Leslie Nielsen (1926-2010)

I remember the man in Airplane (1980) as the hapless, bumbling doctor slapping a delirious passenger about to calm her down. Then there's the Naked Gun (1988), Naked Gun 2 1/2: The Smell of Fear (1991) and Naked Gun 33 1/3: The Final Insult (1994). Detective Frank Drebin, the slapstick humor and the satire.

A part of me phased out when I learnt of the legend's death.

I suggested to one of my buddies that the most appropriate way (if we so wished) to commemorate his contribution to comedy and entertainment is to have a Leslie Nielsen marathon. Airplane would be a good choice seeing that was Nielsen's first comedy. The outlandish spoof 2001: A Space Travesty (2001) would be a good seconder, followed by the Naked Gun trilogy. A good laugh out loud session I reckon

Leslie Nielsen, God bless his soul. He brought us lots of comedy and kept us in stitches. He is irreplaceable.

Phasers for my Birthday

On the eve of my birthday, I received an sms from Chow F.C. which read "Just received a message. Don't know who to turn to for legal. Can you drop by 10.30 now? We are scared". I had to go see what's wrong and after all, I've known Chow before I graduated from law school. As I was parking in front, I noticed Chow's anxious demeanor as he stood near the cul-de-sac waiting for me. Parked and worried, I brisked down the driveway with him.

As we sat down and he feigned a mumbling desperation, the cheeky fellow brought out my old Playmates ST:First Contact Type II Phaser and exclaimed "HAPPY BIRTHDAY!" :)


The fiend! :) He duped me!!... and I was getting a little worried there! Turns out, he'd finally finished the modifications!!...after about 1 1/2 years... (time is a luxury most of us do not have these days...)

He's done up the electronics; added an LED bar, replacing the plastic, fake power level gauge, installed a micro-switch at the bottom....



The "emitter" krypton bulb has been replaced with 3-super bright micro LEDs.











but mostly, as I've been pestering Chow, a screen saver mode...after about 5 seconds untouched, the LED display starts a sweeping motion, as if on a starship viewscreen. Cool!

Then, as if that was not enough, I met up with Kenny G. later who had completed my ST:Nemesis Type II "Dolphin" Phaser kit ("Dolphin" because of it's uncanny resemblance to the porpoise's snout).

The paintwork is just fanstastic. Kenny's talent with the airbrush is undisputable. The finishing mirrors automotive clear coats and the silver shimmers under the light. In the day...

the body of the "Dolphin" phaser shows it's blue and green hues from the myriad of paint mixtures used, giving it a more unique feature...

but what I really like about this piece is the slide open cowling which reveals the power cells behind the pre-fire chamber. On a working prop, these cells would be glowing.

Thanks guys.... I really appreciate your work. "Arm phasers"....

Now, I'm waiting for the video of my little celebration with Asther, Francis and Mike...

Gift Of Love Charity Bazaar: 24th to 26th September 2010

The Gift of Love Charity Bazaar is the brainchild of 3 individuals who decided to come together to play a part in supporting all women.

Aims and Objectives:

1. The promotion of Breastfeeding in observance of the World Breastfeeding Week in August 2010, to create better understanding of breastfeeding as an important element in the healthy development of the baby and mother.
2. To help raise awareness for the need to end violence against women in Malaysia.
3. To help and support 'Enterprising Mothers' in the promotion of their home-based business.
   

This event is open to all "Mommy-preneurs" and other Advocates to step onto the stage with us by getting a table (for a minimum donation) to promote and sell your products and services.

All proceeds will go towards an organization who will support our aims and objectives. WABA will be the main beneficiary this 2010.

This year's charity event will be held in Tropicana City Mall in Petaling Jaya.

Pakistan Flood Victims Aid: Help Please!

The flood ravaged nation of Pakistan has called for help. It's government says it cannot cope and is beyond capacity to send aid. International aid is coming in very slowly...too slowly. Many countries have pledged but has yet to convert them into cash and aid. As you all know, starvation and diseases are the most prone after floods.

Over and above that, some "fake camps" have been set up to divert the much precious aid and supplies to non-essential groups. Many are going hungry everyday. Hospitals are overcrowded. Triage systems have been set up to pay attention to the ones which half-a-chance to survive. Many of those sick are children stricken with water-born diseases such as cholera. Malnutrition rates are going up.

