Will you quit smoking when you look at these pictures?
A closer view...
Saturday, February 23, 2008
Monday, February 11, 2008
Some details about Chinese New Year
Chinese New Year celebrations are over and done with, along with our week-long break from school. Classes have resumed. *sigh* It's time to get those brains working hard again... But before I do, let me share some things, though limited, that I learned about Chinese New Year here in Singapore.
1. Since it is a new lunar year, one is expected to wear something new or sport something new. Some go to the extreme of not only wearing new clothes but also new undies, new haircut/hairdo, new shoes, maybe a new car, etc. NEW is IN! I didn't wear anything new though hehehe...
2. To usher in the new year, spring cleaning is a MUST here. It's good to have everything neat and tidy when the new year comes so most people cleaned their houses before new year. I remembered to sweep my room =)
3. Most decorations are of the lucky color red. Black is considered unlucky, so they don't like it when you go to their houses wearing black during this time. According to them, you invite bad luck to the house and its occupants.
1. Since it is a new lunar year, one is expected to wear something new or sport something new. Some go to the extreme of not only wearing new clothes but also new undies, new haircut/hairdo, new shoes, maybe a new car, etc. NEW is IN! I didn't wear anything new though hehehe...
2. To usher in the new year, spring cleaning is a MUST here. It's good to have everything neat and tidy when the new year comes so most people cleaned their houses before new year. I remembered to sweep my room =)
3. Most decorations are of the lucky color red. Black is considered unlucky, so they don't like it when you go to their houses wearing black during this time. According to them, you invite bad luck to the house and its occupants.
4. When visiting houses, you have to give a pair of orange to the family. I hear this is only done in Singapore. I know that Chinese consider round objects as lucky, but giving them in pairs is a new thing for me. But small oranges, the not so good kind, are used for decorations.
5. For the single and unmarried, the married ones are expected to give you 'angpow', money in red envelopes. It's a great time to be single, especially if you are Chinese! I did get a few dollars from the houses we visited =) But I heard from a Chinese friend that you can really get a lot during this time.
6. It's a time of family reunions, and therefore, a time of feasting!
7. In Singapore, they have this appetizer/dish called 'lo hei', consisting of shredded vegetables and fish in some. They pour some peanuty sauce on it and then the whole family or friends that gathered have to mix up all the ingredients (with chopsticks of course!). In the process of pouring the sauce and mixing it all up, each one should be saying blessings for the coming year. (Thanks to my Singaporean friend, Pei, for this info.) I was a little confused when we did this so I wasn't able to utter a coherent word. Well, the Lord knows what blessings I need for the year ahead hehehe...
Gong Xi Fa Chai!
Saturday, February 09, 2008
Tag: Recent Movie I Watched
Manang Lovelyn of A Raconteur's Attempt started a tag on movies. Her family watched Ratatouille together and they thoroughly enjoyed not just the movie but also the experience of watching it as a family. Very touching!
She tagged me and I promised to do it, although I am putting a twist to it because I don't have my own family yet =) To take my mind off my paper due this week (wink, wink; the big P is at work again), I am doing this post which is far more enjoyable.
By the way, I also watched Ratatouille last year with my friends. My Indonesian brother, Andreas, blogged about it here. We also enjoyed it.
These are the rules of the tag according to Manang Lovelyn:
1. Link back the person who tagged you and write what was the movie his/her family enjoyed watching recently.
2. Now your turn to tell about the movie your family had just watched.
3. Tell something about the movie and spoilers are accepted.
4. Lastly, write anything that has something to do with movies: Trivia, your top choice or favorites and why, your family's story about your favorite motion pictures, the first film you watched with your husband, any traditional film the family 's been keeping etc...etc...
5. Copy and paste the rules of this meme on your blog and pass the tag to as many friends, bloggers and movie lovers you want. Don't forget to tell them they're tagged and leave a comment here if you're done with the task.
She tagged me and I promised to do it, although I am putting a twist to it because I don't have my own family yet =) To take my mind off my paper due this week (wink, wink; the big P is at work again), I am doing this post which is far more enjoyable.
By the way, I also watched Ratatouille last year with my friends. My Indonesian brother, Andreas, blogged about it here. We also enjoyed it.
These are the rules of the tag according to Manang Lovelyn:
1. Link back the person who tagged you and write what was the movie his/her family enjoyed watching recently.
2. Now your turn to tell about the movie your family had just watched.
3. Tell something about the movie and spoilers are accepted.
4. Lastly, write anything that has something to do with movies: Trivia, your top choice or favorites and why, your family's story about your favorite motion pictures, the first film you watched with your husband, any traditional film the family 's been keeping etc...etc...
5. Copy and paste the rules of this meme on your blog and pass the tag to as many friends, bloggers and movie lovers you want. Don't forget to tell them they're tagged and leave a comment here if you're done with the task.
