Today's post is all about the celebration, the culture and the family amidst the Chinese New Year festivity.

Uh-huh. Though I'm fully aware that we've already come to the middle of the year, I'm adamant on posting this despite being half a year late!

Because it's MY YEAR. 

Ever since the inception of this blog, it has since became imperative for me to write something about Chinese New Year (CNY), every year without fail. Ergo, I can't and won't let this year go by without a word – especially since it's my own zodiac year!

This is also especially for some of my family members and close family friends who have been waiting for this post and non-local readers who wanted to see how I celebrated my CNY. Sorry I'm late! 

So bear with me while I (try) to VERY briefly write and characterize my CNY 2013 as succinctly as I can.

Mandarin Oranges. 

Angpows.

Chinese New Year cookies – pity they only come once a year, right? 

MORE CHINESE NEW YEAR SNACKS.

GONG XI FA CHAI! First day of Chinese New Year.

The Lion Dance troupe performing in the middle of the night just outside my house.

The Lion Dance troupe up close

Standing by the CNY decorations at the foyer of my home.

Ladies helping out and making preparations for our family steamboat dinner!

(while daddy does the prayer stuff and takes a nap LOL)

Steamboat dinner with my immediate family.

The smallest of what a family can comprise is what we have always been. Granted, we are a close-knit one!

Shall we cue the happy family pictures already? 

Mom, dad and I makes the family I'm speaking of 

Hugs galore!

The man of the house, Mr. Daddy and his bitches girls.

After our family steamboat dinner, we had relatives come over.

I went visiting my buddies next day!

With Mr. BFF Vincent!

Annual CNY gathering with the buddies

Boo!

Cue the Jagerbombs and CNY gambling!

After the alcohol kicked in LOL

Random selfie while I took a break from gambling with the boys.

Mom and I grabbing a quick breakfast the next day

Brought out babyChivas

Jumped into the car.

Roadtrip time! Guess where we are going?

Two hours down south, we arrived Ipoh. Look who greeted us happily! 

My dearest popoh giving me my angpows!

Why does she look more excited than I am?

Lion Dance troupe invasion!!!

Our (very brown) lunch.

Trust me, it tasted ten times better than it looks! 

A compulsory photo with the God of Prosperity plushie 

and a bowl of ancient money from China.

Hello 

Three generations: Popoh, mom and I.

The fourth one will have to wait, okay? Uh-huh. No pressure alright. *rolls eyes*

En route to the big reunion dinner with the extended family!

Headed to one of our favorite Chinese restaurants in town, Restoran Kok Thai!

All decorated for a night of family Chinese banquet dinners!

Camlovin' with Uncle Mikey.

With the (fairy) godmother and popoh

This one is a prized photo with the cousin, as it is one of the

rare photos we snap together whilst not drunk/in a club/at a party/at a rave.

Mommy dearest and Uncle Mikey

I think I must've spread the love for camwhoring to her. Whoooops! 

With Auntie Karen and Uncle Philip

With the two sisters – granny and grand aunt.

I think this should be a foresight of how I would look 50 years later?

And it begins! The Chinese tradition of to lou our yee-sang.

(For my non-Chinese readers, it means to toss this dish about haphazardly as a symbol of prosperity)

I know right, us Chinese are all about being prosperous LOL

Just some traditional Chinese dishes in our 8-course dinner:

Braised cerbal chicken with mushrooms

Steamed brocolli, scallops and mushrooms

Mom, couzie Shaun and I helping ourselves to the dish

Pork Trotters with dumplings

GIGANTIC steamed prawns!

Cue the red wine.

Kochabi – a traditional local Chinese dessert (a very frozen ice-cream texture)

which means 'the taste of old times' in literal translation.

We entertained ourselves to fireworks and firecrackers at night

I had my fair share of fun too!

Mom and I flanking kakak 

Cue more alcohol. Yummy.

Thanks Uncle Mike, for this lovely photo!

I wish I didn't look so drunk though. 

Traditional Chinese mah-jong with the family

Third day of Chinese New Year. We went avisiting more friends and family!

More yee-sang and more homecooked meals. All thanks to granny and kakak, the masterchefs!

Time to toss it like a savage and ravage it like the last yee-sang on the phase of earth!

Hi again. Off to another reunion dinner

Came home bursting at my sides to this handsome furkid of mine on the bed

Couldn't help it. You'd be tempted to camwhore with this fluffy ball of love too.

After all the festivities with the family and friends back home is all over, it was time to head back to the city. 

Despite having15 days of Chinese New Year, work beckons! I returned to the office on the 5th day of CNY.

The lion dance troup invading our office!

With the colleagues 

At night, we headed off for our company's Chinese New Year dinner!

Baked cereal prawns

Steamed grouper fish

Baked chili crabs!

'nuff said.

And yes, you guessed it. Yee-sang again.

A quick shot before making a giant mess of the yee-sang!

I think I'm pretty good at this already LOL.

With my pretty girls, Carmen and Sheena.

I think that wraps up my Chinese New Year 2013. 

Was that brief enough? Hahaha. Better a simple post than completely forgetting to have this up.

So what do you really like about CNY?

Just like every year, Chinese New Year consists of five most important F WORDs for me.

Don't jump to conclusions just yet. Why F WORDs, you ask? They are:

FAMILY.

FRIENDS.

FOOD.

FLAMING FORMULAS.

FORTUNE. 

There you have it. You can stop bugging me for Chinese New Year photos now hahaha.

Sorry for the tardiness, though! 

But this FORTUNE a.k.a angbao only applies if you are still single. YIPPEE! 

The married ones ain't gettin' nothing!