The Most Wonderful Time of the Year

No, Christmas wasn't exactly what I had in mind although it is one of my favourite festivals.

My birthday? That's probably a close second/third.

It's the Chinese New Year !

It never really occurred to me to be THE new year, especially because our lives are planned according to that one universal calendar where January 1st is the accepted first day of the new year. But this festival has always had a special standing in my heart that makes it stand out from the rest.

A lantern at a temple on CNY eve

Crane origami; not sure of the link between this paper crane and CNY but hey it's purty

And then there's this red thing that I love but am not sure about

To begin, I LOVE the CNY tunes that I've heard make people cringe or avoid malls.

Sure, there's lots of unnecessarily loud clanging and firecracker sounds but that's all part of its charm. When I hear it I'm instantly in a good-ADHD-jumping mood and I can already imagine the visits to the relatives' for ang paos, sharing sweet treats and drinks, loud conversations and laughter, what's not to love? And hey, aren't the dolled up little girls in these videos just precious? 财神到 (God of Prosperity's Here) *yayyyyyyyyyyyy*

But there are always classics that exude whatever grace and tenderness the season holds 春风吻上我的脸 (The Spring Wind Kissed My Face)

And if I were to reminisce, every first night of the CNY when the relatives on my dad's side come over for the huge first night feast thing, after having their fill but before gathering for a gamble, I'm always seated at the piano with my dad, his sisters and their little grandchildren all around me; I play accompaniment to Chinese classics as they belt them out one after another. Those times I grow concerned about the amount of spit that settles into my hair as they passionately serenade and the little curious fingers that play around with the piano and its cover which could potentially maim me but only when I think about how I won't be doing that this year it gets to me.

Who doesn't love a hungry baby gnawing on some red packet?

Errbody wants a piece of that ivory

More of the little angels

And then, perhaps not the most obvious although the season is all about spring and how everything comes back anew, you gotta love the flowers. Enough said.

Then there are the laughter filled, family reunion dinners that are characteristically part of Chinese culture. And if it isn't a room in a home or a restaurant hall filled with loud obnoxious chatter, it probably isn't the season I'm talking about here. And don't get me started on the dishes that caters mainly to carnivores.

'Yee sang', a combination of pickles, nuts, crackers and usually salmon slices
The point of this dish is when you gather for dinners, you stand together around this and start to toss the ingredients together with your chopsticks as you say (shout, especially when you're with your playfully competitive cousins) good wishes for yourself and those you love
The process is called 'lou sang'

Prawn crackers and 'acar', pickled vegetables

'Yok kon' or 'bak kwa', depending on the dialect you choose to say it in, are sweet, marinated, thin slabs of meat barbecued to reddish brown, greasy perfection
Non Chinese friends have described these as tasting like jerky

The aftermath of a 'lou sang'

And then there's the 'thrill' of playing host.

Every year, whether true or false, when your parents' friends come over for one of the many parties you throw, you're bound to hear that you've grown taller or lost weight. If you've in fact gained some, they probably just won't bring weight up at all.

Maybe it's just me but I always enjoyed putting on that smile on top of the already cute outfit you've spent ages picking out, offering hospitable greetings and cold drinks amid the hot sunny weather and checking to see whose kids have had puberty paid a visit to.

Albeit extremely tiring on the mind and body afterwards, the feeling of being told you've thrown a good party is worth the process.

Card games of a non-gambling nature with the kids while the adults fork out money for the real deal over beer

Firecrackers; always something to look forward to. More like something to light and then run from

Family portraits (cousins)

And of course there's always the candid version aided by the playful uncle

Mid-hosting sisters photo

The visits are also one of my favourite parts of the celebration.

You get to appreciate other people's efforts they put in for the new year, be it the pastries they put out or red decorations. And of course again there are the compliments. I'm a sucker for compliments.

All dressed up and ready to hit the homes on the planned visiting route !

With who I believe is correctly referred to as my cousin first removed who apparently is a mini me

Daddy with a baby

Mummy with the same baby

Charmaine posing according to my instructions
The reflected sunlight aided that 'smize'

Jenny allowing me a photo of her pretty braid and back

Janet beaming for me in her Cheongsam mid-visit

Char and I in some hair-whipping action while in demure Cheongsams

And that's just an excerpt of why CNY trumps all other yearly events for me.

