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How can a Chinese New Year celebration be complete without a lion dance troupe? Even if they hardly go house to house visit, they should still turn up somewhere to ‘cari makan’ (look for food), right? Back in KK, the lion dance group members are young recruits because I think the older ones are more sophisticated in thinking. While you get non-Chinese members like Kadazan and other ethnic (dan lain-lain kaum) there, here in San Diego, you see Angmohs/Gweilos (Westerners) performing the dance.
Some business owners would invite the lion dancers to perform at their premises to bring good luck and fortune to their businesses. They would tie a red envelope or angpow filled with money to a head of lettuce and hang it high above he front door. The lion will approach the lettuce like a curious cat, consume the lettuce and spit out the leaves but not the money.
Like last year, we were lucky to get to see this exciting event at a Chinese restaurant (Pearl restaurant) just around the neighborhood. The lion dancers didn’t have to deal with firecrackers, to my dismay. It would have been more interesting, muahahaha.
Relatively speaking, Chinese New Year celebration in San Diego is a pretty quiet affair. No fireworks, no firecrackers, no lion dance troupe and no Chinese New Year special movies. In fact, it is not even a public holiday. And like other Chinese, Amy dutifully reports to work. So it’s not difficult to see that eventually the Chinese tradition will be forgotten by the people living here.
Well, it is a joyous occasion, so let’s see how we spent the auspicious day.
Let’s have some nian kou for breakfast. I think it is made of lotus paste glutinous rice flour and sugar. We bought it from our local Chinese supermarket, Ranch 99. You cut it into smaller pieces and dip in egg before frying. Remove from the pan when it is soft.
We play our Chinese New Year MTV DVD with those firecracker sound and lion dance drum beat to make the occasion more realistic. That’s as close as you can get. Hmmm, not sure I remember to play it this time.
And so, Zoey gets her angpow. The only one to date this year. Maybe gonna be the only one this year.
Then we go off to meet Amy for lunch. I made some fried mee hoon; at least something special for the occasion just like how we do it back home.
As you can see, Zoey is dressed to kill. No, she is just going to sing out loud.
You hardly find multi-storey shopping complex here unlike in Malaysia. There is more walking and driving to do but the upside of it is that you get the outdoor sun and fresh air. There are lots of open space for you to run around. In Zoey’s case, she can fly around.
One nice thing about here is that you get a lot of pretty flowers. Now, as spring begins (Chinese New Year is a celebration of the spring festival), flowers will bloom everywhere.
Ok, lunch time over already.
So to wrap up the day, I made some man tou for dinner.
Well, I guess as long as you get to spend quality time with your loved ones, everyday is a day to celebrate.
Having said that, I believe it is important for us to celebrate the Chinese New Year as a way to remember our roots. Even so in a place or country where it is mostly uneventful. I may be a little old-fashioned here but I think it would be a great pity for us Chinese (be it mainland or overseas) if we lose touch with our culture and values.
Say goodbye to 4705, the year of the pig. And bye bye to the debate on whether it is golden or earth pig, and whether it happens every 60 or 600 years. Human nature is just like that. When everybody says it is good, you also want to have a piece of it. So I hear there were a lot of couples trying to have babies born in the year of the pig.
In the Chinese zodiac, the pig is the last of the 12 animals to arrive for some divine meeting. Why? Did the pig oversleep? In some cultures, the pig is associated with unpopular human attributes such as stupid, fat, lazy and oversleep. Pigs are seen as dirty both in the physical and spiritual context in some religious beliefs. And since Babe sounded like ‘babi’ in the Malay language, it was subsequently renamed ‘khinzir’ in movie theatres in Malaysia. Yet, pig meat or pork, ham, bacon etc. is widely devoured by the human race.
According to the Chinese zodiac, the pig carries good qualities such as being honest, straightforward and patient. She is shy, modest, down-to-earth, warm-hearted and homely. She is not vengeful and when someone tries to take advantage of her, she tends to withdraw to reflect on the problem and protect herself. She just needs a little time to find a constructive way to respond. She is not weak and will fight and defend if the need arises.