UNICEF is currently providing enough clean water for 1.3 million people every day, but millions more need the same services.

The Government of Pakistan estimates 20 million people overall have been hit by the flood crises, and according to the United Nations, at least 15 million people have been seriously affected, half of whom are children.

UNICEF is concerned that the floods have hit "the poorest of the poor", those least able to survive the present harsh conditions

Ways you can help:

• Pakistani High Commission through Affin Bank account 20-002063910-9 (titled "PRIME MINISTER'S FLOOD RELIEF FUND 2010"). For more information, call 03-2161 4985 or email floodreliefkl@gmail.com.

• The Malaysian Red Crescent Society's efforts are currently being directed to Pakistan, to help with relief work. Cheques should be made out to the MRCS International Relief Fund and banked into Maybank Account No 5144-2210-2657.

• MERCY Malaysia has a Pakistan Relief Fund up and running. Donate via the following bank accounts (make checks payable to MERCY MALAYSIA):

1. Maybank (account name: MERCY HUMANITARIAN FUND, account number : 5621-7950-4126, ABA Swift Code: MBBEMYKLA) or
2. CIMB Bank (account name: MERCY Malaysia, account number: 1424-000-6561053, ABA Swift Code: CIBBMYKL)

• United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF)

YouTube: Ultimate Free Advertisement

The gargantuan numbers who visit YouTube has become a phenomenon. The Voca People is one recent example. An ensemble of vocal talents ranging tenor, soprano and alto have become an overnight success, conducting tours from Brazil to TelAviv. These expletive eight were something else altogether. No instruments, no synthesizer, just pure vocals.

The power of visuals have always been the cornerstone of the television and media ads. Undiscovered talents are found, nurtured and turned into international superstars without a moment's notice. I cannot fathom the potential of thousands of hits a day. For me, it's a source of cheap entertainment. Users and members can upload videos in many formats including MP4, DivX and AVI.

The lights of Charice Pempengno would not have been seen if not for YouTube. She was 14 years old when her uncle decided to upload a video of her singing. The hits took a while to gestate; about a year or so and after that, the sky's the limit. She' sung in Oprah, paired with Bianca Ryan and performed with legendary music composer, David Foster. She's now taken the world by storm, deserving a 6-time standing ovation when she appeared in one of her earliest stage shows in the Mandalay Bay.

The social networking via YouTube is by no means small. I've observed users exchanging contacts as well as eBay profiles and offers to sell or buy. Transactions are spurned when a potential buyer gets a preview at that irresistible sleekness of a new Iphone or the road-gripping new Audi RS5 on the track. It's a fantastic way to sell when bypassing the TV networks. Effective advertising with minimal cost.

Malaysian Toy Fair (24-25 July 2010)

Richard told me about the first ever Malaysia Toy Fair and with all the hype I've heard about San Diego Comic Con (SDCC) going on in the States, I thought of checking it out today to see if it was anything close to the conventions held abroad. In the US, these exhibitions would mean appearances by Hollywood stars, founders of toy and gaming companies and box office film releases. On the sidewalk, you'd fine about a million fans donning costumes, carrying their allowance to buy that coveted exclusive merchandise and chasing the opportunity for an autograph of their favorite actors.

On the way, I spotted a very obvious sign of a Transformers die-hard fan as I walked from my car to Mid Valley Exhibition Centre (MVEC). I couldn't help but be amused by the obvious tribute this driver is paying to the 80's animated mechanized phenomenon. For those of you who are curious, D.E.C.P.D. means "Decepticon Police Department".

A RM3.00 entrance fee entitles you a 1-day pass for which you could walk in and out of the exhibition hall. I felt very surreal walking into a world whom I am most familiar with.


Once I walked in, I spotted Rey manning the Shioktoys booth. I saw Rey last night at the shop in e@theto pick up my Hottoys 1/4th Scale Iron Man Mark IV collectible bust.

The media was expected. I think this interview was done by a local talk show.

Of course, being the first one, MTF pales in terms of size compared with SDCC. Still, there is no shortage of SDCC exclusives. Here we have Iron Man from Mighty Muggs.

