Familiarity.

Red eggs (intentionally dyed ones, of course) can mean one thing - there's a birthday! The Chinese believe that it is a symbol of happiness and fertility, so where there is a birth under the roof of a Chinese, there are eggs.

That day marked an auspicious time for a figure in Chinese mythology (it slipped from my memory) and an early birthday celebration for Guan Yin, the goddess of mercy.

By 3am the furnace was allowed to run. By 7am, we were greeted by the usual amount of food in the kitchen, ready to be taken out for rituals. Red eggs, ang ku kueh (红龟糕) , fatt kueh (发糕 or prosperity cake), colourful fruits, bowls of jelly, duck, chicken, and pork.

Here's a different angle as the lens can't fit everything in. I wouldn't question the taste of the food either. After so many years at work and befriending the poultry sellers at the morning market, we are in good hands.

If I translate the word literally, ang ku kueh (红龟糕) means 'red tortoise cake', but I'd go with the description. That is, a kind of pastry with vibrant warm colours in the shape of a tortoises' shell. I've been told as a child that it symbolises longevity.

Food is an unmistakable art as well.

Weeks before the event, paper money would be prepared. I help out when I can.

As always, after that, they would be burnt as an offering. I've been having mixed reactions regarding this particular tradition. On the one hand, it IS tradition, and yet it seems to be contributing to global warming.

While the fire devoured the paper, and the heat sent the burnt bits flying in the air, we walked back into the house to divide the food. It left me pondering - everything was such a familiar sight. Only an unfamiliar thought burned into my mind.