Monday, January 26, 2009

Kung Hei Fat Choi!

Happy Chinese New Year!

Today (Jan 26 - the second new moon after the Winter Solstice) is the first day in the Lunar New Year - - the day we usher out the year of the Rat and welcome the year of the Ox. This is year 4706 in the Chinese calendar. The color red is very "auspicious" in Hong Kong and so you must have decorations befitting the Chinese New Year in order to get proper good luck for the new year. We found several shops along Queen's Road in Sheung Wan (an older part of town) that were jam packed with Chinese New Year (CNY) stuff.

Traditional favorite items include the things you see in the photo above, hanging charms, decorations that have long strands of fake fire-crackers hanging from them, and lots of red and gold tassels. The fireworks represent real life fireworks which are an important part of the celebration - - the noise frightens scary monsters away.

(From http://www.infoplease.com/spot/chinesenewyear1.html:

Fireworks and Family Feasts

At Chinese New Year celebrations people wear red clothes, decorate with poems on red paper, and give children "lucky money" in red envelopes. Red symbolizes fire, which according to legend can drive away bad luck. The fireworks that shower the festivities are rooted in a similar ancient custom. Long ago, people in China lit bamboo stalks, believing that the crackling flames would frighten evil spirits.


Most of the decorations are make of cardboard, paper or fabric. There are tons of plain papers involved, too, but I can't get a straight (English) answer on what these do. I've seen people burn them in small metal pots on the streets - - when they burn, apparently the breezes carry messages up into the sky to the ancestors.
We bought 4 banners to decorate our house with.


Another important way to welcome the new year is to decorate your house with flowers...so I'm all over that one! In Victoria Park, they have a new year festival that has lots of local carnival type junk, but they also have rows and rows of flowers for sale. Jessica and Christina's school took a field trip to the flower markets and I got to come along.


Another important flower type is the small orange trees - mandarins. They are everywhere! But you can't eat the fruit. I think that's what some guy told me when I asked him - couldn't quite understand him. Another important one is a peach blossom tree. You see these quite often around town - we have a nice one in our building. If you walk clock-wise around the tree, you should have romance in the New Year!
This is Christina with her good friend, Jordan, from school.

We bought all sorts of giant flowers! The mums were enormous and dyed neon colors. I concentrated on lillies! Mmmmm, the whole apartment smells wonderful!

Another important part of Chinese New Year is "lai see." This is lucky money that comes in red or gold envelopes. Parents give their children lai see, bosses give their employees lai see, and we also give lai see to the people around our apartment complex (concierge, doorman, cleaning crew) to show them appreciation for the job they do. The more you appreciate someone, the more money you give (although generally not more than $100HKD, which is about $12.50 USD). The bills should be new, as this shows that you took time to make the extra effort to honor this person. Apparently the economic slow down has wrought havoc on the banking system...they were prepared with newly printed sums of years past, but this year everyone only seemed to want the $10HKD and $20HKD notes...not much demand for the $50s/$100s.

The envelopes are printed in gold and red colors and given out by every business under the sun. It took us an entire evening to get our envelopes and monies together! We put different amounts in different style envelopes.

Here is a shot of some of the types of envelopes you see, and also the money. We will probably give the woman who helps us with house work the most. We are supposed to have many packets of $10 ($1.25 USD), $20 and $50 bills ready for people we meet on the street who we know, and children as well. We are also expected to give lai see to any adults we know who are not married. Since Mark and I are married and have children, we won't really receive lai see (we're already as lucky as they come :-).
Here's our apartment dining nook all dressed up with our banners and flowers!

A close-up of our flowers. I've never seen such perfect lilies. The whole apartment smells like a dream.

More on the year of the Ox...From all the information I've read, if I had to characterize it in just a few words, the year should be patient, dependable, but stubborn (???).

:-)

Happy New Year! Now for you next year's planning - here are a few simple rules to follow:

1) Give your house a thorough cleaning before the new year so you can sweep out the old. But NEVER clean your house on New Year's day, or you may sweep out all the good luck!

2) Make sure to open your windows on New Year's day so the good luck can blow in.

3) A new look (aka hair-do) could be good for a new year, but NEVER get your hair cut on the New Year, or you'll cut off all the good luck.

Kung Hei Fat Choi, ALL!!!
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The year of the Ox: From http://www.123chinesenewyear.com/new-year-of-ox/

Chinese New Year of Ox

Chinese have a unique way of representing the New Year through animals. They have 12 different animals to represent each year of the 12 year -cycle and the order remains the same throughout with the year of the rat beginning the cycle and the year of the boar/ pig ending the same. As the Chinese year 2008 was signified as the year of the rat, the following year, 2009, is going to be the year of the ox. Chinese New Year of OX, 2009 will fall on January 26th and will mark the 15 day long festivities beginning on the said date and going on till the 9th February.

