Chinese New Year 2009

Chinese New Year 2009....

Exact day...26th January 2009(Monday)...

Chinese New Year is one of the most important holidays for Chinese....

During Chinese New Year...family members and relatives gather together to celebrate this festive day....

We go around to visit(In mandarin : bai nien) relatives and friends during the Chinese New Year festive period....

Ang Paos(Red Packets - containing money) are distributed by married couples to children and non-married people during Chinese New Year...

Sound of fire crackers will be heard at many places during the Chinese New Year period...a sign to celebrate the festive event...

Houses will be decorated....

Ang Paos were hung on the plant....
Mandarin oranges are called "Gam" in cantonese... which have a similar sound as gold in cantonese..

Mandarin oranges is a common fruit seen in Chinese New Year...due to the similar sound as gold...

It is like buying gold - fruit version...to eat =)
Chinese New Year snacks are usually placed on tables for guests to eat...

There are various snacks that are only sold during Chinese New Year period...mostly are handmade by normal citizens....and then sold to the public for income....
This is what the ancient China money looks like...the coins hanging on it are the smaller valued currency...and the bottom boat-shaped figure(the actual size is smaller than this) is the larger valued currency....
Lantern decorations....
Plant decorations...
And more decorations...
While visiting my relatives... one of the familes were preparing to view partial solar eclipse(ri shi in mandarin - it is a period where the moon completely blocks the sun, but this is just a partial solar eclipse)....

They adjusted and prepared the telescope for this activity....

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Reunion Dinner

Reunion Dinner with my family and relatives on 23rd January 2009...

It is a tradition for chinese to have reunion dinner with relatives during Chinese New Year period...

We had our reunion dinner at brickfields, Kuala Lumpur...

Yes, my hometown is Kuala Lumpur...

For Chinese New Year period....we usually have "lou sang" a.k.a "yu sheng"....

Lets go more into the history of "yu sheng"....

Fishermen along the coast of Guangzhou traditionally celebrated Renri, the seventh day of the Chinese New Year, by feasting on their catches. This practice is believed to have started in Chaozhou and Shantou as far back as the Southern Song Dynasty.

In Malaya's colonial past, migrants imported this tradition; porridge stalls sold a raw fish dish which is believed to have originated in Jiangmen, Guangdong province that consisted of fish, turnip and carrot strips, which was served with condiments of oil, vinegar and sugar that were mixed in by customers.

The modern yu sheng dish originated in during Chinese New Year in 1964 in Lai Wah Restaurant and was invented by master chef Than Mui Kai (Tham Yu Kai, co-head chef of Lai Wah restaurant)as a symbol of prosperity and good health amongst the Chinese. Together with Lau Yoke Pui (co-head chef of Lai Wah Restaurant), Hooi Kok Wai (founder of Dragon-Phoenix Restaurant) and Sin Leong, Than Mui Kai was named as one of the Four Heavenly Culinary Kings of Singapore some 40 years ago for their Cantonese culinary prowess and ingenuity.

The tradition is still widely practiced till today and has since spread to many parts of Asia, although not practised as much as in Malaysia and Singapore.

The taste of the original raw fish dish was standardized with a special sauce using plum sauce, rice vinegar, kumquat paste and sesame oil, and the fish was served with carrots, chilli, turnips, limes, jellyfish, red pickled ginger, sun-dried oranges and other ingredients, turning this simple dish into an exquisite salad with 27 ingredients.

The original dish used raw mackerel, although in deference to the popular wishes of customers, salmon was later offered as an alternative due to the growing popularity of Salmon.

Since then, yu sheng has become a staple Chinese New Year dish in Malaysia as well as in Chinese communities in Singapore and is typically available only during this festive season.

Today, this dish is served as an appetizer to raise 'good luck' for the new year and is usually eaten on Renri, the seventh day of the Chinese New Year. In a celebration known as "lo hei" (Cantonese 撈起 or 捞起), families and friends gather around the table and, on cue, proceed to toss the shredded ingredients into the air with chopsticks while saying auspicious wishes out loud to mark the start of a prosperous new year and it's customary that the higher you toss, the greater your fortunes!

