Welcoming OX year at HOME^_^

PS: Published date maybe on the 27th of January but in fact I'm writing the full one only now at 11.57 pm, 2 Feb 2009. I cheated:P Why? It's all due to one of my new year's resolutions, "to write blogposts regularly--> at least 8 posts/mth" (and my January count is still on 6, sh*t..., one more is coming your way, perhaps next two days:P). Finally, after half-an-hour of photo uploading, I'm ready to write some descriptions of my 10 days at home. Enjoy the mouth-watering food!:P

Hi folks,

HAPPY NIU YEAR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Let me begin with this...

Tempting huh? 25 January 2009 @4 pm, it's the preparation for reunion dinner to welcome the 牛year. This Satay (grilled pork and chicken), sate ayam & babi, will always be there each year. I always help my mom to grill them, partly because I have to and partly because I have the closest proximity to the yummy hot-freshly-grilled-homemade satay so I can "taste" them ASAP. Happy grilling!!! :p Anyway, all the food and cookies here were made my beloved-and-highly-skillful mom (except for nasi padang, martabak and pisang goreng, oh yeah, she can also sew clothes. 我妈是我的偶像:D). This is how full our table looked like when everything's out. 8 people for this year's reunion dinner: Mom, Dad, 2 brothers, 1 sister, 1 姑姑 (my dad's sis), 1 lil' aunt (younger than me). 发（八）财咯！！

I was pampered with mom's cookings and all I did at home were these: eating, shopping, sleeping, watching tv, reading comics, meeting old friends etc etc. I did nothing but having fun and increasing belly fats. T_T But *luckily it's a strictly-no-diet-rule once at home or I'll suffer a huge loss:P. Just look at what I had while I was at home...*evil grin

Sweet and sour fish (Ikan asam manis) and Haysom

*pardon my lousy translation or no translation at all, I seriously dunno how to call them in English

The covered-with-pineapples-and-carrot-sauce fish

In case you don't believe that it's a fish buried down there, show you the head:P

Shark fin soup (Hisit). My most favorite!!!!

Pork Satay (Sate babi) and Hékeng

Mie Panjang Umur

Chicken Satay (Sate ayam) with its sauce

So this is the annual scene of our living room, table filled with homemade cookies:D

Butter cookies (always a flower shape)

Pineapple tart (shaped like the real pineapple)

Peanut cookies (shaped like the real peanut TOO:P)

The usual chocolate cornflakes (I can make this, easy one:P)

Oatmeal cookies (My bro's fave)

Dunno how to call this, Chocolate wrapped with Kue Lapis??

Okay, a lil' break from the food invasion...

My old friends at home. We've known each other for 10 years since junior high school (one of them 16 years, since kindergarten...ckckck). All the best, friends!! Love y'all!!

Tekwan in a pot...hot...steaming...yummy...

(it's a traditional food, made of fish with shrimp-flavoured soup....ugh how to describe this...*scratch head)

Tekwan in a plate

(sabo my friend's plate for this pic when she came over:P

'coz I kept on forgetting to take a pic of it whenever I ate)

Soto Banjar Spesial by Mom (patented:P)

Perkedel and the Soto Soup

My mom piled these 9 plates of Soto like we're ready to sell them away (udh kayak di restoran padang aja, ditumpuk-tumpuk:P)

Hainanese chicken rice ala Mom

(the two whole 'suburban' chickens *tuh kaan, super pathetic translation, ayam kampung maksudnya:P, were gone in 15 minutes. Don't blame us! We're hungry...)

The infamous homemade chicken rice

Pisang goreng in a frying pan...Pisang Pisang...

The Pisang Gorengs are ready for tea break session

Martabak manis ii Aciu (martabak Bangka)

Yummy...used tons of margarine and butter, unlike here *you know where...

Rice flour with turnip inside. It's called Cai Kue.

(traditional food from Pontianak, my Mom's birthplace)

Steamed Cai Kue

Steamed Cai Kue with garlic toppings

Cai Kue's ready ^_^

Always eat them with lots of chilli for the best taste!!!

The real Nasi Padang...Love it!!

Yummy...gone for good...

Finally, we've finished this culinary visit...

Besides eating, shopping was my fave pastime for this 10-day holiday. Convert everything to SGD and they all seemed so cheap and it was hard to miss such 'good' deals:P *excuses...

I've shopped, eaten and gathered with my family this year...

It's time to return back to SG and make ends meet...
I'll always treasure the 22 Jan - 1 Feb 2009 moments...

How about you?

-Sien-

Feb 3rd 2009, 1.31 am - time to sleep!!!!