When else do such cozy, vibrant, sumptuous interactions and celebrations come along?

Happy Chinese New Year !

Work Hard, Play Hard, Keep Partyin' Like It's Your Job, Oh

CHARMAINE AND I ROCKING OUT TO OUR ACOUSTIC VERSION OF
PLAY HARD BY DAVID GUETTA FEAT AKON AND NE-YO

I always just loved this song and I got Char to get on the boat with me and we were just messing around with the melody and I'm totally happy with what we came up with
Miss jamming with this crazy ass girl

Which Would You Choose: Popularity or Talent ?

So it's no secret that I'm a low profile kid.

Being an introvert and having a fear of mingling in crowds only lets you go so high up the popularity hierarchy.

But I ain't complaining. I love where I am. I have the perfect family who make me happy, the nicest, funniest, most awesome close friends and friends who I have occasional chats with. All is good in the world.

Until it comes down to when it interferes with my passion for music.

I've loved music before I knew I did. But that story is for another time.

I absolutely love nothing more than being at the piano, phone with me in case I need the key of a song I'm currently in love with (regrettably, I'm not pitch perfect), notebook and pen in my hand, ready to jot down the chords I find by ear for future reference. Ask my family; I can spend up to hours at the piano.

Only in the last few years have I started making covers and posting them to YouTube. And making good music I'm contented with is one thing; making music that the majority of the public likes and expressly shows affection for is another.

That's something I've come to realize. This inevitable element called popularity comes into play, unfortunately when situations don't even call for it.

Take a pretty good photo and an amazing photo for example. A pretty good photo, if taken by someone who parties/mingles/is just socially awesome would mean tons of recognition, likes and shares on FB and admiration. The amazing photo, which deserves more likes, if anything, gets half or less if in the hands of someone less obvious in the social scene.

This injustice has haunted not only me, but my other music/art-making friends.

In some of these conversations of ours we also acknowledge that we don't make the kind of music the general public are into nowadays (a whole lot of indie and acoustic stuff). We're more for the melodramatic.

I'd wondered if I should give up on doing what I liked and making music more people enjoy, but the thought of it sent shivers down my spine. It really was like getting a cat to bark (alright, not impossible, I've seen the video of the cat barking). It was unnatural, like trying to be someone you're not. And I've had my share of that, thank you very much.

So when I heard of a singing competition organized by Malaysian students for Malaysian students in the UK, my interests were piqued. When I further heard that only the most liked videos will get through, some of that interest disintegrated.


I've gotten many personal messages on FB from acquaintances and friends to help 'like' a photo, video, entry in these competitions to better their chances at "winning". And most of the time, I do give them a 'like' or two. I guess I like helping people out and 'liking' them wouldn't cost me anything but a few seconds so I did, and I'd always wish them good luck.

So back to the singing competition. Already my social hierarchy was laughing at my singing abilities, knowing the ride was not going to be smooth if I took it on. But I did nevertheless, only because I didn't want to regret not doing it later.

And no sooner had I sent in my entry, I wanted to pull out immediately. How could I top the 'likes' on some videos some of my musically inclined friends and I regarded as pretty good but hardly outstanding?

I lamely shared it once on FB and nodded, thinking to myself, well, that's that.

And really, if I were in this alone, I would not have gone beyond 200 likes at most. But I have special friends who don't cease to amaze me. Many shared my video again and in certain FB groups but a certain few individuals took the time (their time to sleep and do other things for themselves) to help me obtain more likes. The extent to which they went just to help little ol' me was a shock albeit a pleasant one to me.

In the end, my video was one of the most liked and I am through to the next round.

It's overwhelming. Yet, something was nagging in the back of my mind.

There were certain participants I really wanted to see go to the next round as well, even if that means I'd have stiffer competition. I even shared some of the videos, knowing I was digging my own grave. What was I doing? These people are popular, good-looking, talented people. I'm barely one of those three, why am I doing this to myself?

