2nd home trip for the year for the last 2 weeks of my long break. As always, grateful to be able to spend quality time with family and friends. Nothing much planned for this trip but I’m grateful I was able to be there for mom during and after her cataract surgery, and to bring the grannies back to visit the old house where they used to live for 60 years. That’s a wrap for my sabbatical. Time to return to the grind and figure out what’s next.
18 Apr - 1 May 2026: Penang with Family & Friends
Back in Penang again after traveling for two months. Guess I could consider this my second home trip of the year. Got a new luggage from Air China in Beijing coz mom's luggage was damaged.
It's always easy to surprise the grannies because they don't know my whereabouts—and they've actually forgotten that I was just back for Chinese New Year two months ago. Grateful for relatives who always make the time and effort to visit and spend precious moments with the grannies. I certainly don't mind this happy chaos filling the house.
Grannies come from a family of 6 siblings—3 brothers and 3 sisters. While all 3 brothers have passed on, the 3 sisters, now in their 80s and 90s (83, 85 and 96), are still fortunate enough to gather around the mahjong table together.
Although dementia has gradually crept into the lives of grandma and grandaunt, and the occasional argument is inevitable, it's truly a blessing that they're still able to enjoy the game they've loved for decades. These moments may seem ordinary, but they're the kind of memories that become priceless with time.
When I found out that my grannies' old house had become a Taiwanese shaved ice shop, I knew I had to bring them back for a visit. It had been 26 years since they left this place.
Grandma lived here from the age of five, and Grandaunt was born here. My mom and all her cousins also grew up in this house. I still remember coming here as a child—in fact, I still have a bump on my forehead from falling down the stairs here.
They rented the back portion and upstairs of this house for 60 years. They lived through World War II here and only moved away in 2000 when the landlord wanted to significantly increase the rent.
Back when my mom was growing up, this small house somehow fit more than 10 family members, while the front half of the downstairs was rented out to another family.
The house has since been completely renovated and looks very different from the way I remembered it. Still, sitting there enjoying shaved ice with my grannies while listening to them reminisce about the old days brought back so many memories.
The back area of the shop was actually locked and reserved for staff only, but when I shared the history of the place with the owner, he kindly opened it up for us to take a look.
We truly appreciated his kindness and the chance to revisit a small but meaningful piece of our family history.
My why for flying halfway across the world every year. Not to be morbid, but this is something I'm very aware of living so far from home—the fear of not knowing which trip might be the last time I get to see them. No matter how strong they seem, time is something none of us can stop. That's why I try to spend as much time as I can with them when I'm back, cherishing and capturing the simple, ordinary moments. One day, these ordinary little moments will become the moments we miss the most.
人这一生，最贵的不是钱，而是时间。
小时候，总觉得来日方长。
长大后才发现，很多人，见一面，就少一面。
父母会慢慢变老，而我们，也会在忙碌中慢慢老去。
钱没了，可以再赚。
可是时间过去了，就真的回不来了。
所以，别总想着以后。
想陪的人，就去陪。
想说的话，就去说。
想做的事，就去做。
别等有空，才想起陪伴。
别等失去，才懂得珍惜。
趁一切都还来得及，好好爱，好好生活。
因为人生没有彩排，
今天，就是最珍贵的一天。
Mom decided to do her cataract surgery while I was back so I could help and chauffeur her around.
Time really flies. I kept taking videos of these two year after year, and before I knew it, these two little ones had already started first grade. Tiger aunt is back to mess with them...haha!
Meeting up with friends these days comes with extra fun and cuteness. Always happy to be the "funties," helping to babysit and entertain the little one while the parents take turns eating. Thank y'all for taking the time to meet up, as always!
Loading up on all the Penang food before I return to the US.
Shopping haul to bring back to the US.