No short of Sith Lords at MTF 2010. Courtesy of the 501st Legion: Malaysia-Brunei Outpost. My friend and fellow lawyer was there donning a Boba Fett costume. I had hoped to sense the presence of other Trekkers but I guess the dark-side of the force was strong today.

"Hey, aren't ya a little too short to be hunting with us?..."

"Oh yeah? I bet you'd change your mind after I cut your head off and use if for a shield just like I did the alien strapped to my arm now."
Cosplay (costume play) is an important part of any toy oriented affair. Here we have a couple of Halo 3 posers.

I'm so bad, it's a thriller.

No convention is complete without a gamers' corner. Here, we have a Sudden Death tournament going on which is so reminiscent of the Counterstrike days back in 2004-2005.

For a first timer, the event was quite a success. This is the humble beginning of a whole new phase for the toy industry in Malaysia. I hope next year's MTF would see the lights of some special guests from Hollywood. For that, sponsors must see the impact such appearances would have on business. Perhaps they should coincide the event with a major box office release next summer.

I just read that SDCC announced Tron Legacy. It's been 3 decades since the Tron was released which bewildered fans of sci-fi with a depiction of what it's like inside a computer. This highly anticipated sequel is coming soon.

Lex Iniesta Est Lex

Andres Iniesta has become Spain's local hero overnight. The decisive116th minute goal was the turning point in the long-drawn match leaving the Dutch dream of the coveted cup in pieces. Spain beat Holland 1-0, 26 minutes into extra time.

The controversies and decisions of Howard Webb, the referee at this morning's FIFA World Cup 2010 finals in Soccer City, Johannesburg will be the talk of a lot of towns till the next championships in Brazil-

• Dutch coach Bert van Marwijk blamed for an indiscipline game and failure to call a free kick to Netherlands. The on-field official showed a second yellow card to Puyol when he appeared to impede Arjen Robben in the 82nd minute, allowing Robben to play on and miss his chance to score. This will always be the summer of their discontent.
  

• I'm positive the world's audience saw Nigel de Jong's flying kick into Xabi Alonso's chest which although strongly argued merited a red card only saw Webb dismissing that clear offense with a yellow card.

Holland was of course a man down with John Heitinga's dismissal after a second yellow card 19 minutes into extra-time. Evermore so, the team's desperation would have fueled the derision they had on the English referee. Who can blame them from being "deprived" of a chance at the World Cup.

I can't help but to once again assert that I would have preferred to watch the Germans take on Spain in the finals. But they did well against Uruguay, beating the latter 3-2 despite lowered spirits. Their defeat to Spain took on toll on Miroslave Klosse who fell ill with a flu. Germany's coach, Joachim Loew disallowed the sickly star from playing, lest the Panzers desired to diminish their chances to take on 3rd placing. This decision although tactically sound left Klosse devastated as he lost his chance of beating Ronaldo's record of 15 goals at the World Cup. He was just short of 1 to match.

The fever is over. Rio De Janeiro now awaits football nations to converged again.

Finals!!!

This is it... for a month now...teams have enjoyed the ecstasy of victory and suffered the agony of defeat. 16 of the world's finest have proved their mettle or gone back to the drawing board. You all have lost sleep over one of the world's most watched sporting event.

Holland vs. Spain...

Soccer City, Johannesberg...

It comes down to 22 men, 0.7 billion people, a bird in Singapore and an octopus in Germany...

Semi-Finals: Germany vs. Spain: Paul the Octopus was right

Should have had octopus sashimi for dinner. A cephalopod's prediction came true. Paul the Octopus picked Spain to be the winner in an aquarium with one box painted with the German flag and the other, the Spanish flag. It was right.

Playing a defensive game as I've witnessed can cost you. It's a small margin for error when you need to hold fort for 90 minutes. If a goal is scored in the 2nd half, the whole ball game (no pun intended) turns around and you'd be fighting for your life. That's what happened with the Germans who rallied with the Spanish up until the 2/3 of the 2nd half. Neuer was close to saving it but not close enough.

