There is much less playing of fireworks and firecrackers this year, possibly due to the economic recession and I heard that there was no deluge in the market of the stuff unlike in previous years and being not that cheap, they were not selling like hot cakes. Besides, it rained a lot, so that hampered the revelry and dampened the spirit to some extent, much to my delight, of course!
I did not spend a sen on those but I did buy a few simple items to decorate the house to have some kind of Chinese New Year mood in a small way. I got these for RM3.50 for two…
…and these were RM1.50 only for a pair…
Instead of selling me those hanging in the shop, the salesgirl was kind enough to get me some new ones, still sealed in plastic bags. However, when I reached home, I discovered that they were not pre-assembled and being Mandarin-illiterate, I did not know the order in which the characters should go. I had to go and ask somebody before I could put the thing together. LOL!!!
Other than those, I also hung up the Chinese New Year cards that I had received…
A few came later – when the postal delivery resumed on the 3rd or 4th Day of Chinese New Year, including the one from Clare and Alvin (Thanks! It’s the thought that counts!), so I did not string them up with the rest.
I also used the mandarin oranges and complimentary ang pao packets from the bank…
I wonder if Stella can recognise the basket – one of those that my flower girls used when I got married over a couple of decades ago. Hahahahaha!!!
That means that I would have spent RM5.00 only on decorations but my missus went and bought these for RM50.00…
Good grief! And you can’t even keep those in the store and use them again next year!!! LOL!!!
Somehow, she does not seem in the least worried that times are hard and everyone needs to tighten one’s belt…at least, to some extent! With all that precipitation and the flood, there is a problem now getting vegetables in the market. Often unavailable these days, cangkuk manis, if one is able to get hold of any, is RM2.50 a bundle for only a few stalks, much less than the smaller RM1.00 pre-tied bundle in the past…and she went and bought it!
Bitter gourd is currently selling at RM7.50 EACH, can you imagine that? I would rather go and pluck some bandong (tapioca) leaves and stuff like that than spend a fortune on those vegetables that seem to be worth their weight in gold, or go for the cheaper varieties. I hear cabbage is relatively cheaper…so you can guess what I’ll be eating a lot of in the days ahead!
...STILL CRAZY AFTER ALL THESE YEARS! 