Galloping into the Year of the Horse.

I've had just enough time...   to gallop like a horse.

This is the Year of the Horse - galloping free!

This is the Year of the Wood Horse. Full of energy and high potential for conflicts. Here is wishing all of my friends and readers a vibrant year of galloping into good fortune and galloping away from troubles. 

Embossed red on gold ang pow 

Here are some of the “Ang Pow” I received this year. “Ang Pow” meant “red packet” in the Hokkien, one of the Chinese dialect. It is the tradition of the Chinese to give out red packet containing money during the Chinese New Year. It is given by the elders to unmarried relatives or visitors (whether those who visit you or whom you visit) during the New Year. Tough luck if you are married for you are now considered an adult. You can only receive from your parents or bosses but these are considered as “start work” ang pow for a good business start. 

A brightly coloured family coloured theme.

But if you are unmarried, you are still considered a child and thus eligible for ang pow no matter how old you are! However, I’m not sure if that is considered a blessing or not. You will receive a lot of reminders to get hitched along with the ang pow until you are sick of hearing it. On the other hand, as an encouragement, your children are eligible for ang pows so go forth and be bountiful so you can have bountiful harvest of ang pows too!

In the old days, all ang pows are red in colour hence the name. But these days, many of them are beautiful multi-coloured designs with various New Year theme. The Year of the particular animal such as horse this year, auspicious animals or birds, family gathering, lion dances, calligraphy wishes are popular themes. There are even some with the faces of celebrities. In this posts, you get to see some of the ang pows I received this year. “Huat! Ah!” (Prosper! Ah!”)

Wishing everyone a Happy Chinese New Year!

How To Surprise A Zombie - Part II

I've had just enough time to...  be fooled thrice and love it!

Taken of the thrid surprise - a juicy carrot cake

The next day, an ex-colleague dropped by at the flour mill. They asked me if I have the time for lunch and I said “Of course, there is always time for old friends”. We went to a Thai-Chinese restaurant and I was surprised at the turn out. Hmm… Quite a big group. After fragrant Pandan chicken, fiery tom yam soup, steaming fish brewing in salted vegetable and other sharp tasting foods that I missed dearly for the last two weeks…

They brought out another cake with a single lighted candle and sang the birthday song in the restaurant. I was fooled again. It was a coincident that my ex-colleague visited us that day and my devious colleagues made use of the accidental visit to fool me. That was the second surprise.

Though that lifted my spirits, I struggled through the day hardly able to keep my eyes open as I was still in my zombie state. After 3.00 pm, the jet lag effect kicked in and after so many visits to the restroom, I must have washed the skin off my face. So when the call came in to go home a bit earlier, I was all for it.

After dinner, I thought I would call it an early night when my sons brought in yet another cake with another single lighted candle and sang the familiar song I heard thrice within 24 hours. This time it was a juicy Carrot Cake with butter cream icing. The bakery bought me a Black Forest because they think it is my favorite while the flour mill a Mixed Fruit Praline because they think I will like it. 3 cakes and 3 surprises within 24 hours. I smiled, thinking the three different groups have different opinions of the types of cake I liked. Maybe, they have different opinions of the person I am too. Whatever, I felt most blessed that day, to have good friends and family to celebrate my birthday with. Strangely, another strong emotion took hold at the same time. I felt rependant at my good fortune and thought of seeking forgiveness from all I have hurt one way or other through the years. Thankful and rependant was how I felt on the day I was surprised thrice.

A Family In Prayer

I've had just enough time to...   see a family in prayer

Taken of a family in prayer in the Thirtha Empul Temple compound in Bali

A family in prayer

Is the closest as a unit

Unified by belief

Bound by faith

Harmonised by love

__________

Staying together; Praying together

Any storm we can weather

Trusting in God's Word

We need each other

Fathers and mothers

Sisters and brothers

In harmony and love

Family Prayer Song

The Young Boxers of Lumpini Stadium.

I've had just enough time to...   watch young boxers fight for their family.

Taken from the ringside in Lumpini Stadium, Bangkok of the young fighters.

“Violence is not the way to a better life.”

Try telling it to these children from the slum.

“It is not!” You insisted “The solution”.

Do you have a better one?

“But it is not right! Having children to fight!”

No it is not. But you live in a different world.

You do not know hunger. You have a roof over your head.

They do know love. Their fists look after their family.

Ironical isn’t it? Love, I mean.

Bashing the daylight out of your opponent so your family gets to eat.

They will bash you too if you get into their ring.

You know what is wrong but you do not know how to put it right.

What good may I ask, is that?

So leave this world of broken noses and bloodied lips,

So you can get some sleep,

In your world where children don’t have to fight to eat.

______

In the clearing stands a boxer

And a fighter by his trade

And he carries the reminders

Of ev'ry glove that layed him down

Or cut him till he cried out

In his anger and his shame

"I am leaving, I am leaving"

But the fighter still remains

Simon And Garfunkel The Boxer