Tampilkan postingan dengan label CNY. Tampilkan semua postingan
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Red underwear alert for Rabbits

The Straits Times, February 3, 2011 Thursday, Prime News, Page A8
Source Website: http://www.straitstimes.com/BreakingNews/Asia/Story/STIStory_631204.html
By Peh Shing Huei, China Bureau Chief, Feb 3, 2011, Updated 11.22 am



PHOTO: Girl in red underwear. Many in China believe that if it's your year，本命年(běn mìng nián), bad luck is on the way.
http://www.mota.ru/upload/wallpapers/anime_248-1024x768.jpg
http://www.mota.ru/index.php/en/wallpapers/view/id/2693


Many in China believe that if it's your year, bad luck is on the way
BEIJING - Ms ZHOU Jingjie welcomed the Chinese New Year by staying in bed last night, nursing an injured spine and a rabid fear of the Year of the Rabbit.



PHOTO: Ryu, red underwear. To defence against the cursed year.
http://fc01.deviantart.net/fs71/f/2010/335/e/8/ryu__red_underwear__by_cemv-d341a6g.jpg
http://cemv.deviantart.com/art/Ryu-red-underwear-188176840


Despite being born during the bunny zodiac year 36 years ago in 1975, the cleaner from Inner Mongolia is wary whenever the 12-year cycle swings her way.



PHOTO: If you want to set up the traditional Chinese New Year gambling session… wear this 财 (cài) brief on the outside to "hang out" all the way.
http://www.sixthseal.com/archive/January2005/cny_red_underwear_wearing_chai.jpg
http://sixthseal.com/2005/01/cny-red-underwear/


'It is a year of bad luck,' she told The Straits Times, believing that she was thrown off a public bus two months ago - which hurt her back - because the Year of the Rabbit was approaching. 'The last Rabbit Year, when I was 24, I lost my job and my father died.'

She is not alone in fearing what the Chinese refer to as ben ming nian, 本命年(běn mìng nián), or your zodiac year: They believe it is cursed.



PHOTO: Sexual Addiction. Double your energy using bio-energy.
http://firsttalk.net/wedding-underwear-bra-red-la-s.jpg
http://firsttalk.net/shows.html


The fear could be tied to the concept of life progressing in 12-year stages, such as hitting adolescence at the age of 12, entering society at 24 and maturing at 36. Chinese believe they face 'barriers' in such years, and worry things may not go according to plan.

While much of Chinese tradition has been lost through centuries of upheavals and modernisation, this superstition in the curse of the zodiac year has proven to be extraordinarily persistent.



PHOTO: Brazil, Ecuador, Bolivia, and Venezuela: It's considered lucky to wear special underwear on New Year's Eve. The most popular colors are red and yellow: red is supposed to bring love in the coming year, and yellow is supposed to bring money.
http://img.ezinemark.com/imagemanager2/files_uploaded/smoking/-Ladies_Red_Boy_Shorts_Underwear_My_Girl_Design--126246062.jpg
http://society.ezinemark.com/new-year-customs-around-the-world-773614e2013f.html



PHOTO: Sexy Low Cut Red Teddy See Through Underwear Lingerie With Ruffles and Rhinestone Heart
http://imaginarydiva.com/wp-content/uploads/product%20pictures/id0002%20LC3022.jpg
http://www.stylehive.com/bookmark/sexy-low-cut-red-teddy-see-through-underwear-lingerie-with-ruffles-and-rhinestone-heart-538126


Reference
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Time to celebrate my Chinese roots

MY PAPER, TUESDAY FEBRUARY 1, 2011, PAGE A10, LIFESTYLE (VIEWPOINTS)
From http://myepaper.mypaper.sg/ebook/web_php/fvbrowserjs.php?urljs=http://myepaper.mypaper.sg/ecreator/sphopf/mya010211cnd_opf_files/mya010211cnd.js&ver=Gen
Source Website: http://www.asiaone.com/News/AsiaOne%2BNews/Asian%2BOpinions/Story/A1Story20110201-261438.html
By JILL ALPHONSO, myp@sph.com.sg, Tue, Feb 01, 2011, my paper



PHOTO: I was raised in a modern way, and my parents did not hold me to tradition. But one unspoken rule was this: Turn up at the reunion dinner, come hell or high water, because po po and gong gong like to have their grandchildren there.
http://travelerfolio.com/travelerfolio/photos/hallstatt_austria_03-590x442.jpg
http://travelerfolio.com/hallstatt-austria/



PHOTO: JILL ALPHONSO
MY PAPER MONDAY MARCH 1, 2010, A13 - A14, MY TRAVEL


EACH Chinese New Year, I have cause to reflect on exactly how Chinese I am - which is to say, not very.

