So I'm a Rat and this is the year of Horse. Singapore fengshui consultant Adelina Pang gives me my horoscope predictions for the year ahead.
No speculating and gambling according to her. Bang goes my chance on Lotto this week!
Showing posts with label Chinese New Year. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Chinese New Year. Show all posts
Wednesday, 29 January 2014
Monday, 23 January 2012
Going Bananas, Wet Leaves and Water Dragons
Today is the first day of Chinese New Year, the year of the Dragon, and as I write my many friends in Singapore and beyond are celebrating with their families over Reunion Dinners.
It was a time that I always enjoyed although it was also a time when finding an open coffee shop proved difficult. This year is most definitely a Water Dragon with flooding once again wrecking havoc in certain parts of Singapore in the past week.
Sitting in my study in new Zealand, I decided to delve into my image archive. Here is is a photo taken on the then Tanglin campus of the ill-fated UNSW Asia in 2006. The tropical foliage and the fresh smell after rain is something one never forgets.
There will be many not staying in Singapore but leaving for Malaysia, Thailand or places further afield over New Year; an annual pilgrimage to be with, or share with, family.
Many of them will be flying Singapore Airlines; still my favourite airline despite the recent news that its new fleet of fifteen A380's are susceptible ;to cracks in the wings.
The Wall Street Journal has reported that European air-safety regulators are poised to mandate enhanced inspections in the wake of new cracks found on an A380.
None of this is very reassuring although the manufacturers have assured everyone that there is no imminent danger.
Finally a piece of news that surprised me, as our local NZ supermarkets have for many years been full of bananas from the Philippines.
The Philippines have just sent a trial shipment of fruit and vegetables (carrots, cabbage, bananas, papaya, squash and spices) to Singapore hoping to break into what they perceive to beg a lucrative market. For some reason I thought that produce from the Philippines was already readily available in Singapore - apparently not so?
To all my friends and family - Gong Xi Fa Cai.
It was a time that I always enjoyed although it was also a time when finding an open coffee shop proved difficult. This year is most definitely a Water Dragon with flooding once again wrecking havoc in certain parts of Singapore in the past week.
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| Leaves - Tanglin Roger Smith 2006 |
There will be many not staying in Singapore but leaving for Malaysia, Thailand or places further afield over New Year; an annual pilgrimage to be with, or share with, family.
Many of them will be flying Singapore Airlines; still my favourite airline despite the recent news that its new fleet of fifteen A380's are susceptible ;to cracks in the wings.
The Wall Street Journal has reported that European air-safety regulators are poised to mandate enhanced inspections in the wake of new cracks found on an A380.
None of this is very reassuring although the manufacturers have assured everyone that there is no imminent danger.
Finally a piece of news that surprised me, as our local NZ supermarkets have for many years been full of bananas from the Philippines.
The Philippines have just sent a trial shipment of fruit and vegetables (carrots, cabbage, bananas, papaya, squash and spices) to Singapore hoping to break into what they perceive to beg a lucrative market. For some reason I thought that produce from the Philippines was already readily available in Singapore - apparently not so?
To all my friends and family - Gong Xi Fa Cai.
Friday, 20 January 2012
Wednesday, 11 January 2012
What The Year Of The Dragon Holds...For Dragons
Definitely a year to watch your money if you are a a dragon. The year ahead includes absconding business partners!
Tuesday, 10 January 2012
Stepping Forward with 'Fin'esse
One of the most recent scientific breakthroughs has been the discovery of a gene responsible for lung cancer. A collaborative team from the Genome Institute of Singapore, Tan Tock Seng Hospital and National Cancer Center made the breakthrough.
Make no mistake this promises to be a huge breakthrough in the fight against cancer and repays the country's faith in R&D.
Another piece of pleasing news is that Carrefour has followed the lead of NTUC and will no longer be selling Sharks Fin or its soup derivative in its supermarkets. It is to their discredit that Sheng Siong, Giant and Shop N Save have not followed suit and will continue to do so.
