Happy Chinese New Year

I see a similarities between Christmas and also CNY, because both also come down to the fundamental of gathering our loved ones together. Last Christmas I knew it will probably the last one most of my friends in MMU will shared together. Although some might still keep in touch but how many will still make time from busy working life is still unknown. Thus last Christmas I spend some time with few of my closest friend in MMU other than my time with my close family.

For CNY, its more to a broader spectrum for me. This time it involve the immediate family, grandparents, aunty, uncles. Not knowing what will next year bring, I am not too sure if this will be the last time that I will take the car down to hometown. 

Talking about hometown, I am not sure what to answer when people asked me that. Some will refer hometown as the place that they born, some is their kampung or where their grandparents are, and some will refer it as home, where their parents and siblings are. But for me, all of these are different places.

So let me rephrase is that this time am going back kampung, where my grandparents or to be more accurate where my grandmas are. But it will be like a drive back memory lane because I will passed by Kuala Krai where I was born and raise till standard 4 before I arrive at Wakaf Bahru where my grandmas are. 

CNY is a lot different already now compared to before. The uhm... is no longer there. Yes I do still anticipate the eve dinner or reunion dinner and then come the first day of the lunar new year, where MOST of the ang pau are collected, then what? It will b a boring spiral where everyone just watch Astro Wah Lai Thoi? 

Moving a lot and staying far have kept me away from mingling with my cousins, and of course the language barrier and the same time with the age gap. As for the older cousin, some already are married and some will go to their friends place for new year visiting, but the younger one, let just say its a bit worrying looking at their trend. Am I being too old and not cool to groove with the young ones? or I see a bleak future for them. I wish I could communicate with them, try and make them understand the importance of education. And with education, it could help their family or at least improve the living of their parents. To be brutally honest, some of my uncles work like hard, doing job that physically demanding, but as age is catching up, how long more can they carry on? I wish my little cousins could understand this. Most of them are either in middle of secondary school or finishing primary school. It never too late to clean up their act and try to improve their grades. Although I am not the best qualified to talk about grades, however I feel getting themself enroll in higher education should be a priority and right now I feel I am the closest that could relate to them. But translating this into a manner that they would understand it seems like almost impossible.

My pre CNY celebration with friends however is  not so bad. Before going back hometown for some, and for me going to continue my FYP part 2, I took or we all took a break from all that project to have some outing to Istana Budaya to watch Mahathir the Musical 2. 

Us with the Director

The girls with their hero

Northen good looks meet East Coast beauty

Yes the 'purposely fall' right Jansen?

 A musical about one of the great leader in the region regardless what is your political point of view is, his contribution is something that nobody can ever deny. Although just 5 of us watching this, I feel its a good thing because all can communicate without any being left out. It was a good night, except for the after effect of the Petai and Ikan Bakar, which is a story for another day. Happy Chinese New Year everyone, may the prosperous luck and abundance of joy hop into your life this new year.