This year, I did not really hold an open house for the Chinese New Year festival the way I used to. We would cook a lot and for at least three days, we would be inviting relatives, colleagues and friends to drop by for lunch or dinner or in-betweens. However, our door was always open for anyone who cared to drop by and other than the cakes and cookies featured in my previous post, on the first day, there would be some special dishes for everyone to enjoy.
My cousins and their families came from Bintulu, Hanoi in Vietnam, KL…
…and Penang…
…and like we usually did every year, we had my in-laws over for dinner in the evening of the 1st day of Chinese New Year…
…and they included those back from Bintulu, KL and Singapore…
These pretty ladies dropped by too…from Hongkong, Singapore and Kuching…
…and here, you can see them helping themselves to the pai tee (top hats).
My friend, Kongkay, and his family from Kuching were here as well with their boys, currently back on vacation from Melbourne, Australia…and my godson and ex-student, Andrew, and his wife were home from Christchurch, New Zealand and they came with my other ex-students from Sacred Heart – Chuang Bing from Miri and his wife and Hang Yuh from Kazahstan…and these were my students in Form Five 1995 – from Penang, JB and KL (not in photo)…
…while these were my students 2006/2007 for two years up till my retirement…
…currently still furthering their studies in Penang, Brisbane in Queensland, Australia, Perlis and Kuching.
My good friend, Lim, and his family took time off to visit us too…
…and what a delight it was to meet a long-lost friend from way back in 1975! Jackie (far left) and I were renting rooms at a house and staying with a family in Kuching – she was working there while I was a temporary teacher at St Patrick’s at the time…
It was Peony Bryan, her niece, who brought her to my house and gave us a pleasant surprise! Peony Bryan’s living in the UK and all this time, she has left comments time and again in my blog and we also communicate via Facebook…and she was back in Sibu for the very auspicious festival.
She also gave me these, thanks so much…
…but I think I will keep them for a while till when I do not feel so bloated so I can really enjoy them to the fullest.
Julia and Luke, back from Perth, and Justin came to say Happy Chinese New Year and goodbye as the former two would be going back to Australia in a few days’ time. Hopefully, I’ll get to see them again when they come back for the summer holidays at the end of this year.
The biggest group that came comprises my ex-students from Chung Hua where I was teaching in the 80’s…
They used to visit me way back then in BIG groups and this time around they came with their wives/husbands and children and there were so many of them that there wasn’t any space to move…and many had to just stay put where they were or sit on the floor. As far as I know, some are living in Sibu while others are presently based in Kuching…and one’s in Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei…and it certainly was so sweet of them to remember this old teacher of theirs and go through the trouble to drop by to wish me a Happy New Year.
Well, it does not have to be Chinese New Year or any special occasion. Our door is always open and everyone who cares to drop by is free to do so and is always warmly welcomed…
...STILL CRAZY AFTER ALL THESE YEARS! 
wow, your house is really a popular place huh, so many people are coming to visit you, and some more from almost all over the places around the globe!! Hey, now i can really not underestimate this suituapui anymore.. maybe go dig out some old newspaper and you most probably were being featured in the headlines, hahahaha~~
No lah! What I know is people in the peninsula and even in Singapore do not visit one another so much other than the relatives. Most would just eat…and play mahjong while the younger ones play with firecrackers. I guess Sibu is a small town and visiting relatives and friends is still very much in practice and will last for days on end. I do think it is much nicer this way though…even though the roads get pretty jammed in this 95% Chinese town. Ya, after I had finished writing the post, I did think also that it sounded like some kind of United Nations… LOL!!! 😀
wow, i am the first one!! hehehehe~~
Yes, you are…. 😉
that’s great! so many guests to be entertained..u r a great host…
It was nice…unlike when I was still teaching and the students came by the droves…in BIG groups of 10-20, more than one at a time sometimes. It was so nice too but so very tiring….desperately trying to wash the glasses and refill the cakes and cookies and everything.
