What I did for the start of the Year of the Rat

It was my first time celebrating Chinese New Year(CNY) in Liverpool. For first year, I was tricked by PL into going to Manchester a day before to become her cook for the reunion dinner. In 2nd year, I escaped with M to watch a match between Manchester and Reading at Old Trafford which was a really great experience for me as we sat 3 rows from the field.

On CNY day itself, there wasn't much happening as it was a Thursday and unlike Malaysia, there is no public holiday over here. Sad....

There was dinner organised by Malaysian Society at Harbour City restaurant. I loved the lobsters!!! My mistake that night was to finished eating the lobster before remembering to take a photograph of it. So, no photos to show. There is really a need for an invention which can capture taste and smell. Then, I can refer back from time to time and remember the taste.
Talking about lobster. It did make any other food served that night insignificant. I've always wanted to order it while I was in Malaysia, but it was always too expensive. My parents will always tell me that I've eaten it before....when I was 6. But I can't remember!!!! Now finally, after all these years of longing. I found out that crab was still nicer but lobster will be a good substitute is there wasn't any.

Right after the dinner, we went to 'The Office' for the Valentemptation party. My flatmate came along as well.
The music selection there was really bad and that stupid DJ kept on stopping the song to give some stupid commentary. I still preferred Halloween Night's party.

There was a parade at China Town on Sunday. I went with my flatmates, F and SM. It was really funny, cause it was as if most Chinese were on holiday and those who were carrying the dragon, flags, playing the drums, lion and even the ones setting off the firecrackers were not Chinese. Oklah, there were countable numbers of Chinese involved with one hand. I miss Lion and Dragon dance so much. Back home, it was at a higher standard with difficult stunts and all. Over here, they just carried it around.

Here, the dragon only knows how to go round and round and round. Back home, it knows how to spin up and downDesign wise, can be compared to the Dragon back home

Laughing really badly because I wanted a photo with the Lion and it was moving away really quickly

Now, the reason why firecrackers are not banned in the UK:
1. It takes more than 1 person to light it.
2. The person involved in lighting wears helmet and all other safety gears.
3. They carry a wire frame to enclose the firecraker so that the surrounding audience wouldn't get hurt
4. I'm sure all their firecrackers have gone through UK's version of SIRIM (centre for quality control in Malaysia - usually for electrical goods..but it's for an example here)
5. The audience here don't stupidly stand too near to it.

Malaysia's way of setting off firecrackers:
1. Buy some smuggled firecrackers
2. Get a matchstick, or a lighter
3. It will be places in an unsafe area: with people standing too near, close to wooden buildings, etc.
4. Safety measures? What safety measures?
5. Only get caught when accidents happen and people end up at hospitals

Video of the safe way to light it:

They were selling miniature Lions which was really cute along the streets.

We went to 'The Egg' restaurant for lunch after. It was a vegetarian restaurant, 2 floors up. But it was really cozy and the food was delicious.I had nut roast which was basically nuts shaped into cakes and then roasted with vegetables and cranberry sauce. They did call it cranberry sauce, but it looked more like cranberry jam cause it was like jelly.

I ended my day doing my grocery shopping at Tesco and bought my first 2 mangoes from UK after staying here for so long. It's not that I haven't eaten mango for such a long time as I was offered by friends from time to time. But ya. First time cutting mango tonight and it's already in my stomach right now.

I still miss Malaysia's mango. The sweetest one which had a sharp pointed end is called Water Lily. I forgot to read where was this imported. But it still can't beat Malaysia's local mango.