The reason behind pulling shark fins off the supermarket shelves is in itself interesting, as it is not a direct conservation effort on behalf of either chain. Rather it is a response to consumer pressure. According to the Straits Times:
Following calls for it to stop selling shark's fin products after one of its suppliers, Thern Da Seafood, put up an online post that said 'Screw the divers' in an announcement of a shark's fin product launch at FairPrice outlets.
The Facebook post drew much criticism and went viral on the social networking site and also microblog Twitter. Many who commented called for a boycott of both the supplier and FairPrice.
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| The offensive post from the supplier that drew consumer ire |
I for one have enjoyed many a meal of sharks fin soup in the past put the realisation of how this practice is decimating the world's shark population means that I will happily forgo the pleasure from now on.
With Chinese New Year almost upon us (in a couple of week's time) I was delighted to read that the spirit of giving and caring remains alive and well in Singapore. A Singapore Buddhist Lodge is distributing more than $675,000 in hongbaos to 11,697 needy old folk and the disabled ahead of the Lunar New Year. What a wonderful gesture.
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Saturday, 12 February 2011
Saturday, 5 February 2011
Rabbiting On
I have discovered that there is a Chinese Digital Community which contains historical and contemporary information about New Zealand's Chinese community.
This is an great development when one considers how mono-cultural New Zealand, was even two decades ago. Sure CNY doesn't have the 'punch' of a celebration in Asia but at least we are acknowledging the importance of other cultures in our society.
I feel a little sorry though for my Chinese fish and chip shop owner, Shirley, who has to remain open over the festival. Ever pragmatic, the local Chinese and new immigrants alike have determined to keep their businesses open in the search for profit!
Closing for a week as some coffee shop businesses did in Singapore is not an option, especially in these days of recession where everyone is feeling the pinch. Not everyone is happy with having to work through the holiday though and Chinese staff in the Auckland casino are reportedly very angry about having to do so.
Year of the Rabbit from Frater
There is concern expressed in some quarters about the rise of aged immigrants from mainland China who are coming to New Zealand.
According to the New Zealand Herald "New Zealand is becoming a popular destination for retiring Chinese, with more than 1200 over-50s relocating here in the past year and numbers rising fast".
This trend should come as no surprise, as most are joining their families who had already migrated here and it is the Chinese tradition to look after ageing parents.
The concern is that many of these senior citizens cannot speak English, do not work and could end up straining already stretched social services in this country.
"China accounted for more than one-third of residence approvals in the parent and sibling/adult stream ... up 16 per cent from the previous year."
I would have hoped that NZ immigration would have thought this policy through many years ago when the drive was on (and still is) to attract Chinese immigrants.
In the categories the government had hoped for (wealthy, skilled workers and students) the results have been far from satisfactory.
Two wealthy Chinese have been granted conditional residencies after investing more than $10 million each in "approved investments" and 43 others - more than from any other country - are waiting to be granted approval, or have received approval in principle to transfer more than $1.5 million each according to an earlier article in the Herald.
From my observations since our return from Singapore, it would appear there are more aged British migrating here than Chinese. One would have thought that they would place a similar strain on services?
Friday, 4 February 2011
Sunday, 21 February 2010
Out With The Old
I have a fondness for Asian ceramics, particularly Chinese ceramics. Up until today I had a small collection that I had put together over the past 20 years (see above).
Not all were all 'quality items' in the eyes of a connoisseur but there were some gems, such as the small Ge Ware bowl (#2) and the blue Ming plate (#3).
However as with all collecting there comes a time when one needs to make a decision about retaining or selling. So yesterday I decided to contact Toh Foong Antiques at 5 Temple street from whom I had bought the best pieces all those years ago.
I can still recall old Mr Tan going to the rear of his shop and bringing back a box with the Ming plate inside.
Not all were all 'quality items' in the eyes of a connoisseur but there were some gems, such as the small Ge Ware bowl (#2) and the blue Ming plate (#3).