I have yet to take a good look at my competitors but no doubt some of whom I have are good and I have my work cut out for me. But it was also unfair that some really talented people did not make the cut only because they were a little or a lot short on likes.

Also, around the time the results were finalised, I was made to feel like I, me, the one who doesn't put myself out there where people are, got through basically because I was "popular".

Bullcrap, man. If anything, you definitely own the social hierarchy. Who am I? I'm the girl who prefers the piano to the clubs.

What was the worst was that I was made to feel that my singing was not a winning factor.

I've been through a lot with myself in terms of my vocal abilities and tone. The stages of which I've loved and been absolutely abhorred with my voice is nothing you can imagine. At one point, I wanted to give up on singing.

But the disgusted part of myself can only hold up for so long when my natural, undeniable passion for music and making it starts to receive life again.


I'm back b******.

So although I was swayed a little by a comment that tried to drive home that my accomplishment was solely due to my non-existent popularity that exceeds yours, don't you forget that I can sing too.

Though I'm sure to stay away from popularity contests from now on.
Yes, I see the logic behind having these things but maybe you should try to even out the playing field -make the votes 30% of the criteria for winning, the other 70% should be by judges or your own committee. This is how k-pop competition shows determine their winners (although these methods have also been abused).


Anyway, this is a big thank you and explanatory note on how I feel about the competition.

Thanks to all who liked my video and your compliments have been kind <3

And of course, I'll return the favour next time. Don't hesitate to ask. 

Because I know that feel, bro/girl.

And in any case, if it wasn't already obvious, talent trumps popularity for me.

And I'd like to refer to a quote whose author and exact words escape me but it goes something like 'If you're gonna do something, might as well do something one person will like', that one person being yourself peeps.

Do things because they make you happy (Y)

PS: The video I sent in as my audition entry

Lemony Yolk Pasta

Lemony Yolk Pasta

(This recipe serves one, takes about 18-20 mins)

The title says it all, really.

So it was after a cooking demonstration in the kitchen one day, and there was an egg yolk left over, unwanted in the ice cream made. I was about to make pasta for lunch and so I made the lonely egg yolk mine, and what an amazing decision it was :D

I love sour savoury food so this accidental recipe is one of my favourites. You can add a tomato or two but I prefer it like this to really savour the creaminess of the yolk and the gentle tang of the lemon.

* When the ingredients are this simple, a more generous amount of salt and pepper is important.

Ingredients (prepare all before cooking):

- Pasta (however much one serving is for you)

- 1 egg yolk

- Half an onion, sliced

- A quarter of a lemon (This is just enough for it to be tangy but not actually sour)

- 1 or 2 cloves of garlic, minced

- Olive oil

- Salt

- Ground black pepper

Recipe:

1. Boil the pasta. Instructions here (if you need them). Start step 2 only after the pasta is ready

2. Sautee the onion and garlic with 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a pan over medium heat till they’re almost the way you like them. Add salt and pepper to taste.

3. Turn the heat all the way down to a low heat. Add the pasta to the pan and stir-fry for about 10 seconds. * If you boiled the pasta for too long till it is soft, the strands are very likely to break apart so I suggest making your pasta al dente *

4. Add the egg yolk onto the pasta and break it, constantly stirring the ingredients. This step should take about a minute over low heat.

5. Squeeze the lemon over the ingredients, mix well and add salt and pepper to taste. This step should take less than a minute.

6. Serve and enjoy :)

Hope you like it :D
Happy omnom-nomming !

How to Prepare Pasta

How to prepare pasta 

Just the very basics of a good pasta meal :)

Different people prefer different textures for their pasta.

Myself, I like my pasta al dente. I believe this means they are still tangy and not too soft.

Also, the pasta for me, on its own should be a little salty. As most of my pasta dishes are not exactly gravy(ful? They’re pretty dry), I make sure the pasta on its own is alright to the taste.

As for the olive oil, it’s really there just so that if you’re gonna keep the pasta to cool on its own for a while, it doesn’t clump together like udon you get from the supermarket. But because I mostly immediately dump my pasta into the sauce after they’re done, I seldom use olive oil.

