Showing posts with label New Year. Show all posts
Showing posts with label New Year. Show all posts
Wednesday, 1 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.
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?
Tuesday, 25 January 2011
CNY Goodies and the Results
While all New Year goodies taste delicious one should remember that there is a 'cost' to everything!
Seeing it is the year of the Rabbit it might be advisable to do what the 'lapin' do and just eat carrots.
- 1 whole mandarin orange (60g) 28 calories
- 2 pieces of kueh bangkit (10g) 38 calories
- 1 piece of nian gao (20g) 46 calories
- 2 pieces of love letters (26g) 112 calories
- 1 handful of peanuts (20g) 113 calories
- 1 handful of cashew nuts (20g) 116 calories
- 2 pieces of cashew nut cookies (24g) 124 calories
- 2 pieces of pineapple tarts (50g) 164 calories
- I handful of prawn rolls (45g) 228 calories
- 1 slice of pork bak kwa (57g) 229 calories
- 1 handful of melon seeds (45g) 251 calories
source: Today Online
Seeing it is the year of the Rabbit it might be advisable to do what the 'lapin' do and just eat carrots.
- 1 whole mandarin orange (60g) 28 calories
- 2 pieces of kueh bangkit (10g) 38 calories
- 1 piece of nian gao (20g) 46 calories
- 2 pieces of love letters (26g) 112 calories
- 1 handful of peanuts (20g) 113 calories
- 1 handful of cashew nuts (20g) 116 calories- 2 pieces of cashew nut cookies (24g) 124 calories
- 2 pieces of pineapple tarts (50g) 164 calories
- I handful of prawn rolls (45g) 228 calories
- 1 slice of pork bak kwa (57g) 229 calories
- 1 handful of melon seeds (45g) 251 calories
source: Today Online
Sunday, 2 January 2011
Boom Boom
Yesterday was a momentous day not the least that is was another New Years Day. It also happened to be the start of a new decade; a fact that was lost on most people preoccupied with post-Xmas sales.It was momentous for a third reason.
January 1st, 2011 heralded the start of retirement for the Baby Boomer generation. This is the year that the first of the Baby Boomers start collecting the pension if they are lucky enough to live in a country that provides one.
It is confession time - I am one of this demographic. We are apparently one of the most wealthy segments of society, although this remains somewhat debatable.
According to Wikipedia, in 2004, the UK baby boomers held 80% of the UK's wealth. There are however many pensioners who struggle to repay their debts once they get into retirement.
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| The Baby Boom - 1946-1965 |
According to the same source, our characteristics are: experimental, individualism, free spirited, social cause oriented.
Having survived the "Purple Haze" of the Sixties I can but concur that the youth culture permeated all aspects of life, from the music of Merseyside, footsteps on the moon, Hippiedom, psychedelic art, to protesting against the Vietnam War.
Most of us try to forget the disco era with its gold medallions, platform shoes, curly locks and open chested shirts - it was but a passing aberration as we moved on to a much more refined and gentile existence!
But there is one side of being a baby boomer that grates and that is being portrayed in contemporary media as an potential burden on society.
I am not one of those who qualify for the pension, even though I have chosen to semi-retire earlier than most of my contemporaries. Like them I have worked for more than forty years and paid up to a third of my salary in taxes.
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| Basil Brush |
At least working in Singapore meant that the taxes were lower and you looked after yourself. If you chose not to work then you understood personal consequences of your actions, and that is the way it should be.
So I shall feel not the slightest burden on society when my time for a pension arrives. Nor shall I heed the none too subtle 'encouragement' from various quarters to work beyond 65. It will be my choice should I choose to do so and nobody else's.
To quote Basil Brush who first appeared on our tv screens in the '60's, ""Ha Ha Ha, Boom! Boom!"
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