1 May 2026 (Fri): Penang - Singapore
After being away for almost three months, it was finally time to begin my 38-hour journey back to the US. Even though I've made this trip many times over the years, saying goodbye never gets any easier. Still, there's comfort in knowing we've made the most of our time together. I always try to keep the mood light, with the promise that I'll be back next year so we have something to look forward to.
I'm incredibly grateful to be able to celebrate Chinese New Year with the family this year and to spend more quality time together over these past two weeks.
Also stopped by to visit and say goodbye to Dad before leaving. Thanks to Mom, Big Bro and the fam for sending me off at the airport. Take care, stay healthy, and see y'all next year. Until then.
Booked my flights from Penang - Singapore - Tokyo - Chicago - Huntsville for 60,500 United miles + $65.83. I had a different flight booked originally on AA but decided to switch to this route just one week before departure. That's the best part of booking flights with miles...I can make last-minute cancellations with no fees and still get all my miles refunded. =)
Visit the Plaza Premium Lounge at the International terminal to have some curry laksa before boarding my flight.
Amazed by all these 'weird' durian souvenirs at the airport. Not a fan of durian so I don't appreciate all these...lol!
Flight #1 from Penang to Singapore on SIA at 9:25pm.
Arrived at Changi Airport at 11pm with a 7-hour overnight transit. Spent the night hanging out at Plaza Premium Lounge and SATS Premier Lounge—eating, drinking and taking a shower.
Stayed awake all night to start adjusting to US time.
2 May 2026 (Sat): Singapore - Tokyo - Chicago - Huntsville
Flight #2 from Singapore to Tokyo Narita on ANA at 6:15am. Got lucky and had an entire row of three seats to myself on this 7-hour flight. I definitely made myself comfortable with my economy lay-flat seat and got a good rest.
Landed at Tokyo Narita 45 minutes ahead of schedule at 1:43pm. Stopped by the drugstore for some souvenirs before heading to the NOA Lounge at Terminal 1.
Had to wait a bit before getting into the lounge, but made it in time to grab some food and drinks before boarding the long flight.
Flight #3 from Tokyo to Chicago on ANA at 5pm. This flight was completely full, and I knew I was going to be stuck in a middle seat for this 12-hour flight since I booked it so late. Thankfully, my seatmates—a Japanese guy and an American lady—were chill and quiet.
Landed in Chicago at 2:30pm and got through immigration within five minutes of getting off the plane. Global Entry for the win! Had about five hours to wait in Chicago, so I hung out at the Wingtips Lounge in Terminal 5 with my Priority Pass.
I also learnt that there was actually an airside Terminal Transfer Bus connecting Terminal 5 (the international terminal) and Terminal 3 (the domestic terminal).
Flight #4 from Chicago to Huntsville on United at 7:45pm. This flight had fewer than 10 passengers, so the cabin crew moved a few of us to first class for the 1.5-hour flight. Not a bad way to end the journey! Finally made it home safely at 9:30pm after traveling for 38 hours.
After 11 years of living in the US and spending Chinese New Year away from home, we were excited to successfully pull off a surprise home trip to Malaysia to celebrate CNY with the family this year. This trip was even more special being able to share the CNY festivities with hubby and MIL. Grateful to be able to spend lots of quality time with family, relatives, and friends on this trip.
4 Feb 2026 (Wed): Huntsville - Atlanta
Picked up a one-way rental car from Natiional at Huntsville Airport the night before. Specifically requested for a Japanese car (for fuel efficeincy) and was able to get a Toyota Camry. I was able to use my National Free Rental (that I've successfully extended for 2 years now) and paid only $10 for taxes. Departed at 1.30pm for a 4-hour drive to Atlanta. Had dinner at Zaxby's before arriving Atlanta at 7pm
Returned the rental car at Atlanta airport.
Took the free hotel shuttle to our hotel for the night near Atlanta airport - Holiday Inn Express Atlanta Airport - College Park. Booked this stay for 13,600 IHG points. I chose this hotel because it provided free airport shuttle which we needed to get back tto the hotel after returning the rental car at the airport, and to return to the airport the next day.
