February 9, 2009

Well believe it or not but since my last post when I mentioned that it was Chinese New Year that weekend...it's STILL going on!! I believe this past weekend was the last of it but who knows I could be wrong. Apparently the Chinese don't take days off from work any other time of year but when new years roll around they take off like 2-3 weeks at a time. I must say that I was very disappointed. I heard all about festivities going on and was really looking forward to seeing a lion dance but nope!! There were various firework shows which did nothing but agitate Oso and we went to an open house at one of Jim's co-workers, and I know there were lion dances daily at the mall around the corner but I never made it up for one, but really I didn't the "cultural experience" I was expecting. So let me tell you what I did experience...

One night I met Mel at one of her outlets called Rumours for what was supposed to be traditional Chinese New Year dinner. Now considering I don't know what traditional is, I found the food very good but not anything out of the ordinary. On the menu: 1st course was Lo Sang, which is a chinese salad only available at new years, there were some noodles, nuts, sesame oil, abalone tuna and salmon. Really I must say this was the highlight of the meal for me, it was very tasty. There is a ritual that once everything for the salad has been added, everyone at the table takes turns "tossing" it with their chopsticks and the higher you toss the greater your fortune and prosperity will be in the upcoming year. I'm really sad that I can only eat this salad once a year because it was really good!! 2nd course was a ginger, chicken consomme with dumpling, nothing exciting there. 3rd course you had a choice of either broiled cod, braised duck, or beef tenderloin all served with either garlic butter rice or brown rice and veggies and for dessert there was sesame ice cream with assorted fruits. See...nothing traditional except for the Lo Sang and tangerines adorning the table. Tangerines are given as gifts so in all the markets you'll see crates and crates of oranges both symbolizing good health, luck and fortune for the new year. Also single women will toss them into lakes hoping to be blessed with love.

So we all had fun at dinner and afterwards we went and sang karaoke which I enjoyed and then later on to a club which was entirely too packed for my liking. I mentioned that we were invited to an open house also for Chinese New Year. This was held on the actual eve of the new year at Jim's co-workers family home. They call this the "reunion dinner", it's when all of the family get together and have dinner and exchange Ang Pow's; these are monetary gifts traditionally given in red envelopes ( for luck ) to the kids, single persons and sometimes married couples. This was more of the traditional food I was expecting, they of course had the Lo Sang but also whole fish, pork knuckle, prawns, chicken, duck, rice, pork belly, and probably more but I can't remember everything...it was a feast!!! I tried to taste everything and finish it all until I was told that you aren't supposed to finish all your food because then it represents that the year will be plentiful for you. So no one finished everything...instead they snacked on other stuff!! After the main meal was cleared then the nuts, cookies, and crackers came out. I had something a little odd that they considered dessert: peanut soup. Literally it was peanuts boiled in a sweet broth and left whole. Not to my liking but interesting enough. It was also very nice for Kenny to invite us and let us intrude on their family gathering...we had a good time.

So since then we really haven't had any part of the ongoing celebration. I was surprised that it is celebrated for so long!! Just this weekend Mel was going to an open house...2 weeks after we attended ours! In the meantime Jim and I hosted a Superbowl breakfast party. Breakfast because the game was broadcast live from the States so it started at 7:30 in the morning. Most of Jim's American friends came over ( Jim didn't invite anyone who was not familiar with the game, he did not want to be distracted by answering questions ) and I did all the cooking. I tried to make the meal as american as possible: scrambled eggs, bacon, sausage, fried red potatoes, biscuits & gravy, bread pudding muffins, bloody mary's, screwdrivers, beer, and fruit. Of course we had leftovers! I don't know how to cook without having leftovers! Everything went well until I noticed that Sox's leg was red...really it was bleeding. So after the game Jim took him to the vet to find out that Sox somehow caught mange, probably from the groomers, so the last week he's been bandaged up like a wounded war vet and taking anti-biotics. He'll live.

I've also been getting ready for my best friend Sim to leave me. She's moving back to Sydney in a week or so to study for her masters degree. So she's been at the house almost everyday, we've been watching LOST ( greatest tv show ever!!) from the beginning and planning her farewell party which was this past weekend. I'm really going to miss her and have been trying to branch out and make new friends ( not that I need a replacement for her, Sim will be back) but it's really difficult for me to "click" with new people. I mean I'd like to think that I can get along with just about anyone but to establish a friendship is hard especially considering that I usually hang with the guys before I find one girl that I actually like. Jim of course is just a social butterfly, he's been playing poker and golfing with all of his American buddies and in the last week we have met up with them twice, once for a farewell party for one of them and once for a birthday party. We are going out with them on Valentine's Day after me and Sim go party hard at the Rihanna concert the night before. Our last hoorah before she boards a plane for Australia.

So that's been life up until today...really busy lately, so now I'm just waiting for the quiet AFTER the storm. I know I've missed some birthdays...I'm gonna work on that next week. Ciao!!