And say hello to 4706, the year of the rat. Rats also are not a very respectable lot judging from the numerous phrases associated with them e.g. - You dirty rat! You smelly little rat! However, Western cartoonists are very fond of using mice and rats for their comic characters. Rats are also a popular delicacy in some parts of Asia. They are also used in laboratory experiments as guinea pigs (oops, pigs again) for trial drugs and others all in the name of saving the human race. How can human beings be so cruel to these lovable creatures?
In the Chinese zodiac, the rat is the first to arrive. Numero uno, ok? It beat the horse or even the dragon to the meeting. How did it do it?
According to the Chinese zodiac, the rat type is very sociable, very quick to react to situations and extremely hard-working. She is usually strong-willed and ambitious. She is very good at multitasking and hence a very organized person. Because she is a goal-oriented person, she may seem selfish or stubborn. Actually it is just that she believes in what she is doing and approaches it whole-heartedly. Also, she is the type of person who needs to be understood and do not like being pushed around. And she jealously guards her privacy.
Back in my hometown, a family reunion dinner on Chinese New Year eve typically consists of lots of dishes with all kinds of meat and vegetable. After dinner, we will probably sit around in the living room watching TV and waiting for the fireworks to start at midnight. Back in the old days, the laws regarding fireworks and firecrackers were not so strict yet. So we, as kids (and adults), get to play all kinds. Nowadays, kids don’t get to enjoy so much fun, I guess.
Here in San Diego, it is even quieter. If I hadn’t checked the calendar, I would even think that the new year began on the weekend.
And so, we quickly decided to make stuffed dumpling for this dinner occasion. We learned how to make these from Zoey’s first nanny and her husband, manny, I guess. They both came from Tianjin, China. The manny used to cook in a restaurant before. The dumpling is originally a northern China dish, I think.
I am not very good at writing recipes yet. So allow me to explain with the photos.
1. Rinse the chives and green onions (one branch is enough). 2. Chop the chives and green onions finely 3. Put aside.
4. My seasoning buddies (salt, sugar, pepper, black vinegar, sesame oil, cooking wine, soya sauce) 5. Cooking wine is optional. As a rough guideline, the measurements for 1lb of meat: salt (4tsp), sugar(4Tbsp), pepper(3tsp), black vinegar(3tsp), sesame oil(3Tbsp),soya sauce(4Tbsp).
6. Mix the sauces well with the grounded pork meat
7. Add the chives and green onion and mix together with the meat 8. Put aside.
9. Mix flour with water a little bit at a time. 10. Knead in dough and shape into cylinder. 11. Break into smaller pieces (3cm diameter) and flatten into disc shape with a rolling pin. 12. This will form your dumpling wrap layers
13. Put filling to the wrap. Amount should be just nice to eat and easy to wrap.
14. Wrap around the filling nicely (takes some practice). Dip a bit of water or flour powder so that they stick.
15. Sprinkle some flour powder on the tray. Place the finished dumplings on the tray. Sprinkle some flour powder over them (if necessary) to prevent the dumplings from sticking to one another. 16. Put them in the freezer and allow them to dry before taking them out to store in plastic bags. Then leave the plastic bags in the freezer again. 17. Take the dumplings out to cook.
18. Put some oil in the wok and let it become hot first. 19. Put the dumplings in concentric fashion in the wok, starting outside and working your way to the middle where it is the hottest. This way, all the dumplings will have a more uniform cook time. 20. Check the color of bottom of the dumplings. When they are light brown, you can add some water. Add just enough to partially cover them. 21. Let it simmer until all the water is evaporated. 22. Take dumplings out of wok and serve hot. Serve with black vinegar on a small side bowl for taste.
With temperature like that, I ain’t going out tonight. It’s almost freezing point. Too bad because tonight is Fat Tuesday or Mardi Gras day. In New Orleans, I heard that folks down there are pretty wild with the celebrations. Girls show their tits and boobs eagerly when you throw beads at them. Not sure how crazy folks are down in San Diego. The last time I went, I didn’t see anything.
