Chinese New Year 2008

Hey, it’s Chinese New Year again! For many the word “again” reads the same old Chinese New Year, nothing so different. However for me at first sight, the RAT word seems a little peculiar to me. Why my ancestors choose their zodiacs of such an animal? … so dirty and black… totally inauspicious! And they name it RAT instead of mouse (country rat which are cleaner) or rodent… but astoundingly the word RAT was something I could really relate to this Chinese New Year as I peered myself through with small rodent eyes…

Chinese New Year for me started two days before it. My mother’s side grandma was just two house down my street and after RBS I told myself I am gonna visit her every day just to talk to her. The “Me and My Family” session nudged me to show love to my “loved” ones. I didn’t really enjoy her company now despite we had wonderful times when I was small. She was the stubborn old grandmother who would always say how bad my whole family treated her by sending her to stay near us. She has that special connection with me and always called me the typical “Ah Boy”, so it was much easier for me to approach her.

On Tuesday, I did my obligation as usual tried to visit her and talk or perhaps hear her tell me all her grandmother tales…but it was a different day for it wasn’t about talking, it was EATING! See any RATty similarities? I had the chance to savour her best RENDANG AYAM nyonya style… and I ate it wholeheartedly (not GLUTTONY, k?) as it was the one and only in the world. It was in fact actually a few days ago that I mentioned I wanted to eat Rendang Ayam that she really prepared it… she said at first her hands cannot cook already… but now she cooked her one and only Rendang Ayam not just for me but also for all the relatives. It kinda reminds me of God’s love that He would give His one and only Son to die on the cross for us all… isn’t my grandma a wonderful display of this agape love despite being a buddhist? Sometimes God shows His love through someone you thought is unloveable…

And yeah, after that wonderful dish, I was so delighted that I ran back home and make a CNY card for her…my first ever card to her although my calligraphy wasn’t great. With the CNY card and a camera in hand, I ran back to her house as she was wandering what I took so long going home… and whether her grandson is actually avoiding all her grandmother tales. I rushed to the frontdoor and there I displayed my small CNY card. Her face bubbled with joy. I was wondering WOW how can I actually did showed love to my unlovable…but that smile in her face and the words she spoke was worth it all. “MY AH BOY IS THE MOST GUAI CHAI AFTER ALL!!!” I shall stop my story here and let me the pictures do the talking… there it is… another thousand words!