CNY Preparations

Chinese New Year preparations have been crazy in the house!!! Mum kept cooking and cooking and cooking. And after that, we kept eating and eating and eating. The result--ack--a very fat me again!

Good thing my sister is great in the kitchen, so she helped around--cooking, slicing, checking if the salad is perfect, etc. I've been no help at all! Well, I just drove Mum around for her errands--buying this and that for CNY. After that, I secluded back to my room rushing a deadline for an article.

I've been emailing with a friend from China. Let me share excerpts of his stories:

The Spring Festival, also known as the Lunar New Year, is the most important national festival in China. Preparations for the New Year Festival start during the last few days of the old lunar year.

Some traditional families make Laba porridge, a porridge made of glutinous rice, millet, berries, lotus seeds, beans, and gingko. We also offer sacrifices to the Kitchen god.

Most families will also purchase necessities. Our shopping items include not only oil, rice flour, chicken, duck, fish and meat, but also fruit, candies, and nuts. In addition, new clothes and shoes for the children, gifts for the elderly, friends and relatives are also on our purchasing list.

So I am going to spend a lot of money.

The last sentence is definitely an understatement!

Because I've been busy doing assignments, I haven't checked my Google Reader in a while. Imagine my surprise when I opened it today--200++ UNREAD ENTRIES!!! Gack! In just one week! People sure blog a lot without me knowing it!

So when I got to one of my blog feeds, CNReviews.com, I saw this really informative slide--

Chinese New Year Food Map

View more presentations or upload your own. (tags: year new)

I'm going to copy a bit from elliotng:

In case you can’t see the Slideshare, this list shows the different foods eaten across different provinces:

1. Urumqi - Xinjiang

• Roast Lamb
• Chinese Alcohol
• Jiaozi

2. Harbin - Heilongjiang

• Chicken Stew Mushroom
• Pork Stew Green Bean Noodle
• Friend Pork with Sweet & Sour Sauce

3. Xinxiang - Henan

• Sausage
• Soup with Chicken & Corn
• Bun with Red Bean Paste

4. Yichang - Hubei

• Sausage
• Fish
• Rice Cake

5. Nanchang - Jiangxi

• Red Carp
• Homemade Rice Wine
• Sticky Rice

6. Guangzhou - Guangdong

• Boiled Chicken
• Soup
• Sweet Dumpling

And he poses this question--

If you are Chinese, please help us complete the survey! What city and province are you from? What did you eat for your Chinese New Year eve dinner this year?

Well, for CNY, our family eats misua teng and lumpia. But I am not from China.

My mum cooks the best misua teng and lumpia. So that's why I've grown very, very fat already. Haha. [Note to self: treadmill tomorrow morning!!!]

After dinner, my family hopped over to my grandparents' place in Binondo (hoping for some ang pao's, haha).

It was rather quiet there, considering it was Chinese New Year's Eve. But the real action was in Ongpin!

Lots of people in red! The lucky charm stores sprawling with fortune-seekers! While in the car, I was brave enough to stick out our camera to capture a few shots. But my sister told me to immediately close the windows. Someone might snatch it (Yikes! On CNY's eve even!).

I'll post the pictures here later.

Happy Chinese New Year!

A Different Chinese By CQ

It will be CNY next Monday! So I guess it's quite appropriate that I do a review on a book I read SO LONG TIME AGO already. It's about time!

This is actually light reading. Chinese people are so scattered all over the world now. But the region where most immigrant Chinese live is in Southeast Asia. This includes Singapore, Malaysia, PHILIPPINES, Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam, etc.

CQ is a Malaysian businessman; and from his travels abroad, he has learned how to compare and contrast the different Chinese lifestyle and character for those living outside China.

"A Different Chinese" is a bit biased. It is after all a subjective, personal reflection, informal study made by CQ. He hasn't completely tackled the cultural aspect per country and tends to conclude immediately after his quick interactions.

Still, the book's a fun read. If you're into China and the Chinese culture (like I am), this is a nice piece of literature.

There's food, history, politics, and gossipy entries; so I'm sure you won't fall asleep reading "A Different Chinese."

Current Vol.4 No.4

I got this from my mail today.


And at page 14--

I wrote a feature on The Strip and couple of travel blurbs for Current magazine.


















And here it is!

Ano

I have always been curious about this word.

Ano

"Ano" is a Filipino term which for me sounds just like a spacer only--you know, a word that is placed there just because there is no other word that can be better used.

