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Almost 收爐！
Friday, 9 February 2024 15:27收爐！ Or, in less than an hour. It has been unimaginably busy busy busy busy.
Being the fully prepared in advance person that I am, I had already prepared all the required "red envelopes" (Hongbao/Lai See) for the Boss around 2 weeks ago. Very very ad-hoc-ly, he asked to prepare another 300 envelopes. I'm like... can't you say that last week? I need to hunt for small notes, and then I have to hunt for the envelopes, and so near the actual holidays I did have some trouble, but I persevered. Ah. And packing 300 envelopes took me a record time of 2 hours. (I originally asked a colleague to do it but he was all prissy and said "I have to assign a staff for that and we need time to do that!) Hah! Okay! Keep your staff.
Sai Lup has been feeling neglected, or it has been unbearably cold these 2 days that I'm putting him up in bed. How cozy!
In Chinese Zodiac Years, I'm Dog, and this year for the year of the Dragon, it's not quite good for Dogs. I always say, I'm not really that superstitious, I choose the convenient things to believe in, and they say, just go to this temple and burn some offerings to a particular god to "help" you through the year. So I did.
It was an interesting process. I gave them my name and my year of birth. Then they said, but if you're this year then you are a Boar, not Dog. And I looked at them, "Believe me, I am Dog" (because I was born before the "Lichun", the day that the actual new zodiac starts). After they sorted that out, they gave me a pack of papers, incense, and candles. And then I had to buy another stack of papers.
Some guy helped me pray (so I had to give him a Lai See for his help) and the told me to light the incense and candles and place them in a particular way. Then he took the statue out, put the stack of papers I got, and placed the statue back. Apparently, the higher you stack the statue up, the happier it will be. Then he gave me back the first pack of papers and told me to go further in the temple, where an old lady was burning stuff. So I passed her my papers and she burnt them. Since she helped me burn papers, I also gave her a Lai See. Then before I left, I asked if there's anything I need to do, they said no, but I can put an offering in the box and they'll light some aroma oil for me. So I did that too and heard the pray to the god chanting my name and stuff. Overall an interesting experience.
If there are any "convenient" or "easygoing" "superstitioners" out there, let me know your year, I'll check the list which states what animal amulet you should carry. For example, for me, Dogs, I should carry a horse or a tiger. Anything, a small charm, key chain, bracelet, will do. I ordered an anklet from Taobao but it missed the holiday delivery deadline so I'll only get it next week.
Starbucks has such a cute tea strainer! But I need no tea strainer, don't buy! [I did not buy, yet.]
Frankie this morning, pulled me out to downtown. Tried to get him to take a photo but "The Ground Is Wet, I'm not sitting down" was his response to me today.
Very nifty snack packaging. These are just... prawn sticks (about the size of a French fry, I suppose). But they packed it in such a way it's like those Chinese talisman papers.
New (sticker) nails that's very Chinese-y, I'm ready for Chinese New Year!
The Boss, as usual, had me send hampers out to many of his business associates. Not many returned a gift, but this one, this Orchid, was particularly popular with the colleagues. They said even the flowers from our paid-service flower supplier doesn't look this nice.
Being the fully prepared in advance person that I am, I had already prepared all the required "red envelopes" (Hongbao/Lai See) for the Boss around 2 weeks ago. Very very ad-hoc-ly, he asked to prepare another 300 envelopes. I'm like... can't you say that last week? I need to hunt for small notes, and then I have to hunt for the envelopes, and so near the actual holidays I did have some trouble, but I persevered. Ah. And packing 300 envelopes took me a record time of 2 hours. (I originally asked a colleague to do it but he was all prissy and said "I have to assign a staff for that and we need time to do that!) Hah! Okay! Keep your staff.
Sai Lup has been feeling neglected, or it has been unbearably cold these 2 days that I'm putting him up in bed. How cozy!
In Chinese Zodiac Years, I'm Dog, and this year for the year of the Dragon, it's not quite good for Dogs. I always say, I'm not really that superstitious, I choose the convenient things to believe in, and they say, just go to this temple and burn some offerings to a particular god to "help" you through the year. So I did.
It was an interesting process. I gave them my name and my year of birth. Then they said, but if you're this year then you are a Boar, not Dog. And I looked at them, "Believe me, I am Dog" (because I was born before the "Lichun", the day that the actual new zodiac starts). After they sorted that out, they gave me a pack of papers, incense, and candles. And then I had to buy another stack of papers.
Some guy helped me pray (so I had to give him a Lai See for his help) and the told me to light the incense and candles and place them in a particular way. Then he took the statue out, put the stack of papers I got, and placed the statue back. Apparently, the higher you stack the statue up, the happier it will be. Then he gave me back the first pack of papers and told me to go further in the temple, where an old lady was burning stuff. So I passed her my papers and she burnt them. Since she helped me burn papers, I also gave her a Lai See. Then before I left, I asked if there's anything I need to do, they said no, but I can put an offering in the box and they'll light some aroma oil for me. So I did that too and heard the pray to the god chanting my name and stuff. Overall an interesting experience.
If there are any "convenient" or "easygoing" "superstitioners" out there, let me know your year, I'll check the list which states what animal amulet you should carry. For example, for me, Dogs, I should carry a horse or a tiger. Anything, a small charm, key chain, bracelet, will do. I ordered an anklet from Taobao but it missed the holiday delivery deadline so I'll only get it next week.
Starbucks has such a cute tea strainer! But I need no tea strainer, don't buy! [I did not buy, yet.]
Frankie this morning, pulled me out to downtown. Tried to get him to take a photo but "The Ground Is Wet, I'm not sitting down" was his response to me today.
Very nifty snack packaging. These are just... prawn sticks (about the size of a French fry, I suppose). But they packed it in such a way it's like those Chinese talisman papers.
New (sticker) nails that's very Chinese-y, I'm ready for Chinese New Year!
The Boss, as usual, had me send hampers out to many of his business associates. Not many returned a gift, but this one, this Orchid, was particularly popular with the colleagues. They said even the flowers from our paid-service flower supplier doesn't look this nice.
