Preparing For Chinese New Year

Who can miss Chinese New Year with all those 'tung tung chiang' music blaring in all departmental stores and hypermarkets? I was at IOI Mall today and we saw Lion Dance Performance already ... and there are 13 more days to go towards CNY! My little Raymund was excited. Insisted that we go nearer to watch. There was a crowd and we were at the shop lots further away. No intention of getting into the crowd. We promised Raymund that there will be more lion dances that he would see when we get closer to Chinese New Year.

Actually, we were kinda late.. comparatively... for new year shopping. I have gotten my new clothes and my little girl's. The easiest. My boys are kinda tough. I wasn't too happy with the designs. My husband's...not all all. We are going tomorrow. For this long weekend break, we meant to stock up drinks first. We missed Giant's one day special last Friday where Tiger, Carlsberg, Guinnese went out for RM88.88 per carton only! So frustrated yesterday when we rushed to Giant and found that it was over! But just as well! Today's newspaper advertised even lower price - at RM83.88 per carton. I suppose it's also because of the Saturday-No-Plastic-Bag-Day, the Sunday's crowd at Giant was at its peak! Giant did a lot of PWP - got really cheap Top detergent and baby diapers too. Then I saw the can mushrooms and gift packs... oops! .. big time oops!! I totally forgot about the 'pai neen' shopping...ie. the gifts that are accompanied with mandarins and angpau (red packets) ... that I have to give to all my elders. I started grabbing stuff! Phew!! I do wonder if the drinks, particularly the beers, will go even lower. I remember last year, the drinks were at their cheapest almost like 1 or 2 days before CNY. Don't want to risk it.

My MIL who is ardent fan of Lilian Too, has been reading her 2010 predictions, of course. She told us over the full moon dinner that...

1. On 'Lap Chun' day (aka First Day of Spring) ie Feb 4th 2010 - all major cleaning must be completed by then.
2. On 'Lap Chun' day ie Feb 4th also - try to do a deposit into our account - signifies money going in. I hope I remember :)
3. On the same Feb 4th, be more careful so that no bad things happen on that day else bad luck will follow us thru the whole year ... hmmm
4. On Feb 10th, to hang the red cloth on the main door between 5am to 7am - best time! Ha,ha! I just told my maid to remember :)

More shopping to do. Also, I have to get new notes too. Some left overs from last year... since I have 3 kids now, angpau out is almost equal to angpau in. Thank God!! Hmmm what else. Oh yes! Stock up my kids milk and medicine. The Chinese medical shops will be having a long break.

Since I'm already at it, I might as well make a checklist now:

1. Buy clothes for all children and hubby
2. Change new notes for angpau this week
3. Get angpau packs
4. Buy biscuits and tit bits to put in the house
5. Remind maid to dust house and major cleanup before 4th Feb (Thurs)
6. Clean up the garden tomorrow.
7. Some CNY decorations in the house
8. Put up the red cloth on the door on Feb 10th
9. Buy milk and medicine
10. Get kids' cough and flu medicine from pediatrician, just in case
11. Buy mandarins