Preparations for the Chinese New Year of Ox, 2009 will begin months in advance so that the celebrations be observed in the highest magnitude and splendor. As the different years of the 12 year cycle are characterized by different animals, people born on the different years also feature different traits and characters and most often then not, they are believed to be influenced and inspired by the animals of the particular year they are born in. With this article on Chinese New Year of Ox, 2009 we strive to hold forth the interesting characteristics and features of the Ox and how babies born in this year can be expected to display similar traits.

All years ending in an odd number are Yin and the ones with an even number ending are considered to be the Yang forms according to the Chinese methods of the calender cycle. Therefore the Ox year 2009 will have Yin forms along with the character of the Ox. Ox characterizes a dependable, patient, methodical and calm, hardworking, materialistic as well as an ambitious character. The Ox years so far have been 1901, 1913, 1925, 1937, 1949, 1961, 1973, 1985, 1997 and now 2009 followed by 2021 (according to the 12 year cycle).

People born in the Chinese New Year of Ox, 2009 will preponderantly have the below mentioned traits in their character: Leadership qualities, dependable, great organizers, loyal, patient as well as strong and responsible. They are also some of the best people one can have as colleagues in the work place as they are believed to posses strong work ethics and display their creative side as well, especially when it comes to decorating their home.

Since the people born in the Ox year are also trusted to be reliable and logical, people generally turn towards them for suggestions and guidance. Their honesty and eye for details also helps them to prove their worth both in the workplace as well as in their personal lives.

However there are a few negative traits associated with the character of the Ox that also is reflected through the people born in the ox years. Attributes like being narrow minded, stubborn, with low public relations skills and also very far from being emotional are generally associated with people born in this year.

With these and many more fascinating elements, Chinese New Year of Ox, 2009 is just about to arrive. So get set to welcome the year and have a very prosperous New Year ahead.

Sunday, January 11, 2009

Christmas in Houston, Flower Mound and Atlanta




Merry Christmas! We had a whirlwind (and total jetlag) tour...starting in Houston. Santa still comes to Houston, I learned! We enjoyed Nonna's traditional turkey (yum), although we surely missed it at Thanksgiving.



Nonna and Grand-Pa got a Christmas tree - first one in how many years? - and just in the nick of time! Santa brought PLENTY.


Nonna can also always be counted on for treats - - this gingerbread house was a real treat.

Thursday, January 8, 2009

Bubbles in a stone apartment

Well, there's one nice thing about having an apartment that has tile walls and marble floors and bathrooms with drains in the floor...you can totally trash the entire bathroom with bubbles, then just hose it all down the drain! Jessica and Christina would HATE me if they knew I posted these photos, but it's just such a fun bonus! Luckily they don't look at my blog often :-).




Mark and I like to just close the door and listen to the giggles! You know, sometimes you've just got to pick your battles.

Viet Nam November 2008

In November my team (my country managers) had their quarterly meeting in Viet Nam. Ngo Mihn Duc (he's the second guy from the left), our GSA in Viet Nam, works for HG Travel and they own a small cruise ship that cruises the waters of Halong Bay in VN. It is a true treat - spending a night in a lovely cove surrounded by all those pictures you see of "wild Asia" - the limestone formations.
From L to R, aboard the Bahaya Cruise ship:

Chaichan (GSA for Thailand)
Michael Fletcher (AA Australia)
Jeff Walker (AA Australia)
E.J. (moi)
Maisee Wong (GSA for Hong Kong)
June Pang (GSA for Korea)
Ella Sanchez (GSA for Philippines)
Simon Tang (tall guy in the back, GSA for Taiwan)
Ngo Mihn Duc (or "Mr. Duc," GSA for Viet Nam)
James Khoo (AA Singapore, Indonesia, Malaysia)

Within the limestone formations, there are many caves. In the background of this photo is a cave that hosts meetings and parties. Just over my left shoulder you can see the stairs that lead up to the opening. This particular cave holds over 100 people and a full band.
This is the ship we were on. It has 20 cabins, all meticulously and sweetly decorated in true French Indo-China style. The silence is wonderful - the stars at night are totally countless and awesome. Our trip was this particular ship's maiden voyage, so everything was brand new. We could see the insecurity on the faces of the crew, but they did a lovely job.
Stunning scenerey. One of the most beautiful places I've ever been.
Tai Chi on the upper deck starts off the day!

