Lunar New Year

The reunion new year last night was not going at full strength. There were 4 apologies for absence from 4 aunts. Only 5th Aunt and 6th Aunt were present. 1st to 5th Uncle reported without fail. The food theme this year is Dumpling. I've ate scores of dumplings this season. Meat filling, cabbage filling, chives filling and what have you. Last years 'in' thing was the basin vegetable, which is actually, vegetable in a basin, quite literally.

2 days ago, I also ate at the Central Warehouse's reunion dinner. The food, though served by some unknown small caterer, was, by far, the best I've eaten at a banquet, including all the competitors from hotel restaurants. No sharksfin, good, but why did they take our my favourite cold dish combination? The foreign workers who are not returning to their homeland were happy to have a reunion dinner of some sorts, although I believe they rather be at home. But I think they would feel a bit of consolation with that dinner. So much so that when I sneaked some food back to my office for Baskaran, I stumbled upon one who was dead drunk on the floor. From a distant, I though the silhouette belonged to a fallen palm tree branch, but on observation of the surrounding, there was no palm tree around and I moved closer to discover a chinese man lying in his own pond of puke. I gestured to a nearby man who just exited the toilet, and he merely gestured back, suggesting, "Leave him". I went back to get a pail of water to wash away his pond of 'essence'. By the time I returned, the man sat up and some of his comrades were coming. Oh, Baskaran finished one braised trotter himself; Rose got a duck head, Apple and Daisy got some duck meat, Nini ate her NutriEdge.

Today, the first day of new year, we would be visiting 3rd Aunt at her house. I suspect we would be shifting base to 1st Aunt's house which is a block adjacent. It used to be my grandparents house we would visit, but since their departure, we have moved to visiting aunts and uncles.