5 Feb 2026 (Thurs): Atlanta - Doha
Enjoyed free breakfast at the hotel and checked out of the hotel at 2pm. Our flight wasn't till 7.35pm so we had plenty of time to spare. Took the free hotel shuttle to Atlanta Airport.
The hotel shuttle only dropped off at the domestic terminal, so we had to take another shuttle bus to the international terminal.
MIL flew direct from Huntsville to meet us. Had to wait a bit before we were able to check in for our flight at 3.45pm. Both of us had 1 big luggage and 2 backpacks. The big luggage was 28.5kg and were basically stuffs for family back home. Our stuffs fit in 2 backpacks which weighed 14.5kg and 16kg. Not bad for 2 months of travel.
Checked in for our flight at 3.45pm when Qatar's check-in counter finally open. We're going to Doha! Btw, we were very lucky to fly this route just 3 weeks before tthe Middle East conflict started and all flights were cancelled.
Since it was stilll early, we hung hug at The Club lounge to grab some light snacks and drinks. This lounge is pretty basic and I've been here before so I wasn't expecting much from this lounge.
Yes we are flying business class this time! I successfully booked 3 tickets on Qatar Airways a year in advance as soon as the tickets became available...using miles of course. =) The total cost for our Qatar business class flights from Atlanta - Doha - KL was 95,000 Avios miles + $316 per pax. Also got a rebate of 19,000 Avios miles with the transfer bonus.
Boarded our flight from Atlanta to Doha on Qatar Qsuite. After traveling solo on Qsuite for the last few times, and sharing the Qsuite experience with mom last year, I was excited to finally share this Qatar Qsuite experience with hubby and MIL. We chose the rear part of the business class cabin, with only 8 seats for minimal foot traffic during the flight.
Of course gotta start off the flight with champagne. Adding more to my Diptyque amenity kit collection. =)
Got the F1 pajamas for this flight and wasted no time making myself comfortable.
Also ordered our meals before taking off.
Requested for dinner to be served shortly after take off, and for our beds to be made while waiting for our food. Got another champage while waiting for my food to be served. =)
Starters: Seared scallop, cream of artichoke and chestnut soup
Main course: Seared salmon with horseradish potato mousseline
Dessert: Ice cream
12.5 hours of eat, sleep, repeat. There were some turbulence the first half of our flight. By the time we finally fell asleep, hubby was woken up by water dripping in his cubby (where he put his legs) coz the guy sitting across him split water and it dripeed throug the gaps. =.= We had to ask the cabin crew to help clean up before hubby passed out again as we flew by Eypt to avoid the conflict areas.
Had breakfast 2 hours before arriving Doha. I ordered the Qatari chicken mandi with sultana basmati rice (from the All Day Dining menu) and hubby ordered the Crispy cicken burger with potato fries from (from the Light meal menu).
6 Feb 2026 (Fri): Doha - KL
Landed in Doha at 4.23pm, 30 minutes ahead of schedule. It was nice to go through a separate security screening area for first and business class transfer passengers.
We had about 3-hour transit in Doha.
Visited the Al Mourjan Garden lounge which I prefer from my previous visits. First things first, shower to freshen up before another long flight.
Then it was time for more food and champagne.
Boarding our flight from Doha to KL at 7pm. Yes, we are headed to Malaysia!
This flight was supposed to be Qsuite when we made the booking, but got swapped to the 'worst' business class on Qatar's fleet. We had the option to change our flight to a later one which has Qsuite, but that meant we would have a much longer layover in Doha so we decided to stick with the original time and try out a different business class seat. These seats are completely 'exposed', so we chose the last row to avoid foot traffic during the flight. The one benefit of these seats was the spacious leg room. MIL took the mididle row so she didn't have to 'climb over' anyone to get out.
We got another set of Diptyque amentiy kit and F1 pajamas for this flight. Also spotted Dubai's The Palms from the air.