In the 73rd minute, a corner shot gave Puyol a opening to score. The game was tight with Germany playing defense most of the time. Possession was mostly in the Spanish boys' favour, especially A.Iniesta and David Silva. Their show of skills I must admit, is admirable. The control and seamless passing is like no other I've seen. If not for that watershed corner kick, the Germans would have had a chance as their defense was back up to the brim. Podolski got a close one in from the side-line with Toni Kroos deflecting into the Spanish goal. An equalizer at so close of the match would likely to have been a crucial point for both teams.

Mueller sat out in this match by reason of the previous match offense. Would he have made a difference? Well, I think so. He hasn't missed a game until now.

I guess Joachim Loew's future as the team's coach has now taken the turn for the worse, incidentally his coaching contract has run its course. I think he has done an excellent job and it would be Germany's peril not to renew it.

Needless to say, this marks the end of the Panzer's dream to reach the World Cup 2010 finals, much to the disappointment of a multitude.

Quarter Finals: Germany sends Argentina home

Germany celebrates their 4-0 victory over Argentina.

Mueller scored Germany's 1st goal in the 3rd minute of the game. I thought the Argentinians would had put up half an effort to regain their footing so early in the game but their rallying was futile.

During the 2nd half, the Panzer's survived Argentina's relentless onslaught and popped in the other 3. Miroslave Klose and Arne Friedrich scored the subsequent 2 goals in the 68th and 75th minutes to bring them out of any equalizing chances and the 4th by Klosse at the brink of the 2nd half sealed the Argentinians' doom. Lukas Podolski contributed largely to the 3rd goal with an excellent pass from the side line to Friedrich.

Fragmented defenses and what seemed to be a pressured atmosphere lead to the Argentinians' bad defeat in last night's game. Even their coach, former football superstar Diego Maradona showed the immensity of what they were up against. The truth is, Argentina was not playing well tonight. I confess I would have enjoyed evenly matched game with the winner coming out at the brink of defeat. A 4-0 win robs Argentina of their last shred of dignity at Capetown last night.

Whilst the Panzers are ecstatic, the next match between Paraguay and Spain kicks off to determine who they will be up against in the semis. I lack the stamina to watch a 2nd game, so I retire looking forward to know the results later in the morning.

Will there be another upset tonight?

Will Cape Town see the Panzers hold their fort and kick their way into the race for the coveted cup or will the Argentinians refuse them just like how they did Mexico? Brazil was the latest casualty in the hands of Holland. The Dutch ousted them South American team at the final moments. Tensions must be high for pundits and fans alike.

Some interesting statistics:-

• Argentina beat Germany 3-2 in the finals in 1986

• In 1990, Germany vindicated themselves and sent Argentina off with a 1-0 victory to the trophy

• In 2006, the Germans managed to snatch victory away from the Argentinians in the quarter-finals securing a penalty kick for 4-2 win

• The two teams have met each other 18 times previously with Argentina winning eight, losing five and drawing five, while outscoring the Germans 25 to 23 in the process

• Messi has yet to put in a goal although he has massively contributed in all matches played by Argentina

• From the likes of the previous matches, it seems that Germany has a strong defense based on skill and discipline, but they cannot now afford to slip like that they did engaging Serbia barely a month ago

• Argentina have been flawless in their performances so far in the tournament. They won all matches, three in the group league and then grounded Mexico in the Round of 16.

In European Football Forum, the polls predict Argentina a 60% chance of winning against 34% for Germany with a 4% chance of a tie!

I would like to see Germany ride their way safely past this one. Lukas Podolski and Miroslave Klosse must be at their best tonight. At the brink, survival will be granted to the fittest. There must have been some Buenos Aires magic in the air sealing victories for Argentina so far. Their pace is stead and their tenacity seems to know no relent as yet.

No doubt, the pressure for both teams would be astronomical.

Group G Portugal vs. North Korea

After taking my dad out for a belated Father's Day dinner tonight, my brother and I reckon we'd spend some time watching a qualifying World Cup 2010 match with him. Footie fanactics probably saw the heaviest ever casualty ever in the last 10 days.

If North Korea had impressed the crowd when they scored one pitted against Brazil on the last occasion, tonight's battle at Greenpoint Stadium in Capetown, South Africa. The audacious 3 goals within 7 minutes is a far cry from putting up a fight. Appalled fans of and against the team saw how the N Koreans bowed out in a 7-0 disgraceful defeat to Portugal. Was there not enough Kimchi to go around the night before for this abysmal display of skill in an international arena?

