese New Year mood and what a way to like celebrate this New Year with a kick at the cow/bull/ox luck to bring me good fortune and health and errr… a new camera body and also happiness.

Yes, been in a lot of complicated things these few days and I guessed it shouldn’t be an excuse for me being absent in the blogosphere. Hmm.. that’ll be 2 weeks. Thus I have to make do with loss times and what better day to do it then today. Oh a few days back before the whole auspicious Chinese New Year day arrived, I had to listen to Chinese Orchestra. Well, then perhaps my eyes was fixed to a certain player there. Hehehe…

Well, red border for the mood. So there are 5 of them but which one caught my eye. Let’s narrow it down to 2 of them.

So which one? By the way, no prize will be given for those who guessed correctly. Besides this isn’t even a competition. Yes, the sound of the chinese orchestra. Oh by the way, who can identify the 2 instruments they are playing. I only know one of them. The only thing though that will be missing is if someone doesn’t learn to play the instruments, in the coming future, there will be no more of these musicians. Okay, enough of the orchestra feel but officially I haven’t actually welcomed the visitors of Weird Weird Denial officially with a proper welcome. Yup, the previous one was just a super short summary and felt it wouldn’t be more of a post.

Somehow I don’t really know if this is the year of the Bull, Ox or Cow since the chinese pronounciation is ‘niu’ 牛 which can also mean COW. I thought why not do something different every year and since this is the year of the Ox/Bull/Cow year, I need to find a cow to pose with. Though most of them usually ended up on the butcher’s table. Pretty darn hard to find one live cow in the city.

Hopefully though that I don’t go running into one of those cows that suddenly wanted to fight me, that I have to give my best to stay alive.

The Mark of Year 2009 – The Day Daniel Kicks The Cow To Get His ‘Ong‘.  Now what more can I say, I felt this year, lesser Ang Pows (economy bad), more questions and queries from relatives regarding ‘when you gonna get married and give angpow’ and more sleep required. Chinese New Year is much more special this year though, cause I finally got myself something to wear this year. Would like to look more traditional and this is the only piece I got.

Once again, wished everyone here A Happy Chinese New Year 2009, get your Ang Pows, Health, Wealth and Prosperity. So I am signing off, with a Gong Hei Gong Hei Fatt Choy!!!

My hair was done on purpose to look traditional. Duh…..

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Finally after some relaxation and off from work, Daniel is back again on his feet and eating chinese new year cakes and biscuits. Heeee… yeah, I was a bit unwell before the Lunar New Year, must be the power of the OX in me.

Alright I think it was due to the fact that I am at home and back at home town with all the fresh air and stuffs that got me to be back to where I am now, a healthy young man. To celebrate this time, I’ve got myself a new template with the realization to celebrate the Lunar New Year. It’s a bit reddish, a bit pinkish (OMG..) but it’ll do for the new year. So what do you all have in mind for the new year? More gambling? More beer? More alcohol? I just bully my cousins..

Where was I? Oh… being the Chinese/Lunar New Year 2009, as every year, I was in Malacca city again to visit my relatives and friends and of course to enjoy the Nyonya food. Well, I come from a Baba Nyonya lineage so it’s definitely nyonya food.

One of my favorite is the ‘Itik Tim‘ (Duck Sour Soup) which is one of the classic soup I get to drink every year. Hmm.. in short it’s a soup with duck meat and ‘ham chai‘ (Sour Vegetables) which is one of a delicacy of the Nyonya food.

Until then, to all readers and jumpers and visitors of Weird Weird Denial, I want to wish to all those celebrating this festive season a very very happy and ‘ang ang’ Happy Niu 牛 Year 2009!!

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Sorry I’ve been away as I am in the festive mood
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OK….The new year holidays has finally ended. What more didn’t get to climb Bukit Tabur as planned (Sobs, T_T ) . Well, due to other plans I forfeited this plan. Well, why climb when one can enjoy eating and eating at houses during these festive seasons. It’s one of those special food and eat eat days. Well yeah…

Anyway, so what did most families do on the eve of the Lunar New Year?? Most of them go back to their hometown to have their festive get together dinner. Well, to me though, it’s totally different, as my hometown people are disperse since the passing away of both my grandparents at my mom and dad’s side. But anyway, that’s beside the question. Just a brief introduction for people who doesn’t know the meaning of the eve of Chinese New Year.

Being the Year of the Pig (Boar), what more way to celebrate than to have eat. Ha Ha… Well, so on my way to Melaka or Malacca, the once famous city port during historical times. Well, my dad’s from Melaka if you’re wondering. So, all the way there, visiting relatives and friends.

Well, it was a long long journey as expected. Traffic jam resulted going out to Port Dickson toll. Arghhh… the agony of being stuck in a road of about only 200 meters in like 1 hour all because everyones cramping into one lane for the Touch N’ Go toll booth. OK, calm down, enough ranting..

Well, I went shooting (pics) and it was a frenzy. Being like in touch with my artistic side. (Well I used to not know about the wonders of photos). Talking about Melaka somehow reminded me of my first ever post on my blog. Well it was a talk on some serious matter. Can be viewed here.

But then why divert the attention. Chinese New Year spirit somehow seems much livelier when you’re back in your own hometown.

Well, with more lanterns, ang pow packets and the people here are more welcome to visitors than my place in KL. I wonder why? Must be the upbringing or the ever hectic life in Kuala Lumpur that people seems to ignore each another and hardly meet each another unless it’s for business. Well, for starters, make friends people. Make friends. That’s how the world should be actually.

Ha ha ha… suddenly the ang paos I received this year seems lesser than last time. Maybe coz I’ve grown up and people are aging…well you know. What more, the ever annoying thing comes every Chinese New Year once you’re over 20.

“Hey, danielctw…. where’s your girlfriend ar???”
or
“danielctw, you not young anymore, fast fast find girlfriend”

This is not like once or twice. It’s kinda frequent whenever it’s a Chinese New Year. Okay, maybe because I am kinda choosy and such, but then why the heck almost the same question every year???? Sometimes I give up but then knowingly, I grew accustom to it.

I’ll just say,

“Oh too many girlfriends, I don’t know which one to choose =P “. (ya…rite… – some of you might be thinking)

Well how else could I say it then. Well, shoot me for being not creative at all. Anyway what about this year. Year of The Pig means more food and more lazy (haha… just thought that up) so what about some “ba kua“. Well here’s a picture of it, if you don’t know what it is. Have a look up at wikipedia.

Delicious looking. But not for those people who are strictly on the halal side. Hehehe….
There are many more food I can describe like Pon Teh, Dodol, Wajid, Itik Tim which are all nyonya food that I ate in my trip to Melaka. Well, it’s a priviledge to come from a baba nyonya family. You get to enjoy these kind of food which one might never even heard of it especially town folks.. (Haha.. no offense)

The trip wasn’t as long as expected. But imagined visiting like 5 houses in a day. The life of a kampung with chickens, ducks, dog, geese… such life. So I reached back home like 2am in the morning and guessed what I was found. My burnt AMD Processor… haha…

What an amazing sight. Heh

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