Happy 6th day of CNY! =)

for those of you who want to gasak angpows from me, your time is running out! only 9 days to go, muahahaha...=)

CNY was funtastic! the FOOD... yum yum! all those cookies, and mandarin oranges, and pistachio nuts, and gor-lu (sweet-and-sour fish float, a hockchiew delicacy), and mee sua (long-life noodles cooked with red wine, another delicious hockchiew dish! mmmmmmm...), and steamboat, and i really need to go on a diet now. as usual. =P

this was our first year of giving angpows instead of receiving them. to answer kakiayam's comment on the last post, it felt bittersweet... there was the consciousness of our newly married status; the joy of giving to our younger cousins, nieces and nephews; the worry of how much we should give, in order not to be seen as stingy; and the pang of not being on the receiving end anymore. we still got a few though, from my mum and dad ["you'll always be my son, so i'll always give you!"] my por-por [same as before, only change 'son' to 'grandson'] and one aunty ["i'll stop giving when you have your first child."]. thank God for generous people! =)

besides that, there was the joy of reunion with uncles, aunties, and cousins whom i seldom get to see. but for The Wife, it was bittersweet (again) as it was her first CNY away from Penang and The In-Laws. still, she tells me that she had a good time and that she appreciated being accepted and welcomed into the Kiew family circle. so that's good. =)

after the big reunion dinner on New Year's eve, we had Family Worship. we sang a few songs (some of them chosen by me, as i was 'persuaded' to lead it), had a time of sharing and thanksgiving for what God has been doing in our lives throughout the past year, and a time of corporate prayer. apart from the children getting a little bored and fidgety during the prayer time, it was a good time of communing with God as a family.

Chinese New Year is a great time to appreciate and express affection for one's family. so, Mum, Dad, Sis, and any other relatives reading this: i really enjoyed celebrating Chinese New Year with you all, and I LOVE YOU!!! =D

p.s. on the ministry side, here's what's going on:
- ZMax Camp planning meeting, tonight
- Rawang SCF planning meeting, friday afternoon
- KL/PJ SCF Convention, saturday morning
- Dinner with Youth Advisors from Emmanuel EFC, saturday night
- Preaching at Bethel Baptist Church (they called me back! heheh), sunday morning
- Word Surfers' Camp revamping and planning meeting, next monday morning
- Speaking at Nottingham Uni CF on 'Purity', next wednesday evening
- Visiting Bukit Bintang Boys' School, next friday
- Sharing in SU/FES prayer meeting on 'Jim Elliot', next next wednesday
- Ministry trip to Melaka/Batu Pahat/Kluang, end feb-beginning march
quite packed eh? so, do pray for me. thanks and God bless! =)