The North Koreans could barely control midfield with the onslaught of the Portuguese. It's understandable that the N. Koreans didn't have what it took to assault the Portuguese but cracking up a lousy defense just sealed their doom. Wide open reckless endeavor, I'd call it.

It's like the Asian team had no defenses at all. Portugal's Christiano Ronaldo didn't break a sweat nudging in the Portuguese's 5th goal with the ball gently landing on the back of his neck and straight on with a softy punt into the wide open goal and then he displays a smile which just say, "that was a piece of cake". I do believe that this is Ronaldo's first ever goal in the 2010 World Cup and marks the end of his two-year goal drought for the national team.

The winner of this match will take 2nd place in what has been called the "Group of Death". Portugal will face brazen Brazil on Friday to vie for a shot at the semis.

WMK MAM Rally X Series 2010- Round 2, SIC (Car Park A4)

It's been a while since I stood as steward for a rally but I got my chance this weekend. WMK MAM Rally X Series 2010 at SIC, about 1km of gravel flatland with loads of run-off space and plenty of dust. Sanctioned by Motorsports Association of Malaysia (MAM), of which I became a member about 3 years ago and now a steward, Rally X Round 2's title sponsor is WMK Fx Forum and co-sponsored by Pennzoil.

This hot afternoon sprint attracted 24 entries of various classes, each contending to be the next dirt king. The format was simple, just attempt 5 timed runs in the respective classes and if your cumulative time is the shortest in that class, you're the winner. The circuit was dry but flat, making coordination with the marshals easier. The winners were mostly from PRRC (Proton Rally Replica Club) Malacca with superb skills around the hairpin turns and bends.

The rally event was organized by Wheelspin Motorsports Events and the man behind it, Jagjeet Singh is also a rally driver himself.

Stewarding events like this takes me to be a judge of fact and an official with enforcement powers under the guises of MAM. I have no role in the format and event management , only ensuring the rules and regulations and safety requirements are met to standards. A steward is more like a prefect with authority to halt races or issue penalties for major infractions in motorsports safety in accordance with the NCR (National Competition Rules).

Rally X Round 2 saw fewer cars than Round 1 or so I'm told. I suppose coinciding with Father's Day was the cause.

Group D Aussie vs. Ghana

In my previous entry, I implied Ghana would have no problem against Australia in yesterday's (19th June) game. I was wrong. Aussie played excellently despite being down to 10 men at Rustenburg, South Africa.

The game was a 1-1 draw with both the teams unable to break it till the 90^th minute. Thus, Ghana has 4 points in total and Australia is behind at just 1 point. Aussie played rather well considering Harry Kewell was sent off on a straight red card by the referee in the 24th minute.

The soccer team from down under can progress if Germany plays as well against Ghana as it did against Australia in next Wednesday's final match for Group D.

FIFA World Cup 2010

It's been 8 days since FIFA World Cup 2010 had started and I watched my first game between Germany and Serbia in the Group D matches last night. I'm not a ardent fan of the game and probably miss a few good ones last week. Sankar, my colleague is a die-hard footie fan and after work last night, I tagged along for some food and a few beers whilst tuned on the live telecast at a bar across the street.

It didn't take long for me to get into the hype and suspense of watch Germany's Lucas Podolski shooting over and over again into the Serbian defences in a hope to pin that coveted goal on a hot afternoon at Nelson Mandela Stadium. Germany lost to Serbia 1-0 after Milan Jovanovic scored the Serb's first goal barely a minute after Miroslav Klose was sent off after tackling a foul twice thanks to an over-zealous referee. Six yellow cards in the first half is being over-zealous. Sankar was exasperated over the showing of those sanctioning instruments for every minor infraction. It was different in the 2nd half. One can only speculate that the ref got a ticking off for his quick draw sanctions.

So, down to 10 men, Germany's onslaught came one after another but to no avail. It just wasn't their day. To add insult to injury, the last 3 additional minutes saw a Serb taking injury and sent off the field in the stretcher, only to screw up the momentum and waste time for the already desperate Germans. With this unexpected defeat, Germany must now man-up against Ghana next for that would be a tough game. I wouldn't want to see the Germans out so early.