Typical ingredients include : fresh salmon, daikon (white radish), carrot, red pepper (capsicum), ginger, daun limau nipis (lime tree leaves), Chinese parsley, chopped peanuts, toasted sesame seeds, Chinese shrimp crackers (or fried dried shrimp), five spice powder. The dressing is made primarily from plum sauce.

This is yu sheng - before mixing up the ingredients...And now the process of mixing it up~ ^_^
The meals we had during the reunion dinner..fish, prawns, tofu, vegetables, eggs, and more...
I drank some red wine on that day...

Although excessive alcohol consumption has adverse health effects, epidemiological studies have consistently demonstrated that moderate consumption of alcohol and wine is statistically associated with a decrease in death due to cardiovascular events such as heart failure.

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SMK Sultan Abdul Samad Merentas Desa 2009

Last saturday, 17th January 2009....I visited SMK Sultan Abdul Samad...my ex-secondary school..

They were having Merentas Desa(Road Run) on that day....

Every year, secondary schools will have a day for Road Run - usually beginning of the year....to select the top few stamina runners of each school to participate in the district's marathon competition....

The form 3,4,5,Lower 6 and Upper 6 students gathered at the tapak perhimpunan(assembly ground).....
The form 1 and 2 students gathered at the basketball court....
Let the road run begin !!

My friend and I positioned at this location to put up arrow signs to guide the runners on which way to go...we are ex-quartermasters(Quartermaster club members - that helpout during sport activities of the school)...
There were some changes in school...

One of the changes was the guard house....renovated...
This was the guard house before it renovates...

Well...guess that is all for this post...nothing much....

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Square-1 and Mefferts Pyraminx arrived....

I received my order from Cubereak on 16th January 2009....

A Square-1(RM42)....a puzzle that can be turned into many non-square shapes...I am still figuring out how to solve it... =P

http://www.cube4you.com/126_White-Square-1.html
And a Mefferts Pyraminx(RM100)...the current best recommended pyraminx....

http://www.cube4you.com/330_Mefferts-Pyraminx-with-plastic-tiles.html

Cubefreak ordered it from cube4you.com ...

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Happy New Year (2009)

12.00am...1st January 2009.... Happy New Year everyone... may 2009 be a great year...forget the past and look forward to the future ^_^

As usual...countdown at home... =P

I was editing blog till time arrive...hahaha ^_^


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Membership Drive 2009

Membership Drive 2009....December 2008 till January 2009..

Every year, the 10th Petaling Scouts of SMK Sultan Abdul Samad will have a membership drive to promote scouts to the school...especially form 1 and new students....

For 10th Petaling Scouts...membership drive is organized by the form 4 scouts...

The preparation for membership drive usually starts early of december - 1 month before january... like building up gadgets, preparing presentations, permission letters to promote..and more..

When school reopens(january)...everything should be almost done or already done...the promotion takes place in the first few weeks of school...

Membership Drive 2009's gadget site(campsite - for display)....

The main entrance....gadgets are built by tying knots between mangroove wood(bakau)...jute ropes,raffia strings,nylon ropes and more.. are the materials used for tying...hardwork from scouts to build up the gadget... so please respect their hardwork =)Notice : DANGER ! Do not enter the campsite without permission from Form 4 Scouts ! hahaha...A tripod tower(a three-legged pyramid shaped gadget) to put up the Malaysia flag...Tents....we sleep in these during outdoor camps...and sometimes sleep in it during indoor camps(based on situation) too...2 tripod gadgets, 1 quadpod gadget(4 legged pyramid shape), and a "shortcut" hour-glass(X-shaped gadget, where the platform at the top part)..

There are these nylon ropes tied on the gadget and on an anchor(the wood stabbed into the ground)...they are used to stabilise(fixed to the position) the gadget...making it more stationary and safe for people to go up the gadget...
Suspension bridge...a bridge hanging in the air and tied to both ends of the gadgets...
This is how it looks like...trying to cross the suspension bridge...
Going up to the hour-glass...Talking about gadgets....this is an example of what scouts can do...

Malaysia book of records for the tallest man-made scout pioneering gadget in Malaysia...

By the Shiang Yang 219th Kinta Open Scout Troop of Perak....they built this gadget during the mid-year of 2008...I went for the camp to visit the gadget too...around 12~14 floors high - 40~43 metres if not mistaken...
The video presentation by the form 4 scouts of 10th Petaling Scouts Troop....



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