However as with all collecting there comes a time when one needs to make a decision about retaining or selling. So yesterday I decided to contact Toh Foong Antiques at 5 Temple street from whom I had bought the best pieces all those years ago.
I can still recall old Mr Tan going to the rear of his shop and bringing back a box with the Ming plate inside.
The old man has since retired and it was his two sons who came this morning to assess my modest holdings and make me an offer I could not refuse.
So now the Ikea glass cabinet is looking somewhat bare, but I am pleased with the financial result and comfortable with the idea that some other lucky person will have many years of enjoyment from these antiques.
Such are the joys of the collector.
Sunday, 14 February 2010
Submerged Gambles
One has to feel a bit sorry for the Malaysians.
Last month they discovered to their horror that a couple of their airforce's jet engines had been illegally hocked off to Argentina and this past week comes news of a more recent purchase; a submarine that is unable to submerge.
Not that they are alone in buying dodgy subs from European sources.
A few years ago the Australians purchased some Collins Class submarines. The noise from their operational 'drive shafts' ensured that any enemy would not have to deploy sonar or acoustic monitoring to detect their movement many fathoms distant.
Today is Chinese New Year, our fourth in Singapore since arriving here in 2006. We have a ticket in the $10 million Hong Bao lottery which will be drawn tomorrow, as has the rest of the population. The odds of winning a prize are therefore not great.
With the odds firmly in mind it should also be noted that today signals another milestone in Singapore's gambing history. The first casino at Sentosa opened for business (or 'integrated resort' to mask its real purpose).
Having to front up with $2,000 for an anuual fee to enter it quarantees that we will not be visiting. Compared to Las Vegas where one can enter any number of casinos free and dress down in the process, why would a punter want to pay for the privilege of entering the Singapore version?
If this entry tax was designed to stop the compulsive gamblers amongst the locals and PR's I really cannot see it working. They will simply resort to taking the ferry from Tanah Merah to one of the gambling boats in international waters off Batam (which the 'Aunties' do on a regular basis according to a taxi driver I travelled with recently). The vessel in question is called the Leisure World.
One final comment about Chinese New Year; it is very difficult to find any food places open as most of the hawker stalls are closed.
Even our local Indian stall is closed as the coffee shop proprietor he rents from is Chinese. We had to resort to an Ikea meal of baked chicken after a quarter of hour walk in the mid day heat.
Last month they discovered to their horror that a couple of their airforce's jet engines had been illegally hocked off to Argentina and this past week comes news of a more recent purchase; a submarine that is unable to submerge.
Not that they are alone in buying dodgy subs from European sources.
A few years ago the Australians purchased some Collins Class submarines. The noise from their operational 'drive shafts' ensured that any enemy would not have to deploy sonar or acoustic monitoring to detect their movement many fathoms distant.
Today is Chinese New Year, our fourth in Singapore since arriving here in 2006. We have a ticket in the $10 million Hong Bao lottery which will be drawn tomorrow, as has the rest of the population. The odds of winning a prize are therefore not great.
With the odds firmly in mind it should also be noted that today signals another milestone in Singapore's gambing history. The first casino at Sentosa opened for business (or 'integrated resort' to mask its real purpose).
Having to front up with $2,000 for an anuual fee to enter it quarantees that we will not be visiting. Compared to Las Vegas where one can enter any number of casinos free and dress down in the process, why would a punter want to pay for the privilege of entering the Singapore version?
If this entry tax was designed to stop the compulsive gamblers amongst the locals and PR's I really cannot see it working. They will simply resort to taking the ferry from Tanah Merah to one of the gambling boats in international waters off Batam (which the 'Aunties' do on a regular basis according to a taxi driver I travelled with recently). The vessel in question is called the Leisure World.
One final comment about Chinese New Year; it is very difficult to find any food places open as most of the hawker stalls are closed.