For this flight, we ordered the vegetable hot and sour soup, soya braised beef short ribs, wok fried soya noodles with seafood wontons, and hazelnut brownie with warm chocolate sauce. The flight attendant also gave us a bag of chocolates when I asked for more...haha!
Beautiful sunrise as we were approaching KL.
After traveling for about 24 hours, we finally landed in KL at 7.45am.
7 Feb 2026 (Sat): KL
Welcome to Malaysia! We could have taken another flight back to Penang directly, but since it has been 13-14 years since hubby and MiL had been to KL, we decided to spend a night in KL before making our way back to Penang.
Made a quick visit to the Lego pop up at KLIA departure hall...
...and took a Grab into KL city. Learnt that a standard Grab wouldn't accept more than 2 passengers wih luggage so we had to get a larger car to fit all our bags.
Arrived Intercontinental KL at 10am, but had to wait till 10.40am to check into our room.
We booked 2 rooms using 2 IHG Free Night Certificates from our credit cards.
Thanks Josh for stopping by our hotel at 11.30am to meet up for a quick catch up before flying back to Singapore that afternoon.
Walked to KLCC in the afternoon for a quick 'revisit' of the twin towers and to see the CNY decorations. Our sightseeing didn't last long as it was too hot and humid for the ang mohs so we headed back to the hotel to get some rest before round 2 of meet ups in the evening.
After a hot and sunny afternoon, we didn't expect the weather to change so much in just a few hours. It was pouring heavily our entire way to PJ and we almost got stuck in flash floods. Oh and of course, we were 'lucky' to be in Ampang area the same time as the MotoGP event launch, which resulted in many road closures around our hotel. Took awhile for us to finally get a Grab driver who navigated through all the road closures and flooded roads to pick us up from our hotel.
Finally made it to the Korean bbq place at 7.20pm. Thanks to Rae & kiddos, Shalini, Ms. G, and bro & fam for making time to meet up for dinner. It's been awhile since we met so we were glad to be able to catch up and hangout some with them this time around.
Major throwback...how is this 16 years already?!
8 Feb 2026 (Sun): KL - Penang
Complimentary buffet breakfast at the hotel for my HG Diamond welcome amenity. The breakfast was only for 2 person so hubby decided to let MIL enjoy the breakfast with me. There were quite a lot of Western and Malaysian food options.
After a quick stop in KL, it was time to continue our journey to Penang. Took the 9.30am Aeroline bus from Corus hotel (KL) to Queensbay (Penang). It's been awhile since we rode on a bus for this route so we decided to take a bus this time around. Was a lil' annoyed that Aeroline charges RM10 extra if we had more than 1 big bag per person...oh well.
The journey was smooth and comfortable and we made it to Penang after 4.5 hours at 2pm.
Thanks to SIL for picking us up and for helping to keep the secret about our home trip.
Even though we booked/planned this home trip a year in advance (Feb 2025), I did not let any of my family know that I was gonna be coming back together with hubby and MIL for CNY this year.
It wasn't until the end of November that I informed SiL that we were coming back (to give her a heads up and coordinate logistics) and requested her to keep the surprise/secret.
I didn't put much expectation that we could keep this surprise till the end but glad to report that our mission was a success thanks to SiL's help. Also good job to MiL and hubby for not mentioning anything to mom throughout our Germany/Switzerland and Alaska trip last year.
The last time MIL visited Malaysia was back in 2019 so we invited her to join us on this trip to celebrate CNY in Penang (for the first time). Grandma and grandaunt was very excited for this surprise visit and tried conversing with hubby and MiL but my translation couldn't keep up with their talking speed..lol! We then went to Giant to pick up some groceries and ran into this 'horse'...lol!
Thanks big bro and SIL for hosting us at their place for 2.5 weeks.
