Something
is around the corner...its bright, colorful and has got two horns and
four legs. It’s a Goat!
Bet
you weren’t expecting that…
Well,
the 8th
sign of the Chinese Zodiac is here with the Lunar New Year.
The
horse of last year goes back in the stable as the Goat comes bounding
out, running wild on the green, cocking its head on one side, its
seems to say “Boy, its about time”!
It's
Chinese New year or Lunar New year time, again. It kicks off on
Thursday 19th
Feb 2015 but the celebrations go on until end of the month… until
the last Yee sang is spilled over, every bit of the last cookie eaten
and certainly not until you have greeted everyone with a loud
resounding GONG XI FA CAI, simply meaning Happy New Year.
I
for one love CNY. (Short form lah)…
I
find there is something so quaint and endearing about a year, which
takes the shape of an animal. Being
an animal lover (not the creepy crawlies, badly behaved monkeys and
other host of small things and bats)… more of the cuddly, sweetie
types. But, I do love the fact that our attributes can be likened to
the animal of the year in which one is born. In
fact, each animal has its own element (Fire/Wood/Earth/Water/Metal)
and comes with its share of lucky things. You need to check that your
animal is friends with the goat. Mine is friends alright, not
childhood sweethearts but friends for sure.
Another
fabulous thing about CNY is the Yee sang. Only prevalent in these
parts, the dish is made up of raw veggies, sesame, peanuts and some
delish raw fish.
It’s
usually served in a large platter to be shared with friends and
family. After pouring the plum sauce and generous amount of honey,
topped with fish, each person uses long chopsticks and tosses the mix
high up. And, as it goes higher, you ask for good luck, prosperity, good
fortune and if it spills over its even better…
It’s
a must if you haven’t tried it… I wait for an entire year just
for this dish. Promise me you will try it today. Promise now !!!
However
the thing I love the most is the gorgeous Cheongsam (a Chinese
dress), intricate and pretty, one needs to be sort of fit to get into
the lovely slim waisted silk dresses seen at all malls… And ahem. I
did manage to get one after all…yes I did!!! A funny story really.
Felt
slightly sheepish, which is probably a good thing considering it’s
the year of the sheep (hahhaah. Get it, sheepish, year of the
sheep..eer, why is no one laughing???)
Okay,
so it’s the slightly larger variety but the point is I have
one…don’t be shy about it, approach the stalls with great
resolve; don’t be alarmed by the slim figure-hugging mannequins.
So,
with great confidence I picked up what seemed a modest size and asked
the shopkeeper if she had any other colours.
Without
blinking, she replied “This size no good for you, I have a very
large size at back”. I mumbled something about buying it really for
my grandaunt but no one heard it.
Well
anyhoo, big size it was and when I finally tried it on, it was loose
(defy by half a cm at least). And so out I went and loudly
I said, “This is good, slightly loose but I think I like comfort” (see…quite clever don’t you think?)
And
then she looked back and said even more loudly “no loose, big size
fit very nicely”… And just like that, the sullen face broke into
a warm smile with an approving look in her eye. “You look very
nice” she added.
And
there I was ready to give a smart reply and suddenly I melted. All I
could murmur was “Thanks, I never had one before, it’s so nice
and elegant and thanks so much for helping me”.
I
realized later, she had moved on to another customer. My little
speech was unheard… futile yet felt immensely satisfying.
It
felt like I was now part of the celebrations and even as I left the
store, I couldn’t help smile at all and one…
Moral
of the story: There are sizes available for all so don’t wait to
lose those pounds, get your cheongsam now, LOL… and do what I do…
Coz
this Lunar New year am gonna deck up in a bright Cheongsam, meet all
my friends, have a Yee sang with my family, hand out a few red lucky
money envelopes to kids I see, eat loads of cookies, buy a pet goat
(okay, don’t do that one). Decorate the house with lucky charms and
hope and pray that the Goat indeed proves to be lucky, happy and
healthy all the way through…
So
go out there and do all the things and celebrate and integrate and
enjoy this wonderful time, no matter if you get a few things wrong,
it’s the spirit of things…. After all, Goat to Celebrate in
style.
Gong Xi Fa CAI !!!