We flew in to Hanoi, then took a 3 hour drive east to Halong Bay. On the final day, we came back through Hanoi and took a rick-shaw tour through town. It was certainly unusual, but it sure gave a feeling for the sights, sounds and colors of Hanoi. We passed John McCain's summer home. The city is fast, colorful and bursting with energy...truly a fabulous experience! Here are June, Duc and me......Simon, Michael and Maisee.

Unfortunately, I didn't have a camera at the time (Junginger family camera was in use for a school activity), so my photo library is a bit limited as I am relying on other peoples' photos and what they thought interesting.

Immediately following this trip, GrandPa and Nonna bought me my OWN camera! Thanks!!!!! I think you'll find too many photos in the future, rather than too few. Nonna and G-Pa, you're the best.

Anyhow, VN is one of the most fascinating places I've ever been...it is simply (and that word was chosen on purpose, SIMPLY) beautiful. There are cattle roaming the streets and rice paddies everywhere. Hopefully I'll make it back and take more photos.

Wednesday, January 7, 2009

Korea at Christmas time

On a recent trip to Seoul (December 14), I stayed at the Lotte Hotel in downtown - very near the central government buildings. It is in walking distance from the AA office. I was floored by how well Seoul dresses up for the holidays! They have some lovely light displays, and there was an ice-skating rink built for the holiday, too! Since it is quite far north of Hong Kong (3.5 hr flight), the weather was crisp and cool and refreshing!
These are just pretty light shots...
They have some vertical strands of lights that cascade down from the trees - they are made of a series of small lights that come on in sequence from top to bottom...gives an effect of icicles dripping. Just beautiful.A beautiful lighted fairy display in the hotel lobby.
Our team in Seoul - the fellow to my right with the yellow tie is June Pang, the manager of AA at Daejoo Airways, our GSA in KR. The team is warm, kind, dedicated and such a pleasure to work with. Some of the kindest people I've ever met.

Saturday, January 3, 2009

Central Plaza

Central Plaza (where AA HK office is and where I work) is currently the 3rd tallest building in Hong Kong, although for a time it was the tallest building in Asia. According to a recent article I read (which may be dated by now), it could be the 10th tallest building in the world with 76 stories and about 1,200 feet of height. It has a remarkable presence on the Hong Kong skyline, and participates grandly in all the light shows and festivals at night. It is topped by a gold spire which I was not able to capture in this photo. It is somewhat triangular in shape in order to maximize the square footage of office space that is eligible for a harbor view. It is located in the busy Wan Chai section of Hong Kong, just east of the "official" downtown, or "Central" neighborhood.



There is a very distinctive gold design in the windows.

I arrived at work quite early by Hong Kong standards (0800-ish) this day. Few people are on the escalators at this time. One escalator up....



...and then you go up the second set. The lobby is bronze and black - lots of black granite, marble, and bronze trim. Incredible care is take of every square inch. Workers are constantly scrubbing and polishing every piece of trim. At the top of the second escalator, there are elevator banks complete with hand-sanitizers (a post-SARS invention), an incredible view, and of course a Starbucks.

If you arrive early enough in the morning, you can begin your day with some Tai Chi! Class begins around 0700, although individual workout-ers can be seen until around 0930 - by then Hong Kong is so bustling that I think it would be difficult to concentrate, but I know nothing about Tai Chi! The covered breezeways under the building make a nice place to stretch, even in rainy weather. The office buidling pipes Tai Chi music around adding to the very peaceful effect.

Another important fact about the photo above is the China Resources building in the background. That's a nice spot to go to lunch to souvenir shop when you have a LOT of money in your pocket (of course window shopping is fun too, if you're like me). It has incredible silks and other Chinese treasures - just typical Chinese souvenirs, but of amazingly fantastic quality.
Pointsettias really dress up the grounds in the winter.


Inside our office space is pretty much typical of any office space - grey cubicle type furniture.

Our team is represented here - - on the back row from the left:

Casey Fung (EDS technical support)
Jimmy Lee (Sales Planning and Analysis)
Delia Hui (Finance lead)
Katherine Shum (Sales Planning and Analysis)
EJ (moi)
Teresa Wong (Regional Administrative Support)
Esther Lee (Finance)
Amy Leung (Marketing)
Sam Liu (EDS technical support)

on the front row from left to right:

Zoe Chan (Sales Planning and Analysis lead)
Glady Tung (Marketing lead)
Imelda Fung (Regional Reservations and Ticketing Support)
Heidi Law (Finance)

I almost blend in, don't I? (ha ha ha! :-). Most of my colleagues are native Hong Kong people. They all speak English very fluently (except when they don't want me to hear them...ha ha...then they speak Cantonese, the local dialect of the region).


Central Plaza knows how to dress up for Christmas! The trees in the lobbies are enormous - and real. The smell is lovely.