Yet, I participate in the annual reunion dinner with my maternal relatives, and show up at my granny's house from day one to day three like a dutiful grandchild.

It is the one time of the year that I actually feel, for want of a better word, "Chinese".

I am of mixed stock. The "Alphonso" in my name will hint that I am officially classified as Eurasian - a term I don't particularly identify with. I refer to myself as hapa, a Hawaiian term used for people of mixed descent.

For me, it seems to imply lesser ethnic leanings since it generally refers to an Asian or Pacific Islander who is "half" of something else.

It appeals to me as I was raised pretty much colour-blind. Really, there was no other choice.

I am somewhat Chinese, my maternal grandfather having come from Taiwanese stock (so we were told).

My grandmother came from China, but was raised by an aunt in Sitiawan in Malaysia.

From my father's side of the family, I get Japanese, Sri Lankan and Scottish blood. I look, apart from my 1.83m frame, wide hips and large feet, Chinese.

Cab drivers attempt conversation in Mandarin with me, and are often met with confused silence.

Hawkers look to me for an order in Mandarin, and are baffled when I cannot respond.

When I need to, I am able to ask where the toilets are and tell waiters I would like a table for two in Mandarin.

Anything other than that is a stretch, especially since in secondary school, German - and not Chinese - was my second language. I'd failed Chinese over and over in primary school, and had had it with the humiliation.

But language doesn't define how one feels, and a part of me does identify with my Chinese heritage. This was most apparent when I felt as though I was losing my grip on it.

Going to university in Hawaii, and subsequently working in Seattle in Washington state, I missed all things Chinese.

Sure, both American states have healthy enough Chinese populations. I re-learnt the basics of the Chinese language in college, and I could order char siew pau, if I wanted to, from a 24-hour dimsum place in Seattle.

But I missed the culture I'd grown up in terribly, while to missing my family terribly at the same time.

Within my mother's family, the world made a certain kind of sense.

My non-traditional mother, despite all her rebellion and moxie, had strict values passed on to her from her parents - values she held me to and, in holding me to them, was passing them on to me.

And the hierarchy in our family was clear - elders first, always, and in all things.

None of this existed for me away from home.

And at home, Chinese New Year was a touchstone where I would see cousins turning up at the reunion dinner to pay their respects to their elders and spend time with them.

On the following days, I would get to see extended family members whose names I'd forget during the rest of the year. I would enjoy their company for those few hours.

During my years away, I missed all that with a horrible vengeance, feeling like I was far away from my roots.

That included the sense that I am, at least, somewhat Chinese.

Sure, I was raised in a modern way, and my parents did not hold me to tradition. But one unspoken rule was this: Turn up at the reunion dinner, come hell or high water, because po po and gong gong like to have their grandchildren there.

I have not, except in extraneous circumstances, disobeyed.

I will expect my children, when I eventually have them, to abide by the same rule, no matter how hapa they are.

So, to answer my own question of "How Chinese am I?" I say: Not very.

But the part of me that is sings very loudly during Chinese New Year indeed.

Gong xi, everybody.
By JILL ALPHONSO, myp@sph.com.sg, Tue, Feb 01, 2011, my paper



PHOTO: And at home, Chinese New Year was a touchstone where I would see cousins turning up at the reunion dinner to pay their respects to their elders and spend time with them.
http://travelerfolio.com/travelerfolio/photos/hallstatt_austria_01-590x442.jpg
http://travelerfolio.com/hallstatt-austria/



HELPDESK
我的字典: Wǒ de zì diǎn

Dutiful: 顺从的 - shùn cóng de
Heritage: 文化遗产 - wén huà yí chǎn
Non-traditional: 非传统的 - fēi chuán tǒng de
Unspoken rule: 潜规则 - qián guī zé



PHOTO: JILL ALPHONSO
http://static.relax.com.sg/site/servlet/linkableblob/relax/329118/topImage/Life_s_a_beach_on_Lakawon-topImage.jpg
http://www.relax.com.sg/relax/features/329118/Life_s_a_beach_on_Lakawon.html


