I'm Alive!

After work on Tuesday, I raced home, loaded my ipod with as many This American Life podcasts as it could hold and then piled into my dad's car with my parents as we headed for the tranquil but crappy town of Taiping, three hours north of Kuala Lumpur, for Chinese New Year. Unlike the Chinese in China, there was no snow to keep me from my relatives and their questions of girlfriends and future plans. For three full days, I entertained questions ranging from how much money I make at my job to when I plan to settle down with a nice girl. And for three full days, I plotted my escape route, first, an excuse that I had an appointment to keep in KL but later, when my brother showed up to spend the night, I hightailed it out of Taiping with him the next day (Friday) and heaved a sigh of relief once we saw the Twin Towers looming in the horizon, signaling our return to civilization and departure from nosy questions.

Tossing the yee sang with the family. Tradition has it that the higher the toss, the better the outlook for the new year.

Welcoming the fourth generation, little Janice Chung.

Getting our luck prognosis for the year by gambling.

Whee! Back in KL with the drag queens.