Back to hometown or “Balik Kampong” in local language

Children or traveler that reside outside of their original home will go back to their hometown during weekends or some special event or festive seasons like Chinese New Year. I am one of those. I had to leave my hometown to further my study in other states right after I had completed my secondary education.

There isn’t any tertiary education institute in my hometown. Normally after secondary school, most of the youth will go to different places to further studies or to work in a bigger city. It is excited to explore a new place and yet it is so sad to leave the place that you were born and had grown up in. I still can remember how complicated the feeling was to “temporary” leave your home, your family members and friends, landing yourself in a whole new environment with new faces around you. That is why “back to hometown” is very anticipated by most of the “travelers”. I am definitely one of them. Especially during festive seasons like Chinese New Year, where most of the travelers will be coming back to their hometown, it is indeed a great time for gathering.

This is a great time for the family members to catch-up with each other on how they are doing and to share their individual experience when they are away from home. I feel I am more appreciated with the precious time that I could spend with my family members every time I am back in my hometown.

We should appreciate all the moments that we can spend with our family and friends as most of the time we are not with them. Thus, it is important to spend time together with your family members. I am glad that I knew about this fact and have been practicing the good habit of having “family time” with my family members.

It is time to “Balik Kampong” again! Travelers need to buy tickets to travel back home way in advance for Chinese New Year. Some even need to queue up really early in the morning long before the ticket counter is open to purchase the ticket. Fortunately, my brother is the one who help me to queue up and buy the ticket.

Thank you so much my brother!

Arrow Head Plant or "Ngar Gu" for Chinese New Year

Since young, my grandmother told me that the Arrow Head is very special and only available in the wet market around Chinese New Year. Of course it is a common and must-have-dish on the dinning table of my family during Chinese New Year. The taste of arrow head is quite plain and thus, it always cook together with chicken or duck meat. In the pas few years, some even sliced the arrow head and deep fried it, it's taste like potato chips and crispy. I do try to deep fried a few and found that it really required skills as it tend to over-fried very quickly and very often it will crumple together. 

Most people knows arrow head can be served as a dish and can be eaten. However, I only knew it recently that arrow head could grow into a very nice and beautiful plant. Some families will grow the Arrow Head plants a few weeks before Chinese New Year. 

Some will put it in a container filled with water and some will plant it in soil. Both methods also can grow a nice Arrow Head plants. During the initial stage, roots will grow from the arrow head. After a few days, there will be some shoots or leave is growing. The leave will continue to grow and in no time, you will see a very nice plant. When CNY is approaching, we can decorate the plant with some red color ribbon as red is auspicious color in Chinese society. You can also add in some colorful marbles to the pot to make the plant look attractive. 

Some people believe that the taller the plant grow, and the more beautiful it is, it indicates the family will be more prosperous and have lots of good luck in the coming new year. Remember that the plant required water regularly and it is a type of indoor plant. Of course, we need to take care of the plant and need to bring it under the sun in order for the plant to grow stronger and nicer.

There is no harm to try in when you see there are arrow heads available in the market.

Tanjong Pagar Railway Station

Railway, the KTM train is my priority means of transport to travel back to Kuala Lumpur. The current railway station is conveniently located in Tanjong Pagar, but it will be relocate to Woodlands in this coming July 2011.

I have lots of memory in this railway station as my first time travel o Singapore is also using the train and this was the first place I have the most impression. Back then, the Singapore checkpoint was still in Tanjong Pagar instead of Woodlands.

The railway station is full with taste of heritage, the design and paintings… try to close your eyes and feel. I have too many memories in this place. I can’t remember how many times I have dropped my tears here. The happy moment when I welcoming my family as they come to visit me, and also the sad moment when they need to go back home and I bit good bye to them and standing at the opposite side of platform and waived at them.  How excited I am every time I can travel back to visit them…

It is time for me to travel back home again. I will usually take the night train to travel back home and I will get the second class ticket so that will be able to get a place to sleep. There are about five to six coaches that with upper and lower berth for passenger. Pillow and blanket are provided at each “bed” and there are curtains so that you would have your “privacy”…

Not much people like to travel by train as the journey is about 9 hours if the train is punctual, else, sometimes it can take up to 11 hours if the train delay. I experience that in my last two trips when back from Kuala Lumpur to Singapore.  After all, I would still think is service is good and convenient for me, so I will still using this means of transport to travel back home.

A rest day for floor sweeping

While I was sweeping floor today and thing when is the best time that I can have good excuse not to sweep floor, oh that comes into my mine – the first day of Chinese New Year.

