England's earthquake

A 5.2 on the Ritcher scale earthquake was felt throughout England just last night (around 12:56 AM). I thought I felt something but I was not conscious to verify anything. I was fast asleep.

I have not experienced what a tremor is like. All would describe it as "deep and rumbling sound" and no one will ever know when the time-ticking bomb will unleash its horrors upon the land. Maybe I don't ever want to know what it is or feels like.

Yesterday, it was extremely windy. There was so much wind that even a mother pushing her child on the stroller was almost blown away. They were walking on the sidewalks when a sudden strong gush of wind displaced the straight path of both the mother and the stroller. It almost went off the side curb and into the road where vehicles were passing by.

Please be pray for peace for all England.
Comments on your experiences (if you're in the UK) welcomed.

Happy Chinese New Year

I'll start off with traditions:
Gongxi Fa Cai! Happy New Year! 新春快乐！生体健康！事业成功！万事如意！
Please keep my red-packets for me and don't spend it! They're mine!

Seven years have come and gone and I have not celebrated this joyous festive season with my family members, including this year's. It is suppose to be a time with families and relatives, and friends alike. It is like Thanksgiving Day in the western culture where everybody makes it a point to go back to their hometown for a reunion dinner. It is why millions of people are stranded at train stations in Guangzhou and Shanghai (one of the many places). They were all going home for this ocassion. China has never snowed like it did recently for over 50 years. I read that one stranded man could not make it home to get married with his fiancé, and even if he got on the train later, he would have missed his wedding anyway. The festive season runs for 15 days.

Seven years I have been away from my country. I have been away from my hometown. I wish I could go back every year during this time. I wish we will do this more often in the near future. I wish all our dreams and wishes will come true as we begin to build our lives away from home, away from hometown.

I remember lion dances, the deftening explosions of red crackers (type of fireworks), wishes from everybody saying "Happy Chinese New Year", counting all the monies I received from red-packets, etc. I remember all.

Pray for me for a good year this year. It's the year of the Rat. Everything about the rat is round, which symbolises good returns. Enjoy your holidays!

For more information about Chinese New Year, log on to Wikipedia. I have contributed to many articles related to the festivity.

Photos shot on Feb 6, 2008 -- New Year's eve dinner.

Our Chinese New Year's Eve dinner. Roast duck was the main hightlight of the night. It was to go with pancake/wrap with duck sauce.

It took three days to prepare for the roasting of the duck. First 24 hours for thawing, and left to dry. After that, it was bathed with rice wine (Shaoshing) and salted. Left to dry for the next 24 hours. Then it was sent for a honey bath and left to dry before sending it to the oven. Leave a comment if you want to know the remaining steps.

Fish is a compulsory dish on Chinese New Year's eve dinner. It draws from the belief that there is a good start to everything as well as a good ending to all, which is homophonous from the Chinese idiom "有头有尾" (literal: there's head, there's tail).

The fish's head and tail must not be eaten and be left until the festive season is over (I'm not sure if that's okay) to reflect on the above belief.

We also had home-made Sweet BBQ Pork (叉烧肉), home-made pork's belly, and a secret good stuff. Everything homemade.

Sparkling wine and the auspicious bamboo. The sparkling wine pops as loud as a champagne. The drink was good!

The look of a devourer

A picture before messing ourselves up

The look of a food deprived man

Wish everybody who views this post a Happy Chinese New Year.

I can't wait, sorry. *Ducks leg in mouth*

Seven years have come and gone in a blink of an eye. I wonder what will life be seven more years from today.

Amelie les Crayons: Les jours de neige en ville

J'adore sa voix! Très parfait! Je t'invite ecouter à la musique. Voilà!



Le parole


* If you can't see the lyrics above from Facebook, visit my page for the original posting.

Céline, merci beaucoup pour le parole!
A bientôt!

88 Ways to Know If You're Chinese

Received a forwarded email from a friend. Found this to be rather interesting so, I have bold-faced each that applies to me as the truth and/or at least it's what I've been doing. Out of 88, only 65 applies to me, which means I may just be 73.8% Chinese! Here's the list:

1. You look like you are 18

2. You like to eat chicken feet.

3. You suck on fish heads and fish fins.

4. You have a Chinese knick-knack hanging on your rear view mirror.

5. You sing karaoke.

6. Your house is covered with tile.

7. Your kitchen is covered by a sticky film of grease.

8. Your stove is covered with aluminum foil.

9. You leave the plastic covers on your remote control.

10. You've never kissed your mom or dad.

11. You've never hugged your mom or dad.

12. Your unassisted vision is worse than 20/500.

13. You wear contacts, to avoid wearing your "coke bottle glasses".

14. You've worn glasses since you were in fifth grade.

15. Your hair sticks up when you wake up.

16. You'll haggle over something that is not negotiable.

17. You love to use coupons.

18. You drive around looking for the cheapest petrol.

19. You drive around for hours looking for the best parking space.

20. You take showers at night.

21. You avoid the non-free snacks in hotel rooms.

22. You don't mind squeezing 20 people into one motel room.

23. Most girls have more body hair than you, if you are male

24. You tap the table when someone pours tea for you

25. You say "Aiya!" and "Wah!" frequently.

26. You don't want to wear your seatbelt because it is uncomfortable

27. You love Las Vegas , slot machines, and blackjack

28. You unwrap Christmas gifts very carefully, so you can reuse thepaper.

29. You only buy Christmas cards after Christmas, when they are 50% off.

30. You have a vinyl tablecloth on your kitchen table.

31. You spit bones and other food scraps on the table. That's why you need the vinyl tablecloth.

32. You have stuff in the freezer since the beginning of time.

33. You use the dishwasher as a dish rack.

34. You have never used your dishwasher.

35. You keep a Thermos of hot water available at all times.

36. You eat all meals in the kitchen.

37. You save grocery bags, tin foil, and tin containers

38. You have a piano in your living room.

39. You pick your teeth at the dinner table (but you cover your mouth).

40. You twirl your pen around your fingers.

41. You hate to waste food

42. You have Tupperware in your fridge with three bites of rice or one leftover chicken wing

43. You don't own any real Tupperware - only a cupboard full of used but carefully rinsed margarine tubs, takeout containers, and jam jars.

44. You also use the jam jars as drinking glasses. (not me but I know tonnes of people who does this)

45. You have a collection of miniature shampoo bottles that you take every time you stay in a hotel.

46. You carry a stash of your own food whenever you travel (travel means any car ride longer than 15 minutes). These snacks are always dried and include dried plums, mango, ginger, and squid.

47. You wash your rice at least 2-3 times before cooking it.

48. Your dad thinks he can fix everything himself.

49. The dashboard of your Honda is covered by hundreds of small toys.

50. You don't use measuring cups.

51. You beat eggs with chopsticks.

52. You have a teacup with a cover on it

53. You always look phone numbers up in the! Phone book, since calling information (*69) costs 50 cents.

54. You only make long distance calls after 11pm.

55. If you are male, you clap at something funny and if you are female, you giggle whilst placing a hand over your mouth.

56. You like Chinese films in their original undubbed versions.

57. You love Chinese Martial Arts films

58. You've learnt some form of martial arts.

59. Shaolin actually means something to you.

60. You like congee with thousand-year-old eggs.

61. You prefer your shrimp with the heads and legs still attached.

62. You never call your parents just to say hi.

63. If you don't live at home, when your parents call, they ask if you've eaten, even if it's midnight.

64. When you're sick, your parents tell you not to eat fried foods or baked goods due to "yeet hay". (in Mandarin: 上火)

65. You know what "yeet hay" is.

66. You e-mail your Chinese friends at work, even though you only 10 feet apart.

67. You use a face cloth.

68. You starve yourself before going to all you can eat places.

69. You know someone who can get you a good deal on jewelry or electronics

70. You save your old Coke bottle glasses even though you're never going to use them again

71. You own your own meat cleaver and sharpen it

72. Your toothpaste tubes are all squeezed paper-thin.

73. You know what moon cakes are

74. When there is a sale on toilet paper, you buy 100 rolls and store them in your closet or in the bedroom of an adult child who has moved out.

75. Your parents know how to launch nasal projectiles.

76.You iron your our own shirts

77. You play a musical instrument.

78. Even if you're totally full, if someone says they're going to throw away the leftovers on the table, you'll finish them.

79. You've eaten a red bean popsicle.

80. You bring oranges (or other produce) with you as a gift when you visit people's homes.

81. You fight over who pays the dinner bill.

82. You majored in something practical like engineering medicine or law.

83. You live with your parents and you are 30 years old (and they prefer it that way). Or if you're married and 30 years old, you live in the apartment next door to your parents, or at least in the same neighborhood.

84. You don't tip more than 10% at a restaurant, and if you do, you tip Chinese delivery guys/waiters more.

85. You have acquired a taste for bitter melon.

86. You eat every last grain of rice in your bowl, but don't eat the last piece of food on the table.

87. You know why there are 88 reasons.

88. You see the truth in this and then send it to all your Chinese friends.

For those of you who don't already know why it is 88 or the number 8, well, here's a simple explanation. Eight is considered as a lucky number in the Chinese culture and communities. It is homophonous to the Chinese word 'prosperity'. There are many things in the culture that are considered to be auspicious, therefore, it will not be uncommon to see bizarre practices expressed in forms of decorations, ornaments, and symbolicisms. Perhaps the greater underlying reasons for most practices will always connote good luck, which will bring prosperity, therefore, surplus, long life, and good health, and so on and so forth.

Hence, it should not be surprising so as to raise another curious brow up when you spot a car with registration plate that reads with the numbers 2's and 8's.

Behind these practices also exist an established practices of taboos and superstitious beliefs. Sometimes one practice will conflict another. For example, it is a common practice to clean up or dust away one's home before Chinese New Year. All must be spick-and-span before welcoming the festive season. Such practice is a belief to dust away bad luck or any unwanted uncleanliness. But the year 28AD or 128AD, ... 1928, 2028... etc., I doubt the house will be cleaned. The contradicting belief would be such that one would sweep away all the good fortunes of that home.

Despite all that, they will never stop any Chinese from having a good time with plenty of good food over the festive season with many great companies of friends and lots of card games (gambling!) I take this opportunity to wish everybody a Happy Chinese New year, and Gong Xi Fa Cai.