1) This blog post is extra special, in that I managed to return home for Chinese New Year - my first in three years. From a rational standpoint, there is little reason for me to come home as i) our med school finals are only three months away, and ii) we'll be returning home for good after that anyway. Yet the heart rules the head, for me at least. And in the end, I didn't regret my decision one bit.
2) Since coming back to Ipoh, I've been really busy spending as much time as possible with my family and relatives. Unlike the last time I returned for Chinese New Year, nothing much seems to have changed in Ipoh this time around. The only exception being the waves of people lining up in popular restaurants due to the ongoing celebrations. In our case, most restaurants and cafes in Old Town had people queuing up even before they were open!
3) Traffic jams and crowds aside, I was really happy to be able to spend some quality time with my family. Of note, we visited the various Chinese temples on the first day of the new year, before visiting my uncles and aunts on my mother's side of the family. Of course, an added bonus to any CNY visit is the receiving of red packets or ang pow; these are filled with money and symbolise good wishes for the year ahead.
4) As this edition of my blog gets published, I have returned to Penang, where clinical teachings will resume tomorrow. While I wish I had more time to spend catching up with everyone, the truth is I simply could not afford to take so many days off, given how close we are to finals. We may only have two modules left (medicine and surgery) but these are the two that contribute the highest weighting to our overall marks, so it is imperative that I don't lose focus so close to the finishing line.
2) Since coming back to Ipoh, I've been really busy spending as much time as possible with my family and relatives. Unlike the last time I returned for Chinese New Year, nothing much seems to have changed in Ipoh this time around. The only exception being the waves of people lining up in popular restaurants due to the ongoing celebrations. In our case, most restaurants and cafes in Old Town had people queuing up even before they were open!
3) Traffic jams and crowds aside, I was really happy to be able to spend some quality time with my family. Of note, we visited the various Chinese temples on the first day of the new year, before visiting my uncles and aunts on my mother's side of the family. Of course, an added bonus to any CNY visit is the receiving of red packets or ang pow; these are filled with money and symbolise good wishes for the year ahead.
4) As this edition of my blog gets published, I have returned to Penang, where clinical teachings will resume tomorrow. While I wish I had more time to spend catching up with everyone, the truth is I simply could not afford to take so many days off, given how close we are to finals. We may only have two modules left (medicine and surgery) but these are the two that contribute the highest weighting to our overall marks, so it is imperative that I don't lose focus so close to the finishing line.
5) Rather than drone on about what I've been up to during Chinese New Year, here are 82 pictures instead, featuring my mom's lovely cooking. Thanks for visiting my blog as always, take care and stay safe. Cheers!
As you can see my grandpa was all smiles with my return too :)
Home sweet home!
New year cookies and soft drinks are a staple
A nice mamak session with my primary school buddies, DC and Nick!
King's Man - an impromptu decision to watch the very last screening for the day
Decided to order Grab delivery for dinner tonight
Myself, Hon Wa, and DC at our favourite mamak joint
Noodles and gao zi (meat-filled dumplings) for breakfast today
Curry chee cheong fun and iced coffee for lunch
Our reunion dinner spread
My mom's specialty - salmon teriyaki
Vegetarian breakfast for the first day of CNY
Visiting one of the many Chinese temples in Ipoh to pray on New Year's Day
With "Caishen" - the God of Wealth
Visiting my aunt's house for a vegetarian lunch
The amount of Chinese New Year cookies we stocked up this year is incredible :)
Some really large abalones
Looks like someone got lucky in blackjack tonight XD
Behind me is the J.W.W. Birch Memorial Clock Tower -
commemorating the first British Resident of the State of Perak
commemorating the first British Resident of the State of Perak
Eggs on toast (R), Kaya and butter toast (L), and two glasses of teh tarik to wash it all down
Nian gao (or New Year cake) -
a sticky sweet snack usually eaten during Chinese New Year as it is believed to usher a more prosperous year ahead
a sticky sweet snack usually eaten during Chinese New Year as it is believed to usher a more prosperous year ahead
My visit back home would not be complete without a visit to Ten-Good Restaurant in Greentown
Huge portion sizes, and all absolutely delicious
An interesting cafe located in the heart of Ipoh Riverfront Park
Too bad we weren't able to get seats and had to opt for takeaway instead
Cookies, pomelos, and longan juice
Really like the street art that can be found all around Old Town, Ipoh
The sign above reads "Second Concubine Lane"
- one of the three "Concubine Lanes" in Ipoh, and made famous after a fire destroyed the old town in 1892, causing it to be rebuilt with three lanes of shops. A rich mining tycoon, Yao Tet Shin, gave each of his three wives (i.e. concubines) a lane each to collect rent
The sign reads - Concubine Lane, 100-Year Old Shop
Han Chin Pet Soo - Malaysia's first Hakka tin mining museum
Hor Yan Hor herbal tea
For lunch today, we had some Peranakan cuisine in the form of nasi kerabu and fried chicken
A really obscure location for a coffee shop, but one that was highly recommended by my mom
(and therefore was definitely worth a try!)
Glutinous rice with kaya, egg tarts, and iced coffee
All colour-matched in yellow today :)
Korean BBQ dinner tonight
With Hon Wa, Wei Yue, and Nick @ Seoul Maru
Pre-departure breakfast at McDonald's today
No comments:
Post a Comment