Happy Year of the Pig

Or boar, which I think sounds more polite.

Chinese New Year for me brings to mind huge family gatherings, specifically on my mum's side. When I was younger, and all my cousins were still in Malaysia, we'd all meet up in my grandma's place in Ayer Tawar. The days would be filled with visits from family friends, the nights with lighting fireworks and doing our best to add to the din from the houses around. Later on, late nights were spent telling ghost stories before the adults came up to bed.

This was before everyone grew up and moved to NZ, Aus, UK etc etc. Although we did manage to have one last gathering a couple of years ago. Definitely the weirdest CNY ever, that year when we met after not having seen each other for ages all together. Made even weirder when our CNY dinner consisted of a mix of nasi lemak and soft shelled crabs and sotong, and when all of us cousins dragged the adults to a after dinner game of bowling and indoor football.

This year, CNY is, by personal choice, a quiet weekend in Barrow-In-Furness. And when I think of it, rejoining my family for CNY is going to be harder than ever in the coming years. Still hopeful for another get-together within the next decade, though.