9-15 Feb 2026: Penang
Hometrip means spending time with the family.... i.e. lots of mahjong time with the grannies. Hubby learnt mahjong when he came 2 years ago and have been wanting to play with the grannies again so he had fun playing with them this time around. P.S. Grandma is 96 and grandaunt is 85 already but their minds are impressively sharp when playing mahjong. Grandma is also 100% focus when playing mahjong and doesn't even feel tired playing all day...ho liao!
Both grannies know that they have to take meds daily and the helper helps to give them their meds on time daily. However, as their short term memory is not good, they would constantly ask if they've taken their meds (multiple times)... which can be frustrating at times.
So here I come with my solution (I'm full of ideas). I created this 'medicine signature book' for them to sign each time they take their meds and requested the helper to help with this task. I used a hanger to hang the book so we could hang it somewhere easily accessible. Whenever they ask if they've taken their meds, we'd show them the signature book without having to say anything.
This also allows them to practice writing and keep their brains active. Grandma is illiterate but can write her name very nicely at age 96. Mom is skeptical of my idea but I'm glad the helper is very supportive of this idea and helps to keep up with this task even after I left. Our relatives also helped keep up with this 'homework' when they took the grannies out and about during CNY...lol!
Spent most of our time hanging out at home with the grannies and family.
Hubby discovered blended Milo dinosaur (at New World Park) the last time he came so he was determined to enjoy it multiple times this time around.
Ate at New World Park, Eastern Wishes, Dandy's, McD. We didn't eat out much coz we were eating at home most of the time.
Tried keeping up with our gym routine and being uncertified trainers for mom and grandaunt.
Working out here adds another level of difficulty because of the hot and humid weather. Welcome to Malaysia...lol!
Funcle Daniel setting up and teaching the kiddos video games. When it's time to play we play, but tiger aunt also help to make sure chores and homework are done.
Twin bro and family came back for CNY, that means more "headcount" and "lao juak-ness" in the house. This little girl entertained me for this one time only coz she wouldn't let anyone other than the parents carry her. Even grandma had to wear sunglasses to cover her face to 'mask' herself. DINK funty and funcle having fun messing with the kiddos. The older kiddos are not as fun to mess with these days so I've got new cutie pies to play with now hahaha!
Got 2 new glasses for hubby.
Treated MIL to a 4-hour spa session at Teratak Spa for her belated Christmas present.
MIL learning 'origami' from grandma...lol! Also went with big bro and fam to see lion dance.
MiL also joined mom at her singing and dance classes.
Met up LiYin and Joe-Lene at Empat Sekawan in BM. LiYin also came back for CNY this year so it was good we were able to meet up this time.
Met up with XL, KL, and Zeze at Eastern Wishes. Guess I'm pretty good with entertaining kids...lol!
Met up with XY at New World Park.
Met up with Rae and Jon + kiddos at Fisherman's Wharf. Lucky to stumble upon dragon dance.
Thanks to the 2 angmoh visitors, we decided to brave the crowd (and traffic jam) to go to Kek Lok Si for the CNY lighting ceremony on 13 Feb 2026. We arrived around 6.15pm and was lucky to find parking in the building.
Headed straight to the pagoda and secured a good spot to watch the lighting ceremony which we thought was supposed to be at 7pm.
We ended up waiting till 7.45pm for the lights to turn on.
I had no idea that there was gonna be a fireworks show that followed the lighting ceremony so it turned out to be a good surprise. 10 minutes of fireworks...Kek Lok Si very rich.
16 Feb 2026 (Mon): CNY Reunion Dinner
Reunion dinner at Hai Boey seafood. There were a total of 28 of us (mom's side of the family) gathered in Penang for reunion dinner this year so aunt decided that it would be easier to eat out, especially with 9 kids in tow. Apart from the 3 of us who traveled back from the US, cousins from Australia and Shanghai also traveled back (with their kids) to Penang for CNY this year. Times like these are harder to come by and definitely feel more precious to have everyone back, especially as life pulls us in different directions.
