As those who are familiar with the Chinese New Year traditions would know, a reunion dinner is held on New Year’s Eve where the entire family gathers to welcome the New Year. This dinner is important to many Chinese families because they believe in the significance of the dishes consumed. Some of these dishes include fish (yú), because it is a homophone of the Chinese term for ‘blessing’, and a vegetable called ‘fat choi’ in Cantonese because its name sounds similar to the Chinese term for prosperity. These familiar dishes were served at Zen in their sumptuous eight-course meal, helping to trigger in all of us a distinct sense of nostalgia for home and for familiar customs and traditions.
Even after the final dish was served, the evening’s excitement had not yet come to a close. There was even a raffle draw with many attractive prizes up for grabs. These included iPod Touch, Sony Cybershot digital camera, 5.1 audio speakers, DVD player, printer, iPod Shuffle, champagne, memory storagee dvices, as well as vouchers for Dynasty, Zen, Obento, Kin Yip Hon and Matana hairdressers. This certainly helped to increase the liveliness and festive spirit of the evening as many of us went home with prizes, indicating, indeed, a very auspicious start to the year of the Ox.
This was the first event to be organised since the Christmas break, and it was an overwhelming success and every participant enjoyed themselves thoroughly and visibly, buoyed by the Chinese New Year festivities and the high spirited conversation of the evening. It was the perfect way to usher in the new year.
spot our CENTRE player and her bib!:DAfter the netball matches we carried bags of chips and went over to watch the guys’ team play soccer (5 a-side) against Hull University. Mid-match, the weather took a turn for the worse, and it started to drizzle intermittently. However, with irrepressible spirit, our guys played on resiliently and managed to score several goals. Paul even scored a penalty point! The competing teams were all extremely strong, and unfortunately, we were defeated yet again despite our valiant efforts.
We bid our friends goodbye after the event was over, and some of us were overcome by nostalgia for the good ol’ days back home. When we returned to the coach, we felt slightly drained but also thrilled by the day’s action. Chris, our lovely coach driver, was a comforting presence as he drove us back to Bristol. By the end of the day, we were tired and hungry, but the morning’s ebullience still showed on our faces.
Throngs of students came pouring in to the Union at the Freshers' Fair this year. With our long discount list, free maggi noodles and society tees selling at just 50p, many Bristolians - both freshers and returners - signed up with us!
Kenny, who adores Bristol University. 
At the booth awating our freshers!:)
Upon the highly anticipated and fervently celebrated end of examinations for most, the new Committee aptly organized its first event – a Summer BBQ! Given (what one might describe as) the temperamental Bristol weather, lady luck shone upon us that day as the sun, too, shone stubbornly in the sky. Camaraderie echoed throughout the charming Goldney Hall, a seemingly popular venue at which two other barbeques were taking place at the same time. In spite of the crowd, our Summer BBQ was by and large a smashing success, complete with scrumptious snacks, enticing entertainment and cacophonous conversation.
Preparations for the event commenced with grocery shopping for an alarming array of food – juicy burgers, fluffy marshmallows, buttery corn on the cob, and finger lickin’ good chicken wings were just some of the items on the day’s impressive menu. The cashier at the store must have been wondering just how large an army of people we were going to feed!
With good cheer, we lugged the heavy grocery bags back to Goldney Hall, where we realized (to some distress, as you might imagine) that there was no barbeque pit – the Goldney barbeque pit had been removed! – Certainly heart attack inducing, that was. Fortunately, we had Gaiatri and Farrah to save the day. Acting on a sheer spark of genius, they dashed to the nearest Sainsbury’s branch for a portable BBQ pit, which the boys managed to assemble promptly upon their return. Thanks to the quick thinking and deft hands of our happy campers, our preparations did not go to waste.
Following this was the fun part of the afternoon where everyone tried their hands at barbequing. The boys marinated the chicken wings with a deliciously fragrant glaze whilst the girls roasted marshmallows to perfection – crisp on the outside and creamy on the inside. Even at a post-exam barbeque, everyone was hardworking and co-operative, working seamlessly together to generate the incredible fun and laughter which was rife in Goldney Hall. The food turned out, admittedly, near flawless. Nicholas, for one, loved the burgers, with their soft buns and ripe succulent patties!
Bonds of friendship, if not already forged, were clearly further strengthened during the afternoon’s BBQ. It was a much-awaited chance for everyone there to indulge after the tedious examination period, be it in Frisbee, junk food, sunshine or conversation with friends. After an extended term of sitting at our desks and poring over textbooks, we were all grateful for the opportunity to stretch our stiff legs chasing after a plastic disc and bask in the radiance of some rare Bristol sunshine.
As transparently clichéd as it sounds, all good things must come to an end, and that included our very first Summer BBQ. Watching everyone pack up and leave, it was clear that everyone had a tremendously fun time at the even, which only makes us more excited for events to come. 
For more pictures on this event, please access:
http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=16708597474