Reference
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Festive friction

Weekend Today, January 29 - 30, 2011, Column, Page T3 (The Fairer Text)
From http://imcmsimages.mediacorp.sg/CMSFileserver/documents/006/PDF/20110129/2901COW003.pdf
Source Website: http://www.todayonline.com/Columns/Thefairertext/EDC110129-0000190/Festive-friction
By Georgina Chang, georginac@mediacorp.com.sg, 05:55 AM Jan 29, 2011



PHOTO: What's with all the hating during CNY? This festive business of taking delight at the misfortune of others was open season — anyone who came to visit believed they could (and should) make unsolicited comments about you.
Artwork by YEN YOK, Copyright © MediaCorp Press Ltd
http://imcmsimages.mediacorp.sg/cmsfileserver/showimageCC.aspx?450&302&f=2070&img=2070_336335.jpg&h=450&w=302
Weekend Today, January 29 - 30, 2011, Column, Page T3 (The Fairer Text)



PHOTO: Georgina Chang
The writer is the senior creative director of 987FM and Lush 99.5.
Weekend Today, January 29 - 30, 2011, Column, Page T3 (The Fairer Text)


A time to feast, visit, and be made to feel bad about yourself
I LOVE festive seasons for the atmosphere of abundant food and convivial (Friendly, lively, and enjoyable) fellowship.

However, just as Christmas has become a frenzied rush of buying presents for colleagues you don't really like, Chinese New Year has become the ostentatious (pretentious display) theatrics of projecting false pretences to relatives who don't seem to like you very much.

In this materialistic society, we can't help being self-conscious of our outward appearances. So we need to create a facade of success and contentment. The car, house, gadgets, job and offspring's academic success are indicators to measure how worthy we are.



PHOTO: Chinese New Year has become the ostentatious (pretentious display) theatrics of projecting false pretences to relatives who don't seem to like you very much.
http://ph.88db.com/ph/html/lifestyle/images/beauty/spa-pic1.jpg http://ph.88db.com/ph/html/lifestyle/beauty_spa_massage.htm


Unfortunately, this judgement is according to the people you didn't choose to have in your life, like family and relatives. But their opinions affect us profoundly.

If you thought reckoning only comes after the good life has ceased and the soul has arrived at the Pearly Gates of Heaven, you're wrong.

Reckoning comes at Chinese New Year.

With the steep hike in car prices and home down payments, anyone who's succeeded in acquiring either one is automatically guaranteed an elevated status amongst his cousins.

Growing up, I observed the relentless comparisons of who had more material acquisitions while the less well-off were discussed about in tones of smug (excessive pride) schadenfreude (german word for glee).

This festive business of taking delight at the misfortune of others was open season - anyone who came to visit believed they could (and should) make unsolicited comments about you.

My teenage sister, who had an abundant appreciation of her carbohydrates (and desserts) bore the brunt of it. The relatives were swift to marvel at how big/fat/chubby she had become, as if there was a prize for highlighting her generous girth (a measure around a body).

I was lucky since I was the ugly duckling of the family. My slightest improvements were fawned upon, albeit (although) with pitying nods.

Women get it especially bad at Chinese New Year. For the single woman, there's the inevitable: "Why you don't have a boyfriend?" accompanied by snide (mocking) looks.

If she has a boyfriend: "When are you getting married?" (with disparaging [little value] looks).

If she's married: "When are you going to have kids?" (with black looks).

If she has a daughter: "Why you don't try for a son?" (with disapproving looks).

Never-ending pressure.

I say take the drastic step and shut them up forever. Yes, it's disconcerting when they gasp, chastise you or complain to your parents. But the years of peace and quiet after is worth it.

My 33-year-old friend William was a swinging bachelor, sampling the company of several women. Tired of the badgering (ask repeatedly and annoyingly) on why he wasn't married, he decided to end it by deadpanning: "I have a boyfriend."

He was never harassed again.

Another friend lied tearfully: "My fiance got a 21-year-old pregnant." She enjoyed the awkward silence and averted eye contact for the next few years.

Married couples who try to justify why they're childless - you know, "We like our freedom" or "We prefer dogs" - are frowned upon with great disdain. Try, instead: "My tubes are impaired" or "John has low sperm count". Don't forget to wear a pained expression.

And then there's the hong bao predicament of childless couples. It's unfair that you're forking out your hard -earned cash to other families, and getting nothing back. It's disproportionate, I say.