So fun…lots of visitors during CNY…
It certainly was. I’m sure you went through the same thing too – very common in Sibu but I do know that some will hold it on a specific day for colleagues – all will come at the same time on that day. My immediate neighbour does that and our whole lane would be jammed with cars parked by the roadside. He hasn’t done it yet – dunno when it will be this year.
wow … so this time u cook to last for 2.9 days …. LOL
ur house now become one of d very happening place in sibu.
i bet tat u r a very good teacher….
Most of ur students come all around the world to visit u….
it is good to c back all the students, relatives n frens … bring back d fond memories …
next time i come over to visit u .. everything on u yah … LOL
Of course! Most certainly! Welcome! Welcome! So when are you coming? 😉 No lah! 1 day only…with a little leftover that we finished off ourselves the next day. Yes, it certainly was nice to have dear and loved ones dropping by. 🙂
🙂 thank you thank you… sure to inform u when i come to Sibu…
u indeed a very warm person..
btw u looks like u r like early 40s…
doesn’t look like u r 60…..(it is a compliment)….
Or maybe i see the wrong person …. LOL
Ooooo…thank you, thank you…a thousand million times thank you! LOL!!! Yes, let me know when you’re heading this way – welcome anytime. 🙂
Our Sir will be most happy to read this!! hahahaa…
Of course!!! Wink! Wink! 😉 LOL!!!
A big angpao from Sir Arthur when he reads your compliment. Wait for the postman to come…hehehehe. Good Luck.
Hah!!! Can’t send money via mail. He’ll have to come to Sibu personally to collect. LOL!!! 😀
This post of yours really put a big smile on my face.So nice to see so many people come to visit you and don’t know why, I feel like crying and feeling so touched…don’t know how to explain lar 🙂 Anyway, this post is also a testament that how loved and well liked you are as a person and a friend.
PS: I’m very curious to know what your student do in Kazakhstan la.Not many ppl I know got anything to do with that country..lol!Have a nice day,Arthur.
Why? Why so emotional one? LOL!!! 😀 Jessie says it makes her feel happy… That’s good! Well, I try to be nice to everyone but then again, I’m only human so people may have to put up with any shortcomings and hopefully, they will.
P.S. He’s a SHELL employee – I guess there’s oil in Kazakhstan and the company has vested interests there. Earning BIG money, overseas assignment for four years…paid in euros…and nowhere to spend – just imagine that. Still available/eligible, if anyone’s interested. LOL!!! 😀
Borat is from kazakhstan!
Yup! He made the country famous. LOL!!!
Many visitors there!!!! I visiting few uncles’ houses in Sibu and already damn tired. No more that high energy unlike last time, now can only visit one or two houses and I already exhausted. Cannot visit everyone of them in 2 days. hahaha!
If next year go to Sibu and my holiday is longer, shall drop by your doorstep! :p
Aiyor!!! And you’re still so young. I should be the one saying that – that’s exactly how I feel when I go visiting. I would rather wait at home and wait for people to drop by. 🙂
Wow!!!..what an awesome crowd. As you always say, the more the merrier. Show you are always well remembered in the hearts of those who knew you from far and near. You must be super duper busy serving everybody….hehehehe!!!…
I guess that helped keep the blues away… Too busy, and happily so! 😉
wow..I could never entertain so many.. .my house is always on the quiet side.. cos I didnt “open house” like u… no homecooked food to eat except for the cookies! This year Cleff and family came only.. cos most of the time my family were either visiting or having our activities outside our house…
I just went to my parents’ and my in-laws’ the morning of the 1st Day and the rest of the time, I was at home. I find it very tiring to goi visiting and after a house or two, I would be drenched in my sweat and I would want to go home already. 😦 Ya…I heard they dropped by in the middle of the night?
wow! this is truly OPEN house! So many relatives and friends and ex-students from near and far came to visit you & your family. This only goes to show how well you’re liked and what an impact you must have made in your ex-students’ life…still keeping in touch after all these years, huh. Reading this post and seeing all those happy faces in the photos you took really put a smile on my face. Once again, happy new year 🙂
Ok, on a small scale then…not like when we were younger and we served food guests over for at least three days and after that, visitors would have to settle for the cakes and cookies. Yes, it certainly made me happy too to have all of them dropping by – good feng shui, they say…all that happiness, all the positive vibes. Hopefully, that is true and I’ll be blessed with happiness the whole year through.
