It's Chinese New Year

Happy CNY to everyone who are still reading this dead blog.

CNY have always not been the same ever since........ I don't even recall when was it.

It was always the time of the year when we would have looked forward to. The time when we would get to play with fireworks. My uncle would help to purchase the loudest fireworks for us. When we would be able to still play it openly in our house compound. When we will be greeted every new year morning with the red "mess" of the fireworks on the ground. The childrens (me included) will then search within the mess to look for "un-pop" fireworks to keep and play it after we get back. One of the most famous fireworks during that time is the "tek chu". We will each get a Sarsi glass bottle and put the tek chu into it before lighting it up. When we are bored, we will then play with the tek chu in the drain. Lighting it up and releasing it into the drain just before it started to fly off. It will then "fly" in the water and "pop" the drain water out.

This will also be the time when we would get to gamble openly at our home as well. We would start off with the mild "sa ki pai" (direct translation will be 3 cards). This is the game which can be played by tons of ppl. I think the bet was for 50cents for us or $1 (back then, the Malaysian Dollar is still being used). When we ran out of coins, we would then fold the $1 into half and tell our bankers that we are betting only 50cents. Apart from the sa ki pai, we would also play "tan chap" (wait ten), "ban lak" (black jack), "hu he hau hua" (fish prawn horseshoecrab flower), "tua se" (big small), and etc. It was also during the time when God of Gambler is still being very famous and we will all try to imitate him eating the chocolates. I still remember I will sit beside my parents when they play mahjong and also poker. Oh, I just remembered that my dad will also bring me to the coffee shop of a friend of his to play rummy. Back then, I still do not know how to play it. It was till recently only I really know the rule of this game.

When I was much younger, it would also be the time when we would get to go to the cinema to watch the new year movies. Catching the midnight shows with my parents and my uncle. This is back to the time when there are still tons of cinemas around Penang. REX, ODEON, etc (I forgot the rest already).

Then, this is also the time when we would receive the ang pow from the elders.Normally every parents will tell their kids to remember who gave which ang pow so that they can know how much the other party gave you and how much they actually gave to them.

But nowadays, the atmosphere have been very much different. No more fireworks. The gambling sessions does not feel much fun ald. The cinemas have been long gone. The ang pows no longer looks so attractive already. Is it due to that we have outgrown the feeling or is it the atmosphere have been lost in the name of progress?

HAPPY CNY EVERYONE!!!! =D