Even our local Indian stall is closed as the coffee shop proprietor he rents from is Chinese. We had to resort to an Ikea meal of baked chicken after a quarter of hour walk in the mid day heat.
Saturday, 6 February 2010
Here's Lukan At You
Boxes of Lukan mandarins from China have appeared in Singapore as the country gets ready for next week's Chinese New Year.
Tuesday, 26 January 2010
Food of the Ancients
Quite by chance I came across a translation of one of the most famous cookbooks of all - Apicius; a collection of Roman cookery recipes, compiled in the late 4th or early 5th century AD.
I doubt if many of the recipes will ever make their way to the Margaret Drive Hawker Centre but one never knows.
The list of culinary delights includes: Grilled Sow's Womb, Roast Loins Made Thus, Milk-fed Snails and not forgetting the various laxative vegetable recipes. The latter no doubt taken after attempting to digest the sow.
Approaching the Chinese New Year the price of local sweet meats has already risen and will continue to do so. Bak Kwa will be at apremium in Singapore.
For the next two weeks though I will be back in the land of my birth, after nearly four years away. The diet of milk products, crusty bread and fresh seasonal vegetables (per chance the odd avocado?) will make a pleasant change.
Thursday, 31 December 2009
Welcoming 2010
Marina Bay Panorama - Roger Smith
This will be my final entry for 2009 and so I wish all readers a very Happy New Year.
One would hope that 2010 will prove to be considerably better than the current one. The litany of misfortune these past twelve months has been a salutory lesson in what can go wrong: a major recession, the H1N1 swine flu and the rapid fall from grace of Tiger Woods to mention but a few!
2010 will be our fourth year in Singapore and I shall be travelling extensively in East Asia as part of my work. Vietnam, Myanmar (Burma) and the Philippines will all be new countries to experience.
This evening we shall watch the fireworks from Marina Bay from the comfort of our condo window in Queenstown - that is, if another condo built this past year does not block our view?
Come February it will also become the Year of the Tiger but more of this in 2010.
Monday, 26 January 2009
Post scipt - New Years's Eve in Chinatown
Icecream seller - ChinatownOn the eve of Chinese New Year we paid a visit to Chinatown to see the pasar malam ( night market) and enjoy the festivities.
The place was packed, shoulder to shoulder and the bargains were few. In fact most of the prices for nuts and sweetmeats were dearer than the same varieties in the local supermarket.
Lots of Taiwanese-style sweets on sale, sacks of pumpkin seeds and stacks of 'cut-price' Chinese New Year goodies. All in all a sweaty feast of red and gold. More photos on this gallery.
The place was packed, shoulder to shoulder and the bargains were few. In fact most of the prices for nuts and sweetmeats were dearer than the same varieties in the local supermarket.
Lots of Taiwanese-style sweets on sale, sacks of pumpkin seeds and stacks of 'cut-price' Chinese New Year goodies. All in all a sweaty feast of red and gold. More photos on this gallery.
Sunday, 25 January 2009
Farewell Rattus Rattus
We are on the cusp of the Year of the Ox and are farewelling a hairy friend who has been the harbinger of bad business tidings in the latter part of the year.
Being New Years Eve, Chinatown in Singapore will be packed with people looking for last minute bargains. The smell of bak kwa (grilled pork meat) will be in the air and the streets should be packed. Accordingly to a colleague of mine, if I am prepared to wait until 1:30 am tomorrow morning as the hawkers are preparing to close down I will get even better deals. I don't think I shall be doing so.
Normally we leave Singapore at this time and go to a country that does not have Chinese New Year as a feature of its calendar year. I hasten to add that we do the same at Christmas time and for similar reasons - the ability to shop, eat and relax away from crowds of festive shoppers.
Like its western Yuletide equivalent, Chinese New Year is all about families - a time for reunions and celebrations. It is the one time of the year when for at least two days all of the Chinese shops and eateries take a well deserved break. Thankfully we do not starve as the Malay and Indian vendors seize the opportunity and do roaring business without the competition of the industrious Chinese.