Theoretically, "ano" means "what." Like, "Ano yan?" "What is that?"
Or "Ano ito?" "What is this?"
Another "Ano ka ba?" "What are you?"

But language always evolves. And "ano" has become a slang sort of.

"Pumunta sya sa ano."
"He went to (what)."

"Yung ano, yung ano... Ano ba yun..."
"That one...that one...what is that..."

If you've been to the Philippines long enough, you might have noticed that "ano" is used so much in our sentences.

"Sabi ni ano. Gagagawing ano yun."
"'Ano' said. They'll make it (what)."

Really, the usage of "ano" is very weird. But we Filipinos understand each other anyway.

Which leads me to the term "umano." I couldn't find the proper English translation. But I think the closest is "alleged."

An example, from one of the most heated local news--

Close-door hearing hiniling sa umano'y suhulan sa 'Alabang boys' drug case.
Close-door hearing requested in the alleged bribery in the 'Alabang boys' drug case.

But I can't seem to connect the relationship between "ano" and "umano." Just that both of them have vague meanings.

In this context, "ano" fits perfectly it's English meaning--what, WHAT??!!

I wonder if the linguists of old thought of this before.

Caregiver (Sharon Cuneta)

The Brother-Sisters Inc. are on Pinoy movie craze once again, and our victim this time was "Caregiver" directed by Chito Rono and starring none other than our Megastar Ms. Sharon Cuneta. (I sound like those over-the-top voice overs, I know.)

The Metro Manila Film Festival 2008 is just about over, and we really should get into the spirit of watching OPM (original Pinoy movies).

I actually liked the film! This is extremely good quality film with great acting at par.

John Estrada can act! And no offense intended really. I never realized that this real-life playboy can work it out so well. Seriously, good job!

John Estrada plays Teddy, the high-aspiring but immediate quitter husband of Sharon Cuneta. He was the one who convinced Sarah (Sharon) to join him in London to work as OFW's or overseas Filipino workers.

According to Teddy, their life in the Philippines has come to nothing (the family business has failed, they sold their house, no savings in the bank, etc.) and better lives (and pounds) await them in the rainy lands of the King and Queen.

But Sarah is forced to leave behind their son Paulo but lefts him with the promise of petitioning for him afterwards once they earn enough "show money."

Sarah works as a caregiver in UK, caring for the (filthy) rich elderly. But the grandpops and grandmums aren't bad, and Sarah has really connected with them emotionally. In the end, one of her wards (Mr. Morgan) showed her what she can do to herself and besides working like a horse for her family, she should be happy also.

The movie can be somewhat a poster storyline for women empowerment. But really it's about going what you want and knowing where your principles stand.

It's definitely a fanstastic movie, and I'm not being sarcastic. And John Estrada can act. This is something to look out for.

Dreaming And Writing

Happy 2009!

Every New Year, resolutions always come up. Actually, I've stopped listing down my New Year's Resolutions. I've accepted the fact that losing 10 lbs would not happen. (Dang, I'm so pessimistic.)

But I'd really like to make my 2009 different. As in really different. I want to start it right. (And this isn't a New Year's resolution coming.)

Ever since I was a kid, writing has always been a passion. Up until now, actually. And I've been doing a lot of thinking this last month.

Something has finally urged me to get going with what I really wanted to do. Ok, I'm announcing it to the world!

I want to write a novel.

There, I've said it. They say if you want to do something, you have to make it solid--like not just a dream. A dream--so ironic.

I'm being incoherent right now, I know.

Let me start again. I've always wanted to be a writer. And I guess I'm fulfilling this part of the dream by freelancing to a few magazine publications.

But I want to take this dream further.

After finishing the Twilight series by Stephenie Meyer, I just felt so inspired. Especially after she mentioned that Twilight came to her in a dream. And considering that was her first publication.

Have you ever had that dream so vivid you wished you could just write it down? Believe me, I'm Dream Girl, and I've lots of them. (We're now talking about dreams when you sleep.)

And I think I have the perfect story. One day, I just woke up; and I think I felt what Stephenie felt after dreaming of Edward and Bella.

Anyway, things are rather hazy now. But I just want to get this down so that I don't back out and go chicken (like I always do).

Seriously, the Cullens left me red-eyed. I haven't slept a wink because of my impatience in wanting to know what happened in the end.

I even dreamt about Edward. And he does smell good.

See, my five senses all work even when I'm sleeping.

Back to what I was saying earlier, I'm keeping my fingers crossed...and my hands busy.

Wish me luck!

PS. Loads of encouragement would always help.