In Group D, Ghana is up against Australia today and I guess that much is a foregone conclusion.

The Force has been with you for 30 years....

Jedi, Sith, Rebels, Imperials, etc. will be coming together on Saturday 29 May, 2010 at the MySciFiFan Star Wars Fan Party to celebrate the 30th Anniversary of Star Wars Episode V The Empire Strikes Back. Festivities take place at the Preview Lounge of Cathay Cineplex Damansara (e@theCurve) from 8pm until 12am midnight including a Fan Film Screening in the Cinema (from 9.30pm).

There will also be special appearances by the 501st Legion, an international fan-based organisation dedicated to screen-accurate costumes of the various iconic characters from Star Wars. Visitors can expect to see the likes of infamous Darth Vader and Stormtroopers from the local 501st Malaysia-Brunei Outpost.


Advance preview of carnival exhibits featuring Imperial Star Destroyers have already landed at the Centre Atrium, e@Curve.

Hasbro is relaunching Star Wars Starship Battles in 2010 on MEGA-scale! Experience the exciting once again by taking command of starfighter squadrons from the Rebel Alliance or Galactic Empire using 3.75 in series toy vehicles from Hasbro in tactical space combat, this time on the largest floor map to be unveiled in Malaysia. Players will maneuver their starfighters, select targets, and fire weapons in attempt to meet their respective mission objectives. Over Rm4,000 worth of toys to be given away!

A smart phone for me?

After work today, I decided to check out some smart phones which the business community herald to be indispensable.

The IPhone 3GS, HTC X2, Nokia E72 are just among the plethora of smart phones now in the market in all their glory. In my office, at least 2 of my colleagues are walking around with an E72 (and my office isn't very big).

The vendor whom I talked to at Success One on the 2nd floor of TC Mall took a look at me and after brief introductions to some other phone modes said that the Nokia E52 would be a suitable cell replacement for my battered-up 3310 classic. My first impression of such a remark is "sales guy talk". I mean, here I am looking at all the more appealing phones on the display and he suggested a mono block phone? Then, he goes no further than suggesting that I do go home to think about it to avoid making any rash decisions, it was then I started the flick the inquisitive switch on and let me defences down. So what's the next best thing than to ask more about the product.

For one, the E52 has a fantastic talk-time of about 8 hours and a standby time of about 6 days (theoratically if your phone just sits in one place with no calls of course). It was not easy to dispute the vendor's views that mono block phones generally have better talk time than touch-screen phones which saps power the moment it's on and more so to power the touch screen sensors . This notion can't get any less believable as the resolution is a mere 252k, although disappointing for high-res junkies.

The phone looks sleek and weighs in at only 98 grams! Comes in black, silver or gold.

At the heart of the E52 is a 600mhz CPU with 160mb-stocked memory, running on a Symbion OS, S60 UI with FP2. This unit comes with a micro SD slot for memory expansion and is already shipped with a 1GB card.

The built-in A-GPS is as fast as the E55´s and the navigational software provided by the manufacturer is Ovi Maps, but you I can always pay a small fee to upload Garmin's software into the unit and load maps and POIs from MFM (Malfree Maps). It apparently has a digital compass too!

The device supports high-speed HSDPA and HSUPA connections.

Getting up and running with email is simple. Support for Nokia Messaging, Mail for Exchange and IBM Lotus Notes Traveller make it simple to add personal or work email accounts.

But the 3.2-megapixel, fixed focus camera is nothing to shout about. Then again, it's a business smart phone.

The E52 comes with noise cancellation, so now you’ll be heard clearly no matter where you’re calling from.

These and many more features makes it tempting for this potential 'up-grader'.

The E52 retails for about RM890.00 (from the authorized distributor).

So, I'm taking the 'friendly' advice of the vendor at SC and will sleep on it.

8th Day...

I was rudely awoken by the almost simultaneous detonation of firecrackers around the neighborhood at midnight.

Abruptly jolted (bearing in mind I sleep in an intermediate room in a condominium!) by the thunderous volume, anxiety took over. I quickly went to the balcony with my mum just a skip behind and saw strings of firecrackers being set of in a thunderous chorus.

