Hi Jade, Justin and Joel

In just a few days’ time the sound of fireworks, firecrackers, drums, gongs and cymbals will fill the air as we herald in the year of the TIGER ! Wow! Justin, I can hear you “Rrr…oo.aaa..rr! – (at your loudest) .Yes we need you to roar as loud as you can. Perhaps Jade should join you too and we of the OOI legacy will echo it. We have every reason to roar as heartily as we can as the storks will be delivering two golden cubs this year ; one supoosedly in March and another in September.

Baby Joel couldn’t wait till March. He was eager to join us and to collect his share of “angpaus”. He’s the BIG ‘angpau’ that came early from the God of Prosperity. Justin you are a big brother now and Jade, of course , you’re the ‘tua chee” ( eldest sister ) of the OOI siblings.

Joel Ooi Chong Wei ( 2.5kg) was born on 11^th February 2010 ( 28^th day of 12^th month ) in the lunar calendar year of the TIGER.

This year we had planned to usher in the year of the TIGER in Penang with a reunion get-together with po chor over lunch at 66 Cantonment Road and dinner at “Nyonya Breeze”. We had wanted to make it a memorable one for everybody as it’s going to be the first time that our family is joining our Penang folks. It’s been years since we had had a warm family reunion at home. Po Chor is now 85 years old and felt it befitting to celebrate it with her. All these have to be shelved due to the grand arrival of baby Joel.

For a few years since your dada got married we had been having reunion get -together in a restaurant in’ Ipoh We always tried to make each reunion gathering as meaningful as ever. Our family was small then and we once had combined family reunion with Ee Poh’s family. In 2008 we had a lunch gathering with your Koong koong ‘s family. Last year we had Aunty Amelia’s parents and Nicky to join us.

Each time when new year comes I just can’t help reminiscing fond memories of the good old time that I had. In those days in Argyll Road we would all sit together at the round marble table in the dining hall. Dinner time was at 6pm and every one would make it a point to be punctual. There was wide array of nyonya cusines prepared for the reunion table. For soup there was salted vegetable ( kiam chai) duck soup, pig maw , or abalone. Chicken dishes were usually in curry or steamed -sauce form; then there are pigs’ throttle and “jew hoo char “eaten with fresh salad. My granny made the best “fatt koh” or ‘huat koay’(in Hokkien) It’s a must at the altar to usher in the new year as it’s believed to bring prosperity. Then there’s the “ti koay’ ( Chinese dodol).We all had fun when we were young , helping to make cookies like love letters and ‘koay bungkek’ ( white rice powdery cookies in shapes of animals )

Sad to say much of the old days traditions have been neglected and forgotten. We used to make it a point to visit all our relatives. Today we just visit close relatives of immediate ones. Happiness was when we came home with our pockets swelled with ‘angpows’. Most families (especially city folks ) hold their family reunion in hotels and restaurants . Progress and development have taken their toil on traditions and customs except for some die-hard ones. This gives us the wake-up call to hold steadfastly to some practical ones and preserve them as best we can.