How often do we celebrate two special occasions or holidays on the same date? This year February 14 marks the start of the year of the Tiger. As we all know, Valentine’s Day always falls on the 14th. So it’s now making a huge dilemma for people, especially couples, who have a family commitment to be present for the Chinese New Year traditional dinner but have a date with their special someone. Most couples who are tying the knot on Valentine’s Day also add to hustle and bustle of this double event.
Archive for the ‘Events’ Category
Chinese New Year on Valentine’s Day
Tuesday, February 9th, 2010 by Lena
Chinese New Year Traditions
Tuesday, February 9th, 2010 by Lena
The Chinese New Year dates back to 2600 B.C., when the cycle of the zodiac was introduced by Emperor Huang Ti, centuries before our calendar was even in consideration. Similar to the western calendar, it is based on the cycles of the moon. Because of this, the beginning of the year can fall any time between the months of January and February, either late January or middle of February. The exact date of the Chinese New Year that it falls on is calculated by the date of the second new moon after the winter solstice.
The Chinese New Year rotates around a twelve-year cycle, each year represented by a different animal. (more…)
Spring Cleaning for the New Year
Monday, February 8th, 2010 by LenaSpring cleaning is usually done after winter when the temperature is right for hard work, and it’s more efficient to remove dirt and air out the house after it has been closed all winter. This is also the best time to update your room interior to match the color and atmosphere of spring.
Choosing and Using Equipment
There’s no need to return to the cleaning closet every time you need something if you have a cleaning basket or cart that carries all your supplies such as dust pan, broom, small vacuum, and 3M Scotch Brite Anti-Bacterial Multi-purpose cloth and heavy-duty sponges and scrubs for dusting and scrubbing the floors.
Choosing Cleaning Products
Resist the temptation of buying more cleaning products than what you actually need. The more products you accumulate at home, the greater the chance they would be misused by children and even your pets at home.
Carefully read all the products’ instruction labels before use. As a general rule, do not mix different types of products unless it says so on the label. Keep all cleaning products in the original containers they came in. Never transfer products to containers you normally use for food and other edibles. Don’t place them within child’s reach.
Where to start
Start with the areas that tend to get cleaned faster and easier. The living and dining rooms and the halls are less cluttered and less dirty compared to the bedrooms so it’s best to begin cleaning these areas. To make sure you don’t miss anything when dusting and mopping a room, start at the door and work around in one direction. Eliminate clutter by putting away things you don’t use very often. You can get plastic containers to keep the things so they are organized neater. Consider giving away clothes, furniture or things that are still usable but no longer needed. This cuts down the need to clean when you have fewer things out in the open. An uncluttered home is better looking, though not ultimately spotless, than one which is dust free but has a lot of odds and ends. Carry a plastic trash bag to catch the contents of ash trays and waste baskets.
The proper order of cleaning household items should be ceiling, (more…)
Traditional Chinese New Year Food Part 1
Friday, February 5th, 2010 by LenaThe traditional Chinese New Year is also called the Spring Festival. This festivity may well be the most important holiday in the Chinese calendar. The celebration’s origin is Chinese but today, the festivity is acknowledged if not totally celebrated by the rest of the world.
Nian Gao
For most Asians, the Chinese included, celebrating an occasion is all about food. New Year dinners are elaborate and it is marked as a reunion of some sort. At exactly before midnight at the threshold of the old and new year, a delicacy called nian gao (sticky rice) and jiao zi (a dumpling) are eaten by the family members to ensure financial gain in the New Year. These foods are eaten primarily because their Chinese names sound like “money”.
Food served during the Chinese New Year are, more often than not, are chosen not specifically because of their gastronomic qualities but also because their Chinese names are phonetically encouraging. Take the dish Hoe see fat choy – which when translated to English is hair seaweed with dried oyster. Pretty uninteresting isn’t it. However in the Chinese vernacular hoe see fat choy sounds like “wealth and good business”. The lotus roots are also served as its Chinese name lin ngau sounds like “abundance year after year”. Lettuce is also a staple during the festivities as its Chinese name sounds like “growing wealth” and a pig’s tongue is “profit”.
Fish (yu) is served during the Chinese New Year dinner as it means “having enough to spare”. The fish should be preferably carp as it symbolizes a very prosperous year ahead. The fish should be served whole and uncut from head to tail. The superstitions adhered to this is that if you cut the fish, your good fortune will likewise be cut. It is customary not to eat all the fish to ensure that the family will enjoy an excess of good will and fortune.
