Some Pleasant Surprise Visitors

1/27/09 Going to A-Gong's for a festive and abundant lunch turned out to be just the beginning of another exciting day of continued New Year celebration. The New Year is usually also time for friends and relatives to visit each other. This afternoon, after returning home, we received a pleasant bunch of visitors--The Chens from Hsin-Chu, which is a city south of Taipei known for its science park and many FABs (IT and semiconductor factory labs.)

We got to know the Chens back in the early 80s. Mom had an operation at a local hospital and her young nurse Siu-Wan was a pleasant and friendly girl. She became fast friends with my sister Sabrina and myself, as we visited Mom daily at the hospital and Siu-Wan found us among the very few who were somewhat close in age with her. My mom took such a liking to her that she became a "dry" daughter--the equivalence of a God daughter in the Western culture. When Siu-Wan met and started dating the very nice and handsome Mr. Edward Chen, I remembered my sister and I being invited to dinner with the pair. They are like big brother and big sister to us to this day.

Hsin-Chu my mother's hometown, and is also the city where Edward works, as he is an executive for a reputable company down at the Science Park. It is a bit far from Taipei by local standard of traveling distance and we don't see the Chens often. However in the afternoon we received news that the Chens will be coming for dinner and since Siu-Wan is a daughter of sorts to my mother, the timing is only just right for us to welcome her on the 2nd of the New Year.

A home-bound visit by a daughter is not to be taken lightly. Since neither of my sisters were coming for dinner--Su-Yi went home to rest and Sabrina is all the way in the States--Siu-Wan will be the daugther my mother will receive today on the 2nd of the New Year. Mom started cooking like mad, putting aside the fact that we just had a big fat meal at A-Gong's for lunch.

By early evening the Chens have arrived. Siu-Wan hasn't changed one bit and looks to me just like her sweet self back in the day; it's hard to believe she already has a teenage daugther and a 9-year-old son of her own. Edward also was in great spirit and being the ever so discerning gentleman that he is, he brought a great bottle of wine--which we happily drank over dinner enthusiastically prepared by Mom.

We enjoyed the meal and the conversation while the two lovely kids ran about in our flat. It was to me what the Chinese New Year is all about--family getting together, friendship reacquainted, and a good time and good food to be had.

Alas, this is not the end of my fun on the 2nd of the New Year...there's more to come all within 24 exciting hours.