Friday, April 06, 2007

Kelantan: Gastronomic Adventure
Khai Yee decided to follow me back to for Cheng Beng. His mission? Eat...eat....and eat

Khai Yee started his eating adventure at the airport. He wolfed down a tuna baguette before the flight. Upon touchdown, my dad brought us to eat "Nasi Dagang" a Kelantanese delicacy. Khai Yee ate a plate of "Nasi Dagang" with two pieces of chicken. After polishing off the plate of nasi, he proceeded to consume "tupai" compressed rice with chilli and prawns.

Morning tea was served at Temangan. Banana pancakes... Lunch was at Kelantan's oldest Chinese restaurant, which roughly 80 years old... Khai Yee consumed a bowl of rice and plenty of pork and rice dumplings...

Dinner was at the Thai village where the main dish was a plate of sago worms and bee larvae. Khai Yee insisted that he wanted to try the two dishes...so he can brag to his "big city" friends that he can so compete in Fear Factor.

This is the result of eating the bees...Khai Yee developed an allergic reaction to the bees. Notice the swollen eyes, actually he looks worse off in real life. He was red all over !!! Had to take him to the doctors...hehehe...
Kelantan: Cheng Beng

Went back to Kelantan for the annual "Cheng Beng" festival. Notice the miniature flags on the grave? Guess my "uncles and aunty" beat me to it this year. Don't get me wrong, its not a competition to see who performs the ancestral prayers first, the point is we are supposed to do it together!!

Mom and dad cleaning my grand-parent's grave.

Notice the yellow boxes? It contains paper clothing, shoes and other necessities. Basically items that you would need if you were alive. Oh ya, not to forget the bags of "hell" money.

Stacking the boxes on "hell" money to be burned...

The entire process took roughly 3 hours...it was so hot that my shirt was soaked!

Tuesday, April 03, 2007

Anthony's Birthday Party

We invited a whole lot of relatives, including 3 other kids. Mom in law is carrying Erica, Joanne is the baby in yellow and the little girl in red is Elewen.

Ma and Mom in law cooked a whole lot of food, my contribution is a big pot of pasta. Apparently it was so good that it was polished off in no time. Secret ingredient? Cheese...loads of cheese.

1.5kg birthday cake...

Fong Fong was so curious about the cake, he kept on wanting to grab the cake...Cleo had to physically restrain him.

Other kids getting into the act...

Cutting of the cake...

Ma proceeding to "knock" Fong Fong's head with a boiled egg. This ritual is to "ensure" that he grows up to be a good kid.

Ma, feeding Fong Fong some egg...

All in all it was a good party, lots of food, fantastic company...only thing missing was a good bottle of wine haha

Tuesday, March 13, 2007

Anthony and Joanne

My niece (Cleo's sister's daughter) is currently staying with us, while my sis in law looks for a new maid to help out.

Fong Fong now has a new playmate...

Fong Fong has not gotten used to the idea that he has to share his toys...

Get off my toy!!!!

Fong Fong has also decided that sitting in the basket is more comfortable...

Lately he has taken to climbing and sitting on the basket...

Fong Fong tends to like to push Joanne around when she is in the stroller...

Fong Fong to chasing after Joanne...

But ultimately they get along ok...as long as Fong Fong is the one holding on to the toy!!!
Barbecue at Beh Deh's House
We decided to have a bbq at Beh Deh's house over the CNY holidays. Initially Khai Yee and me were supposed to foot the cost of the bbq, but Beh Deh was kind enough to "belanja"

The boss and host for the BBQ making sure that the table is setup...

The host and his "kuli" adding more charcoal to the BBQ pit...

No time to talk...just eat...

Only Fong Fong has the time to look around...

Fong Fong enjoying the company of 2 lovely ladies...
Hair Cut: Before and After

BEFORE....


AFTER...

VIEW FROM THE BACK...COCONUT SHAPED

Curry Puffs
I made curry puffs over the weekend. It is surprisingly not as complicated as I thought it would be. I followed a recipe by Amy Beh from The Star newspaper. I still need to work on my fluting technique so that they look prettier. They tasted just like the ones you would buy from the makcik at the roadside stall. YUM!!! :)

Monday, March 12, 2007

Chinese New Year 2007

A usual Chinese New Years Eve dinner was a lavish affair....so much food for 4 adults and one baby.

Abalone, Celery and mushrooms...

The obligatory but politically incorrect shark fin soup with crab roe...what the heck, it taste good!!!

Cleo's inherent artistic abilities resulted in this "masterpiece"...

Ancestral prayers...

All dressed in red for 1st day of CNY...

Even Fong Fong and Cleo were dressed in red...

Fong Fong receiving "ang pow"...

Refusing to be carried....

Fong Fong loves "playing" the piano...

Ladies dressed in their finest...

Family photo...