Return of the Lion Dancers

 

The sounds of drums and cymbals signal the return of the lion dance performers. Lion dance performances have evolved over the course of time. It has a history of over 1,000 years with documented records of people dressed in lion costumes for Buddhist festivities during the Three Kingdoms period (220–289 CE) and later in the Tang dynasty (618–907 CE) as written in this post about the 9 Fierce Facts About the Lion Dance HERE. Hartamas Shopping Centre held a lion dance performance on the 12th day of Chinese New Year which began with the traditional lion dance pair below:-

Nian Gao (Sticky Rice with Gula Melaka) pictured above which was freshly made by a lady cook named Yong from Kepong, KL. I had a few slices and they tasted like those Nian Gao from Kedah, flooding me with memories of my late maternal grandmother who would feed me with fresh slices when I was a child. Seeing jade green rice-fields again after more than 2 years, was life-affirming, and seeing these rice-fields during Chinese New Year really heralded the beginning of Spring-time in a tropical country like Malaysia. The paddy-fields of Tanjung Karang pictured below as well as two of the 109 Grey-headed Lapwings (Vanellus Cinereus) that were resting in several flocks scattered around the green paddy-fields that afternoon made my day extra special. It is categorized as of Least Concern (LC) in the Global IUCN Red List category HERE.

The full list of birds seen at Tanjung Karang is available HERE.

The Silent River Runs Deep in Johor

Ledang Mountain in the distance

The Malay proverb "Air Tenang jangan disangka tiada Buaya" literally reflects the nature of this stretch of river in Segamat, Johor. The Chodan River connects to the Muar River and looking at Google Maps, the river system continues alongside Johor's borders with Pahang and Negeri Sembilan. The river will swell several times over during the monsoon season, so theoretically speaking the crocodiles may surface more frequently during the floods. I would not venture to test this theory as my primary aim for visiting that Chinese New Year 2022 eve was to do some birdwatching before heading back for the eve dinner with my family. A flock of black-headed bulbuls filled the air with their bubbly songs and several perched out in the open for a while. Some pictures are shared below. I have had to drive into the village tarred roads to find the birds. My previous birdwatching blog about this river was in 2016 and can be read HERE. My eBird Checklist for 2022 CNY eve is available HERE. Chinese proverb reminds us that "Time is like the river - that it flows by and doesn't return."  Grateful for being able to spend Chinese New Year 2022 with my family in Johor. Two years of restricted travels due to the pandemic tested our will and patience. Somehow, the food tasted more delicious, bird songs sounded more melodious, neighbours were friendlier and more tolerant of each others' cultural differences. May the Year of the Water Tiger bring all of us forward towards a future that is brighter with much needed growth, economically, financially and spiritually.

 

Black-headed Bulbul perched in a fruiting tree.

 

A glimpse of this bulbul species surrounded by leaves from a rubber tree. 

 

Satay Dinner at Arshad's with my family later that week

 

Running out of nasi lemak with fried egg and sweet sambal that night!

Chinese New Year 2022 welcomed in Johor

It has been two years since I last went home to Johor. The covid-19 pandemic disrupted every aspect of our lives. The state border closures announced since 17 March 2020 and the following rules and restrictions imposed by the Government, did not make it possible for my elderly parents to travel back to Segamat resulting in our family home being unoccupied for the duration of two years. This Chinese New Year 2022, we returned a week earlier before the Water Tiger arrived, and my parents re-settled in our family home after the switches were fixed, floors washed, batteries re-installed in clocks that had stopped ticking, dishes washed, rubbish thrown and old clothes donated to the Goddess of Mercy Association in Segamat Baru. Springtime cleaning indeed. The arrival of the first day for Chinese New Year 2022 came and we bade farewell to the Ox as the Tiger arrives for 365 days ahead. My family had our CNY lunch at Sin Chong Hwa restaurant where we finally sat around a table to eat our dishes which were......... 

Yee Sang - a must-have to toss during CNY to wish each family member who tosses it, health, happiness and for a prosperous year ahead. The where and the what this dish is, are explained in this article HERE.

Glutinous Rice wrapped in lotus leaves, with pork and chinese sausage. 

Broccoli with mushrooms and abalone. 

Kampong Chicken cooked in a peppery soup base.

Braised Pork Knuckle in thick gravy.

Fried Prawns which when pronounced in Cantonese sounds like the word "Laughing". This dish reminds us as a family to laugh more, and disagree less with each other:) 

Chilled soyabean jelly with longan was our final dish.