Ingredients:

- Pasta

- Salt

- Olive oil

Recipe:

1. Fill a pot with water. Not too much, just enough for the pasta. Put it on the stove on high heat. And don’t worry about spaghetti that sticks out of the pot, they all go down eventually (muahahaha). You should keep the lid on so that the water boils faster.

2. When the water begins to boil, add salt to taste. I make pasta a lot so I add as much as I feel is enough. So you should add till you get used to the amount you need according to how much water you use. I can’t put an exact quantity on it. Add a tablespoon or two of olive oil.

3. Chuck the pasta in and just wait. Spaghetti usually takes longer to cook compared to short pasta like fusilli or macaroni.

4. Because the heat is on high, if the lid is closed, the water bubbles up considerably fast, so keep the lid off and constantly pick up a pasta or two to try.

5. When the pasta is as chewy/soft as you like, drain’em. If you’ll be keeping them aside for a while, you can chose to soak them in cold water so they don’t stick, but if you added enough olive oil while boiling you shouldn’t have to.

So there you have it :)
Good ol’ pasta

Check out mah sauce recipes :)

Who's the Most Important Person In Your Life?

 This question was first properly presented to me during a Form 5 Physics tuition class (don't ask why, the teacher was a philosopher who did a handstand in class once) and I gave it careful consideration. 

Myself? 

Pain, pleasure, the only thing that really matters to anyone or compels to do anything at all is if the consequence is imminent on that person. Then I realised, oh wait, I'd walk through a spider infested cave (I have arachnophobia) than let my mum have to touch a slithery serpent (she has ophidiophobia). 

So my answer was my mother. Granted, there are a few other individuals I'd make an equally huge sacrifice for but that's irrelevant today -the 28th of October, because it's the birthday of the most important person in my life.

I thought to myself, I could wish my mum and tell her how great a human being she is... but hey, why not let the whole world know? My mum, the modest little lady that she is, always downplays her talents/quirks/amazingness anyway.

Let's begin !

1. My mum has a sense of humour

Taken at the trick art museum in I-City. We were adamant in not making the same, stereotypical poses people did in these places. What my mum chose to do here tickled me nicely. I was pleasantly impressed.

 Growing up, humour has been an essential gluing agent in our family bonding. Everyone in our family has a unique sense of humour and together, the chemistry and intimacy I feel is beyond comparison. My mum is very well aware her sense of humour is too grown up and sometimes unfunny to us kids but that never hindered her in always trying to give us a good laugh. Now that is sacrifice; at her expense.

Not to mention, her laugh is a hearty one that tickles your eardrums which makes you always want to make her laugh. Like, so hard that she snorts by accident.

Funny sounding words or noises work quite well.

2. She loves food

Omnom-noming and looking all pretty and fancy at Advanti on a special ocassion

 Our family is a huge fan of nosh; you can tell by our average size. And while there's no doubt as to my mum's culinary expertise, she knows we love certain food you just have to go out for. I love when she could've made dinner but she heard you say lately that you've been craving something and she wiggles her eyebrows at you, suggesting we go eat there instead. The idea may be incredulous, but simple notions like this make us feel all warm and cozy inside. 

She also goes out of her way to get something that she knows makes you happy, like, bubble tea or sushi.

Needless to say, she's memorised the favourite food of her little piglets (daddy included).

3. She's a sporting woman

Mum and dad flexing at a breakfast in Hong Kong

She and my dad were sporty people in their teens and adolescent-hood. We go play tennis once in a while as a family. She knows the importance of being healthy and encourages us to play a sport or two, of course, reminding us that studies still take priority. She'd very often go to the nearby lake for a morning walk with my grandma. I never regretted all the few times I decided to drag myself out of bed for those. Nothing like alone time and long conversations with one of your best friends around a huge pool of water.

4. She's gentle, understanding, forgiving yet solid as a rock

Carrying a relative's adorable baby, ever the face of youth and peaches and Spring and blossoms and pretty, feminine yet strong things.