It's not that you're stingy. It's the whole hassle, right? (Although if you are indeed a married, stingy person, there's no shame in that.)

You have to queue up at the bank for hours to get your stash of new $2 and $10 notes.

Then you have to painstakingly pack these into red packets and remember which ones have $2, $8 or $80.

Then hope that in the melee, you don't accidentally give your boss' kids the $2 hong bao. You won't have a promotion to brag about next year.

Be like my pal Jason who promptly books himself and his wife a relaxing holiday in the Maldives or Mauritius every time CNY rolls round. Now that's your hong bao money well spent.

Chinese New Year should not be about having your self-esteem bashed by insensitive people, or feeling dread about seeing certain members of the family tree, or feeling short-changed.

You shouldn't have to make excuses about your weight gain, lack of boyfriend/children/new car/snazzy job, or feel depressed about what the Chinese astrologists claim will happen in you according to your zodiac sign.

It's about eating too much bak kwa and pineapple tarts, staying up late for card games, and enjoying the comfort, love and laughter of a supportive family. And embracing positive anticipation for the year ahead.

Otherwise, standing in line at the bank just ain't worth it.

By Georgina Chang, georginac@mediacorp.com.sg, 05:55 AM Jan 29, 2011
The writer is the senior creative director of 987FM and Lush 99.5.



PHOTO: You shouldn't have to make excuses about your weight gain, lack of boyfriend/children/new car/snazzy job, or feel depressed
http://i.pbase.com/g6/12/14912/2/83058305.JZunxQMm.jpg
http://www.pbase.com/photozone/image/83058305



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S’poreans rent partners for CNY

MY PAPER, F R I D A Y J A N U A R Y 2 8 , 2 0 1 1, NEWS, PAGE A1, A4
From http://myepaper.mypaper.sg/ebook/web_php/fvbrowserjs.php?urljs=http://myepaper.mypaper.sg/ecreator/sphopf/mya280111cnd_opf_files/mya280111cnd.js&ver=Gen
Source Website: http://forum.channelnewsasia.com/viewtopic.php?t=398522&postdays=0&postorder=desc
By GWENDOLYN NG, nggwen@sph.com.sg, Sat Jan 29, 2011 8:04 am



PHOTO: Love Yourself, Even if No One Else Does
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2264/2270965320_e38fa15cce.jpg?v=0
http://wemustnotthinktoomuch.blogspot.com/2008/09/stepcase-lifehack-how-to-love-yourself.html


BOOM IN RENTING BIZ DURING CHINESE NEW YEAR
IT IS that dreaded time of the year again, when nosy family members question the singlehood status of relatives at Chinese New Year reunion dinners.

But now, instead of bracing themselves for interrogation, singles are taking matters into their own hands.

Their solution: Getting friends to pose as romantic partners, seeking help from dating agencies or even hiring social escorts to do the job.

A 29-year-old marketing executive, who wants to be known only as David, said he shuns long-term relationships, preferring to date casually. In fact, many of his dates often accompany him on Chinese New Year family visits.

He said: “I just take one of them along for these events to shut up my relatives. The next time I meet my relatives, I just tell them that we broke up.” Three out of four escort agencies told my paper that the demand for companions increases by 30 to 50 per cent during the festive season.

The owner of Singapore Model Escorts, who wants to be known only as William, said: “(Our male clients’) key concern is they don’t want girls to wear short skirts or look sexy. They should dress conservatively.”

One of his social escorts, Kari, in her 20s, posed as a girlfriend of a working professional at his family reunion dinner last year. She met him only an hour before the gathering to corroborate details such as how they met and how long they had been dating. Kari, who works as a bank executive by day, said: “As we both worked at a bank, we told (his relatives) that we met at work.”

In the end, she pulled off a convincing act in front of her client’s 30 relatives at a Chinese restaurant. The social escort of two years said: “They even told us that we look good together.” She was paid $1,600 for that job. Kari said: “I got paid a lot just to socialise and that’s the best I could’ve asked for. The guy wasn’t too bad looking, too.” She said she has received many professional requests to meet friends and family this festive season.

A spokesman for escort agency Vie Models said: “The booking fee is higher during this time because these escorts are mostly Chinese and would take on assignments only if the pay is very attractive.”

The agency raises its rates by about 25 to 50 per cent per hour during this period. He declined to reveal actual figures.

