宝珍

"Shall we get this black forest cake then?"

"Wait, how about this one?"

"Wahahaha! Bright pink heart-shaped cake!"

"Let's do it!"

"Hahaha! I know just the name to put on the cake"

"Could you write 宝珍, 生日快乐 (Bao Zhen, happy birthday) on the cake please?"

"How about 宝珍, 我爱你 (Bao Zhen, I love you)?"

"Wah! Too much lar!"

And that's how we ended up with the bright pink heart-shaped cake for the birthday girl boy - 宝珍, 宝金, Polly, (or if you are really boring) Paul.

Da cake, can you feel the love?

23 years young and looking pretty, the age indicated by the candles might be misleading...

宝珍 has lots of friends

Probably because of the sweet sounding name...

Happy belated birthday 宝珍 Paul!

(Photos are courtesy of Paul)

CNY 2008

Last day of Chinese New Year, fifteen days went by just like that.

After all these years away, am surprised to find that there is actually not much difference between the way I celebrated Chinese New Year overseas and here back home.

A reunion dinner, a visit to the in-laws, then it's back to the normal working life, with the occasional gathering of friends. That's it.

The two public holidays in Malaysia are nice, in UK everyone works as normal. The reunion dinner with family was a nice change, in UK we did it with friends. Festival music, festival biscuits and cakes, fireworks, lion dance, et cetera added to the new year mood, these were not common in Nottingham while I was there.

Gave out ang pow in Chinese New Year for the very first time, that's memorable.

None of my friends or colleagues visited me during Chinese New Year though.

Me sad.

A Touch of Blue

EDIT:

I have removed this "heavy" entry since I want to keep this blog casual.

Those who care had seen it or know where to look anyway.

Businessmen-Con-You-Day

Tomorrow is Valentine's Day, may Cupid be with those seeking love and may all pure and beautiful romances be fruitful.

On the other hand, those committing immoral affairs, adulteries, looking for one-night-stand can go rot in hell.

I don't celebrate Valentine's Day. Don't get me wrong, I have nothing against Valentine's Day, I do however have major beef with those damnable businessmen who capitalised on a day dedicated to love and romance.

Trust me, there is no shortage of roses, chocolates or food in fancy restaurants. There will be an influx in demand but I assure you there is no shortage in the supply.

Go back to the same florist, candy shop or fancy restaurant the very next day, the exact same stuff you paid an arm and a leg on Valentine's Day will be readily available on a much reduced price, in fact, it may have dropped back to the normal price.

Magic.

I refuse to be a senseless consumer acting like heedless sheep going straight into the slaughterhouse. The more senseless consumers there are, the bigger the businessmen will build their slaughterhouses.

I cannot change the flock of white sheeps but I hope in being the black sheep going the other direction, I might perhaps cause some of them to think about it. At the very least, I am happy with the thought that there is at least one sheep that's not going to be butchered.

So I don't celebrate Valentine's Day on principle, and I am glad I have a partner that shares the same principle. We celebrate our love any day of the year, just not on Valentine's Day.

Actually, we just don't celebrate in a way that will feed the greedy businessmen, basically no purchase of stuff with inflated price. So roses, candies, and eating out in fancy restaurant are done whenever we feel like it, like on the anniversary of our first date, wedding anniversary, birthdays, and any other impromptu day when we want to express our love in a materialistic way.

Just not on Valentine's Day.

Feel free to join the black sheep! =)

******

Honeybee and SmallFlyPig, I love you! Come back to Penang already...

Time out

To those who are wondering why I didn't turn up to work today, thanks for the thought and I am fine.

Just an impromptu desire to take the day off and chill out. Been feeling weary these few days and a breather will do me good.

Well, I hope so anyway.

Random Thoughts

A not so nutty and a tad mushy entry posted on Sharing Corner.

Probably more suitable there since I want to maintain a silly atmosphere here, heh.

Well, head over there already! Just click the link above, you know you want to!

Okay you probably don't want to, but go read anyway. =P

Feel free to leave your comments here. (Who am I kidding?)

Gong Xi Gong Xi

Happy Chinese New Year!


新年快乐，万事如意！

In the last ten years, I "celebrated" Chinese New Year overseas with friends, just a meal together really. Chinese New Year had always clashed with spring exam in my undergraduate years, not nice.

Finally able to celebrate with family after all these years. Helped to put up the red cloth and some simple decoration earlier after the reunion dinner.

Not much, but something.

Have pretty much forgotten what we do during Chinese New Year, I just want to rest as much as I can really.

Anyway, here's wishing all of you a wonderful rat year!