Not only it is a taboo to sweep floor on that day and there are many more. The followings are some things that CANNOT be done on the first day of the Chinese New Year. This is just some personal sharing and it has been practiced in my family since generations ago.

1. CANNOT Sweep floor - In Chinese culture, people normally believe that there will have lots of prosperous from the first day of the new year and thus sweeping floor on the first day would indicate sweep away all the prosperous for the coming year.
2. CANNOT say Un-auspicious words – Most of people will believe that a good start of the year must have good things happen on the very first day of the Chinese New Year. That is the reason people must say good things, good wishes instead so that hope is a good new beginning of the year.
3. CANNOT break glasses – If anyone has accidentally break the glasses, the person must immediately say some auspicious words. “Broken” thing is not a good sign for the coming year.
4. CANNOT wash hair – I am not so sure the real meaning behind this, but hair is something to do with good luck and prosperity. Thus, wash hair would probably indicates wash away all the good luck and prosperity too, so just stand for a day and wash it on the next day.
5. CANNOT scold people  - Most people should have enjoy the first day of the Chinese New Year in a very happy and re-union together and scolding someone would probably just spoilt the mood a atmosphere and make the people around feel not happy. So, avoid it and for those who are hot-tempered, please control.
6. CANNOT wear black color shirt - Most of the Chinese especially the elderly will consider red as auspicious color and black as a taboo. “Black” indicate bad luck and normally “black” is the color for sad event like the wake. Contrary, “Red” is consider as auspicious color that will bring good luck and in most of the happy event, people will use “Red” color like wedding, baby full month, birthday and etc.

The making of Japanese food sample – Tempura

I went to the Natas Fair 2011 and my greatest joy is not signing up a great deal package but can experience the making of Japanese food sample – Tempura from the master in Japan. It is incredible technique and the “Tempura” looked so REAL but can’t be eaten. It was made from sort of wax, I guess. There are so many samples there, sushi, sashimi, kobe beef, pasta.. 

Other food sample, which looked so REAL

Yummy sushi, lettuce and Tempura

The exhibitor is “Sample Village Iwasaki” and the master are really friendly and helpful to show how is the making of the food sample and I am glad to have a chance to “make” my first Tempura sample.  It look tasty and yummy, but with strong smell of wax.. haha. Otherwise I think I will eat it. I have been waiting patiently for my turn to experience the making of"Tempura".

I am queue up and waiting for my turn to try out the technique

Attached is the making of the “Prawn Tempura”, 

Firstly soak my hands in the warm water, then pour the yellow color wax into the water. Of course it required some technique in this step. I think need to pour the wax from higher level so that it would form the crispy and puffy form of texture to intimidate the real Tempura. 

Then place the wax prawn on the wax and wrap it. This part also required some skills as it need to be done gently, as cannot press the wax too hard otherwise it will damage the initial crispy and puffy texture that created in the previous steps. Then, need to put the prawn Tempura into cold water for a while. It is done. Take a look closer, does it look REAL?

Right side is my "creation".. self-making sample of Tempura

Chinese New Year Eve – Chu Xi

Chinese New Year Eve night is named as “除夕”, “Chu Xi” in Mandarin or some called it “年三十晚”. It’s last day of the year in the lunar calendar.  In some years, there will be only “年二十九晚”as in the 12^th month of the Lunar calendar of some years will only have 29 days instead of 30 days. 

In Chinese culture, people will busy preparing to welcome Lunar New Year. After the “Re-union Dinner”, where all the family members will have dinner together, people will start to clean their house and tidy up things as it is a taboo to sweep floor on the first day of Chinese New Year.

According to Chinese culture, people will normally stay awake for the whole night or not sleep during the CNY Eve night. This is called “守岁”, “Shou Sui” in Mandarin. There are different stories behind the meaning for “守岁”. One of saying is “守岁” is good for the elderly at home so that will have a longevity life for the elderly.

On the Chinese New Year Eve night, my mother will be busy preparing for the prayers to pray for good luck, prosperity and peace of the family members. It is called “接财神”, “Jie Cai Shen” in Mandarin. My siblings will start to light the firecrackers and fireworks after the prayers. It is so loud and fun! Yes! That is the long waiting once a year atmosphere for Chinese New Year! We can continue to hear the loud bang from the fireworks and firecrackers throughout the whole night of CNY Eve.

My parent will start to give out red packets or angpows called “压岁钱”,“Ya Shui Qian” to us, to bless us for this new year with peaceful, safety and prosperity throughout the whole year round. Thank you my dearest Mummy and Papa!!