She's been through a lot of drama as is expected with life. But the nicest people tend to encounter the worst kind of monsters disguised as family or friends and my mum has been through a ton of poop. Still, one thing my mum never does is hold grudges. She believes in second chances and we all know how difficult it is to do that.

In emotionally charged situations, she keeps her cool and carries on. You won't see this woman crumble.

5. She's intelligent and hardworking

Doing just what the cameragirl desires

She worked as a HR manager until I turned 7 or so. She gave it up to be closer to her children and also to make sure every vital step they took in their important childhood happened under her nose. She never really got back to work although we all know how much she loved and misses it. She says it's not a big deal, but she's also mentioned the things she missed about work. 

Nevertheless, she keeps herself updated with the news; be it political, business or general knowledge. She's never short on things to say in a conversation; I'm not even talking about small talk or meaningless gossip. She holds her own in chats with the aunties and more serious conversations with the uncles. She knows what's up when we go to see people about a certain business because she makes sure she does her homework beforehand. 

These are my parents; umbrellas at the ready at the slight sound of thunder. 

I've got a lot to learn from them.

Also, lazy is just not a word she's familiar with. Incredibly disciplined and hardworking, I don't think she even slacked with homework in primary school.

6. She's a lovely, chatty person

Again, being the object of my lens' affection

Unlike myself, a self-proclaimed introvert who is mostly socially awkward, my mother is a natural in social situations. She always talks to my friends when they come over, making sure they have a drink if they want one and that I don't let them do their own dishes. Whether she's giving Janet's friends a ride home, welcoming Jenny's project partners to the study or thanking my friends for the ride home, she's there with a smile and a friendly question. With friends and relatives, she's one of the people laughing the loudest or the one to approach the ones less comfortable in said social settings.

Poised with a lovely, welcoming smile on her lips, no social event is intimidating to her.

We're at McDonald's drive-through and she manages a brief conversation with the cashier.

7. She's selfless

My 21st birthday with the cake she and my aunt designed together

She always wants you to be happy; but she still wants you to study though she knows that doesn't make you very happy.

She likes to be able to give you good food; but she also tells you when you're getting a little chubby.

She doesn't bother with getting credit. Selfless really is the word. Your happiness is her concern.

8. She won't give up on you

At the trick art museum in I-City. Jenny's rear causes havoc that my mum tries to contain

When you seem to come from different planets and she is unable to get to you or help you in the first place, she won't stop trying till she is able to help. She ponders over matters for a long time if she is unable to.

9. She's a vital piece in our awesome family puzzle

Our family with popo <3

Do I really need to explain this?

10. She's my best friend

Me back-hugging mummy in Awana Kijal

 I've had people tell me 'family doesn't count' when I say my best friends are my mum, my sister and my cousin.

And it may not be apparent, but I'm incredibly lucky. All this time I thought everyone was close to their family, that family was everyone's sanctuary. I only appreciated that this is not the case half of the time.

That said, I have absolutely no qualms in saying that my mum is one of my best friends.

In all the time we've spent together, we've shared secrets, had laughs at the ridiculous bits of life, cried over mistakes and the list is endless.

I always enjoy those mornings or long afternoons we have to ourselves; she'd take me along when she had to pay the bank a visit and we'd have a snack after because, well, snack.

- THE END -

Mummy and daddy getting excited over some Taiwanese sweet potato :)

Mummy showing the whale some love at the trick art museum in I-City

On mother's day; just some girls who really love and appreciate the woman in the middle

Mummy, daddy and I all smiles

Marina Bay Sands

My favourite people

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MUMMY ! <3

IN CASE IT WASN'T CLEAR IN THIS BLOG POST, YOU'RE AMAZING !

I MISS YOU A LOT

THIS IS YOUR FIRST BIRTHDAY WITHOUT ME FOR THE FIRST TIME SINCE I WAS BORN BUT, IT WILL BE THE SECOND LAST YOU'LL HAVE IT WITHOUT ME

AFTER I COMPLETE THE BAR, WE'LL ALWAYS CELEBRATE YOUR BIRTHDAY TOGETHER

HAVE AN AWESOME TIME AND TELL ME ABOUT IT AFTER :)

LOVE,

WEI WEI