Chinese New Year visits and activities

A minimalist approach to Chinese New Year. Not as heavy traffic compared to yesterday where everywhere was almost a standstill.

On CNY eve, we had buffet lunch with 公公, 婆婆 and Ah Kong at Cafe Laurel, Evergreen Laurel Hotel (公公 likes it there as not so crowded). The children enjoyed desserts, ice-creams and lemon tea from the coffee/tea counter. Main dishes were just side dishes to them :) We only took one photo as too busy eating and they got too messy for photos.

Mains - The oranges were decorations but 公公 took for them :P

I wanted to give the children something they like during CNY eve so they get to choose their breakfast. It's home-style fried eggs and sausages haha. I'm not a traditionalist and couldn't make them anything traditional for CNY, so I'm pretty happy with their choice. Otherwise if it's up to 爸爸, we'd be having hawker fare breakfast - which is not my style at all.

The children in their new pajamas.
姐姐 in Hello Kitty pajamas and 弟弟 in Cars pajamas.

姐姐 got a mandarin orange for good luck from PIBG on the last day of school. She's one of the temporary class monitors so she and the other class monitor counted and carried the box of mandarin oranges back to the class for distribution to her classmates.

She appreciated the mandarin orange from school a whole lot, maybe because she laboured to select and carry them to her class

Chinese New Year eve dinner prepared by 爸爸。Everything is nice except the 炒沙葛 was too sweet :P

Hehe our homecooked CNY eve dinner

On Chinese New Year 初一, we went to 拜拜 at Guan Yin Temple 观音亭 after lunch. So crowded, part of the main altar is under repair so everyone's squashed to the side. 姐姐 and 爸爸 犯太岁 this year so they had extra prayers.

Another year of 拜拜 at Guan Yin Temple 观音亭

On the way back we saw a Marking George Town sculpture "Untrained Parakeet" on King Street near to where we parked. We actually missed one right at the junction of Lebuh China.

Untrained Parakeet sculpture on King Street

At night, we visited Hean Boo Thean floating temple 玄母殿 along Weld Quay. We followed the big sign to turn as we came from Jelutong Expressway. The children loved this place as it is breezy and cool. It's decorated very brightly and nicely for Chinese New Year. See them smiling brightly for the photos :) Of course it's 拜拜 first before taking photos and sight-seeing. There's numbering on the 香炉 and indication how many joss stick to put, very thoughtful for visitors.

On the platform facing main altar

The main altar

Sight-seeing around 玄母殿 Hean Boo Thean floating temple.

Facing the sea

On the first floor where 南海观世音菩萨与金童玉女 prayer altar is housed.

There are many pots of chrysenthemum as decorations around the temple - lovely!

View from the first floor

Komtar in the background

These are statues depicting 二十四孝之故事

View from the temple.

Komtar in the background again, and there's a boat taking visitors from the temple to the heritage clan jetties

Interesting finds inside the temple.

Dragon pillar and lanterns inside the temple. There's a lighted mobile prayer altar that looked like from past procession.

CNY decorations

The second day 老姑 visited with the children's cousins. Everyone's growing up so fast.

姐姐, 弟弟, cousins 靖, 纬，裕

At the playground where the aunties, uncles and cousins are staying in Penang.
And lunch with 捞生 (爸爸 only got the back of the children's heads :P)

With Cousin Rachel, she's 14 now

Around the playground