where's the spirit?

Everyone back home is so hyped about CNY. I called back home (maternal grandma's house at Kampung Baru) just before lunch today and managed to wish everyone 'Keong Hee Huat Chai' while they were happily enjoying 'lean lor' (steamboat in Hokkien). Unfortunately, the only few person that I did not managed to talk to are my parents and paternal grandma. Dad is still in Kabul (I still can't believe he left during CNY!!!!), mum had apparently went home early because she had to wash her hair since we can't wash hair on 'che it' (first day of CNY) and of course my paternal grandma had to follow her along. After 'Keong' with everyone, I called back home - Batu Feringghi - but no one picked up the phone.

Even after talking to everyone, the spirit to celebrate CNY is still yet to be felt. The chinese from China does not celebrate it either since China is not big on CNY ever since the communist took over, although they are starting to catch up with it. Wanted to call Nok to wish her but was kinda disappointed after not getting to talk to mum so I didn't really want to wish her in a disappointed mood. Spent the entire day attending class, which turned out to be kinda fun today since I managed to be wise enough to participate in the discussion - benefit of killing myself in the articles.

Just managed to call mum a while ago, just before they were planning to leave for the usual visiting. Still yet to talk to my paternal grandma but will try to call her in a while and hopefully, this time she'll pick up the phone. Before we moved back to Penang, it was always Penang ahmah for maternal grandma since she stayed in Penang while paternal grandma was just ahmah since she stayed with us all the time in PJ. When we moved back to Penang, it became confusing since whenever we call ahmah, both ahmah answered. So we made it a point to call either Batu Feringghi ahmah or Ayer Itam ahmah but it got so long that we eventually lost it and went back to Penang ahmah and just ahmah. Gosh..since when a respective greet became so complicating?? But now that I don't talk to them both at the same time, I just call them both ahmah.