Mama's 81st

There are always stages in your life that can change you due to certain events that happen. After deciding to work full time and study part time, I realized it is really not as easy as I think. There are mornings when I really want to throw in the towel and just call it quits, but I know I really enjoy what I am doing now. Things will always turn up, opportunities will always present itself, it's just whether we realize quick enough to grab it and make full use of it.

Enough of the ramble. Anyways, I just celebrated my grandma's 81st birthday. According to Cantonese tradition, 81 is a important birthday to celebrate as it signifies a long life. The Cheong family clan (minus nerd boy who is in Nottingham) gathered at Crystal Jade Palace in our own private room for this celebration. Daddy says that my grandma a.k.a mama is the last surviving old person in the Cheong clan in Singapore.

My left side neighbor for dinner 

My right side neighbor, miss my cousins, have not seen them in a couple of months

Supper happy grandma. Her initial picture looked so glum  coz she does not know how  smile properly, after teasing her she laughed and it was a candid shot

The ever naughty Kai Kai, who is forever looking elsewhere besides the camera

Part of our 8 course meal

2 cakes for the occasion. Shou Tao for tradition and western cakes coz my grandma has never cut a cake before. Love how the ginormous shou tao looks here

Cheong clan

After making the longest wish, Mama blew the candle. Bet her wish was for the family

Mama insisted the "four golden flowers" of the Cheong family must take a picture together

That night I ate 2 portions of bamboo clams, 2 large abalones, 2 almond paste ontop of what I was given. I was so full I had a headache, and my stomach bloated up so much it was comparable to Daddy's. He was pretty amused. Mama really enjoyed herself, so I would say money well spent.

I wish my self-less grandma a life of enjoyment for her remaining years, and may she always be as happy as that night. Love my family plenty, moments like these are hard to come by these days, it is really a memory I will always cherish.