[www.international.ucla.edu/cms/images/allin.jpg]
The twist for this tag is that I am going to tell you about something that I watched alone, not with my family. This Chinese New Year Break, we had a week off from classes. A Filipina schoolmate, Manang Gloria, asked me if I wanted to borrow the Korean series that she bought. The Korean series was All in (photo of the two lead stars above). She warned me that I might get addicted to it. Needless to say, her prophecy was accurate. I was glued to my laptop trying to finish off the 24 episodes (eight cds), and for two days, I slept at 5 am, although it took me longer than two days to finish the series. I'm the type of person who likes to know beforehand what happens at the end, so I couldn't help but watch the last cd first after watching only the first two cds, and then I went back and watched the rest. So unlike some people who dislike those who spoil the movie by relating the ending for you, I love them ehehehehe...
The series was about the love story of Kim Inha and Min Su-Yeon, and how they survived in the world of gambling, casinos, mafias and stuff. You can read the synopsis here. Suffice it to say that they end up together, which is what's important =) Interestingly, the story was based on the life of a Korean pro gambler and chess player, Mr. Cha Min-su, who became a millionaire in Las Vegas.
As to family trivia regarding movies: when I was young, my parents would bring my elder brother, my younger brother and me (my sister and my youngest brother were not born yet) to watch movies at the only cinema in Bontoc, located in the Acofo building. I remember us watching Conan, the Barbarian there; I don't know why it stuck in my memory. Nowadays though, my parents like us to eat out as a family rather than watch movies together.
Unfortunately, the only cinema in Bontoc lost its appeal with the arrival of betamax and cable tv so it closed. It was turned into a bar featuring live bands from the outside. If you stroll along Bontoc's plaza or the main street at night before the curfew at 10 pm, it would be impossible for you not to hear their very loud music. According to reports here, the cinema building has become "the center of Bontoc's gambling universe" and also a prostitution den. What a change!
There, that's it! Now, I am tagging my sis Ganda, my Manong Bet-ew, and Andreas, who has yet to do my tags.
Friday, February 01, 2008
Personalized Spam?
I was reading Sir BB's post entitled A Really Bad Spam, and I could not help but think of the letter I got from someone named David E. Schlup. He wrote to me asking if I was from Bontoc and I answered in the affirmative. (He must have read my profile and watched my videos.) I asked him if he was also from Bontoc, and he wrote me a rather interesting long reply. Here's what he said:
He was thorough. He knew that there is a Western Union in Bontoc and also where it is located. He even used someone else's name, possibly an Ifontok. His letter touched me very deeply, so deep that it moved me to write him a short scathing reply. I think it was the nastiest email I ever sent to anyone. *sigh*
No, I'm Not from Bontoc.
I had a friend from Bontoc.
My friend told me how hard things were for the people of Bontoc, where she was from.
I've lost contact with my friend from Bontoc. I care very much for my friend, even
though I don't know where she is living now or how to contact her. I hope she is
OK!
Because I care about my friend, I would like to help improve the lives of the people of Bontoc, but I live in the United States, I need someone like you, who are living in Bontoc to help me help the people of Bontoc.
I need someone like you to help me understand the needs of the people of Bontoc, So I can think about the best way to help the people there.
I sent one woman money, she said she lives in Naic, Cavite, Philippines, she told me that she would buy food with the money and then travel to Bontoc, and give the food away free to the poorest people living in Bontoc.
I think, maybe the woman from Naic, Cavite, keep the money all for herself.
I need some people, who I can trust who live in Bontoc or live near Bontoc.
Can I trust you to help me?
You would be my Angel there to the Bontoc People, helping them for me.
You would be my eyes and ears, hands and feet in Bontoc, telling me about their needs, and then handing out free food and money for me as I asked you to.
I would want and allow you for your time helping me to keep so much money
for yourself and your family.
What I would want in exchange from you, would be for you to take pictures of the people receiving the food or money, and e-mail me back the pictures.
I found out from Western Union, that they have a location at Lamay MiniMart in Bontoc Public Market Building.
Any Money I sent you to give away free or buy food for the poor, you could pick up at Lamay MiniMart.
If God leads me to believe that I can trust you, and if God provides me the extra money to send you, then I would be trying to help the people of Bontoc, with your help at least once every month, then in the future, if it be God's will, then I would be sending money more often.
I hope you will be able to and want to help me help the people of Bontoc, and I hope I'll be able to completely trust you.
My friend's name, who was from Bontoc is Angie Q. Laca, you might know her family living there in Bontoc.
My Name is David E. Schlup
My e-mail address which is the best way to stay in contact with me is davideschlup@yahoo.com
He was thorough. He knew that there is a Western Union in Bontoc and also where it is located. He even used someone else's name, possibly an Ifontok. His letter touched me very deeply, so deep that it moved me to write him a short scathing reply. I think it was the nastiest email I ever sent to anyone. *sigh*
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