This morning, I wanted to go buy dried seafoods, waxed ducks and stuffs for Chinese New Year. The shop is manned by these old, old men who wear the blue cotton boxers tied with string as pants and they use the abacus to calculate your bills. And they had to calculate twice! Freaky, man. They probably had stayed in Malaysia for like 50+ years (assuming they came to Malaya at 20 yrs old) and they only speak mainland China Cantonese and nothing else. Ok, you get the picture.
So, the shop was packed like sardines and everyone was grabbing dried sea cucumbers costing hundreds of Ringgit Malaysia like they are Viagra. All these Chinese foods are so expensive. So, ok, I cabut-ed fast, fast because no way am I going to buy my ikan bilis (anchovies) and dried shrimps in that crowd! Malu ler.
Ok, ok, out of topic. Must rant first after a stressful Chinese New Year shopping. Our car was parked right in front of this shop (photo above). So, what else? Nothing to buy from the Chinamen food store, spend money at this red-red, gold-gold shop lor.
Beautiful 3-D paper decorations made with velvety cloth, shiny stuffs are going for mere RM4 and thereabout. (Check out Living Cabin, they are also selling very cheap stuffs too.)
The other day when we got home from KL, wallah, our apartment management had painted our fences temple red! Fulamak! Pengsan! Good oso la, no naughty ghosts dare kacau us during Hungry Ghost Festival (twice this year) ‘cos they think it is a temple.
Never mind, I got what I lurrrve berry much! Chinese Pussy willows! Love them ‘cos they are available once a year, they are soft and furry white when bloomed and they are my Chinese New Year countdown trees. Each day, they will bloom a little and it is fun to see the shells drop like finger nails. I got mine from Batu Lancang market, RM25 for 6’ branches.
Now, only one Chinese pussy willow bloom. And I had hung up all my jinjiang (Jinjang folks, dun sue me!) trinkets which I bought from Berjaya Times Square. Glad I bought it there ‘cos those I found here in Penang are really jinjiang. At least mine are made with antique Chinese coins and jades.
Translation please. Every one of the stuffs here. Please, tell me that none of these Mandarin words contains “Choy San Dou”. The above is Pic. #1.
Pic. #2. I know I should have asked the shopkeeper but do you dare? You got see the old man standing akimbo in the top photo? I asked him if the ‘Hock’ is hock and he already jeling at me. You think I dare to ask him, “Taukeh, can you translate for me? I don’t know Mandarin. I Christian so not nice if I put things to invite Choy San hor. Nanti my Jesus ketuk my kepala.”
Taukeh will probably spit on me and go, “What kind of Chinese are you? Cannot read Mandarin? KNNMCBMPKNN. Phulangkang! Niamahcheekok. Dahmade!”
Pic. #3. I am so excited for Chinese New Year, I had even put up my ‘chai’, the red cloth at the door. This one was bought something like 10 years ago, a family heirloom.
So, all the abang-abang, adik-adik, siewjeh, taikor sekalian tolong please translate these Mandarin words for me? No need to translate oso can, just let me know if there is any choy san yeh name inside there? Otherwise, it is fine. If not, I present the choysan for you?
CHINESE NEW YEAR PANTIES
I got 3 pairs of new shoes, more than seven new clothes (dare not count after 7, feel guilty) and all the foodstuffs liao. BTW, did any one of you see the Chinese New Year panties? Fuwah, got some lucky Mandarin word right smack on the triangle. I tell ya, if my mom is around, she will say, “Siao meh……anneh suey, how can put ‘huat’ on the chowcheebye? Afterwards, the cheebye terus kembang.” The panty I saw was at Jusco, going for RM15 for three (hock, lock, siew). Quick, go grab some and pose on your blog? I very filial to mom, so cannot pway-pway with putting lucky words on the part mom said is the most suey (unlucky). She sure tell me that semua, hampalang good luck oso lari lintang pukang (good luck run away ‘cos Chinese traditionally considered the female private parts as the ‘dirtiest’)
Kamsiah, xiexie, dorjeh.
Are you excited in celebrating Chinese New Year yet?
wahahaha aunty lilian, u dem farnie.
dun worry all the deco u have there dun hv choy san tou. only mm fook ling mun and kung hei fatt choy 🙂
i think ur excited bout cny enuff for me oledi! btw, i don’t think any chinese characters there mean choy san but in the last pic it got the 8 siens or 8 gods so i don’t know if there will be a problem anot. kun hee fatt choy! 🙂
Wow… You’re preparing for CNY already? 😮
Hello!