Noodles are served too during the Chinese New Year. The noodles are never cut to ensure longevity for those who are eating the food. Any vegetable dish will do as all green vegetables are the essence of stored wealth at the roots.
A platter with five dishes is seen on most homes as the five dishes of either all meat or all vegetables epitomizes the five blessings of the new year namely: riches, wisdom, longevity, peace and virtue. Fish balls (yu-wan) and meat balls (jou-wan) are symbols of togetherness. The dishes serves should be even in numbers to ensure “double happiness” to the family.
A chicken or duck dish is also a common dish at this time. Like the fish, fowls are served with uncut feet and head (web and beak included). It is an omen for the Chinese not to use any knife or cleaver when preparing for dishes during the Chinese New Year. This holds true for any ingredients that are to be used for the meal. If there are cuttings and slicing to be made, one can do so before the festivity.
Today in history: Sir Isaac Newton
Monday, January 4th, 2010 by Chav
Today in 1643, Sir Isaac Newton was born (1643-1927). Newton was a mathematician and physicist, he was most famous for his ‘discovery of gravity’ when an apple fell on his head when he was sitting under an apple tree.
Happy Birthday Newton.
New Year 2010 is Just around the Corner
Wednesday, December 23rd, 2009 by LenaThe end is near! I mean the old year 2009 is about to end. Ten more days to go then we can bid goodbye to the old year and say hello to the New Year. What will the New Year bring? Will the world enjoy economic recovery? Will the price of crude oil stabilize? Why are there predictions that the world will end come 2010? For the rest of the world, the new year is a sign of new hope and aspirations. It is the signal for a fresh start in whatever way that you want to apply it.
2010!
People the world over are beside themselves thinking of ways of celebrating the new year. There are many ways on how to greet the new year. If you want to celebrate the new year with a “bang”, you and your friends can light up fireworks and other pyrotechnics that could “wow” everyone watching the display. You can choose to have a quiet dinner with loved ones and celebrate the occasion without much fanfare. You can choose to join the happy crowd at the park dancing and singing their way out of the old year and into the new year. The New Year is “out” with the old and “in” with the new. The New Year is the time to wipe the slates clean!
How about a gift for a kitchen lover?
Monday, December 21st, 2009 by Lena
An oven that allows you to watch videos when waiting?
When it comes to giving away electronics for Christmas, the first things you may think of are mobile phones, television sets, DVD players or gaming consoles. We often do not realize that the kitchen appliance section is rife with lots of clever and affordable gadgets that would really please those who like to cook and entertain guests. Let this guide help know about the coolest kitchen gadgets that will surely make any cook’s Christmas.
Gift for a gadget geek?
Monday, December 21st, 2009 by Lena
Christmas is just around the corner. The malls are getting overcrowded with shoppers, there are Christmas parties left and right, the holiday wishes cards start trickling in and the traffic has gotten horrendous. If you have not done any of your gifts shopping yet, then you must be stressing out or worrying about it. Unless you have consciously done your shopping early and if you are fortunate enough to have the budget, gifts shopping should be done way before the first day of December.
Of course, most of us cannot afford to do that. So when December comes, we wrack our brains thinking about which gifts to give whoever. If you are dead set on giving somebody you know some kind of gadget for Christmas, then let this guide help you choose which ones would be the best choices.
Can’t decide on what to get Him this Christmas?
Monday, December 21st, 2009 by Lena
Christmas is the season we all go out of the way for each other, sometimes literally. We weave in and out of the heavy traffic on the roads and the malls just to find the perfect gifts to give our friends and relatives. Funny thing is, everyone else thinks the same thing and we all crowd the same places to buy the same things for different people. If only you can hole up in a cave somewhere and hide until the New Year, but you cannot. That is because this is one of those special occasions to show the people you know that you appreciate them.
Buying gifts can be a daunting task, especially if you are buying gifts for the opposite sex. If you are a woman intending to buy a gift for a man, more often than not, you do not know what you are doing half of the time. Let this guide help you when it comes to buying the men in your lives some gifts for Christmas.
Don’t know what to get Her for Christmas this year?
Monday, December 21st, 2009 by Lena
Once the twinkly lights appear, the decorated trees pop up everywhere and carols start playing in the malls, then you know it is time to do your Christmas shopping. Gift shopping during Christmas can become quite horrendous and many people get caught up in the rush to buy gifts for everyone they know, as long as they can afford them. Christmas is one of the rare times in the year when people feel selfless and would like to show everyone they know that they are appreciated and loved.
