Chinese New Year Visit

Cousin Nicole came all the way from Fresno, California for a visit during Chinese New Year. An opportune time to visit since it was her first time meeting the extended family. Food, tradition and culture come to the fore during this festive season and boy did she do well. Respect for the elders in our family - check. Some knowledge of our customs - check. Bright red on the first day of the year of the Dragon - check. Serving tea to the elders - check. Auspicious greetings and wishes - check. Ang pows for me - check. Homemade dessert for 'hoi nin' lunch - check. Game to try almost any type of food - check. Interest in our way of life in Malaysia - check. Thousands of photos - check.

It was a pleasure having Nicole as part of the celebrations. Easygoing and fitting-in easily made the initiation into our large family a smooth process. We did our best to explain the nuances of our family dynamics, we suggested she try every conceivable food that we held dear to our hearts. We proudly showed her round the city that we call home, we even gave her a scare when we were stopped by cops after an illegal U-turn. We cajoled her with tales and anecdotes, and were in turn at the receiving end of witty comebacks.

Welcome to the family Nicole. Hope you had a blast here in KL. And since you have thousands of photos, I wouldn't bother putting any up in Facebook. We shall all await yours and no doubt will have a little laugh at the captions, good luck!

Suk Harn, a happy recipient of ang pows from Nicole.