Every 9th day of the first lunar month, the hokkien community will set out for a night of grand prayer to the Heavenly God. It is a ritual that has been going of for ages and it usually include lots of offerings and loud firecrackers.

Unfortunately for us, the presense of firecrackers which can usually be found over at pasar malams are a rare sight. Since our government banned firecrackers entirely, we no longer have the luxury of having loud blasting sound of fireworks and firecrackers.

I read The Star newspaper yesterday and I came across this article on StarMetro. It was basically an article telling how the hokkien community celebrated this auspicious event. The article also feature the Ooi family and as you can see from the scanned clipping above, you can tell that they are one happy family.

It was really nice of the Ooi family to be willing to share and allow The Star staffs into their homes. Perhaps Mr. Ooi thought that their faces will be on a newspaper and it’ll be cool. But what they didn’t realised is that they’ll be caught red-handed too!

Check out this image below

Those red bits and pieces on the floor… yep…you got it, it’s the left over from burned firecrackers!

Every year, millions of chinese families in Malaysia will gather during the eve of chinese lunar new year for a reunion dinner. A very special day for all chinese families as it is the time for every member of the family to get together as a family to have a feast before celebrating the dawn of yet another new year.

Lou Sang - The Yee Sang

The chinese new year eve is also a day for last minute decorating, shopping, rushing back home town and the washing your car. We chinese believed that we must start a new year with new clean clothes, homes and rides.

Washing my car

Every car that belongs to a chinese family around the neighbourhood will be squeeky clean. Most of the road around the neighbourhood will be wet because everyone is washing their cars. For those who don’t have the time to wash their car earlier (people like me), they can always send their cars to the nearby car wash almost everywhere nowadays. It’s also the most profitable day for all car wash operators.

So I hearby acknowledged Chinese New Year’s eve as Reunion Dinner Day & Car Wash Day!

CNY is around the corner and I’ve just received an email from my colleague the subject “CNY Dress Code”. Attached with the email was a handy table filled with reference of what colours to wear from the 1st day to chap gor mei of CNY. If you wish to be prosperous and successful in this year of the piggy, kindly refer to the tables below.

Auspicious colour to wear during CNY days.

Auspicious colour to wear to start work.

Those were the two tables sent to me. I’ve also taken the initiative to jot down a few more pointers for the GOD 0f Gamblers out there. So please refer to the tables below to win more.

Auspicious undergarment colour to wear during gambling.

Auspicious undergarment colour to wear during gambling in GENTING.

Good luck and Kong Hey Fatt Choy to you

Home Minister: MyKad lucky draw is off - The Star online - 14th February 2007

By MERGAWATI ZULFAKAR

PUTRAJAYA: No Perodua MyVi or a Suzuki Scooter or electrical items for changing to MyKad.

All these goodies, offered by the Home Ministry in a lucky draw 18 months ago to encourage more Malaysians to change their identity cards, have been officially withdrawn.

Describing the Jom Tukar dan Menang(Let’s Change and Win) lucky draw as “silly and rubbish”, Home Minister Datuk Seri Radzi Sheikh Ahmad said it was the responsibility of Malaysians to get their MyKad without having any carrot dangled at them.

“Forget about the MyVi. We will donate all items to orphanages.

“I don’t agree with the draw. No one is cheating anybody,” he told reporters after the ministry’s monthly gathering here Tuesday.

The then Home Minister Datuk Seri Azmi Khalid had announced the lucky draw in August 2005 to get some two million Malaysians to change their identity cards to MyKad before Dec 31 that year. The Finance Ministry-sanctioned draw was also open to 16 million MyKad holders.

Three lucky draws were supposed to be held in September, November and December that year, offering a total of 80 prizes every month with the RM50,000 MyVi as the grand prize.

When pressed by reporter that it was his predecessor who made the announcement, Radzi replied, “That was the former minister.

Radzi expressed his disappointment with the lucky draw because it was the duty of all Malaysians to get their MyKad.

“This is a national card, your citizenship card.”

I was appalled after reading today top story on The Star regarding the withdrawal of the lucky draw for Malaysians who have rushed in to change their citizenship card of MyKad and hoping to win a car in the process. Looks like we are all taken for a ride. At least this is what Home Minister Datuk Seri Radzi Sheikh Ahmad is trying to tell us.

“I don’t agree with the draw. No one is cheating anybody,” he told reporters after the ministry’s monthly gathering here Tuesday.

What a pile bullcrap! This is day light robbery! This is worst than Ah Long running their unscrupulous business. For goodness sake, you’re the government and you lied to us! Do you expect us to vote for you in the next election?

“Forget about the MyVi. We will donate all items to orphanages.

What MyVi? I don’t think there is any MyVi at the first place. Or else if there is, which home the Home Minister gonna donate to? His own perhaps?

“silly and rubbish”

Honestly, I’m beginning to wonder what is silly and who’s the rubbish. Sheeesh

Come on, you’re the Home Minister and you’re part of the cabinet; the government. By making such statement, do you even expect the public to believe you? Do you expect us to trust the government now ? For such a small lucky draw which the minister can’t even fulfill? Don’t speak of our responsibility when you can’t even fulfill yours! LIAR!

I got really irritated this morning trying to call Julea on the mobile. I keep getting to the stupid Digi’s voicemail which comes with instruction on how to leave a voicemail?! Like WTF?! Who needs a fucking instruction on how to leave a fucking voicemail? I don’t need to leave a voicemail, I just want to speak to my GF! Can you (the stupid voice from the voicemail) shut the fuck up and get me thru my GF! Urgh!

I’m not mad with Julea, I just got really irritated with Digi. That’s the reason why I’m not on Digi network.

Here’s a kind message to everyone out there. Please kindly DEACTIVATE your stupid voicemail if you don’t need it. Seriously, you can help your friends and family save alot of money. Oh, just in case you don’t know, YOU GET CHARGED EVERYTIME YOU GET TO A VOICEMAIL! Even for a quick “Hello, welcome to bla bla…” You still get charged!!