Mr Jason Lim, owner of Metro Touch Escorts, said that a premium Singaporean social escort – typically defined as an attractive university graduate in her 20s – can earn anything from $5,000 to a whopping $20,000 for a three-hour reunion-dinner session. He added: “The cost depends on the girl, the location, the duration, how many people she has to meet at the dinner and whether she is required to drink.”

There are also those who are motivated to seek help from dating agencies. At least two such agencies told my paper that they see a surge in demand at this time of the year.

Dating agency Lunch Actually sees a 15 to 20 per cent increase in demand for its services in the period leading up to Chinese New Year. Its chief executive, Ms Violet Lim, 30, said: “Chinese New Year is a time when they feel more pressured as they will be meeting family members who will probably ask them about their marital status. This makes them more open to finding out about dating opportunities and platforms.”

Then, there are those who choose to skip town to avoid facing a grilling by relatives. A 24-year-old public-relations executive, who wants to be known only as Ashley, said she got a guy pal to pose as her boyfriend three years ago.

She said:“I don’t mind getting someone to pose as my boyfriend. I’ll probably have to find someone else next time but, this year, I’m getting out of town.”



PHOTO: Love Yourself, Even if No One Else Does
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/88/220635559_2d46b34d61.jpg?v=0
http://wemustnotthinktoomuch.blogspot.com/2008/09/stepcase-lifehack-how-to-love-yourself.html



HELPDESK
我的字典: Wǒ de zì diǎn

Socialise: 应酬 - yìng chou
Reunion dinner: 团圆饭 - tuán yuán fàn
Marital status: 婚姻状况 - hūn yīn zhuàng kuàng
Grilling: 严厉盘问 - yán lì pán wèn



Reference
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Quirky hongbao in vogue

MY PAPER FRIDAY JANUARY 28, 2011, SHOP & BUY, PAGE A16
From http://myepaper.mypaper.sg/ebook/web_php/fvbrowserjs.php?urljs=http://myepaper.mypaper.sg/ecreator/sphopf/mya280111cnd_opf_files/mya280111cnd.js&ver=Gen
Source Website: http://news.asiaone.com/News/AsiaOne%2BNews/Singapore/Story/A1Story20110128-260771.html
By JOY FANG, joyfang@sph.com.sg, Fri, Jan 28, 2011, my paper



PHOTO: Different this year is OCBC Bank. Its hongbao collection consists of eight individual designs which, when put together like a jigsaw, form a portrait of a family of rabbits.
MY PAPER FRIDAY JANUARY 28, 2011, SHOP & BUY, PAGE A16


THIS year, when it comes to red packets, young executives and corporate companies say that tradition is out, while edgy and fun designs are in.

Sales executive Sharon Lim, 27, for example, said she likes giving funky hongbao because they are special and show that she is a "cool relative".

One shop which stocks unusual hongbao is lifestyle store Totally Hot Stuff at The Cathay. It carries fabric red packets, and over 50 per cent of that stock was sold in the past two months, with the majority of customers being young executives in their 30s.

Its business manager, Mr Luke Chong, said: "Young couples wish to differentiate themselves and create an impression on friends and relatives."

Printing companies said that they have seen an increase in corporate clients asking for unusual hongbao. Design and printing firm Corporate Greetings, for instance, saw a 30 per cent increase in clients making such requests. And MDK Design & Print said eight out of every 10 customers opted to use colours such as pink, maroon, gold, copper and cream, up from just 20 per cent last year.

Mr Desmond Kang, MDK's director, said: "Our customers are mostly in their 20s to 30s, and are more adventurous."

Ms Chai Hui Min, marketing manager of Antalis Singapore, a paper distributor, noted that red packets are a marketing tool for companies. Premium materials - such as textured paper - are in vogue, she said.

One company which has opted to be different this year is OCBC Bank. Its hongbao collection consists of eight individual designs which, when put together like a jigsaw, form a portrait of a family of rabbits.

Ms Alice Goh, the bank's head of credit cards, said customers prefer red packets which are "of a collectible nature".

OCBC hopes these designs will give customers the warm feeling of a family reunion, she added.



PHOTO: Tradition is out, while edgy and fun designs are in
http://news.asiaone.com/A1MEDIA/news/01Jan11/images/20110128.125709_bla.jpg
http://news.asiaone.com/News/AsiaOne%2BNews/Singapore/Story/A1Story20110128-260771.html


Reference
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