Simple…

We kept it very simple this year as like what I said in my previous post, we’re no spring chicken anymore – no longer that young and we neither have the strength nor stamina to be cooking all day in the kitchen to dish out something nice for those who care to drop by.

But our doors are always open and there are always cakes like this one that my missus baked…

…and this kek lumut that she steamed…

The green and yellow/orange one was given to us by my brother-in-law, made by a Malay friend of his, and we bought the black one from the kuih stall at Bandong here – the hati parek…

…and there were a few other varieties as well, like this intoxicating fruit cake from my friend in KL, for instance…

Can you smell the brandy? She gave it to me when I was in KL around the middle of last year and I had been saving it since for this special day.

Then, there were the cookies – my missus made these dahlia and peanut cookies…

– the latter was a hit as they would melt in the mouth owing to the fact that she used peanut butter instead of crushed peanut.

She also made a few others and the rest she bought from the bakeries in town…

…and there were other snacks and tidbits and we had keropok (prawn crackers) served with the acar (pickle) given to me by my ex-student.

Like I said, it was all very simple – nothing much to shout about but we did have a constant stream of visitors including this ex-student of mine…

– the one who drew this picture of me a long long time ago. He was very big and fat then, maybe even fatter than me but look  at him now! There were other groups of students who came as well…

Some of them will always make it a point to drop by when they’re home for Chinese New Year every year.

Then, there were my friends…

…some of them bloggers, some ex-bloggers and Melissa’s friends came too…

These guys came from the peninsula – KL, Trengganu and they were filled with awe by the festivities they were experiencing for the first time in their lives – the firecrackers and fireworks every day and night especially around midnight on Chinese New Year’s Eve…

*Huai Bin of sixthseal.com‘s video*

…and to their delight, they were given ang paos too at the houses they visited. One commented that this was the first time in his entire life and not only did he receive one or two but so many! I am pretty sure that as long as they are still working in Sarawak/Sibu, they will not bother to go home for the short break, come Chinese New Year every year.

Her former classmates, going back all the way to Primary One…

…dropped by for dinner and they sure had a great time catching up with one another’s lives now that all of them have graduated and are working here, there and everywhere and they do not get to meet all that much anymore.

In Melissa’s words, Chinese New Year can be very tiring but it is so much fun and nothing beats celebrating it at home with the joy of the festive season in the air and with friends and family, all of one’s loved ones, all around.