On the horizon, giant formations of fireworks started to blaze the dark skies. First on of the west , followed by another discharge on the east side. From afar, I can make out 'airbombs" detonating, characterized by a brilliant flash in the sky with a huge 'bang' ensuing shortly thereafter. I've been up close to one years ago and I could almost still hear the ringing in my ears! After a while, the wind blew the acrid scent of gunpowder to our direction. I can't help stop thinking about my youth, donning nothing more than a simple T-shirt and shorts running around setting off my stash of fireworks at this hour...

Ahh... the 8th day of CNY... when offerings and prayers are dedicated to Tian Gong, the God of Heaven. I remember this, for as a child, I was witness to numerous prayer rituals at Uncle Eugene's old house, which ironically is just a few streets from where I live now. My dad would be trying his luck at the mahjong table with my mum chatting with the men's' wives. My friends and I would be running wild in the neighborhood with our stock of gunpowder-propelled rockets and Roman candles!

Reminiscing old days and yet feeling irritated from interrupted sleep, I can't help but wonder why we banned firecrackers in the first place just to observe multitudes ignoring it. Being trained to observe the law doesn't quell the temptation of doing it all over again.

I slept well when I returned to bed, with memories of CNY past!

Red Envelopes

Certainly another indispensable tradition is the giving of ang pao or red envelopes or packets containing a small monetary gifts. The giving of a red packets are considered very auspicious and for warding off evil spirits and ushering good luck into one's home. I use to keep a list of all my collections in a small little book kept alongside a envelope serving as my makeshift "safe" hidden away in a drawer.

The story of ang pow" dates back to the Sung Dynasty in China. A village called Chang-Chieu was at the time terrorised by a huge demon. No one was capable of defeating it, not even their greatest warriors or statesmen. However, a young orphan, armed with a magical sword inherited from his ancestors, fought the evil demon and eventually killed it. The villagers were triumphant and the elders presented the brave young man with a red envelope (more like a red pouch I would imagine) filled with money for his courage in saving them. Since then, the ang pow has become a part of traditional Chinese customs.

Practically every Chinese family practices giving out thee red packets during the Chinese New Year period, weddings, birthdays or important events like one's child's graduation. Kids or the unmarried stands to gain more from this exercise.

The obligors are normally married couples and older folks. Newly weds are "encourage" to make their "contribution" more sizable in order that their marriage will be a fruitful and lasting one. I've always been taught by my mother to have notes in pairs, depending on the denomination of currency available, e.g. RM11- comprising of one RM10 note and one RM1 note.

The handing out of red packets are reciprocated by kids' parents respectively when families visit one another.

Yee Sang & Low Hei

A timeless ritual chinese practices during the Lunar New Year celebrations aka Chinese New Year celebrations. The common dish known as "Yee Sang" or raw fish, transliterated. In Malaysia, there is almost no option for every Chinese family to indulge in this exercise at the dinner table on the eve of the new year, commonly called the "Reunion dinner" or at any place where a table of guests are preparing to dine.

The Singapore-originated (as I found out) dish had fish served with white radish, carrots, red capsicum, turnips, red pickled ginger, sun-dried oranges, lime tree leaves, Chinese parsley, chilli, jellyfish, chopped peanuts, toasted sesame seeds, Chinese shrimp crackers (or fried dried shrimp), five-spice powder and other ingredients, laced with a sauce using plum sauce, rice vinegar kumquat paste and sesame. Originally, the dish used raw mackerel, although in deference to the popular wishes of customers, salmon was later offered as an alternative due to the growing its popularity. These days, there are variations with raw jellyfish stripes, which serves as a cheaper alternative.

The act of communal mixing or "low hei", involving tossing the shredded ingredients into the air with chopsticks (much like you would with Caesar salad) while exclaiming various "auspicious wishes" out loud. It is believed that the height of the toss reflects the height of the dinner's growth in fortunes, thus dinners are expected to toss enthusiastically; the level of enthusiasm commonly depicted by the "height" of the the toss.

There is no real specific technique in the toss, but I've come to realize the "toss experts" could manage to mix the ingredients up in midair with skillful chopstick-play!

The tangy taste of Yee Sang sets out your palate for the tantelizing dishes which comes after that.