Chinese New Year 2009.. The Year of the Ox

Chinese New Year eve - 25 January 2009
Potluck at James' mum's place is becoming somewhat of a tradition.. well, this makes it 2 years in a row and I reckon it's gonna stick. Yes, I did my bit.. thanks to Luke for his suggesting daging masak kicap (beef in soya sauce). My chilli beef didn't fare too well last year - James' family are not big chilli eaters, but it sure kept Carol, Luke and Aunty Connie chilli happy!

The spread.. there was roast duck, steamed oyster sauce chicken, chicken's feet & mushroom combo, Aunty Connie's chup chye, a kiam chye dish, very good lotus root soup and my beef. Incidentally, my beef did well this year! Haha.. (Note: Apart from the chilli sauce for dipping, there was not a dish with chilli in it!!)

Carol chillin' with her beer before makan.. Luke taking a whiff of the chicken.. and gets caught in the act as he pinches some of my beef!

I just had to take a pix of the altar.. check out the pineapples - they look pretty regular from afar but upon closer inspection, they weren't even real! They were some light thingamajig! The lantern made of ang pow packets was made by Aunty Connie..

After dinner, we just hung around and chatted for a bit before heading home at 9ish..

Chinese New Year Celebration at Carol's - 27 January 2009

Carol had a "mainly green with splashes of red" theme going on this year - check it out..

Green curtains, red CNY decorations.. green with reddish flowered cushion covers.. green lanterns (hey, isn't that like a superhero character??), red/pink blossoms..

Bright fluorescent green and orangey red nail colour! Yikes!!

Green mat.. green tau foo fah that, yes.. came in a green container! Haha..

And, yes, even James was dressed in green.. I wonder if it's a feng shui thing.. hmm...

And, their "green" contribution - saving all the aluminium cans for recycling..

Food was, of course, abundant.. there was satay..

Kerabu tang hoon with wonderful sambal to go with it.. potato salad and coleslaw.. I know.. strange combination but what the chef (Aunty Connie) says (or in this case makes/cooks) goes, man..

And the main course...

Yes, every item that's written on the side of the truck, they had! Yummy!

Along with the other guests that arrived was Pat..

Poor Blackjack was so freaked out she had to chill in the quiet of Carol's room.. on her dresser to be precise..

and that Blackjack's impression of the "CATS" (the musical) poster.. haha..

Pat having a good go at the mee rojak.. and a close up of what was on his plate..

Jade and I got a bit bored and decided to take some pix..

I never knew she had it in her to make all those funny faces 'coz she's SO serious and quiet most of the time..

In hindsight, she actually looks a bit mabuk! I wonder...?? NAH..

Since I had to work the next day, I left at 10ish..