My Mandarin’s pretty rusty (only Standard 6 level) but I’m pretty sure these are the meanings:
1) wu fu lin men (5 types/numbers of prosperity comes to the house)
2) gong xi fa cai (kung hee fatt choy)
3) fu gui rong xin (prosperity and happiness)
Oh, sorry I cannot translate to Cantonese apart from (2) — I don’t speak Cantonese! =)
auntie lilian …why yo eyes and my eyes same same one…cos i also buy the pineapple like yos…U sound so very excited abt the CNY…u really make me very kin teo lar cos i haven’t started anything much yet
is the red panties for gambling session ar ?
Picture #3 shows a red banner and a “FOOK”. Usually we hang our “FOOK” the other way round, instead of the correct way up 🙂
Hah, I think I recognize the apartment. Kekeke…
i cannot tahan to see pussy willow skin on the buds. my itchy fingers will pull it all off!
can’t use them for cny countdowns 🙂
I heard from some feng shui master saying that we shouldn’t hang the ‘fook’ upside down. Hang it the correcy way up is better actually.
aiyoh, read your post remind me suppose to shop at wang-fu-jing 王府井…one to feel the CNY mood here before going off to KL this friday….
aiyah…my son just slept…and next few days going to be busy day… not sure got time to go out or not…
aiyah….
anyway, early æå–œå‘è´¢ to you and your family…
wuiii…make me wanna go home for CNY already!!
two weeks more, this year’s cookie prices are really expensive liao, one little continer, RM15! how to buy lar, someone is making a killing lei. cheers!
You’ve been tagged.
aiyah! i thot u bought those panties when u can model for us like that viktolia sekrets mah….cheh….
Muahahahahahah … laughed until my belly ached!
Good laugh after a long and rather winding weekend.
yes, just ngam-ngam excited!!
In the process of putting up my jinjang decor also.
Haha!! Fook-luk-sau panties???? I havent seen yet. Must remember when I go Jusco…….
auntie, i dusagree with your last sentence. I consider “that place” the most delicious!. kiong hee huat chai!
LOL Maybe give ah pek the fuk luk sau panties for his front door banner LOL LOL
romantic – HOHOHO, good idea! And use as his hankie too.
ah pek – Gua caya sama lu lar, you are the ahpong sin. (Hokkien)
king’s wife – One of the blogger showed the male underwears on his blog but I just can’t remember the URL.
P – Glad to be of help. 🙂
Yvy – Aiyoh…that will be the day…..
JoeC – I am going to bake some myself!
alex – Good! Booked your flights?
leeCS – China! Wuah…you got buy those China Xiong Hoi Tharn Chinese suits anot? Buy in bulk and bring back, I heard very cheap only.
hcfoo – I stick the ‘marn’ (full) word on my rice urn upside down though. LOL.
lynee – Me too, I will help the flowers blossom faster that way.
pelf – Mine came with a fan shape so cannot turn the fan.
foodcrazee – I don’t have the faintest idea what luck they are supposed to bring.
x’tina – There are so many to choose this year ya?
Anon – TQ, TQ
Yuen Li – Over here it is frenzy shopping already. You are not coming home this year?
WuChing – Wuah, you read Mandarin oso. Pai seh la, I am the few bananas.
Angelic – Hahaha, in the mood so can write funny stuffs lor.
The last photo, your 10 years old cloth say “Foo-Kwai-Weng-Wah”, which mean “Rich and glamourous”.
And there is some tricks to make the pussy willows bloomed better, put a few ice cubes(ice water also can) into the vase everyday. It will help simulate the cold weather in China.
ha ha ha ha funny!! Your condo mgt really go paint the fence red…. so sporting lar!! lol
Your CNY decor is tastefully done….. no sign of jinjang-ness…:-) So, that makes me the undefeated CNY decor jinjang Queen!! LOL
helen – That’s only the beginning. I am hoping to find some nice-nice branch and glue plum blossoms. LOL.
moo_t – Ok, I will pour all the extra icecubes from my drinks and hope to freeze the dengue larvaes. 🙂