What beautiful gatherings, this is so heart-warming, Arthur. Am I quite right if I say that most people these days don’t like to bother with holding open houses or opening their doors like this? My eldest sister in Singapore likes entertaining like you and she is one great cook too.
In Sibu, I think everyone does it…but they only serve cakes and cookies mostly… My daughter stayed with a family in SP once, said it was more a family affair, gather and eat at siblings’ houses in turn and nobody (or few) people visiting – not like what we do in Sibu.
wah so many visitors and so much food! What a bountiful chinese new year!
I certainly hope that’s what the year will turn out to be – bountiful. 😉
Looks like lots of people come to the house, from New Zealand, S’pre, Kazahstan, vietnam hahah, really so nice! Suddenly envy of u.. hahah i also wish to have such of CNY atmosphere with my family C: C:
It certainly was nice. Come on over, you can get to enjoy the joys of the season here too… 😉 Btw, thanks for dropping by. A warm welcome to you – will link you in my blogroll.
Looks like a UN meeting? haha.
LOL!!! It does, doesn’t it? Including somebody from Borat’s country! 😀
WOW….house filled with endless family & friends visiting you…this is what I called ‘Sin Cia’! When I was small, my late grand mom house used to be like yours…loads of people, food and mini casino!
Yes, in the old days, this was the usual practice…but these days, I guess young people do not want to go through the hassle and many would =take off on a holiday to some place. Sibu small town, still very traditional… 😉
Wow!! It look so happening at your house during chinese new year!!
Ya ya, i remember few years back when i am back to Sibu for chinese new year, and we go visited all my uncles and aunties, houses by houses…tsk tsk tsk …after few houses i already surrender!!
Looks like you all cook quite a lot during chinese new year, all cook by Lucy?
Yup, all by her. I would want to cook some things but could not get into the kitchen…all messed up with her stuff all over. 😦
wow! from all over the world! LOL
well perhaps cny is a good chance for frens and family to gather together! =D
It certainly is…or at least in Sibu, it is… 😉
I know this is an old post, but I couldn’t help but comment. It reminds me so much of my family. There are plenty of people that stop by my grandmothers home in South Carolina, lots of food, family to see, and old friends from my aunts and uncles childhood stop by also. The locals stop by to visit, and people that have moved away but are in town, stop by and say hello. 🙂
These days, most of her children are visiting since most live in Florida or Maryland (including my grandmother.) However since she still owns the home in South Carolina (and visits throughout the year — especially on holidays) most still go there for Thanksgiving. My daughter and I are breaking tradition this year, since we’re staying in Maryland. My daughter has been in South Carolina every Thanksgiving since she was born. She’s now nine years old.
We’ll still have a great holiday, we just won’t be surrounded by so much loving family/friends.
That was Chinese New Year early this year. It is sad that they say the world is getting smaller but next-of-kin and friends are scattered all over the place and occasions for everyone to come together are few and far between unlike the old days when everybody lived together in extended families or close by and festive days were such happy days with everyone around. It’s Thanksgiving on the 22nd, that is tomorrow here but the day after in the States. Got anything planned? We do not celebrate Thanksgiving here…but at times, we may eat turkey for Christmas.
That is the way. The ambiance, the mood, the festive. I like it when my house is visited and everyone is enjoying themselves during festive season.
Not this year. It is going to be a quiet CNY.
Very very quiet. Will not even bother to unlock the gate and the doors. So sad.