Gathered at big bro's house after the reunion dinner to countdown to CNY. Grandma gave angpao to all of us...starting with her daughters and spouses (thanks aunt for helping her prepare the angpaos). It was chaotic with adults joking around while trying to manage the kids. Grandma was serious about giving angpaos even though we told her they are all the same. Chaos + confusion...lol! Capturing these moments to help with her short term memory and for our long term memories.
Kiddos didn't get to play with fireworks coz it was raining. The last time I celebrated CNY in Penang was in 2014 so it was great to be home celebrating with the family again after 12 years.
17 Feb 2026 (Tues): CNY Day 1
Started the morning giving ang paos to the kiddos and grannies. I've skipped CNY (and giving angpaos) for the last 11 years, time to get back to the tradition...haha!
MIL partook in giving angpaos too. Lil' Chen Chen was in a good mood being entertained by uncle Daniel.
First stop of the day was to visit dad at the columbarium.
Next stop was lunch at aunt's (dad's eldest sis) house.
Dad's sisters are always entertaining but now we also have kids to entertain us. Youngest aunt even brought a mic for more entertainment. 3rd aunt's grandson inherited her "e" gene to be the entertainer for this CNY. Btw the mic came in handy for 'crowd control' too.
3rd stop was our other house to pray to our paternal grandparents and dad. Aunt and uncle also stopped by to visit.
Wrapped up day 1 of CNY with fireworks for the kids and mahjong for the old people. I also got an 'angpao' slipping face down when trying to dodge a firework that bro accidentally threw to my direction. Thankfully I didn't break any bones but the soft tissue bruise lasted for a few weeks.
19 Feb 2026 (Thurs): CNY Day 4
Twin bro didn't have a great start for day 3, lil' girl has no idea what's hangover yet.
Growing up, CNY were always busy because we would house-hop to visit dad's aunts and uncles. Our paternal grandma had 10 siblings so we'd be visiting 6-7 houses in a day..like amazing race. This tradition had been improvised/simplified over the last few years where all 4 generations of our paternal relatives would gather at one place to celebrate CNY and exchange ang paos.
This year about 60+ of us gathered at The Prestige hotel for CNY buffet lunch. As always, dad's sisters are the mood makers/entertainers. Certainly thankful that dad's sisters are so energetic and humorous coz they certainly make gathering like this fun and hilarious. None of us cousins inherited their energy level. Certified "hype aunts" making us laugh the entire lunch.
The 2 angmoh spouses are back in Penang for CNY. It was great seeing Audrey and Greig again after the last time we met in London in 2022.
Group photo for 60+ relatives spanning 4 generations.
Tooks this opportunity to take our family photos since everyone was dressed up nice and pretty.
After wrapping up lunch with paternal relatives, we drove to Shangri-La Rasa Sayang hotel at Batu Feringghi for a photoshoot session with our maternal relatives.
Aunt's family were there for staycation so we crashed their suite, which had a perfect backdrop for photoshoot. We actually didn't plan ahead to have this photoshoot session but since it's rare for all of grandma's children, grandchildren and great grandchildren to be back at the same time, we decided this was the perfect opportunity to take family photos.
After spending about 2 weeks in Malaysia, it was time for MIL to embark on her next adventure in New Zealand. Hubby and I had a few more days in Penang before we leave so we dropped her off at the airport and bid goodbye.
22 Feb 2026 (Feb): CNY Day 6
Thanks Uncle Mike for inviting hubby for a city run around Georgetown.
23-24 Feb 2026 (Mon-Tues): CNY Day 6
Unfortunately, hubby had stomach issues the last 2 days in Penang so he focused on resting and recovering before leaving. After spending 2.5 weeks in Malaysia with lots of quality family time, it was time to say goodbye. Said goodbye to grannies and kiddos the night before as our flight was early the next morning. Thanks mom for dropping us off at the airport at 3.45am.
