Wednesday, February 24, 2010

Try to say these sentences,

1a. I'm tired.
1b. What a busy day, now finally can relax.

2a. Why don't you solve it yourself?
2b. I know what I should do.

3a. God, why me?
3b. God, please test me.

4a. This world is a mess.
4b. I better clean my room first.

5a. My work is heavy.
5b. My job is very challenging.

6a. I'm installing a sensor.
6b. I'm building a system.

Lot of time we like to think in the negative way, not sure why, maybe that is encoded in the gens. Try to think positively, talk positively, and learn to appreciate. Life is short, you wouldn't know you or someone close to you still able to talk to you or not after today. It's too late to regret once you miss the last chance to apology after you said those stupid words. Please don't let it happen.

Monday, February 22, 2010

Saturday, February 20, 2010

Happy birthday everyone

Today is day 7th of Chinese new year and it is human day. The ancient believe that on day 7th, god create human, after She create chicken, dog, pig, goat, cow, and horse. So today is everyone birthday.

How we celebrate the human day? Well, Malaysian create a food call yu san (鱼生). If you don't know what is that, it is a plate of mix vegetable, cracker and fish, and everyone gather together and mix it using the chopstick and hope to get a better luck in the coming year.

So, hope everyone 捞得风生水起,发啊!!!!!  

Tuesday, February 16, 2010

Angpao talk

Ok, first of all wish all the reader a happy Chinese New Year and a prosperous year.

Today just want to share with you all about angpao. I believe everyone know that angpao mean red packet and I believe it is from Hokkien. Cantonese will pronounce as hongbao, and Fuchuo will pronounce it as ernbao. I hope I spell the sound correctly. Anyway, back to today topic, anyone know what is angpao? When it's started? And what is the real meaning behind this red packet?

I'm not sure those primary school's teachers got told their students about this little Chinese culture or not. I hope they do. What I know is that angpao is equal to money. Children are happy during Chinese New Year because of new clothes and most important elder will give angpao to them or in other word, elder give money for them during the Chinese New Year.

Originally, angpao is called 压祟 (pronounce as ya sui). If you don't understand Chinese, the two words, 压 mean confine, push, control, force down; and 祟 mean evil spirit. Therefore the two words combine together mean to control the evil spirit. There is a story about this culture.

In ancient times there was a black body and white hands demon called the "祟", in the Chinese New Year's Eve night, he will come and use his hands to touch on the sleeping child's head three times. The children will get frightened and cry, and then fever, start raving and sick for few days before recover from illness. However, when the child recovered from illness, the child had become a lunatic. People are afraid of evil spirit come to harm their children, therefore, they lit the lights and sit beside them over the night, and this is known as 守祟 meaning "keep away evil spirits."

In Jiaxing house, an old couple got a son at old age, therefore they love their song very much. In the Chinese New Year's Eve night, they fear that evil spirit will come to harm their child, they forced their children to play. Their children use a red paper to wrap eight coins, then open the wrapping and wrap it back again until he fall asleep. The wrapped eight coins dropped into the pillow. The old couple dare not close their eyes and stay next to their child. In the middle of the night, the evil spirit came and when he want to touch on the child's head, a light ray come out from the child's pillow and the evil spirit get scared and screaming away. Therefore, everyone using this method to protect their children from the evil spirit.

The word 压祟 has become 压岁, which is same pronunciation and the word 岁 mean age. So, the meaning become prevent getting older. And 守祟 become 守岁, but this time is the children didn't sleep over the night to hope their parent get longer life.

Well, I hope those parent can tell their children about these Chinese cultures.

Ok, about me and my angpao. Normally I will keep my angpao (and the money inside) and put in the drawer until few months after the Chinese New year. Sometime, I still can find my last year angpao which got money inside. No any meaning or purpose that I do that, I just appreciate those angpao that people give to me and try to keep it. I believe I still have the angpao that my grandmom give to me :)

Ok, hope everyone get rich this year, huat ar!!!!!!!!!!!!!
-.-

Friday, February 12, 2010

Just married

Well, I’m married :)

Just finish the wedding process last Sunday and still try to used to the new life.

Talking about my wedding, basically it is simple because I prefer it to be as simple as possible. When I start to plan my wedding, which is few years back, I was thinking to discard the dinner section because I know it is the busiest process that I have to face. But I didn’t because that is the only time that I can share my happiness and tell the whole world that I’m married. And lucky that I didn’t cancel it because that is the most wonderful memory I have.

So, I’m married. What next?

Ok, before I married, everyone is pushing me to marry, and every year, most embarrassing moment is taking angpao from those elders. Finally, I’m married, and now everyone change topic to push me for a litter SK. You thought getting a litter SK is like planting tau-ge? Even my stupid longan also took 2++ years and yet give me nothing. Ok, give some face, don’t push me too hard.

Nothing much change, except there is someone waiting for you at home :). I will try to go back early and have a nice dinner with my wife. Less burger, less teh-o-ais-limao, less DOTA, less online, … learning to be a good husband. But please don’t misunderstand that marriage is the graveyard for freedom. Nothing should be change here. It’s like when you start fall in love with someone, it’s doesn’t mean you have let go all your friends, spend all the time with your love one only. Same apply here, family is a very important, and so do friends. So, if you want to ask me to go sing-k, please don’t hesitate, and I will say ok.

Another few more days and it is Chinese New Year, time for me to give angpao :)

Before I finish this blog, I would like to thank to all my friends and family members that help and attend my wedding ceremony, I hope you all have a great time. And really need to say thank you very much to my brothers and sister.

My driver cum photographer, Nicholas; and my second photographer, Toh.

Huan, Lum, Chin, Sam, Voon, Ng and his wife, daughter and son that help me to be my heng-dai and help me here and there to do all the messy tasks.

My sister and brother, thanks to them for the help, and my sister’s cute bear bear.

And

The stupid sotong that help me since the first day she know I’m getting marry. Although we only know each other for about one year, but we are like old friend. Thank you, sister.

Ya, almost forgot, my sister told me about the dinner, she said, she attended so many wedding dinners and she never heard people screaming for yam-seng for so long. She feels so touching at that moment. And I told her, they are all my friends.

Happy Chinese New Year and wish you all a prosperous year.