After a rather happy reunion
dinner, we ushered in the year of the goat/ram/sheep with loud bangs.
It's mandatory to light up firecrackers on the first day of lunar new year. Supposedly to ward off evil spirit. These days, evil spirits are rather costly, no thanks to our government's vice tax.
We had trouble lighting it up as it was rather windy but finally managed to after few minutes. The crackers lasted for a good few minutes. Here's to a good year free of evil.
After
breakfast, we started with our religious duties. Honestly, I am probably the most nonreligious person in my clique. Others would at least attend church mass or do the prayer ritual or have the altar table at home. My father just never instilled that in me during those formative years. Not that I don't believe in God but having to show it in such manner seems a little too..... boastful?
This is the goddess of mercy,
Kuan Yin.
Chrysanthemums are synonymous with Chinese prayer rituals. If your other half buys you these because he can't afford roses, you should probably ditch him as these are usually meant for prayers for the dead or omnipresent.
Cute little rams imported from Taiwan at RM 10 each. Cute but what for?
First day of the lunar new year is when some people attempt to go vegetarian. These are mainly deep fried bean curd skin or mock meat. What caught my attention was the deep fried oyster mushroom. Last encountered during the Ramadhan bazaar, these are sinfully delicious. But not wanting to spoil my appetite for a proper lunar new year meal, I skipped it.
There are also soupy bean curd skin and fried
mee suah among others. One thing about Chinese vegetarian food is how they can be quite bland and unhealthy as they are deep fried to make it more palatable.
Our answer to the ancestral altar. It's probably been 20 odd years. Maybe closer to 3decades.
It is hard to answer if I miss the dead when I don't know the dead at all. Does that make me a bad person then? I think of her now and then, how I'd turn out to be but end of the day, it is just a wishful thinking and pondering of how it would be if things turned out differently.
Possibly the only version of rose that can survive our climate without much assistance.
If you pray during the festive seasons because it's the festive season, why bother? Especially if you act like a jerk, don't do the right things. That's just my take.
Second round of prayers. This temple has a more commercialized feel to it.
Prayer ornaments. Not sure what exactly they do with it apart from as decor.
It's almost like Lego but in different shapes and sizes.
Not sure why my parents picked this place to have my late grandmother's tablet placed as it's big and huge and enormous (looks like a lot of money).
This sect of Buddhism is something that I am still unfamiliar with
despite years of praying here. On my first visit, it actually gave me
the creeps. The closest thing would be Thai Buddhism and that's one reason why Thailand is never really on top of my holiday list despite being relatively cheap and overall fun to visit.
I pray for a good year ahead. Actually, scrap that. Not good but an all right year. I don't need it to be good (of course, it would be nice if it is), just uneventful and pleasant enough like how 2014 ended up to be. Somehow, growing older lowered my expectations more.
How much does the Chinese contribute to global warming with the incense burning?
Have you seen a walking red packet before? Well, this is your lucky chance.
It's funny because the three of us were all wearing tops of different shades of
grey red.
did you buy any new year clothes?
yea, only this..
even the shorts?
nope, just the top. quite cheap too.
oh, my top was cheap as well. RM 50 only.
eh, mine is cheaper. RM 30
sorry, mom. sorry, sis. my top is RM 20 only.
Other people talk about who has the better car, bigger house or more money in general. I am very contend to tell people just how broke I am =D
Comments
Post a Comment