The closest thing I saw today was when I was driving along the Miramar Road. There was this blond girl by the roadside waving some advertisement banner over her head and showing off her sexy body. Judging from her shapely body, I suspect the ad is for the topless bar nearby. And when she smiled at me, I forgot that I was driving.
There is a cool website that shows real-time satellite pictures of this continent. I was waiting for it to show me how much area to our east is covered in snow. No wonder it is so cold tonight. I wonder if the girls still flash their boobies on a cold night like that. Oh, I should tell you that Mardi Gras is the day these folks celebrate the end of the Lent season - the partying way.
Tonight is Chinese New Year Eve on the other side of the globe. Following the Chinese tradition, folks return home to celebrate the family reunion with dinner. The occasion is very similar to thanksgiving day in the States. I will talk a little more on this later.
My mother went to see a fortune teller today. This is what the he said:
Rooster: Happy and successful year. There is plain sailing in one’s endeavours and family relationship is also good.
We will always have doubts in our lives. Whenever things don’t go our way, we doubt if we made the right decisions. Whenever we don’t achieve results, we doubt our own abilities. Whenever people start to walk away from us, we doubt ourselves.
With doubts taking place so frequently, no wonder most of us become less confident of ourselves as time goes by. That is quite true - as we grow older, we become more careful. When we were small children, we were not afraid to fall. In fact, we got up each time we fell, because that was the only way to learn and grow. However, as we grew older, we became more afraid to fall because we might break our bones.
Actually, I think that is not a wrong attitude. After all, we need to adjust to our physical conditions. However, it seems to me that all these little doubts will gradually erode our trust in ourselves and prevent us from striving for the best.
Sometimes we might face a really big challenge that seems insurmountable. The first thing to do is not to panic. Back off a little, and try to break the problem into smaller ones that you can manage. It’s like climbing a mountain. If you cannot take a big step, then use smaller steps.
But there are times when you are really hitting against a wall. Just like me now, don’t know what I am blogging about. But when I receive comments from other bloggers out there, I feel encouraged. Because I realize that people are actually connected. It gives me that little energy to push forward. Hopefully not over the cliff, though.
Am I prepared to go all the way? Honestly, I can only answer that I will give my best.
Hey, Youtube is the next best thing after Google. Look what I found here. An inspirational video of faith….
You Raise Me Up - Josh Groban
When I am down and, oh my soul, so weary; When troubles come and my heart burdened be; Then, I am still and wait here in the silence, Until you come and sit awhile with me.
You raise me up, so I can stand on mountains; You raise me up, to walk on stormy seas; I am strong, when I am on your shoulders; You raise me up… To more than I can be.
You raise me up, so I can stand on mountains; You raise me up, to walk on stormy seas; I am strong, when I am on your shoulders; You raise me up… To more than I can be.
You raise me up, so I can stand on mountains; You raise me up, to walk on stormy seas; I am strong, when I am on your shoulders; You raise me up… To more than I can be.
You raise me up, so I can stand on mountains; You raise me up, to walk on stormy seas; I am strong, when I am on your shoulders; You raise me up… To more than I can be.
That’s what he has always been told and that’s what he did. Patrick Henry Hughes is a virtuoso pianist, vocalist and trumpet player. He has been featured on ESPN, ABC-TV, Oprah, CBS-TV, FOX-TV, CSTV, People Magazine, Sports Illustrated, and many, many others. He has made appearances from California to Chicago to New York and Miami and countless points in between, even performing in South America and Europe.
It is amazing to know that Patrick achieved all of these despite being born without eyes and the inability to walk. At nine months old, he displayed his talent in playing the piano. What makes this story touching is the unconditional love and sacrifices that the father, Patrick John Hughes, had to make in order to give his son a better life. Working graveyard shifts and sleeping little, he devoted his time to help his son realize his dreams.
Where does our inspiration come from? How do we know when it is here? Will we open our hearts and gladly receive it when it is here?
I remember once when I was really, really down. I felt lost and weak. I wasn’t able to sleep. And when I did, I woke up and had great difficulty getting back to sleep again. I couldn’t wait for daylight to come.
