Colourful CNY

I was just thinking that I couldn't feel much CNY vibes this year when a chance presented itself this evening - I became Mother's coolie *.*

She bought a few bags of CNY goodies! And a box of mandarin oranges. For some reason, she also picked up an empty cardboard box..

"To put things!"

Hmm, o..k...

Saw pretty flowers when we passed through the wet market. So many people seem to like buying flowers for CNY but we have never done so. We only have a bouquet of fake flowers, which I made a decade or more ago..


During CNY, the supermarket had a extension outside the shop to carry all the goodies - all red and cheery!


I like 八宝豆! Actually I like only certain types of 豆 so we don't buy this; we buy big packets of specific nuts! :p


I couldn't find anything that said what all these ingots were but I guess, chocolate..?


Not far away, I found chocolate wrapped in gold foil but in the shape of 招财猫..

These are preserved squid - so gross and yet so cool at the same time! :p


(Oh, can you see my toe? :p)

年糕! (Oops, my Chinese sucks - almost typed 年高)


While I was standing at the 年糕 area waiting for Mother, I saw this kid carrying a huge box of packet drinks, looking like he was going to fall over anytime. When his mother told him to put the drinks into the shopping basket on the floor, he practically dropped the whole slab onto two cabbages.. And the mother tried to fit the drinks under the basket handles, further pushing down on the cabbages.. Pls correct me if I'm wrong but, don't fresh vegetables rot under all that weight??!

As Mother continued shopping and I continued standing there guarding our basket, the shop decided to change its CD. And I heard CNY songs in English - it was worse than the cheesiest Mandarin ones!! Well, I thought, I finally felt CNY in the air...!

We discussed about reunion dinner. Cos we no longer had an altar, Mother would not need to buy too much food to 拜拜 this year. But she said she would still buy a whole chicken since it was cheaper than to buy separate parts. Since the neighbourhood shops would not resume business until some after CNY and she would not be venturing into town where most shops would re-open by the second day, she said she would also buy lots of other food stuff to last the CNY. Guess the fridge will still be full like last time..

Sito's sister read out my 运辰 the other day - in short, I must watch my diet... But, I just had my first binge of this CNY season - Mother's pineapple tarts :p Will be eating more... Reunion dinner, lunch and dinner with Grams, a few more rounds of visiting, office lunch, and worst of all, Mother will be displaying snacks in the living room..

Man, I really need to do some aerobics now!!