It is also a time for children to learn about their customs and receive their hong bao (red packets) which contain money. A lot of the local banks and large businesses in Singapore give out packets of the hong bao envelopes emblazoned with the character of the celebratory year.
Another custom is to give out oranges at this time of year as a symbol of good fortune for the year ahead. I received mine at work and naturally was hesitant as to whether to showcase it on my desk until mould morphed it into something unimaginable, or to eat it? I chose the latter and have no doubt devoured my year's worth of luck in the space of a couple of mouthfuls.
Most of the fashion floors of Robinsons department store were a sea of red this past fortnight as this is an auspicious colour to wear for New Year. The same applied to other department stores while the supermarkets have all of the traditional goodies displayed - miniature prawn rolls, pineapple tarts, confectionery carp and the like.
The filling for the prawn rolls is called Hae Bee Hiam, a pungent concoction of dried prawns, shallots and chillies
The Strait Times ran a very good story yesterday about the celebration's cultural & dialect variations and various journalists have been recounting what the celebration means to them.
The government too is getting into the spirit and has spent $1.4 million on River Hong Bao decorations in the Marina Bay area. Seven thousand firecrackers will be let of every night for nine nights to increase the chances of returning prosperity.
This year we are staying put in Singapore as my employment sees me travelling through Asia on a regular basis. As I write, my camera battery is charging and for the first time since we arrived almost three years ago we shall brave the crowds of Chinatown this evening and immerse ourselves in the festivities.
Being New Years Eve, Chinatown in Singapore will be packed with people looking for last minute bargains. The smell of bak kwa (grilled pork meat) will be in the air and the streets should be packed. Accordingly to a colleague of mine, if I am prepared to wait until 1:30 am tomorrow morning as the hawkers are preparing to close down I will get even better deals. I don't think I shall be doing so.
Normally we leave Singapore at this time and go to a country that does not have Chinese New Year as a feature of its calendar year. I hasten to add that we do the same at Christmas time and for similar reasons - the ability to shop, eat and relax away from crowds of festive shoppers.
Like its western Yuletide equivalent, Chinese New Year is all about families - a time for reunions and celebrations. It is the one time of the year when for at least two days all of the Chinese shops and eateries take a well deserved break. Thankfully we do not starve as the Malay and Indian vendors seize the opportunity and do roaring business without the competition of the industrious Chinese.
It is also a time for children to learn about their customs and receive their hong bao (red packets) which contain money. A lot of the local banks and large businesses in Singapore give out packets of the hong bao envelopes emblazoned with the character of the celebratory year.
Another custom is to give out oranges at this time of year as a symbol of good fortune for the year ahead. I received mine at work and naturally was hesitant as to whether to showcase it on my desk until mould morphed it into something unimaginable, or to eat it? I chose the latter and have no doubt devoured my year's worth of luck in the space of a couple of mouthfuls.
Most of the fashion floors of Robinsons department store were a sea of red this past fortnight as this is an auspicious colour to wear for New Year. The same applied to other department stores while the supermarkets have all of the traditional goodies displayed - miniature prawn rolls, pineapple tarts, confectionery carp and the like.
The filling for the prawn rolls is called Hae Bee Hiam, a pungent concoction of dried prawns, shallots and chillies
The Strait Times ran a very good story yesterday about the celebration's cultural & dialect variations and various journalists have been recounting what the celebration means to them.
The government too is getting into the spirit and has spent $1.4 million on River Hong Bao decorations in the Marina Bay area. Seven thousand firecrackers will be let of every night for nine nights to increase the chances of returning prosperity.
This year we are staying put in Singapore as my employment sees me travelling through Asia on a regular basis. As I write, my camera battery is charging and for the first time since we arrived almost three years ago we shall brave the crowds of Chinatown this evening and immerse ourselves in the festivities.
Saturday, 17 January 2009
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