It was a terrible state to be in. There was a lot of things troubling my mind. I needed to clear my mind.
When morning arrived, I put on my sweater and jogging shoes and set out to Lake Hodges, about two miles away. I guess running or jogging, if you like to call it, had a calming effect on me. It provided me with a way to get rid of all those negative ‘energies’ in me. Actually a good exercise helps your body release the endorphins, and promotes the feeling of happiness in you.
(There is a great recreational park before the lake. It has three baseball fields, a big soccer field, a dog park, a private tennis and lawn bowling club, indoor and outdoor basketball courts and a nice children’s playground.)
So I just ran on the hiking trails for another fifteen minutes before I reached this particular spot. There was a big, old oak tree here with an inspiring view of the lake. I climbed up the tree and just spent some time there.
And it worked.
Like a fish back in the water, I felt a sense of peace with the quiet and serene forest and lake around me. I felt that the noisy clutter that had been playing in mind was gone. I was able to look at things more clearly. And I felt as if somebody was talking reassuring words to me.
Maybe you can call that inspiration. Because moments like these are far and between. And they usually visit when your mind is free to wander. On this occasion, I was inspired to free myself from my shackles of doubt and worry.
What I learned from this experience is that worrying will not help you but to pray for stronger resolve to rise above the challenges. Well, that is one of the mysteries in living. It is not the money or power that makes a person great.
5xmom was showing off her pubic hair and pussy in her blog yesterday! So, just for fun, I decided to pull off the same stunt too. Guess whose pubic hair this is?
I watched it in the cinema a couple of years ago. Now I can watch it on ppstream. It is a streaming peer-to-peer internet TV network with lots of TV and movie programs. I believe the shows are censored though. No pubic hairs or pussies. Disappointed?
Here’s a trailer of the movie “Spirited Away” from youTube.
Click below if you are interested to collect this brilliantly made Miyazaki anime classic.
As the lunar new year is approaching, I thought I ought to get my act together as well. Kenny Sia’s new year resolution is to slim down for his Malaysian Dreamgirl. Although my comment is number 100++, I am the number one to suggest badminton as a good way to reduce weight. See if I can hit top 10 next time. I have no problem with my weight, thanks to good genes, good eating and exercise habits;) I haven’t formally made any resolutions. Gotta find a time to do it.
However, as you can see, I have decorated my blog to look nicer. I am still on the learning curve but I am quite happy with myself. ‘Sedikit-dikit lama-lama jadi bukit’, as the Malay saying goes.
The boar(pig) was pretty well-behaved last year, I think. Not the early part of this year though. It felt more like the year of the bear….for equities market, that is. Sometimes you can even spot the alligator.
Last week was a frenzy as capitulation took place. Who would not panic when you look at charts like this? Okay, it is still year of the boar.
A check on the weather report shows that the temperature now is 53oF (which is about 12oC) here in San Diego.
In Chicago, it is 27oF (or -2.7oC).
Sometimes I just miss the warm climate in Malaysia. When it is cold like this, you really don’t feel like going out, don’t feel like taking a shower. You take a longer time to warm up for badminton and your shots are usually awful.
Consider myself very lucky if I look at the winter storm now raging in China. It is the worst in 50 years and is blamed for at least 63 deaths, including at least 25 when a bus plunged off a slippery mountain road. Something for us to think about the effects of global warming and the consequences of our actions and inactions.
It is very hard to imagine what these folks have to go through. I already cannot ‘tahan’ (stand) the bus waiting platform outside the Johor Bahru immigration custom. I remember seeing a pregnant lady trying to get on the bus with another small child. Since it was extremely crowded, she had to pass her child over the people heads to some other person already at the entrance door. It is amazing to see that things like this still exist.
This year will be the year of the rat. It is said to symbolize wealth and prosperity. It is the first of the 12-year cycle of animals which appear in the Chinese zodiac related to the Chinese calendar. Rat is associated with aggression, wealth, charm, and order, yet also associated with death, war, the occult, pestilence, and atrocities.
Well, let’s hope that the new year will bring good fortune and happiness to all of us.
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