I gotta say….boy oh boy that apple is indeed dangerous!
Chinese New Year – Day 3
My ex colleagues, both of whom are accomplished chefs sent me the above and below greetings on Day 3 of CNY.
Both images herald the 3rd day of CNY and most people reopen for business on this auspicious day.
Day 1 is reserved for families to visit each other i.e. eldest anticipate siblings and parents expect children to return with grandchildren.
Day 2 is for visiting close relatives and return visits of seniors to younger relatives.
I have been enjoying a relaxing time these 2 days with my parents, keeping them company and taking time to bring them out for something different in food choices! Junk food!
So far we have had Popeyes, Kentucky Fried Chicken, McDonalds and last night was at Burger King!
For ordering a prosperity meal at McDonald’s, I was given a cutesy designed hong bao wrapper ie red packets to slot money in for married ones to give singletons.
Ms Xena Warrior was talking about this and I am sure she wanted this. So, I will save this for her.
On CNY eve I received a Garfield new borne from a friend who hails from China.
I am always happy to receive a Garfield and he quickly settles in comfortably on my sofa.
As with every “birth” – animate or inanimate comes “death”
On eve of CNY morning, I saw a wake at the void deck of my parents’ flat.
My heart missed a beat as to have a death in the family is always hard but even more painful when it is the auspicious lunar new year.
Many will avoid attending wakes and paying last respects as it is not auspicious.
To whoever who passed, it will be indeed a quiet wake for the decedent’s family.
When I went up to my parents unit, they were visibly saddened as the person who passed was their valued neighbor and friend. We called her Aunty Yahoe.
She had a loud shrill voice and would always announce her arrival at my parents’ flat with voice first.
I remember when my mum had heart stents, she cooked for my mum.
Life is numbered with mortality.
As we celebrate a new year, I am reminded of mortality.
We are not immortals.
Aunty Yahoe aged 68 years old passed peacefully in her sleep. Mum who visited her after she had immediately passed at their home said that Aunty Yahoe was serene and peaceful.
I bumped into the undertakers whilst riding the lift up to collect her.
A heartfelt reminder for me as I start the new year.
With happiness, will come sadness.
With life, will come death.
With sadness, will come joy.
With good deeds, will come blessings.
Do no evil is my take.
Help where can and when needed.
Lil Red Dot’s Terrexes Seizure By HK Customs
Our army terrexes were seized by HK customs for supposedly “customs” violations on 23 November 2016.
Reasons cited were poor paper work by vessel owner APL. This resulted in our terrexes being impounded.
Local gossip felt it was actually a result of One China policy as the terrexes we ordered were from Taiwan.
Why did local gossip erupt?
Tongues wagged because we have used the same shipper APL since 1990s and it was not the first time a vessel of APL carried our military equipment and had transited in HK. There were no issues transiting our terrexes in HK and it cleared, sailed on home.
Our government argued that it was no secret we bought from Taiwan for many years. (*stating facts to HK which we are sure went to the ears of China)
So why only now were our terrexes waylaid and seized without genuine reasons?
Speculations were rife that China used HK to do it as HK is an SAR (Special Administered Region) and it will not strain our relations with China.
HK became the scape goat so that China could “check out our military equipment and spy”
Whatever it was, our government made representations to both HK and China before they finally decided to return our terrexes by February 8th.
But hooray, today’s news reported that our terrexes arrived yesterday.
Thankfully a peaceful end to the saga…tacit diplomacy worked I guessed.
True or not….we will never know but hey it is good for a laugh! Kudos to the cartoonist for thinking of this toon to put a message across.
Visiting Duke & Duchess Of Yore During CNY 2017 – Day 2
It is always a treat visiting the Duke and Duchess of Yore at their home.
It is even more fun visiting them during the second day of Chinese New Year.
(* Little Sharing Note:
We celebrate for 15 days and it starts with a reunion dinner on the eve of Chinese New Year and it culminates into another reunion dinner to end the lunar new year celebrations.)
I would always be excited to see how Duchess would put out this year’s zodiac animal – the Rooster!
I was not disappointed as she had put up a Rooster and hen amidst the backdrop of a glass block with Buddha englazed within and a little gold colored lotus votive lamp.
Duchess has an eye for art and decor and her abode has lovely corners of art or her favorite orchids.
