Year of the Rat begins on 7th Feb 2008. We, the ethnic Chinese in Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore, and those in Melbourne, Cairo, Moscow, Paris, London and Boston, and all other placess of the world, will be celebrating Chinese New Year together with the Chinese in Taiwan, Hong Kong, Macau and China tomorrow.
By the way, how many of you know that the Koreans, the Vietnamese and Mongolians are also celebrating for their Lunar New Year which falls on the same day as the Chinese New Year?
“Rush Home” is the headline on today’s Star newspaper. It reported that a million of travellers were on the road as Chinese New Year exodus began. My two brothers, Kong Fatt and Kong Teck, and their wives and children together with my sister and her son are leaving KL at about 3pm to Segamat to celebrate Chinese New Year with us. Kong Teck and wife took a MAS flight to KLIA from Sibu this morning. We expect them to arrive in the evening to have family reunion dinner, all dishes specially cooked by my wife, on the eve of Chinese New Year.
I came back much earlier on 2 Feb, taking the 1525WIB MAS flight from Medan to KLIA. My wife and our youngest daughter, Josephine, drove all the way from Segamat to fetch me from KLIA. Our elder son, James, arrived home at about 11am this morning. He came back in his friend’s car, leaving Singapore at 6am. Our eldest daughter, just given birth to a baby boy, Jonas, in early morning on 16 January, is staying back in Kuching and not able to join us. So are Julie and John. Both of them are still in Melbourne, Australia.
To all my friends, pals and buddies, I wish you “Gong Xi Fa Cai” (in Mandarin) or “Kong Hee Fatt Choy” (in Cantonese). May you and your families be blessed and may you prosper as we celebrate a joyful and happy Chinese New Year on 7 Feb 2008.