Her favorite showcase was where the windows were and on the wooden tops or ledges she would place these beautiful plants and orchids.
Cookies, food snacks would fill the table as guests flow in and exchange new year oranges and hong baos with her.
Big pots of kumquats would adorn the entrance to her hall and I could only take a small cut of it as it towered more than 7 feet tall and heaps of who’s who in lil red dot milled around this towering kumquat plant in a pot.
And So The Story Goes #52
The saga of the Dragon Lady and MR EX continues….(*rehash…MR EX played a big role in getting me to work with Dragon Lady)
My handphone buzzed last Friday whilst I was at work.
MR EX owns his own business and had already closed shop for the Lunar New Year.
He is afterall a big shot 😆 or at least he makes the world think so.
MR EX
“Working now. Clearing shit. Then, thought of you!”
ME
“Sooo bad!! I am shit to you??!……I need love not SHIT! 😔 I am at work of course, unlike you, so free can go gallivanting” (*Singlish & not Queen’s English ha ha! to mean roaming the streets for leisure)
MR EX
“Your England not powderful enuf. Re-read what I wrote me when you finish”
Hmm I thought to self…he thinks he is Trump! Last time I checked, I don’t have papers showing he owned me ha ha! Plus his local Singlish reeked in his text.
ME
“Finish at 1pm. Earliest, if no traffic jam, should be home by 1.45pm. Text you when leaving office and upon reaching home.”
NOTE1
I knew he wanted a debrief of the meeting with Dragon Lady…he wanted my view I guess….
As promised, on reaching home, I text him. It was way past my lunch time.
ME
“Am home and hungry!!”
MR EX
“On my way”
ME
“Remember wash your backside”
NOTE2
I felt it was an opportune moment to zing him back on his backside!! I felt smug!😊
MR EX
“Of course I will never do and never will”
NOTE3
Smugness left me! He scored. Dang it!!🤔
On arrival, he sported the same white colored shirt and jeans with Camel sports boots as he did for my retreat with Clairvoyant. As for his Mercedes 300 series, it was a pig sty with litter everywhere. His maid has not cleaned up after him yet.
ME
“Aaarrgh! You never showered and changed from yesterday!! (*I felt I got him this time)
MR EX
” My staff will tell you that I have 7 white shirts and 7 pairs of blue jeans”
NOTE4
Actually on closer look it was a different design, albeit white but I will not concede defeat.
We drove to our usual haunt.
The stalls were closing for Chinese New Year and truth be told, he worried about food for me as I had said in my text that I was hungry.
He walked to the 3 stalls opened.
Fish soup was sold out.
My favorite and he knows it as he went to order for me.
What is useful about him is that he knows what I like to eat and will order automatically without need to consult me, as if like “me Tarzan, you Jane…shut up and eat😊”
Wanton soup was also sold out.
He wanted coffee.
No coffee was left.
We settled for tea and again he asked what would I want to eat at the snack stall. But I refused and said it was ok.
He was relentless.
MR EX
“You are hungry. Eat something.” Stern voice😐
He forced me to eat two azuki bean buns.
ME
“I don’t want to eat it as it is sweet and will make me FAT”
MR EX
“You are hungry. Eat!” He sternly said.
ME
“Yes, pops!!” I said meekly.
MR EX was visibly upset with Dragon Lady as he felt she was not honest in her replies on business to him.
He was also angry that he had to meet Clairvoyant as he felt Dragon Lady asked Clairvoyant to “scan” him.
He had his opinion of Dragon Lady but I could not be bothered to weigh in.
But in my heart, I echoed his sentiments as I too, felt that Dragon Lady got Clairvoyant to “scan” me and the rest of the team for “how we think and work”
One way talking to me and he gave up.
He walked to talk to the 2 employees from China who manned the coffee and buns stall. He needed attention from me I guessed.
MR EX
“Let me buy you and you work for me?” He told the two employees of snack shop who hailed from China.
ME
“You think you buying slaves? And in front of meeeee” I retorted and I spanked him in the butt! Not once but twice!
The 2 ladies laughed.I spoke for them.
Their humor, my enjoyment as I got to punish him 😉It felt good!
MR EX gave me two tins of artisan cookies for Chinese New Year!
I guess he had his fun and I had a smallish victory.
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